Only Girl. - TMR

Chapter Twelve

WICKED is good. The masked woman leant over me and whispered again in my ear. 

‘WICKED is good, Lia. Just remember that in the Maze…’ 

‘Lia?’ 

Someone was shaking me awake. Thomas.

I opened my eyes and tried disguise the fact that I was shaking and covered in sweat. 

‘You okay?’ 

‘I’m fine,’ I said, pushing my hair back off my face. 

‘Good, because we’re going now. Get up out of bed,’ Thomas gave me a hand up. 

‘Now?’ 

‘Yeah. We’ll get our packs first, though,’ he said, taking me downstairs, not bothering to be quiet for the other fifty sleeping boys in the Homestead. A few people woke up and started swearing at Thomas. ‘Sorry, don’t mind us,’ he whispered. 

‘Our packs?’ I asked. 

‘Follow me.’ 

The packs were small, lightweight backpacks that you could strap onto your shoulders. I’d seen various Runners in them occasionally. 

‘Good thing, actually, that you’re trying out to be a Runner,’ Thomas said, handing me two knifes from a big box in what he told me was the storage building for weapons and other supplies. They keep it padlocked 24/7. 

‘Why’s that?’ 

‘Cos most of the other Runners quit the other morning when Ben was stung. 

‘Right.’

Thomas continues to hand me various things for my pack, but not much, it has to be light if I’m carrying it round the Maze. 

‘Okay, well you’re all set then, so we’ll get breakfast before we go - you can’t run on an empty stomach.’

After breakfast, we walked in silence, feeling cold and sleepy, until we came to the doors, which were just beginning to slide open. Newt was there, looking concerned with his arms folded and his hair falling over his eyes. 

The doors finished rumbling and began to slide back, revealing the corridor at the start of the Maze. My stomach swam with anxiety and my palms began to sweat - I was thinking maybe I was in over my head. 

Thomas noticed my unease and smiled at me. ‘You’ll be fine,’ he reassured me. 

‘I hope so.’ 

Minho came jogging over when the doors were fully open. He looked grumpy and tired like the rest of us. ‘So it’s just us shanks, huh?’

‘I guess so.’ 

Newt walked over and began briefing us. ‘You’re going to do the usual today. Lia, you stick with Thomas, okay? All of you be back at a maximum of an hour before the doors close - at the latest.’ 

‘An hour?!’ Minho said, outraged. ‘Is this cos she’s -‘ 

‘It’s because, Minho, I said so. Okay? Off you go then,’ he nodded his head towards the Maze. Minho ran off and disappeared around the corner of the Maze. 

Thomas and I set off right off after him, just jogging. As I jogged past Newt, he grabbed my arm.

‘Just be careful today, okay Lia?’ He looked anxious. 

‘Yeah, of course,’ I gave him a small smile, despite everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours. I still wasn’t sure if I was more mad at him or myself.