*The Slammer*

They held me in an iron tight grip; I tried to squirm away, and almost became successful, until I was swept back into the arms of Gally and Alby by the other gladers. They were all around me, pressed against my sides, shoving me roughly forward with calloused hands. I was vaguely aware of Newt's furious protests over the din of the crowd, but they were no use. Nobody was paying him any attention.

Why was I being treated like this? What had I ever done?

After another unsuccessful attempt at breaking free from Gally's grasp, I allowed myself to be guided past the Homestead, and to a small concrete box. Literally, a box. The windows were barred with rotting wood, and the door was sealed with a rusty lock. So this was it; a prison, basically. They were going to lock me up, huh? Because I was a girl? Some kinda freak in their eyes? They'd believe me to be even more so if they found out about the experiments. What I could do... but what could I do, exactly? Kill people with my minds. Perhaps I ought to just kill everyone.

No! How could I even think like that?

A rusty shriek wailed through the air.

I was yanked forward by a pair of strong arms, and the next thing I knew, my head slammed against a concrete wall. I was dazed, and I slowly slumped against the structure as my head swam precariously. Were they going to keep me here forever? Might as well just kill me...

"Rowan!" A voice cried, and I glanced up, my vision still fuzzy, to see a boy's strong figure push through the crowd.

Newt.

Then everything went dark.

~

I woke up to a pounding headache, still slouched against the concrete wall. The room was dark, but my eyes eventually adjusted. Through filtered vision, I could make out a rickety chair in the corner of the room, and a thin sheet laid out on the floor. Nothing else.

This was going to be fun. I hoped I'd be fed at least; they wouldn't let me starve to death, right?

I sighed and scrambled up onto my feet, glancing around. The boards covering the window had slits and I carefully peered through them. It was dark outside and the charcoal sky was peppered with stars; must be night. How long had I been out? How long were they going to keep me here?

Another heavy sigh. What was I supposed to do? I guess I could sleep, but would I be able to, with all these absurd thoughts running through my head?

I suppose I could try.

Heaving yet another sigh, I trudged over to the meagre bed roll and plopped down onto the hard surface. The sheet did nothing to ease the harsh concrete floor, but surprisingly, I felt a surge of exhaustion and drifted into the compelling clutches of sleep.