Pasty's story [The Maze Runner]

17

 Pasty woke to Minho shaking her gently. She opened her eyes groggily, feeling like she hadn’t had enough sleep. She could see Minho pulling on a shirt.

 “Newt called a meeting. To sort out Thomas. He’s in charge til Alby gets back on his feet,” Minho said.

 “And will he?” Pasty dared to ask. Minho shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, but he looked worried.

 “Everyone else does,” he said. What he didn’t mention was the consequences. Pasty thought about her experience with the Changing. It literally had changed everything for her-she’s received her special sight and strange premonitions. For all the good it did us she thought Alby still wound up hurt and now the bloody Greenie’s stirring up trouble.

 The pair of them headed to the meeting together. It turned out they were the last ones to arrive. Newt looked up at Pasty as Minho took his usual seat. There was only one empty chair. Alby’s.

 “You’ll have to sit there,” Newt said with a shrug “Ain’t no other seats.”

 Pasty reluctantly sat down, feeling out of place. It felt wrong to take Alby’s seat. Still. She was glad she wasn’t in Thomas’ place. He looked terrified, his eyes skimming over everyone in the room. Gally looked strangely smug. I bet he doesn’t like Thomas Pasty thought.

 “In place of our leader, sick in bed, I declare this Gathering begun,” Newt said with a roll of his eyes “As you all know, the last few days have been bloody crazy, and quite a bit seems centred around our Greenbean, Tommy, seated before us.”

 “He’s not the Greenie anymore,” Gally pointed out, glaring at Thomas “He’s just a rule breaker now.”

 “Just like you, eh Gally? You should get along just fine,” Pasty said. It had been a long time since she and Gally talked, and any fondness he might have had for her had fizzled out. He glared at her as the others muttered amongst themselves.

 “Shut your hole, Gally. And you, Pasty. Try and keep some buggin’ order around here,” Newt said seriously “Reason we’re here is because every lovin’ kid in the Glade has come up to me in the last day or two either boo-hooing about Thomas or beggin’ to take his bloody hand in marriage. We need to decide what we’re gonna do with him.”

 Pasty was amused by the look of terror on Thomas’ face, though she did feel for him a little. He was only a Newbie, and everything was already heading down the klunk-hole for him.

 “Zart the Fart, you start,” Newt said, earning a chuckle from the group. Zart raised an eyebrow, shifting in his seat.

 “Well. I don’t know. He broke one of our most important rules. We can’t just let people think that’s okay. But then again he’s…changed things. Now we know we can survive out there, and that we can beat the Grievers.”

 “Oh give me a break,” Gally said, rolling his eyes “I bet Minho and Pasty are the ones who actually got rid of the stupid things.”

 “Actually, shuck face, Thomas took care of himself. It was me and Minho who ran off to save our sorry butts. Ain’t no rule against that, but it was a damn selfish move. But it was a team effort to actually get rid of the things. May I continue?” Pasty said, looking to Newt “I mean, I was there.”

 “I have a feeling you would have carried on anyway,” Newt said “Go ahead.”

 Pasty nodded “I think this: the rules here are made for a reason. He could have got himself killed. I think our Greenie here is a damn idiot,” Pasty said “And let’s be honest, we don’t tolerate rule breakers here: Ben knew that. But Tommy ain’t Ben. Ben tried to kill someone. Thomas saved someone. Maybe a few someones. Who knows what the turnout would have been for me and Minho had we not found Thomas. So the guy’s an idiot, but let’s cut him a break. We could all learn a thing or two from that shuck-face over there.”