Gasps escaped my lips as I tried to get air into my lungs. About halfway there I caught Gally's eyes and I buried my head into Thomas's chest, not wanting to look at him. The suffocation didn't help and more tears streamed down my face. I still couldn't catch my breath and I was starting to feel incredibly lightheaded, everything was spinning. By the time we had got to the medhut a crowd of boys had gathered behind us, including Gally. We walked in and there were two boys arranging things.
The boy with the British accent, Gally and Minho came in before shutting the door.
"Alby what happened?" One of them asked, I couldn't tell over my heavy breathing gasping, and crying.
"I don't know Jeff, I asked her if she remembered anything and she started hyperventilating." The boy who must be Jeff nodded and walked over to me and Thomas. He held out his arms to pick me up from Thomas, however, Thomas just pulled me close. Jeff retracted his arms and walked over to a bed.
"Sit her down here." The other boy ordered. Thomas obeyed and then went to stand next to me. "Hey, I'm Clint. Can you try and take a deep breath for me?" The boy asked and crouched down in front of me. I tried and failed and after my breath got faster than ever. I was still light-headed and it felt like I was drowning
"I think she is having a panic attack." He said as he stood up.
"Well, how do we stop it?" Thomas asked still freaking a little.
"Everybody try to calm her, we will all try and go from there."Jeff went first, then Clint, Alby, the guy with an accent who must be called Newt, next Minho then only Thomas and Gally were left.
Thomas came towards me and crouched in front of me holding my chin with one hand and my shoulder with his other so I would look at him. "Shhhhh, Antonia, it will be ok, we will be fine." He said which helped my tears stop and my gasps went down but I was still feeling light-headed, breathing heavily and dizzy. He sat down next to me and put his head in his hands.
" What if she does this till she passes out?" He said sadly.
"We still haven't tried Gally," Newt said thoughtfully. We all looked at Gally and I wrapped my arms around my body like I could breathe again if I squeezed myself. Gally scratched the back of his neck nervously.
"I don't think I'm going to help if her boyfriend couldn't do it." He said and started walking towards the door. Thomas shot up with a serious face. "Who's her boyfriend?" He asked sternly. "Well, you of course." Gally replied, and stood still for a second. Thomas started laughing and put his hand on my shoulder. "She's my sister!" he said in between laughs. Gally had an "oh" face on. "My bad." He chuckled a bit and Thomas laughed a bit harder.
"I still don't think I should." He said and stepped towards the door and put a hand on the doorknob. Thomas immediately stopped laughing and stormed over to Gally. Even though Thomas was a lot shorter than him he went right up to him and stood his ground.
"Why not?" "Because I just don't think it's a good idea!" Gally replied and pushed Thomas away a little bit.
"Hey calm it!" Alby started. "Gally just try it for a second" He didn't yell exactly but he raised his voice just enough to know that he was serious.
Gally reluctantly walked over to me. He crouched down in front of me so our faces were the same height seen as he was like a giant. He reached for my hands before pulling his own away nervously like he was second-guessing what he was doing. He grabbed my hands and they felt rough yet smooth. They fit perfectly with mine and it made my heart flutter, although that might have just been the hyperventilating.
He pulled them away from my body and laid our intertwined hands on my thighs. He made eye contact with me and started breathing slowly, in through the nose, hold, and out through the mouth. My breathing eventually slowed down until I was almost done hyperventilating. He sat there for a while longer and just stared at our hands before someone cleared their throat, I reckon it was Minho.
Gally stood up immediately and let go of our hands. As soon as he left my breathing became fast again and I could feel myself going into panic again. Bro, why do I have to look like a wimp infront of the cutest guy in the glade? Gally started to walk away again, not realizing my breath had picked up again before the door was blocked by Thomas.
"Nope, you get back over there. She had stopped hyperventilating until you left. Now I don't care if I hate you, you helped her. Get over there." He said and pushed Gally back towards me. Gally huffed in frustration about the fact he was being pushed around but still came and set next to me, intertwining our hands once again.
Slowly, but surely, my hyperventilating came to a stop. "Thanks," I said awkwardly. He nodded, a warmth in his eyes, and started to get up.
"Wait!" piped up Jeff. We all turned to look at him. "I know you just got here and Alby needs to give you the tour, but I need to make sure you don't have another panic attack. Anxiety can be a strange thing. You need to come back here after the bonfire so I can watch over you. Then I'll know if you have panic attacks randomly or if something triggers them. Gally, I'm sorry, but I need you to sleep here too in case she has another one." He said.
We all turned to look at him and nodded at the first part, but all looked at him weirdly when he said Gally has to stay too. "Huh?" Gally asked dumbly.
"You need to stay here... Sorry." Jeff said scared. I didn't know what was going on, but Gally must have some mean reputation. Gally looked at Alby as if Jeff was kidding.
"You heard him," Alby said firmly, Gally looked down his cheeks a little bit pink. Why would he be blushing? He nodded slowly.
"Antonia, Thomas I'll show you around." Alby said. Thomas and I nodded and I stood, but I was still holding onto Gally's hands. "Thank you again," I said and let go of his hands. He nodded and Thomas and I walked out with Alby.
Half of the crowd had left and the only few left were looking at me confusingly. My hands wrapped around my waist and I kept looking at the floor like it had personally offended me. "What happened?" A big dark boy asked.
"I'll tell you the later at the bonfire Frypan," Alby responded.
"What is this bonfire you guys keep talking about?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "Every month, a new greenie comes up. Well, this year it was two, and also you're a girl, but I don't know why that's happened yet. Anyway, every night of the new greenies' arrival, we have a bonfire party celebrating the new greenie." Alby explained.
I nodded. Alby went and showed us around and pointed out all the buildings. Lastly, he led us up to the watchtower. I stood in between Alby and Thomas and examined the maze walls.
"This is all we got we all worked hard for it," Alby said to me and Thomas. "You respect this place, and you and I will get along just fine." He added.
"what's out there?" Thomas asked gesturing to the opening in the walls.
"We only have 3 rules," Alby started instead of answering Thomas. "First, do you apart. No time for any free goers. Second, don't harm another glader, for this to work there most by the upmost trust. Most importantly, never go out beyond these walls. Understand greenies?" Alby said, getting closer to me and Thomas with each word. We were about to answer, when someone yelled, "Hey Alby!" From below.
Albie walked over to the side and looked down with me and Thomas following. We looked down to see a chubby Brown hair boy that only looks 12 to 13. whoever put us in here was not letting us off easy. Who puts a kid in a place like this? The kid waved, and Alby called out, "where you been man?" In a playful tone.
We all climbed down and met up with the kid. "My name is Chuck." He said Thomas with his hand outstretched. Thomas shook it and smiled. "Thomas." He said. Chuck then looked at me and blushed. Awww so cute.
"Antonia," I said for him since he seemed to be at a loss for words. He nodded and looked back to Alby.
"Go set up some hammocks for them, put them around Gally's in case Antonia has another panic attack," Alby said.
"I will also get Gally to start making a new hut in the woods so you don't have to be with the boys, Antonia," Alby told me before nodding at Chuck and Thomas.
"Thank you, Alby" I replied with a small smile, grateful that I wouldn't have to be with the boys for long.
"So, that's what happened to you," Chuck said looking at me. I fiddled with my hands awkwardly. "yea" I replied, ashamed.
"Well, let's go set up your hammock, and temporary hammock," Chuck said cheerfully. Thomas and I followed him around to a building where Chuck started setting up two hammocks first. I offered to help, but he batted away my offer of help.
"This is basically the sleep spot for all of us, but we have certain hammocks, so I will put yours by Gally's," Chuck said to me as he was finishing up Thomas's hammock. "We wake up in the box, Alby gives us the tour, then here we are," Chuck added as he was finishing up the last touches on the hammock.
Me and Thomas weren't really paying attention, we were more interested in the walls. I looked towards Thomas only to see him starting to walk towards the opening in the walls.
"Don't worry, you guys are already doing better than I was. I kluncked my pants three times before they got me out the pit." I heard Chuck say as I started to follow Thomas.
"Thomas" I shouted and ran to catch up with him. By this time Chuck had also started to run after us.
"Dude where are y'all going?" Chuck asked us.
"Just looking." Replied Thomas.
"You can look all you want but you had better not go out there. " Chuck warned.
"Why not?" I asked.
"What's out there?" finished Thomas.
"Look I don't know, I just know what I'm told and we are not supposed to go out there," Chuck said whilst stepping in front of us, preventing us from walking any further. Thomas and I sighed before we heard the footsteps. A second later, Minho and another boy with dirty blonde hair ran out of the maze. As they ran past us, Minho called out "'Sup Antonia." I nodded back at him, a smile toying on my lips whilst Thomas glared a bit at him. Must have been the whole falling into Minho yesterday. Thomas can be a bit overprotective.
"hey Chuck, new greenies huh? How's it feel to be promoted?" The other boy asked as they were still running past us.
"Feels great, Ben," Chuck said proudly, chest puffed out. So, Ben's the other guy's name.
Hang on...
"I thought no one is allowed to leave?" Thomas questioned, voicing the question I had.
"I said we're not allowed to leave. They're different, they are runners. They know more about the maze than anyone." Chuck replied.
"Wait, what?" I asked.
"What?" Chuck said confused.
"You just said maze," Thomas said, confused too.
"I-I did?" Chuck replied nervously.
"Yeah," Thomas answered. We all looked towards the wal-maze as small grinding noises came from within. Thomas walked up to it with me following shortly after. Thomas and I stood and stared at the maze amazed.
"Where are you going, what are you doing??" Chuck asked as he got to us, panic evident in his voice.
"We're just going to take a look," I replied, craning my neck to get a better look.
"I told you, you can't," Chuck said and put a hand on my arm for a second. "No one leaves. Especially not now. It's not safe." He said standing to the side of us.
"ok," Thomas replied. "We're not going to go," I added, but Thomas kept getting closer. I grabbed Thomas's shirt and warned him, "he said no." I said through almost gritted teeth.
Thomas just looked me in the eye sternly and shrugged my hand off. He stepped closer, too close for my liking.
"Hey!" A familiar voice yelled. I looked over and Gally came, shoving Thomas very far away, making him land with a thud on the ground.
"We gotta stop meeting like this greenie." He said as his huge 6"3 form towered over Thomas. "Get off!" Thomas yelled and jumped up, moving away from Gally. "Hey, calm, calm, calm," Gally replied ( A/N he says calm like 50 times in the movie but yh) .
Most of the rest of the gladers had run up to us by now, aware of the commotion.
"Just relax," Gally said in a stern voice.
"No! What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Thomas shouted to the other gladers. Gally had come and stood closer to me now. He stood a bit in front of me as if to protect me if Thomas went crazy. I appreciate the gesture, but how dumb? Thomas is my brother and I know he wouldn't hurt me. Besides, I can protect myself.
"Just calm down alright?" Newt said in his funny British accent as he came up to us. Thomas flushed a little and stuttered before finally getting his words out.
"No, okay? Why won't you tell us what is out there?" Thomas questioned his voice not quite as angry as before.
"We're tryna protect you. For your own good." Alby replied.
"You guys can't just keep me here!" Thomas yelled out in rage.
"We can't let you leave," Alby said a little more sternly this time. By this point, I've had enough of Thomas' little outburst. I stomped over to him, shoving past Gally on my way. I smacked Thomas hard on the back of the head and he jerked around to face me, probably thinking it was Gally or someone else.
"He said you can't leave. And I said stop. Got it?" I said a little bit too harshly. Even though Thomas was taller than me, I still stood my ground. Thomas' eyes softened and he nodded. "Sorry."He mumbled to me, bowing his head. just as a loud grinding sound came from the maze. We both turned to look at it and a huge gust of wind came out, blowing my hair into my face.
"What the hell." I whispered. Large doors slid out from the walls and closed slowly.
"Next time, I'm going to let you leave," Gally said walking up to us, but he walked away just as quickly. The other boys had started to disperse, and Alby came up behind us.
"Welcome to the glade."He said quietly in our ears before walking away. I looked at Thomas fearfully. He pulled me into a comforting hug the same emotions written on his face too.
(2682 words)
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