˚ ༘✶₊˚. ⊹ ˚ . FIRST ACT
❪ ZERO ♥︎ ₊˚༢࿐ ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

HER STOMACH CHURNED IN HER SLEEP with a sense of danger, making her eyes snap open from whatever deep sleep she was in. For a second, she was frozen. Then, the sound of clanking metal caused Mae to jump up from the floor. She felt a surge of something in her chest──a feeling of betrayal but she couldn't remember why. And then, Mae felt a wincing pain on her temple. She reached up and presses her fingers against her head, only to pull it back with a sharp cry and blood-stained fingers.

The side of her temple was split and it put her in a state of panic. Why am I bleeding? Why can't I remember my name? Mae tried to think of something familiar about herself, something obviously that she would know but she couldn't. The elevator began to screech against the rusty wires, the second she tried to stand, causing her feet to sway as the metal box came to an abrupt stop and making her to fall back on her butt.

Mae laid firmly against the cold floor, waiting for the feeling of nausea to pass. There was an awful grating sound, one that made Mae wrinkle her nose in dislike as light shined down from above, making her blind.

Of course the most obvious question that rang through her mind was, what is going on? but the girl knew she couldn't answer her own question, so what was the point in yelling her concern to an empty box that wouldn't answer back? So she simply laid quietly for something to happen above her──hoping that she didn't bleed out.

She tilts her head left, her eyes squinting away from the sun and scanning the many crates around her. Something about this box seemed familiar. WICKED could be seen in bold letters across the crates but she couldn't remember what WICKED was──but the name didn't exactly sound inviting.

Her eyes began to water, the overwhelming feeling of danger creeping around her brain.

"What is it?"

She flinched at the sound of another person other than herself. Mae began to sniffle, her lips quivering, but again, she wouldn't dare speak out to them—maybe if they thought the box was empty they'd leave her alone.

Mae sits up slightly when she noticed the growing group of voices that seemed to huddle around the box, eager to see the prize inside.

"The box. It came up," Said another.

"What's inside?"

Someone scoffed, "How are we supposed to know if we didn't open it yet, slinthead!"

"Well then. . .what are you waiting for?"

Mae jumped away when the crease in the ceiling parted, causing the sun to shine down on her like a spotlight──on display for all of them to see.

She wanted to cower away when she noticed over a dozen young boys peering in around her, just gawking and concerned. Unknown to her, that she was the first girl to come up with the box since they arrived there almost five month ago.

It was all still fresh to them too──but even they can tell that this time around it was different. Then, whispers and questions began to fill the air, almost all of them shocked to see a girl in the Glade after five months of sending only boys.

"It's a—"

"Obviously it's a girl, you don't need to point it out," A young Korean boy cut him off, peering down into the crate to examine her, but she couldn't really see anyone because of the sun. He then turn his head back and shouted, "Newt come look! It's a girl!"

The boy who was cut off earlier, rolled his eyes.

Some, though only a fair few began to calling out to her, asking her questions. Who are you? What's your age? Who send you here?

Mae could answer all of these with three words: I don't know.

She watched in overwhelming curiosity as four boys pushed through the crowd towards the box. One, being a young boy with blonde hair and a thin features, his hazel eyes kind yet reserved. He was looking at her with concern, but it wasn't for the girl, more so the situation as to why they were given a girl. The blonde scouted across the crowd of teenagers, who looked a little too eager to have her there.

Newt almost felt his hand twitch at the sick thought.

The boy beside him however, was tall and his face was blank of emotion, he watched her for a second, his blue eyes darting around her before awkwardly making eye-contact, not expecting for her to notice him. 

Then, he jumps down into the box, kneeling in front of her and making her crawl back, he smirks slightly and says, "Day one, Greenie! Rise and shine!" He drags.

Mae's eyes widened. The boy looked back up with a look that clearly read: she looks horrified.

It seemed he wasn't the only one thinking that, and the other boy who stood beside him barked an order. "Alright, get back to work, Shanks!" He said, "Nothing to see here."

They all groan in disappointment. Mae can faintly hear a boy mutter about calling dibs, which earned him a punch from the Korean boy.

Now, five boys were now blocking the sun in a huddle, she could see them all clearly.

"It's alright," said one, who was obviously the leader as he smiled at Mae in a way that made her smile form, "We aren't going to hurt you. My name is Nick," He motions to himself before pointing at the lanky blonde, "This is Newt," He waved. "That's Alby," He pointed at the dark skinned boy beside him, who said nothing, "That's Gally," The boy beside her in the box smirks, "And that's—"

"The coolest person in this place," The Korean cut off──he seemed to do that a lot, "I'm Minho!" He gave a light wave.

Mae softly waved back.

Nick turned back to her expectantly, "Can you remember anything about yourself? Your name?"

She swallowed nervously, looking around the box. She didn't remember anything, not even what she looked like. Was it because she hit her head?

Newt frowned, looking at his leader and whispered not-so-loudly, "Is she. . .hard of hearing or something?"

Minho put his hands on his knees, "What— is— your— name?" He yelled each word.

To this, Mae gave a giggle, happy to be snapped out of her overwhelming thoughts.

Newt couldn't help but smile. He thought she was cute, in a non-romantic, want to squish your face like a grandmother, kind of way. Unlike Gally who's eyes flashed with a weird familiar feeling──almost like he had heard that laugh before, but the nostalgic feeling was gone just as fast as it came. Mae looked like she was straight out of a fairytale. 

She definitely looked the part. The girl was wearing a off light blue sundress that stopped at the knee, patterned flowers sewn along the lacy hems. The sleeves were slightly puffed, but not enough to be noticeable. Her hair, a bright shade of blonde was wavy and thick, a few random braids hidden within.

To them, she looked like the human version of Mother Nature. But overall, simply by the way she dressed, it was painfully obvious that she wasn't supposed to be there.

"I don't know my name," She finally voiced in a tone so British it put Newt's to shame. It wasn't what they expected it to be, but it suit her well. It was airy and light but sweet sounding, like honey.

They had known her for barely a minute and her voice had sent each of them in their own version of calmness.

"It'll come to you," said Nick, "You're the first girl to join us here since we arrived," He looked to Newt.

Without a word, the boy jumped down into the box and landed beside Gally. Mae watched them curiously.

"Her heads pretty busted," Gally says, using his finger to tap at the big red wound. Mae's eyes instantly began to water at the pain.

Newt smacked his arm, "You made her cry!"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" The boy snaps back.

Mae sniffles, rubbing around the wound, "That's alright," She reassured.

"Must've hit her head on the way up," Newt says to Nick and Alby, "We should get her to the Medjacks."

She could faintly hear Alby say to Nick, "Or she was pushed."

Both Gally and Newt grab at her elbows, effortless pulled her up with a single tug but the motion was too fast and her head began to spin, but before she could stumble back Gally's hands found her waist, and pressed her against his chest for stability. Mae was snapped out of her dizziness purely at the feeling.

"You alright, Greenie?" He muttered to her.

Mae managed a nod, "I'm quite alright, yes."

With a quick lift out of the box, Mae was met with a big grassy field, that looked almost as big as a planet from where she stood in the middle of it. She could see knew things being created on the land, like the grassy area where crops were starting to grow and a large barn. All of it was beautiful, and she was surprised these boys could start these projects within a month──then again it wasn't like they didn't have the time.

Though it was all still a working progress and barely any of it was sturdy. Mae was more or less focused on the four large walls that encase them inside, keeping them in or keeping something out. Both, a small voice in her head voiced.

Still, Mae couldn't help but smile. The worries of the box fading away from her mind. She didn't care that she was bleeding from her head, which stained her cheek and clothes. She didn't care that she couldn't remember, or that she didn't know her name. I'm alive, She thinks, and that's all that mattered.

"Newbie," Alby had finally addressed her, "Welcome to the Glade."

"The Glade," She repeated in disbelief, a little giggle escaping her lips making the others stare at her in confused, they certainly didn't have that reaction when they first got there──and they didn't think anyone will in the future. "That's pretty."

She turns to them, "I think I'll get along here just fine."

↳ ❛ NOTES ❜
꒰꒰ yeah, this is gonna be epic
also stan Mae literally not panicking
simply because she thinks the Glade
is pretty ꒱꒱