It happened again.

I was drowning, air unable to escape my lungs. I could hear so many voices running through my brain as I slammed my fists against the glass.

"Train her: see how the kill zone changes based on her survival skills"

"We need to use as many variables as possible."

"She knows too much... That boy is-"

I woke with a start, sweat beading off my body. I ran my fingers through my hair, sighing deeply. What had my dream meant? What boy had the woman's voice been referring to? What was the killzone?

I glanced out the window and realized it was too early to talk to Alby yet. I knew Newt had a say in what my job would be, but ultimately it was Minho's decision.

I rubbed the sweat off my face. I feel disgusting. I took a deep breath as I walked downstairs, taking extra clothes with me so I could bathe.

There was a little hut-like building not far from the homestead. I decided I would check there and see if that was were the showers were. I was unsure if Gally had finished that bath tub he said he was going to make, but I wouldn't exactly mind just having to pour water on myself. Having not bathed for a week, I felt awful.

I walked into the building, not expecting anyone to be in there. But to my surprise, Gally was standing by a broken piece of glass- it held his reflection in it. A mirror? Gally turned to look at me, a stone-like expression on his face.

My cheeks flushed as I noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"I-Um-Hi, I can just go..." I looked away from him, immediately struggling to find my words. His hair was still damp, sticking up like spikes on his head. His expression turned into one of amusement as he walked towards me.

"Nah, Greenie." He smirked as he stood a foot away from me. "I'm done anyways. The tub is over there-" He pointed to a secluded corner in the building. "You'll still have to use a bucket to get water though."

"Thank..." I trailed off, biting my lip as I stared at the wooden tub. It looked nice enough. It wasn't super big, but it would fit any of the guys here at least, if not someone bigger. I frowned, realizing there was no lock on the door. Anyone could come in at any moment.

"Gally, could you maybe keep watch outside?"

My furrowed my eyebrows as he began to smirk. "What? Don't trust us boys?"

"Not all of you." I admitted, taking a deep breath. "I just wouldn't feel safe."

His smirked widened. "We can't have that, now can we." He rubbed my head as he opened the door. "I'll make sure no Shuck's get in. Alright, Greenie?"

I smiled, walking over to the tub. "Thank you, Gally."

Once he left, I couldn't help but still feel vulnerable in the small space. How could I trust Gally? He wasn't exactly nice to the others... He's nice to me. Sometimes.

I took a deep breath as I began to take my clothes off, the cold air from outside sending shivers down my spine. I filled up the tub with water before stepping into it. It wasn't cold, but it certainly wasn't warm either. I sat down, allowing the water to cover me up to my neck. After the nightmares, the thought of going under water terrified me. I sat in silence for a moment, staring at the water as it rippled from my arms moving.

What boy had the voice meant in my dream? Was it one of the boys here? Doubtful. I hardly feel a connection to any. I lifted up a bucket of water, pouring it over my head slowly.

"Ahh!" I yelled in a hushed tone, shivering from head to toe as the water dripped down my body. That was all the water I could take. I stood quickly, stepping out of the tub. I decided to go to the mirror. I couldn't remember what I looked like, all I knew is I felt like I wasn't anything special.

My hair was long, while damp at least. It fell down past my chest, lowering almost down to my waist. I frowned almost immediately. I'll have to cut it shorter. Some of it looks dead, anyways. Next I noticed that my skin was pale- not exactly while, but a close enough shade to it. My cheeks had a few red spots, which I assumed were from the sun exposure the last few days. I leaned closer to the glass, trying to catch the color of my eyes. Green.

I walked out of the building, smiling as I noticed Gally was leaning against a tree, waiting for me.

"Any shuck's try to sneak in?" I asked as we began to walk together.

"One or two. But don't worry, I dealt with them." Malice was dripping like venom off his voice.

"You're kind of an ass, y'know." I told him with a smirk as I continued to walk with him. Gally glanced over at me, a bewildered expression on his face.

He didn't reply, instead he continued walking, faster than before.

"Why are you nice to me?" I asked as we came across the forest. Gally picked up a piece of wood, staring at me. "You're different."

"Well, I am the only girl here." I teased, a smile on my lips. "But that isn't a justifiable reason."

"You're the most beautiful, that's for sure." He ignored the latter comment, smirking at me.

My cheeks flushed as I looked at the ground, kicking dirt around. "Thanks."

"Tasha." I looked over my shoulder to see Newt standing with Minho a few feet away. Minho looked like he was going to laugh, a wide smirk on his face, while Newt looked unimpressed. "Alby wants to talk to you."

"Oh, okay." I smiled at Gally one last time before walking off with Newt and Minho. I was a few feet behind, so when Minho whispered something to Newt I couldn't hear what he said.

"Oh, bloody, shut up!" He replied in a hushed tone.

As we walked into another hut, I became nervous. Maybe I wasn't ready to be a runner. I wasn't as strong as any of the other boys, and I certainly wasn't as brave as Minho was. What if I screw up?

I was startled as Alby stood in front of us, his arms folded across his chest. Newt went over to him, standing almost proudly with him. Together, they were the perfect leaders.

"Okay, Greenie. We don't usually do this. Normally Runners are chosen after they stay at a different job for a while, but Minho said you excelled better than any other runner he's seen."

I glanced over at Minho who gave a shrug. He wouldn't seem like the kind of guy to give compliments that easy, but maybe I did a fair job?

"We've all decided," Newt spoke next, his accent sending shivers down my back. "That you will be a Runner. If you want."

It felt like everything was still. I wasn't sure if I should be happy, scared, or excited. Maybe I wasn't supposed to feel any of that. I nodded at Newt, unable to speak. Alby began to explain things, but I was entirely spaced out.

"-And tomorrow you'll start. Any questions, Greenie?"

I blinked a few times, flushing as I rubbed the back of my neck. "Uh, no. No I think I got it."

"Whatever you say." Alby didn't look convinced. "For the rest of the day, you'll work at the gardens with Newt."

"C'mon, Greenie. Let's get back to work."

Newt and I worked for a few hours, planting seeds into the dirt, picking berries from the trees... And yet we hardly spoke a single word to each other. He felt distant- maybe he was upset about something. I wanted to break the ice, but I didn't know how.

My eyes.

He wouldn't know if I had looked at myself in the mirror; maybe if I asked him my eye color, he'd want to talk to me.

"Hey Newt?"

"Yeah, Love?"

"What color are my eyes?" I asked as I stepped closer to him, looking directly at his face.

Maybe it was me wanting to be closer to him, or maybe I was just curious, either way, when he stepped so his face was only inches from mine, my breath hitched in my throat. He looked into my eyes, brushing my hair away from my face. A small smile came to his lips. "Green. But you have some blue around your pupil." He stepped back a little ways, causing air to finally fill my lungs again.

"Does it look nice?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of him. Newt nodded, his cheeks turning a light pink. "Yeah, they're beautiful."

I looked away finally, my cheeks heating up as well. "Thanks, Newt."

Silence fell over us again, and I felt like I was alone.

The next morning I decided I needed some change.

If I was going to be a runner, I couldn't bloody well run with hair that goes past my waist, even if I can braid it. I grabbed a pair of scissors from the builders area, walking into the bathroom. I looked into the mirror, pulling all my hair forward. I took a deep breath as I began cutting inches upon inches off of my hair. By the time I was done, I was left with still long, curly hair that went to between my chest and my shoulders, although when I put it back it went half way down my back.

I smiled at myself in the mirror. The super long hair wasn't meant. That was whoever I was before the Glade. This is me now, and I have to accept it.

I left the building, hoping to find Newt before I had to leave with Minho and the other Runners. I managed to find him by the garden, setting supply out for the other Shanks.

"Hey, Newt." I tapped his shoulder, a grin on my face.

He turned to look at me, cocking his head to the side. "You cut your hair."

I nodded, still grinning. "Yeah, I thought It might get in the way of running, besides I needed a change.

"It looks great." He replied, not a hint of deceit in his voice. I was finally starting to get good at telling if any of the boys were fibbing. "You seem a lot happier."

"I am. Whoever I was before, that doesn't really matter, does it? That long hair just wasn't me. Besides, it's bloody easier to deal with." I grinned, copying his famously used word. I looked behind him and noticed Minho was waiting at the opening of the walls.

"Shit. Can't be late on my first day. " I muttered with a grin as I began to jog towards him. "I'll see ya later, Newt!" I waved to him before catching up to Minho.

"Ah, there's the greenie." A taller boy with light blonde hair said, standing next to Minho.

"Tasha, this is Ben. Ben, Tasha."

I smiled at him. "Hey. I guess you'll be calling me Greenie then?"

"It depends on how well you run." Ben grinned, nudging my side.

Minho stood in front of both of us. "Remember to keep up; I don't wanna have to come back for you, Greenie."

"Okay, okay. I got this." I muttered more to myself than him.

As we took off into a jog, I felt an exhilarating rush go through me. It was almost like a memory. I was running as fast as I could, neck to neck with Minho. I began grinning as we turned the corner, only slowing down for a moment. This is what freedom felt like. We were trapped in the Glade, but being a Runner; running the maze was what freedom felt like.

Beautiful.