Within the next four weeks, Alby and May had made an enormous improvement on everyday life in the Glade. Their little home was finished, a roof hung above the platform May first built and Alby had worked to add a wall beneath it. The two added a fire pit a few yards away from their base, where they surrounded the embers with the largest stones from the pond and placed six stumps around it. May finished weaving her fifth basket around the end of the third week and Alby predicted that the corn would be ready to harvest in two-to-three weeks. Until then, they'd been living off the rest of the bread, fresh water, eggs from the chickens that came up on the elevator with Alby, sunflower seeds, and the few squirrels and raccoon Alby managed to catch in the woods.

All in all, they'd been doing pretty good. 

May was busy pulling weeds from the rows of corn, hoeing away the little green jerks while Alby was out hunting again with his knife and home-made spear. The man was better at it than she thought he'd be, but she wasn't complaining. He was kind and caring enough to provide the meals, help her build and collect firewood. Alby was a good guy. She was happy she hadn't killed him when they first met.

The sun had barely risen from the sky, but the two were early risers. They liked getting a good start to their days when they could. Because the more they got done each day, the greater their chance for survival was for the next. And you couldn't argue with those results. Everything was as good as they could get it.

And then the elevator came back up.

The sound rang through the Glade like it did when she and Alby arrived. May dropped the hoe, checked her machete in the belt loop of her pants, then started running for the shaft in the middle of the field. Her heart pounded in her chest rapidly, one beat less than a millisecond after the other. Was it more supplies? Would there be another person?

She knew that Alby would be mad at her for running ahead of him, for not waiting for him to approach the elevator first. But she wasn't thinking clearly at the time. And her curiosity was getting the best of her. That tended to happen a lot when it came to the new things in the Glade. Ever since Alby arrived, she'd been a little more fearless with where she explored. She'd even ran a few feet into the Maze when the doors opened (it was Alby's idea to call it that, not hers). Of course, Alby was with her the entire time with his ax, but it had been her idea.

Her boots barely touched the ground she ran so quickly, and the sound of someone shouting rang in her ears. Yep, someone was on the elevator again. But she didn't think it was a man, like before. Definitely not as old as Alby. Closer to her age. 

"Hello? Is anyone-"

She grabbed the metal cage-like doors to the elevator and threw them open with all the strength she could muster. Muscles aching from the sudden effort, she took a deep breath and looked at the sight below her.

On the elevator, there was a boat-load of new supplies. More burlap sacks she assumed had seeds inside,  bags of chicken-feed, four loaves of bread, two more barrels of water, another ax, a machete that was being wielded by a blonde boy around her age- May pulled out her machete as well as an act of self-defense, even though she had no idea how exactly to use it as self-defense, but she'd never let this new guy know that. 

"Where am I? Who are you? How-"

"Easy there, tiger, just calm down." May told him and looked him up and down. The boy was wearing a white shirt, tan pants and survival boots covered his feet, just like her. Blonde hair covered the top of his head, green eyes sat in their sockets, and there was a strong British accent that circulated with his words when he spoke. "Put the machete down and we can talk like civilized people. See?" May tossed her machete to the side and showed her weapon-free hands. "No weapons, just talking."

Slowly, hesitantly, the boy set his weapon down as well. May smiled reassuringly.

"Good. I know you're scared, but so was I." She began to explain, her voice low and stress-free. The boy listened, his green eyes showing just how scared he was. His hands shook slightly at his sides and May knew he was on the brink of tears. "I came up in this exact same elevator a couple months ago. I was scared. I didn't even know my own name."

"Neither do I." He blurted out. There was a moment of silence as the tears slowly slid down his face, even though he was fighting to look tough. To look like he was in control of the situation. "Do you know?" The question came out a little more desperate than he wanted it to sound, but there was no taking it back. He folded his arms over his chest to keep them from quivering in fear. May fought back a sympathetic look. This boy didn't want her sympathy at the moment. If anything, he'd despise it. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I don't. But if you come on out, maybe we both can figure it out together." She suggested and extended her hand. He looked at it a moment, his face covered in uncertainty. She didn't blame him. This was definitely way harder for him than her at the moment. His trust would take time. At least, that's what she assumed. She was really just going with it, unsure of what her actions would bring next.

There was a long pause of silence between the two, drenched in tension and fried in suspicion. Her hand sat there in the air for a minute as she waited patiently for him to take it. But, as the seconds slowly drifted by and he didn't change his position, May sighed and started pulling her hand back-

"Okay." The boy suddenly said and grasped her fingers with his slender ones. A grin appeared on her face that stretched from ear to ear.

"Good." She hauled the boy out of the elevator shaft and onto the grass above. He didn't weigh much, he was quite the skinny guy if she said so herself. She was definitely stronger than him, but she was sure he'd be able to help out somehow around the Glade. "I'm May, in case I forgot to tell you." A faint whisper of a smile glanced over his lips and he gave her hand a firm shake.

"Nice to meet you, May."