Defender - The Maze Runner (Book 1)

Chapter 13: The Gathering

Alex sat at a picnic table with Chuck, he was chatting away, Alex wasn't really listening, she was watching the door of Homestead, waiting for Alby to come get her. They were having a Gathering, about her and what happened yesterday. She wasn't allowed in, only Keepers. She huffed. Chuck stopped talking and looked over at her.

"Hey you listening to anything I said?"

"Uh huh. Ya, good that." She replied not taking her eyes off the door.

It was Chuck's turn to huff. He snapped his fingers in her face.

"Earth to Alex...coming in Alex! E.T. phoning home!" She blinked, coming back to reality.

She snapped her fingers in his face. Chuck shoved her hand out of his face, "Hey!"

She did it again, and then used both hands, snapping right up in his face, laughing at him as he tried to swat her snapping hands away. Chuck decided to snap right back in her face. They were laughing and snapping, Chuck was swatting at her and Alex threw a few pokes to his chubby cheeks for good measure. They laughed so hard she snorted and Chuck had tears in his eyes. He was a good kid, she liked Chuck. He had such a childhood inocense.

"Alex!" Alby stood in the doorway, motioning for her to follow.

"I'll be back Chuckles" she ruffles his brown curls.

"Chuckles? What the shuck?" He asked. Alex shrugged and smiled.

Inside the Gathering Hall was a half circle of chairs. Each one had a keeper occupying it, at the end on one side was Newt and the other was Alby's chair. There was one lonely seat in front of everyone. Alby motioned for her to sit in the hot seat. She suddenly felt very nervous. She grabbed some hair and absentmindedly played with it, and chewed her bottom lip. Her eyes found Minho right away, he had pushed his chair back onto the back legs, his hands behind his head. He winked at her. She blushed and hoped no one noticed, she looked away and saw Frypan, covered in flour, he waved at her. Newt was scribbling something in a notebook.

As she sat down Alby turned to her. "Alex, you're our first Shanket."

Minho snorted, "Good one Captain obvious!"

Alby continued like he never heard. "We don't know what games the Creators are playing, frankly I stopped trying to figure it out. Alex, you're one of us, a regular ol' Glader. So after your week of training, the keepers here have discussed and come to an agreement. But before we get to that..." He waved his hand, and nodded at Newt.

"What you did yesterday was incredible. Newt filled me in on what ya' did before I got there. Jeff told me after we left the Med Hut, how you gave care instructions and demanded a night shift. Everyone here wants to thank ya'. You saved a shuckin' Glader's life."

He was looking at her with pride in his eyes. He was very kind under his gruff cranky wall. Being in charge of 60 teenage guys, trying to run this as smoothly as possible made one a little short tempered, but that kind caring boy was under there.

Every single keeper stood up clapping, even Gally, though he only clapped a few times and sat back down. She looked around at the boys. Her eyes teared up and her heart swelling with joy. She was growing to care and love these boys, it was only a week, but in a place like this relationships and feelings form fast. She knew she would do it again; she would crawl under a fallen building for each of them.

"ALL RIGHT!" Alby bellowed, "Back to business. You need a job She-Bean"

The boys all took their seats, still clapping or whistling.

"Ok, will Shanket's keepers please stand back up"

"Wait, keepers...as in S, like plural? More than one?" Alex asked, shocked.