They Don't Own Me

Chapter 7

Ivy stared at the names engraved on the Maze wall. When someone remembered their name, they engraved it on the wall. Ivy gently ran her hand over two of the names that had been crossed out.

Justin and Stephen.

Bowing her head, she mentally apologized to them for what had happened.

The sound of approaching feet caused Ivy to back away from the wall. She looked behind her to see Adam and Newt, both ready for their runs. Ivy gave them each a small smile, silently wishing them luck and telling them she would see them later. The boys nodded to return.

The three looked up when they heard the Maze doors beginning to open. Once the opening was wide enough, they slipped inside, disappearing down separate corridors.

Ivy let her feet guide her, just like every other day. She sped down the long halls, her mind blank but also recording the turns she made. She moved quickly through the corridors she had traveled through before, but slowed once she reached territory that was less familiar to her. She slowed her pace to a light jog so she could mark her turns and look around more.

Ivy kept herself busy for the entire day, writing down what she was discovering. Glancing down at her watch, she saw that she needed to get back to the Glade so she would get back before the others.

Stuffing her notepad in her pocket, she took off, backtracking the way she had come. Before she knew it, she found herself back in the Glade. She was early again, but not as early as the day before. She went to the Map Room and wrote down her new discoveries, making sure not to forget anything. When she had finished, she sat in silence to wait for Adam and Newt to come back.

Within the next twenty minutes, Adam appeared, breathing hard and drenched in sweat. He gave Ivy a brief nod before getting to work on making his map.

"So," he said as he finished with his map. "Where's Newt?"

Ivy's head shot up. Newt wasn't present. The boy normally got back before Adam even though he was not as fast as the other boy; Newt normally stuck to the halls closer to the doors while the others ran further in. Ivy quickly rose to her feet and ran out of the Map Room. She ran to the Maze door and stood at its entrance, staring inside.

Something's not right, she thought. Why isn't he back yet?

Glancing at her watch, she saw that there was twenty five minutes until the doors closed. Newt was normally back thirty to thirty five minutes before. With a deep breath, Ivy took off into the Maze, heading in the direction he took earlier that day.

"Newt!" she shouted. "Newt, where are you?"

She paused to see if she could hear him. Worry filled her when she didn't get a response. She pushed herself to move faster, following her instincts. She didn't know how, but she felt like she knew where Newt was. Ivy paused again and looked around her. Newt was close; she could feel it.

"Newt!" she called again.

Ivy froze when she heard a faint groan. She shot off in that direction, praying that it wasn't a Griever that had decided to come out early. After she turned a corner, the girl gasped in horror. Newt was lying on the ground, still. Ivy quickly ran to him, kneeling beside his limp body. She was relieved to see that he was still breathing.

"Newt," she said, gently grabbing his shoulder. "Newt, come on, wake up."

A groan slipped out of his mouth, his head tipping to the side though he remained unconscious. Ivy huffed and looked over his body.

"What the klunk did you do, you slinthead?" she muttered when she saw the condition he was in. He had a cut on his head and his leg was bent in some unnatural way that made Ivy want to cringe while his lower body was surrounded by a good sized puddle of blood.

The girl looked at her watch. It had taken her ten minutes to try and find Newt and now she had to get him back to the Glade. Getting back would be much harder since she would have to carry him, decreasing her speed and she only had fifteen minutes.

"I'm not losing anyone else to this shucking Maze," she growled.

She managed to pull Newt up, careful of his leg. Turning around, she carefully pulled the boy onto her back, securing his arms around her shoulders. She lifted him further onto her back so his feet were barely touching the ground. Ivy paused to get used to the new weight before starting her run back.

Ivy moved as quickly as she could. She ran down the corridors, making her way back towards the entrance. Every now and then, she could hear Newt mumbling or groaning behind her, but she chose to ignore him.

"Hang in there, Newt," she said. "We're almost there."

As she said those words, she rounded the last corner, the Maze entrance coming into view. Looking up, Ivy could see Adam standing at there with a concerned look on his face. Next to him stood the Greenie.

"Adam!" Ivy shouted.

"Ivy!" he called back. "Don't do that to me, girl! I thought you weren't going to make it!" He froze when he saw Newt's limp figure on her back. "Is that Newt? What the shuck hap-"

"How about you slim it and get Clint!" Ivy snapped as she entered the Glade. Adam quickly nodded and hurried off. Ivy looked over at the other boy. "Greenie, get Alby. Tell him it's important."

The Greenie nodded. Giving one last look at her and Newt, he took off to find the Glade leader. Ivy took off again, running towards her hut. Ivy opened the door with her foot and carried Newt inside, gently setting him on the bed. Because she was the only girl in the entire Glade, Ivy got her own hut to separate her from the guys.

Ivy carefully lifted Newt up and removed his pack, throwing it across the small room. As she laid him back down, Clint came rushing in.

"What happened?" he asked as he hurried to Newt's side.

"Not a clue," she responded. "I went looking for him in the Maze and when I found him, he was unconscious on the ground. No clue how long he's been like this. There was a good amount of blood."

Clint nodded and set to work. He quickly surveyed the damage done to their friend and began to treat it. The door to Ivy's hut suddenly opened to reveal Alby.

"What's going on?" he demanded, slight worry in his voice.

Ivy quickly explained what she knew to her oldest friend. Alby nodded and the two watched Clint work in silence. After several minutes, the Med-Jack looked up at them.

"I'm going to need to reset his leg," he told them. "It's broken and the only way for it to heal is for it to be put back in place. Although, when we do it, he's probably going to wake up due to the pain."

Ivy shuddered at the thought.

"You don't have to be in here, Ivy," Alby said. "Adam is still outside. Have him come in to help. We'll get you once Clint's got Newt patched up."

Ivy nodded and walked out of the room. She briefly spoke to Adam, telling him that his help was needed inside. After the boy disappeared into her hut, Ivy walked out of her hut, not wanting to be near the shelter.