Two Mazes

BARBARA 

She woke up, unaware of what her last name was.

But she remembered her first one. Barbara. Her first name was Barbara.

Darkness surrounded her. She moved into a sitting position. The room she was in seemed to be rising. Where was it traveling to?

Barbara stood. She walked forward, then put her hands in front of her. They made contact with a hard wall. Afterward, Barbara tried finding a way out of the room, but she failed to.

“Help me!” she shouted. “Get me out of here!”

No help came.

After a while, the ceiling opened, and sunlight attacked Barbara’s eyes. She turned her head.

“Hey!” a girl said. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get you out of there. I’m going to put a rope down there, then you’re going to step into it, and then we’ll pull you up.”

Barbara looked at the girl who had spoken. The girl had pale skin, long red hair, and green eyes. She dropped part of a rope into the elevator Barbara was in. The end of the rope was tied in a big loop. Barbara put her foot in it, grabbed the rope, then some girls pulled on it, including the red-haired one.

Soon Barbara emerged from the elevator. As warm air moved against Barbara, dozens of girls stood near her, and one of them was the red-haired one.

“I’m Joanne,” the redhead said. “But you’ll refer to me as ma’am whenever you’re directly addressing me. What’s your name?”

“Barbara,” Barbara replied.

She walked past the group of girls. All of them stood in a huge field, which was surrounded by four huge walls made of stone. They must have been hundreds of feet high. One of them had an opening in it that was as tall as the wall itself. Wooden buildings stood in the field, and one was a three-story house. A set of woods were in the corner formed by two of the huge walls. Small flying devices with cameras attached to them flew in the air.

Barbara approached Joanne. “Where am I?”

“You’re in the Field, Barbara,” Joanne said. “And I’m sorry. You had the misfortune of being sent to this place. I’m your leader, by the way. I lead all of the girls here. And this place doesn’t have any boys in it. Just girls.”

Barbara looked at the opening in the huge wall.

“Don’t even think about going into the Maze,” Joanne said. “Seriously.”

“The Maze?” Barbara said.

One of the girls laughed.

“Such an ignorant girl,” she said. “Yes, the Maze, idiot.”

A few of the other girls laughed.

Barbara wanted to know the name of the person she shouldn’t become friends with.

“What’s your name?” Barbara asked, speaking to the girl who had called her an idiot.

“Jennifer,” said the rude girl. “And you’re an idiot, but at least you’re beautiful.”

Jennifer had long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was tall. She wore a white shirt with short sleeves, mid-thigh brown shorts, white socks, white shoes, and a black digital watch. Every girl in the field wore the same outfit as Jennifer, including Barbara.

“You’re one of us now,” Jennifer said.

“And you’re going to have to get used to being in this place,” said a girl who stood beside Jennifer. “You might be stuck here for years. Also, my name is Madison.”

Madison had long brown hair and brown eyes. She was one of the girls who had laughed after Jennifer had insulted Barbara.

“You laughed at me,” Barbara said.

“And?” Madison said.

Joanne clapped her hands together multiple times. “Okay, go away! All of you! Go back to whatever you were doing before you heard the alarm! Leave me alone with the new girl!”

Jennifer, Madison, and the other girls who weren’t Barbara or Joanne walked away, giving the leader of the Fielders and the new girl more space.

“I was the first girl in this place,” Joanne told Barbara. “I was the first Fielder. That’s what we call anyone who gets sent here. Once a month, we get a new Fielder. Obviously, you’re the latest one. Today is April fifth. Anyway, I have to give you a tour of the place.”

Joanne pointed at the elevator Barbara had awakened inside of.

“That’s the Box,” Joanne said. “Every month, a new Fielder arrives in it. The Box also brings us supplies sometimes. Three years ago, I woke up in the Box. And when its doors opened, it wasn’t because me or a different Fielder opened them. I assume one of the people who put us here opened them remotely, or maybe they were designed to open on their own that day. Either way, those doors opened for me. No one was there to help me get out of the Box. I had to use the boxes that were in there at the time to get myself out of it. I was alone. There was no one I could have a conversation with. There was no one else in the Field when I arrived in it for the first time. There was no one who could explain anything to me. It was horrible, Barbara.”

By the time Barbara arrived in the Field, there had already been dozens of other people living in it. On the day Joanne emerged from the Box for the first time, she had been the only person in the Field.

“I’m sorry you had to experience that, ma’am,” Barbara said.

“Thanks, Barbara.”

Joanne pointed at the wall closest to her.

“That’s the Maze,” she said. “And you can’t go inside of it. Only me and the Travelers can go into the Maze. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Barbara said. “I understand.”

“Good. Now I want you to follow me. There are some more places I have to show you.”

Joanne started walking, and Barbara followed her. Joanne led Barbara to the outside of a one-story building that a red cross painted on its door.

“This is the infirmary,” Joanne said. “This is where our Docs work. They take care of our sick or wounded. Thankfully, no one is sick or wounded in this place right now. Come on. Let’s go inside.”

Soon Barbara and Joanne stood in the infirmary. It had rows of beds in it, tables, chairs, a sink, cabinets, drawers, and medical books. The infirmary also had a bathroom. The medical books had black marker ink covering what the other Fielders assumed were years. Joanne introduced Barbara to the only three Docs the group had. Their names were Kimberly, Fern, and Josephine. Afterward, Barbara and Joanne left the infirmary.

Joanne led Barbara into a one-story building that had long tables with seats attached to them. The room had a serving line, which contained food, food trays, and other objects. Beneath Barbara and Joanne was a hard wooden floor. A kitchen was connected to the huge room.

“This is the cafeteria,” Joanne said. “Breakfast is at eight in the morning. Lunch is at noon. Dinner is at eight at night. You missed breakfast, though. But don’t worry. You should be able to eat lunch and dinner today. We call our cooks Feeders, by the way.”

Barbara and Joanne left the cafeteria, then she led Barbara to the outside of a one-story building that had a sign on its door. The sign showed a figure taking a shower.

“This is the Shower Space,” Joanne said. “This is where we take showers. Come on. Let’s go inside.”

Barbara and Joanne entered the building. The room they stood in now contained sinks, counters, benches, and shower stalls that had showers in them. The room had a tiled floor and tiled walls on the inside.

After leaving the Shower Space, Joanne led Barbara into the woods she had seen earlier.

“This is the Deadwoods,” Joanne said. “If we get any dead members of our group, we’ll bury them here, but I really hope we won’t have to do that one day.”

“Me either, ma’am,” Barbara said.

Joanne gestured for Barbara to follow her, then she started walking. Barbara followed Joanne to a clearing in the Deadwoods. The trees surrounding the clearing were tall, but they weren’t as high as any of the walls surrounding the Field.

“This is the clearing where we’ll bury our dead, if we get any,” Joanne said. “Also, I have a gun. I keep it in my room. It’s a black pistol, and it was already in my room on the day I arrived in this place for the first time. There was an instruction manual next to it. The manual explained how to use the gun. And there’s a case of ammo in my room too. That was also in my room on the day I first arrived in the Field. That gun is mine, and I’m the only person who has permission to wield it. Hopefully I won’t have to use it on anyone one day. Anyway, let’s get out of here.”

After Barbara and Joanne emerged from the Deadwoods, Joanne led Barbara into the three-story house. They stood in the foyer, the bottoms of their shoes touching the home’s wooden floor.

“This is the Sanctuary,” Joanne said. “This is where most of us sleep. You’re going to have to sleep outside, though. There’s not enough space for every Fielder to sleep in this house. I’m sorry, Barbara.”

“It’s okay,” Barbara replied.

Joanne went into a room attached to the foyer. The room had sofas, tables, and floor lamps in it. Sunlight entered the room through the windows in it. The sofas were blue.

“This is the living room,” Joanne said. “Come on. I have to show you the rest of the house.”

Joanne showed Barbara other areas within the Sanctuary. After leaving the home, the two of them went behind it. Shaped like a cube, a small wooden building remained behind the house. Joanne went into it, then Barbara did the same. The room contained a bed, a toilet, a sink, and three rolls of toilet paper. A lightbulb hung from the ceiling.

“This is the Cube,” Joanne said. “This is where we put Fielders to punish them. Try not to do anything that will make you deserve to be locked inside this room.”

“Okay, ma’am,” Barbara said.

Joanne left the Cube, then Barbara followed her. They went to the area in front of the Sanctuary.

“The tour is over,” Joanne said. “And I’m going to give you your job the day after tomorrow. Today is Monday, which means you’ll be given your job on Wednesday. And I suggest you make some friends. The more friends you make while you’re in this place, the less miserable you’ll be. When I first got here, I didn’t have any friends. I didn’t even have anyone I could have a conversation with. I was alone. It was just me here. One month later, Mary showed up. That girl is my best friend. And when she got here, I didn’t have to be alone anymore. You had the privilege of arriving in this place while there were already dozens of people living in it.”

“Yeah,” Barbara said. “I did.”

“Anyway, I want you to know that the Travelers are trying their best to get us out of here,” Joanne said. “I think the Maze has an exit, and I want the Travelers to find it. I need them to, because I don’t plan on dying in this place, Barbara. I want to get out of here, and I want to be with my family again. I want every person here to be with their family again too.”

Were any of Barbara’s family members still alive? She hoped she had a brother.

“Me too, ma’am,” Barbara said. “Also, can you tell me what I look like?”

“You have long blonde hair and blue eyes. And you look like you’re sixteen, the same age I think I am. You’re beautiful too.”

Barbara smiled. “Thanks, ma’am.”

“You’re welcome. And I’m going to go to my room. I hope you have a good day, Barbara. Also, one of the weird things about this place is that it has no animals. There aren’t even any bugs here.”

“Really?” Barbara asked.

“Really.”

After Joanne walked into the Sanctuary, Barbara walked close to the double doors covering the shaft the Box had traveled in. She kneeled, then opened the doors. The Box had gone back down. Barbara looked into the shaft.

“Be careful, new girl,” a girl said. “You’ll die if you fall into that hole, and I really don’t want you to die.”

Barbara closed the doors, stood, then turned. A girl stood nearby. She used her blue eyes to look at Barbara. The girl had long brown hair, and she seemed to be sixteen years old.

“Hey,” she said. “I’m Julia.”

“Hey, Julia,” Barbara said. “I’m Barbara.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Barbara.”

Julia extended her right hand. Barbara went closer to Julia before shaking her hand.

“I wonder what job Joanne is going to give you,” Julia said.

“What job do you have, Julia?” Barbara asked.

“I’m a Traveler. Almost every day, I go into the Maze, and I look for a way out of it. So do the other Travelers. If we find an exit from the Maze, all of us will be able to escape from this place.”

“Who are the other Travelers?”

“Mary and Jennifer. Mary is a great girl. She’s a good person, but Jennifer isn’t. You already know that, though. Jennifer was the third girl to come into this place, by the way. And I really wish Phoebe didn’t want to be friends with her. I love Phoebe, but I don’t talk to her anymore, and she doesn’t talk to me.”

Barbara didn’t know who Phoebe was, but Barbara knew she could comfort Julia.

“One day you and her will have a conversation again,” Barbara said. “Hopefully soon.”

Julia nodded. “Hopefully. And thanks.”

“You’re welcome. And who’s Phoebe?”

“Hey!” someone said.

Barbara turned. A girl who appeared to be multiple years younger than she was walked toward her. The girl had long blonde hair and blue eyes. She seemed to be eleven years old.

The girl approached Barbara. “Hey, new girl. I’m Amanda, and I was the new girl before you. I’m also the youngest person here. I think I’m eleven. That’s what everyone else here thinks too.”

“Hey, Amanda,” Barbara said. “I’m Barbara.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Amanda said.

Barbara smiled. “And it’s nice to meet you, Amanda. Anyway, I’m going to go to the Sanctuary. I’ll talk to both of you later.”

“Bye,” Amanda said.

“Bye, Barbara,” Julia said.

Unlike Jennifer and Madison, Julia and Amanda seemed like people Barbara would enjoy having more conversations with.

Barbara went into the Sanctuary, then walked into the living room. She sat on the sofa. Minutes later, Jennifer and Madison entered the room, holding hands. They stopped holding hands, and sat on a sofa Barbara wasn’t sitting on.

“Joanne is lucky,” Madison told Jennifer. “She’s a leader. That girl has power over dozens of people. I wish I had that.”

“But you don’t,” Jennifer said. “And you can’t have it. Joanne is our leader. Not you, Maddie. You just have to accept that.”

Madison crossed her arms, and unleashed a sigh. “I wish I had the power Joanne has. Anyway, I’m going to go to the bathroom.”

Madison stood, then left the room. Jennifer looked at Barbara.

“Hey, new girl,” Jennifer said. “I still think you’re an idiot. And I have the power to make your time here even more miserable than it already is. You should keep that in mind. I suggest you don’t be rude to me.”

“Okay,” Barbara said.

“I’m an important person in this place. I’m a Traveler. It’s my job to go into the Maze and look for a way out of it, a way that isn’t the entrance that’s out there. I think the Maze has an exit, and I want to find it. And if I do, you’re going to appreciate me. I want you to do that. I want so many people to appreciate me.”

“I don’t care,” Barbara wanted to say.

She took a breath.

“Okay,” she told Jennifer.

Jennifer moved away from the sofa before going in front of Barbara. “You’re not important, new girl. And I don’t like you.”

A girl entered the room, holding a bottle of water. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes, like Jennifer, but the girl with the bottle of water wasn’t Jennifer, who acted as if Barbara had treated Jennifer in a way she hadn’t deserved.

“Leave her alone, Jennifer,” said the girl with the bottle of water.

“Relax, Mary,” Jennifer said. “It’s not like I’m hurting the girl. Calm down.”

Mary shook her head. “You’re not hurting her, but you are being rude to her, and I don’t like that.”

“You are so irritating.”

Jennifer walked away from Barbara, then sat on the sofa she had been sitting on not long ago. Joanne’s best friend had defended Barbara from Jennifer.

Barbara looked at Mary. “Thanks, Mary.”

Mary smiled at Barbara. “You’re welcome.”

Later, as the moon and stars remained in the dark sky, Barbara stood near the hole in the ground. The hole remained covered by double doors, and it was the same one the Box had traveled in today. What would the next Fielder be like? Would she be nice or rude? What color would her hair be?

“Barbara,” Amanda said.

Barbara turned, and Amanda went in front of her.

“I got you a sleeping bag,” Amanda said. “And I put it next to mine.”

“Thanks,” Barbara said.

“And I really hope the two of us won’t be in this place for years. I don’t want to be here forever, Barbara. I want to go home. My parents probably miss me. I hope they do. I wish someone would find the exit from the Maze already. When is that going to happen? When am I going to go home? When will I be with my mommy and daddy again?”

If Joanne made Barbara into a Traveler, that would be great, like if Barbara gained a boyfriend.

“One day,” Barbara said. “One day, Amanda. You’re going to reunite with your parents. Don’t worry.”

“Come on,” Amanda said. “Let’s go to sleep.”

After moving to the spot behind the Sanctuary, Barbara and Amanda moved into sleeping bags. Other girls were in sleeping bags too. Some of them were awake, and others were asleep. All of the sleeping bags were blue. Barbara’s remained next to Amanda’s.

“I know what job I want to have, Amanda,” Barbara said. “I want to be a Traveler. I hope that’s the job Joanne gives me.”

“I hope so too,” Amanda said. “Good night, Barbara.”

“Good night.”