Property Of W.C.K.D - Book 1 (Minho Fanfic - TMR)

Chapter 3 : Glade

Author's POV ...

"Darling?" Chuck said, tilting his head.

"Pardon me. Stop teasing her, Chuck. She doesn't like kids like you," Newt threw a joke that made the three of them laugh. After that, Newt walked away, leaving Chuck and Cassie behind.

Still curious, Cassie asked the same question she had asked Newt.

"What's inside there?" Cassie asked, walking closer to a tall door made of concrete or whatever it was. The floor of the courtyard inside looked like it was made of large stone blocks, many of which were cracked and covered in tall grass.

"Maze??" Chuck spontaneously said, leaving Cassie wide-eyed.

"Maze, you say? Are we trapped?" Cassie asked with a high-pitched voice.

"For now," Chuck said, sitting on the green grassy field that stretched along the Glade.

"Who trapped us here? What kind of place is this? Damn it!" Cassie cursed in frustration. Chuck, who had been watching Cassie all this time, just chuckled softly.

"Stay calm. You're safe here," Chuck said, turning his face towards the other Gladers across the way.

Across from us, there's a dilapidated wooden building near one corner of the square, which stands in stark contrast to the gray stone. Several trees surround it, their roots digging into the stone floor like wrinkled hands searching for nourishment. Another corner of the complex is a garden where Cassie can recognize corn, tomato plants, and fruit trees being grown. And there's also me, Newt, there.

Across the courtyard, there stands a wooden pen that houses sheep, pigs, and cows. The dense cluster of large trees fills the nearest corner, appearing dry and almost lifeless. The sky overhead is not cloudy and blue, but Cassie cannot see any signs of the sun, even though it's a bright day. The creeping shadows on the walls do not indicate the time or direction, perhaps it's morning or evening. As she takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, a mixture of smells bombard her senses. The recently turned soil, animal manure, pine, something rotten, and something sweet. Somehow, she knows that this is the scent of a farm.

Cassie focuses on studying the place called the Glade.

The floor of the courtyard appears to be made of large stone blocks, many of which are cracked

and covered in tall grass and weeds. A decaying wooden structure nearby in one

corner of the square starkly contrasts with the grey stone. Several trees surround it, their roots

resembling wrinkled hands digging into the stone floor in search of sustenance. Another corner of the compound remains intact.

Across the courtyard, there stands a wooden pen containing sheep, pigs, and cows. A cluster of tall trees fills the nearest corner, appearing withered and almost lifeless. The sky above is cloudless and blue, but Cassie cannot see any signs of the sun, even on a sunny day. The creeping shadows on the walls do not indicate the time or direction; it could be either morning or evening. As she takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, a mixture of smells bombards her. The freshly turned soil, animal manure, pine, something rotten, and something sweet. Somehow, she knows that this is the scent of a farm.

Cessie approached the door called the Maze.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Chuck said as he stood up and chased after Cessie, who was getting closer to the Maze. Chuck grabbed her hand.

"Why are you stopping me? I just want to see what's inside," Cessie said, looking at Chuck and then turning to look at the contents of the Maze from afar.

"No. You don't understand. It's dangerous inside. No one dares to go in," Chuck explained to Cessie.

"Dangerous? What do you mean? Don't scare me, Chuck," Cessie said, folding her arms across her chest and slightly widening her stance, giving Chuck a piercing stare.

"You may survive, but you will undergo changes," Chuck replied to Cessie. Cessie frowned, "What other changes are you referring to?" She grew more curious.

"Oh, come on, Greenie. You've only been here for a few hours and you're already frustrating me with all these questions about the rules," Chuck said, frustratingly ruffling his own hair with each question Cessie threw at him.

"Do you want to be stung by a Griever?" Chuck asked. Cessie fell silent. She didn't know what else to say to Chuck. There was nothing else in her mind except questions.

"Um... Chuck," she said softly. Chuck would surely be angry.

"What?" Chuck replied, sounding annoyed.

"What is a Griever?" Cessie asked quietly, tucking her hair behind her ear and biting her lip, knowing that Chuck would get annoyed if she asked again.

"I knew it. Greenie, you're about to find out. But it's not me who will describe what a Griever is. I haven't seen one myself, whether it's a savage creature or something else," Chuck said. They fell silent.

"No one has ever seen a Griever before and lived to tell the tale," Chuck said, staring at the grass beneath his feet.

"What's happening?" Cessie asked anxiously. Before Chuck could reply to her question, she saw him waving his hand towards the maze door. Cessie turned her head to see who Chuck was waving at.

"Yo, Ben," Chuck replied warmly to the blonde man.

"Greenie, huh?" The man behind said, staring at Cessie from head to toe. Uh... Cessie felt uncomfortable. She became nervous and turned her face, looking at her own dirty shoes.

"They sent us a girl, Minho," Chuck said to the intriguing man. His name was Minho.

"How does it feel to be promoted, Chuck?" the blonde man said, distancing himself from Cessie and Chuck.

Chuck laughed and then looked at Cessie, who had a blank expression.

"What?" Chuck said to Cessie.

"You said no one dared to go in there. Why are they allowed to?" Cessie asked with a slight pout, making Chuck laugh.

"Hey, they're different, greenie... They've been in the maze for a long time. Before you came, I was the greenie here. I arrived a month ago," Chuck said.

"So, who are they?" Cessie asked.

"They are Runners," Chuck said.

"Runners?" Cessie asked, pressing for more information.

"Yup... and I think I should take you back to Alby. They're about to have a bonfire. They do it every time a new greenie arrives," Chuck said as he led Cessie to be guided by Alby.

Suddenly, the leader of the group, probably around seventeen years old, took a step forward from an unknown position. He was dressed casually, wearing a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and black shoes. For some reason, the attire here surprised Cessie. It seemed like everyone should be wearing more threatening prison-like clothes. The dark-skinned man had short-cropped hair, and his face was cleanly shaved.

But apart from a permanent scowl, there was nothing frightening about him at all.

"The story is long, shank," the boy said. "Piece by piece, you'll learn. I'll take you on a tour tomorrow. Until then... don't mess with anything." Chuck, who overheard, laughed.

"He's annoying, Alby. Let's just banish him," Chuck joked. Alby laughed.

Cessie tried to absorb all the words they were saying. Foreign terms she had never heard before.

As the day grew darker, Alby led Cessie to the area where the bonfire would be held...