Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 3

Grace sat in her usual spot at dinner that night. Her friends were all laughing at something Jeff was saying. Ben was there again, but he had managed to fit into the conversation well. He wasn't solely focused on her anymore, and she was grateful for that. There seemed to be a real chance they could be friends, and that idea didn't frighten her anymore. He was friendly and amusing. "He's staring again," Jeff muttered under his breath. He meant for only Grace to hear, but everyone turned their heads at the same time.

Grace glanced over Ben's shoulder to see Gally and a few of his Builder friends. "Why's Gally staring at you," Ben whispered as if it was a secret.

"The guy totally flipped out on Greenie over here." Clint laughed at the memory. "He's convinced she's been sent up here to destroy all of us." Ben couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous theory. "I guess he's been telling his theories to a few others." That caused Grace to worry.

"He's got a few Runners over there, but trust me, they don't believe any of it."

"Are you sure?"

"Relax, She-Bean." Newt nudged her shoulder. "Gally's just paranoid. He'll get over it eventually."

"I thought he was going to physically tackle me to stop me from showering."

Ben choked on his water causing Jeff to burst out laughing. "All that because you wanted to shower?"

"Yep," she confirmed. "In the middle of the day."

"Oh no, not the middle of the day," Ben mocked.

"He just needs to focus on preparing the wood for the bonfire in a few days," Zart finally spoke. "We didn't get one with the last Greenie. I look forward to them."

Grace's eyebrows pinched together in confusion. "Bonfire?"

Newt took a sip of his stew. "Yeah, every time a Greenie comes up in the box, we have a bonfire. Great way to unwind."

"You didn't get one," Jeff added.

"Why not?" The idea of a bonfire sounded rather enjoyable.

There was a brief pause as if nobody knew how to answer the question. "Well, your arrival threw us for a loop in a sense. We were too focused on why the Shuck a girl came up in the box and didn't want to create too much of a debate with everyone together at the bonfire."

The explanation made sense in a way. Her first day in the Glade was challenging. A bonfire would not have been something she would have enjoyed. It was probably for the best she waited a month. That way, her first memory of the event would be better now that she had adjusted to the Glade. "I'm excited about it. What do you normally do?"

"Well," Jeff thought. "We drink Gally's secret recipe, and then he challenges everyone to fight. He always wins."

The mention of Gally caused her to glance at him again. Luckily his attention seemed to be on something else. "Is that all?"

"We mostly just relax," Clint adds. "Sit around the fire and chat."

"Sounds fun." Grace smiled at the idea. It would be an excellent way to learn more about the Glade and anyone she had yet to meet. "When is it?"

"Next Greenie gets here in five days." Five days. Grace could wait five days. That also meant she would no longer be the Greenie. Someone else would take her spot. "Soon, you won't be our Greenie, Greenie."

"But she'll still be our She-Bean."

The nickname didn't bother her, but the amount they used it was slightly excessive, in her opinion. "Yeah, yeah." As the conversation shifted once more, Grace found herself looking back at Gally. Only this time his eyes were already on her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the following day, Grace had started to forget about her worries, but that only lasted a few hours. Gally hadn't stopped voicing his concerns, and unfortunately, it appeared a few people were supporting him. It had become such a problem that Alby had to step in. Newt had met with him a few hours again, having been pulled away from the Gardens.

Grace couldn't help but feel guilty. It was her fault Gally was overly paranoid. The Glade had been perfectly fine for over two years, but now her arrival had caused a cascade of worry.  "Hey," Newt limped towards her. Grace sat up straight from her spot under the tree. "What are you doing over here?"

"Trying to keep to myself," Grace sighed. "I don't need to cause any more trouble.

Newt rolled his eyes and slowly sat on the ground next to her. "You haven't caused any problems. Gally's just being a Slinthead." Typically she would question him. That word had been used a lot lately, but she didn't understand it. However, right now wasn't the time. "Hey," he gently nudged her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Alby's straightened it all out."

"What does that mean?" She turned to look at him.

Newt kicked a rock near his uninjured leg. "We have rules for a reason, and Alby reminded Gally of that." Grace was still confused. "Look," he began. "Having a girl come up in the box was a surprise to all of us, but you're just like the rest of us stuck in this place. Memoryless and frightened."

"I wish I remembered something." Grace brushed the hair out of her face. "Anything at all. I just don't." The idea of who she was before this was a mystery. Surely she came from somewhere. Possibly had a family, parents who loved her. Were they alive? Were they dead? None of that would probably ever be answered. And Grace found that hard to live with. "Does it ever get easier? Does living here get easier?"

"After a while you start to forget," Newt stared at the open Maze doors. "But no, easier would not be how I describe it. You just learn to live with it."

That was what Grace feared, but this was her life now. She would have to learn to deal with the mystery of who she was before all of this. Two people ran out of the Maze. One was easily recognizable. It was Ben. The other was a dark-haired boy. Grace knew him as Minho. They had never spoken, but he was the Keeper of the Runners. Everyone knew who he was. He was one of the Runners she was convinced didn't know she existed. Too preoccupied with the Maze to think about anything else.

"I need to thank Alby when I see him next."

"Don't," Newt sat up straighter. "He's just doing what needs to be done."

"Still," Grace brushed the dirt off her hands. "He's helping me by threatening to throw Gladers in the Pit."

"Pit? No. Breaking the rules means banishment."

Grace's lips parted in shock. What did banishment mean? Where would people go if they were banished? "Banished? What does that mean?"

"Tossed out into the Maze." Newt pointed at the East doors across from them. "A midnight snack for the Grievers."

"Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking, She-Bean?"

It wasn't a joke. It appeared they actually sent people into the Maze to die. "That's awful."

"So is trying to kill another Glader." That was true. "We have to trust the people around us." Grace agreed with that, but trust was easier said than done.