Arrivals

Petra took up her usual position behind a ruin. This one had many different pictures and symbols on it, and she liked to look at them and wonder what they meant. But this was not a time for lying around gazing at rocks. Lennox had told her that there had been three new arrivals. "Three?" Petra had said, disbelieving. "Yep," Lennox said. "Keeton and I saw them come in. Not all at once, though. There was a girl and a boy first, and then another boy." Petra shook her head in disbelief. So many, so close together? The odds were astronomical.

So here she was, close to the arrival point, looking for the three newcomers. Petra poked her head over the top of the rock. There was a rustling in the underbrush nearby. Petra quietly strung an arrow and approached it. Suddenly, a brown haired girl sprung up holding a spear made out of a sharp stone and a branch. Petra pointed the arrow at the girl's face.

They were at a stalemate, but Petra knew that she had the advantage. Her arrow could fly out of her bow faster than the girl could throw the spear at her. The other girl knew it too. "Put it down," Petra said. "I don't want to hurt you." Reluctantly, the girl put down her spear. "Now," Petra said, lowering her bow. "What is your name?"

"Chana," the brown haired girl spat out.

"So, Chana," Petra said, "Have you seen anyone else come out of those doors?" Petra pointed to the rock wall behind Chana. From the outside, it seemed like just another stone wall, but it was really the entry point for children who came into the Labyrinth. "Yeah," Chana said, her voice a little less harsh. "There were two boys. I met one of them. We have a camp not far from here."

"Can you take me to him?" Petra asked.

"Why should I trust you?" Chana asked. "I've just met you." Petra rolled her eyes. She had run into this problem with other children she had met. They were suspicious of her, as well they should be. Petra's reflexes were faster than you could blink, and she knew the area surrounding the entry point better than anyonenin the Labyrinth. "You should trust me because of reasons that the rest of my group do," Petra said. She saw Chara's eyes widen slightly. Obviously she didn't know that there were more children. "I'm fast, I'm smart, and I know my way around better than anyone else," Petra continued. "There's no reason for me to hurt anyone. Plus, you don't want me as your enemy. So are you coming?"

Chana took a minute to consider. Then she sighed and said, "Yes. I'm coming."

Enter the Complex

You wake up in a pitch black room. You reach around but can't find anything. The only thing that you know for certain is that the floor beneath you is solid. That at least gives you some comfort. Suddenly, there is a loud scraping sound coming from in front of you. It sounds like stone rumbling apart. Two sections of the wall open, and you are dazzled by blinding sunlight. Squinting, you emerge into the unknown.

The unknown turns out to be a thick, mossy forest, with ancient looking stone ruins scattered here and there. You sit down to think on one of them for a while and notice that you are wearing a dark green jumpsuit with brown cuffs on the sleeves, collar, and end of the pants. The jumpsuit has a zipper on it for taking the clothes on and off. A black belt is buckled around your waist, and is equipped with several pouches of various sizes.

Just as you reach into one of the pouches to see what's inside, you hear a rustling. You look up, straight into the eyes of a girl who is pointing a razor sharp arrow at your forehead. "Don't move," she says threateningly. "You're surrounded." You don't see anyone else, but you aren't about to turn around to see. "Give me your slip," the girl says. You look at her, confused. "In your left pocket," she explains, rolling her eyes. "And don't you even think about trying any funny business."

You reach into your left pocket and pull out a white slip of paper, folded in half. As quick as a flash, the arrow is back in the quiver on the girl's back and she's holding the paper. She unfolds it and looks at it for a moment, then hands it back to you. "Is that you?" she asks. "Yes, at least, I think so," you say. That's when it clicks. You can't remember anything but your first name.

The girl slings her bow over her shoulder and pulls you up off the rock with surprising strength. "I'm Petra," she explains, tapping a brown patch that's sewn onto the chest of her jumpsuit, just above her heart. You see that it says, in gold lettering,

Petra 0012057

Age: 13 Gender: female

You look down at yourself and notice that you have a similar patch, with your name, age, gender, and a seven-letter number printed on it. "What is this place?" you ask Petra. She laughs. "Around here," she says, "we like to call it the Labyrinth."

Official Slip of Entry

Name:

Age*:

Gender:

Physical Description:

Personality:

Heath**:

Picture:

*All subjects of the Labyrinth are between the ages of nine and thirteen upon entry.

**Any heath conditions, psychological or otherwise should be listed here.

Please read the Rules and Regulations before you enter your journey. Please note that all episodic memory of the subject is erased except for a few key components needed to survive. Thank you.