"Greenie, come on." A muffled voice made it's way into my thoughts, causing my eyes to open slightly. "It's Newt. I wanna show you something."

I groaned and rolled over onto my side, feeling exhaustion consume me. "What time is it?"

"I don't know." He knocked on my door again. "Time to wake up."

"I need my beauty sleep, Newt. Five more minutes." I placed my small pillow over my head and pushed on my ears, hoping to muffle any sound that could wake me up. I didn't get much sleep last night...I probably actually fell asleep two hours ago. That much sleep is not enough for me. I needed to have at least five hours under my belt before I had the patience to show myself in a Glade full of guys who were still surprised to see me. A girl.

But the pillow didn't work out, because five seconds later, I felt it being ripped off my face. My eyes shot open and I was met with the pleasing face of the British boy. Maybe my only friend here besides Chuck. And now here he was, looking as awake as ever, throwing my comfortable pillow onto the ground with a smirk.

"Was that necessary?" I asked him, my voice still groggy. Newt shrugged and tried to wipe the smile from his face.

"I actually quite enjoyed that..." He muttered. I rolled my eyes and laid back down, pulling my arm over my face. "Mae. Wake up. I wanna show you something."

"Does it have to deal with something edible?"

Newt sighed. "No, not yet. But it'll give you some answers..."

At the mention of getting some more information about where I was, I slowly removed my arm from my eyes and peered up at him. He stood there with his hands on his hips, trying to hold back a smile at my annoyed expression. But when I groaned and threw my legs over the edge of the uncomfortable cot, he let the corners of his lips twitch up. I moved my hands towards the door, looking back at him.

"Well, I would rather not change with you in here, although I'm sure you would like what you would see..." I shooed him outside, wanting to somewhat embarrass him as payback for waking me up so early.

Just as I thought, his eyes widened, and he took a step back, shocked by my confident words. "U-Uh...I-I'm just...I'm just gonna...go. I'll be out-outside waiting for you. Don't go back to sleep."

Nodding, I watched him scurry out of my room like a mouse that's about to get stepped on. When the door finally shut again, I slapped my hand over my mouth and let out a laugh, not believing that I just said that to him. But my smile slowly faded as I looked out of my small window. The sky was a pale orange color now, telling me that most of the boys weren't awake yet. I imagined them to wake up at exactly sunrise every morning. Hopefully, I was right.

I moved to my knees and looked down at the land that was right underneath me. I saw Newt exit from the front of the Homestead, and pause right in front of the leaning building. He stood there with his hands on his hips, looking out at the Glade as though it was some sort of art project he was proud of. But by the blank expression on his face, I could tell that it might just be the opposite. I watched as he took a deep breath, inhaling all of the scents of the grass, the animals, maybe Frypan making breakfast for all of us. And I watched as he exhaled everything else. His head popped up as he suddenly looked at the walls that were trapping us in here.

The orange-tinted sky slowly turned to one with more brightness as the sun hit the East side of the Glade. I watched as it spread through the grass, shedding light on all the darkness that used to be there. Strangely, it made me feel warm. For a moment, I felt as though this place wasn't so bad. I could live here for a while. I could watch the sunrise every day, and I could stare at the moon from my window until the day I die.

Suddenly, my eyes wandered to the floor near the doors that closed yesterday. I saw Alby speaking with about eight people. He turned to the front, placing his hand on the shoulder of a tall, spiky-haired boy who nodded at him. I furrowed my eyebrows at the scene, wondering why he was showing some kind of affection towards them. But the thing that concerned me wasn't Alby's strange ability to be nice, but it was the fact that the people he was talking to each had a sack on their backs. They each had a machete hanging out of their holsters tied around their waste.

With a loud groan and a bang, the concrete walls that they stood in front of, began to open. I felt my mouth open slightly, still amazed at how the solid structures could open and close. Just as they parted enough for people to run through, I watched as the group of armed boys began to sprint in.

"Runners." I thought aloud, removing myself from the window. Quickly, I pulled off my old clothes and I changed into a pair of my washed-out skinny jeans and a black t-shirt. I grabbed my orange cover up again, sliding my head through it. I quickly combed through my knotted hair with the brush that was sent to me last night, and I pushed my combat boots onto my feet, double knotting them so that I wouldn't fall on my face and humiliate myself.

I walked out of my room with my head held high, forgetting last night's small interaction between Newt and me through the wall. I trotted down the steps, being careful not to wake anyone else up. When I got to the main level of the Homestead, I looked to my right and shot Frypan a small smile. He sent me one back and continued to chop what looked like a carrot. I ignored the pit in my stomach and pushed the stiff wooden door open, hearing it creak as I stepped through.

The sound made Newt turn around from his spot and meet my eyes. His face lit up when he saw the small smirk grow on my lips. It was almost impossible not to smile when you were around the boy. His hand reached up to his mouth, and he rubbed his bottom lip as if taunting me just to take one look at them. But I refrained myself, knowing that it was my second day here, and I didn't want to make an impression that I was a boy crazy...shank.

"Hello." He muttered as I approached him.

"Hello." I repeated as his smile grew. "So, what's this thing that you woke me up for? It better be good or I'm going to get food."

He chuckled and cocked his head towards the walls, beginning to walk towards them. I furrowed my eyebrows and followed him, curious to see what all the fuss was about. He led me to a patch of trees almost directly next to the doors that the Runners had sprinted through a few minutes ago. We walked through the dead leaves and stray sticks, hearing them crack underneath our feet, yet neither of us said a word.

My eyes searched the area around us, seeing how the light glimmered through the trees and sparkled onto the floor. It was actually quite beautiful, yet creepy at the same time. The further we walked, the darker it became, and the more my heart started to beat.

"Newt?" I asked, finally sick of the silence. He hummed in response, only looking over his shoulder for a millisecond before turning back around and throwing a stick to the side. "Would you care to tell me where the hell we're going?"

He let out a breath. "You'll see, Greenie. We're almost there."

I rolled my eyes and huffed in defeat, annoyed at the boy. I kept my eyes on his figure, watching every limping step he took, trying to find something about him that struck a memory of some sort. I was determined to find out where the unbearable deja-vu was coming from. Whenever my eyes met his, it felt as though I was looking at a hint of memory through murky water, trying to pry out all the dirt. But the dirt just kept coming until I eventually gave up and decided to deal with the feeling later.

"Here we are." He sighed, feeling relief that he didn't have to walk any further. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, turning my head to see that we were met with the stone wall covered in ivy.

"You led me all the way here to show me some ivy?" I asked him sarcastically. Newt rolled his eyes and took a step forward, grabbing a fistful of the green plant that cascaded down the walls. He slowly moved it to the side, revealing a dirty and slightly cracked window. I looked at him and cocked my eyebrow, suddenly becoming wary of the small patch of glass.

"Well have a look." He motioned towards the wall, keeping the ivy hung out of the way. "I didn't bring you out here for nothing..."

"I know, I know." I murmured as I took a hesitant step forwards. When I reached the glass, I pressed my forehead against it, squinting my eyes to see whatever it was Newt took me out here to see. But all Icould can notice were the dark concrete walls traveling down a long corridor. The light drained the further I looked, and it was almost like I was peering into a different world. The cracks in the walls were threatening me, almost like a warning sign as to what would happen if I ran through the big opening to my left.

I squinted harder, wondering if I was blind to the thing Newt wanted me to see. But just as I was beginning to lose hope, I heard it. The strange sound of metal screeching against metal. My eyes slightly widened, and I lifted my hands to shield any light that was blocking my view.

"Newt." I murmured. "What the hell am I supposed to be looking for?" I asked, suddenly feeling my heartbeat increase the longer I peered through the window.

"Just be quiet." He whispered. "One'll be comin' along soon enough...I can hear it."

My eyes faltered for a millisecond, debating whether or not I should step back or keep watching for whatever it is that I was waiting to see. But when the shadow of a large bulbous creature suddenly made its way down the corridor, I sucked in a sharp breath.

It was big, and it was scary. Bigger than a cow, with slime for a head, and probably no brain. The metal legs attached to the bottom of the creature. It looked like a mixture between a scorpion and a spider, mixed with snot. I scrunched up my nose at the sight before feeling my breath hitch in my throat the moment it saw me through the glass. It began crawling towards us at a breathtaking speed, and I was frozen in my spot. I tried to breathe, but it was like my airways were shut again. The creature suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream and threw itself at the window, making me let out a small shriek and stumble back into the dead leaves.

I opened my eyes again, seeing the glass undamaged, and Newt holding back the curtain of ivy with his lips pursed.

"Wh-What..." I struggled to find the right words. "What the hell was that? Why would you show that to me? I almost shit myself!"

A small smile tugged at the corners of Newt's mouth at my reaction, and he finally let the curtain of ivy go. "We call 'em Grievers. Be thankful for these shucking walls because if we didn't have them, we would've all been dead a long time ago..."

My mouth bobbed open for a moment before I finally decided to speak my frustration towards the boy. "So...you woke me up, dragged me all the way out here before I ate anything, you tell me to look through a nasty window, then a giant spider-looking slimy booger thing jumps at me and all you can say is be thankful! What in the—"

"Alright, calm down." He held his hands up in defense. "Don't get yourself worked up, Greenie. I showed you this for a bloody reason."

"And what in the hell might that be?" I could feel my voice start to raise unintentionally.

"Because." Newt started, taking a step closer to my body that was still laying on the ground. "The Maze is out there. Every single thing we do revolves 'round what lurks behind these bloody walls. We spend every second of every lovin' day trying to solve somethin' that hasn't shown us that it has any solution yet, ya know? We want to—I want to show you that the Maze is not somethin' you should mess with 'cause when those bloody doors close, all of those Grievers come out. We wanted to show ya why you should never find yourself out there."

I inhaled a shaky breath as he finished his speech. We really were trapped. And the people who are here aren't even sure if there is a way out.

"That's why the Runners go out, huh?" I asked. Newt furrowed his eyebrows as I stood to my feet. "They go to try and find a solution, don't they? To the Maze?"

He shook his head, confused at my sudden question. "Um...right. Yeah, they do."

"How long has it been since they've found anything?"

Newt's eyes suddenly meet mine. He was holding back a wave of emotions as he swallowed and looked to the ground, deciding whether or not he should tell me. I know that it's been a long time. They couldn't have just built everything and created a specific order between all of the boys and the Maze in a couple of weeks. These guys must've been here for months.

"Two years." Newt finally whispered. My heart drops at the thought of teenage boys staying in this hellhole for that long. This was all they've ever known. They lived with no memory of the past for two years.

For two years they've been doing the same thing day after day. Working, and running through the Maze. It must be torture. Having to stay in a place where you know there is an answer out, but that answer is so far away. From the sound of his voice, and the way his eyes flickered between my own, I knew that he wasn't happy with it. With the same boring daily routine. Even if he was one of the ones in charge...one of the people trying to keep order. These walls were slowly starting to enclose on him and his life.

So, I just sent him a small smile and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Let's go get some food. Okay?"

As if he was surprised at my sudden mood change, his eyes widened, and he looked down at my gentle hand.

"Okay." He finally murmured back to me.

Newt and I eventually made it back to the Homestead, engaging in small talk. He began to tell me about the way things run here, and when to know to get food. Thankfully, he informed me that Frypan hated it when he caught Gladers stealing food from his kitchen. I told him that I was disappointed in hearing that but thankful he informed me because I probably would have just raided it like a rat. He laughed at me and said I was funny.

Best compliment ever.

The other boys had only just started to wake up, making Newt and I two of the first few people to get in line for breakfast. I kept looking over this one boy's shoulder, wondering if the line was ever going to move. I could smell the bacon, and I could practically taste it on my tongue, but the tall brooding boy was blocking my view of the substances.

I glared up at him, then turned around to Newt, who was holding his left pointer finger with his right hand and rocking back and forth on his heels, patiently waiting. "Newt?"

His head snapped up. "Yeah?"

"Why is the guy in front of me built like a skyscraper? Who decided that he could be that tall? He's blocking my view..." I complained, pointing my finger at the tall boy's back. I ignored the faint recognition of what a skyscraper was. It was probably just another little piece of my memory that the people who sent me up here decided to let me keep.

Newt smiled. "That's Gally. He's one of the biggest guys we have here. He's Keeper of the builders."

"What do builders do?" I asked, then interrupted myself. "Well—okay—I know they build stuff, but what do they build?"

"Tables, buildings." He motioned to the structure of the Homestead. "Built this...took them a bloody long time too."

I looked around at the leaning structure of walls and windows with Newt, pushing my lips to the side and keeping myself from insulting what was my new home. Although there are plenty of things I could say about this entire place... Maybe the builders should put more time into their job.

But instead, I just nodded. "It's...nice. Still doesn't explain why he's the size of a baby giraffe though." How did I remember what a giraffe was?

"You know, Greenie." A voice came from behind me. "You're really bad about keeping your voice down."

My eyes widened as I kept my gaze on Newt, too nervous and humiliated to look back at the guy behind me that was turned around. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a small squeak as I cocked my head over my shoulder, motioning to the boy behind me.

"He's looking at me, isn't he? Or am I just imagining that he heard me, and this is all in my head?" I kept my eyes on Newt, who was casually smirking, looking above me. He shook his head, making me let out a sigh.!"Maybe I could just run away and avoid this problem?"

"It might be a little too late for that, Greenie..." His smirk grew as I scrunched my face up.

"You think so?" I prolonged. "Because personally, I'm a fan of just ignoring a problem until it goes away..."

Suddenly, I felt myself being turned around slowly. Before I knew it, I was staring at the body of the boy behind me. My head met the middle of his chest, telling me that I was significantly shorter than he was. Not having the confidence to look him in the eyes just yet, I just stared at his chest, wishing that I could run back into the Box and push myself down. His arms were crossed, and his legs were slightly apart, almost making him look scarier. If I were to push on his chest, I would probably be the one falling back instead of him.

"Are you gonna look at me or what, shank?" He asked, mocking me. He probably wasn't happy that I was talking to Newt about him when he was a foot away. Maybe I should think before the words came out of my mouth.

Not looking forward to looking this guy in the eyes, I shook my head. "I'm just trying to gain enough confidence, but either way I think it's about to be destroyed."

With a sigh and a breathless curse, I lifted my chin upwards finally meeting eyes with Gally. But when mine met his, I had to hold back a laugh. His nose was about the size of three of my fingers, stretching out across most of his face. He had short hair that stuck up in the front and the eyebrows of some sort of mythical creature. I pursed my lips and sucked in my cheeks, slowly nodding.

"Hello." I clenched my jaw, not being able to look anywhere other than his eyebrows. I could hear Newt snickering behind me, which almost made me burst out laughing.

Gally glared down at me. "Would you like to repeat what you just said to my face?"

I shook my head, with every word he spoke, I could feel my laughs catching in my throat. My stomach was slightly shaking, in need of the humorous release. "Well...if you already heard me then why would I need to repeat it?"

"You said I looked like a giraffe." He scowled as I took a step back towards Newt.

Slowly, I turned my head towards the British boy and spoke into his ear. "How do I tell him that he has the eyebrows of Satan too?"