Becoming My Nightmares

Chapter One

I don't know where I am? All I know is I was sent here for something. For something, some-certain-reason. One I can't remember.

"Ben... B-Ben..." Ben? Who is Ben? Am I Ben? I'm not Ben. Am I?

But it was cold where I was. Even not being awake, I could tell I was cold, I could feel it on my back. I could feel it on my head, on my chest, my legs. Everywhere was cold. I was cold.

"Zart... Zart..." The words reverberated around my head, bouncing and turning and swirling and spiralling. What the hell is a Zart? What the hell is going on? What the hell was up with me? Where was I?

It had been too long, since I saw the earth. The real earth. This was a dream and I was trying to wake myself, but it was too hard. Then my mind drifted.


"Subject A16, accounted for... Subject A17, affirmative... Subject A18, deceased 16:00 hours... Subject A19, affirm- negative... Negative. We have a negative on Subject A19, she's out again." The guard said through his radio, he started to run, but he was going the opposite way to me. I stood by listening. I smirked. Hidden, forever hiding. Who were these guys? Those beds, were they more kids-like me. What are they doing to us? What is this place? They were monitoring them, heart beats, blood pressure, brain-neurone patterns, blood type. They had all of their information on there too, names, ages.

Who were these people?

"Hello?" A voice said, jolting me from my dreams.


"Is she dead?" Another voice said. "Wait, check her heart beat." Someone was gonna touch my neck. My eyes couldn't open. But for some reason, my hand, immediately thrusted upwards, from the side of my body to the hand near my neck.

"Whoa. Guys she's alive." A British voice said, definitely British. My eyes fluttered open eventually opened. I heard a stampede of footsteps rushing to my side. I sighed, and rubbed my head until my eyes had fully adjusted to the bright sunlight. But it was being blocked slightly, by the heaps of boys towering over me from some-sort of ledge above me. "There's a note." He said. "What does it says Newt?"

They WILL be more... ONE more... Expect HER soon... A voice said. Reading out, what was it, a note he said. A note from who?
"How many more are wicked gonna bloody send?"

"W-Wh-Who are you?" I asked, scrambling backwards. But there was a cold metal wall, behind me. "Hey, hey guys. Give the greenie some space, yeah?" The British guy said. My breathing was shallow and fast. Gulping, I regained my breathe started to become more regulated, when the British boy gave me some sort of inhaler.

"Welcome to the Glade!" He said, throwing his arms in the air, palms upwards. The vision of it was so overwhelming, I felt phlegm in my throat but I swallowed it. I couldn't show weakness, by being sick, then these boys will take the piss out of me. It had to be the size of several football pitches, at least. It was mesmerizing, terrifying, and quite possibly life-defying that I made it out. From where I was stood, I could see four walls, and no apparent way out. The walls had to be 200-300 feet high, at least. To the north east (about), there was a grassy are, filled with boys harvesting crops, I presume. North west there was some sort of building, a two-storey one, but I couldn't see what was inside from here. I spun my head, quickly, taking in as much as my location, as possible. Behind me to my right was a large barn-like building. Behind to my left, was a small forest with a little graveyard.

"So can you remember your name?" He asked. "Of course I can remember my name it's..." But I stopped, Oh My GOD! "Wha- I-I. I can't remember. Is- Is that normal?" I asked. "Yes, yes, stay calm. None of us could remember our names, but it takes a couple hours. See him there." He pointed to a boy, about 17, with dark brown hair and quite light skin. "Yeah." I replied. "It only took him a couple hours, he says anyway." He sounded as if he didn't believe. "Why do you say that?" I asked. "I dunno, he's the newest he just seems like he remembered everything." He said.

"Do you know your name now?" I asked, scratching the back of my neck. "Yeah, I'm Newt." He replied, offering his arm as he stood up. "As in Newton?" I asked. "Yeah, you're the only one to notice that without me saying anything." He complimented me. "Well, I got all A+'s and A*'s in my exams in school." I said. "Figuring out the hypotenuse using Pythagoras was obviously my favourite thing to do.." I joked. "Me too. anyway lets go me-"

"Wait..." I interrupted him. "What is it?" He asked. "My name it, it begins with an H. I-I'm sure of it." I said. "Well, don't overthink it. It doesn't help." He suggested. But I couldn't get it of my mind. T... T... Th... "Thea!" I blurted out. He turned to me quickly. "Thea? Is that your name?" He asked, placing his hand on my shoulder. I nodded, unsurely. "Yes. Yes I am sure of it." I nodded. "Well looks like we have a new high score." Newt announced to the others. I could see no other girls in the herd of teenage boys.

"Am I the only girl?" I asked, trying to look through the crowd. "Yeah. But I wouldn't worry about that." He said. "No, what should I be worried about then?" I asked. "I'd be more worried about the fact that we don't have separate bedrooms." He laughed. "Great!" I exclaimed. "Thanks for that confidence booster." I giggled.
"You're welcome. Now let's see if I can find you any clothes." He said. "I have clothes on." I said. He raised his eyebrow. I looked down and noticed a rip in the jeans on my upper thigh, with a big gash. And my vest top had been ripped across the stomach. Wait a gash. Blood!
There was a lot of blood. "Shit!" I said. "Shit!" He repeated. He had a distinctive limp. I saw his body, move up and down as he stood on the limp. I wanted to ask why, but I resisted. My curiosity always was the strongest in all of my classes.

His voice was gravelly. "Yeah, ya think?" I joked around. "Heh, let's go get you patched up, huh?" He suggested, I nodded and he threw my arm around his neck. "Thanks." I said.

"Hey. Clint, think you could fix her leg and stomach." He said, his voice British and gruff, and it sounded super cute. Clint examined my leg first. "I'll leave you to get fixed up, come get me when you wanna get started." He said. He started to walk away. "Get started, with what?" I asked, he stopped and turned his head round to me. "Training." He replied, before he walked away again. I raised my eyebrows. "Hm?" I quizzed.


"So you the doctor, round here?" I asked, turning back to the Clint guy. "I'm a med-jack. So yeah basically the doctor, and Jeff over there." He pointed to a boy with dark skin and a buzz cut. "He's another med-jack. And I'm Clint." He added. "Thea." I announced. "You know your name already?" He asked, he looked confused. "Yeah, is that bad?" I asked, expecting the answer of something along the lines of "Oh it's probably not your name, or it's a name you've fabricated from your memory cells somewhere." But instead I received. "No, it's incredible." He smiled. "It is?" I was astonished. He nodded. I returned it with a smile.

It had been about half an hour now, Clint had stitched up the wound on my thigh, and he has just finished bandaging up my stomach. "So, Newt mentioned something about new clothes, I guess?" He said. "Why do you say that?" I laughed. Knowing already that it was because I looked like a bloody mess. Literally 'bloody'. "Hey, Newt!" Clint shouted across the Glade. He jogged over, dirty blonde hair flying in the breeze. I cocked my head sidewards. Looking at him, with a little confusion. He was like the father to them all. "Hey, what's up?" He smiled, clapping his hands together. "Erm... About Thea's clothes. We'll need to wash these ones, and we have no spare." I snapped my neck around to the Clint. "What? I am not walking around a place full of boys in my underwear." I demanded.

"No, these guys. Well, they've not seen a girl... in goodness how long? They're probably bloody horny as shuck." He said, placing his hands on his hips. "Come on, I have an idea." Newt said, his accent was dreamy. But I didn't know what he had planned for me to do. I followed the dirty blonde boy out of the Glade and into a more forestated section, cover of the trees clever guy.

We came to a small lake, so small it could pass as a pond, but it was a lake almost definitely. "So, this idea of yours. What is it?" I asked. "Well, you can clean yourself here. And clean your clothes. When your done leave your clothes on a rock to dry, the sun will dry them soon enough until then keep this." He said, then he unzipped his jacket and threw it to me. "So what about training?" I asked. "Training can wait, your health can't." He smiled. "I'm here, no one will come okay. Nothing will happen to you." He said. "Don't worry, I'm not looking." He added, turning away. I swallowed, what felt like a ball in my throat. "Okay." I replied. Then I took off my boots and socks, pulled my vest top over my head. Then inched my jeans off. I got in with my underwear and dragged my clothes in whilst I washed them, I watched as the blood from my body and clothes dispersed around me. I cleaned myself and then jumped out. I felt a little better about myself, to let myself be rid of all dirt and blood. I jiggled, around, shaking off as much water as possible, before I put on Newts jacket. He was very tall but I could tell that he had muscles. He had to.
"So, you done yet?" He asked, still facing the boys directions. "And you're still there?" I sighed, sympathetically. "Yeah, I said nothing will happen to you. And did it?" He asked, turning around now. "And you, you didn't look?" I asked, in shock. There's no way he didn't look, at least once. "No, I told you I wouldn't." He smiled. "I can see the jacket fits." He chuckled.
"Yeah, thanks for that." I blushed. "Heh, no problem. So training, yeah?" He stated. "Come on." He added, walking off. "Wai- Newt..." I said. "What?" He turned his head. "I have no clothes, I'm wearing you're jacket for fuck sake." I laughed. "Language, you're like twelve." He laughed. "Twelve? I'll have you know I'm like the same age as you..." I crossed my arms, in a slightly angered manner. "How old am I then?" He asked. "Do we really have to do this now?" I asked. He crossed his arms, raised his eyebrows, I knew he was a sarcastic little bitch. "16... maybe 17? You're 17." I said, taking a guess. "So you're 16 I'm guessing?" He asked.

"No, I'm twelve." I lied, joking around. "You're a cheeky one." He laughed. I sighed. "Want anymore of my clothes?" He laughed. "Huh? What, now?" I asked. He took a breathe and then took off his shirt. He threw it and I caught it in my hand. "Put that on, it's a long t-shirt. Then put the jacket on top, then we'll start training. Right?" He said, sarcastically. I gulped, raising my eyebrows. He scared me a little, but just enough to make me trust him. And I had no idea why? I took off the jacket, pulled the t-shirt down until it came up to my thighs, then zipped the jacket back up. "You done complaining now?" He asked, before grabbing me and making me move forwards. "What about my clothes?" I asked.
"I told you, just leave them there to dry." He replied.
We arrived back to the Glade with the rest of the boys. All the boys, gathered around. They didn't look happy. And it was quite intimidating. "Hey." I spoke softly. As if I was calming them down or something. "So, Newt training what does that me-" I spun around, only to have a fist meet my face.

Chapter Two

I fell to the ground. "Ow! What the fuck?" I complained, looking up to Newt who had just started to crack his knuckles. I raised my left index finger to my nose, and wiped it. I pulled my hand away and looked at the blood. The fucking asshole. "You said, you wouldn't let anything happen to me." I copied his words, the betrayal hurt the worst. I felt a tear coming to my eye.

"Get up and fight, greenie." A dark-skinned man with little afro hair picked me up off the floor like I was a piece of littered trash. "I don't wanna fight." I replied, I tried to back away from the circle the had created, but two boys gathered together behind me, blocking my exit. I could get between their legs, I was small enough sure. I figured , I could probably take on the skinny guy behind me, not the one who picked me up off the floor though. I felt his biceps around me, they were hard as rock.

I knew I'd have to fight my way out, so my options are: Stay and fight Newt, or the little guy behind me. I smirked. Knowing my plan, now.

I stepped closer to Newt, he took a swing and I dodged, ducking down into a very low squat. He swept his leg under, but it was slow, and easy to jump over. I smirked and kept moving around the outskirts of the circle until I was back in the place I started. Right in front of the skinny guy who had no idea I was going to do... This. I ran as fast as I could towards him and shoulder barged him out of my way, he was sent flying back into another boys hands.
So I kept running, and I looked behind me, smiling. I couldn't believe I escaped that death circle. I saw some sort of wall, it was higher than 30 of me. But there was, what looked like a door, in the middle. I ran in that general direction. "No!" A voice shouted. "THEA NOT THE DOOR!" I'm guessing that British accent was my 'best friend' Newt. I smiled, they couldn't stop me, but they chased me, I had to be only 30ft away, it wasn't until I turned around and my head smacked into what felt like bricks. But a little softer.

I fell on my ass, and my head hit the floor. The boys ran over. "Shit, Thomas that was pretty shucking lucky." A voice said, medium tone, definitely the dark-skinned boy. But not Jeff, Jeff wasn't as muscular. I rubbed my head. "Can't you guys just leave me alone." I asked, shuffling backwards. A dark-haired, tall boy offered his arm. "You just nearly entered the maze, good thing it doesn't open yet, huh?" He said. I got myself up off the floor. "I don't need your help." I retorted. "Okay." He said, throwing his hands up like a surrender. Ambling back towards the camp, I spotted him. I gave him evil eyes and walked away.


It was dark now. My first day here, and everyone already hates me. I sighed, I wanted to return to wherever I was before this ever happened. It must have been better. Surely. I looked up to the sky, I hadn't seen the sky in a long time... Wait, how do I remember that? I shook the thought out of my head. As I stared up to the sky, I saw the curtain of black. We light our fires long before nightfall. By the time the trees look like charcoalized versions of their daytime selves our faces are aglow with flickering orange. Well their faces, as they sat near the campfire, mine however was dark , like the trees, it looked as if my face was a charcoalized version of its past self. I heard footsteps behind me, in an odd rhythmic pattern a limp no doubt, but in my hand I held a small sharp stave of wood, that I had carved earlier, using the friction of the tree to sharpen it. Tightening my grip around the sharp wooden object, I took a swift turn, just missing the boys leg. "Hey." The British accent had returned. "Oh look who it is." I said.

"That before, that was training." He said. "You fucking punch me in the face." I retaliated. "Language." He replied. "Oh, don't even go there." I turned away. "Look Arcadia. We need to know what job you are going to have in here. Those boys out there if it would have been Gally or Alby, they would have killed you. Frypan, probably would try and kiss you, just the same as half the boys sat around that campfire." He said. "Which side are you on?" I asked. He just laughed, under his breathe. I gave him a half-hearted smile. He had this uncanny effect to drag my lips upwards. "So are you going to come and join the others, we're playing truth or dare by the campfire?" He asked. "You fancy it?" He asked, smiling. "Sure. Why not?" I sighed. But I still felt, I don't know, betrayed... I guess. I got up off the floor, with the assistance of Newt. We walked back to the campfire, and joined the circle. "Thomas, truth or dare?" Winston, I believe, asked. "Erm... Truth." He requested. "Hm.... Have you ever broke the law?" Winston asked. He was tall and had olive skin, with dark brown hair. I'm guessing this was pretty boy. Perfect hair, perfect tan, accept he did have acne. But still okay. Thomas was sat next to him. Pale-ish skin, a little dirt, but not as much as everyone else. He was definitely the 'greenie' before me. His hair was a dark brown.

"No." he replied, easily... too easily. Hmmm?! I thought. "I want to ask Newt, truth or dare?" Thomas asked. "Yeah, go ahead Thomas, this oughta be good." Chuck smiled, he was a cute little podgy kid. About twelve or thirteen maybe. But he's by far the youngest I have seen here.
"Have you ever kissed a girl?" He asked. I was intrigued, I looked at him and raised my eyebrow. "Erm... Well... Eh... No. I haven't." He said, sheepishly. "No way." I said, suddenly there was no way he has never been kissed.
"It's true. I don't like to admit it." Newt added, shyly, running his fingers through his dirty blonde hair. "Newt, ask someone a question, then?" Minho laughed. I laughed. So he looked to me. Oh no, I drew attention to myself, shit!
"Thea? Truth or dare?" He asked. Truth, and secrets will be exposed and dare I will probably end up making out with someone. "Truth..." I said, taking a pause to take a breath. "Same question, have you ever kissed a boy?" He asked, raising his eyebrow in the same manner I had done to him. I shifted in my seat. "No. I erm... I've never- never been kissed." Twiddling my hair with my fingers, I answered shyly.
"Really, that's interesting." Minho said, then looking around the campfire. Everyone was smiling, what was going on?

"Newt, can I give you dare?" Minho asked. "Erm... I guess. Sure." He stuttered. "But it's my tu-." But Minho interrupted me. "Okay, cool." Minho looked to. Gally, he nodded, As did Jeff. Chuck laughed. Thomas and Alby, looked peeved but nodded slightly. I looked to Newt, mouthed "What is going on?" hopefully he can lip read. And thankfully he can. "I don't know." He replied, mouthing it. "Well, Newt I've had my first kiss, Thomas has, Gally has, Winston, Alby. But poor little Thea, that is her name right, hasn't. Neither have you." Minho stated. I looked at Minho and shook my head. "I dare you to make out with Thea." Minho said. I was speechless. "I-I, I can't-!" I felt a tear pricking the side of my eye, I jumped up and ran to the lake, it was the only place I knew.

I arrived at the lake and watched as the stars swirled in the water's reflection of the sky. The mirror, was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. But it was not helping the fact that I was now in floods of tears. However, this was the perfect place to cry, because this is the only place where my tears seem tiny. They are, inadequate, not nearly as enormous and they certainly wasn't as beautiful. Then the footsteps from before, they came behind me, I wiped my eyes.

"I'm sorry... They can be a bit..." He said. I spun around. "It's okay." I replied, containing my tears. "Why are you crying?" He asked. And all the once, my tears fell out, all of them, I was emptied of all of my bodily water. He dived forwards and caught me in his hands. "Hey." He spoke softly. "It's okay." He added. He put his arms around me and I did the same. I had never hugged a boy nevermind kissed but it was so nice. "What happened to you?" He asked. "I know something happened." He said.
"I've grown up my entire life, getting abuse from school. The boys would call me, the girls would slag me off and I... I was alone. The boys, they would..." And then my tears increased. "They would wait for me outside the school gates and... and they would..." But he understood and he hugged me tighter. I felt his breath on my skin, warm and comforting. Then his mouth touched my ear and he whispered something... "It's okay. I'm right here and I won't let anything happen to you again." He said. "I promise." And I noticed the tear in his eye.
"No more secrets?" He asked.
"No more secrets." I repeated.
I woke lay on something warm, and comforting. Like I was on a cushion of Newt's breath. I lifted my head and I looked to where my head had been lay, previously. It moved. At first I though it was just a bundle of leaves and flowers, but they don't move on their own. Then I looked, I mean really looked. Then he started to wriggle, and his eyes opened. Slowly, but they were opening. "Morning." He smiled. "What am I doing here?" I asked, rubbing my hand against the back of my neck. "Well, you ran off from the campfire, and..." But I stopped him. "I mean, what am I doing asleep outside?" I asked. "Oh well, we were sat up all last night talking, I guess we didn't make it back to our beds." He chuckled. "Okay." I replied.
"Okay, that's bloody it?" He asked. I was confused which I could tell he knew as my face was confused too. "No, did we do have sex? No questions about what happened?" He asked. "You told me we talked, I trust you." I replied. "You do?" He asked, smiling. "Yeah. I have a feeling we're going to be really close." I said, before hugging him. I don't know why, but I enjoyed his touch. I knew he was going to be my friend, my best friend. I placed my hand on his cheek and gently put my lips on to his cheek. "Thanks for being my friend." I smiled. He looked to me, I didn't know whether he was disgusted or... Breathless.

But the answer was clear, because he went back for more. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't seen a girl in however long. But I just tried to think that it was because it was me. Hopefully anyway. Our lips met and the butterflies in my belly started fluttering around like insane animals inside me. They had never been so strong. It gave me a feeling of... I don't know... Love? Is that the right word? I've never had anything like this... And considering I've just called us best friends then he snogs me?

It was the loud roar that struck me as odd. I was scared. For moments ago, the whole glade was becalmed like a ship on the ocean, without a breeze to let it sail. But now there was a shrieking noise echoing throughout the glade. Everyone looked up, like they were looking to the heavens but I knew they were just listening, or contemplating. What was it? An alarm? No too loud. "What is that?" I asked.

"Oh, bloody great!" He said.