Tired of Running

7|| the three runners

// stay with me;
no, you don't
need to run \\

•
It had been three days since the gathering which decided against Harper's hopes of being a runner. She stood there stupidly, weaving the vines to the lattice wall in their garden. Jacob worked next to her, sweat dripping off his forehead, soaking through his shirt.
"Shuck it, it's too hot for this."
He leaned his shovel against the lattice and took a long drink from his water bottle. Harper agreed, but her work was much less tedious.
She finished with the vines and started refreshing the dirt around the bottoms of the posts.

Jacob had disappeared from his job, leaving Harper to her track-hoeing duties alone. She sighed as she wiped her forehead and tried to catch her breath. "You know everyone else is done for the day..." She glanced over her shoulder and smiled: Newt. "Yeah... Just figured i'd finish up..." Her chest rose and fell quickly. "Come on..." Newt took the shovel from her and leaned it against the post. Harper gratefully followed him, taking another drink.

"Hey, shank."
Minho shoved her with his arm, smirking.
"Come here, I wanna show you something..."
He shifted his eyes to Newt, who stood up and joined him. Harper scrunched her eyebrows in question as they lead her through the deadheads.  Her confusion and curiosity grew more, the further they went in.  She had never been in this far... They stopped at a shack made of some twigs. Harper had never seen this; nor known it existed. "What—"
"This is the map room."
Minho opened the door, "For the maze.
I've been mapping it the six months i've been here."

Harper looked around, fascinated and amazed.
"You did this..." She looked at the boy in a new awe. "That's..."
"Well, I helped a little, but he can take all the credit." Newt smiled slightly. "Why are you showing me this? Only runners are allowed in here..." She wouldn't let herself get hopeful; they had already made their say quite clear.
"Yes..." Newt looked to Minho, who continued,
"I know..." A smirk tugged at both of their mouths. Harper looked at them with raised eyebrows.

"You're a runner."

Harper's eyes widened as she stared at the two of them, "You already told me that—"
"I know... I know what we said." Newt looked at her, "I owe you an apology...again."
Harper looked at them both, still not believing it. "We know you can take care of yourself...
We just– don't want you getting hurt. Anyway... You've proved that you can take care of yourself... And we could definitely...use you."

Harper was beaming; she looked between the two of them, a smirk growing, "When do I start?" Minho returned the smirk and looked to Newt, "Tomorrow."

~~

"Alright..." Minho set a third backpack down on the ground, "So far i've learned that there's several sections of the maze... And every night it changes around, different sections open... It's all a pattern." He shook his head, "I don't even think we've found half of it..." Harper nodded, trying to take all this information in. "So far i have all of this mapped out..." He motioned to the table that showed a mini replica of the maze; made of twigs and bark and wood. It was mapped a quarter of the way- not in the same end- just scattered in different places.

"Stay next to us. Don't look back. Always make sure you make it back before the doors close. And if we say run... Run."
Minho tossed her the backpack. Harper unzipped it and looked inside, pencils, paper, water, small amounts of food. Harper draped it over her shoulder, "Wouldn't it be faster if we split up?" Newt looked at her, eyes wide, "No,"
He shook his head, "No, we have to stay together..." Harper nodded, "Okay..." She looked to Minho again, "Don't forget that i've been out there before." She smirked.

Minho shook his head, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" He turned and sprinted toward the open doors. Newt glanced at Harper, a smirk tugged on his lips, which she returned. Together, they followed Minho into the maze.