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The Glade was silent, the familiar hum of insects and the distant groaning of the Maze walls the only sounds breaking through the night.
Most of the Gladers were fast asleep, curled up in their hammocks or scattered across their sleeping areas, exhausted from another long day.
Thalia, however, was wide awake.
And she really needed to pee.
She groaned quietly, untangling herself from her hammock, stretching out her stiff limbs before making her way toward the bathroom area. The air was cool and crisp, the ground slightly damp beneath her bare feet from the storm a few days before.
As she passed by the area where Gally usually slept, she glanced over absently—and immediately stopped.
His spot was empty.
Thalia frowned, her drowsy brain waking up instantly.
She looked around the Glade, scanning the usual places.
The bonfire? Empty.
The Builders' area? Silent.
Near the Med-Jack hut? Nowhere in sight.
A strange feeling settled in her gut.
She could brush it off. Gally could be anywhere—taking a walk, cooling off somewhere, avoiding the chaos.
But something about it felt off.
And Thalia had learned to trust her instincts.
With a quiet sigh, she changed direction, heading toward the woods.
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Thalia moved carefully, the leaves crunching softly beneath her feet. The thick canopy of trees made it hard to see, but she navigated by memory, weaving through the familiar paths until she reached the very edge of the Glade.
And then—she saw him.
Gally was standing near the far end of the woods, hammering away at something in the dim glow of a small lantern he had set up.
Thalia slowed, eyes widening slightly as she took in the sight before her.
It was a structure—wooden beams, a half-built frame, walls just beginning to take shape.
She crossed her arms, amused.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Gally jerked at the sound of her voice, nearly dropping the hammer in his hands.
He turned sharply, eyes flashing with guilt for half a second before he quickly masked it with his usual gruff indifference.
“Nothing.”
Thalia raised a brow, stepping closer, taking in the work-in-progress hut.
“Really? ‘Cause it looks like you’re building something.”
