Escaping the Maze

Chapter 8

I visit Rachel in the slammer, and despite being stuck in it; she seems fairly happy. I guess it's because she wasn't banished.
She perks up as soon as she hears me approaching, and runs to the window.
"Aris." She says, sighing, and grabbing my hand. "You shouldn't have come; what job trials did you ditch?"
"Builder, but Beth was in the council meeting and she was too grumpy afterwards so she yelled at me and told me to do whatever I wanted. She rescheduled it for the day after tomorrow." I say, shrugging.
"You could do anything and you come here?" She asks, and I laugh at her surprise.
"Where else would I go?" I raise my eyebrows.
"To see Baylor or Willow? Someone who's not locked up and being punished?" She says, resting her face against the cool bars of the window.
"I wouldn't see either of them ever, if you were one of the choices." I say, grabbing her other hand, which was clasped tightly around a bar.
"Well this isn't helping you much, I mean, we're separated by bars, it can't get much worse." She closes her eyes tightly, and breathes heavily.
"Well, I can still talk to you." I point out, pulling up the bag I'd taken from the kitchen and pushing through the bars.
"You stole this?" She gawks at the bag with food in it.
"No, of course not. Mabel gave me some to give to you." I laugh, and remember how she pushed Beth out of the way and handed me the bag.
"She's so nice." Rachel says smiling and eating a piece of bread and a container of soup. "Mm. It's so delicious."
"Yeah, I know. I had that for dinner too." I say, and just notice that the sky has gotten considerably darker since I got here.
"You've been here a long time, they're probably back there missing you and looking for you." Rachel says, finishing the last of her food.
"Nah, they probably don't even notice I'm gone." I shrug, not really caring.
"Yes, I'm sure they do. Now leave!" She orders, pulling a hand away and pointing towards the homestead.
I smile, and kiss her quickly. Before she can react, I sprint away, smiling to myself. I hear her shouting behind me, but I don't turn around to see what she's saying.
I'm running around the homestead, when I crash into someone. I stumble back, rubbing my head. I see a girl, laying on the ground on her back, staring up at me. She has long brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail and bright blue eyes.
"Oh, god. I'm so sorry." I say, reaching a hand out to help her up.
"No, it's okay. It's my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going." She blushes, releasing my hand quickly. She flicks her eyes around, seemingly tense.
"Where are you headed?" I ask, frowning.
"Um, I was just going to the deadheads, nobody really talks to me, so I get a little lonely. But, no one notices, I don't mind it though. I'm kind of a quiet person, I hate crowds." She shudders, and glances over my shoulder.
"I see, I think you should make friends. Even one would be nice, what's your name?" I ask, curiously.
"Karla." She says, looking at her feet.
"Hold on, come with me." I say, smiling at her and walking towards a girl about Karla's height and probably age.
"Hello, what's your name?" I ask her, startling her a little.
"Um, Amber, why?" She asks, visibly confused.
"This is Karla, she has been feeling a little lonely, would you mind hanging out with her?" I ask, and Amber smiles warmly.
"Sure, no problem. Karla, meet my friends." She says, introducing Karla to two or three other people.
Karla's smile is warm and she flashes a grateful look after me as I walk off to find Harriet.
"What've you been up to?" Harriet asks as I find her.
"Nothing, I found a job I want." I say breathlessly.
"Well, that's unfortunate, because you won't be getting a job." She says, sounding slightly apologetic.
"Why not?" I ask surprised.
"Not yet, I mean. You still need to trial seven more." She says, rolling her eyes. I groan. "What were you thinking though?"
"Never mind." I say, sighing. I turn around, head out to find Willow.
I don't see her around the homestead, so I go to look in the deadheads. I wander around for a couple minutes, no sign of her.
"Who're you looking for?" A voice says from above me. I can tell it's not anyone I know.
"Willow." I say, not knowing if this person will know who that is.
"Eh, don't know her." The person says, and jumps down with a thud beside me.
"So you're the boy." Says a girl, studying me. She has long straight black hair pulled up in a ponytail behind her head. Her eyes are a bright green, it seems like they glow in the dark. "Aris, is it?"
"Yes." I say, a little uncomfortable as her glowing eyes watch me carefully.
"I'm Olivia." She says, looking away. Her eyes dart around, careful, glowing. And the way she hopped graceful, but sure, to the ground beside me, she reminds me of a cat. I have memories of a cat, black fur, startling yellow-green eyes. My cat, Joy, a chubby toddler running after her; me.
"I remember." I say, wracking my brain for more to the story.
"You remember what? Nobody here remembers anything." She says, unbelieving.
"I'm different." I say, defensive.
"I know, I'm not stupid. You're a guy. We're all girls. Of course you're different."
"No, I mean I have memories. I remember Rachel, and now my cat." I say.
"Why your cat?" She asks, and raises her eyebrows.
"Because you remind me of a cat." I say, almost regretting the words as soon as they're out of my mouth.
"You're weird." She says, laughing.
"Why were you in a tree?" I ask, just thinking about it.
"I like it up there. I don't know, climbing trees helps me I guess. I'm a runner." She adds, at my moment's confusion.
"Oh, aren't you the keeper?" I ask, remembering seeing her from the gatherings.
"Yep, that's me." She says, pointing her thumbs towards herself.
"Oh, would you mind making sure Rachel is okay? I don't want anything to happen to her." I say, my face heating up slightly.
"Hmm." Olivia says, pretending to think it over. "I'll see what I can do for your girlfriend." She smirks, laughing on the inside, I can see it in her eyes.
"Thanks." I say, half sarcastically.