Simon wasn't alone for long. As the group descended deeper into the Earth, the train they boarded stopped suddenly. The doors hissed open, revealing two other figures who would become integral to his journey.
Kayla Reeve
Kayla was Simon's opposite in nearly every way. A year older than him and carrying herself with the confidence of someone who had nothing left to lose, she was a street-smart survivor from the inner city. Her dyed red hair and sharp green eyes gave her an intensity that made people wary, but her quick wit and sharp tongue hid a deeply buried softness.
"You look like you've never held a knife before," she said to Simon when they first spoke. "Don't worry. Stick with me, and I'll make sure you don't die right away."
Daniel Brooks
Daniel, by contrast, was an enigma. A quiet, bookish boy of sixteen with glasses perpetually sliding down his nose, he seemed out of place in the chaos. But his calm demeanor belied a keen mind. Where others saw walls, Daniel saw patterns. Where others panicked, he observed.
"It's not random," he said, studying the glowing veins on the walls of their path. "The maze is alive, but it follows rules. We just have to figure them out."