╰┈➤ ╰┈➤ ╰┈➤ ╰┈➤———————————— •.(A Second Glade? But All Girls!).• ———————————— ╰┈➤ ╰┈➤ ╰┈➤ ╰┈➤

The Maze was not built to be understood. Towering stone walls rose on every side, shifting with the rhythm of the earth like a living beast. Vines crept along the aged rock, curling like skeletal fingers, and the ever-present hum of unseen machines vibrated through the floor beneath your feet. No sun ever pierced through the heavy canopy of grey above—only the cold, stale light of a sky that never changed. This was the world now. Concrete corridors, a never-ending labyrinth, and the soft, terrifying promise of death that echoed with every step.

You hadn’t meant to get lost. No one ever did.

It started with hope—three nights ago, maybe more. You’d promised your small group of girls, your only family in the Glade, that you’d scout ahead for supplies or maybe a new route. You’d all arrived here the same way: waking up in a dark elevator with no memories, no names—just fear and confusion. Then the Maze opened, and the questions began.

You were supposed to be careful. Stay near the walls. Turn back before nightfall. But something had drawn you in deeper. A wrong turn. A flicker of movement. A sound that didn’t belong.

And now you were alone.

Each step burned. Your legs trembled beneath you, scraped and raw. Your throat was cracked and dry, your lips splitting with every breath. Dirt clung to your skin in streaks, and a makeshift bandage at your thigh was soaked through—useless now. The Maze had taken its toll.

But then… a sound.

Not the mechanical groan of the Maze’s shifting walls. Not the metallic screech of a Griever—those monstrous machines that hunted by night. This was different. Human.

Voices.

Your ears strained toward the echo. A faint murmur, distant chatter, carried through the air. Your heart stumbled, quickening in your chest. Could it be them? The girls? Had they found you?

Adrenaline surged. You forced your feet forward, dragging your weight through the maze, pushing through the agony, through the fear, through the endless exhaustion. A sliver of light—real, warm light—broke through the stone ahead.

You limped toward it like salvation.

And then you saw it.

A break in the Maze. A towering gap that led to a field of green. The sudden openness blinded you. Grass stretched wide under a pale blue sky, dotted with strange, unfamiliar buildings—wooden, makeshift structures that weren’t from your camp. This wasn’t home.

This wasn’t your Glade.

You stopped at the threshold, panting, wavering where stone met earth. Dozens of boys moved through the field. Some worked with tools and ropes, others gathered around crates and fires. They were laughing, talking, completely unaware of the girl who’d just crawled out of hell.

Until one saw you.

A boy—tall, lean, with messy blonde hair and sharp blue eyes—stared from across the field. For a moment, neither of you moved.

Then he bolted toward you.

Your breath caught. Panic bubbled in your chest. Was he hostile? Were they all? You’d never seen a boy before—not since waking up in your own Glade. And by the way they all suddenly turned to look, you were certain they’d never seen a girl.

He was shouting something. You couldn’t understand. Your vision swam, flickering at the edges. More boys followed, some jogging after him, others hesitating in place, watching cautiously.

They didn’t look angry. Just confused. Alarmed. Worried?

You wanted to run. But you couldn’t. Your body refused. Every limb was trembling, every nerve screaming. The Maze had finally broken you.

And now you stood at the edge of another mystery, barely able to hold yourself upright, bloodied, dehydrated, broken—and completely, utterly out of place.

As the blonde boy reached you, his brows furrowed, his hands up in a peaceable gesture, the last thing you registered was the kindness in his eyes.