Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 20

Grace had seen one Banishment before. That was the Banishment of Aaron. He had tried to kill her. She didn't like Aaron, but his death weighed on her. Ben's Banishment felt different. Ben was her friend. A person she trusted. They were about to send him to die in the Maze.

There was a group in front of the doors. Many of the Keepers were holding poles. Grace stood to the side with Chuck. This was his first Banishment. He had no idea what to expect. To the right was Minho. He's pushing Ben towards the group. The blond Runner's hands are tied behind his head. He looks worse than he did before. Grace feels bad for Minho. This was his friend more than hers. 

Whatever Ben said, Minho ignored. He pushed the former Runner into the center and onto his knees. He reaches behind and pulls out a knife. Without much care, he cuts the restraints. Ben falls onto his hands.

Grace hears someone approaching and sees Thomas standing beside her. He doesn't look back at her. Minho now stands in front of Ben. He glances at Alby, who nods at him. The doors rumble as they prepare to close for the night.

Minho throws the water bottle inside the Maze. There's a gust of wind as the doors shift—the Keeper of the Runners slips between the pole holders. "Poles!" It's Alby who makes the call. All the Keepers push their poles forward. Ben scrambles to his feet. Chuck turns away and heads towards the Homestead. He doesn't want to witness the event. Grace doesn't blame him. "Move in."

They start pushing Ben towards the doors. "No! No!" His words cause Grace's eyes to burn with tears. "Please, don't!" He's begging them. Grace finds herself looking away from the scene. She can't watch anymore. Ben was her friend. It made her sick. Thomas glanced at the girl as she turned away from the scene. He didn't speak as she walked away.

Grace planned to find Chuck and comfort him about the situation. It would make both of them feel better. She was feet away from the Homestead when she heard the doors close. At that moment, she knew that Ben was gone. Nobody ever survived a night in the Maze.

~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a silence that settled over the Glade that night. Sentencing Ben to death was not what anyone wanted. His actions weren't his own. He had been poisoned by a Griever. But it didn't matter. He attacked a fellow Glader. That was against the rules. They had to Banish him. Still, it didn't make it easier.

Grace had spent time with Chuck. He didn't handle what happened well. After a while, she went to search for Minho. He was closer to Ben than anyone else. He had been the one to lead his best friend to his death.

She stopped by his room, but he wasn't there. She checked the kitchens, showers, and the tree they hung out at. He wasn't there. She looked around the Glade and spotted him. He was sitting at the top of the tree hut. His legs were hanging over the side. There was a cold breeze. Grace shuddered but fought the sensation. All she could think about was getting to Minho.

Crossing the Glade was easy, as was climbing the latter. In less than two minutes, her head was poking through the hole. Minho's back was facing her. He was still wearing his running clothes. They were covered in sweat, but it didn't seem to bother him.

The girl moved silently, her eyes on the boy. He was staring at the Maze. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was thinking. Grace sat down beside him, their legs pressed against each other. Minho didn't greet her as he normally would. There was no vibrant smile or witty joke—just silence.

In the distance, there is a clanking sound. Gally has two other Gladers holding torches so he can scratch Ben's name off the wall. Grace tries not to think about Ben. She doesn't know if he's alive or dead. Come morning he will be. Nobody has ever survived a night in the Maze.

She glances at Minho, whose head is tilted away from her. Grace knows why. He's hiding his expression. He doesn't want to appear weak. There's a silence that settles between them. A few of the Gladers roamed the Glade. After the day's events, they weren't ready to sleep yet. Jeff and Clint were sitting by the Med-Jack hut on metal barrels. Zart and Brandon were with them. Newt was walking towards the Homestead with Henry. The Greenie wasn't anywhere to be seen. Neither was Chuck.

Minho shifts slightly, a loud sigh passing through his lips. The air is getting colder, but it's still relatively warm. However, the breeze is worse on top of the tree hut. There are fewer trees to block the breeze.

Her mind drifts back to Ben. She pitied him. A Griever attacked him in the Maze. It must have been terrifying. He couldn't help what happened to him and how he reacted to seeing Thomas. Grace hoped he was already gone. That way, he wouldn't have to suffer.

Grace glanced at Minho again. His shoulders were tense, and his hands were digging into his thighs. She wasn't sure how to comfort him. She doubted she could. It wasn't easy to lose a friend. Instead, she rested her head against his shoulder. She wanted to comfort him without saying anything. His body stiffened as if he had stopped breathing. Grace starts to doubt her actions but relaxes when Minho does.

They stay like that for a while. The two of them together on top of the tree hut. Grace hates that come morning, Minho would enter the Maze again. He was a Runner. That was his job. She feared he would encounter a Griever and fall victim to the same fate Ben had. The idea of losing him terrifies her. Minho was her best friend, more so than Jeff or Clint. She cared for him in a way she couldn't understand.

Whatever Frypan had said was true. She did care for Minho differently than the others. He was her best friend—the person she trusted with everything. Nobody else made her feel happier or safer.

Finally, Grace decides to break the silence. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he answers too quickly. Grace knows he's lying. He's putting on a front, acting as if he's the rugged Keeper of the Runners, like nothing bothers him. He's acting as if he didn't help send his friend into the Maze to die. "Are you?"

"I don't know," her answer is more truthful. "I hate the Maze."

Minho finds himself letting out a laugh. It's broken, and only half his heart was in it. Still, it was a laugh. "Me too." Her arm is lightly pressed against his, and their thighs are still touching. She can feel his body heat, and it slowly lures her in. It's comforting. He's comforting. Nobody else makes her feel this way.

"I was worried about you today."

That catches his interest. "You were?"

"Of course," she whispers. "You run with Ben nearly every day. When I saw him, I was scared a Griever got to you."

She can't see him, and he's thankful for that. He's smiling at her words. "I ran with Scott."

"Yeah, I figured that out."

There's a silence that settles between them, but it doesn't last nearly as long as it did the first time. "Thanks for coming up here."

"Of course." There was nowhere else she'd rather be. "Want to head down?" Minho has to be up early to go back inside the Maze.

"Sure."

She reluctantly pulls away from Minho. Silently, the two climb down the latter. It doesn't take them long. Soon, they're back on solid ground. Her eyes find Alby, whose headed in their direction. "Alby's coming."

"Minho," he calls for the Runner.

Minho sighs. "I'll see you tomorrow, She-Bean."

Grace crosses her arms. "Be careful, okay? I guess there's an angry Griever out there."

He smiles at her, and she smiles back. The sight causes something inside her stomach to shift. It's a feeling she can't explain with words. "I'll be fine. Don't worry." But she always worries about him. He can tell she isn't convinced. "Hey." He grabs her hand. "Don't worry, okay?"

"Okay." If Minho says not to worry, then she won't.

"Good." He drops her hand. With that, he turns around and walks towards Alby, who's waiting for him. Grace watches him walk away. She knows it's just her nerves after what happened to Ben, but she hates the idea of waiting around all day for Minho to return safely. She hates that he has the most dangerous job in the Glade. Shaking off her worries, Grace walks towards the Homestead to try and sleep.