INNOVATION - CHAPTER FOURTEEN

⚘ MIDNIGHT PICNIC ⚘

Kalisa tried to concentrate on her work, but Ben's screams and the face of the new Glader lurked in her mind, distracting her from the feather mess she was supposed to be cleaning.

She had only left Chuck a bit ago, the younger kid insisting on introducing himself to the newbie. Kalisa shuddered, the boy had to be terrified beyond belief. It was bad enough arriving in a strange place with no memories, but arriving now? With screams piercing your ears and everyone on edge and afraid?

Henry had left the Blood-house a bit ago to shower, leaving Winston and Kalisa to finish off for the day.

"Hey Winston," Kalisa called, deciding that now was her best chance to get some answers to her newest questions.

The olive skinned boy glance up questioningly. "Who's Nick?" Kalisa asked.

A dark look passed over his face and Kalisa instantly regretted asking.

"He- well I guess you could say he was sort of our leader. He died the month before you showed up, Griever attack." Winston said dryly. "It was bad enough that our leader died, but then you showed up. A girl. Alby damn near lost his mind."

"Sorry," Kalisa didn't sound sorry at all.

"Nah, its nothing personal. He was just thrown into the role of leader so suddenly. Imagine having dozens of boys lives in your hands then a girl shows up." Winston shook his head in fascination.

It had to have been scary. Had she been in his place Kalisa truly didn't know what she would have done. She was beginning to form a new found respect for Alby.

"I think you're good for the day." Winston broke the silence after a minute of working. "Go ahead and head off to dinner."

Kalisa hung her apron and stalked off for the Homestead. Around her boys still worked as dinner wasn't exactly ready yet. Kalisa didn't know how she could ever look at her room the same knowing the Glades old leader used to live there.

He used to sleep in the same bed. Use the same trunk. Look out the same window. Maybe be even snuggled up with the colorful quilt on cold nights.

And now he was dead.

And she hadn't even got to meet him.

Kalisa couldn't think further of this however, because upon entering the Homestead she was greeted with the sight of Chuck watching cluelessly as the newbie and Gally stood face to face, clearly in a disagreement.

The room fell silent as she entered, Gally and his friends calming down at the sight of the girl. Chuck looked releived and the Greenie looked lost.

"Whats going on?" Kalisa asked, wishing she could just lay down in the corner and escape from the boys drama.

"Oh nothing shankette, just introducing ourselves to the greenbean. He was just about to give himself a tour of the Med room." Gally crossed his arms, glaring at the new boy like he was a meal.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kalisa sighed, facing the boy.

"Why won't you all let me go?! What are you hiding?" He exploded pushing away from Gally.

"Go on up Greenie! Go see!" Gally encouraged.

"Do you want Alby to throw you in the Pit?" Kalisa scoffed. "Just calm down and come with me and Chuck, we can answer your questions."

The boy stood torn between the staircase and the offer. On one hand he wanted to know what was wrong with the boy who screamed, but on the other he didn't want to run into that Alby guy again.

After thinking it over he decided to follow the girl and her small friend, not wanting to give Gally the satisfaction of getting him in trouble.

"Thats right Greenie, run away." Gally laughed.

"Slim it," Kalisa flared before storming out the Homestead doors, Chuck and the newbie on her tail.

Eventually she slowed her pace down to a walk, allowing the two boys to catch up.

"By- the- way," Chuck panted. "This is Kalisa, she taught me everything I know."

The newbie looked at her hopefully, "So you can answer my questions? How long have you been here? What"-

"Woah," Kalisa sighed, cutting him off. "First of all, do you remember anything? Anything at all."

He paused as if thinking. It was an unnaturally long hesitation, one that instantly rang suspision to Kalisa. "I remember my name." He said finally. "Its Thomas."

"Nice to meet you Thomas, welcome to the Glade, you're gonna love it." Kalisa winced when she sounded sarcastic. "I can answer most of your questions, but you should know that Alby's very secretive. He doesn't like sharing information. And besides, I've only been here for two months." Kalisa stated watching the boys face fall.

Two months didn't sound real. It had to of been longer.

"Where are we?" Thomas asked.

"We don't know. The Glade is all I've ever seen, but beyond that is worse." Kalisa shuddered remembering the image of the Griever.

"Why? Whats out there?"

"A maze. The Maze." Kalisa breathed, tucking her dark hair behind her ear as she took a seat on the treeline. "We're in the middle of it I'd guess, and through those doors are nothin' but walls and ivy."

Thomas went shock silent. His brown eyes widened to the size of saucers and his muscles tensed. Kalisa was pretty sure he had stopped breathing. Not that she could blame him.

"A Maze." He whispered. "Well- why can't we-"

"Go out there? Look for a way out? We do. Or at least a few of us." Kalisa cut him off.

"Only Runners are allowed in the Maze." Chuck added helpfully.

"You guys can't just keep me here! I want to go out there!" Thomas began breathing heavily, standing from their spot and pacing before them.

"Why? So you can end up like Ben?" Kalisa snapped. "There's a reason only Runners go out there. The Maze is dangerous."

"What happened to him?" Thomas asked softly, shuddering as if he remembered his screams. "What was Gally saying about him being stung?"

"He means by a Griever." Chuck stated.

"Grievers are the monsters of the Maze. You'll see one eventually. They have these stingers on their tail, and if it gets you..." Kalisa trailed off thinking of what Winston had said about Grievers claiming the lives of Gladers.

Thomas went quiet. Kalisa was glad, she felt bad for him, but boy did he have a lot of questions. He reminded her of herself when she first arrived.

The boy turned from the forest and started off towards the Wall, eyes fixed determindly on the opening.

"Hey wait! Where are you going?" Chuck raced after him. "Nobody said I couldn't look around!" Thomas called over his shoulder.

Kalisa groaned and followed after the boys begrudgingly. She didn't understand why she always felt responsible for the newbies. But now their problems were hers.

"Cool it tiger!" Kalisa ran and rooted herself in front of the boy, stopping him from going any further. "The doors are about to close and if you want to live to see tomorrow then I'd suggest backing away."

"Doors? Close? What are you talking about?" Thomas questioned, luckily stopping.

"The doors to the Maze are going to close." Chuck spoke slowly, as if Thomas was a child.

"I don't see any doors," Thomas looked around, thinking he had missed a detail.

"Well what do you call that big opening right there?" Chuck crossed his arms.

"I call them big openings." Thomas cracked then frowned.

"Well I call them a deathwish, so if you have one then please," Kalisa stood back, "Be my guest."

Thomas thought about it, actually considering the offer. Luckily before he could make a move Minho and another Runner bolted through the opening, not slowing as they passed the three and headed for the Map Room. A short nod was all Kalisa recieved of Minho.

"Who are they?" Thomas asked, eyes never leaving the boys as they entered the small room.

"Runners." Chuck said shortly. One second after he spoke there was a familiar deafening boom, and then the ground began to shake.

Thomas whipped his head around in confusion, clearly panicked about the ordeal but unsure why everyone else was so calm.

"Look," Kalisa pointed at the North Door, which began to slowly slide together, blocking the Maze and its horrors away for another night.

Thomas just watched with a slack jaw until the doors finished closing and the Glade was peacful once more.

"How is that even possible?" He pressed once he recovered.

"We don't know. If you want some advice I'd get used to that answer." Kalisa stated.

"Apparently the same thing happens inside the Maze to the walls. They move in the night." Chuck informed the older boy with wide eyes.

"Thats why we're still here. Whoever put us here doesn't want us to just waltz out of here easily. They want to see us struggle." Kalisa's throat felt dry.

She sensed Thomas had an exeeding amount of questions to continue asking. "Thats enough for now. You know the important things and tomorrow you'll get your tour so Alby can answer the rest. I bet you're hungry, lets head back." Kalisa cut him off quickly.

    Thomas hesitated, clearly wanting to continue pushing for answers, but paused when his stomach let out a low growl. "Fine."

    Letting out a breath of relief Kalisa turned to Chuck, "Hey kid, do me a favor and set up a hammock for our newbie would ya?"

    "Okay!" Chuck jumped at the chance and raced to the shelter, not looking back.

    Kalisa sighed and started off for the Homestead once more, Thomas following behind. "Is Chuck like... your brother?"

    Kalisa furrowed her brows at the idea. "No." Of course Chuck wasn't her brother, that was ridiculus. Or was it reasonable? "I guess I don't really know. Chuck arrived last month, I sorta took him under my wing."

    "Why is he so much younger than the others?" Thomas inquired as they walked.

    "No clue. If you want to know the truth he gets picked on a lot. I feel bad for him." Kalisa frowned remembering the Builders.

    Thomas considered that for a minute before asking, "Why are you the only girl?"

    Kalisa let out a frusterated breath. "This might come as a shock newbie, but I don't know."

    Had she been this curious?

    "Okay, okay, jeez." Thomas went silent after that, luckily giving Kalisa some peace.

    When they entered the kitchen it was nearly empty, as most of the Gladers either ate outside or had already finished eating, and were winding down for bed.

    "Hey Tyler, got anything left?" Kalisa greeted her shorter friend. "This is Thomas by the way. Thomas, this is Tyler, one of the Cooks here."

    "Hey Greenie, hows it goin'?" Tyler nodded in greeting before pulling out a platter of roasted potatos and corned beef. "We have just a bit, lucky for you."

    "Thanks," Kalisa nodded, watching as he made two plates worth of what was left.

    "Sleep tight Greenbean." Tyler smiled, handing them their barely full plates.

    "Come on, we can eat outside." Kalisa led the way to a cluster of picnic tables outside. Thomas sat across from her and immidiently dug into his food, "Oh man, I was starving." He groaned.

    Kalisa gave a half smile and started on her own food, only finishing one potato when Chuck suddenly slumped down next to her. "There, I set your hammock up next to mine." He told Thomas.

    "Here, I grabbed you some dinner." Kalisa slid her plate over to Chuck, deciding she would just have to wait for breakfast.

    "Thanks!" Chuck dug in, smacking his lips hungrily.

    The two boys ate like animals. Kalisa stood disgusted, "I'll see you shanks tomorrow."

    "Night!" Chuck waved happily, Thomas just grunted and continued eating.

    Kalisa turned to head back inside, ignoring the hunger in her stomach as she passed the kitchens. Chuck would be good for the newbie, his innocence and bliss would calm the boy down and hopefully silence him to sleep.

    Entering her room felt different. Now that she knew the story behind it, she felt undeserving of the bed. Besides, sleeping in the old dead leaders room freaked her out.

    The girl tossed and turned for a while, never able to find sleep. The sheets felt itchy, it was too hot, and her stomach wouldn't stop rumbling. Eventually Kalisa gave up trying to sleep and decided to move around, hoping to distract her mind.

    When that didn't work Kalisa decided to get some fresh air. The room was practically suffocating her.

    Upon opening her door she saw Newt's room right across from her. Kalisa paused, weighing her options before knocking on the door as quietly as possible.

    It only took a few seconds for Newt to answer. Kalisa was surprised to see him still in the same clothes as he had been wearing earlier. His blonde hair looked messy, but good. Like he had been rolling around searching for sleep as well, but had no such luck.

    "Kali? Is everything alright?" He questioned worriedly, voice sounding raspy from the night.

    "I'm gonna raid Frypan's fridge. Wanna come?" Kalisa spoke quickly. She shouldn't have knocked, he had probably been sleeping for the first time in nights.

    "Please," Newt grinned to Kalisa's relief. "I'll grab my shoes." He dissapeared back into his room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

    Kalisa didn't want to intrude, but she couldn't help the fact that she accidentally caught sight of Newt's disheveled mattress and his clothes on the floor. Noticing she could see in, Newt kicked aside the crumpled up clothing, "Sorry," He muttered embarrassed.

    "I thought you'd be more of a neat freak." Kalisa teased lightly.

    "Well I'm full of surprises." Newt snorted with an amused twinkle in his eye. He exited the room and shut the door behind him, holding a baby blue blanket.

    "You ready?" He questioned. Kalisa's stomach growled, answering the question.

    The two silently laughed and started down the Homestead stairs, struggling to stay quiet on the creeky floorboards.

    In the dark the Homestead was much creepier, almost giving the essence of a haunted house with its lurking shadows and cobwebs. Frypan's fridge was located at the very back of the kitchen. It was rather large, and had a nice sign on it that read, 'GLADERS KEEP OUT OR ELSE!'

    "He doesn't need to know," Newt whispered, ignoring the sign and opening the fridge to reveal a variety of colorful foods.

    "What are you in the mood for?" Newt asked, eyeing their options.

    "Anything. Everything." Kalisa's mouth watered at the sight.

    Newt hummed and began grabbing items at random. Kalisa joined in, she got a few pieces of sausage, some bread, a banana, some peas from a few nights before, and she managed to bag the last of Fry's chicken wings.

    "Let's take this outside. Don't wanna get caught at the scene of the crime." Newt grinned, struggling to carry all his food and his blanket.

    Kalisa led the way this time, going to the far corner of the Glade, far away from the Homestead and the shelter so that they wouldn't wake anyone. They sat on the edge of the forest, right beside the Gardens.

    "Here, I grabbed this." Newt set the food down and spread his blanket out on the dirt.

    "It's like a picnic," Kalisa smiled, setting her snacks down and sitting beside Newt on the fabric.

    For a moment they sat in happy silence, each eating something they stole in content. "Sorry I woke you up." Kalisa said after she had devoured the peas.

    Newt shook his head, swallowing his bite of chicken, "Don't be. I was awake anyways."

    "Me too." Kalisa was about to tell him what she had learned about Nick then paused. Newt already knew, and besides, she didn't want to talk about serious things tonight. She was tired of serious.

    "The new Greenie seems cool," Newt cleared his throat.

    "He's not terrible I guess." Kalisa shrugged. "He asks a lot of questions."

    "Reminds me of someone," Newt said slyly as Kalisa scoffed, "Okay fair."

    "I mean when you arrived all that came out of your mouth was questions and accusations." Newt laughed.

    "I'm sure you were the exact same Just Newt," Kalisa rolled her eyes but couldn't fight away the smile.

    "Actually I wasn't." Newt laid down on his back, eyes staring up at the star filled sky above them.

    "Well then what were you like?" Kalisa wondered, lying down beside him.

    "I've been told I was... er, impulsive." Newt's eyes reflected the stars like pools of endless water. They held mysteries and memories.

    "Really?"

    "Yeah. Believe it or not I used to be a Runner." Newt said casually.

    Kalisa leaned up on her elbows in interest. So she had been right; Newt had been in the Maze before.

    "I would probably still be one today if-" He trailed off suddenly looking broken. "I got in an accident. Shucked my leg up pretty good."

    Kalisa frowned with a creased brow. "Newt- I'm sorry,"

    "It was no one's fault but mine." He put it simply, meeting her eyes unwillingly. For a moment he almost told her, then didn't. He couldn't bring himself to.

    "Anyways I was thinking that tomorrow we have a nice big round of Glader Ball at the Greenies bon fire," Newt changed the subject easily, but Kalisa refused to forget.

    For now she would put it in the back of her mind. For now.

    "I'm in, but you better watch out. I've been practicing," Kalisa said seriously.

    "Oh have you? I guess we'll see tomorrow, when I win." Newt smirked.

    "Don't be too sure about that slinthead," Kalisa smirked back.

    Suddenly she was aware of how close her and Newt were. There were only centimeters between their bodies on the blanket. Kalisa sat perched on her elbow, looking down on Newt who still lay on his back, eyes never once wavering from hers.

    She cleared her throat and laid back down, something squeezing at her stomach and heart. Surprisingly Kalisa didn't hate the feeling.

I hope you all liked this chapter, I cant believe I'm almost already at 400 reads! Its unreal.

Okay so I need opinions. I am considering writing a sub series to this one that would basically follow along with an OC in Maze B. You wouldn't have to read it to understand this one but I think I definetly want to have some characters cross and some plots to align. Would anyone be intrested? Happy reading!

1/6/24

3120 words