Song of a Glader

Chapter One

It was dark and I was cold. My eyes shot open as I came back to consciousness, not knowing where I was. I looked around and started to picture where I was as my eyes slowly adjusted. I lay upon a cold, metal floor and the walls around me were a thick, metal netting that closed me in a small box-like thing.

I felt my head spin as I attempted to stand, bracing myself against the cold walls. There was a screeching noise that made my heart stop and then pump three times faster as the box suddenly started to move. It slid up abruptly and I stumbled back onto the floor. I didn't scream, couldn't maybe, I was in shock.

The box that contained a terrified me continued to slide upwards, through a long shoot of some sort. It increased in speed and I closed my eyes as it suddenly hit the end, stopping abruptly.

For a few long minutes, all I could hear was the sound of me breathing, heavy and uneven. Something must have opened because there was suddenly a source of bright light leaking into the box. I looked up and saw the roof of the box open like split doors.

Dozens of faces gathered around the edges of the square opening and I shielded my eyes from what I guessed was the sun just so I could get a good look at who I might be up against. They were boys, all of them. Seemed to be around my age, sixteen, some were older and others younger, though.

My heart nearly kept out of my chest when one of the boys jumped into the box, causing it to make a loud noise a unsteadily shake, and kneeled down beside me. The boy just stared at me in awe.

"Newt, what's going on?" A deep voice boomed from the box's edge.

"It's a bloody girl!" the boy beside me, who I guessed was called Newt, yelled back up in surprise. Murmurs started in the crowd above, in a whisper at first, but they grew louder and some even started yelling.

"A girl!?"

"How old is she?"

"What does she look like?"

"Just get her up here!" The deep voice called out again.

"Come on, then," Newt said. He held out his hand to me and I only stared at it suspiciously for a few seconds before taking it.

I need to get outta here and see what the heck is going on, I thought as I squeezed the boy's hand.

He led me to the side of the box and put my hand on the wall. I began to climb the wall, I was a good climber and had done a lot of it in the past. As I neared the top, I felt hands on me, pulling me out of the pit and onto bright green grass and warm soil. I slowly began to stand as I eyed the boys suspiciously. There were at least thirty boys gathered around me, all staring in awe. Some of the boys helped Newt out of the pit too and he walked up to a boy with skin like chocolate. I found out, the deep voice belonged to him.

"Welcome to the Glade, Greenie. Name's Alby. I'm the leader around here." He reached his hand out to me, but I didn't accept it. I just stared at it, I wasn't about to make physical contact with anyone of these smelly boys unless it was to help me. The black, muscular boy slowly dropped his hand and I thought I spotted a grin form on Newt's face. The crowd of boys suddenly started "oooo"ing, as if to burn him. Alby shot an angry look at his boys and the smiles vanished from their faces.

"I call dibs on giving her the tour!" some kid randomly shouted from the back of the crowd. The boys in front stepped aside so the boy who spoke could be seen. The boy walked forward with a devious grin on his face, I didn't like it. He had dark hair and wild eyebrows, his eyes showing hatred and anger.

"No, shuck-face. I wanna give her the tour!" another boy cried. The crowd of boys erupted in a mass of madness, fighting over who wanted to take me on the tour. I rolled my eyes.

Idiots.

The boy who first spoke up walked closer to me, reaching out his hand towards my arm. I turned and smacked his hand quickly away. The boys "oooo"ed again as the boy backed away, holding his now red wrist against his chest.

"A feisty girl! Are all girls this rough?" He asked, his grin still disliked by me. I just glared at him. He tried to grab my arm again, but I slapped it away for the second time.

"Enough!" Alby suddenly yelled. There was silence. "Shut your hole, Gally! No one touches this girl, ever! Ya hear!?"

All the boys sadly nodded their heads and there was a long awkward silence.

"Alright, shuck faces. Get back to bloody work!" Newt said. The crowd quickly dispersed as boys went back across the field of green.

I suddenly began to walk in the opposite direction the boys had gone. I didn't know where I was going or exactly what I was doing, I just had to take in my surroundings. I heard Newt and Alby come up behind me.

"Where do you think you're going, Greenie?" Alby spoke. I ignored him and kept up my pace. After a long silence, Alby spoke again.

"Can you even speak!?" the boy asked in a rage of frustration.

I suddenly stopped, looked at him with a rude glare, turned my head forward again, then just kept on walking.

I observed the area, a large piece of clear meadow surrounded by four, tall, stone walls. I reached one of the walls and observed the ivy it was covered in. I took my right hand and set it on the wall. I began to walk to the left, my hand dragging against the wall as I did his. I could feel the boys still behind me, murmuring things to each other under their breath. I slowly came to a halt when I realized an opening in the wall, a large opening. I walked towards the center of it and looked out. Before I could see anything, Alby's stocky body blocked my view completely.

"Number one rule here in the Glade; don't ever leave! Never go out the Doors!"

I couldn't keep my mouth shut anymore, so many questions bounced around in my head.

"Why? What's out there?" I question.

"Ahh, so the bloody girl can speak," Newt said, coming up from behind me.

"Yes, of course I can." I say it like it's ridiculously obvious. "You didn't answer my question though."

"No one goes through those doors except the Runners. Any one else would get killed!" Alby said.

"I would enjoy testing that theory," I said, not knowing what he meant by the Runners. Alby opened his mouth to say something, but I stopped him.

"Kidding," I tell him with a smile. "Rules are good. They keep order and in a place like this, I'd say we need lots of that stuff."

"Well... I... yes, exactly," Alby said, a surprised look on his face. I inwardly chuckled at his awful attempt to hide his surprise.

I bet he's never had anyone say that to him before because they were just terrified and wanted to know where they were. Wait. Where the hell was I? Where am I!? What's going on? Where's my family!?

I put my hand on my heart for it began to hurt. It was all coming back now. I was in my warm bed at home one minute, and the next, I awoke in that box thingy.

What the frick is happening!!!??!?!

My heart burned and my head spun. I grabbed Alby's shirt in panic.

"Where. The hell. Am I!?" I asked, I was sure fear filled my eyes now.

"Calm down. I will explain everything to you if you just calm down." Alby reasoned.

"I know your scared, Greenie. We've all been through this. It's okay if you can't remember a bloody thing." Newt said, calmly placing a hand on one of mine that wrinkled Alby's shirt. I finally release it and he backs an inch or two away, straightening his neckline.

"What do you mean if I don't remember anything!?" I was yelling now, I needed to know what the flip was happening.

"Do you remember??" Newt asked, his brown eyes widening.

"Remember what?" I said.

What is he talking about!?

"Your childhood, family, your life before you were here?" Alby continued for Newt.

"Yeah. Of course I do. I could never forget my family!" I replied. "Speaking of, I need to get back to them so where the hell am I!?"