The healer [Maze runner Newt x OC]

The girl shot out of her slumber, her heart racing as the loud metallic clangs rang in her ears. She jerked upright, her breath caught in her throat. Where am I? What happened? Her mind was a blur, and panic quickly clawed its way to the surface. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep, but this wasn't where she had been. This wasn't even a place she recognized. She felt her pulse pounding in her temples, the cold steel beneath her fingers. She was lying on something hard, and when she looked around, it only made the confusion worse.

The dark around her was thick and oppressive, but her eyes began adjusting. Slowly, blurry shapes started to form. The cage-like structure she was in moved up, rising slowly as if dragged by some invisible force. Cables above her groaned. She could just make out barrels and crates surrounding her. Her gaze fell on the markings scrawled on each one—WCKD. Her brow furrowed, but the word didn't make any sense. Nothing made sense. What was this place?

"Hey, can someone hear me!?" she called, her voice hoarse, but she barely recognized the sound. The words felt foreign in her mouth, as if it had been ages since she last spoke.

The elevator jolted to a sudden halt. She braced herself instinctively, looking down as the floor seemed to shift beneath her. She regretted it almost immediately, her eyes stinging from the sudden burst of bright light above. Shielding her face with her arm, she squinted, trying to make out who or what was standing there.

"New Greenie sounds like a girl." A voice, teasing and surprised, cut through the air.

She blinked, trying to focus. Was she really hearing this right? The voice belonged to a boy, maybe slightly older than her, who had jumped down from above. His eyes widened in a mix of surprise and curiosity as they met hers.

"That's because she is," another voice piped up, somewhat amused.

She wanted to say something, to respond, but her throat felt dry, and her mind couldn't quite catch up with the situation.

A chorus of voices filled the air, some louder than others.

"What?"

"A girl?"

"What do you mean, Alby?"

The boy from earlier—Alby, she realized—extended his arm toward her. His expression softened, though confusion still marked his features. "Come on. Let me help you up."

Without fully understanding why, she took his hand, feeling a strange sense of trust she couldn't explain. Her mind raced, but somehow, his touch grounded her in a way she couldn't describe. It felt... right. She let him pull her up, her legs shaky as she climbed the rope he had thrown down.

When she reached the top, she hesitated. At least twenty boys stood around, all watching her with wide eyes. They looked... stunned. No one said anything at first. They just stared at her like she was some sort of puzzle they couldn't solve.

"Alright, everyone, give her some space," Alby ordered, his voice calm yet authoritative.

The boys reluctantly backed away, but their eyes never left her. It felt suffocating. She was different—she could feel it in the way they looked at her. It was as though she was a puzzle piece they hadn't been prepared for.

"Hi, I'm Nick," another boy stepped forward. He held his hand out to her, a warm smile on his face. "Leader of this place."

"Leader?" She blinked, still struggling to wrap her mind around the situation. She shook his hand hesitantly, trying not to show how lost she felt. "I'm... I... don't know."

The words came out like a whisper. Who was she? How could she not remember anything? Not even her own name?

"Not to worry," Nick said with an easy smile. "It'll come back to you. It's the one thing they let us keep." He gave a glance around, clapping his hands. "Alright, everyone back to work! We've got things to do."

Her head was spinning. She nodded, trying to keep up with what was going on, but the details didn't seem to stick. She followed Nick as he led her through the Glade, trying her best to ignore the stares that still followed her. Each look from the boys made her feel like an alien, a freak in a place that was somehow hers but wasn't.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" she asked, keeping pace beside him. She didn't know if she was angry or scared or just confused.

Nick shrugged. "It's a bit hard to explain. Don't feel bad if you don't understand all of it. It's been like this for a while."

They reached a ladder, and Nick started to climb it, motioning for her to follow. Her legs felt weak, but she managed to scramble up after him. At the top, they emerged into a treehouse of sorts, with wooden planks and a view of the entire Glade below. Nick sat down on the ledge, his legs dangling as he looked out over the space.

"We kind of have a routine here," he began, his voice calm as if this was all just normal. "With you arriving, that routine's gonna change a bit."

"Change how?" she asked, trying to focus. This new world was disorienting, and her mind kept returning to one question: Who was she?

Nick glanced over at her. "See any other girls around here?"

She looked around the Glade, her eyes scanning the area. No. No girls. Just boys. She felt her heart sink as she realized the weight of that truth.

"That thing you came in," Nick continued, nodding toward the Box, "we call it the Box. Once a month, a new Greenie arrives. Until now, they were all boys."

She frowned, counting the boys she saw. It didn't add up. How had she ended up here? How long had she been gone?

"How long have you guys been here?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

"Just over a year," Nick said. "That's when we got here. And who put us here? We don't know. We call them the Creators. Why we're here, who we were before this... nobody knows."

Her mind reeled as she tried to process it all. She didn't know why she was here, where she was, or what had happened. But somehow, she knew this place... it was her only reality now.

"This is all we got," Nick said, his tone firm as he looked out over the Glade. "We've worked hard for it. If you respect this place... you'll fit in just fine."

She nodded. The words felt strangely comforting, but the fear in her chest was still there. There were too many unknowns.

"We only have three rules," Nick said, raising a finger. "First, do your part. No freeloaders." He raised another finger. "Second, never harm another Glader. Trust is everything here." And then a third. "Most importantly, never go beyond those walls."

Her gaze flicked to the towering walls surrounding the Glade. She didn't dare look too long, but she was curious. What was beyond those walls?

"Can I ask what's out there?" she ventured, her voice shaky.

Nick looked at her seriously. "We call it the Maze," he said, his eyes darkening. "Every night, the doors close. And that's when the Grievers come out."

"The Grievers?" she asked, her stomach dropping.

"You'll learn," Nick replied grimly, his gaze shifting away.

Just then, she saw Alby again, smiling and waving. "Alby will show you to your hammock," Nick said, standing up and offering her a brief smile. "You can sleep there for now."

She nodded absently, feeling disconnected from the reality she was now part of. "See you around, Greenie," Nick said, turning to leave.

"Yeah, see ya around," she murmured, her thoughts swirling as she made her way toward Alby. Where had she come from? Who had done this to her? And more importantly... who was she?

Hello there! When you're reading this, this book had undergone torough editing since november 2024 (So if you are reading this on the 26th, it is undergoing editing) so if some things seem weird, or disoriented, this is very likely the cause! I want to thank you all so much for joining me on this book and I hope you'll enjoy it. If you enjoyed this prologue please leave a vote, comment and add this book to your reading list to stay updated!

-X Violet's-library