What did it all mean? I sighed and parted ways with Thomas and Newt. Newt was heading back to work and Thomas was going back to bed. I was going to sort things out in the forest and make some sense of Alby's words. Newt found me sitting on the leaves, staring fixedly at a tree trunk. He sat down in front of me, but I didn't take much notice.
"Is it true?" Newt asked quietly as I twirled a piece of grass in between my fingers.
"Is what true?"
"Is it true that you love me?"
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Telling Newt that I loved him seemed to have happened years ago. Obviously, it was true and I told him that. Leaning forward so that his hands were on either side of my thighs, he bent forward to kiss me.
"I love you too, princess. Now that you're awake, wanna come visit that bloody girl with me?"
I shook my head and laid back against the soft leaves. "Nope. I've had enough for a day or two without worrying about that bugging girl. I wanna talk to Thomas instead."
Newt sighed and helped me up. We found him sitting up on his bed, rubbing his eyes. Newt and I both sat down on either side of his bed.
"I want you to be with me for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, Ellie and I will lock you in the Slammer. After that, Minho and Ellie will train you to be a Runner-"
Thomas cut Newt off with, you guessed it, a question. "Wait why are you training me Ellie?"
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "Now that Alby is out, I can finally do my job again. If you didn't know, I'm Keeper of the Runners. Today, Newt wants you to work with him. Now shut your trap and listen to what we have to say."
Thomas looked hurt for a moment, but didn't object. Newt sighed and told him that he needed to accept something.
"Yeah. The girl said it, Alby said it, Ben said it, even Gally said it. Gally, Ben, Alby, and I all saw you during the Changing. Whether you like it or not, things are going to change," I prompted.
"I don't remember anything!" Thomas burst out.
"We know, Thomas! We know you don't remember anything! None of us remember anything, so quit bloody reminding us. There's something different about you and it's high time we figure out what," Newt snapped.
Thomas rolled his eyes and asked how. Newt told him to talk. Thomas recalled that when he arrived, he felt a sense of familiarity instead of the usual terror. He included that he felt like he knew the place and he knew he wanted to be a Runner. Newt and I shared matching looks of concern.
"Alright well, keep looking. Delve into that brain of yours and try to remember something. Spend your free time wanderin' your thoughts. Strain your mind. Listen, Thomas, because I'm not going to repeat myself. Do not go near that bloody girl without me or Ellie, ok? Understood?" Newt asked.
He gulped and nodded. I smiled at him and followed Newt out of the bedroom.
"You should be the leader," I suggested quietly, wrapping my arm around his waist.
"That's your job. You're the best there is for a leader. I'm just the poor schmuck who has to step up when you're out in the maze."
I laughed and messed up his hair. "Yeah well, I'll miss you when I go back. I'm excited to be back though. Being a Runner makes me feel important, like I'm actually contributing to the Glade."
Newt laughed and kissed my cheek. "You're adorable El. Truly. Try not to get eaten by Grievers, ok?"
"Gee, I don't know bub. Maybe eaten by massive robots would be a good story."
***
The day had come to reenter the maze. I was antsy and couldn't stop pacing back and forth across our bedroom. Newt tried to comfort me, but I knew I wouldn't be satisfied until I was running. I was even more nervous to take Thomas out into the maze. Speaking of Thomas, he was currently out of the Slammer. Minho would be showing him around about now.
"Take this to calm your nerves," Newt suggested, handing me one of his sweatshirts. I slipped it over my head and pressed my nose to the fabric. Newt chuckled and added, "Don't smell it, ya creep."
Thomas was ready with a backpack, trainers, weapons, and a watch. For my first day back, I had chosen a knife with a long blade that rested in a holster on my hip. As usual, I also kept small switchblades in the back of my waistband and in my boot. Newt thought I was crazy for keeping weapons on me, but ya never know when you might need them.
"Where are your weapons?" Thomas asked.
"I have some on me. Don't worry about me, Tommy. Just worry about yourself. It's my job to keep everybody else safe. Ready for your first day?" I asked in an almost mocking way.
Nobody wanted to be a Runner. Well, except for me. I loved the adrenaline rush it gave me. And I guess Thomas, by the sound of his answer. Guess I wasn't the only crazy one.
Minho finished up whatever he was doing (probably finishing breakfast) and we began our run. I kept forgetting that we needed to train Thomas and stayed a couple feet ahead, but other than that, our run went smoothly. Until we neared the end of Section 7.
"What is that?" Thomas asked, pointing to a red rag on the ground. It was only a few feet from us.
Minho moved forward and bent down to pick it up. At the same time, a high-pitched beeping sound from his backpack. Minho unzipped his backpack and pulled the silver canister out.
"That bloody rag is Ben's. Probably his shirt. I think this shuck thing wants us to keep going that way," Minho observed, pointing at a distant path. It was the only one moving forward.
They both looked hesitant to proceed forward. I stared at the narrow walkway and made up my mind. Taking the key from Minho, I began to creep cautiously toward the hallway. The closer I got, the louder the thing beeped. A red light began to flash on it until both the light and sound stopped. I paused, unsure if I should continue. Suddenly the walls began to shift with the sound of sliding concrete. I watched the walls of the hall expand and shift around me.
"Are you alright Ellie?" Thomas shouted.
I nodded slowly and took a hesitant step forward. My boot made a loud smack as it made contact with the stone. About a few feet in front of me, the wall shifted and revealed a new part of the maze. The wall that was once a dead end shifted and revealed a circular opening, about 4 feet wide.
"Come check this out," I shouted back.
The boys approached hurriedly. They both stopped when they saw the tunnel and gaped at it. Thomas looked shocked and Minho looked angry. I heard the sound of shifting stone again and examined the walls. At the entrance of the tunnel, a wall has slid out of the sides of the hall. It was sealing off the path.
"We need to go now," I stated.
The boys were frozen in shock. I rolled my eyes and yanked on the back of Minho's shirt. Thomas had finally seen the danger and all three of us ran towards the shrinking exit. The maze seemed to have it out for me, I thought as I sprinted towards our only way out.
I, being the first to see it, made it out first, followed by Thomas and Minho. The Griever key was still tightly clutched in my right hand, now flashing red and beeping loudly again. Even though I could see Thomas' chest heaving as he gulped for air, I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and dragged him along. New walls sprouted from the existing ones, sealing off the nearest pathways.
It was now a race for time. My ears strained for the sound of approaching Grievers, but I only heard shoes slapping against stone and heavy breathing. Minho pointed to a walkway to the left, only a couple yards away. A stone wall was slowly inching towards the ceiling of the doorway.
"Help me up," I panted.
I was too short to jump up. Thomas bent down and cupped his hands. I flashed him a smile before I used his hands as leverage and jumped. My fingers gripped the edge of the stone and I scrambled to get in between the floor and ceiling. I army crawled through the increasingly narrower space and fell with a painful thump out the other side, followed by Minho. Thomas made it, too, just before the entrance to section 7 sealed shut.
"Does that always happen?" Thomas asked through gasps.
"Are you nuts, shuckface? No, that's never happened before," Minho snapped.
I rolled my eyes and dug through my backpack. I pulled out three water bottles and handed them out. All three of us guzzled the water down, only stopping to intake huge gulps of air. The shifting stone had released clouds of gray dust into the air, leaving us all covered in the stuff. Minho's black hair looked gray from the dust and Thomas' face was covered in grime. I was sure I wasn't any better.
I heard sobbing. It was normal to hear Greenies crying after they came out of the box, but I was still surprised when I rolled over and saw Thomas weeping into his hands. I scooted over and put my arm around his shoulders.
"It's alright, Tommy. Let it out. Get a shower and some rest when we get back while Minho and I sort things out. I don't blame you if you don't want to be a Runner anymore either. If it makes you feel better, Minho had a horrible first day too," I informed him, hoping to provide some comfort.
Thomas sat up straighter and wiped his tears away. They had left two tracks down his dirty face.
"Why is it that something bad happens when you enter the maze?" Minho asked, playfully glaring at me.
I rolled my eyes and patted Thomas' shoulder. "Guess you aren't the only troublemaking shank, huh?"
He mirrored my smile. I stood up, stretched out my muscles, and slung all three backpacks over my shoulders. "Up you two. Knock off the laziness or I'll sick Chuck and Newt on you," I teased. Minho gasped, fake offended, and clutched his chest. Thomas stood up and groaned.
"Do near-death experiences just not faze you?" Thomas asked as we made our way back to the Glade. I reminded him that I'd had too many to be bothered by them.
I had gotten half a foot in the Glade before Chuck barrelled into me. I hugged him back and ruffled his brown curls. I noticed Thomas scanning the Glade and my smile fell a little. When I saw Newt, my smile returned full-force. He was leaning against the walls of the maze, holding a bouquet of flowers and boasting a goofy, boyish smile.
I released Chuck and walked over to my wonderfully loving boyfriend. He handed me the flowers, a sunshine yellow arrangement of dandelions. I buried my nose in them and eyed him as he looked me up and down. His smile faltered as he realized I was covered in soot.
"What are these for?" I asked, inhaling another whiff of the vibrant gifts.
"They were supposed to be a 'Welcome Home' gift for when you came back from your first day back in the maze. I hope you like them. What happened out there though?" he asked.
"The flowers are wonderful, thank you. We'll explain everything when we get all the Keepers rounded up," I announced, tucking a single flower behind my ear.