CHAPTER FOUR: HIDDEN ROOMS

As the crowd began to disperse to their jobs for the rest of the day, Alby grabbed Stephen by the arm.

"You can't be serious," he said, the disbelief of the situation still lingering in his voice.

"About what?" Stephen asked innocently.

"About what? About saying I am going to be shucking leader that's what!"

"Oh that?" Stephen smirked, "of course I'm serious. You will be fine, I promise."

He began to move from Alby, towards the area where some of the boys were working on a shelter.

"Stephen, hold on," Alby said, grabbing Stephen's arm.

"What Alby?" Stephen snapped, turning towards him. He sounded annoyed.

"I...you…"

"Alby," Stephen said calmly, placing his hands on Alby's shoulders, "it is only for tomorrow, okay? One day. And Frank can help you, you know he will. You will be perfectly fine, I can tell. I wouldn't have told you to be in charge if I didn't think you could. Besides, all you have to do is make sure everyone is working. It's simple really," he said with a shrug.

Alby's mind spun. Could he really do it? He would prefer to just be in the shadows working. No one could possibly look at him as a leader like they do Stephen. Stephen is way braver and smarter than him. But, of course, it did feel good to be accepted in a way. And besides…it would only be for a day.

Alby sighed in defeat.

"Fine, I'll do it."

"Great," Stephen smiled, "now I need you to help me do something real quick."

Alby looked at the older boy in the eyes. A wave of fear washed over him at the sudden stern expression on the boy's face.

"What?" he managed to ask, trying his hardest to sound unwavering.

"Jeez Alby, calm down I'm not gonna kill you!" Stephen laughed, "I just need your help to move the weapons to a more…secure location. After that little fight some of the shucks had the other day, I think I want them where no one else can get um."

"Oh," Alby laughed dumbly. Made sense.

"Yeah and I trust you, so you will help me," Stephen continued, "there are quite a few, though, so maybe we can get another two people to help out. Not a lot though. I don't want anyone else knowing."

"Yeah," Alby nodded, "we can get Frank to help…and Minho."

"Minho? I don't know if I know him…"

"Oh yes you do," Alby couldn't help but laugh, "he's the Asian kid who seems to adore your new word, 'shuck.'"

Stephen grinned menacingly, "Oh yeah, now I know. He trustworthy?"

"Very. I trust him. He may be a joker, but when it comes down to it he seems like a good guy."

"Well good that. You get them. Meet me at the pile. I wanna make sure no one has had sticky fingers."

Alby nodded and ran off towards the northeast corner of the Glade where everyone was currently planting different plant seeds that had been found in the pile. The tree plan was abandoned since George's body was buried in the southwest corner, where the trees were planted. No one really wanted to be around it; it was too sad. And of course it was beneficial that once the trees grew, George's grave would be hidden within a forest of thick trees.

The sound of voices greeted Alby as he wandered towards the planting group. Almost immediately he spotted Frank's tall, slender figure in the distance. He picked up the pace and ran over to the boy.

"Frank!"

Frank turned immediately. "Oh, hey Alby what's up?"

"Stephen needs to see you."

"Stephen?" The same mix of panic and confusion that Alby had felt earlier showed on Frank's face.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble, you shuck," Alby smirked, surprising himself at the use of the new word. Perhaps it would become normal vocabulary for the Glade.

Alby could see the relief flood through Frank.

"Now come on, he needs Minho too."

Alby and Frank made their way through the crowd of boys in search of Minho.

"He's over there!" Frank pointed.

Alby looked where Frank was pointing. Sure enough, there was Minho, chatting away with some of the other people and planting.

"Minho!" Alby shouted.

Minho looked up and smirked, "Come to finally help Alby?"

Alby blushed. Only then did he realize he hadn't even helped out yet.

"Actually, no. I've come to get you. Stephen needs you."

"Me? Why the shuck does he need me?"

"Just come on, he'll explain later."

"Well alright then," Minho said, standing up.

The three of them weaved through everyone working and headed towards the pile, which was inconveniently located on the opposite side of the Glade. It was only a few yards from the window, which was currently hidden because the maze doors were open. Alby made a point to avoid looking in to the maze. The image from the previous night still burned in his mind.

"Well hurry up now, I don't have all day," Stephen yelled to the boys as they approached. Frank, Minho, and Alby jogged over to meet the leader, who was standing in front of the pile of supplies.

"So what the shuck is this all about?" Minho asked Stephen.

"We are moving the weapons," Stephen explained, "we don't want just anyone to have access to them, so we will hide them."

"Hide them?" Minho laughed, "Look around! This place is freaking empty, where will we hide them?"

It still amazed Alby that Minho had no problem talking to Stephen this way, while almost everyone else wouldn't dare question the leader. But still, Minho had a point. The only place Alby could think to hide the weapons was the random stone building near the box that brought them all here, but that would be too obvious.

Stephen smiled. Somehow he always seemed to be two steps ahead.

"Grab an armful of weapons and follow me," he said, scooping up a bundle of knives and daggers. Then he turned around and walked away; an obvious gesture for everyone to follow him. Follow they did. Alby ran to the pile and searched for weapons. A shimmering silver bow caught his eye. He reached down and scooped it up. A pang went through his body as he held the weapon. For some reason it felt so…familiar, like he used one before. Images flashed through his mind, pictures of archery stations and people with bows and arrows. The strange thing about it was that all of the people's faces were blurred. Alby could tell he had used the bow before, but he didn't know where he had, or who had taught him. The oddness of the random memory frustrated him. He shook his head and grabbed another bow as well as two sheaths of arrows and a few daggers. Then he ran off with Frank and Minho to catch up to Stephen. Frank shot Alby a questioning look, as if to say, "What's going on?"

Alby just shrugged and continued to follow Stephen.

Stephen lead the three of them over towards the northwest corner. A small blanket lay on the ground. As they approached, Alby could make out another concrete structure against the north wall. This part of the Glade was new to him; he hadn't been in this corner.

"What is that?" Frank asked.

"Looks like a porta-potty," Minho snorted. The word porta-potty, odd as it was, struck Alby. He knew what it was, could remember using one, but couldn't remember where he had been. It was frustrating.

"It's just a small stone building. Nothing special. It's empty and really small. We can't store weapons there," Stephen said, "and that isn't what I want to show you…this is."

He bent down and grabbed the edges of the blanket that was spread on the ground. As he ripped it away, he uncovered a small, wooden door on the ground.

"A trap door?" Alby asked, confused.

"Exactly," Stephen nodded, "George and I found it the first night when we were making camp. We decided not to tell anyone about it, so we could hide weapons down here. Lucky we kept it a secret, because now it will come in handy."

Alby, Minho, and Frank ran over to join Stephen at the trap door. With a grunt the leader pulled open the door. Alby leaned over the edge and could see a staircase leading underground.

"Do we need a flashlight?" Alby asked, "I thought I saw one in the pile."

"Nope there's electricity down there," Stephen said flatly, and started to head down the stairs, the others following right behind.

"Electricity?" Frank asked, confused, "but how is there electricity?"

"How did we end up in a shucking maze with no memory?" Stephen said, "no one knows."

That was all that had to be said. The group walked down the stairs in silence. They were greeted by darkness. Stephen pushed past Alby and flicked a switch on a near-by wall. Immediately the room burst in to light. Alby took in a deep breath.

"Well what do ya know, there is electricity!" Minho laughed.

Alby took in his surroundings. The room was far bigger than he expected. It was about thirty square feet, with shelves covering every wall. The hugeness was overwhelming. It only made the question in his mind burn stronger: who built this place and why?

"This place is massive!" Frank said, expressing how everyone else felt.

"Why don't we all just sleep down here?" Alby asked, turning to Stephen.

"Because Alby," Stephen said, "this place is where we will keep what others can't get their hands on. Besides, the air isn't that great down here, and it is perfectly warm outside."

"But what about when it rains?" Alby questioned. Only then did it occur to him that the weather had been the same every day.

"Hasn't rained yet," Stephen said.

"But…then what about water?" Would they all die of thirst? Certainly it would rain. The seeds need it to grow and they need it to live!

"There is a faucet with running water near the place where the crops are being planted," Frank chimed in, "don't know where the water comes from, but it seems safe to drink."

Alby just shook his head in disbelief. He had already given up on trying to understand where everything comes from in this crazy place.

"Well…I don't know about you guys, but my arms are getting tired of holding a million pounds of weapons. Can we please put them away already?" Minho grunted.

"Sure," Stephen smirked, "let's organize them…each weapon should have its own shelf, there are enough of um after all."

The next hour consisted of moving and orgainizing weapons. The work was exhausting. As Alby placed yet another bow on its shelf, he heard commotion from the other end of the room. Turning around, he saw Frank and Stephen huddled in a corner.

"What's going on?" Alby asked.

Frank turned around. "I found a hidden closet!"

"What?"

As Alby approached, he saw what the commotion was about. Sure enough, Stephen was holding open a small door in the darker part of the room. The door was the same color of the walls, so it blended in. Leave it to Frank to find it, that kid is smart.

"I say we leave it empty for now. If anything needs special hiding, this is where it's at," Stephen suggested. Frank and Alby nodded in agreement and continued to work.

By the time the last weapon was placed on a shelf, Alby was more than ready to go to sleep. He stood in silence as he placed the last sword on its assigned shelf. The rumbling of the walls could be heard from above, but mysteriously enough. Nothing fell from the shelves. The room didn't even move other than a few tiny shakes.

"Guess that means we are done," Stephen sighed exhaustedly, "great work guys, thanks for your help."

"No problem ya shuck," Minho said as he headed for the stairs, "see ya all tomorrow."

"Yeah I'm gonna go too," Frank sighed, following Minho.

Alby nodded and followed silently behind. As he passed by the shelf with the bows, the same strange feeling that he had used one before washed over him once again. He stopped before the shelf.

"I feel like I have used one before," he whispered to no one in particular.

"You do?"

The sound of the voice startled Alby; he had forgotten that Stephen was still there.

"Yeah…it's weird."

"Hmmm…" Stephen pondered, walking over to join Alby, "show me."

"What?"

Stephen picked up a bow and quiver of arrows from the shelf and held them out for Alby to take.

"But I…"

"Take them."

Alby reached out and wrapped his fingers around the bow. Stephen walked to the opposite side of the room and grabbed a shield from another shelf. Alby watched in stunned silence as Stephen stood on the complete other end of the room from him, shield in hand before him.

"Well…?" the boy said expectantly, "are you gonna try or not?"

"I…I don't know if I should. What if I hit you? Or break something or…"

"Oh shut up and shoot the shucking arrow."

Alby took in a deep breath. He walked to the opposite end of the room from Stephen. Reaching in to the quiver, he selected one good looking arrow and loaded it to the bow. Some how he knew what to do. It made everything even more confusing. Alby could hear his heart beat as he lifted the loaded bow. Isn't this a risky thing to do?

Focusing on the center of the shield, Alby dared himself to let the arrow fly. It escaped from the bow with a sudden quickness, cutting through the silent and still air. He closed his eyes out of fear. A "clank!" erupted from the silence followed by a gasp on Stephen's side of the room. Had he hit him? Alby opened his eyes quickly, expecting to find a dead boy lying still on the ground with an arrow in the head, but instead found Stephen standing in awe staring down at the shield, which had an arrow straight through the center: a perfect hit.

"Well, well, well Alby. Looks like we have an archer on our hands," Stephen whistled.

Alby's mouth dropped.

"Beginner's luck?" he asked.

"Maybe…try again."

Alby loaded the bow and shot. Once again, the arrow hit the shield in the center. He did this another two times with the same results. It was all so bizarre.

Stephen began to laugh silently.

"Alby you are just full of surprises. But you are also gonna hafta get some shut eye. Big day tomorrow."

Tomorrow. Alby forgot all about his leadering duty.

"Yeah you are probably right."

Stephen and Alby placed the weapons in their hands back in their designated places and head up the stairs, shutting of the light and closing the hatch behind them. Alby headed off to the other end of the Glade where everyone else was heading off to sleep. He spotted Minho and ran off to join him.

"Hey hey shuck face," Minho greeted as he approached.

"Oh shut up ya big shuck," Alby laughed, lying down besides his friend.

As soon as his head hit the ground his eyes started to shut from exhaustion of the big day. As his mind shut down for the night only one thought still lingered: what does tomorrow have in store for me?

Hey again everyone! I just want to thank everyone for all of the support and reviews so far! I couldn't do this without all my lovely readers and reviewers! Thanks again and I will update as soon as I can! -Emily