artemis, MAZE RUNNER¹

¹ 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆.

"Stand down, Ryan." Ed snapped. "Look at her. She's terrified. It was just a reflex, it's not like she's been trained in combat —"

"Really?" Ryan interrupted. "Can you really know that for sure? How do we know this frightened thing isn't just a... a mask? A facade? How do we know that she's not going to wait till we're all fast asleep, before slitting each one of our throats? Huh?"

"Ryan," said Newt, "be bloody realistic."

Ryan ignored him. He took a few steps closer to Emis, and he was so close she could feel his hot breath fan across her face. "I'm not buying it." He said, directly to her. She raised an eyebrow in question. "This frightened-fairy bullshit. I think you're here to send us all to Hell."

Emis could feel her blood boiling in her veins. She tasted bile; and had the sudden urge to wrap her hands around his throat and cut him off until he turned purple. Instead, she folded her arms, and leaned an inch closer towards him. "Only if you get in my way." She whispered. His eyes twitched; she had a feeling she had just said exactly what he had wanted her to.

"Emis, shut it." Said Newt. "Ryan, you too. Get back. This isn't a playground argument. Stop behaving like bloody children."

Ryan slouched away, not releasing eye contact until he was standing next to Alby. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He's going to win, Emis thought. And he knows.

"Right," Newt stood up, tossing the notebook behind him. "Let's have a vote. All those in favour of chucking her in the Pit for the night?"

"Longer," Ryan cut in.

"Slim it." Newt replied. He breathed in.

Emis swallowed. There was a static-filled silence. Then, one by one, hands began to drift into the air. Nobody spoke as Newt counted. Emis could feel sweat beading on her forehead, the back of her neck. She couldn't tell if it was more than half or not.

Newt cleared his throat. She turned to glance at him, and was relieved to see that he was grinning right at her. "All those in favour of giving Emis a bloody break?"

It was instant. Alby had won. There were hands flying up into the air, Ed even had both of his up before Newt cleared his throat. She saw his hand was up too, and for some reason, it made her feel even giddier with relief.

"Well then. It's decided." Newt shrugged at Ryan. "Guess Emis is sleeping in her own hammock after all." There were a few cheers, a particularly loud one from Chuck.

Ryan ignored him. His smile had disappeared. He wasn't just glaring at Emis anymore. His face was contorted into a horrifying expression. His fury pushed his features out of proportion: his eyes bulged, eyebrows shot up into his forehead. His lips curled back to reveal his clenched teeth. He said nothing, but spat on the ground at Emis's feet, before shoving right past her and shouldering through the doors.

"He'll come around." Emis turned to see another tall boy, with a similar build to Ryan. His hair was trimmed down to just atop his head, but he was smiling. She recognised him as one of the boys who had voted for Ryan. She raised an eyebrow.

"This is Gally," said Newt. "He's our Keeper of the Builders."

She nodded hesitantly. "I doubt that." She finally replied.

"What?" Gally blinked. "What, you don't think that —"

"No." She said, "I doubt that Ryan's ever going to see differently. You agree with him; why are you being all friendly?"

He chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry. I, uh. Poor guy needs a bit of support, you know?"

"No," said Emis, "I don't."