The next day around noon, Rapunzel was working in the Gardens with Merida.

"So has anyone ever tried climbing up the walls by the ivy?" asked Rapunzel.

Merida continued digging a hole for tomato seeds as she responded. "Tried that. The ivy doesn't go all the way to the top."

"Well how about the Box, ever send a girl down there and see where it-"

"Tried it. The Box doesn't go back down with somebody in it."

"Well maybe if we-"

"We tried it, alright?" Merida forcefully stuck her shovel in the ground and gave Rapunzel a stare. "Anything you come up with, we already tried."

Aurora, the Keeper of the Gardens, was working beside Rapunzel and tapped her arm. Aurora had a soft voice but her words were demanding. "You want to be helpful, Newbie? You're in charge of retrieving more fertilizer."

Aurora tossed her a bucket with a scooper that Rapunzel caught in surprise. Rapunzel glanced at Merida and Merida motioned with her shovel in the direction of the Deadheads.

Without complaint, Rapunzel stood up and loped to the Deadheads. As the ground leaves of the forest crumpled underneath her feet, she sighed and started talking to herself. "Be helpful, Rapunzel. Just get the fertilizer . . ."

Deep within the lush part of the Deadheads, she found a mound of fresh dirt and knelt down to gather it as fertilizer. Abruptly, the sound of leaves crackling brushed in the distance.

Rapunzel looked up. There was no one in sight.

She went back to the fertilizer. The crackling of leaves sounding again, yet this time it had gotten closer.

Rapunzel slowly got up. She circled around to make sure no one was creeping up on her.

Well, she was mistaken.

There was a Gladess wandering about fifteen feet away from her. Rapunzel sighed in relief. "Oh, it's just you," she said, "You're Vanessa, right? I don't think we've met . . ."

Suddenly it dawned upon Rapunzel that this Vanessa girl didn't look right. Rapunzel took a good look at her, and quickly concluded that Vanessa definitely looked off. Her skin was naturally pale as Rapunzel had noticed before, but this time, it seemed to be a pale greenish color. There also were cuts and scabs on Vanessa's legs that looked fresh and new, and Vanessa's face suddenly looked sickly and threatening.

"Uhh, are you okay?" Rapunzel asked quietly, stepping slightly closer.

Vanessa was shaking. Rapunzel could hear her breathing loudly. She sounded like she was going to have a breakdown at any moment.

Of course, it happened. In a sudden moment, Vanessa charged at Rapunzel and knocked them both to the ground. Rapunzel yelped. Vanessa clutched Rapunzel's wrists into the dirt. "You! This is all your fault! You're bad! Bad, bad, bad!"

"Get off of me!" Rapunzel cried for help, repeatedly slapping at Vanessa with no intention of stopping. They met eyes; Vanessa's were red and menacing and had a crazy, almost delusional, look in them.

"I SAW YOU!" Vanessa hollered angrily.

Rapunzel jabbed her knee upward and kicked Vanessa 'down there'. Vanessa fell off of her and Rapunzel scrambled onto her feet in a flash - she sprinted toward the Glade with Vanessa directly on her tail.

"HELP! HELP ME!" Rapunzel screamed desperately. Once she made it to the clearing, there were eyes on her from all directions of the Glade. When Vanessa lunged at Rapunzel and sent them tumbling down the hill, they both got tangled in Rapunzel's long locks, and Gladesses everywhere ran toward them.

As she was being attacked, Rapunzel managed to blister out, "AHHH! Get her off of me!"

Merida came with her shovel and furiously smacked Vanessa by the side of her head. Vanessa was immediately flung off Rapunzel. Gladesses quickly untangled the girls from each other, and a swarm hands reached down and held Vanessa to the ground.

A few girls yanked Rapunzel up, and Rapunzel tried to catch her breath.

"Punzie, what the hell happened?!" Merida yelled over the commotion.

Rapunzel freaked out. "I don't know, she just came and attacked me!"

Sofia quickly accompanied Rapunzel at her side.

With bulging eyes, Rapunzel watched Vanessa squirm and wrath underneath the strong grips of the Gladesses. Meg had her knees on Vanessa's. "Calm down, Vanessa!" Meg pushed on the girl's chest until she stopped squirming. Vanessa had tears down her cheeks.

The Gladesses just looked down on her. Meg informed everyone, "Girl's been stung. But in the middle of the day?"

Meg glared down at Vanessa with a knowing expression.

"No, no please!" Vanessa cried.

Pocahontas stepped over into view. "Move her out."

"No, no!" Vanessa begged. The Gladesses lifted her up and began moving. "NO, DON'T DO THIS! I DON'T NEED IT, I DON'T NEED IT!"

Vanessa continued her screaming as they took her away.

It was just Rapunzel, Merida, and Sofia now.

"Anyone care to explain what in the world just happened to her?!" Rapunzel demanded.

"She was stung," Sofia said.

"Stung? From what, a bee?" Rapunzel held her head to contemplate reality. "She was vicious. She looked horrible. What could have possibly-"

"The shucking Grievers, that's what," interrupted Merida.

Rapunzel snapped her head around. "Grievers? What are those?"

Sofia scowled. "Nothing you'd want to keep as a pet, I'll tell you that!"

Merida crossed her arms. "They're vicious, dangerous, and deadly creatures. Half animal, half machine. They're monsters. No one's ever looked them in the eye and survived to tell about it."

"Where are they?" Rapunzel pushed.

"They lurk the Maze," Merida said with finality. "Every night when the Doors close, the Grievers come out. They are the number one reason why you should never, never find your panties out there." Merida paused. "We must be thankful for these walls, because without them, we would've died from them a long time ago."

Merida started to walk away, but Rapunzel stopped her. "Merida . . . that girl, she told me that she saw me. That this was all my fault. How could all this be my fault?"

Merida sighed. "It's called the Changing. Some people don't take it very well as others."

"The Changing? I don't under-"

"It's the serum for a Griever sting," answered Merida, "It makes you go coo-coo and gives you some of your memories back. Girls who had it done never turn out the same. Like Meg, she's the worst of 'em. But for Vanessa, I'm afraid she's too far out; she can't handle it . . ."

"Merida, what's going to happen to her?" Rapunzel asked carefully.

Merida stared at Rapunzel for a long time.
__________

It was fifteen minutes to six o'clock. The Doors would be closing soon.

Rapunzel and Sofia remained close and distanced themselves from the East Door. The Gladesses were almost done preparing for Vanessa's Banishment.

Eight Keepers stood at the East passageway, four on each side. They all held a long rod with a spear attached at the top. They all stood straight with the same serious expression, and they waited patiently as four other Gladesses came, shoving Vanessa out in front of them. Vanessa had been handcuffed with a rope, and her legs were weak and limping.

Vanessa and the four Gladesses made it to their designated spot, and Vanessa was dropped to her knees, facing the opened East passageway. Vanessa was horribly ill and sobbed.

A circle of other Gladesses formed quickly. Rapunzel and Sofia were among them. They even had front row.

Pocahontas stood behind the sick girl. "Vanessa of the Runners, I hereby Banish you for the attack on Rapunzel the Newbie. May the Grievers treat you well and that you find peace within your soul."

Vanessa begged before her. "No, please, please don't do this!"

The familiar grinding of gravel against gravel sounded.

"Keepers, now!" demanded Pocahontas.

"Plllllleeeeeeease!" Vanessa continued. "Don't kill me! You're getting the wrong girl - kill her!

Pocahontas shook her head. "You brought this on yourself, Vanessa."

The Keepers cornered Vanessa from all sides. Vanessa was forced as she backed away from their spears, getting closer  and closer to the Door. The Keepers kept moving toward her, and Vanessa was now locked between the moving panels of the Door. She was three feet too far from the Glade, so she had no choice but to move into the Maze.

When she made it in the Maze, she turned her body around to face the Glade. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, the skin on her face wrinkled and discolored. To Rapunzel, she looked evil.

The Door was a slither away from shutting tight. Vanessa let out a piercing scream then. It was a bestial, lunatic cry, and Rapunzel instantly felt guilty that the sick girl's fate had to be this way.

Vanessa's final screams were cut off by the walls slamming shut with a terrible boom.

All the Gladesses stood in silence. The Keepers laid their heads down, as did Pocahontas and everyone else.

A long moment passed. Pocahontas lifted her head back up, and she spoke at a soft tone. "Let us remember our former Gladess in good time. You're all dismissed."

Then she slowly walked off. Other Gladesses followed in her footsteps.

Rapunzel squeezed her eyes shut. That poor girl, she thought, that poor, poor girl.

But what had she meant by Rapunzel being bad?

Rapunzel knew deep in her heart that she wouldn't intentionally cause pain and suffering to others. She was certain that she just couldn't.

Right?
__________

Awwww poor Vanessa, even though she was a total BITCH to Ariel lmao

If you're enjoying this story, be sure to check out my other Maze Runner fanfic! It's called "Wicked Heart". Thank you <3

Don't forget to vote and comment!

~Amanda