Eliza:

My head and body hurt really bad and yet in this feeling I could feel warmth and peace. It was the first time that I had ever been calm or felt like I was safe. I felt like I was home. I never wanted this feeling to disappear.

I tried to open my eyes but they felt like they had been nailed shut. I tried a few more times but failed every try. I eventually gave up and just laid there. The pain seemed to increase the more I was awake.

I woke up again the pain wasn’t as bad anymore. I must have passed out again because I didn’t remember falling asleep. I could hear talking around me but I couldn’t make out very much of what was said. I think they said something about dying, and maybe green-bean, whatever that means. I didn’t understand what it all meant but before I knew it I had already blacked out again.

I woke up for the third time that day, it was actually really annoying not being able to move or do anything and then passing out again. The pain in my head had almost vanished.

I was able to open my eyes but everything was black. I thought that I was still asleep. I slowly sat up wincing in pain. When I was fully sitting., everything in my vision was spinning makes me feel dizzy. I wanted to lie back down but I knew if I did I might pass out again and I wasn’t going to risk it.

I moved my legs to the other side of the bed. Letting them dangle for a few minutes while I took several huge breathes in and out. I reached my hand out and held onto the foot-board to support myself. I push myself up so that I was standing. My body felt heavy and light at the same time. I felt as if I would fall over and wouldn’t be able to get up ever again. I put one foot in front of the other slowly. I don’t know exactly how I got there but I found myself in a forest with the sun beating down on my face... I was standing against a tree panting and shaking. My legs shook, shaking my whole body.

I slide down the tree till I was on the ground. My body still shaking, and my vision spinning. Off in the distance, I could hear a yelling, but I didn’t know what was going on. As I sat there my body began to cry out from being in the same position. I decided I should move again. I needed to get out of wherever I was. I needed to get home before the sun went down.

I pushed myself up using the tree as leverage. I could still hear the shooting off in the distance but a ringing in my ears was present. I couldn’t hear much of anything after a few more minutes of walking again. The ringing had changed to a roar in my head. I couldn’t focus on much of anything, but I knew that I was walking. I knew that I needed to get back to the maze and out of wherever I was but I didn’t know how or where I needed to go.

My world began to spin and my head thumping. I felt like I was going to fall to the ground any moment but I pushed myself to go farther. I needed to get home.

I got to the edge of the forest and could make out just enough to realize there was a huge wall in front of me. There was a large opening in it and I knew that it was my way home to my family. I moved out my hand leaving the tree and my body moving to fast for the condition it was in. I got right in front of the door when someone shouted something at me. I turned around to see a boy with black hair and pale skin. Without thinking I ran into the maze to hid. I couldn’t let myself be taken. I didn’t know who that was or what they were going to try to do but I knew I needed to get away.

I looked back even though I knew I shouldn’t. I regretted it almost immediately. Behind me there were maybe five, six boys chasing after me screaming at me to stop. I picked up the pass my body yelling at me to just stop and rest but I couldn’t risk them catching me.

Each turn I went we went deeper into the maze but the boys were persistent in there chase to catch me. I turned a corner and came face to face with a driver. It wasn’t just any griver it was Khala. I quickly moved behind him and hide there as the boys turned to corner coming face to face with it. The boys slowly back away the giver not moving.

‘What would you like me to do with them, Mistress?’ The giver asked

‘Khala before you do anything I want to know who they are and if I should go with them. Please tell me.’

‘They are called the gladers they are the ones who are trying to escape and if you truly want to go with them you can but just know that when you do most of my kind will not be happy with you and they will certainly attack you.’ he spoke making me sad because he knew I needed to leave but he was fine with it.

‘Thank you Khala. I think that I should go with them at least for a little.’

‘Very well, Mistress, I will wait for your return.’

‘Thank you.’ With that, I walked out from behind it and saw all of the boy’s eyes widen in shock. I looked at all of them and then my eyes settled on one familiar face.

It was an Asian boy from before. He had the same dark brown hair with a strong look making it seem like he did a lot of hard work. He was looking straight at me and for some reason, I felt like I couldn’t look away.

“Hey get away from the griver!” one of the boys yelled. I looked back at Khala and told him that I would be fine and he could leave before something happened. I turned back to the boys and he left and they all looked like they’d seen a ghost. I slowly walked over to them and I could see a few back away.

“Follow me,” I told them as I started off again. I ran off to the entrance of the maze. The sun was already starting to set. I didn’t realize how let it had already gotten. I picked up the pass and looked back to see if they were still following me. They were so I looked back forward and focused on finding the way to the entrance.

I saw it and stopped running as I heard a loud sound. The doors began to move and all of the boys started shouting. They all made their way through the closing doors. As the last few went through the boy I saw earlier ran past grabbing my arm and pulling me behind him. His hand was warm around my wrist and it felt nice. I was pulled into the glade, I think Khala called it and stood there as the doors to my once home closed. Would I ever be able to go there again?

“Hey!” someone yelled at me. I turned around and again, I really shouldn’t be surprised anymore, it was that one boy who seems to be everywhere.

“Yes?” I said

“Why did you help us find the exist after all the running away from us?”

“Because I talked with Khala and he said I could go with you so I did.”

“Who is Khala-wait is that the griver? Can you talk to them?” he said raising his voice

“Um, yes, can you not?”

“No, what are you crazy. What are you and where did you come from?” he asked stressing the question, but before I could answer someone father away shouting.

“Minho get over here and bring her with you! The rest of you boys get your dinner and then get some rest it's been a long day.!” The boy, Minho, grabbed my arm again and began pulling me over to that man.

It was a taller man who had very dark skin and really short black-ish hair. He had this face that made me want to run back into the maze and find Khala and hide behind him again. Next to him was a shorter boy, but still really tall, who had blonde hair, and a square jaw. He looked much nicer than the other one.

The blonde one gesture for me to follow him and I did slowly. I noticed that Minho wasn’t following me anymore and I felt a little scared now following these two unfamiliar boys. He leads me to a big house that I’m sure they lived in. I sat down in a chair and they sat in one across from me. At first, no-one said anything but not too much later they began talking and asking me so many questions about me.

“Who are you? Where did you come from and how did you get in the maze? What is your name? How old are you? Why were you running away?” all of the questions were being thrown at me and I didn’t know how to respond.

“Newt chills out one question at a time.” the meaner man said.

“Right, sorry Alby. Okay, let’s start with this then. What is your name and how did you get in the maze?”

“Um, my name is Eliza, but you can call me Beth. I don’t know how I got in the maze I just woke up one day in it with a bag and some clothes. I don’t really understand how I got here.”

“Hmm. Okay, next question then why did you run away from us?”

“Oh, um, I didn’t know who you were and I needed to get back to the maze because I had been there all along and quite honestly I feel safe there.”

“How were you able to survive in the maze?” The blonde boy asked I think his name is Newt.

“Again I don’t really know I guess it’s because of my bag and the food in it. The grievers helped too.”

“Hold on what?!?” Alby, I think that's what Newt said but I could be wrong, almost yelled out, Did you just say that the givers helped you or did I miss hear?”

“No you heard me right they helped me a little not too much but a little. Also about living here, I have two questions. Where am I going to stay and what do I have to do?”

“We can cover that as I give you a tour,” Newt said. He stood up and directed me to the door. I headed out as I heard him say a goodbye to Alby.

We walked out of the building which I learned was called the homestead. He told me that it’s where I’ll be staying and I can stay in someone's room until that get me a place to stay. We continued on walked past the house and toward the forest. It was called the deadheads and not many people go in there just because they have other jobs. As we walked to the next stop he told me about the jobs and how you get one. There are apparently 10 different jobs. There was the runner who ran through the maze, the sloppers the people who can’t do any of the jobs, the brick-nicks which are those who repair the building and to go along with that there are also the builders who build the places. There is also the slicers which are those who take care of the livestock and kill them. There are the bagger and the med-jacks, the baggers take care of the dead bodies and the med-jack are the ones who take care of everyone in the glade making sure they survive. Last, there is the mapmaker and the cook, the mapmaker makes the map based off the runner and simple enough the cook, cooks.

After he explained all of those we were at the gardens which also contained some fruit trees. I asked him how they get the seeds and the trees and things and he told me that they have a box right in the center of the glade that brings supplies once a week and a new gladers once a month. He took me over to it and I was able to look at it. The thing didn’t look like anything special but then again I didn’t know too much about it.

He leads me past the animal pens and explained those a little but there really wasn’t anything to explain, to the map room. He took me inside the building and it stunk of wet mold. I noticed several large chests the newt told me contained all the maps from exploring the maze.

He leads me back to the homestead where he showed me one last room. It was a weapon room. There were weapons hung across the wall and stacked on the ground. It ranged from bows and arrows, deadly swords and spears. She saw a black case that had blue fiery designs on it. I made my way over to it and opened it to see a case full of beautiful black stainless steel knives. They were slick and deadly.

“Do you want those?” a voice said snapping me out of my trance.

“Oh sorry. They are beautiful.” I said looking back at Newt who I had completely forgotten was there.

“You can have them. Nobody else is really good at throwing knives.”

I looked at him expecting him to say that he was joking or something but there wasn’t any hint of it on his face, just to double check I said “Really?”

“Yes go ahead.”

“Thank you so much.” I felt like I was in a dream and none of this was real. I opened my mouth to say something else but my stomach caught me first. It sent out a loud growl.

“You hungry?” he asked me as I stood there embarrassed.

“A little I guess.”

“Follow me.” he started off and I followed. He walked to a different part of the homestead that had a little room full of food and supplies and one man making all the food. There were a few tables outside but not many, and those that were out there were full of boys.

Newt told me to stay where I was and he went over and grabbed two things of food. He came back over and handed me one of them. I started turning around but before I did all the way I noticed a familiar boy. It was Minho, and he had seen me too. Our eyes locked and I felt like I couldn’t look away.

“Hey, you okay greenie?” Newt asked. I looked back at him and smiled.

“Yes, I’m fine sorry I spaced out.”

“Okay well eat up you need it, you're like a twig.”

I sat down eating the food he brought out. It was a sandwich with salad and some veggies. I started eating it and realized just how hungry I was after I had scarfed the food down in a matter of minutes. Newt just looked at me amused before offering me his food. At first, I said no but then he kept saying that I could eat it and that I should, so I finally took it and eat it too.

After we finished he told me he would take me to a room that I could stay in. He leads me to a room that had somebody already in it I could tell. The sheets were all messed up and the room was a disaster. I turned around to talk to Newt but instead I was left in the room with the bag in the place of where Newt was. I reached down and grabbed the bag putting it in the corner of the room before cleaning it up a little. I fixed the covers and then I put the clothes in piles and folded some of them.

After I had finished the room was clean and I was exhausted. I went into the bathroom with the bag opening it and looking at what was inside of it. There was a pair of clean clothes and some hygiene products. I looked down at myself, my red hair falling in my face. It occurred to me that I had never wondered what I looked like. Well, now I know that I have read curly hair and fair skin. I guess I would ask someone what color my eyes were.

I looked away from my hair and to my clothes. It was then that I noticed just how torn up and ruined my clothes really were. My shirt was torn up into pieces and my pants were so ripped up they almost looked like shorts now.

I grabbed the clothes out of the bag and looked at them. There was a pair of clean underwear and a tight grey tank top.

I took off my clothes and then slipped the clean underwear and the tank top. I pulled out the other clothes. There was a pair of light green-ish paints, an off-white tank top and then a brown leather jacket to pull it all together. I pulled the pants on and then I put the tank top on. After I had them on I grabbed the jacket, the bag, and all my old clothes heading out of the bathroom.’

I froze in my tracks when I saw him.