A few weeks had gone by and Claire was still locked up with the Medics, screaming and seizing constantly. Everyone cringed at her cries whenever they strolled by the Homebase. No one had to ask what was wrong with her, because everyone already knew without anyone having to tell them. Needless to say, Claire wasn't getting any better, and many of them were beginning to wonder if she would ever recover from the sting she got from the Griever. Gwyneth and the other Medics were doing the best that they could do, but at this point, all they could do was just wait it out.

Everything had been normal in the Glen, which was how Piper liked it. But then, one afternoon, all of a sudden, an alarm went off. She jumped with wide eyes and looked around the Glen. 

"What's that noise?" Piper asked Lillie. She pointed at the Box as everyone ran to it. So, they headed for the Box as well, wanting to see what the commotion was all about.

"Cora, what's going on?" Piper inquired.

She gave her a smirk. "You're no longer the Newbie, Piper. We got another stick coming up."

Wow, it's already been a month? Time really flies.

The Glenners all circled around the Box, waiting for it to open up. The anticipation and excitement was filling the atmosphere. Even Piper and Lillie were curious to see who the Newbie was going to be this time. Once the Box opened up, they all looked inside at the new girl that looked up, squinting from the sun shining in her face. She had red hair and it was curly and short. Her face and shirt was drenched with sweat. Everyone muttered and giggled to each other, staring down at the new girl, who looked terrified and confused to be here.

"Get her out, Beth!" Cora shouted.

So Beth and some other girl opened the doors and like with me, Beth jumped inside to retrieve the Newbie. She gave her a smirk. "Day One, Newbie. Rise and shine!" She grabbed her hands and pulled her out of the Box.

"What the--" she began to say before she fell to the ground. She stared up at the girls, looking completely frightened as she began to pant.

"Give her some space, guys!" Esther shouted, trying to get everyone away from the new girl.

"We want to see the Newbie, Esther!" some girl from the back protested.

The red-haired girl scrambled to get up from the ground, running out of the circle they had her trapped in. Then, she continued to sprint.

"Looks like we got another Runner!" Cora yelled, making the others cheer in agreement.

She kept running and running across the Glen until she tripped and tumbled back down to the ground. While the others found it amusing and laughed at it, Piper and Lillie couldn't help but wince at her fall.

"Did I look that scared when I first came here?" Piper muttered Lillie, trying to remember the day she first arrived, which felt like forever ago. She looked at Piper and raised her eyebrows. "Don't answer that question. I think I know what the answer is." Lillie responded with a grin.

The girl slowly got back up, which made the Glenners applaud and cheer heron as she stood on her feet. Looking petrified, she scanned her surroundings. Harriet spotted her and carefully made her way toward the girl. She approached her with a small, comforting smile, reaching her hand out to the redhead. Reluctantly, she took it and led her to the treehouse.

"Okay, you sticks, back to work!" Sonya shouted, trying to disperse the crowd by the Box.

Everyone groaned and went back to their jobs. Piper and Lillie went back to watching over the Glen, but they were mostly focused on the new girl the entire time. She still seemed to be a bit uneasy about being here, but they were all like that when they first arrived, so that was totally normal. Piper just hoped that she got used to living here soon since the search for a way out would take a bit longer than anyone expected.

Ever since Maeve made the promise to find a way out, she had been focused and more motivated with Jane. They would go into the Maze as soon as the Doors opened and they would return to the Glen just before they closed for the night. Then, once they came back to the Glen, they spent the rest of the day in the Map Room and stayed there just in time for bed. It was beginning to worry the others that they stayed in the Maze longer than they usually did. Even Harriet and Sonya were starting to get concerned when both of them wouldn't come eat dinner at the Homebase. Maeve and Jane didn't pay any attention to any of it. Instead, they continued with what they were doing, so everyone just went on with their business and left Maeve and Jane alone.

"Piper! Lillie!" Sonya shouted, running toward them. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" Piper asked.

"We're going to meet the Newbie," she replied.

"Why us?" she questioned.

"Because you two were the only ones who didn't laugh at her, that's why," she said. "Come on."

So they followed Sonya to the treehouse, which was where Harriet and the new girl were still at. Once they got there, Sonya looked up and shouted, "Harriet!" while waving up at her.

Harriet looked down and smiled, waving back. "Hey, Sonya! I see you brought company!"

"Well, why don't you bring the Newbie down so that she can meet them?" Sonya suggested.

Harriet turned to the girl and muttered something, then climbed down the treehouse. The Newbie followed her down and jumped off the ladder once she was close to the ground.

"Rachel, this is Sonya," Harriet told the new girl. "When I'm not around, she's in charge."

Sonya and Rachel quickly shook hands. "That was some sprint you made back there," Sonya told her. "For a moment, I thought you'd make a good Runner."

"Then you kind of tumbled to the ground," Piper added, making Harriet chuckle a little. "I'm Piper and this is Lillie." She pointed at Lillie, who gave a small nod.

Rachel waved at them, but she still looked confused. "What's a Runner?" she asked.

The four looked at each other awkwardly, then Harriet spoke up again. "How about we get you settled in first?" she said. "Piper and Lillie will help you."

"We will?" Piper questioned.

Harriet nodded her head. "Yeah. Take her to the Homebase and get her hammock set up."

Piper and Lillie looked at each other, then nodded their heads. "Okay, then." We looked at Rachel. "Let's go, Newb-- I mean, Rachel."

Rachel followed them to the Homebase and found a hammock for her, then they went to go set it up beside Piper's.

"So this is where we sleep?" Rachel asked Lillie. She nodded her head. "How long have you been here?"

"She's been here for two months," Piper answered, setting up the hammock. "Don't even try making her talk. I've been trying to get her to say something for a month now."

"A month?" she repeated.

Piper nodded her head. "I was the Newbie before you showed up. I'm sure Harriet told you all about the Box and whatnot, right?"

"Yeah, she did," she responded. "She didn't tell me about that, though, except to never go beyond them."

Piper looked to see that she was pointing at the Doors. She was at a loss for words, conflicted as to what she should tell her. "Well, Harriet's right about that."

"Who are they?" she asked, now pointing at Maeve and Jane that just came back to the Glen. "Didn't Harriet say--"

"Yes, but they're Runners," Piper blurted out.

Rachel shook her head. "A Runner..." she muttered.

"Yeah, but we can talk about that later. Right now, I want you to get settled in before we-- ow!" Piper dropped the hammock due to Lillie hitting me on the arm. "What was that for?!" she asked, rubbing her arm. Lillie pointed at Rachel, who was walking toward the Doors. "She's one curious stick, isn't she?" They ran after her just as she got to the Walls. "What are you doing?" she called out.

Rachel turned around and looked at Piper for a moment, then back at the Doors. "I'm just going to take a look," she answered.

"Look, you can't go out there," Piper warned her. "It's not safe, especially not now."

"Okay, I'm not gonna go in," she assured her, staring beyond the Doors and into the Maze. She slowly walked closer towardsthe Doors, looking very curious. Before she could go any further...

"Hey!" Beth shouted, storming toward Rachel, shoving her to the ground.

Rachel groaned, staring up at Beth. "What the hell?!"

"We really gotta stop meeting like this, Newbie," Beth retorted.

Rachel stood up, pushing Beth out of her way. "Get away from me!" she shouted.

"Whoa, calm down, Newbie," Beth told her. "I was trying to stop you before you did something stupid."

"Yeah, right," Rachel spat out, glaring at Beth.

The shouting from Rachel caused the other Glenners, including Harriet and Sonya, to run toward the ruckus. "What's going on?" Harriet asked.

"What the hell is wrong with all of you?!" Rachel shouted in frustration.

"Look, just calm down, okay?" Sonya said.

"No! Why won't you tell me what's out there?" she asked us.

"We're just trying to protect you, Newbie," Harriet stated

"Yeah, it's for your own good," Esther added.

"Well, you girls can't just keep me in here!" Rachel retorted.

"We can't let you leave!" Beth shouted.

"Why not?!" Rachel spat back.

All of a sudden, the wind was blowing a bit harder, and the Doors made some clicking noise, then they slowly began to close. Once they were fully closed, Rachel was panting, looking at the Doors in confusion. "What just--"

"Next time, Newbie..." Beth began to say, walking toward her. "I'll just let you leave. Then we'll see if you make it back in time." Beth shot her a glare before strolling away, along with the other Glenners.

Piper huffed a sigh and walked toward Rachel. "Welcome to the Glen."

*******

For the rest of the day, Piper helped Rachel with her hammock, then she and Lillie gave her a tour of the place and told her about some of the jobs in the Glen. She tried her best to take it all in, but Piper knew that she was having a hard time when all she could do was look back at the Walls.

That night, just like Piper's first night here, the Glenners had a celebration for Rachel. Of course, she was not too excited about the whole thing. Nevertheless, she still went, anyway, only because she had to. While everyone was cheering and laughing amongst one another, Rachel sat away from the others up against a log, staring at the Walls again.

Piper, Lillie, and Sonya walked up and sat down around her. "So..." Piper began to say.

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

"You've had one hell of a first day, Rachel," Sonya told her, chuckling a little.

Rachel gave her a slight nod. "Yeah, I guess." Lillie handed her a jar with some yellow drink in it. "What's this?" she asked.

"Something to help put you at ease," Sonya replied.

She looked at it and reluctantly drank it. Then, she spat it out, gagging and coughing, while we laughed at her. "What is that stuff?"

"We don't really know," Piper responded. "I'm sure you think it tastes like klank, though."

Sonya laughed. "It's something Beth came up with," she added.

Rachel turned around and looked at Beth, who was in the Fight Circle with Mary. "What a bitch," she muttered, turning back around and shaking her head.

"She saved your life today," Sonya pointed out. "The Maze is a dangerous place."

Rachel went back to staring at the Walls, huffing a sigh. "We're trapped here, aren't we?" she asked.

"For now," Sonya said.

Piper looked past Rachel and Sonya and pointed at the Runners. "See those girls by the fire?" Rachel turned around and nodded her head. "Those are the Runners. They're the ones you saw earlier today. The one with brown hair in the middle, with wavy hair, that's Maeve. She's the Keeper of the Runners. Every morning, when the Doors open, her and Jane run the Maze, mapping it, memorizing it, trying to find a way out."

"How long have they been looking?" Rachel inquired.

Sonya looked down at the grass. "Two years."

Rachel raised her eyebrows in shock. "And they still haven't found anything?"

Sonya let out a laugh. "It's a lot easier said than done. Trust me, I used to run the Maze. Listen carefully..." They all stayed quiet as the Maze made loud, creaking and rumbling noises. "Hear that?" Rachel nodded her head. "That's the sound of the Maze changing. It changes every night."

Rachel shook her head. "How is that even possible?" she asked.

"Well, you can ask the people who put us in here, you know, if you ever meet the bastards," Piper spoke up.

"And the Runners are the only ones who know what's really out there," Sonya explained. "They're the strongest and the fastest out of all of us. It's a good thing, too, because if they don't make it back before the Doors close, then they're stuck out there for the night. No one has ever survived a night in the Maze."

"What happens to them?" Rachel asked.

Sonya sighed. "The Grievers take them, I suppose. They're the creatures that live in the Maze. Being stung by one is no joke." The blonde turned back around to look at the Glenners. "See that girl sitting beside Harriet, over by the Fight Circle? That's Claire. She just recovered from a Griever sting, and she was stung a few weeks ago."

Rachel observed her, trying to process all of this. It was a lot of information, but she had to know sooner or later, and she was already curious about the Maze, anyway. "Wow, this is--"

"A lot to take in, I know," Sonya said. "Well, that's enough questions for one night. You're supposed to be the guest of honor tonight."

Rachel shook her head. "Oh, no..."

"No, come on," Piper stated, pulling her up from the ground with the help from Lillie. "Let us show you around."

And so the four of them went walking around as Sonya explained the other jobs to Rachel like she did to Piper. However, Piper's attention was more focused on Claire. She didn't realize that Claire even fully recovered from her sting until Sonya said something about it just now. She looked a lot better than she did a few weeks ago, which Piper was pleased to see. Hopefully, she wouldn't try to work herself too hard and go back to running the Maze.

"So, yeah, that's all of the jobs," Sonya finished up, exhaling another sigh.

"What if I want to be a Runner?" Rachel asked.

Sonya let out a chuckle. "Did you hear anything I just told you about the sticking Maze? No one wants to be a Runner. That's why there's only three of them. Besides, you have to be chosen."

"Chosen by who?" she questioned.

Before Sonya could answer the question, Rachel was almost knocked down by Cora. She looked down at Cora, then straightened her shirt out. Her eyes moved up to Beth.

Beth raised her eyebrows at her, folding her arms over her chest. "What do you say, Newbie? Wanna see what you're made of?"

When Rachel didn't respond right away, Helen began to chant the word, "Newbie! Newbie!"

Then, the chanting began to spread all over the Glen. Even Piper chimed in with everyone else. Rachel, who looked around at everyone, moved into the Fight Circle, making everyone applaud and cheer for her.

"So, basically, I'm going to try and push you out of the Fight Circle. Your job is to last more than five sticking seconds," Beth explained, making the others laugh around her. "Ready?"

"Do I really have a choice?" Rachel retorted.

"No, not really." Before Rachel could react, Beth charged toward her and slammed her onto the ground. The Glenners, minus Piper and Lillie, cheered and laughed. "Get up, Newbie," Beth said. "We're not done yet."

Rachel groaned, standing up, wiping the sand off of her. "Stop calling me Newbie," she snapped.

"Stop calling you that?" Beth asked, raising her eyebrows. "What do you wanna be called? How about crackface?" The Glenners laughed at this. "What do you think, girls?" They cheered even louder as Rachel attempted to go after Beth, but the Builder used her feet to trip her, causing Rachel to fall to the ground again. "I think I'll settle with crackface."

Piper could tell from the look in Rachel's eyes that she was pissed off and her blood was boiling. She dashed towards Beth and grabbed her torso, doing her best with pushing her out of the Fight Circle. Then, Rachel slammed her to the ground, causing the crowd to cheer and clap for her.

Rachel had a grin on her face, which was the first time I had seen some kind of smile on her face ever since she got here. "Not bad for a crackface, huh?"

Beth slowly got up, humiliation and defeat showing on her face. Before she could say or do anything else, the sound of a roar came from the distance. The Glenners all looked toward the Walls, knowing that the sound came from there.

"Was that...?" Rachel began to ask.

"A Griever, yes," Sonya replied. "But don't worry. We're all safe here. Nothing can get past those Walls when they're closed."

It was silent for a moment, then Harriet spoke up. "Okay, let's wrap it up and get some sleep now!"

And so the girls cleaned up from the celebration and went to the Homebase, getting into their hammocks. Piper drifted off to sleep, hoping tomorrow would go back to normal.

~~~~~~~

A/N: Heeeey, new character!

So what do y'all think of Rachel?

Song above is What is This Place? By John Paesano.

Comment, vote, more soon because things are about to get intense!

-A