~ song: afterglow - jon boden ~
'HER' POV:
As dinner came to an end, the sky began to darken. Minho had offered to take me off to meet more people, even though I was still without a name. Newt offered to return our plates so Minho and I wandered off, gently. "So, new girl," He started, "How are ya feeling?" He looked at me with his big brown eyes. Truth be told, I wasn't feeling. It's like along with my memories, my emotions had disappeared. I was still feeling hunger and fatigue but I wasn't scared of anything, for some reason. Anyone else in my situation, I assume, would be petrified. Being trapped in a small area with almost 50 teenage boys, with no escape and no knowledge of what was out to get me. "I'm doing alright," I responded after a moment. "Good, good," Minho said, "Did Newt tell you about the jobs?" I shook my head. Newt had spoken about him working in the gardens but I forgot to ask about the jobs so it's a good thing Minho had brought it up.
"Well there's sloppers, dirty workers, cleanin' up slop and whatnot," He started, "The Track Hoes, gardeners, they farm for food and plants we need, that's what Newt does. Then The Cooks, you met Fry didn't you?" He nudged me, I nodded, "He's a good guy but not an amazing cook. You also have the Slicers, which I won't go into much detail about but they're the ones that turn animals into meat which is then sent to the Blood Housers who are able to prepare the meat before it is sent to The Cooks. Brick Nicks and Builders are practically the same. The dumb boys who are good with their hands but nothing intelligent to come out of their mouths, if you know what I mean?" He chuckled at his own joke, causing me to roll my eyes sarcastically. Minho continued, "The most depressing job is awarded to The Baggers, the ones to dispose of our dead comrades." The boy pondered for a moment. "I think that's it?" He looked at me, doubtful. "What do you do?" I asked.
"Did Newt mention what's out there?" Minho pointed towards the place where the rather large gap in the walls used to be, however now, the gap was closed . "He didn't, no," I said, rather curious now. "That boy didn't mention anything important did he?" Minho smirked. "Apparently not, but what's out there?" I asked, extremely keen now that Minho had labelled it as 'important'. "It's the Maze," He stated, walking toward a group of people. They seemed to be crowded around a large bonfire. "Tell Newt to explain what The Maze is, from me," Minho started, "But welcome to your party, New Girl."
NEWT'S POV:
Minho and The Girl slowly started approaching the Bonfire. Each month, when the new Greenie comes up, the Gladers throw a massive party to celebrate the achievement of how far we've all come. She looked baffled once she'd seen everyone waiting. Her eyes met mine for a moment and she flashed a smile, walking towards me. Minho started walking away to the other boys and everyone else seemed to start partying, leaving me and her. "Hey, Newt," She greeted me. "You okay?" I asked her. She nodded and started to walk with me by her side. "Minho told me to tell you that you need to explain what The Maze is and what him and Arthur do as a job, please," She sighed after letting out her mouthful. "Should we sit down, because this is a long story?"
The Girl and I got ourselves sat down on a log beside the bonfire. "So... The Maze," I began, "Those doors," I pointed to where the crack was, "They close every night, and when they do, The Maze out there changes, making it almost impossible to find the way out and although it may not seem like it, that Maze, is the only way out of this place." She pondered for a moment or so. "Can't people stay out there overnight and follow the changes?" She asked. A very logical question, however, "At night is when the Grievers come out," She looked puzzled, "They're these big monsters. No one has ever survived a night out there, with those horrendous creatures."
"What do Minho and Arthur do?" She asked. She seemed to never run out of questions. "They run The Maze. Every morning when those doors open, them and a few other go out there and they run every inch of that Maze in an effort to try and map it, trying to find an exit." This seemed to intrigue her, but suddenly something in her face took over.
'HER' POV:
"My name is Elizabeth , Subject A0 of The Maze Trials, directed by WICKED. I am to forget everything I have previously known and only remember the following sentence: I am Elizabeth, I am here to get us out of here, or die trying."
My eyes opened painfully slowly. At first, I only saw the night sky, and then two, large brown eyes appeared above mine. "You okay down there, love?" Newt asked, chuckling. I sat up and brushed myself off. I must've passed out again. "What happened?" He asked me, turning from laughter to quite a concerned tone. "I just-" I stopped, "I remember my name." Newt looked amazed. "What is it?" He was beaming from ear to ear. "Elizabeth. Elizabeth Paige."
"You remember your last name?" Newt queried, slightly taken aback. I nodded, slowly. I wasn't aware this was unusual. "Hm," He shrugged, "Interesting."
After I managed to reposition myself, I asked Newt a question. "What do you do around here?" He smiled gently and turned to face me. "Well, I happen to be second-in-command around these parts," He looked incredibly smug with himself. I raised my eyebrows, pretending to be slightly impressed. "So I practically do everything around here," He exaggerated with a rather huge grin plastered on his face.
We spoke for a little while longer about bits and bobs until Arthur walked over. He seemed like a nice guy. "Hey, Alby told me to come and collect you," He announced, looking at me. "Okay, see you later," I said to Newt as I began to stand up. "Bye Beth!" He shouted as Arthur and I started to saunter away.
