Ariella Raven Furia. Ariella: Root word- Ella: meaning 'angel' in the language of God. Prefix- Ari: meaning 'darkened' in God's law. Raven: The blackened bird which soars well below the skies of God. Furia: Hound of eternal Hell. A name that punishes and brings shame to the being who knows of the true meaning. A name that contains so much beauty yet so much despair. A name unbearable to live by. A name that reminds her of what she now is, every time another dies at her cold, pale hands as the tears streamed steadily down her flawless, heart-broken, immortal face. A cursed name containing a cursed fate she will never be able to run away from. Her heart is not cold, it's just broken.

She wasn't a bad kid. She never snuck out, she always did her chores, she had good grades.... So, what had she done to deserve this? Never has she once doubted God - If He was really up there. And that is what sixteen-year-old Aliana Karson begins to wonder when she wakes up in the hospital room 406. If God was up there, and was really as fair as people preach, then why had he chosen her for this terrible fate? She was a perfectly good person; kind, beautiful, smart, talented. Though, if you asked her what the one thing was that she wanted out of everything - her answer would be simple. Easy. Quick. To dance. That's all she wanted. She breathed for it, she lived for it. She loved it. But what happens when that is all shattered? What happens when the one thing she loved since she was three is ripped from right under her feet... literally? Could God really be that cruel?

The Officials is the hardest, cruellest, most barbaric game in the history of television programmes, sending children aged 13-17 into the very real, very serious and very forbidding world of death. Their task once in the Maze is simple – Kill everybody who isn’t on your side by any means possible. There are 10 teams of 10 people, sorted out before entering the Maze, who help, protect and fight with you till the very end. Only one team can win the Officials, and so no other teams are able to live, making the lives of each individual very fearsome, distressing and miserable. Why enter this slaughter house you may ask? These children have been driven to the absolute extreme all for the thing that would make anyone brave enough risk death. The prize for winning the Officials is eternal glory, lasting fame, permanent wealth, and anything else anybody has ever wished for in their wildest dreams. All of this comes with the terrible risk of possible death, however, and most people bale out at the statistic of 10/100 children, at maximum, making it out alive. The people brave enough, and every year the Officials manage to find 100 of them, enter the Maze knowing too well that they probably won’t leave it. This is what the world has come to – Making children kill each other for an entertainment programme.