Chapter Text
Peace.
That's the first thing I remember.
Peace. Before all the chaos.
Before the world woke up.
Peace.
One simple word.
All I wanted was peace.
Then reality hit.
Not gently and calmly.
But forcefully and in darkness.
And the thing I remember most upon waking? The prickling sensation at the back of my head, everything feeling wrong. Very wrong. Like an itch I couldn’t scratch.
I raised my hand and felt my way to where I thought the back of my head should be. There, where my hair met my scalp, I felt a warm, sticky sensation. I couldn’t see—it was pitch black.
Darkness.
A gulp caught in my throat.
Why couldn’t I see?
A rush in my ears, a stabbing pain in my side when I tried to breathe.
Where am I?
What’s happening?
Why can’t I see?
The unknown terror crept in, letting fear take over my thoughts.
There wasn’t even a whisper of sound to suggest… anything.
Am I dead?
The screech of metal grinding against metal brought me back to reality. I clamped my hands over my ears to drown out the noise. It made my eyes water, scraping against every nerve ending I had. With a click and a whirr, the space around me lurched upwards, throwing me off-balance to the ground in a tangle of limbs. I stayed there, frozen in fear of what might happen next. Still no light, but from this angle, I heard the low grinding of cogs as the floor continued to rise. Harsh sounds of chains and pulleys echoed through the room, like an ancient steel factory, bouncing off the walls with a hollow, tinny whine. The lightless elevator swayed as it ascended.
Red light flooded into the room, casting everything in an ominous glow. I gasped in terror at the tall shadows looming over me. I scrambled away to the corner of the metal cage, only to realize the shadows were just large crates piled high.
But the terror didn’t subside.
I pulled my legs close to my chest, the swaying of the room giving me a dizzying headache. A knot in my stomach drained all emotion from me, turning it sour with nausea. I clasped my hands around my head, hoping to find some relief.
Nothing.
It only made it worse.
A tightness gripped my chest.
Sweat beaded on my temple. The room was cold, but waves of heat washed over me.
I peeled my trembling fingers from my sticky head, feeling them shake uncontrollably. My throat was dry, my tongue begging for water.
I gasped for air, but nothing came. I nearly choked on the bitterness in my parched mouth.
What is happening?
Where am I?
With every passing second, the feeling intensified, the sinking sensation digging deeper with each turn of the cog.
I couldn’t even remember how to help myself.
I couldn’t remember… anything. My name, my age, what I looked like. Nothing came to mind. The tightness in my chest squeezed harder, forcing the air from my lungs.
All I could recall was moments ago.
Help.
Time crawled by. The noise tormented me in the background. Eventually, I forced myself to focus on something beyond my surroundings. I glanced up from my legs and in the red light, faintly made out dark markings on the nearest crate. They were closely spaced, spelling out just one word.
WICKED.
That single word sent my mind racing, heart pounding faster. The sinking feeling worsened until it felt endless. A sense of impending doom overwhelmed me, making my head spin and the sick feeling returned with a vengeance.
The cause? No clue. All I knew was it was bad.
With a groan and a thud, the ascending room came to a sudden stop, throwing me out of my spiralling thoughts and onto the ground. I scrambled back into position and waited.
A minute passed. Two.
The swaying of the room lessened until it was completely still. Silence enveloped everything, leaving only the sound of my heavy breathing.
The waiting was the worst part.
Why am I here? Am I trapped forever?
The urge to scream bubbled up but lodged as a lump in my throat, fear keeping me frozen. I felt like I was trapped inside my own body.
A loud clank sounded above me. I sucked in a startled breath. A thin line of light appeared across the ceiling, widening with each passing second. A heavy grating noise revealed double sliding doors being forced open from above. After what seemed like an eternity in the red light, the brightness blinded me. I darted for the nearest hiding place I could see, squeezing my legs tightly and trying to control the shaking.
I heard the thump of ropes on top of the furthest crate. I pressed further into the corner when I saw a figure leap from the top and land heavily on the crates, the area shaking with his arrival. The boy—a tall, skinny figure with glistening black hair—stepped forward and leaned over a crate, inspecting a few in front of him. He did this for a moment, scanning each box as he passed.
I didn’t dare move, hoping he wouldn’t notice me and…
I watched the boy closely. With each inspection, he approached my hiding spot. At one point, he stopped and scrutinized a particular box more intently. Running his hand over the edge, he recoiled with a disgusted expression. “Why is there blood on this one?” his scratchy voice murmured.
Shaking his head, he wiped his hand on his trousers and continued his inspection. At one point, he came dangerously close to my hiding place. Still, he carried on with his task.
As he brushed past, our eyes briefly met before he continued to the next pile behind him. He turned his back. I held my breath. The world stood still, my heart pounding. Neither of us reacted. I stayed perfectly still, not daring to breathe. Unfazed, he continued his inspection, ignoring our locked eyes. Then, “What the?” The boy jumped back from his inspection and hurried towards my hiding place. Squeezing into my corner, he revealed his crooked nose and jagged teeth.
I recoiled, pressing myself against the wall. His entire demeanour terrified me to the point that passing out seemed like the only option.
“What's taking so long?” a voice called from above.
The boy stared at me in disbelief, his mouth hanging open like a fish. Then, shaking his head, he turned and shouted upwards. “I... I found a girl.”
“What?” came the reply.
The boy stood up and pointed a chubby finger in my direction, still looking upward. “There’s a girl here.”
A commotion erupted above, voices shouting over each other. I covered my ears, the noise too loud, too overwhelming. Heads popped over the edge of the wide opening, making me sink further into hiding.
“Stay back,” the potato-nosed boy barked at a few boys edging towards the rope. Turning back to me, he wore a mix of bewilderment and 'what do I do now?' on his face. His first reaction was to take two steps towards me. I instinctively rose from the floor, shaking my head vehemently at him, lips sealed tight. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I steadied myself against the metal cage wall behind me.
He halted and straightened up.
“Look, I'll give you two options here. One, you come out on your own without any trouble. Or two, I drag you out of that corner myself.” The boy gave me a hard stare. I felt myself shrink away from him, unable to escape his grip. It was clear he meant business. Disobeying him seemed to conjure up only dreadful images. Climbing that rope brought even worse ones. Deep down, I knew it wouldn't end well, but staying in the cage wasn't an option either.
“Don’t let her in there!” echoed in my ears. I jumped back, the boy releasing my arm in response.
“Oh, for goodness' sake,” the boy groaned. “Fine, if you want to make this difficult, we’ll do it the hard way.”
He lumbered towards me, seized me around the waist, and hoisted me over his shoulder. A stifled scream escaped me as I tried to wriggle free, but his grip only tightened.
Struggling, the boy scrambled up the side of the crates with me in tow.
“Ben,” he strained, “grab her.”
More hands grabbed around my waist as I was hauled from the potato-nosed boy’s shoulders, up the walls, and out of the place I'd found myself. I was roughly set down on hard ground, my elbows scraping against loose stones. The light from above was much stronger here, initially blinding me. I shut my eyes and covered them with my hands, waiting for the shock to subside. Gradually, I could see again when I peeled back my fingers to take in my surroundings.
“Look what we've got here, lads,” Ben said with a smirk, towering over me and blocking out the sun.
“A little girl.”
“Finally, something interesting,” another boy chuckled, joined by a few others in laughter.
I shuffled backward, violent tremors shaking my body. “Don’t come near me,” I croaked.
The boys sneered. “At least she can speak.”
You don’t belong here.
Sharp, electric, painful jolts pricked my nerves at the nape of my head.
Get out!
I winced in pain.
The boys roared with laughter, their amusement burning through me. Without giving them a chance to react, I forced myself to my feet and sprinted away. I hadn’t thought beyond “go”. I hadn’t considered a direction, let alone where an exit might be. That was until I saw a large, dark opening right in front of me.
Shouts erupted behind me as the boys caught on. Initially, they laughed at my attempt to escape. Soon, they realized where I was headed.
I closed the distance faster than expected. I crashed into a small, curly-haired boy who went sprawling to the ground, his belongings scattering around him. I didn’t stop to apologize. I only ran faster and harder.
Get to the exit. Escape. Run.
Loud thumping behind me urged me to push harder. I sped past more dumbfounded boys, who quickly abandoned their tools to join the chase.
“Don’t let her get into the Maze.”
I was almost there. Come on. You’re going to make it out.
As I reached the threshold of the exit, the same prickling sensation erupted in the back of my head.
“Wipe her mind!”
My feet tangled, and I was thrown to the ground. The prickling intensified to searing pain, cantered at the back of my head. I pressed my hands where it hurt the most, applying as much pressure as I could.
A scream, deep inside me, pierced my lungs. All I could think about was the pain and the redness I saw when I tried to open my eyes.
It was all too much.
And eventually, I had to let go.
“Don’t let her escape.”
“Take what you need and get rid of her.”
“Chiroyoko grab her!”
“Please don’t kill me.”
I woke up as if someone had flicked an 'on' switch, as if new electricity coursed through parts of me that had lain dormant.
A strange sensation.
I didn’t feel damaged, but that rush made it feel like I was.
A soft creaking sound from the bed stirred me awake. Forget feeling alive; now, it was as if a tonne of bricks weighed down on my head.
I tried to open my eyes. Grogginess won that round. I sealed them shut, overwhelmed. I attempted to raise myself from the flat surface I found myself on. A wave of nausea overcame me, and I crashed back down with a thud and a creak.
A groan escaped my lips. Every joint in my body hurt. Not one was silent.
The bed, where I presumed I lay, swayed when I tried to steady it.
I startled myself with the sudden movement. The bed rocked further, knocking up and down with the floorboards each time I tried to gain control.
Stop shaking.
I gripped the edges of the wooden frame, wishing it would stop.
Please. Stop.
I exhaled deeply. The rocking subsided after a few moments and settled.
Great. A wonky bed.
My eyes snapped open, crust snagging on my eyelashes. I wiped it away as best I could to prevent it from falling into my eyes. There was only so much I could do.
Bright light flooded my eyes again. I squinted and covered them. Once they adjusted, I surveyed the room.
A plain, simple room with a wooden table in one corner, a single chair tucked beneath it. A pair of boots lazily sat next to each other by the table leg. On the table rested an assortment of items: a large bowl, a discoloured cloth hanging off the side, and a very peculiar-looking object I couldn’t identify. Above the table, in the wooden wall, was a large square window with no glass in it, more like a hole than a window.
Very strange.
A throbbing headache distracted me. It wasn’t painful, but it was annoying. I raised my hand from the bed to my head and felt a rough material wrapped around my forehead. With my fingertips, I traced the material until I reached the nape of my head. Searing pain shot down my back straight into my head the moment I brushed the area. I hissed in reaction, clenched my eyes shut, tears forming at the corners. I dropped my hand immediately and tried to breathe the pain away.
A gasp from the other end of the room snatched my attention away from the pain.
“You’re alive,” a boy exclaimed from the doorway. He rushed into the room and dropped the objects he was holding onto the table. “I mean awake ... you’re awake!”
I sat up in bed and tried to back away from him. The sudden appearance of the boy put me on edge. My eyes widened in fear. The same thing was going to happen again.
“No, no, no, no.” The boy flung his hands up in the air. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry. I just thought you would never wake up.”
I tugged the sheet up over me, a makeshift defence. My eyes darted from the boy to the open doorway.
“Look.” He backed away from me. “I mean no harm. I’ll give you space.”
The boy slowly retreated from the room, hands still raised. “There’s food on the table. Eat it; you’ll need it. You’ve been out cold for days. I’ll come back later.”
He grabbed the door handle and quietly shut it behind him.
I waited for a few moments, expecting him to return.
The smell of food clouded my judgement. I sniffed the air. My stomach growled, protesting the wait. I eyed the door before letting the sheet slip from me. I leaned on the bed, which rocked and creaked with my movement, and swung my legs over. I lifted myself from the bed and padded to the table. There, I found a bowl with a strange brown liquid steaming inside. It looked unappealing, with various small bright objects floating in the middle. But the smell.
My stomach growled again. I doubled over from the intensity of it. Hunger didn’t describe how desperately I needed that strange liquid. I lifted the bowl along with the silver object next to it and returned to the bed. Instinct told me to use the silver object—a spoon—to scoop out the brown liquid—soup. The first mouthful was unlike anything I had tasted. The flavours melted in my mouth, the warmth filling my belly as I swallowed.
The next mouthful wasn’t savoured as deeply; hunger took over, and I devoured the contents of the bowl until it left me with an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach—a mix of hunger and nausea.
“What do you mean she’s awake!” The bowl fell to the floor with a clatter at the noise. Footsteps pounded below me at the sound of the dropped bowl. My stomach dropped. Blood rushed into my ears. I scrambled back onto the bed, trying to get under the covers to hide from whoever had shouted. I knew there was no escape from the room. I didn’t dare try the window. The tips of trees already told me I wasn’t on the ground floor.
“Alby, stop,” I heard the boy from earlier exclaim.
The footsteps grew louder with each passing moment. I tucked the sheet under my chin and curled into a ball, eyes fixed on the door, waiting for it to swing open.
“She’s not ready to see people,” echoed from the other side of the door.
“Don’t care.”
A bang on the other side made me jump. I curled tighter, drawing my legs closer to my chest. I wished the nightmare would end.
“Listen, storming in there and demanding answers won’t work. She’s already scared. You saw how she reacted when the shanks dragged her out of the Box. She wouldn’t have run without being spooked.” There was a pause. “Alby, mate, going in there might have the same effect. Who knows what might happen? Let her come to terms with everything. Slowly. It’s the only way.”
“You have three days to sort this mess out,” the gruff voice of Alby informed him.
“Three!” came a squeak.
“Do you want none?”
“No, I’ll take three.”
“Good, then. We’ll have a Gathering then.”
I heard Alby's footsteps recede as he retreated downstairs.
From the other side of the room, the door clicked open, and a quiet apology was offered.
I woke with an ache in the crook of my neck. Rubbing it with my hand, I uncurled myself, reminding myself not to sleep in that position again. Stretching out my limbs, I arched my back, feeling the stiffness ease as I let out a small groan.
The sheet slipped from my face, revealing a dawn of green and blue hues streaked with golden flecks through the window. Fresh was the word I would have used to describe it. Fresh as in a new day dawned upon us. Sunrise.
My ears perked up at a clatter of noises outside. My heart raced, the blood pumping through my veins.
Grow up.
I dared to take a peek out of the window to see what lay below. Creeping to the other side of the bed, the floorboards creaked under my weight. I held my breath, hoping no one below had heard me. I attempted to stand up and immediately fell back on the bed, my legs giving out under me.
I lay still for a moment. I definitely made a large amount of noise. No one came rushing up. I tried again, this time successfully. I shuffled to the window as quietly as possible, stopping just short of my head being seen, then ducked down. Moving the table away from the window, I sneaked up and peeked over.
Strange was the first word I could think of to describe the place.
The next was the occupants. I noticed several boys milling around the entrance of the building, a few chatting amongst themselves, whilst others ate.
There was one question that I had.
Where were the girls?
There seemed to be more than enough boys here. In the distance, I spotted the boy I had met yesterday, talking with another boy with golden hair near what looked like a garden.
Scanning further, my eyes rested on an area surrounded by concrete with large doors built into the floor. That must have been where I came out of, the area looking vaguely familiar from this perspective. The rest of the place was huge. The gardens, a forest of trees bunched together in one corner. I swear this place was acres long – whatever that meant.
But what made my stomach drop were the thing set behind the trees and most of the adjoining area. Large grey slabs of walls towered over the area, almost ten times the height of anything in the area. The seemed to joined together seamlessly in a perfect square around the area. Each side, that I could make out, was split in the middle by a large dark opening as tall as the walls themselves.
Where on earth was I?
“Have you organised the supplies yet, Newt?” the gruff voice of Alby echoed upwards. I crouched down, fearing he might spot me in the window. A broad-shouldered boy with cropped hair, dressed in normal clothes—black t-shirt, jeans, trainers—turned to face Alby as he came into view. Surprisingly he was wearing normal clothes: black t-shirt, jeans, trainers. Somehow, I hadn’t expected him, or the others to be dressed like that. Or I just really didn’t notice too now.
“On it,” the golden-haired boy named Newt replied, slapping the boy from yesterday on the shoulder before limping away into the vast space.
As Alby brushed past the remaining boy, something seemed to startle him, and his eyes flicked up to the window, meeting mine.
Busted.
I edged away from the window before I could see the reaction and did my best to get back to the bed before …
For whatever reason it escaped me.
Footsteps sounded below, ascending what must have been a flight of stairs. They stopped just short of my room’s door.
There was a light tap on the door. I didn’t respond, the lump in my throat preventing any sound.
After a minute, the door clicked open. A head peeked around the corner, belonging to a boy who looked about sixteen. The age I would have put him at. His face not fully formed to be anything older. “I’m sorry, you didn’t reply,” he said, stepping further into the room. “I just came to see if you were alright.”
I nodded silently.
A goofy smile spread across his face, showing all his teeth. “Excellent.” The boy was fully in the room now. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I …” He brushed a hand of over his uneven hair. “… got excited. You see we’ve never had a girl arrive before.”
He locked eyes with me then quickly dropped his gaze to his feet.
“I’m Jeff by the way,” he continued, still not looking directly at me. “I’m one of the Med-Jacks here.”
I nodded again, though unsure if he saw it. Jeff shifted awkwardly, clearly uncertain how to proceed. I felt equally unsure.
“Um …” he stuttered, “Uh ... so … what’s your name?”
Name.
My name.
I froze.
I hadn’t thought about it.
It hadn’t crossed my mind until now.
The feeling in my stomach returned. I pulled my legs up onto the cot and hugged my knees.
Why couldn’t I remember my name?
“Don’t panic,” Jeff said gently. “You’re not the first person to forget their name. It’ll come with time. That’s why we call the newest members Greenbeans – Greenie’s for short. It will come back. I promise.”
I stared at him, taking in his reassuring words.
“Anyway,” he continued brightly, “you must be hungry. Breakfast is being served. You can come with me…”
I shook my head furiously.
“Okay,” he nodded understandingly, “I’ll go grab you some food and a change of clothes. The ones you’re in are pretty dirty. Then I can check your wound. Sound good?”
I managed a small nod, feeling a bit relieved that he was taking charge of the situation.
“Good that,” Jeff said with another smile. “I’ll be back in a sec.”
It wasn’t long until Jeff returned again with a two-plate full of food, water and a bundle of clothes tucked underneath his arms. It was impressive to see him juggle so much with two pairs of hands. “Here,” he said, placing one plate on the bed. “I know it doesn’t look great, but it’s better than nothing.”
I glanced down at its contents. The food, I had seen it all before. The fluffy yellow thing in the corner, round little shapes covered in a yellow liquid, long strips of pink meat taking up one side. I just couldn’t remember what they were all called.
Jeff handed me a silver object with four prongs. “Fork,” he said, as I used it to poke at the food, trying to decide where to start. Steam rose from the plate; at least it was warm.
“Beans, bacon and egg,” Jeff informed me. He pointed to my plate. “The bacon’s tough at first, but you get used to it after a while.”
I watched him eat, shovelling each mouthful of food into his mouth. Despite what he said, he seemed to be enjoying it. Then copied suit and soon enough I was glad for the return of the warmth in my belly. Soon enough, the plate of food disappeared and was eager for more. I dropped the fork onto the plate and lifted to Jeff. He shook his head in dismay. “No more for you. Don’t want ya being sick and everything. It’s a nightmare to clean up.”
I placed the plate back on the bed with a huff. Jeff chuckled. “Don’t get like that. Clint ordered me too. You can have words with him if ya really desperate.”
I kept quiet as Jeff finished his plate and stacked it on top of mine, wiping his mouth with the end of his shirt. Glancing out the window briefly, he turned back to me. “Coast is clear now. Everyone’s busy. You need a wash. Not gonna dance around it—you stink. If you were a boy, we'd have had you in the showers the moment you woke up. But, since you’re not, I strongly advise you go and get cleaned up. I’ve got spare clothes for you to change into.” He pointed to the neatly folded clothes on the edge of the bed. “The trousers might be too big, but the shirt should fit.”
I stood up to grab them the pile. Jeff crossed the side of the room and bent down to pick the pair of boots from the corner of the room. He threw them towards me unexpectedly, and I instinctively raised my arms to shield myself. The boots hit my arm and fell to the floor in a heap.
“Erm…” Jeff stared at me sheepishly. “Didn’t think that through.”
I rubbed the area that the boots collided with me, a small red mark forming above my elbow. That’s when I noticed dark smudges on my forearm against me pale skin. I twisted my arm further around to inspect it closer. The tip of my fingers brushed over the markings. They were faint, almost hard to read. But in the dark lines read a message: ‘trust no one’. My eyebrows creased together as I tried to piece together what exactly that meant.
Glancing at Jeff, who was still standing across the room, I felt a pang of unease.
“We were hoping you would tell us what it meant. Whatever happened to you before you came up must have done a number.” Jeff's words hung in the air, and I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by what he was suggesting.
“I don’t know,” he continued, sensing my curiosity. “No one knows what happens to them. Your memory is wiped. But what I do know is that it’s not everyday that a Greenie comes up that is a girl with a clear warning on their arm and clothes soaked in blood. It’s... unusual. Something terrible must have happened. Any guesses?”
I tugged at the collar of my t-shirt and pulled it down to see what Jeff was referring to. There were no mirrors in the small room, but I noticed the discoloured white shirt stained a deep red. Most of it located on my back and apparently my braided hair.
“Clint and I checked the wound,” Jeff explained. “Looks like something was forcefully removed from you, leaving two small holes at the back of your head below the skull. Not deep enough to be fatal, but it certainly made a mess. Which means…” He pointed towards the door. “Off to the showers, stinky.”
Still holding my shirt collar, I took a quick whiff of myself. He was right—I reeked. My nose wrinkled in embarrassment.
“Come on,” Jeff hurried me. I snatched the shoes from the floor and shoved my feet into them, not bothering with the laces. I grabbed the pile of clothes from the bed and followed Jeff out of the room.
At the doorway, I hesitated, watching as Jeff hurried down a few flights of stairs. Peering around the corner, I saw him stop and wait for me.
“Look,” he reassured me. “This is the hardest part. Once you step out, everything will get easier from there.”
I nodded, letting his words sink in, and followed him down the stairs and outside. The sky was a lighter shade of blue now, the sun rising over the towering walls that seemed even taller from this angle.
Sticking close behind Jeff, I mimicked his every step. As we passed a row of benches to the right, two boys cleaning them did a double take at me.
“Hey Jeff, is that the—” one started to say, but Jeff waved him off. I instinctively hid behind Jeff, clutching my bundle of clothes as we hurried past.
“I’ll fill you in later,” Jeff hissed back to the boy as we turned the corner.
Around the back of the building, another smaller structure loomed in shadow. Jeff marched straight to the door and pushed it open with some effort.
“Sorry, it gets stuck sometimes,” he apologised, holding up a hand to signal me to wait. “Let me check if anyone’s inside. Stay here.”
I stood at the doorway, eyes fixed on the open entrance, shuffling my feet nervously. A shiver ran down my back, and I glanced over my shoulder, struck by how eerily quiet it was behind me. It felt unnaturally silent.
“All clear,” Jeff’s voice made me jump. “Sorry about that... again. I need to stop sneaking up on you.”
He held out a large towel. “This is for you. It’s clean, I promise.” Motioning towards the door, he continued, “There are cubicles for toilets and showers. Turn the knob left for hot water, but be careful—it can get scalding hot if you turn it too far. I don’t want to deal with burns on top of everything else. Shampoo and stuff are on the shelves. Help yourself, just tidy up afterward. We might look messy, but we try to keep things neat. Anything else?” He tapped his chin in thought.
I motioned to my hair, and Jeff looked puzzled for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. “Brush! There should be one around here somewhere. I’ll find you one shortly.”
I nodded gratefully, relieved that Jeff was guiding me through this strange place with patience and kindness.
I took a step forward to the towel. “Don’t be too long. Someone will need to use the toilet soon.”
I nodded and entered the building with the towel slung over my shoulder. Jeff shut the door behind me. “I’ll stand guard. Shou if you need anything.”
The room was dark, drips of water echoing off the concrete walls. The smell, well it wasn’t the most pleasant of places to be in. Damp had certainly settled in the room. But at least there was somewhere to wash. I found the nearest shelf and placed my clean items on top of it. I next located a toilet, not realising how much I needed it, and entered back into the room.
I went to wash my hands and looked up. I came face-to-face with a sharp blue-eyed girl staring back at me. The girl in the mirror was almost devastatingly beautiful, with rich brown hair messily braided behind hair (the braid caked red). She had a pert, straight nose, sharp cheekbones and a soft mouth with badly cracked lips. Freckles littered her face with an almost sun-kissed hew bursting from her skin underneath the cake of dirt and blood smeared across her face.
I stepped back and took the girl in the mirror in. Thin, athletic build. At some point the girl must have eaten well, but the soft curve of her waist and hips were jaunted. Something traumatic must have caused that to her … to me.
Clarke.
It popped into my head.
“Clarke,” I whispered tentatively, testing the name. My voice came out croaky and quiet.
“Clarke,” I repeated a bit louder, hearing a crack in my voice.
A brief flash of memory crossed my mind—a glimpse of black hair and a whispered conversation: “don’t listen to her, she doesn’t know what she is talking about”.
I blinked once. Then twice. The moment faded.
Strange.
Shaking my head, I tore my gaze away from the mirror. I didn’t want to scrutinise myself any longer.
A rap on the door interrupted my thoughts. “Hurry up will ya. I don’t want to be standing here all day ,” Jeff's voice called through the door.
I quickly checked all the cubicles in the room, stripped off my dirty clothes, and stepped into a nearby shower stall with no window. I unwrapped the bandage from my head and started to pull apart the messy braid from the back of my head.
eff was right about the water—hot and tempting. I could have stayed under it all day, letting it wash away the grime and uncertainty. But I didn’t want to inconvenience Jeff any further.
As soon as I felt clean enough, I turned off the water and dried myself briskly with the large towel. I shook out my hair, trying to towel dry it as best as possible, and then changed into the fresh clothes Jeff had given me.
The bra had to remain on, there was no option for that, but I gladly swapped my old underwear for the new boxers, even if they were a bit loose. And by chance, the boxer shorts just about fit me, it resting dangerously loose on my hips. I didn’t care. There was no way I was going to put on dirty underwear.
The trousers, however, refused to stay up without constant holding. Defeated, I returned to my old dusty ones.
One look at my old shirt and I knew I was putting the new one on even if it didn’t fit me. It was discoloured white, like mine, but smelled fresh with a hint of … I couldn’t but a name to it.
After slipping on the socks and boots, I opened the door to find Jeff waiting on the other side. “Just leave your dirty clothes in the bin over there,” he instructed, pointing to a corner with a bundle of laundry. “Someone will take care of them.”
I tossed my old clothes into the bin and turned back to Jeff, waiting for the next instruction.
“Turn around,” Jeff said suddenly. Puzzled, I gave him a questioning look.
“Not in a weird way,” he clarified hastily. “I need to check your wounds.”
I pivoted on my heel, lifting my wet hair so he could inspect the back of my head.
“They don’t look infected he remarked. “Seems like the swelling has gone down. You can turn back now.”
“How’s your head feeling?” he asked as I faced him again. I shrugged, unsure of how to describe it. “I don’t know what that means, but I’ll take it as not dying.”
He shot a look over his shoulder. “So…” he dragged, “Alby knows your awake … he wants me to take you to see him.”
Reluctantly, I stepped back into the building. “Sadly, you don’t have a choice in the matter. It’s easier to get it done now than having him chase after you. Mainly cause he’s normally in a better mood in the morning after the first meal.”
For a moment, I considered darting back into the shower cubicle and locking myself in. It was as if Jeff could read my thoughts.
“Don’t make this difficult,” he pleaded. “I’ve already had an earful from him. Just go, listen to him rant for a bit, and then you can lock yourself in your room. It won’t take long.”
I hesitated, staring at him.
“Come on, give me a break,” he pleaded with me. “I’m trying my best here.”
“Promise?” the word squeaked from me. He double took in astonishment. “Promise it won’t take long.”
“I promise,” he said softly, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I’ll even tell Newt to wrap things up if Alby gets too carried away.”
Nodding, I realised that despite the warning on my arm, I had to try here. My brief interaction with Jeff had shown me that much.
“I’ll take you there now. It won’t take long to gather everyone,” Jeff assured me, motioning for me to follow him as we walked towards Alby.
“Oh,” he stopped suddenly as we turned a corner. “I forgot to say. Welcome to the Glade.”