Aegis | The Maze Runner / Minho ✓

two

My mouth dropped open in a gape. I blinked at him and his smug smirk, wondering how in the world he had managed to change something so quickly and without much effort at all. "How - What--"

Minho leaned forward in his seat so his elbows were resting on his knees. "Sticking up for yourself isn't a bad thing, Nadia. Some people here are jerks and will eventually start pushing you around because they think you're too naive to see what they're actually doing. I'm trying to teach you how to prevent that. You need to get out of this little bubble you have. Pop it."

I was stumped. Minho was confusing in all sorts of ways, but "popping the bubble" surely outdid anything he'd ever said. How was I supposed to do that? I couldn't just turn around and become a completely different person just like that. It would take time, effort, and a lot of different types of psychology for Minho's plan to work.

"If you're trying to make me a mean and horrible person, you're out of luck," I said. "That's not me and it never will be me."

Minho raised an eyebrow. "Am I a mean and horrible person? Look, to you, a person who knocks over a chair is mean. It's all about perspective. I'm not trying to change you for the worst- I'm just trying to help you in case someone comes along that doesn't know their boundaries. You live in an environment full of boys, Nadia, need I remind you."

I shook my head. "I don't know, Minho." This all felt so weird. In a matter of days, my life had completely turned around. I wasn't running out in the Maze anymore, talking to Minho had become much easier than before, and I was completely powerless for once. I felt small and vulnerable compared to how I had been before the stupid accident. It was like I had been stripped of my power and I was meaningless to the Glade. What could a girl with one working leg do? Apparently, nothing but sit around with some guy to follow her and make sure she didn't fall on her face.

And then, it clicked. That was what Minho had been trying to tell me all along. I didn't have to feel that way. I didn't have to feel tiny or insecure- if I just showed people that I wasn't those things, the horrible thoughts would go away.

As if he had read my mind, Minho continued, "Your injury doesn't mean you're powerless. If anything, it makes you stronger. Nadia, you got your shucking leg stuck in the Maze wall and still made it out! You're some kind of hero around here. Make people look up to you, not down as if you're lower."

I thought for a second. Minho did make sense. If I just learned to let myself be a little more aggressive, I could be much more confident as well.

During those few moments of quiet, I made a vow. I would not become some sort of uncontrollable, careless being. I would still be me. I would keep being the same Nadia, just braver. I would not let this change me for the worst.

"Okay," I conceded. "Let's do it."

-:-

I had quite a few Runners to watch over. There were eight sections in the Maze, but only a few of them were open a day, meaning that four Runners had a day off today. One of them was Newt.

He was a tall boy with sandy blond hair that brushed over his forehead like a curtain. His eyes were a warm brown color that was pleasing to look at, and I had never seen him without a smile on his face. His frame was an even mix of slim and muscle that just managed to balance his height out with his body.

He approached Minho and I during lunch, carrying a bowl of beef soup and a glass of milk. He slid into the seat next to me and sent us both a smile. "New Greenie today," he said. "Aren't you two excited?"

"It's just another poor, crying shank we gotta look after," Minho grumbled before taking a huge gulp of his water. He screwed the plastic cap onto the bottle and set it back on the table. "Nick will teach him the rules, tell him not to touch Nadia, and give him the Tour tomorrow. Nothing new. Nothing to get hyped up about it."