The Maze Girl

Something to Fight For

One name. One person that could literally make me so angry. Gally. There he stood smirking at Newt and I with squinted eyes.

"Well would you look at what we have here." Gally said clearly mocking us.

"Can you just bloody back off Gally," Newt said with such force and power that it surprised me. I was so used to the gentle and calm Newt that I hadn't realized he was a leader too. I was probably one of the only people who got to experience his soft side. Newt, Gally, and Alby were the three leaders here in the Glade. Alby was definitely the head but Newt was like his right hand levelheaded man. Gally was the forceful, violent, and feared leader.

Gally simply rolled his eyes at Newt and said, "Calm down you shank. I'm just here to tell you that Alby needs to talk to you about preparations for tomorrow. He wants you to meet with him now."

Newt stared at Gally for a couple of seconds before nodding. His face was cold and his state was very intense, but Gally didn't seem affected. After a couple more seconds of awkwardness I cleared my throat. Newt broke his intense stare and blinked his eyes rapidly.

"I should get going then," Newt said looking at me. I didn't want him to leave, but I knew that Alby needed him. The Glade needed him. I gave him a reassuring smile that he returned with a small one. Before he left, he looked at Gally and then at me with an uneasiness clearly displayed on his face.

"I'll come find you later tonight Marie," Newt said while turning his back to me. Instead of running off to find Alby, he remained standing in the same place as if contemplating something. He rested his hand on a tree limb while his back was still to me. I heard him exhale a sigh before turning back around to face me. Our eyes locked, his expression gentle and caring. He took a couple steps toward me and reached his hand out to brush away a strand of hair from my face. Leaning forward, he placed a light kiss on my cheek before running off to find Alby.

I stood there dumbfounded, my face bright red from embarrassment. I looked up at Gally who appeared to be in pure shock, but he quickly recovered. His jaw clenched and he looked in the direction Newt had gone with pure hatred. My heart was beating fast and my mouth broke out into a wide grin. I brought my hand to my mouth to cover my smile.

"There's no time for dumb romances to be happening in the Glade," Gally said suddenly. His voice was angry as he spoke. "We are after all just test subjects for someone's sick game. We are dealing with death and real issues. Some fantasy love life can't take precedent over escaping. You have to understand that love doesn't exist here  Marie. There is no happiness or life for us here, there's just endless waiting and dismay. Don't make a fool out of yourself."

And with that my smile was wiped clean off my face.

"I would never be so foolish to think that I could have a life here," I said angrily. "And I won't be distracted from getting out of here. All I've wanted is to escape from here!"

Gally looked past me into the trees. He spoke with an eerily chilling voice, "Love is a weakness here. Emotion is a weakness here. You have to be willing to sacrifice everything to escape. It will only be that much harder if you're emotionally involved with something. Don't be selfish Greenie, you've got to do what's best for everyone. You are part of a team. It suffers from your mistakes."

His words hit me hard. I felt like screaming at his ignorance, but I couldn't speak. How dare he patronize me. He wouldn't even use my real name. It's just like him to overreact about such a small thing, but yet his words seemed to hold some truth. He was holding something back, and as he walked away I clenched my fists in determination. I could make the difference in this Glade; I have something they don't...

something to fight for