The Labyrinth Runner

Chapter three Annabeth

Annabeth was having the worst morning of her life. Of course, there was the fact that she couldn't remember her entire life but Annabeth chose to forget that small snag.

There was something Annabeth did remember, or rather, didn't. She could sense that something, someone, important was missing from her life and memories. Someone so important but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. A gut feeling of something green, and perhaps a flicker of a smile.

Piper led her around the "Glade", which Annabeth knew meant a small clearing in a forest, and showed her the various jobs of the Gladers. Piper led her through the fields, where she introduced a dark-skinned girl with eyes as dazzling as the sun.

"My name's Hazel, or at least, I think it is," the girl held out her hand for Annabeth to shake, she looked like she was only thirteen or fourteen. 

"Annabeth," Annabeth took Hazel's hand and shook, their eyes met for a second, grey eyes so stormy they could've been silver connected with the gold, and a shiver of recognition sparked through Annabeth.

"Do I know you?" She asked, though the familiarity was already ebbing away.

Hazel examined her hands as if the answer was etched there. "I don't think so," she said, "unless you remember your past?"

"No. I don't." Annabeth said shortly, "and I gather everyone here has had the exact same experience. The memory loss, the dark box, then the glade."

Piper studied her with a new expression, almost like awe. "You know what greenie? I like you, you've got the brains."

Annabeth didn't know what to say to that comment, so she kept silent.

The tour continued for about one more hour, then Piper abruptly held her hand up for Annabeth to stop.

"What?" Annabeth asked.

Then she saw what. The old stone walls that surrounded the glade except for one opening, which, physically speaking, could not have moved, did move. The doors made a grinding crackling sound that made Annabeth want to cover her ears and scream. Screaming would've been more pleasant than the noise that was making Annabeth's skin crawl and heart ache.

"How can they be moving?" Annabeth shouted to Piper, "they can't be moving!"

"Use your eyes greenbean," Piper shouted back, "they are moving!"

After the doors had shut, Annabeth let lose a sigh and turned to Piper. Her stormy gray eyes could've made anyone nervous, and she saw in Piper's multicolored ones that she was anticipating what this girl would say.

"What's out there?" 

Piper returned her gaze to the walls, it was a while before she spoke, and Annabeth would never forget those words.

"It's the maze, stick. The maze."

*******

Next morning brought along a new spark for Annabeth, the previous night Piper and Hazel had together explained every nook and cranny of life at the Glade, what caught her immediate interest was obviously the maze. How Hazel had looked when she said no one who ever went out at night had ever survived; how Piper said the Runners were the ones who explored the maze, she'd pointed out several kids to Annabeth, one tall girl with cooper skin called Harriet was the keeper of the Runners, another had almond shaped eyes and features that looked like an owl, pale blonde hair, amber eyes like Hazels, except more fierce, her name was Cleo.

The Runners intrigued Annabeth and she had a feeling if there's anything she wanted to do, she wanted to be a Runner. When she'd told Piper and Hazel, they gave each other a knowing look. 

"Sure greenie, why not?" Piper had said, "you got the brains, let's see if you've got the speed. You  start training tomorrow, go and report to Harriet and Cleo over there."

Annabeth blinked, "just like that?"

"Just like that. We need more Runners anyway, and you're the first one stupid enough to volunteer. We've only got seven uh, capable Runners left, and there's nine sections to run. And, Annabeth-" she said, something like real concern in her eyes, "come back before the walls close, there aren't many grievers in the day but at night, you don't have a chance out there."

Annabeth had assured her that she would return on time, for she had no intention of finding out what being painfully killed by a griever in the dark felt like.

She got out of bed with both trepidation and excitement tingling in her stomach-though Annabeth later guessed that she was merely hungry- and headed for breakfast.

Author's Notes:

Hi guys! Thanks for reading this story which I haven't updated in quite a while, sorry about that, school's been horrifying! In case there's any Kane Chronicles fan out there, Cleo isn't actually the Cleo in the books, she's just someone I invented, Cleo short for Cleopatra. 

Thanks a mil for reading and don't forget to vote and comment!!

~Emma