⁰⁰     ▇ ¨. ༢ ͎۪۫ 𝒕𝒘𝒐 ... ❜

━━  ❛  the 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈. ❜  ‧˖˚. ☄︎ ͎۪۫ ◞⁺.
❪ part 01. location: the glade.
©kiiizones, all rights reserved ❫.

                𝑺𝑯𝑬 𝑷𝑼𝑵𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑫 𝑯𝑰𝑴. Fist digging into his jaw — chin tipping up as he stumbled back. He spat, blood spraying from his lips. There was a pause, where no one said anything. The shock of her strength had them silenced, but none were as shocked as she was.

She stared at her hand, numb with the surprise. She punched him — and well. It wasn't flimsy and weak, she drew blood. And the terrifying thing was, her knuckles weren't searing with pain. But they were hot, like she had tiny coals instead of knuckles. And instead of burning, the sensation was oddly pleasant. She swallowed, then dared a glance upwards.

The boy was grinning, wiping his mouth messily as he took a step forwards. She moved back automatically, flinching. He froze, turning to look over his shoulder. She caught Alby nod again.

"That was a pretty good punch," he smiled, turning back to her and swallowing. His voice was gentle. "Got a name?"

She hesitated, then nodded.

"Care to share?" There were a few chuckles.

She swallowed again. "Artemis." Her voice was barely a whisper. She breathed out.

"Sorry? Didn't catch that." He leaned closer, cupping his ear. It was mocking. Infuriating.

"Artemis." She spat, annoyed. Her eyes narrowed.

"She speaks!" Someone yelled. There was more laughter.

"Where am I?" Her quiet voice trampled the mirth. There was a thick silence — Newt and Alby exchanged glances. "What's going on?" She tried, heart thudding, panicky against her chest. It was so loud in her ears, she was sure the others could hear it.

"You're in the Glade —" the stocky blond continued, amused. He said it slow, like he was trying to spell it out for her on the other side of a fogged up window. She silenced him before the laughter could build.

"Shut up." There was a low whistle.

"She's a feisty one!" Her eyes narrowed; there was another muffled slap.

"She said shut up, you idiot!"

"Who are you?" She demanded quietly, ignoring the outburst.

"We're not going to hurt you." Newt stepped forwards as she shifted her gaze onto him. He froze at her hostility. "Look, I won't come any closer, see?" He planted his feet firm, hands raising in surrender. His voice too, was gentle. Soft like warm ice. She relaxed slightly.

"We live here." He continued, seeming hesitant with his words. "We work here, live here. Inside these walls we're happy, see?" He was working around his words, lowering his hands gently. "We're all slintheads, but we get on. No one gets hurt, people stay happy."

She breathed in shakily. His words were confusing, but his eyes were gentle. For now, she could at least try to put her trust in someone.

"Okay," She said finally.

"Okay?" He smiled. "Sorry about Ed," he gestured to the boy she punched, was now sporting a freshly split lip. She shifted, slightly sheepish. He was definitely going to bruise. "He's one of our strongest, but he's a real baby at heart." He whispered the last part, earning a small, jerky smile.

"I heard that!" Ed called loudly, earning more laughs. The small smile grew just a little.

"It'll be okay, you'll s—" Newt began, but was cut off.

He was interrupted by something definitely not human. A hollow shriek, gurgling and empty as it rang high on the warm, stuffy air. It came from behind the towering walls, muffled by the grey brick. But it was still clean cut as it wrapped itself around her.

The small smile was slapped off her face by fear. Fear and recognition. She knew that sound — she had heard it before. Stumbling back, she slapped her hands over her ears and shut her eyes tight. That sound was bad. It brought bad things, and she could tell. She just didn't know how.

Her chest heaved painfully, up and down fast. Her breathing was quickening, blood boiling as she crouched down, shaking her head, rattling the sound out of her ears. Everything was blocked out — muffled shouts, confusion and worry. All she could hear was her heartbeat slamming against her chest, the wail ringing tremendously loud in her ears.

"Artemis!" Like another slap in the face, Newt's voice pulled her out. She started, eyes snapping open as her hands fell forwards onto his rough ones, her gaze searching for some sanity to lock onto.

"Shh, shh —" He glanced over his shoulder. "Can someone get a Med-Jack?" He called, voice breaking. He turned back to her. "It's okay, it was just a Griever, it can't get to you —"

"Griever," she repeated, the word odd and unfamiliar.

"Yeah, Griever." He nodded, "You just breathe nice and slow, alright?"

She followed his instructions, trying to slow her breathing down enough to get air back into her lungs. A point in the back of her head was achy and sore, either from the lack of oxygen or the effort to remember where the sound came from.

"That's it, that's right, come on." He strained, standing up and hauling all her weight with him. "Jeff —"

"Give her here," this boy was smaller, skinny. Younger than even her. But he seemed sure of himself as he tucked a hand under Artemis's arms, coaxed her to lean onto him.

"I can walk —" she tried, but he cut her off. Steering her away from the crowd towards the collection of straw huts.

"You're in shock," he said quietly, eyes fixed on a large hut to the right. "Best save your energy. We'll give you something to settle you down, but it'll make you quite drowsy."

"Drowsy." She repeated. He didn't reply as he shouldered the door open, feet padding on the sandy floor.

It smelled oddly clinical. Herbs were piled over tiny oil lamps, sunlight streamed in through the gaps between twigs that built up the walls. Shadows danced across the ground; separate walls broke off the main entrance to the hut, revealing gaps and dark spaces which Artemis could only guess to be smaller rooms.

She stumbled after Jeff, who was humming to himself as he led her into one of the sections.

"Sit," He gestured to a bed, turning to pour water from a pewter jug into a glass. He handed it to her. "Drink, I'll be right back."

She nodded as she sunk onto the mattress, fingertips slipping on the glass as she tilted it to her lips. The water wasn't cold, but it was refreshing. As soon as it spilled into her throat she realised how thirsty she was. The glass was emptied fast, making a small chink as she set it down on the table, dragging a hand across her mouth.

He returned, a damp towel over his arm and a handful of pills in the other. He knelt in front of her.

"Press this onto your head," he handed her the towel, which was cold against her skin. She did as she was told, relief flooding her as the white cloth sat gently on her forehead. He looked at the pills in his hand, checking them over quickly. "Here." He handed them to her, then stood up to pour more water into the glass.

As she drunk, he spoke. "We get these types o' pills up every month with the Box." She didn't understand what on earth he was saying, but his voice was calming enough nonetheless. So she listened as she swallowed, occupied with the medication. "They're pretty weak, mostly we just knock people out if they're in pain. But it's all we got."

Knock people out. "But —" she tried, fatigue overwhelming her. Gluing her tongue down, making her limbs heavy again. She felt Jeff push her gently, until her head landed on the pillow. She felt her eyes close, heard him say something but couldn't register.

By the time he'd finished his sentence, she had already dipped into an empty, dreamless sleep.

"𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑴𝑰𝑺?" She started, eyes snapping open. Her mouth was dry, sore from sleep as she sat up.

"What — Where am I —?" Confusion shook her momentarily, eyes narrowing as the light cracking through the gaps between twigs flooded the small room. Her eyes honed in on the boy sitting on the end of her bed — the taller one. Slightly skinny, eyes black in the dimming light. Newt. She swallowed. "Where am I?" She repeated.

"You're in the Med-Hut." He answered, not meeting her eyes. "We... thought it be best for you to calm down before we told you anything else."

"Who's 'we'?" She pressed, adjusting herself. Her voice was still dry and raspy, a dull scrape against her throat. Her fingers played with a thread on her shirt.

"We, they, us," he said, as he watched her snap the thread clean off. "We're Gladers."

"Gladers." She liked his voice. It wasn't patronizing but it wasn't harsh. She glanced up. "What's a Glader?"

"Someone who lives in the Glade."

"What's the Glade?"

He sighed. "Look, we've decided to hold a Gathering —"

"What's a Gathering?"

"— to decide how much and how fast we tell you things." He ignored her question. "And to decide whether or not you should get punished for punching Ed."

"Punished?" She felt her stomach lurch. Her eyes narrowed. "Punished how?" She asked.

"Calm down, it's not that bad. Probably a night in the Pit, maybe no food. That's what we usually dish out."

"The Pit?"

To her surprise, he chuckled. "Listen, Greenie, you'll get answers when it comes to it. Now's not the time." There was a pause. He looked away.

"How did you remember your name so fast?" His voice went quiet.

"What?"

"Your name." He said, eyes flicking to meet hers. "I wanted to know how you remembered it. Most people wait a day, maybe two before they can remember."

There was a beat. "I don't know." Her voice was even quieter than his. "I don't know anything."

He nodded. "Alright." He stood up.

"Where are you going?" Suddenly, she felt terrified. She didn't want him to leave her alone, here, in a place she'd never been before.

Or perhaps she had. Either way she couldn't remember.

"We're going to find Chuck." He said, holding out a hand to help her up.

"What's Chuck?" She refused his hand, wiping the creases out of her trousers as she stood up.

"This is Chuck." He led her out of the Med-Jack hut, where a short kid, with messy unruly hair, and freckles and dimples who looked about thirteen at the most, stood. He grinned toothily, waving as Newt steered them towards him.

"Alright Newt?" His eyes landed on Artemis. "And, uh, Art?"

She felt a sudden jerk, a sharp pang at the back of her head as she stumbled back. Art — where was that from? Why was it so familiar? Why did it hurt?

"Art?" Newt echoed, incredulous. He looked as if he was fighting a smile. Neither had noticed her struggle.

Chuck coughed awkwardly, "Yeah, I figured she could have a nickname," he shrugged. "Art seems cool."

"Not Art." She said, her voice harsh. "Please." She added, softer.

The two of them blinked at her. Newt's eyes went cloudy with concern, but only for a second.

"Okay, not Art." He said finally. "How about... uh... Emis?"

Emis. It was different. Less painful. And Chuck was right, Artemis was a mouthful. Maybe here, starting her new life, a new name would help her let go of her past. She hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."

"Emis it is then!" Newt grinned, triumphant as he slapped Chuck on the shoulder playfully. "Right, Chuck'll get you a bed for now, maybe find you a snack?" He glanced at the younger boy.  "Just don't tell Ry. He'll kill me," He whispered.

"Who's Ry?" She asked. "Is he the cook?"

Newt hesitated. The glance he exchanged with Chuck didn't go unnoticed before he turned back to face her. "Just wait 'til the gathering." He said, smiling. But it didn't reach his eyes. "I'll see you later." There was a short pause, during which he refused to tear his eyes away from hers. Then, as if waking up, he shook himself and turned to leave.

As he walked, it was the first time she noticed he had a limp.

"Come on," Chuck's voice startled her, and she jumped. He grinned. "This way."

He led her around the cluster of huts, past the open kitchen where smoke drifted softly from the fire curling around itself just in front. Delicious smells wafted towards them, hanging on the air and making her stomach rumble. He laughed.

"Don't worry, we'll get you something to eat." He smiled at her again, leading her towards a roofed canopy that sat amongst rustling leaves, hammocks creaking and swaying in the breeze.

"Chuck?" Emis dared a glance across at him as he shoved his hands into his pockets, eyes glued onto his feet as they shuffled across the grass. It was damper here, the shelter protecting the grass from the baking heat.

"Yeah?" He looked up, smiling. She swallowed. Does he ever stop smiling? She asked herself.

"Uh, nothing." She smiled back. "Forget it."

"Okay." He shrugged, leading her around the edge to a group of hammocks. "This is for you," he patted the cleanest looking one. "Well, I guess anyways. The Greenie wasn't supposed to be up 'til tomorrow but," he smiled again. "Guess you wanted to surprise us, huh?" He laughed awkwardly. She nodded, small smile clinging weakly to her lips. He reached over to brush his hands over the cream-coloured cloth, patting it down, swallowing as awkward silence floated around them.

"Right." There was a pause. "Chuck?" She offered again, breathing in.

"Mmm?" He straightened up, wiping his hands on his trousers.

"Where did that... uh... Griever. Come from?" She asked, voice shaky. She knew this was a risk — this kid only seemed young. He might not know enough, or be allowed to tell her anything. There was a beat.

"I'm really sorry, Emis." He said, eyes skating down over his feet. Like he was being told off already. "I'm not allowed to say."

"Hey, that's okay." She said hastily, "Don't think that you have to tell me anything. Please." She felt guilty, not wanting to cause him any discomfort. He must be terrified too, didn't need a random girl to breathe down his neck and demand answers.

He breathed out, relieved. "Okay. Thanks."

"Does it bother you?" She tried, shifting. He blinked.

"Does what bother me?" He said, but his tone of voice told her he already knew the answer.

"Being here. In the... Glade. Does it bother you, ever?" She swallowed again.

He shrugged. "Sometimes." There was a pause. "I haven't been here that long. People like Newt? Been here three years."

"Three years?" She echoed, heart sinking. She didn't want to stay here for that long — she couldn't. She'd go mad.

He nodded. "But the Runners are trying to find a way out."

"Runners?"

His eyes went wide. "Crap, I— uh, I meant runners as in the vines. You know, the ones up the side of the m—"

"They're back!" Emis heard someone yell. Distracted, she glanced over her shoulder to find the source of the noise. The boy who had yelled was pointing towards the tall stone walls.

A cluster of boys were jogging out of one of the huge gaps. Their footsteps were loud thuds that scattered against the grass haphazardly. Emis noticed that they all looked a mess — sweat clung to them like sticky rain, hot and messy in summertime. Their shirts and trousers were grubby, grime spattered onto their faces and their cheeks red. She noticed how they all looked frustrated, their brows furrowed and their lips turned down at the corners.

There was an Asian boy at the front of the group, taller than the rest. He had a similar build to Ed — thick, rippling muscles that stretched up his arms and bunched up his shirt. But he was taller, with strikingly dark hair, and there was no childish smirk, but a heavy, stony expression.

Without thinking, Emis began to make her way towards them. She barely heard Chuck's alarmed shout after her. There was something about them, like a magnetic force was pulling her in their direction. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see both Newt and Ed jogging towards them. Ed had a limp that seemed even worse than Newt's, his whole body leaning to one side as he moved.

The boy at the front slapped Ed on the shoulder, who threw his arm around his back and hugged him like a brother. When she approached them, she heard them speaking in hushed voices. Ed seemed to be very intent on listening to whatever he had to say. She caught Newt's eye and he made his way towards her, folding his arms.

"That's Minho." He said, jerking his head towards them. "He's Keeper of the Runners." So Chuck had been lying. He let slip that the Runners were a thing. They probably ran around in whatever was on the other side of those walls. She swallowed. "What's a Runner?" She asked, "What does that mean? Keeper?"

He shook his head. "Not too long, now." He said, "Now that they're back, we can finally get on with the Gathering. I'd stay quiet, though," his voice dropped, "Alby isn't a fan of interruptions. Just let him speak before you ask anything."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Hey, Newt —" Ed interrupted as he made his way towards them; Minho was by his side, staring at Emis with his mouth agape. "Artemis —"

"Emis." Newt corrected him. She smiled. Ed did not.

"What?" He gave an unimpressed look. "English?"

"Oh, shove it." Newt said. "Emis. We've given her a nickname — Artemis was a bloody mouthful."

Ed nodded slowly, feigning interest. "Okay, Emis. Weird, but, whatever's good with you, man."

He turned to face her, dropping the subject as his eyes lit up. "Artemis —" he cut himself off. "I mean, Emis," he stressed, wiggling his eyebrows at Newt, who flipped him off. Emis snorted. "This is Minho." Ed continued, "Minho, Emis."

"You're a girl." said Minho. Emis raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yes?" She shifted awkwardly. "What am I supposed to say? You're a boy?"

He snorted. "Okay, woah, sorry. Just never seen one of you guys before." His eyes crinkled as he smiled. "I'm Minho, nice to, er, make your acquaintance." He held out a sweaty hand for her to shake. She shook it, wiping the sweat off on her trousers afterwards. He grinned. "Sorry. My bad."

Ed shot him a look. "Okay. This is weird. You're a dick to me most of the time. The hell is with you?"

Minho shrugged. "Well, one of us boys has to be the gentleman around here."

"Yeah," said Emis, "Chuck."

Ed snorted, Minho frowned. "That was way below the belt, sister." He said, but he winked at her anyway. She rolled her eyes.

"Good, you're back." Emis turned around. Striding towards them was Alby, his eyebrows knitted together. Minho's smile instantly flattened into a thin, solemn line. "I was starting to get worried." Alby pushed past her, and it was then that she noticed Chuck behind him.

"You." She said, pointing towards him. He froze, turning his head slowly, as if checking to see if there was someone behind him. There wasn't, but he had no time to run. He was too close.

She was on him like lightning. His hands snapped up in surrender. "I didn't do it!" He trembled.

She ignored him. "You lied to me Chuck!" She prodded him. "You gave me that crap about vines when all along you were talking about these guys!"

"Look, keep your voice down —" he said worriedly, cutting himself off as Newt broke away from the group of Runners. "I'll tell you in a second, you have to swear not to—"

"Oi, both of you." Newt called out, and Emis froze. Deep down she hated the idea of Chuck getting told off just for telling her something she had asked him to. She turned to face him slowly, displaying what she hoped was an innocent-enough expression.

He stopped when he reached them, his eyebrows knitting together when he saw her face. There was a pause.

"Are you, er, okay, Emis?" He asked slowly.

"Fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Please don't notice, please don't notice, she thought.

He shrugged. "You just look a bit odd. Pained, actually."

She slapped herself mentally. "Oh, right. Just a little, um... dizzy."

"Dizzy?" His eyebrows raised. "Oh god, we don't want you passing out by mistake this time."

She went red. "I never said I was going to pass out." She mumbled.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Right. Just, um. Sit down if you need to."

"Okay." There was a terrible silence. She cringed inwardly. What the hell was that?

"Eugh." Said Chuck. "Flirting."

Her eyes widened and she felt her cheeks flame up. "What?" She and Newt exclaimed, simultaneously. She glanced at him and saw that his expression mirrored hers. It would've been funny, if it wasn't so mortifying.

Newt laughed it off awkwardly. "Shut up," he said, shoving Chuck's head playfully. "I came over to tell you something, but now I've only gone and bloody forgotten." He knitted his eyebrows together, folding his arms. "What was it..."

She sucked her breath back into her lungs. Here it comes, she thought, he's going to lose it, all because I wasn't patient enough to wait for that stupid —

"Aha!" He said, cutting her off mid thought. He clicked his fingers. "That's it. It's time." He said triumphantly, as if expecting an interesting reaction. Emis blinked.

"Time for what?"

There was a pause. He gave her a hard look, half disbelieving and half like he was about to start laughing hysterically. She swallowed.

He said nothing, but reached forwards and grabbed her wrist tightly. "Hey—!" She tried, but he was already dragging her away from Chuck, at a considerably fast speed despite his limp. "What are you —?"

"The Gathering you buggin' idiot," he said loudly, "It's time for the bloody Gathering."

Oh. She felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment, but that soon faded as she registered what he had said. "Wait, that's —"

"Right now, so come on, pick up the pace!" He said, but he was grinning.

He led her towards a large circular hut that seemed to be constructed in a similar way to the Med-Hut. It was much bigger, though, and most of the boys seemed to be streaming in through the door. Many of them were staring as Newt kept his vice-like grip held down on her wrist.

Something in the back of her mind told her that it would be all too easy to break free of his hold, however.

She ignored it as he muttered to himself, pushing the doors open. "Only supposed to be bloody Keepers," she caught, and, "Ryan had to go and make a huge deal out of it."

Her curiosity peaked higher. Who was Ryan? Why was he so intent on having her punished? Was he really great friends with Ed, and was he just upset to see his friend injured? Somehow, she didn't think so.

Once they entered the hut there were several wide steps going down into the centre. They were also seating, so all the boys could watch whatever was going on in the middle. It was loud with the buzz of their anticipation.

Emis swallowed as she realised it was probably her who would be standing there in front of everyone.

Her heart began to flutter, the pulse fluctuating as that familiar sense of fear settled cold in her veins. Answers, she reminded herself, you'll get answers. It gave her a little confidence as she followed Newt down the steps and into the centre.

Alby was leaning against one of the long wooden beams that climbed up from the floor to hold the roof in place. He was talking to another boy, but Emis could only see his back. He too had broad shoulders, his hair was dusty, mousy brown, but it spiked up haphazardly like he had been running his hands through it.

Newt called Alby's name, and he turned around. That's when she saw his face. Saw his eyes. They were murderous. His lip was curled into a snarl as he saw her, she saw his hands curl into fists. All she could think of was, why would someone she'd never met, hate her with such a burning passion? She swallowed. This must be Ryan. Who must seriously like Ed.

Suddenly he smiled. But the smile was wrong, it was all twisted. Too pointy. A ray of light danced across his face as it broke through the branchy canopy, and she saw that his eyes were an empty, charcoal black.

She resisted the urge to shiver as Newt let her go, moving to stand between both he and Alby.

"Alright, everybody, let's settle down." He said, his voice was full of power, but still calm. The voices fizzled out. His command had broken her eye contact with Ryan, and she released the breath that had swollen inside her. She turned to face the front.

She felt uncertain again. Frightened as she stood, alone, in the centre of this room, in front of everyone. They all stared had her, some were grinning, some more serious. She breathed in, glancing over her shoulder at Newt, who gave her a nod.

"Alright." Alby said, once there was complete silence. Emis caught Chuck's eye, and was relieved to see him grinning back at her. "This Gathering has now begun. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

     ⁰⁰ ❛ 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆 . . .☄︎ ⋆࿐໋ ˖

                    i'm so soft ;// newt && emis, melting my heart again. a little filler chap, but i rlly enjoy writing angst emis. panicking is my speciality so writing it was so interesting. thank u so much for over 300 reads already, ik it doesn't seem much but every vote, every comment, everytime those numbers go up i feel so happy && forget for a second all the things that make me sad sksjsj — this book gives me so much excitement i literally canNOT. ily all so much. have a lovely evening lovelies && i'll hopefully have a new chapter up for you tmrw! i'll try to keep these notes shorter from now on... i just can't put into words how grateful i am for ur support!!

love, 𝒓𝒊𝒓𝒊. *♡・.