Behind the Belie

Chapter One

My vision was consumed by darkness. The only thing I could fight to make out was what seemed to be a metal cage I was inside, illuminated briefly by bright lights that flashed by instantaneously as I hurtled upwards. The horrid screech of metal on metal filled my ears and made me grind my teeth together. It filled my body and mind with the same spine-tinglingly awful sensation of nails on a chalkboard.
I wracked my mind for any possible indication as to how I managed to get myself into this situation. Any memory, any solid fact about my past that led to this event. It was then that I realised I couldn't remember anything at all.
Searching through my mind was like reading a book filled with nothing but blank pages. No visualization could be made of my family, friends, home, school.

     Nothing.

     Suddenly, one singular thing came to mind. This one familiarity broke through my muddled thoughts like a sledgehammer crashing through an old brick wall.
A name. My name. Y/N.

***

     Having no specific memory of blacking out, I woke up in a small hut with a thatched roof, the soft murmur of voices filling the otherwise quiet air. My arms trembled slightly beneath me as I attempted to push myself into a sitting position. The three boys in the room immediately rushed to my side, exchanging glances between each other before looking back to me.
    "Go get Alby." The words came hurriedly from the lips of a lanky blond boy, his speech tinged with a British accent.
     One of the other two left the small hut as fast as possible, presumably to get the one the lanky blond had referred to as 'Alby'.
For the first time since I had awoken in that cage, I attempted to speak. My voice was rough and scratchy from lack of speaking and dehydration as my eyes met the soft brown ones belonging to the British boy standing beside my cot. "Where am I?"
     His lips parted, hopefully to provide an answer to my question, but he was interrupted when the boy who had left returned with someone else. This boy seemed older than the others. He was dark skinned with broad shoulders and a strong stance, one that conveyed superiority and leadership over the others. He seemed around the age of nineteen while the others looked between fifteen and seventeen. When he spoke to me, his voice was surprisingly soft, yet deep. "How're you feeling, greenie?"
I frown slightly in confusion, looking up at him. "What's a greenie?"
     "It's a name given to the newest arrivals." He sat at the edge of my makeshift cot, waiting patiently as I attempted to sit up again.
     "Newest arrivals to what? Where am I?" I look around at the four boys still standing within the small room, all of their eyes remaining on me.
     Alby exchanged a glance with the British one before his eyes met mine once again. "We call it the Glade. It's our home." Gesturing to the blond, he said, "This is Newt. He's the Second In Command around here. He's my right hand man. I'm gonna have him show you around and answer any questions you've got for us, okay?"
I nod hesitantly, taking Newt's hand as he offered it to me, allowing him to gently help me to my feet.
Walking on shaky legs to the poorly made door, I pushed past it and found myself momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight. My hand shot to shield my eyes from the sun. Taking a few moments to recover, I looked around at my surroundings. On every side, there was a massive stone wall draped heavily in deep green ivy. Each wall had a large gap in the center which led to what seemed to be more stone walls. Within the large, square confines the grass was bright green. There were a few small fields growing different crops, some small and shabbily made buildings, and a pen containing a few farm animals. Across the vast space, multiple teenage boys were seen doing different types of work, they all seemed to be in their mid to late teens. After a moment, it struck me that I didn't see a single female. I look to Newt, the confusion clear on my features. "Am I the only girl here?"
"Unfortunately, yes," He sighs. "And before you ask, we don't know why. All of us boys came here the exact same way you did. At first, a group of fifteen boys was sent up. A new boy shows up in the Box once a month, but this month it was you. In all honesty, we're just as confused as you are, but we all know exactly how you feel. We've all showed up without our memories in that box, scared out of our bloody minds. You can trust us though, we won't try to hurt you. Just- forgive the boys if they stare a bit, if you get any unwanted attention just tell the shanks to bugger off. You're the only girl they've ever seen, and the first group of us has been here for eleven months."
I nod slowly, ignoring some of the stranger terms he used. They must have built some of their own vocabulary around here, 'greenie' and 'shank' obviously falling into that category. I'd have to ask him about that later. "Were you one of the first boys here?" I ask him, my arms subconsciously wrapping around my body.
He nods, "Me and Alby, some of the others here too."
"Eleven months, and you still haven't found a way out?" I ask him in confusion.
"Much, much easier said than done, love. The exit is a bit of a heavy topic for right now. I'll give you the tour, explain the simpler things, and we can talk about it later. Yeah?"
Giving him another hesitant nod, he continued leading me around. As he walked, I noticed a hitch in his step, as if he was limping. Shrugging it off, I paid close attention to him as he pointed out what each establishment was.
     In the end, I learned that the Bloodhouse was where the farm animals were slaughtered. Being a slicer was a brutal job, but it had to be done. The gardens and fields were the work of the track-hoes, those who maintained any grown food source necessary such as the vegetables and fruits. The builders worked wherever work needed to be done, they built most of what was present, including a majority of the Homestead where many gladers slept. The med-jacks were the doctors of the Glade. Though they didn't know much, they did what they could. After all, they got their jobs just like everyone else did. The cooks had a rather self-explanatory occupation, a boy named Frypan being their 'keeper'. Multiple jobs were only part time, like baggers and bricknicks. Those were the jobs that needed done rarely, or were typically already taken care of by other boys. The sloppers were the ones who cleaned up after the messes of the other boys, which was considered one of the most unwanted jobs along with the slicers and baggers.
     "Now, greenie. The important part," He stops walking, meeting my eyes. "We have three rules around here, the only ones considered truly important. The first rule is that everyone does their part. We don't tolerate slackers around here, because we need everyone we've got to keep this place running. Second, never harm another glader. We all look after each other here, this place would be in shambles if we didn't. And finally, never go beyond those walls. It's not safe."
     "What's out there?" I ask him, looking over at the nearest gap in the wall.
     "We call 'em grievers. We don't know what exactly they do, but no one's ever survived a night beyond the walls. A night in the Maze."
     "That's what it is? All those walls? It's a maze?"
     Newt nods, "The runners go out there every morning and they search for a way out. That's why I said finding an exit is easier said than done. They're out there all day every day looking, but the walls move every night. They change in a pattern, and it's slowed down our mapping incredibly."
     Our? I think to myself. "Are you a runner?" I ask him, cocking my head.
     "I was once," He says, his tone gaining a sense of melancholy for a moment. He shook his head, "But that's a story for another time, love. Right now, we should get you back to Alby. After all, we are holding a celebration in your honor tonight."
     "A celebration?"
     A sly smile came to the boy's lips, "A bonfire. We hold one each month on the day the greenie comes up. This month, you're the guest of honor."
     "What do you guys do?" I ask as he loosely slings an arm around my shoulders and ruffles my hair.
     "You'll see, green bean. You'll see."

     I'm starting the editing of this story, each chapter will be re-written and re-published. It's going to be much, much better than it was before, I promise. So please enjoy, I'll be doing this with all of my other old stories too. And I'll dedicate this to GladersCake since she was the absolute biggest supporter of the book before, and also seemed rather excited that it's being re-done.