Different | The Maze Runner / Newt ¹ ✓

{0.2}

Disclaimer:

I do not own The Maze Runner. If I did, Minho, Newt, and Thomas would never wear shirts again.

-✼-

The hands only stopped when both Thomas and I were standing up on solid ground, the dust brushed from our clothes. I watched as Thomas turned in a slow circle, surveying everything around him carefully. His hair was in fact not black, but a dark, rich brown that fell flat against his forehead. His equally as brown eyes shifted from person to person so quickly that it made me dizzy to watch. He was still white as clouds, though, and he looked extremely confused. His appearance sparked something in the back of my brain that was soon lost in the ensuing chaos.

Some kids sniggered and teased him, but most of the attention was on me. By the looks on some of their faces, I guessed they hadn't seen a girl in a while. Some jaws were dropped. Other boys poked those next to them and pointed to me, as if I wasn't in the center of their circle anyway. It bothered me to no end that they treated me as if I was an object in a museum.

I diverted my attention off of the boys and took in my surroundings. We were standing in a large field that was surrounded by four gigantic stone walls covered in layers of thick ivy. There were openings as tall as the walls themselves, leading to passages far beyond my sight. After so long in a dark box, the colors were vivid to me. I had never seen so much green at once before- not to my knowledge, at least.

"Look at the Greenbeans," an unknown, scratchy voice sneered. "The boy's gonna break his shuck neck checkin' out the new digs, an' the girl's lookin' totally lost."

I instantly hated whoever it was.

"Shut your hole, Gally," a deeper voice snapped, and I mentally thanked them.

I looked at the strangers surrounding us with more intensity than before as if they were gauging my reaction. Countless boys stared back at me with varying expressions of curiosity and confusion. It still made me uncomfortable, but kept my face blank as to not draw more attention to myself than there already was.

As usual, Thomas had questions.

"Where are we?" he asked, his voice sounding a bit shaky. I was mildly surprised that he had the courage to speak.

"Nowhere good," a dark-skinned boy replied simply with a hand outstretched toward us. "Just slim yourself nice and calm."

Nice and calm? How were we supposed to be 'nice and calm' when we had just shown up here with no memories and not a single clue of where we were?

"I apologize for him," I said, referring to Thomas. "Wouldn't stop asking questions the whole dang ride in that box." Thomas shot me a glare that I ignored.

The dark-skinned boy showed no hint of amusement. Well, so much for that.

"Which Keeper they gonna get?" someone called from the back.

"I told ya, shuck-face," a shrill voice replied. "The boy's a klunk, so he'll be a Slopper - no doubt about it. As for the girl, well, I wouldn't mind seeing her bend over and pickin' them crops." The kid giggled and others joined. My cheeks turned a faint shade of pink, but I turned away so they wouldn't see.

I was going to spend who-knows-how-long in this enclosed area with fifty hormonal teenage boys. Just great.

The boy with the scratchy voice was talking again. "-even do that much, bet my liver on it."

"I said shut your holes!" the dark boy yelled, authority lacing his deep voice. "Keep yapping and next break'll be cut in half! I swear on this whole damn Glade."