"ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇꜱ? ɢᴏᴏᴅ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴇᴀɴꜱ ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ꜱᴛᴏᴏᴅ ᴜᴘ ꜰᴏʀ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ, ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪꜰᴇ."

Blinking her eyes open, the sun streams through her eyelashes. A soft golden glow blessing her face. 

Groaning, she rolls onto her side and stands. Stretching her muscles, she looks around. Brushing her red hair away from her eyes.

Not a soul in sight. As always. For almost a month now, she's been the only one in the glade. The only one to try and figure out how to survive in that hell. 

Today, just like every other, she stands from her hammock and goes to the pond. Pulling off her sweat soaked shirt and pants, she jumps into the water. Despite the semi cool summer air, the humidity is almost unbearable. Once finished, she goes about how she always does. 

Breakfast, then gardening, then taking care of the animals. After, she goes to the mapping room. A small hut she devised for herself and the plans for her escape. Even though she hasn't had anyone for months and in a sense as long as she can remember, she hasn't given up hope. She won't ever give up hope. 

Today, she won't go into the maze. It's already much too late. So, after lunch she continues working over the maze's layout and how to get out of there. 

Suddenly a screaming noise comes from the box that brought her and a few supplies up. Realizing that it's an alarm she runs to the box as fast as she can. Praying that whatever's inside can help.

With a groan she flips open the top, when she looks down into the box though she sees a boy surrounded by boxes. Scared to death, and breathing hard. 

His skin is darker than soil, but his eyes give away his personality. They're gentle, scared and confused. 

Knowing that the next few moves she makes will either scare him and he'll defend himself or befriend him she slowly and carefully lowers herself into the box. Her movement causes him to scurry backward, trying to get away from her. 

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you" She whispers, her hand stretched towards him. "You're going to be okay, just come with me..." She says softly. 

He waits for a second before taking hold of her hand, letting her pull him up and out of the box. Peering around he takes in the walls that surround the maze, the vines hanging on the walls. "Where am I?" He whispers

"I call it the Glade..." The girl says, her eyes steadily watching his every move for fear she may have misread his personality.  

"Why am I here?" He asks, his breath getting faster. His wild eyes locking onto hers. 

"I don't know" She admits "And I don't know why I'm here either."

"I can't remember my name." The boy admits, breaking their eye contact to look around the "Glade" again. 

"I didn't at first either. It will come back" She tells him. She pauses, as he continues to look around the area. "I was just about to start making something to eat, how about I get you settled in?" She asks "Then I'll answer all of your questions" She adds as the boy opens his mouth to retaliate.

He nods slowly, following closely behind her. First they get his bed set up, really it's a makeshift hammock but to the boy it gives him comfort to know his place. After, he sits on a stool watching her cook. Using the things she grew and a chicken they sent up along with him. He's mesmerized by the way she moves. Her silent reliance. Her mystery. She doesn't make sense, nothing about anything does and somehow she is calm as though she knows how to get out. She knows why they're there. 

He doesn't speak or ask her questions as he watches her, instead he lets them pile up into his head until he knows he has permission to ask them. 

Finally, the steaming hot stew's finished. She brings it over to a small table with only one chair. Cracking a smile, she finally talks. "Habit, sorry...let's go over here" She says going over to a spot of grass with shade and a view of the sun as it hits the top of the glade walls. 

"You've been wanting to ask me questions all night...you're welcome to ask away." She says, taking a sip of her stew. He does the same, smiling when he realizes how good it tastes. It only prompts another question for him however. How long has it been since he's eaten? 

So, with his questions in mind he begins to ask her. His curiosity getting the better of him. However, she seems not to mind. Instead she answers every question to the best of her knowledge. 

How long has she been there? A month
What was behind the walls? A maze
Why? She doesn't know
How do we get out? She doesn't know
What should he do? Help
How? Build, adapt, survive 

This goes on for hours, even after they've finished their food. She warns him of how the walls will open in the morning, but the Grievers that produced the sounds he heard minutes before wouldn't come. They only came out at night. 

"Will someone else come tomorrow?" He asks 

"I don't think so," She admits as he follows her around the small buildings and areas she's build on her own. "I think maybe one will come next month, I haven't been here long enough to know though" 

He nods as she lights another torch so they can see in the dark. Finally, the boy is silent causing her to chuckle. The boy turns at the sound of her laughter, confused for a second before cracking a smile of his own. 

"What's funny?"

"All these questions and you haven't asked me my name."

Surprised, the boy stutters "Well, I thought you said you didn't have one!" He exclaims causing her to laugh again. 

"It's alright Greenie" She says, before catching herself. She looks to the boy and the both of them begin to laugh. "Well that was the stupidest word that's ever come out of my mouth" She says 

Through his laughter the boy is finally able to gasp out "I like it, it makes sense. Stupid but in a way that makes sense" He laughs 

Finally catching their breath he asks "Okay, so what is your name?" 

She smiles slightly, finding the whole situation a little bit awkward 

"Maria" She smiles "My name is Maria." 

𝟙,𝟘𝟡𝟞 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕤