Darkness. That's the first thing I remembered. And that metallic rattling sound of cogs scraping against each other. 

I felt these sudden movements, making me stumble and hold onto something that felt like a wired cage. 

My head turned, desperate to find anything that could help me. But where ever I was, I couldn't see through the thick darkness that surrounded me. 

Another sudden push and the whole thing shook. Upwards. Like an elevator. Lights flashed before my eyes and disappeared again. 

Breathe. I had to breathe. 

It was like waking up from a dream...or rather a nightmare. My body was drenched in cold sweat, stiff from shock. 

My brain hurt. I couldn't remember anything. It made no sense, but it felt like somebody had vacuumed out everything my mind had once possessed.

Well, not everything. My mind was trapped between a state of emptiness and knowledge. 

Pictures of cars standing in masses, row after row, with their blaring horns and smoking exhausts jumped up before my eyes. I knew what buildings were, their towering shadows looming over cities filled with washed out faces. 

I could remember all of these things, but I couldn't grasp where I remembered them from. 

I had no connection to these places. 

Somewhere in the back of my mind, there was a door, barricaded with mental logs and chains. But those weren't my chains. 

A shudder of the room shook me back. 

But back to where? 

Where was I? What was happening with me? 

Get up, get up. 

Lit up by the flashing spots outside, I saw multiple wooden boxes sitting with me in this...cage. It was a moving cage. I could feel myself panicking. 

Get up, get up, get up!

My whole body was shaking. Something outside the cage caught my eyes. Movements. 

"Hey! Help!" The scratching rattle noise got louder and louder, a persistent crunch of rock against metal.

 "Shit, shit, shit!" 

The fear was taking over me, twisting my guts until I could barely breathe anymore. Like a deadly parasite growing inside of my body. Nobody can hear you. 

My head was racing, pounding against my chest like a startled hummingbird.

There it was again. I knew what kind of animal that was. I could see what they looked like. Yet I had no idea what my name was. 

 My thoughts started running round and round, a mental marathon. 

I could only think of one thing again and again and again. 

Get up, get up, get up! 

Steadying myself with a tight grasp around the cage, I planted my feet on the wired ground, my knees shaking. 

I stumbled forward. My shoe touched something that made a scratching, iron noise on the floor as the object slid away a few inches. Glancing down, I saw something silvery glisten in the rapidly moving light beams. My eyes widened.

Only a grasp away, reflecting the rays of fake light into tiny stars on the ceiling, lay a gun. Innocent at first look, yet it sent cold shivers across my skin. 

A sudden sting of pain made me flinch and inhale a sharp breath of damp air. Carefully bringing my hand up to my forehead, I could feel a painful bruise right above my left eyebrow. Something warm and sticky was disturbing my view as it dropped into my eye. Blood.

Rapidly blinking, I tried to wash away the burning liquid that made me teary-eyed. 

 I couldn't remember how I got this. Again, I couldn't remember anything about myself. Who I was, what my story was. 

My thoughts came to an abrupt stop when everything got darker and the only thing I could hear was my heavy breathing.

There was a soft click like a pen, and a sick green glow flashed before my eyes. And before I knew what had happened, a strong, yet seemingly natural brightness was blinding me, making me squint in pain. 

A wave of fresh air hit me like a smack in the face, waking me up from the haze I've been stuck in. 

When my eyes slowly got used to the shining light around me, I could make out several silhouettes, seemingly hovering above me.

They were whispering things I couldn't understand yet. Some were yelling as if they were a bunch of old people fighting over their property. 

But I noticed a few interesting things, that would soon turn out to be a little problem of mine. From what I could guess by the way they all stared like shameless idiots, all of them seemed to be boys.

Where was the gun? 

Then one of them jumped down into the cage, making me step back instantly. 

He looked angry, or rather grumpy at least. He had a harsh facial structure, with a deep frown between his eyebrows. Something about him seemed... almost familiar. 

Something crashed against the wood behind the door in my brain, making the chains shudder. 

He tilted his head. 

"Day one Greenie. Rise and shine."

When he got closer, something in my mind snapped like a wristband that was pulled too strongly. I grabbed his arm out of nothing but reflex and pulled it on his back, surprising not only him but me too. 

Yet I knew he wouldn't be able to move if I held on like that. Pushing his face against the cage walls, I got closer to his ear. 

"Three questions. Where am I, who are you, and why am I here?!", putting all the frustration in my voice, I didn't show how amazed I was of my own strength as I managed to hold him steady even when he struggled to pull his arm out of my grip. 

Where did I learn those skills? But the door in my head was shut and quiet again. 

I could hear the people gasping above us and felt two other boys jumping down, making the ground slightly shake. 

 "Whoa, hey, hey!" One of them grabbed my shoulder, while the other one harshly pulled me away from their friend. 

Now it was my turn to struggle against whoever was holding me.  

"Calm down okay?" 

The boy had a heavy British accent. 

How did I know it was British? Where did this knowledge come from?! Anxiety built up in my chest. 

"We don't want to hurt you!" 

I stared at him, hoping to look as angry as I felt. 

He had dirty blond hair that fell into his face in soft curls. His hazel brown eyes were frantically scanning my face. When his glance landed on my bruise, a crease appeared between his eyebrows.

Didn't look that good, huh? 

 "Get her to the pit" The other boy grimly said. He clearly had the role of authority, it could be heard in his voice. The way he moved promised an air of control. 

At least I knew who to watch out for.

He had dark skin and looked a few years older than the blond one, with broad shoulders and a buzz-cut, military style. 

 The British boy turned to look at him. 

"She's hurt, Alby-"

"Yeah, and if you don't tell me what's going on, you'll be too!", I fought against the strong grip of the older one, thrashing with my legs.

"You better watch your-" 

"Gally it's okay, we'll take care of it"
The first boy, Gally, scoffed with a roll of his eyes, but stayed quiet after that.

A voice in my head suddenly spoke up, sounding as deep yet thick as silk.
"If a man touches you, go crazy, scream cry, make it as difficult as possible for them"

My heart raced as if I just got jumpscared.
I would go crazy if I had to. 

My glance landed on the silver gun still on the floor, innocently glistening in the sun as if it was waiting for me to pick it up and use it for my protection, if anything would happen. 

The British boy seemed to have followed my gaze, because he saw the deadly weapon and his eyes widened. 

He took a careful step forward and slowly picked up the dangerous little thing. A frown appeared on his face and he glanced over to Alby who was still clutching onto my arms. 

They both seemed equally worried yet confused, a second of weakness, where the tiny crack of a metaphorical window opened for me. 

Nothing but a second, yet enough for my impulsive decision. 

I used this little moment of distraction to step onto the boy's foot, ramming my heel into his boot as hard as I could. He cried out in pain and let go of me while cursing words I've never heard before. 

Quickly yanking the gun from the other boy's grip, I pointed it at the three of them, hoping for it to be loaded with bullets and not just soap bubbles.

I didn't know if I could shoot somebody. But the way I held the weapon, its texture cold and promising in my hands, I knew it wasn't the first time I was handling something like this. 

Gasps and a scream from the rest of the crowd above us made me get frustrated even more. Why were there so many of them? 

I forced myself to look serious and make them believe I could actually pull the trigger. 

The two boys in front of me didn't move, neither did I. Both sides were waiting for the first attack. 

My chest was lowering too fast with every breath I took, and my teeth were already making my lip bleed. 

It was unbearably quiet, the air around us electrified, until the one with the accent locked his eyes with mine and slowly raised his hand in a surrendering gesture.  

"Put it down, all right? Nothing will happen to you. Just... put it down."

My hands trembled. 

"Give me one good reason not to blast your brain all over the wall", I snapped, trying to sound braver than I actually felt. 

The boy swallowed and glanced over at his friend, who was still glaring at the weapon. He seemed to think of an answer. 

"Because I think you wouldn't do it." 

I was baffled. 

Those words burned themselves into my brain. 

"Just put it down...please" 

His voice was careful. My finger hovered over the trigger and for a terrifying second I could already hear the sharp sound of a bullet being fired and something splattering. 

But I finally lowered the weapon. 

Immediately, the tension around us lowered and I could hear some held breaths being released, as a wave of relief poured over us. My own heart calmed a bit and I tried to let the gun disappear in my belt.  

The blond boy held out his hand with raised eyebrows. 

That asshole. 

I rolled my eyes, frustrated that he had to notice, and tossed the gun over to him, scrunching my face in annoyance. He caught it with a small smile, instantly checking it for bullets. But it was completely empty. 

Of course it was. 

Another minus point for my escape plan. 

I could see him letting out a breath of relief. He then glanced over to Alby. He was definitely the leader of these...lost boys. 

We can fly, if you believe it. 
The voice was so loud I had to look behind me. 

Alby wiped his hands on his worn out pants. 

"Now, get her to the pit, like I said." 

Their so-called "pit" turned out to be nothing but a muddy hole in the ground with some bars made out of sticks. As if that would stop me from running away if I really wanted to. 

They threw me in there so I could "calm down a bit" how the blond had said.

 I did in fact, not calm down, but fell silent instead, just to think of what the hell just happened.

From what I could see from my little spot, that place was some kind of park, surrounded by huge, endless walls. 

Where they trapped in here?

Soft chattering mixed with the bleating of goats, their sounds being carried over the whole place by the warm breeze that ruffled the grass. 

Didn't seem to be too bad of a prison. 

Carefully, I let my fingertips graze over the bloody scab. They had given me a wet towel, so I could at least wipe away the drying blood, but I refused to accept it, out of pure spite. 

My mood was constantly changing between the serious person somebody would expect me to be in a situation like this, and the childish behaviour that would probably be the end of me.
The person in my head was swinging back and forth on their little playground. 

The urge to throw a tantrum that would make any toddler jealous was tempting. This place, even if I only saw a glimpse of it, was making me want to yell until my lungs were burning and my throat was raw.

Digging at a root that glanced out of the dirt, I let out a small huff. 

I tried to recap what I knew, which wasn't much. Not even my name. I didn't know where I was or who all those people were. My fingers were tapping on my shoes, an anxious rhythm on tiny drums. 

I flinched when a needle-like sting shot through my forehead. What have I done that somebody hit me that bad? 

Or did I do this myself?

Maybe I just ran against a wall like a moron. 

 I got ripped out of my thoughts and scampered backwards, hitting my head on the low ceiling and cursing out in a language I didn't know I could speak, when that Alby guy suddenly sat down in front of the pit.

 "Hey! You won't attack anyone again will you? Would be a shame if Gally got his ass beat twice a day. Not so healthy for his ego. And you'd risk having him as an enemy, which you don't want to. Trust me"
His mouth curled into a crooked grin. 

My nose scrunched. "Is this a threat?" 

He shrugged, which stressed me out even more. 

"You didn't answer my first question"

I was tempted to say "You didn't either", but I held back, for the sake of his tolerance and my instinct of self-preservation, which usually wasn't very distinct, at least I knew that about myself. 

Scoffing out an annoyed breath, I answered.
"Not if you tell me what I want to know. And hold it with the cryptic-Gandalf-show. A reasonable explanation is enough. You know, like normal people do it"

Who the hell was Gandalf?!
I forced myself to keep a straight face. 

 He chuckled.
"My name's Alby. I'm in charge here..." 

"Yeah, even I noticed it, I'm not that stupid", I hissed, more mocking him than being angry. 

Alby sighed, making his nostrils flare as if he was already loosing patience with me. 

"...And I will let you out, if you stay calm okay?", he continued like he didn't hear what I said. 

Seeing that I just stared back at him with a challenging look, he frowned.

 "What do you want to know anyway?" 

Wasn't that obvious? Man, this guy was slow.

"I want to know, what's happening and why I can't remember shit" My voice got deeper. At least I wouldn't sound like an irritated chipmunk anymore. 

A staring contest between me and the boy began, neither of us wanting to cooperate first. With a retreating sigh, he finally unlocked the door and let me out. 

 "Are all girls so stubborn or are you just angry because Newt took away that little weapon of yours?" 

"Excuse you?"

I had to resist the urge to stomp on his foot again, but something had clicked in my head and the anger inside of my stomach was swept away. 

"Wait, you guys are really just...guys?", I turned around as if a girl would suddenly appear behind me.

That wasn't good. 

Alby laughed, a barking sound in the peaceful silence. After he caught himself, he took a deep breath. 

And that's when he started to tell me everything.

 I remember myself laughing like a maniac, like he just told the most hilarious joke. The whole thing sounded so surreal, I thought I was going crazy. 

And maybe I was. Who could've blamed me? 

That was two years ago and even today, when I think of my first day in the Glade, I have to start laughing. 

A/N: Hello there, it is I. Thank you for making this (crazy) decision to give this book a chance.
No, honestly, you have no idea what you got yourself into, what the fuck are you doing here, not even I know what's happening.
I know, this isn't the best work, but that's my first official story and I'm still working on my writing skills. This'll be more of a Rick Riordan kinda writing style, so if you're not into characters with one (1) braincell, maybe this might not be such a good idea. 
If you're reading this, then thou shall be aware that the first draft of this chapter has been lost in editing and the version you're currently seeing is probably 7 out of 25. Just so you know, I am really insecure about this so I'm always coming back to previous chapters and editing and changing stuff since my writing improves over the process of making this story. Even this note only came months after the first official publish (which was over two years ago)

Anyways, I hope you can enjoy this little journey with me, thanks for reading, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!  <3

Hopefully see you in the next chapter,
Lia 

Btw, I'm not always this polite, I'm actually more like a garbage racoon committing arson, so buckle up, this is gonna be a ride.