I do not own The Maze Runner or any of its characters.
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The massive doors finally opened with a groan, and light poured in. I covered my eyes.

When I finally opened them, after the sun stopped trying to make me blind, the first thing I saw was boys. Lots of them. Some big, some small, some tall, some short, some ugly, some kind of decent. It was silent for a couple of beats like the crowd wanted me to speak first.

"What, in the everloving finch, am I doing here," I eventually said, looking up at the faces peering down.

Some boys laughed. "I like her!"

"Has anyone called dibs?"

"Shut up, Chris."

"Her? Alby, Newt, take a look at this!"

"Its a girl?"

"What are the Creators thinking?"

Someone lowered a rope into the Box. I studied it, thinking about what would happen if I went up there. The scenes flashed through my mind, each one worse than the one before it. The boys had not made a great impression on me.

"No thanks! I'll stay here for a bit." I called, not even touching the rope.

"What the shuck is she doing?"

"Since when has a Greenie rejected the rope?"

Their slang baffled me, but I guess I did just say finch. Why? I have no idea.

Two boys walked closer to the Box, and I guessed that they must be the 'Alby and Newt' the others were calling for. I looked at them both, trying to glean anything I could from their stance, their facial expressions, and last but not least, their eyes.

Whoever said that the eyes were the windows into the soul had it right.

The other features that the two possessed slowly came filtering in. I started with the taller one and after a few moments, I came to the conclusion that he was the 'Leader' around here. One foot was on the Box, which was the closest anyone had come to me. His strong but sturdy frame was leaned ever-so-slightly my way and his dark arms were folded across his chest in what looked like displeasure. I noticed a watch on his right wrist.

I dubbed him Alby. That was the first name that was called, and people tend to put the most important name when calling a group. Unless you're going by alphabetical order.

By the process of elimination, the name Newt was given to the shorter boy. Although he wasn't that much shorter than Alby. I guess he just seemed smaller, compared to everyone else in this place. He was muscular by the description of the word but didn't have the thick muscles that adorned the other boys like it was the latest fashion statement. His sandy blond hair was floofy and appeared much kinder than Alby. He had a slight smile on his face and by his stance, was very approachable.

I finally noticed the crowd around the box, which did nothing for my uncomfortableness.

"Greenie," Alby started. "You have to come out. We need to get the supplies out of there and send the Box back down." The guy was angry.

"Alby, just give her a second. She obviously doesn't want to come up just yet." Newt looked down at me. "Are you ever going to come up?"

So my guesses were correct.

"Eventually." I told him. I sat down and crossed my legs, trying to cover my butt that I knew the boys behind me were looking at. "I'll stay here and observe. This is all-new, and I'd like to get a good idea of what it is exactly. I don't exactly have my memories, you know."

I heard slight laughter ripple through the crowd.

Another boy came walking up to the side of the elevator I came up. Boy, was he interesting to decipher. At first glance, you could see that he had the presence of leadership. He looked the part for sure but was missing that last something. The thing that made people follow a leader. He could probably lead a small crowd, but would most likely not be able to keep a larger one in line.

After I filed that away, I looked at the rest of him. To be honest, he wasn't that much of a looker. The guy could probably vie with Alby for the thickest muscles, and his face seemed to have a much angrier resting look than most.

He started talking to Alby and Newt, not looking down at me yet. "What's up with the-"

He stopped, finally looking at me. Something flashed in his blue eyes, and his angry look dropped for a second. He studied me, and I looked back, my eyes narrowing, trying to decipher what I saw in his eyes. Recognition, fear, concern, and one more. I couldn't place it.

Then he looked away, and the moment ended. He started right where he stopped talking, trying to act like the look never happened. Newt had a confused face like Angry wasn't supposed to have different emotions. He just shook his head, and I was about as confused as him.

"-new Greenie. Why doesn't this one doesn't come out of the Box like a regular person?" The new guy said with a look thrown at me. It didn't seem real. But I returned it with a look of my own. I guess I could help with his 'reputation preserving.'

"Greenie,-" Alby started.

I got fed up with them, calling me 'Greenie.' "It's Lauren!" I yelled up. Any chatter within the crowd stopped. "Not Greenie. Lauren. If you're going to talk to me, at least call me by my real name."

I heard murmurs when I got done talking. Why? I just said my name.

It hit me then, the extent of my mind-wipe. I didn't even know my birthday, how old I was, who my best friends were, and my parents.

I didn't even know my parents.

The thought almost brought tears to my eyes, but I quickly stopped them. None of these people needed to see me cry. We didn't even know each other, and I didn't want to appear weak.

I stood up at my announcement. I've had enough 'observing.' I backed up to the side of the box, then ran forward and used the momentum to swing myself out of it. It wasn't smooth, I didn't land gracefully and stayed on the ground for a moment. The boys stepped back and gave me room, staring down at me. 

"Wow."

"The Greenie's pretty strong."

"Either a Builder or a Runner, from the looks of her biceps."

Builder? Runner? Where am I? Not looking at the group yet, I got up and studied my new place. Surrounding us were tall grey walls. They had ivy all across them and looked weathered with time. I couldn't see anything else but a forest in the back. I was surrounded by boys and it was getting increasingly harder to breathe.

But while everything was strange and new to me, I felt a sense of familiarity. I pushed the feeling away; My mind was wiped. It didn't make sense.

Alby was the first to talk to me. "Glad to see you finally came to your senses."

"You're the leader here, aren't you?" I inquired.

He just gave me a look.

"It's your 'presence.' You talk like you're the leader, you stand like you're the leader, and the boys all look at you like you're the leader. You were also the first one to speak to me. It's pretty obvious, really." I explained, but he didn't even respond.

"Well, Alby. She's got you all right figured out." Newt joked.

"You're the second-in-command," I stated.

"That's right."

"Greenie, you came up later so we won't give you the Tour today. You'll get it tomorrow." Alby stated.

"First, it's Lauren. Second, let's get some answers before you just send me off." I remarked.

"I said, you'll get the Tour tomorrow." Alby snapped. He turns to the crowd. "Everyone get back to your jobs!"

"Greenie,-Lauren," Newt corrects. "I suggest you drop this now."

"Fine," I said. But I was going to get them later. To survive this place, I was definitely going to need info.

"And you'll get them tomorrow. Gally! Take Lauren to the kitchen to get some food. We all bloody know they don't give us some before they ship us in here." Newt yelled. He followed Alby out of the dispersing crowd.

Gally, otherwise known as Angry, moved towards me.

"I've seen you before," I comment. "Your face sparks something in the back of my mind, and it's driving me crazy. I don't like forgetting people." He was another thing that felt familiar. It was infuriating.

I must have said something life-changing because Gally looks stunned for a second. And hopeful.

"And," I continue, "I know you know me too because you recognized me while I was still in that elevator."

Gally's eyes widened and then he wiped any emotion off of his face. "I don't recognize you. My shucking mind was wiped before I came here. Just like yours." He starts walking towards something I believe is a kitchen.

"Yeah, but, I can read faces. And your face doesn't lie!" I call. But then I started jogging to catch up with his fast pace.

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Well? Is the first chapter everything you hoped and dreamed of? I hope so!

BUT- WE'VE GOT NEWT!
WE'VE GOT BOOK!ALBY BC I'M BASING THIS ON THE BOOKS WITH SLIGHT MOVIE STUFF ~SPRINKLED~ IN!
WE'VE GOT GALLY WITH HIS...~looks~
*unintelligible squeals of happiness*

Can you tell I'm excited??
ANYway, we've got an OC coming in on the next chapter, and I love them with ALL of my heart that's left after Newt's...thing on page 250

ahahaha, bai!