[Chapter 1] ✙ The New Arrivals

Resting her chin on the base of her palm, Eden stared down blankly at her mash potatoes. The sounds of people talking could be heard throughout the cafeteria. A mixture of different voices, people subconsciously trying to talk over each other as they continued through their evening conversations. Usually, this disorderly manner would bother her, but at this point, she's learned to tune it all out. Lost in her thoughts, she continued to mindlessly comb her fork through her meal.

"You okay?" A voice sounded, accompanied by the light ring of a meal tray being dropped down onto the table. She didn't even need to look up to know who it was.

"I'm alright."She nodded ever-so-slightly before lifting her gaze to meet Aris's stormy gray eyes with a faint smile. "Just a little tired from all the tests."

The boy returned her smile before settling down into his spot across from her, pursing his lips and wincing as he does so. Eden's brows furrowed.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, glints of worry immediately flooding her dark brown eyes.

"No," He assured, sucking in a harsh breath through his teeth as he gingerly rubs his knee. "It's just a bruise I got when I was climbing through the vents yesterday."

Eden's lips tugged into an acute frown. "Are you still doing that?" She whispered, being careful that the others around don't overhear their conversation. "Aris, I really don't think-"

"Shh." Before she could finish her sentence, Aris hushed, subtly pressing a finger to his lips as if to tell her to remain quiet. His gaze flickered to the left as his brows knitted closer together, staring intently at something behind her. 

Following his gaze, Eden peered over her shoulder, spotting a small group of five boys enter the cafeteria. They seemed disoriented, wide eyes darting from left to right as if they didn't know where to look in this new, overwhelming environment - tell-tale signs of being the day's newbies.

One of the boys, an Asian like her, seemed to have noticed the buffet line towards the side of the cafeteria. His face immediately lit up as he reached over to nudge his friend, a stocky boy with dark skin, in the rib. The two of them gleamed with excitement, rushing over to snag a spot in the thinning line like children at a candy store. Thanks to their friends' swift disappearance, the rest of the group quickly noticed the food as well, hurrying over to join them. A boy with olive skin threw his arms around their necks, exchanging a few words with them before breaking into a fit of laughter. Another boy, strangely resembling Aris in his small, scrawny stature grabbed a tray for himself before fixating his gaze on the three, joining in on the conversation. Finally, there was a tall boy with caramel blond hair. He quietly followed along with the rest of his friends, occasionally chiding at their boarish behaviour. Though the faint traces of a smile seemed to suggest he was in a rather good mood as well.

"New arrivals..." Aris muttered under his breath, snapping Eden out of her train of thought as she glanced back at him. 

"Well yes, they bring new people in every day." She pointed out with a questioning eyebrow, having no idea where he was going with this.

"Just... Give me a minute," Aris said, reaching out nervously to grab hold of his cup. He narrowed his scrutinizing eyes at the group of boys, tilting his head down to make it less obvious he was staring. 

Eden sighed, taking one last peek over her shoulder. The boys, now fully satisfied with the mountain of food on their trays, settled down at a table near the centre of the cafeteria. "Rather than worrying about others, you should be thinking more for yourself." Turning back to the brown-haired boy, she spoke in a soft voice. 

He cast her an estranged glance.

"You got yourself hurt, Aris." She emphasized, hands fidgetting nervously. "Don't you think you're just being a little paranoid? You said the stretchers were covered up. So it could've been anything under there-"

"No, I'm sure of it." Aris shook his head, veering his attention back towards the new arrivals. "Those were bodies." He stated definitely.

Eden heard herself gulp at the prospect. Why would their saviours be transporting human bodies into a secret room? According to Aris, he discovered a way into the restricted area of the facility through its ventilation system. And that every night like clockwork, the doctors would transport several bodies into a secret room on covered stretchers. Except for those doctors, the bodies that go in, never come back out.

Eden was about to open her mouth and say something, when-

"Hey, Thomas!" She heard a male voice call out over the chattering crowd. Both her and Aris look to the source of the voice, noticing that the Asian boy had hopped out of his chair and hurried towards the cafeteria entrance where another boy with dark brown hair stood. He was tall, lean, and slightly muscular. As his brown eyes darted around the room anxiously, Eden thought she saw a familiar glint reflected within. 

It was the same look Rachel had when she led the charge out of the Maze.

Led by his friend, the boy named Thomas sat himself down at the centre table, wedged between the Asian boy and the tall blond.

Not wanting to get caught staring, Eden turned back towards her friend, only to notice that his eyes were still glued to the newcomers. "Is something wrong?"

"I think they can help." He murmured, his voice barely audible. 

Eden pursed her lips at his statement. She opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted once more. This time, by Janson. 

"Good evening, gentlemen. Ladies." The leader of the facility clears his throat, almost instantly silencing the previously rowdy cafeteria as he scans over the eager crowd. "You all know how this works. If you hear your name called, please rise in an orderly fashion and join my colleagues behind me, where they will escort you to the eastern wing." He said in a routine manner. "Your new lives are about to begin." He then announced, lips curling into an unsettling smile.

As Janson opened his clipboard and began to read out the names, Eden listened anxiously, wondering if her name would finally be pulled in the cluster. But when the list came to its end, and her name wasn't mentioned in the slightest, she felt her previously tense shoulders slump a little. 

"Again..." She breathed a sigh, turning back to Aris with a dejected expression.

Aris didn't respond, still fixated on the boys at the centre table. 

"I wonder when we'll finally be called..." Thinking out loud, Eden peered down at her reflection within the water of her metal cup. "I miss everyone..." She whispered.

"Trust me, Eden." Aris hushed, finally turning to look her dead in the eyes. "I don't think we want to be called."

For a few seconds, Eden continued to hold his gaze, searching desperately within his storm-like eyes for a reason as to why he would say that. But when she was unable to find anything, her dark brown eyes flickered to a downcast. 

"Hey, Teresa?" A voice suddenly rang throughout the cafeteria, accompanied by a set of hasty steps. Eden glanced over her shoulder, spotting the boy named Thomas keeping pace with a girl beyond the windows of the cafeteria, shouting her name desperately only to be stopped by the guards before he could run into the restricted area. 

Aris's eyes rounded.

"Him," His breath quickened ever-so-slightly, causing the raven-haired girl to turn back towards him with a curious look. "He can help us." He stated, the traces of a relieved smile surfacing on his lips.

+ + +

Eden sighed. Pulling her knees closer to her chest, she curled up on her mattress in the empty bunker. 

It wasn't so long ago that this room was chalked full of laughter and chatter. The girls would talk about the warm and well-cooked food in the cafeteria, the clean and colourful clothes they've been treated to, and even a cute doctor or two they've met during their examinations. Needless to say, it's been months, even years since the last time those girls have had such cheerful and lively conversations. They were so carefree, so... relieved, without the need to worry over their next meal, or whether or not inevitable doom could be breathing down their backs.

But then one by one, the girls would disappear. Being called to that promised 'safe place.' Not even three days later, she and Aris were the only ones left from their maze. 

Actually, not all of them were called. 

Two girls, Harriet and Sonya seemingly managed an escape from the compound after getting an off feeling about the place. At least, she hoped they escaped. The sirens never rang that night, and the guards never mentioned anything of the sort. So the only thing she could hope for was that all was well for the two missing girls. 

But now with Aris insisting something similar, Eden couldn't help but rethink her options a little.

On one hand, the idea of a safe haven from WICKED sounded like exactly what they needed. They were the ones who put her, the rest of the girls, and Aris in that horrific maze after all. A place where they spent nearly every day of their lives walking on eggshells, living under the oppression of fear as they wondered what horrors could be waiting for them the next day.

On the other hand, she couldn't just ignore Aris's earnest expression. The boy has been nothing but helpful since the day he entered the maze. If he says there might be something with the facility, on what basis did she have to refute that? Besides, they were the only two remaining from their group. 

They had to stick together. 

Chewing on her bottom lip, Eden noted that she had finally reached a conclusive decision. She shifted her body, turning to lay on the other side as she gently closed her eyes, going through her nightly ritual of remembering those who have fallen during their Maze Trial. 

"Bury them... in your heart." She whispered, gently pressing a hand against her chest before allowing herself to slip into a deep sleep.

+ + +

"Aris," The next evening, as Janson began to list off those who were heading to the 'safe haven', Eden called out to her friend in a hush. "Aris, can we talk?" She said awkwardly.

"Hm?"

"I..." Feeling her voice crack under the pressure of her ramming heart, Eden took a deep breath. "I just wanted to tell you that, I believe in you. I believe in you, and whatever you have planned." She stated, subconsciously tightening her grip on her own hand.

Aris blinked a little, seemingly taken aback by her sudden announcement. "Thanks," He murmured, cracking a faint smile. "Thanks, Eden." 

When Janson finally finished listing those who would be moving on to paradise, Eden noticed that Aris's gaze was once again fixated on the boys at the centre table. It wasn't until she heard a light slam in their general direction, did she finally turn around. She watched as the same boy, Thomas, approached the restricted entrance once more, this time attempting to blend in as one of the chosen kids. However, it didn't take much effort for the guard to recognize the trespasser as he immediately blocked the boy off. The two exchanged a few words. And though they were a distance away from both her and Aris's table, she could still sense the straining tension that began to manifest between them.

Pressing his lips together, Thomas turned around in defeat and began to make his way back towards his table. But he didn't even take two full steps away before whirling back around and ramming his body into the security guard, causing chaos to erupt in that specific corner of the cafeteria as Eden jumped in her seat. 

"Back off!" The guard yelled, shoving Thomas off himself.

"What's your problem, man? What the hell, huh?" Thomas shouted, roughly shoving the guard back. 

"Let's go," Before the situation could pan out completely, Aris jolted up with his tray and began speed walking towards the counter designated for dirty dishes. 

"H-Huh?" Eyes darting between the unfolding fight and Aris, Eden nodded stiffly. Picking up her tray, she followed her friend as he calmly disposed of his leftovers before stacking his tray and hurrying down of the hallway that led towards the bunks. 

Before the door could close behind her, Eden peered over her shoulder, spotting Thomas being pulled back from the tall, blond boy. 

"Aris?" She called out, jogging a little to catch up to him. "Aris, what's going on? Why did Thomas-"

"Listen to me carefully," Ignoring her onslaughter of questions, Aris's steps came to a rigid halt as he turned to grab her by the shoulders. "Go back to your bunk and get changed into some new clothes. Wearing something warm and comfortable to move in. I'll be by through your vents, and when I call for you, follow me. Understood?" He asked, once again staring dead into her dark brown eyes.

Eden blinked, taking a second to process what he had said before nodding. "Right, okay."

+ + +

Parting ways with Aris, Eden hurried back into her empty bunker, making sure the door slammed shut behind her. As per Aris's instructions, she then made a bee-line for the lockers. Throwing off her tank top and jeans, she yanked out a pair of black cargo pants and a soft yellow sweater, quickly changing into them.

As she bent down to re-tie the laces on her brown combat boots, the sound of faint rustling under one of the beds immediately drew her attention. She snapped her head around, barely making out a shadowy figure crammed inside the vents. 

"Eden?" She heard Aris whisper. "Eden, we gotta go."

"Right, I'm coming." Scurrying over, she gingerly removed the lid with trembling hands before entering the darkness of the ventilation system. 

Eden panted breathlessly. Nudging her elbows forth little by little, she did her best to keep up with Aris, who seemed far more accustomed to such a strenuous activity. "Where are we going?" She asked, trying to ignore the burning sensation that began creeping up her arm, curtsy of all crawling. 

"Thomas's room," Aris explained, taking a sharp right at the next intersection. "You're gonna stay with his friends in their room. So if anything happens when I'm gone, you'll have safety in numbers."

The girl's brows furrowed. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going with Thomas." He stated definitely, leaving no room for argument. "I need to find out what's behind that door."

After taking another right in the vents, the two could hear the sounds of an argument breaking out in the new arrivals' bunker. A boy with a strong British accent was chastising someone, presumably Thomas, for his sudden outburst in the cafeteria. But all voices came to a halt when Aris reached out to firmly shoved their vent door, sending it sliding across the ground.

"Hey, Thomas," He popped his head out from beneath their bunk, crawling forth a little more before standing up.

"What the- Who is this kid?!" A voice exclaimed in exasperation. 

"Hope you don't mind, but I brought a friend." Ignoring the stranger's comment, Aris reached down to grab hold of Eden's hand before pulling her out of the vents and to her feet. He then turned to Thomas. "You got it, didn't you?" He asked. 

"Yeah, let's go," Thomas huffed, toying with what seems to be a security keycard in his hands. Eden's eyes widened with surprise, quickly realizing he must have snatched it from that guard when he bodyslammed into him. 

Aris nodded. He then glanced at Eden, giving the anxious girl one last look of reassurance before crouching down and diving back into the vents. 

Following his lead, Thomas quickly slides his legs beneath the bunk, only to freeze when he noticed his friends' questioning looks. "All right, maybe you guys are right." He said, his breath ragged with tension. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid. But I got to find out for sure." He glanced up, exchanging eye contact with the other guys. "Just cover for me. I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that, he pushed himself downward, entering the vent. 

"Be careful," Kneeling down beside the bed, Eden called after the two in a quaky voice, watching as they disappeared around a corner. 

The room fell into silence as Eden remained there. Clasping her hands together tightly, she squeezed her eyes shut and muttered an internal prayer to no one in particular before feeling an unsettling shiver rattle up her spine. She jolted, suddenly recalling where she was.

Hesitantly peeking over her shoulder, her mouth went dry as she came face to face with five boys, all watching her with unreadable expressions. Under their searing gaze, Eden felt her body grow hot. It was as if their eyes alone were enough to set her skin on fire, forcefully tearing away the outer layers to reveal who she was on the inside.

She felt like a bunny, standing in a wolf's den.

"Um... H-Hello..." She murmured, forcing out an unconvincing smile.