They Don't Own Me

Chapter 2

The girl shot out of bed the next morning, her eyes wide but sparkling with happiness. She had just had the strangest dream filled with lights, very faint voices that she could barely understand, and faces she couldn't make out. The only thing she could understand though still rang through her head.

A name. Her name.

Ivy. That's my name, she thought with a wide smile.

Ivy quickly got out of her hammock, walking over to Alby with a skip in her step. She gently laid her hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump awake.

"What?" he said, alert but sleepily. "What's going on?"

"Alby, it's just me," she said quietly as not to wake up George.

"Oh, it's you." He sighed and laid back down. "What's up? You okay?

"Yeah. I just wanted to tell you something." Alby looked at her, ready to hear her news. "I remembered my name."

"Really? That's awesome! What is it?"

"Ivy. My name is Ivy."

Alby smiled.

"Well then, it's nice to finally meet you, Ivy." He paused to stretch and swing his legs out of the hammock. "Let's wake up George so we can get going. We've got to eat and get packed up."

~

As Ivy walked towards the large, grey stone walls, she mentally went through the items in her backpack. She had two canteens of water, a few protein bars, a couple pieces of fruit, and a small sandwich. There was a machete attached to her hip and a knife located in her boot. She was even dressed for a long day's run - she wore a pair of shorts, light boots, and a sleeveless hoodie. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail to keep it from sticking to her face.

"You ready for this?"

Ivy turned around to see George smiling at her. She nodded and smiled back.

"Surprisingly, yeah," she replied.

George laughed as Alby came jogging towards them. The two turned to look at him.

"Here," he said, handing them each a wrist watch. "That way we can keep track of time. The doors close at six. Meet back here around then and we'll keep going on together."

Ivy and George nodded, putting on their watches. A sudden groaning filled the Glade, causing the three to look up at the stone wall. The door was beginning to open. Glancing at her watch, Ivy noted that it was seven. She made sure to make a mental note so she knew what time the doors would open again tomorrow.

Once the doors had stopped moving, Ivy exchanged a brief look with the boys. The three had a silent conversation before Alby jogged into the maze. Ivy followed after him, George right on her heels. At the first intersection, the group decided to split up. Ivy and Alby turned to the right while George went left, but once they reached another intersection, Ivy and Alby went their separate ways.

Once she was away from Alby, Ivy took off at a faster speed, wanting to get more of a look around the Maze during her time inside it. The further she ran through the Maze, the more she realized that it was going to be difficult to remember every single turn she made. Taking a moment to pause, she swung her backpack off her shoulders and began to search through it.

Ivy smiled triumphantly when she managed to find a pencil and a piece of paper. She quickly scribbled down the turns she had already taken. Putting her pack back on, Ivy took off again, recording the turns she took along the way.

~

Ivy breathed heavily, trying to get air into her lungs. She had been running almost nonstop throughout the whole day, taking breaks only to eat or drink. Now she was on her way back towards the door to regroup with Alby and George.

She rounded the last corner and found herself facing the Maze door. Ivy sighed and sat on the ground, resting her back and head against the cold stone wall. She smiled slightly at the feel of the cool walls on her skin. Shutting her eyes, Ivy focused on calming her still rapidly beating heart. As her breath slowed, she thought back to her long run. Every corridor she turned down seemed to look the same. The only real difference was the amount of ivy hanging from the walls.

Wait a minute, she thought. The ivy goes all the way to the top.

Opening her eyes again, the girl rose to her feet. She took off her backpack and set it on the ground before pulling on the thick plants on the wall. The ivy moved with her pull but stayed in place. She pull again, this time much harder, but the ivy still did not give way. With a sigh to calm herself, Ivy started up the wall, using the plants to pull herself up.

Halfway up the ivy, the entire wall began to shake. Ivy gripped onto the walls, trying not to fall as the doors started to close. She watched in fascination as the doors slowly moved shut, finally sealing her and her two new friends into the Maze for the night.

After several long minutes, Ivy found herself at the top of the wall. She hoisted herself up so she could sit on the stone. Looking around, her eyes widened in shock. Behind her was the Glade, still a vibrant green with its small structures and forest. But what took her by surprise was the Maze. She remembered Alby saying it was big, but she didn't expect this. The Maze was massive! Grey stone walls was all she could see for miles. Even on the opposite side of the Glade, beyond the wall, she could see more of the Maze.

"Oh my god," she muttered.

She stayed in place for a long time, simply staring out at the world she now lived in. What brought her back to reality was the sound of voices.

"Isn't this Ivy's backpack?" Looking down, she could see Alby standing beside George, who had her backpack in his hand.

"Where'd she go then? She was obviously here."

"Ivy?" George called.

"Up here!" the girl replied. The two boys looked up, their eyes widening when they saw Ivy waving down at them.

"Dude, how the heck did you get up there?"

"I climbed," Ivy answered as if it was obvious. "Hang on a minute."

With that, Ivy began her descent down the wall. She smiled at the boys as she landed in front of them.

"How were your adventures?" she inquired, taking her pack from George and slinging it over her shoulders.

"Long," Alby replied.

George nodded as they started to slowly walk away from the closed wall.

"This place is giant," he said.

"No kidding. You should see it from the top."

"How was your run?" Alby questioned.

"Pretty good. I had to mark down every turn I took so I didn't get lost."

The three walked in silence for over a hour; Ivy had been writing down what turns they took so they could find their way back.

"So what do we do now that we're stuck in here for the night?" George asked.

A sudden shriek caused the friends to stop in their tracks.

"What was that?" Ivy whispered, almost scared to move. Just as the words came out of her mouth, a large figure came into view further down the corridor. The group gaped at it. The figure was large, with multiple metal legs protruding from its slimy body. Its mouth had rows of teeth and it had spikes on its back.

As the creature lumbered more into view, it looked around. Suddenly, its eyeless gaze fell upon the trio and let out an ear piercing screech.