Save Me From Myself

I was cold. My body couldn't help but shiver when I opened my eyes expecting to see something.. Normal.

But no, I didn't see 'normal'; all I saw was darkness. I let out a cough and was surprised when my voice echoed throughout the room I was in. Despite being in the dark, I threw my arms up and stretched, as well as adjusting my body. How long was my body twisted into a pretzel in this dark, dank room? I couldn't even see my hands in front of my face it was so dark.

So what was I doing in a pitch black room?

I tried to stand up but fell back to the floor when my head hit the top of the room, or box, I was currently stuck in.

"Hello?" I called out, even though I had had a feeling that I was the only one there.

As soon as my echo left the Box, my body fell forward when the Box I was in lurched upward, lifting me up to God-knows-where. Where was I? I tried to recall any ounce of something in my mind that told me why I was there, but I couldn't think of anything... Come to think of it, I really couldn't remember anything. My life up until now was coming up as a complete blank, and the realization of that horrified me.

When I closed my eyes, I could picture anything I wanted: plants, animals, cities.. But my actual life? Nothing. Who was my mom? My dad? What did they look like? What do I look like? The Box I was in made a loud screeching sound that resembled metal against metal.

"Help me!" I called out; the idea of something bringing me to safety was very appealing. When I received no answer, I felt panic start to creep into my body through cracks I didn't know existed. "Why me?" I whispered to myself as I began rocking my balled-up body back and forth.

The grinding metals only grew louder in my ears, as if it was trying to penetrate the sense of sanity that I had left. Again I called out in the darkness, praying that someone could hear me.

"Help me, please! I don't know what's going on, please! ANYBODY!".

Shaking my head vigorously, I threw my head between my knees and squeezed my eyes shut, taking deep breaths while doing so. Even though my eyes were shut, I could feel the warm liquid that was my tears slip down to my cheeks, run over my jaw and splash down against my collarbone. Why couldn't I remember anything important, like my family?

All I wanted to know was why I stuck in this dark, cold, Box with no memories of my life left in my head. As if it was possible, I tried to squeeze my eyes shut even farther, as if it would bring back the old memories that I was suddenly craving.. The only thing I could remember was the word, or was it name: Sutton.

"Sutton?" I asked myself out loud, my voice reverberating around the tiny Box.

Thinking it would help to get my bearings straight, I sat up on my knees and began to feel around the metal Box; maybe I could find a door or something of good use. Although the loud screeching was still evident, I could hear the Box creak under my shifting weight.

My heart began to race when my fingers ran over at least ten buttons that jutted out of the wall slightly; what were they for? I began to press all of them, praying that they would do something, but they did not. After five minutes of persistent searching, I plopped back down in defeat.

"Who are you, Sutton?" I asked myself. I sat in silence to think of an answer, stupidly enough, for myself. "Who are you and why are you stuck here..".

The Box that I was trapped in started to shake; even though the Box was freezing, I could feel sweat beading at the back of my neck. Gripping my hair in tight clumps, I fell to my side. How long have I been in here? At least twenty minutes, at a minimum.

Keeping my eyes shut, I forced my body to try and sleep, but sleep never care. I simply sat rocking back and forth in the darkness, baffled that the only thing I could remember was my name. After about fifteen more minutes, the Box adjusted itself and halted to a stop, throwing my body back against the steel wall. By listening closely, I could tell that the Box was slowly coming to a stop, but where? What was outside of this damned Box?

Again I felt my body shiver despite the heat and worry that me. I had to cover my ears at the sound of the Box coming to a complete halt. The shaking of the old Box jolted my body to the left, which was odd, since the Box had been moving up the entire journey.

"Hello?" I called out, banging on the side of the Box.

What was that? I asked myself. I looked up even though the Box was pitch black and listened closely for something; anything. That was when I heard a latch of some sort being moved around, as if the Box was opening itself up, revealing my mangled form to the world. That thought struck me hard; I can remember what a 'world' is, but I can't remember my own parents?

At that moment, I was practically blinded by bright lights. Throwing my head to the side, I covered my face with my hands.

"The shuck is that?" I heard someone ask from above me, their body silhouetted by light.

"I've been shucked and gone to Heaven... Is it really a—?" another voice replied, baffled.

"What else could it be, ya piece of klunk?" the person who spoke first scoffed, shoving the other person slightly.

In the background, I could hear other people whispering, but their voices were too far away.

"Hello?" I asked them, my voice coming out on a croak. I saw the two silhouettes look at each other while one of them whistled in surprise.

"Can't buggin' believe it,".

"What is it!" I heard someone shout from somewhere behind the two dark bodies.

The two bodies looked down at me before looking back at whoever they were speaking to.

"It's a girl,".

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After the two presumably male bodies calmed the group behind them, they turned back to face me.

"Alright, arms up and we'll pull you up and out,".

I shook my head, unsure if they could see me.

"No,".

One of the guys let out an annoyed sigh before flattening himself onto his stomach, resting his chin against the back of both hands.

"Fine, we'll wait; but trust me, greenie, you'll want to be out here rather than there eventually,".

I crossed my arms from where I was sitting, staring up at the two. As we lay there staring at each other, I couldn't help but overhear bits and pieces of conversations from around the two boys:

"A girl?".

"The greenie's a girl!".

"I call her!".

When I heard people 'calling me', I began to itch with anticipation to get out there and slap them right across the face, but that would mean getting out of my little box. Should I?

"Hey!" I called out, waving my hands in the arm.

"Yes, darlin'?" one of the boys replied. Even though I couldn't see his face clearly, I could tell that he was smirking.

"Come on, help me up," I sighed, throwing my arms up in the air.

"Good that," one of them replied as they both bent down into the Box and pulled me up.

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The area I was pulled into was incredible. The sun shined brightly without a cloud in the sky over the large square of what I assumed was a town. I couldn't help but stare in awe as I took in the large green, forestry walls that surrounded the town. In one corner of the square village, there was a large garden filled with corn, tomatoes, and such. My head snapped to the opposite corner when I thought that I heard a cow mooing. When I looked hard enough, that was what I saw in a pen filled with cows, chicken, and sheep.

"Crazy, huh?" the smirking boy asked me.

I couldn't help but notice that he had a thick British accent. As he took in the scenery around us, I stole a quick glance at him. The boy was at least six foot, squashing my five-foot-six easily. His muscles bulged out of his tattered, short-sleeved green shirt, displaying years of hard work. His tan skin matched his long blonde hair perfectly that draped just over his shoulders.

Despite the world I was currently being thrown into, the scenery wasn't that bad to look at. When he caught me looking him over, I cleared my throat and ran a hand through my long brunette hair. My head tilted to the side automatically when I realized that I was the only girl in the square.

"Am I the—,".

"Only shucking girl here? Got that right," the British boy nodded, the smirk not leaving his face.

"How is that possible?" I asked nobody in particular, but the boy standing next to the blonde stepped forward to answer.

"No questions; you'll know everything soon enough,". My eyebrows raised in surprise at that.

"You two just pulled me out a pitch black Box and are saying that I'm the only girl here, and you won't answer one question?".

The boy took another step forward, crossing his arms.

"I said. When you need to know, you'll know; Name's Alby," Alby explained, thrusting his hand towards me.

I shook it awkwardly, squinting my eyes. As my eyes ran over his dark-skinned face, I couldn't help but notice the scowl that seemed to be plastered onto his face.

"Problem?" he asked me rudely, noticing my stare.

"Not at all; just a bit confused.. No, a lot actually," I scoffed, fighting off the urge to roll my eyes.

"That's what every greenbean is like when they pop outta the Box, don't worry; you'll get used to everything eventually," the attractive blonde explained.

When I glanced over at him, his smirk grew even wider.

"And you are?" I asked, tapping my foot.

"Newt," Newt said simply, not before running his eyes over my body.

At that gesture, I couldn't help but look down too; I didn't even remember what I looked like!

Surprisingly, my tanned skin matched the tone of Newt's, and our clothes were quite similar. I wore a simple green t-shirt, but mine was more form-sitting than the guy's shirts. Instead of their knee-length brown pants, I had on white shorts, making me stand out like a sore thumb. Not really paying attention anymore, I began to play with my hair, which grew down to the top of my ribcage.

"So, Newt; Alby. Where am I?" I asked them, shoving my hands into my back pockets.

For being in such a troublesome situation ten minutes earlier, Newt had been right: being outside of the Box was much more pleasant.

"You never mentioned your name," Alby brought up, curiosity coating his thick voice.

I concentrated on Alby's curly black hair as I thought back to my time in the Box. It was Sutton, right?

Sutton.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to remember anything of someone calling me Sutton or simply saying Sutton when I was with them, but all I could see exactly that: Sutton. When I opened my eyes, I saw Newt watching me with an intensity that chilled me to the bone.

"Well?" Alby repeated himself, eyebrows rising.

"Sutton," I choked out. "Sutton," I repeated, the feeling of my name on my lips familiar.

"Well, Sutton. Welcome to the Glade," Alby greeted me, gesturing his hand to the side.

I pursed my lips together and took in the sight that was 'The Glade'.

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After looking around quickly, I finally realized how many boys there were in the Glade compared to just one of me.

"How many of you are there?" I asked the entire group, and the overall number that I received was 'about fifty'. "Wow," I chuckled, still taking everything in.

"Just like Newt here, said: it's a lot to take in. You'll do better by getting things in bits and pieces," Alby insisted, but I still wanted to know everything.

Why was I here and why couldn't I remember anything about my life? Looking around at all of the boys surrounding me, I couldn't help but notice the small age gap between all them. Some looked old enough to be eighteen, like Alby, while some looked young enough to be twelve or thirteen.

"My head hurts," I relented, placing fingers against my temple.

"That's exactly why we tell every buggin' shank like you that comes in here to slim it, take a breather; knowing everything at once too soon'll kill you in the Glade," Alby sighed, annoyed.

At the look of it, his scowl was growing even bigger. At Alby's words, Newt stepped up and slapped him in the head.

"Cut it out, you shank!" Alby growled, rubbing the side of his head.

"You don't talk to a lady like that!" Newt fought back, but the teasing in his voice was quite evident. I threw my hands up in defense, not wanting to argue with Alby, who seemed to be the leader of the group.

"Okay, okay I guess I'll... 'Slim it'?" I replied uncertainly, earning a slight chuckle from Newt.

It was my turn to match his smirk, but my lips fell into a frown when a piercing scream erupted through the Glade. Everyone's heads turned toward a small, dilapidated building that was actually leaning slightly to the right.

It was covered by a dense forest of trees, and it you looked quickly enough, you would miss the tiny two-floor building. Everyone's heads turned back to Alby at the sound of him groaning in worry.

"Must be Ben. I need med-jacks, ASAP! Head over to the Homestead, I'll meet you there.. Go on, hurry up, ya slintheads!" Alby ordered, growling at the boys who started running over to the forest-covered building.

"Homestead?" I asked in confusion.

I saw Newt squeeze one eye shut as if he was trying to tell me: You shouldn't have said that...

"No more questions, Sutton! Told you, they'll get you killed.. I need to get going," Alby barked at me before scanning the crowd of boys who couldn't help but stare at me. How long has it been since they've seen a girl before?

"Newt, I'm too busy to watch her. Can you show her around a little, get her something to eat? I'll give her the proper tour tomorrow,".

Newt nodded as Alby him on the shoulder a couple of times in reassurance before heading off to the tiny wooden shack.

"Well, you know what Alby would say; get back to work, go on! I'll take care of the lady," Newt snapped at the group, but with a smile the whole time.

"I can show her around if you want!" a voice offered, emerging from the crowd.

My eyes narrowed in on him, his blue eyes sparkling at the idea of showing me around. Before I could politely turn him down, as something about him didn't sit right with me, Newt spoke up for me.

"Don't be a slinthead, Gally. I've got it,".

I felt goose bumps rise on my arms when Gally growled at Newt, but stepped back into the crowd.

"Good that," Gally growled before stomping off to God knows where.

While I waited for the group of boys to go back to their daily jobs, some came up to me and introduced themselves, along with welcoming me to the Glade.

"You'll really like it here. You get used to the daily routine and stop asking questions after a while, I promise!" an eager boy who seemed about twelve years old. He was slightly pudgy, with long brown hair and blue eyes. In my opinion, he was absolutely adorable.

"Thanks; I hope so, Chuck," I replied, smiling.

"Okay, Chuck, stop pestering the poor girl; even if you were her age, she wouldn't go for a Slopper," Newt stepped in, rolling his eyes.

Chuck's bright smile faltered slightly, but he nodded with just as much enthusiasm as he had had before newt came over.

"See you around, Sutton!" Chuck called before heading over to a building that held some type of significance.

When I glanced over at Newt, his eyes were sparkling with mischief.

"Hungry?".

"Not really," I replied, shaking my head. He winked at me before grabbing my hand in his.

"Trust me. You will be when the shock wears off,".

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"Why are you making me wait here? Why can't I just go get the food with you?" I asked Newt, who had made me wait in front of the old building that leaned into the trees.

"Distance makes the heart grow stronger, right Greenie?" he asked playfully as he walked away.

"It's Sutton," I replied, almost playfully. He shrugged it off and continued walking to.. Well, I have no clue.

I was glad that Alby had assigned me to Newt; he seemed like a good guy, and I could use a good friend at a time like this. After a couple of minutes of standing around like an idiot, I plopped my butt down into the plush grass and stared up at the sky.

"It's so weird.." I said, mesmerized at the large but weirdly shaped sky. Just looking at the sky hurt my head even more. While dazing off, I hadn't noticed the door of what I think was the Homestead opening.

"Newt left you already?" a voice asked. Looking up, I saw the boy who had offered to show me around earlier.

"No, he's just going to get us some food," I explained politely, flashing him a smile. He smiled back, but something about his smile was off.

"But still, he left you? With all of these guys who haven't seen a girl in years? Sketchy,".

I stared at him, annoyance slowly creeping into my body. I knew that I couldn't judge him, but as of now, I don't really like him.

"Who are you again?" I asked, a bitchy tone entering my voice.

"Gally; sure you don't want me to show you around? I know tons of great niches and hiding spots that nobody else knows about," Gally winked, but I didn't wink back.

"I'm pretty sure she's okay with me, Gally," I heard Newt say from a few feet away.

I was surprised at the tone in Newt's voice; it sounded threatening. I watched the two boys give each other death glares, the situation incredibly awkward.

"Look, Gally, I really appreciate you wanting to help, but I think Newt's got everything under control.. Thank you though," I butted in quickly, making Gally snap his head to face me.

"Of course," he replied, sarcasm dripping through his voice.

As I turned to face Newt, Gally bent down and took a hold of my hand, kissing it lightly. As soon as his lips touched my hand, they were gone though, for Newt had pulled Gally up to his feet by the collar of his shirt.

"Back off, shuck face. She said she's okay,".

"Newt, it's okay, really. Let's just eat," I said to him, pulling his hand away from Gally's body.

When Newt finally let go, Gally straightened his shirt in a hurry before turning and heading back into the Homestead to face the group of boys who had just witnessed his rejection.

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"Thanks for before," I said to Newt as we finished up our sandwiches.

"Not a problem," Newt said through a mouth full of food, making me giggle slightly. "He's always been sort of a problem; you know, ever since the Changing," he continued after swallowing.

"What's the Changing?" I asked him, but his eyes shot down to face the ground quickly.

"Shuck it. Forget I said anything, okay Greenie?".

"I told you, it's not Greenie!" I quipped lightly, shoving him in the shoulder.

Our smiles were turned into frowns when another scream erupted from the second floor of the Homestead. When I glanced at Newt, I could tell that he was itching to get up there and see what was going on.

"What's happening up there?" I asked him, hoping to get some answers.

"It's Ben. He got stung,".

"Stung?" I replied, my eyebrows crinkling in confusion.

"Shoot. Stop making me slip up, Greenie!" Newt growled, so I shoved him again.

"Sutton!".

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By the time I had arrived at the Glade, the sun was beginning to set, so Newt hadn't had much time to show me around. He did have time, however, to show me the walls of the Glade.

"What's out there? You know, beyond the Glade?" I asked him, peering through the large gap between the two walls that surrounded the Glade.

"A giant-ass Maze," Newt replied with the cluck of his tongue.

"You can't be serious," I scoffed.

The Glade was surrounded by a maze? Get real.

"Dead serious as the Cliff and that shuck Box. What do you think we've been trying to do for the last two years?" he asked out loud, but I decided to answer him.

"Live your lives here?".

Newt chuckled darkly before turning to me.

"No, we're not here to live our bloody lives; we want to get out, and we can't".

My head pushed back in surprise; the boys wanted to leave the Glade?

"What's so bad about it here? It seems like you've got everything you need,".

I watched Newt as he sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair.

"Look, Sutton: Alby would throw me off the Cliff himself if he found out how much I was telling you. Enough's enough; even if I wanted to answer your questions, I just can't".

"But what's the Cliff?" I chirped, making Newt groan even louder.

I was going to keep pestering Newt when a loud grumble cut me off. I looked down at the sight of dirt pebbles shaking against the ground, my entire bod shaking along with it.

"What is that noise?" I asked Newt as I covered my ear to block out that familiar sound of metal screeching against metal.

"The Maze, sweetheart. Take a look," Newt said, pointing to the walls. When I followed his gaze, my mouth hit the floor.

"That's impossible!".

The walls were moving.

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"They close every night around this time and open up again in the morning," Newt explained loudly as the two pieces of the maze wall began to come together.

"Why?" I had to shout so he could hear me, forcing Newt to put a hand up to my face.

"Remember Sutton, can't answer that. Ahh, here they come," Newt smiled, so I followed his gaze.

Between the passages in the Maze came first one, then two, then a whole group of boys, sprinting as if their lives depended on it. They huffed and puffed as their legs carried them as fast as they could toward the quickly closing walls of the Maze. One by one, they entered the Glade and stopped to bend down and catch their breath. Once every boy was accounted for, they all ran towards a building in a near corner, opened the door and slammed it shut behind them, locking it as well.

"Who the heck—umm, shuck, are they?" I mumbled to myself, but Newt actually answered that question.

"Runners. Don't ask me who the Runners are, though; Alby'll answer that,".

When the walls to the Maze finally shut, I glanced over to Newt, whose hair shone handsomely in the setting sunlight.

"So let me get this straight... If the Walls close at night, it's to either keep us in or keep something out.. But if they're open during the day, then we have the option to leave; Newt, what are we keeping out of the Glade?".

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Newt had answered a total of zero questions since the Maze closed for the night. It was really annoying, but he seemed to enjoy my pain.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" I asked him as I skipped down the dusty street.

"Sleep," Newt replied, yawning.

"What? How can you be tired!" I joked spinning around in a circle happily.

Newt stared at me in astonishment, as if he was shocked at how I was acting.

"What?" I giggled, slowing down to make his pace.

"It's just that when we pulled you out of that bugging Box, you were bloody terrified.. Now you're acting like you've lived here your whole life and like we're best friends!" Newt explained, throwing his hands up in the air.

"I don't know; I guess you've cheered me up a little. So wait a minute, you're telling me we aren't friends?" I asked him pouting.

When he shook his head no, I could see a hint of playfulness in his eyes, so I ran up from behind him and jumped onto his back, Newt catching me easily.

"You're lucky you're light," he muttered, hiking me up a little so I wouldn't fall off.

"I'm lucky I'm a girl," I corrected him before flicking him in the temple.

"Good that. I would've let Gally fall on his shuck arse,".

"What about Alby? Would you let him fall on 'his shuck arse'?" I asked him in a deep, mocking tone.

At that, Newt pretended to drop me, making me squeal in surprise.

"Maybe not Alby. But he's my best friend, after all," Newt explained as the Homestead slowly came into sight. I let out a loud sigh against his ear.

"And I here I thought we had something special,".

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The normalcy of my time spent with Newt had quickly disappeared when we began to discuss sleeping arrangements.

"I don't know..." I swayed my body back and forth uncomfortably at Newt's idea of having me sleep with all of the boys.

"I just don't think the boys would be too happy if you got special treatment, understand Greenie?" Newt shrugged, surveying the area outside where the boys were preparing to sleep for the night. I ignored the jab of 'Greenie' as I spoke.

"You think I feel comfortable sleeping with fifty guys who haven't seen a girl in years?". Newt stared at me for a long time before answering.

"You trust me Greenie?" he asked me, his tone of voice completely serious.

"Of course,".

I had only known Newt for a few hours, but I couldn't help but trust him. Newt nodded vigorously before heading towards the front door of the Homestead.

"Good that. You'll sleep with me,".

"Wait, what?" I asked him in surprise.

Sleep with Newt? As if that wouldn't stir up drama in the tiny Glade.

"Not like that, Greenie! I just thought that you'd rather sleep with just me in our own room than fifty boys, you klunk head," Newt sighed, his cheeks turning red with embarrassment.

"Oh. Well.. Alby won't mind?" I practically whispered, as the boys around us were trying to sleep. I heard him scoff at my question as he turned to face me.

"Please, girl. I think Alby would understand your worries. Now come on, I'm as tired as a shuck Griever after a long night of roaming," he waved me over towards the Homestead, but I only cocked my head in confusion.

"Huh?".

He chuckled at me and threw his arm over my shoulder as we entered the Homestead.

"You'll understand eventually,".

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The only light that filled the tiny bedroom was coming from the moon that shined through the only window in the room. Both Newt and I were on the floor in our own respective sleeping bags, but I was lying on my side so that I was directly facing him. Taking in his manly features, I figured he had to be at least sixteen.

"How old are you?" I asked him, breaking the silence in the room. I smiled at him as Newt cracked one eye open.

"Alby says I'm seventeen,".

Nodding in silence, I thought about my age.

"How old do I look?".

Newt studied my facial features for a while, making me blush in the moonlight; I prayed he hadn't seen my cheeks redden as he started to answer.

"Seventeen,".

"How do you accept life here? Not knowing what's past that Maze? Why we all got here from a Box in the ground? I mean, how do you do it?". Newt looked surprised at how in-depth my question was.

"It was way too late to be a asking a question like that, sweetheart. Just go to sleep,".

Nodding, I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep to the peaceful sound of Newt's breathing. I was almost asleep when I heard moaning coming from next door. As if Newt could sense my body tensing up at the sound, he spoke up.

"It's just Ben, Sutton. You're okay,".

I jumped slightly when I felt his fingers run over my shoulder to try to comfort me. Watching his fingers graze my shoulder, I couldn't help but feel as if I knew him.

"Do we know each other?" I said out loud, which probably sounded crazy.

"What do you mean 'do we bloody know each other'? 'Course we know each other, Greenie!" Newt chuckled, slowing down the pace of his fingertips against my shoulder. He was clearly not used to trying to comfort someone.

"No, Newt. I mean before all of this; we all had lives before coming here, right? Do you think we knew each other?".

Newt stared at me intensely as if he was thinking really hard about me. Quickly, Newt tugged on the ends of my hair before pulling the sleeping bag up to his chin.

"Maybe. Not that I can remember, though. Sorry, Greenie,".

"Sure thing, slinthead," I muttered back, making Newt's mouth pop open in shock.

"Did you just call me a slinthead?".

I nodded quickly, pulling the sleeping bag up over my head. Newt remained silent for a while before speaking again.

"You're gonna get it, Greenie,". Popping my head out quickly, I ran my tongue over my lips.

"Sutton,".

"Right. Goodnight, Sutton,".