The Maze Runner: Acadia

Chapter Nine

The Glade was an interesting place. Everyone seems to have a job that fits their interests, to an extent, and do their part, but Cadi seemed to be struggling with that.

The girl finds her shoes in the darkness, managing to put them on and lace them beneath her dark cargo pants. The worn leather was harsh against her feet, but it was all she had unless she requested a new pair. Alby had explained that a request could be put in the following week when the supplies arrived. Cadi tries her hardest to keep the wooden floor from creaking as she shifts her weight from foot to foot as she puts on her clothes. After carefully securing a bra around her chest and shoulders, she went to search for a shirt in the darkness. So far, she only had two shirts. One Newt had lent her, which hung loosely from her body, and the one she came up in. Because she lost the one Newt gave her, she ended up wearing the maroon henley top.

It was the next morning since the Banishment, and Cadi was restless. She found herself getting up before any Glader, even the Runners. Sleep did not come easy. Lying awake for hours in her new bed, and as much as she liked her own room, fresh air was the only thing that seemed to calm her, or so she hoped. Unanimously, Newt and Alby had agreed to give the girl a few days' rest, but she declined. She had already gotten the previous day off. Managing to convince herself that that was enough, she was content. Moving her room prep to priority, she now had a safe space to herself. The room was small and dusty, but it was her own.

Slowly, Cadi made her way out the door and out of her room. The hallway was dark and quiet, her door creaking loudly as she began to close it behind her, making the girl cringe. Shifting her weight forwards onto her toes, Cadi made her way to the banister across from the rooms, following it left till her fingers brushed over the descending rail.

Using her hands as a guide, she slowly made her way down the stairs, each step creaking unevenly under her weight. As soon as her feet hit the concrete of the main floors' living room, she breathed a sigh of relief. A small lamp was perched on the pitiful table under the picture, emitting just enough light for the girl to scan over the sleeping bodies of the boys. Most opted to sleep inside Homestead, right in the living room.

Suppressing the urge to cough as the mixture of body odor and mildew filled her lungs, she turned on her heel and slipped out of the front door. The air was chilled as the night began to turn to morning, the stars light dimming as the sun's rays shone ever-so-slightly over the horizon. For a long time, she stood, just outside the main door of Homestead, breathing in the fresh air. A few minutes passed, and Cadi felt the long days finally catch up to her, the leaded edge of sleep crossing over his mind. But—like a fist had shoved it in her brain and let go—a thought popped into her head. One that she didn't expect, and she wasn't sure from where it came. Suddenly, the Glade, the walls, the Maze, the people—it all seemed ... familiar. Comfortable.

A warmth of calmness spread through her chest, and for the first time since she'd found herself there, she didn't feel like the Glade was the worst place in the universe. She stilled, felt her eyes widen, her breathing stop for a long moment. What just happened? she thought. What changed? Ironically, the feeling that things would be okay made her slightly uneasy. Not quite understanding how, she knew what she needed to do. She didn't get it. The feeling—the epiphany—was a strange one, foreign and familiar at the same time. But it felt ... right.

She took a deep breath, loving the fresh whiff of dirt and growing plants. She was almost positive the smell would bring back some sort of pleasant memory, but nothing came. Maybe this place won't be so bad after all, Cadi thought. Not everyone here could be a jerk. She took another deep breath of the pleasant air and pulled herself out of her thoughts—there wasnt anything in particular she warned to do before wake up, but she wanted to enjoy the rare quiet as long as possible. As she explored the area, she realized more and more how well the Gladers kept up the place, how relatively clean it was.