𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓻𝓾𝓲𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓻𝓸𝓴𝓮𝓷 - ᴀ ᴍᴀᴢᴇ ʀᴜɴɴᴇʀ ꜰᴀɴꜰɪᴄ

Chapter One - Addy

I blink rapidly when I wake, disoriented. As I come to my senses I realize that I have no idea where I am. Cold metal rests underneath me and all around me. Panicked, I realize I'm trapped inside a dark box and I'm moving. Gears grind and screech, resonating unpleasant sound into my ears. I have no idea where I am or why I'm there. How can this be possible? I have to know something. My breathing speeds up along with my heart. I stand up on shaky feet and slide back down clutching my head. A throbbing pain clouds my senses. Tears fill my eyes. I don't know where I am. I don't know who I am. All I know is I'm scared. So scared.

The box lurches to a halt and I'm jolted against the wall. Light seeps in from above me as the top moves. I shield my eyes, blinking from the brightness. Voices pour into my ears.

"What's he look like this time?"

"Probably a pile of klunk!" A boy chuckles.

"The shank has really long hair."

"That ain't no boy!"

"Of course it is, slinthead. Just a very feminine boy!"

"You're a very feminine boy!"

"Shut up, you lot!" A tall figure hops down into the box with me. "It's a girl alright." He reports back. He looks at me incredulously and says in a thick accent, "Welcome to the Glade, Greenie."

I take a step back, feeling behind me for a weapon of sorts, just in case. "Who are you? Where am I?"

The boys face softens when he sees the fear evident in my eyes. "Let's get you out if here so we can explain. There's a lot to tell."

He pushes his golden hair out of his eyes and puts a hand out to me. I pull away, backing further into the darkness. He nods, accepting my fear and brushing it off. "It's alright. A bit scary at first but you'll get the hang of it." He turns back to the boys outside, a rope is thrown down to pull him back up. "After you, my lady." The boy says, but I'm still shaken and hesitant. "You've gotta trust us, luv. I promise, we won't hurt you." He glances back at the other boys to check that the statement is true and stretches his hand to me for a second time.

"Where am I?" I demand with a quivering voice, rejecting his hand once again. "Why can't I remember anything?"

The boy chuckles but his chocolate brown eyes are soft and kind. "This is the Glade, Greenie. None of us know why we're here or why we can't remember anything, but we've all been through it and we'll help you through it all too."

Fear takes over and I shake my head, backing away so far that I've run out of room. Tears slip down my face against my will. The boy steps closer and puts his hand on my back in an attempt to comfort me.

"Don't touch me!" I'm startled by the force in my voice and even more startled when my hands take over and smack the boy across the head with a wooden board I'd managed to get a hold of.

"Argh!" The boy clutches his face and stumbles backwards. Chuckles spill into the box, reminding me of the spectators.

"I'm so sorry!" I squeal, forgetting my fear for a moment and stretching my hands out to help him.

The boy shrugs me off, saying, "I'm fine, just do me a favor and get yourself out of the bloody box." The kindness in his voice fades into gruff embarrassment. I nod, muttering my apologies again as I take the rope and allow myself to be hoisted out of the box.

I straighten up, wiping my hands on the black pant legs of my jeans, and take in my surroundings. Dozens of boys surround me and the box, all around teen age and each diverse in appearances. I find myself in a giant grassy plain filled with a few structures and surrounded by four giant stone walls, each with an opening through the center.

"Don't break your neck checkin' out the new digs, Greenbean!" Some boy deep in the crowd calls, followed by a chorus of chortling. I ignore him.

"What is this place?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady and confident, but failing miserably.

"Nowhere good," a different boy says grimly. He's got dark skin and hair cropped so short that it's practically nonexistent, but his voice carries an air of authority. His arms are crossed over his sturdily built chest, stance matching his scowl. "This is the Glade, Greenie, and before you ask, none of us know why any of us are here. You just gotta take it piece by piece, I'm afraid, but you'll get there. One of these shanks will take you on the tour soon. Name's Alby, by the way. I'm in charge 'round here, but if you need anything, go pester second-in-command." He elbows the blond boy next to him, newly fished out of the box, as he says this.

The tall boy shrugs the comment off. "Alright, shanks, party's over! Go back to work and give the girl some space." As the crowd disperses, the boy turns to me. "Let's get you a place to stay, eh luv?"

He leads me to the southeast corner of "the Glade" as they call it, and takes me into the largest building. "This is the Homestead, kitchen's in here, if you're hungry. Frypan will fix you up, pretty face like yours." He clears his throat and leads me up some stairs. I notice that he's kept his gaze from meeting mine since I hit him. "Bunch of the boys sleep up here but we'll get you a separate room for now. I'll get some builders working on a hut for you, but until then, someone will have to give up their room, I guess." He finally pauses, scratching his fluffy blond hair, when we reach a door that I suppose I'll be staying in and checks back on me. "You alright there?"

It's all so much to take in and I don't know how to react. I want to scream no and break down crying. I want to know something, anything, about my life. I want so many things, but I settle on nodding passively.

"Good that." He nods. "Come find me if you need anything. It seems like a lot, but you'll get used to it. I promise." He smiles gently. "Besides, you seem like the tough kind." He grins and gestures to his face jokingly.

I nod again, brushing off the humor and willing the tears back until he leaves, but he sees through me. "Hey, it's alright." He reaches out timidly, probably worried I'll go crazy and attack him again, and puts an arm around me in an awkward, half-hug and the gesture is all it takes for me to break.

"I- I hate this," I whimper. "I don't know anything about my life, let alone how I got here. I don't even know my own..." I'm about to say I don't know my name, but I realize that's a lie. Addy.

The Brit awkwardly squeezes my shoulder and says, "Well like Alby would say, 'If you ain't scared, you ain't human.' Why don't you get some rest and in the morning we'll give you the full tour." He pulls his arm away, visibly uncomfortable to see me crying. Oddly enough, I remember knowing that guys never know how to react to crying girls. The knowledge gives me comfort in a strange way and I find safety in knowing I haven't lost my recollection of everything. Just the important parts.

"I'm fine. Sorry. I just need a minute to comprehend everything." I say with shuttering breaths. The boy nods and walks out. The door closes, but not before the sadness and fear creeps back in after the too short escape from it. I curl up on the white sheeted mattress and close my eyes, letting my emotions flow out with the tears, until finally I fade into dreamless sleep.