My grey eyes fluttered open to find Newt's brown ones staring into them.
"Rise and shine, Emma."
I sit up and yawn, my mouth stretching wide. Newt grins.
"The Doors open in twenty minutes," he informs me.
I shoo Newt off so I can change. I slip into a pair of jeans, a red t-shirt, and a pair of combat boots. I prefer them to sneakers. I run to the kitchen and grab an apple from Frypan. I lean against the side of the building and take a bite. Minho approaches me.
"Ten minutes," he says and walks off.
I finish my apple and chuck the core into the garbage. I head down to the Doors to retrieve my rucksack. I lean up against the wall. In the distance, Newt limps towards me. Two years back, he thought no one in the Glade cared about him, so he pitched himself off the Maze wall.
I hope he knows that I love him.
Suddenly, the box starts to rattle. A Greenie. I sprint towards Newt.
"Look," I say.
We walk over to the Box. Newt presses a button and the top opens. Inside is a boy with green eyes and brown hair. He squints into the light.
"That's one ugly shank," I say to Newt and Minho.
Gally pushes his way through and jumps into the Box.
"Damn well, Greenie," he says, yanking him up. "Rise and shine."
Alby steps forward.
"Welcome to the Glade."
"What is this place?" the shank says in bewilderment.
I roll my eyes. What a dumb shuck. It's the Glade. He just said that. What better explanation could you want?
"Can you tell me your name?" Alby asks.
"I, uh, I can't remember anything."
I step forward.
"You remember your name, though," I say. "All of us did when we came out of the box."
"Emma," Alby says. "Slim it."
"Thomas," the boy says. "My name is Thomas."
