CHAPTER ONE
( THE BOX )

     I FRANTICALLY SLAM MY FISTS against the barred walls of the box that I'm trapped in, breathing heavily.

"Someone let me out of here!" I shout, looking all around me for any signs of help.

How did I get here?

In a quick jolt, the box moves upward at an incredible speed. I fall the the floor, holding onto anything stable that I can find. My stomach rattles, and I try hard not to throw up.

I crash into the walls as the elevator- or whatever this thing is -moves faster. The floor of this box/elevator is almost open, only holding me up by a few criss-crossed bars. Looking down at the bottomless trench below, isn't the best experience for me. And the fast jolts don't seem to stop. I keep moving upwards, higher, and higher. But where am I going?

Crates lined against the walls move around, sliding against each other and making a screeching noise. I yelp in pain as something sharp falls from an open crate, and jabs into my thigh.

A knife.

I pull it out carefully, and stuff it in my back pocket, ignoring the blood from the wound.

The elevator never seems to stop moving. But where is it going?

I have no memory of who I am, where I'm going, or where I came from. I can only think of a name. My name.

Grace.

I huff as I try to refresh my mind. Unfortunately, to my prevail, I come up with nothing. I'm stuck in a box- or elevator -and I don't know where I'm going. I don't know who I am. I don't know why I'm here. I don't know anything.

I smash my hands into the walls again, thinking that someone would somehow hear me. "Please! Someone let me out!"

I breathe steadily, and look up as a light appears. It's yards above me, but I know it's there. As I get closer to the light, I get excited.

Maybe that's my ticket outta here...

But when the box gets to the light, it slams to a stop, sending me to the floor, once again. I cover my eyes with my hand, blocking out the bright sun waves above me.

"Hello? Anyone up there?" I ask, hoping to get a responce. And something finally goes right today.

A boy looks down at me with wide eyes, but excitement in his expression. "It's a girl." He mutters, although I'm not sure if he's saying that to himself or me. "It's a girl!" He says louder.

Voices crowd at the top of the box, and more boys gather around.

Have they never saw a girl before?

"Are you serious?"

"Is she pretty?"

"I call dibs."

"Nah, shank. She's mine."

"Are you sure it's not just a boy with long hair?"

Okay. That last comment really hit me hard. But as more of them crowd around, I'm not so sure if I'm safe.

They could be here to kill me.

I back up to the wall of the box, wishing it would move again, but this time, it would move down. Back to where I was, before I got here.

"What're all of ya'll shanks bloody yappin' 'bout?" A boy with a strong accent asks, making his way through the teenagers.

Shank?

"It's a girl, Newt." The boy who first saw me tells 'Newt.'

"Bloody hell." Newt whispers to himself, standing at the front of the boys, while staring down at me.

Newt has sandy blonde hair, and cholcolate-brown eyes. I'd consider him attractive if I weren't trapped inside of a box, surrounded by boys who could possibly be a threat to my life. And that's in simple terms.

He jumps into the box in front of me, and stands straight up. I back away from him, but realize my back is already touching the wall. "It's okay," He assures me, taking a step towards me. "I won't hurt you."

"W-who are you?" I stutter. Well, that was a stupid question...

"My name's Newt." He replies, holding out his hand for me to shake. He gives me a warm smile, but I still don't shake his hand. He sighs, and drops his hand.

"Where am I?" I ask, becoming a little braver, and losing my stutter. But now's not the time to feel confident with myself. I could still get stabbed by this 'Newt' guy.

"Nowhere good," He shakes his head. "But we call it the Glade."

"How did I get here?" I cross my arms over my chest.

"Obviously the box," He chuckles, gesturing to the walls around us. "How else?"

I stand completely still, and stare at him, a hard glare within my eyes. He notices that I don't appreciate his smart-ass sass, and puts his hands up in surrender.

"We need to get you to Alby." Newt says. He turns around, wraps a rope around his waist, then looks over at me. "You coming?"

"How will I-?"

"Just grab onto my bloody waist," He rolls his eyes, jokingly. "Those shanks up top will lift us."

I bit my lip, considering the fact that he could still be a psychotic serial killer rapist. But what other choice do I have?

I walk over to him, and place my arms around his waist. He pulls me to his chest, and suddenly, we are lifted into the air. I grip him tighter, thinking that I'll fall. But soon enough, we're on solid ground.

I let go of Newt, stand up, and dust my pants off.

"Alby's here." Someone announces, gaining my attention. My eyes find a dark-skinned boy, who looks at me with hatred in his eyes. I frown immediately.

This must be Alby.

"Welcome to the Glade, shank." He grunts. "The name's Alby."

"I'm Gra-" I start, but Alby cuts me off by raising his hand in the air.

"I don't care who you are. I just want to know what you remember." Alby says flatly.

"M-my memory is gone." I look to the ground in shame. "I don't remember anything."

"Alright. Well, Newt here will give you a tour tomorrow. Until then, keep your mouth shut." He snaps. "No questions are to be asked or answered."

"Okay." I nod.

"And the rest of you-" Alby turns to the group of boys, a stern look on his face, "Stay away from Greenie. Keepers are the only slintheads to converse with her. Anyone else who tries to talk to her, will be thrown off the cliff."

I flinch as he says 'cliff.' Do they really have cliffs?

As I pull myself back to reality, I see that the boys have dispersed, and Alby is gone. But Newt still stands, looking at me.

I shrug it off, and take in the scenes of the Glade. There's a garden section, a place where boys are building things, and a-

HOLY SHIT! THERE ARE TWO HUMONGOUS WALLS BUILT OF STONE PLACED NEXT TO EACH OTHER!

I don't understand how it would be possible to build those walls. Did those boys make this?

Inbetween the walls is an opening, where seven or eight boys run into the Glade. Are they okay? Is that the way out?

The way out!

I take off sprinting in the direction of the opening, adrenaline rushing through me.

I'm going to get out of here!

I get closer to the opening, but begin to hear yells of protest from people behind me. Why are they following me? I hear Newt's voice in particular, demanding for me to stop. But why should I listen to them?

They're complete strangers, and I don't know any of them. I shouldn't trust anyone here.

Just as I'm about to jump between the walls, into the exit of the Glade, someone makes sure that I can't go any further.

No, legit, this person tackles me to the solid ground, in order to stop me.

"I saved you there, Greenie." The guy who tackled me, chuckles. I groan, and place my forhead on the cold ground. The boy gets off of me, and holds out his hand.

I take his head, and he pulls me up. As he faces me, his eyes grow wide.

I find this boy familiar as I look over him. He's Asian, with black spiky hair, and dark eyes.

Have I met him before?

"Y-you're a girl?" He asks, still shocked.

"Good job, Minho." Newt pats the Asian boy on the shoulder. "She would've broken a rule."

Minho.

I can't place the boy in a position that I know him from. Why is he so familiar?

"I'm Minho." Minho holds out his hand.

"I'm Grace," I say softly, shaking his hand.

"I'm guessing you're the Greenie..." He trails off, tilting his head to the side.

"Yeah, I guess." I shrug.

"Well, welcome to the Glade, Grace."

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