‧₊˚✧ ⁝ 𝑪1  ❪ 忘却 ❫ ‧₊˚✧

𝒎𝒂𝒅 new world ...

SHE AWOKE IN complete darkness. It wasn't a soft darkness, the kind that came accompanied with a host of stars and a hanging moon. This was a heavy darkness. One that bathed every object in it's ominous touch, one that whispered echos and mimicked every sound. It came accompanied with the dreadful sound of metal grinding against metal. In it's own menacing manner, it added to the eerie atmosphere like it was taunting her. The girl inhaled sharply, each breath clawing against her throat in despair. Her body shook with an unruly tremor as she pulled herself upwards, arms collapsing at the burning strain of the effort.

Instantly, her fingertips brushed against the metal floor beneath her and she withdrew as soon as they hit the surface. The harsh divergence of her feverish body temperature and the icy cold metal was overly discomforting, sending a shiver snaking down her spine. It took a few moments after for the girl to fully come to her senses.

And when she did, she panicked.

Desperately, she pulled her shaking body to her feet. A scream was caught in her throat, begging to escape. However, no sound came out. Only the wild pounding of her heart rung in her ears, displaying the sheer magnitude of her fear and confusion. An aggressive jolt of the space she was in dominated, throwing her into the dark once again. The girl lost her balance at the movement, landing with an agonising slam against the hard, solid surface. Her panic doubled. Frantically, she reached for anything to latch onto, crawling around the floor like a wild animal caught in a cage. Her hands grazed against the walls and she felt four of them, webbed with cool metal.

She was in some kind of box.

In pure trepidation, the girl managed to scream for help. The action burned her lungs and caused a wave of dizziness, chest heaving uncontrollably. She could not grasp onto any explanation of why she was in a metal box which was hurling her into the infinite sea of darkness above. She had no idea how she had got there, what she did to deserve it and when it would stop. Hands covering her face, she tried to remember anything. Anything at all. It was useless, only a haunting emptiness lay in her mind and obscured any glimpse of recollections. She was pure nothingness, and that scared her more than anything. Screeches reverberated through the air, contributing to the swelling terror in her chest. As much as she forced herself to remain calm, fear pumped through the girl's veins and inhabited her blood. Liveliness drained out of her weak frame and was substituted by a feeling of bitter enervation.

     She sunk into the floor, moaning in torment.

The disgusting smell of burnt oil and the bitter taste of dust invaded her senses. The box was swaying as it rattled upwards, flipping her stomach over and triggering a feeling of nausea. She needed to get out now. A choke echoed from her lips as she strained to stand again, pounding roughly on the ceiling and protesting for a way out. Seconds turned into minutes and her arms stiffened at the prolonged tension. There was no way out. She gave up trying to escape and let herself crumple in fatigue and defeat, allowing the darkness to encircle her.

Tentatively, she felt her arms and legs which were shaking with an uncontrollable quiver. Sweat glistened against them despite the coolness around her. The girl's figure was slim and feminine and she observed the weight of thick hair cascading inadvertently past her shoulder blades. Cradling her broken body, she hugged her knees tightly to her chest and squeezed her stinging eyes shut, willing this living nightmare to be over with. Tears threatened to spill but she held them back with resent.

     But then, a thought crawled to the front of the emptiness of her mind.

WICKED.

For some strange reason, that word arrived with nothing else. She recited it aloud but it felt strangely discomforting on her chapped lips. The girl repeated it over and over until the sound of her voice was nothing but a pathetic whisper, willing it to make sense within her fragmented thoughts. Abruptly, an ear splitting groan followed by a short bang brought the box to a shuddering halt.

     The girl didn't hesitate and clumsily scrambled to her feet. She felt the box's swaying transfigure into a standstill eventually and for a few seconds, everything was silent.

A cold, uneasy and chilling silence.

It was another thought that severed the silence like a knife. It crashed into her mind and gave the girl a light of hope to cling to.

Ria.

Her name. She murmured it slowly, surprised at how familiar it sounded coming from her. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Perhaps this was the start of her memories uniting and a tiny flame of optimism danced within her. Pushing her name aside, Ria sighed and directed her focus on escaping the box — however challenging it was.

The noise produced by the girl's breathing became apparent to her after a moment in the midst of the unnerving quietude. They were shallow and fast, occurring in an inconsistent pattern. She waiting for a signal of some sort and when nothing happened, rage and desperation consumed the girl. In anger she screamed out, throwing herself against the walls. Ria kicked and pounded furiously, screams transforming into strangled cries as no response came. The sound of her own voice that bounced off the walls echoed mockingly like shadows dancing with malice. Terror twisted within the girl like a knife.

"Help! Please!" Ria begged, throat painfully sore as she called into the dark in distress.

As if her pleads had been answered the roof of the box suddenly began to slide open, allowing invading light to pour in. Every shadow of twilight was banished, replaced by the opposing brightness. Instinctively, she covered her eyes whilst squinting harshly in the broad daylight. The same feeling of dizziness crashed against her body and she swayed on her feet, fighting to stay conscious. Then came the chorus of voices.

"Is the Greenie a . . . girl?"

"I can't see anything!"

"Maybe if you moved your shuck head, Sam!"

"Oi, shut your shuck mouth!"

"Why would they send a girl?"

"Finally!"

The tone of these voice expressed shock and Ria covered her eyes, cowering under a heavy burden of dread as she backed into the corner of the box. What if this was her death? The sound of muffled gossip and shouting all at once filled the once silent atmosphere and pounded inside her head. The world around her merged into a blur of confusion she became panicked, her hands trembling. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe.

It wasn't until the weight of a hand against her shoulder shook her back to the terrifying present.

"Come on sleeping beauty, time to move your ass." 

Ria's gaze was met with those of the boy that had caused her enforced awakening. His hair was dark blonde and cut short. As she dared to look into this eyes, she perceived they were filled with conflict but glazed over with an unmoving hardness. He towered above her, tall and intimidating as he crossed his arms against his chest. Fright seemed to freeze her limbs, heart rattling against her ribcage incessantly. The boy allowed a moment of silence to pass before he huffed impatiently. Ria flinched as he extended an arm to help her up.

"Come on, I don't have all day," he snapped, eyes transfixed on the terrified girl beneath him.

Swiftly, she forced her apprehension downwards and after a second tentatively took his hand. He was stronger than she'd expected, heaving her onto her feet as if she was weightless. Almost as soon as she was upright, Ria's legs buckled and she almost collapsed. Her vision spun and her whole body seemed to have lost the ability to remain balanced. The boy reacted fast and grasped onto her arm tighter until she exhaled slowly, forcing a front of false composure. He wasted no time and pulled her from depth of the box. Ria's feet were soon met with healthy grass and she momentarily let everything surrounding her slip away like the retreating crash of waves against a shore.

She breathed in the sweet air and it felt heavenly, nothing like the strangling atmosphere of the encaging box. Curiously, Ria examined the world around her. Sturdy wooden structures stood orderly within the big field, varying in size and shape. There were vegetable patches and blossoming plants climbed up handmade trellises, desperate to bask in the glorious sunlight. Much to her surprise, there were also animal pens where a few cows grazed lazily, happily feeding on the luscious grass. A large bonfire blazed in the heart of it all, it's thick grey smoke parted from amber flames as they danced towards the heavens. Subsequently, her eyes then met a series of large, ivy invested walls which ascended loftily into the air. They gave off a mysterious yet threatening aura, the great concrete barriers guarding the perimeter of the open space she was in. It was as if they were hiding something — a bloodcurdling secret sealed off by the chill of cold stone. Ria grew increasingly wary this place more and more by each second that ticked by forebodingly. Reality dawned on her too fast. Where was she?

She was in the box no more.

Forcefully, she tugged her arm out of the boy's grip and took a step backwards, suddenly feeling the urge to make a run for it. The crowd was too close, their eyes devouring her. Their voices were too loud. But, she didn't run. Instead she stood rooted to the ground, staring down at her feet. She took in all the details of her shoes: brown sturdy boots that seemed appropriate for the terrain. They seemed like the most interesting thing in the universe at that moment. Ria didn't dare lift her gaze, she was paralysed.

"Get out the way, now." a profound voice dominated any others and Ria took another step back towards the box. It had come from a boy with a dark complexion and a stone cold expression. He fought his way through the sea of confused boys, commanding attention as he advanced towards Ria who was genuinely surprised at his casual attire and the silver watch around his left wrist.

"Alby! Correct me if I'm jacked in the head, but what on earth is a girl doing here?" someone hidden deep within the crowd asked, but he was ignored. The boy, Alby, stood opposite her but Ria purposely avoided his unwelcoming gaze. She was apprehensive of what he was going to say the her, almost sure that it would be negative.

"Why is there a shuck girl, Alby?" Another boy added from the back of the crowd loudly, which tore the Ria's attention back to the large group of unfamiliar boys. When whoever had shouted got no reply once again, he timidly added: "not that I'm complaining."

"Neither, we could do with girls!" another hollered.

Ria shifted in uncomfortableness, swallowing thickly. She hugged her arms to her chest and each breath she exhaled matched the wild pace of her heart. An urge to speak tugged at her conscious relentlessly but the fear of her words clamped her lips tight shut.

Alby rolled his eyes slowly and turned his full attention to Ria.

"Slim it, all of you!" He shouted, earning the silence he had demanded almost instantaneously. He was definitely the leader. "D'ya have a name, Greenie?" He asked, his tone was almost prompting her to come up with an answer.

Speak, Ria. She balled her hands into a fist, pressing her nails into her palm as he opened her mouth. However, before she could reply, she was interrupted.

"She can't even speak! Let's send her back!"

Laughs erupted from the crowd and Ria felt stinging tears gathering, embarrassment dusting her cheeks pink.

"I said, SLIM IT!" Alby roared, his burning gaze daring anyone to say another word. "If anyone else talks, you can have the same conversation with the grievers tonight ... nobody? Good that. Now Greenie, d'ya have a name?"

Ria took a shuddering breath, trusting this boy over anybody else. "M—my name's Ria."

Alby nodded in satisfaction. "Well, Ria. I presume th—"

"Where am I?" She stammered, stopping Alby mid-sentence. The boy shot her a hard glare for cutting him off and Ria shut her mouth fast. The by-standing boys muttered to each other, despite the leader's threat, clearly enjoying the experience of the arrival of the girl.

"That's it. All of you, back to work now! Nobody touches the girl or else, you get me?" Alby growled. The boys obeyed immediately, scurrying away like scared dogs, stealing glances at Ria as they breezed past her. The boy who had helped her out the box remained as Alby pulled him away from the girl to talk privately in hushed voices. Ria felt a coldness settle on the surface of her skin despite the unforgiving heat of the sun's luminous rays. It was quickly replaced as she felt someone, or something, brush past her.

Unsurprisingly, it was another boy. He turned as if to apologise but stopped abruptly as he fully acknowledged her. A wave of confusion flashed within his brown eyes but it passed in an instant and was replaced by a look of sympathy and warmth.

"Hey! You must be the Greenie, huh. Name's N—"

"Newt!" Alby interjected. The boy, Newt, turned to Alby in recognition. He ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair in exasperation as he ambled over to Alby. Ria was quite taken aback by his accent, it was different from the others.

"A girl?" he muttered, trying to be discreet and hide the tone of incredulity that laced his words.

Ria couldn't stand it. "What are you taking about and why did I end up here?"

They turned to her in sync, sharing looks between them. Newt was the only one bearing a small smile on his lips.

"Calm it, greenbean." Alby responded, raising a single brow. Ria hated how unbothered he seemed in contrast to the hopelessness that tugged at her heart. The tremor in her hands still hadn't ceased.

"Please, just tell me where I am. I shouldn't be here!" she pleaded in desperation, unable to stop the sudden surge of questions eclipsing her thoughts. Newt sent Alby a quick glance and he returned a swift nod. The blonde stepped towards her, causing Ria to flinch back promptly. She wished she hadn't spoken.

"This is your new life," he said softly. Ria grit her teeth, alarmed by the ambiguity of Newt's words.

"What do you mean?" The girl persisted, voice raising. She felt faint again, constraining herself to stay footed. The ground seemed to be moving beneath her like the irresolute ebb of water.

"What he means is that you don't have a choice, none of us do for that matter." Alby continued. He didn't quite meet Ria's intense gaze.

Instead, they flickered down to his hands.

"A choice, what choice? I told you, I shouldn't be here!" She knew she was only trying to convince herself, to conceal the heaviness of the truth she wanted to never hear. The next words that were spoken left Ria feeling more petrified than she was upon waking up in the box.

They were almost haunting.

"You're trapped here, like the rest of us."

‧₊˚✧ ⁝ 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒂'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆  ❪ 忘却 ❫

          oo. hello and welcome (back) to chapter one of oblivion! i am so so much happier with the way that this is written and i hope that you enjoy this. as i said, i am not expecting anybody who's already read the original to feel obliged to read this version! this is just me wanting my favourite novel to be perfect. however, if you are, then i thank you from the bottom of my heart. it means the world to me! anway, that's enough of that, feel free to comment & vote if you feel like it! i'll see you all in chapter two. also, this chapter & book is dedicated to my babie lue, who's constant support encourages me to write and she is just the light of my life. also, check out her maze runner fic as it's a masterpiece. ilyily ♡