Queen of The Maze

Memories Part 2

I sat down on my sturdy lounge chair in the hut, positioning the torch just behind me. I withdrew the journal from my waistband where it had been sitting uncomfortably for the last few hours, taking it in. The books cover was plain brown leather, and the pages where lined and pale. The initials N.A. were inscribed in the left hand corner of the journal front, making me wonder who this notebook belonged to before it entered the glade. Opening to the first page, I adjusted the torch and turned my eyes to the writing. 

1st Entry. 25/12/2065

'Mum gave me this diary for christmas. I've never been one to write a lot, but my best friend Val said it would be good for me to write my emotions out instead of punching him continuously . The  Ambroses and the Pridewoods spent christmas together this year, because with the Flare pandemic we couldn't afford two different places. So our families are really close. I'm writing this entry sitting on the attic windowsill on the second story of our shared home, staring over at Val sitting on my bed reading, his fuzzy black hair covering his freckled face. I'm not too sure how a diary works, but I guess I should introduce myself to whoever will be reading this in the future, hopefully older and wiser me. My name is Nylania Percival Ambrose, though everyone just calls me Nyla. I have lived in Saudi Arabia my whole life before moving  with my parents to North America  with my brother Nolando to escape the illness spreading across the country. I have long black hair, bronze skin that Val is jealous of, green eyes and a muscular build. My parent's told me about a week ago that they were enrolling me and Nolan in a program for a company that gives insurance to the younger generations during tough times. We will work for them, helping to find a cure for the disease. Valentino is doing it too, and so is my other best friend Axel, but I call him Ax. I don't have any girl friends, maybe because they never really excepted me when I was younger. And so now I have no experience with them other than my mother. Anyway, I'm off for now, Val's dad Orion just got home and is gonna watch a movie with us. <3'

2nd Entry. 13/03/2066

'I think my parents are getting worse. It's been a month now and their condition isn't getting any better. Valentino's dad is not doing well, and his mum is already gone. I feel awful just having to say that because Marina was like a second mother to me, and she made me feel at ease when the Pridewood's came to pick us up from the airport. We don't have any known relatives, and due to restrictions no one who isn't directly related can come visit us. So Val and I are all alone, taking care of three sick parents, knowing we can't do anything about it. We are only thirteen! And it doesn't help that I also have to take care of Nolan, who is 8 and I have to shield from his own parents. But Val helps so much. Both of us still go to work, earning just enough money for food and water. WCKD is really nice to us, sometimes letting us take medicine to try out on our parents. And some of the other kids there have already lost their family or someone they love so that helps too. And we stay in touch with Ax through work, people calling us the ivy trio because we stick together stronger than ivy vines. I record this entry while sitting in a chair next to my parent's beds, staring at their pale faces while they sleep. Every ten minutes or so I keep checking that they are breathing while Valentino is out doing shopping trips. He's not allowed to take more than ten minutes because the air can damage his lungs, and if he gets sick then I'm doomed. Not that Nolan can't help, but he's more interested in cars than watching the news on an old battered tv. I think that's him now. Off for now <3'

3rd Entry. 04/07/2067

'I can't believe I found it! I haven't seen this diary since last year. And the obvious reason why is because it brought back to many memories for my emotion-showing self. But since I'm writing this for my future self or whatever, I guess I owe you an explanation, though you definitely remember. My parents are dead. They died early April last year, around the same time. Their deaths weren't pretty, and I did have to play a major part in the passing. I came home from work one day to Val tying ropes over the beds, pinning my parents down. He told me they had been out of control all day, practically frothing at the mouth trying to kill him. So like the ordinary teenager in crisis I am, I handed each of my parents a kitchen knife and shooed Val out of the room, listening to the screams fade to silence. After a bit of crying and character development, here we are. Ax, Val, Nolan and I now have a caravan and ute that I 'borrowed' from a mate, and can now live closer to the WCKD headquarters. Nolan is old enough to work now, to help us find a cure to the inevitable flare virus. Every day except for Saturday and Sunday, from 8:30am to 5pm, we work in the labs of the huge building surrounded by rubble, mixing chemicals or herbs or anything we can find to create a medicine. I was never a scienc-y person but when in a global crisis, you must extend your limits. Some of the stuff we do is a little bit risky, but the heads of World Crisis Kill-zone Department, Graysie Page and Azazel Vingrys, assure us that it's okay. Like daily blood tests, chipping our necks, simulators and regular brain scans. Once I even had to take out a piece of my arm for an experiment they wanted me to try. My reputation skyrocketed after I walked into the communal eating area with a bandage around my bicep. Anyway I have to go, it's my turn to go get this weeks food. Off for now <3'

4th Entry. 22/09/2068

'I'm trying to write this while curled up in the shadow of building scraps. Because for some reason this diary seems to show up every year or so, and always at the time when I need it most. But now, for future Nyla, I have to tell you this. Whatever is happening to you right now, just know that you can not trust WCKD. The people you can trust are the ones who were played by them too. How have I come to the conclusion that WCKD is bad? Well, hopefully I have enough time to write this before they notice I left the building before my shift is over. It all started about a month ago, where I had to stay back in the lab to finish a report on skin molecules and the benefits they have for each individual. I was the only one left after waving my friend Chase out, telling him to tell Ax and Val not to wait up. My bench is the far right corner bench, with a lovely view of the deserted city below. Anyway, I was doing my report until I heard something. Staying quiet, I had ducked down behind one of the benches as two people walked in. Looking back, I knew it was Graysie and Dr. Vingrys. They started arguing about how if they kept taking 'subjects' then people would start noticing, and how many 'immunes' were part of the system. At that stage I should have gotten out of there, maybe jumped out the 50 storey floor-to-ceiling window. Then they started listing names, discussing how well they were progressing and if they were going to be susceptible to the memory wipe. Questions were floating through my head. Once I had gotten out of there, I stayed back the next few nights to try and get more information, Ax and Val and my other friend Callan coming with me for proof. We learnt a lot, and I wish we hadn't. Turns out, WCKD was taking kids from the 'program' and experimenting on them to see if they were immune to the virus. If they weren't, they died. If they were, they were captured and tested. And we all knew it was a matter of time before it was our turn. Pretty good summary I know. I have to get back to work. Off for now <3'

5th Entry. 16/04/2069

'I'm watching them run. About ten of the guys are going, including Axel and Valentino and Nolando. Val handed me a present before he left, a small mirror that his mother intended to give me for my 16th birthday. That made me tear up a little. We have all been tortured beyond repair, till our minds couldn't take it anymore. I don't know if my plan will work exactly, but everyone seemed to be looking at me for guidance when we planned this. This will most likely be my last entry if my idea goes south, and because I've decided to leave my diary in the hands of one of the kids who is my man on the inside. His name is Alvaro and he's the nicest guard here, even though he's my age. I've gotten all the other guys out, and the building sirens have started sounding. I know I'm going to have to stand up and fight all the guards when they come barrelling around the corridor corner, but I'm prepared to go down for my team. I hope that they don't go after my friends. I hope to see you again diary, and whatever you do, don't-'

That was it. I had stayed up for hours and hours, just to read what seemed to be, my life story. Sitting up straight, I stared out into the empty hut around me, early morning sunlight peeking through the walls, contemplating how much easier it would be to have kept my nose out of the greenies journal. And I guessed that the blood I arrived with on the mirror and myself and the scar meant that the fight had not ended well for me. Realising how long I had been gone, I shoved the knowledge of my past into the deepest parts of my brain, hid the journal under my chair and snuck into the forest. Playing it cool the entire morning, until I got a chance to talk to my apparent best friends Axel and Valentino.