GLANCING AT THE DOORS to the maze for just a moment, Daphne ran to the box, Jeff and Clint following her. The entire Glade surrounded the box, Newt and Gally opening the doors before Gally jumped down into the box. Newt looked at her for a moment, giving her a slight smile as Gally pulled the new Greenie out of the box, throwing him on the floor.
She stood up behind Winston and Jeff, jumping slightly, trying to see as the crowd moved to surround the greenie. Both the boys nudged her in front of them so Daphne could see better. The new guy laid on the ground, staring up at the faces that practically studied him before he bolted, pushing his way through the ground.
"We got a runner!" Zart screamed and Daphne walked up to Newt's side just as the new boy tripped, landing on the ground. The Gladers laughed, making Daphne shake her head slightly and tried to hide her smile.
-
Daphne's eyes widened, a smile immediately forming on her face when she saw Trinity, Minho, and Ben run through the doors of the maze.
Pushing some of her hair behind her ears, Trinity panted softly, slowing down her run to Minho's and Ben's pace. Her eyes landed on Chuck, a boy who arrived at the Glade a few months ago, standing next to an unfamiliar boy.
"Look at that, fresh meat." Trinity joked sarcastically and Minho smirked, Ben laughing slightly.
"Hey, Chuck." Ben greeted the boy, glancing at the brunette boy next to him. "New Greenie? How does it feel to be promoted?"
"Feels great, Ben." Chuck grinned and Trinity smiled, waving at him before the three runners made their way to the hut where the map of the maze was.
"Trin!" Daphne ran out of the Med-Jack hut, smiling at her sister.
"Hey," Trinity hugged her quickly, Minho waving her to follow him and Ben. "I'll be back in like five minutes—"
"Hey!" Gally shouted and the two sisters looked towards the door of the maze, seeing the new greenie now on the ground, Gally standing over him.
"Make sure Gally doesn't kill him." Trinity whispered, running after Minho and Ben. Daphne sighed, making her way over like some of the other Gladers.
"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" The greenie shouted and Daphne's eyes widened, walking over to Newt.
"Just calm down, all right?" Newt spoke up, holding his arm out.
"No, okay? Why won't you tell me what's out there?" He questioned.
"We're just trying to protect you." Alby promised.
"It's for your own good." Daphne added, Newt nodded.
"You guys can't just keep me here." The greenie shouted.
"I can't let you leave." Alby repeated.
"Why not?" He asked and the doors of the maze began to close, a gust of wind hitting everyone.
-
"We're trapped here, aren't we?" The brown-eyes boy looked at Newt, the two of them sitting next to a log at a bondfire.
"For the moment. But... you see those guys?" Newt nodded, turning around and pointing at a small group of people. "There, by the fire? Those are the runners."
He moved his gaze to the two in the middle. "That guy and the girl in the middle there, that's Minho and Trinity. They're the Keepers of the Runners. Every morning, when those doors open, they run the maze... mapping it, memorizing it, trying to find a way out."
Newt laughed slightly when Trinity flicked Minho in the forehead before grabbing his glass, drinking it. The girl was given the title of Keeper a year ago, after saving Dan's life after an injury in the maze
"How long have they been looking?" The greenie questioned.
"Three years." Another voice joined the conversation, the two boys turning around to see Daphne holding a glass of water. Newt smiled at the sight of her, wrapping an arm around her as she sat down.
"Well, technically, Trinity's only been looking for two." Daphne corrected.
"Greenie, this is Daphne, my girl." Newt smiled at her and Daphne blushed. "Also keeper of the Med-Jacks and the smartest person in the Glade."
"Hi." Daphne waved and the Greenie nodded, waving back.
"Wait, so," He looked at Daphne. "They've been looking for three years and they haven't found anything?"
"It's a lot easier said than done." Newt replied and loud sounds could be heard, the maze beginning to change. "Listen. Hear that? It's the maze, changing."
"It changes every night." Daphne sighed, taking a sip of Newt's moonshine.
"How is that even possible?" The greenie asked.
"You can ask the people who put us in here, if you ever meet the bastards. Listen, the truth is... the runners are the only ones who really know what's out there." Newt explained. "They are the strongest and the fastest of us all."
"And some of them never let us forget it." Daphne interrupted and Newt smirked. "Trinity is my sister.
And she's super fast, all the runners have to be, because if they don't make it back before those doors close, then they are stuck out there for the night."
"And no one has ever survived a night in the maze." Newt admitted before smiling, shaking his head. "Right, that's enough questions for one night. Come on. You're supposed to be the guest of honor."
The greenie shook his head and Newt continued to insist. "No! No, come on. Let me show you around."
The three stood and Newt slung an arm over Daphne's shoulders as they walked and he spoke, "And there we got the builders. They're very good with their hands but not a lot going on upstairs. And then we got Winston... he's the Keeper of the Slicers."
Daphne glanced to her right, seeing Winston and the others slicers laughing and shouting. Her attention was brought back when Clint and Jeff waved at her. "And we got the other med-jacks besides Daph, Clint and Jeff."
"Hey, what's up?" Clint smirked.
"Yo, Newt." Jeff high-fiver the blond, smiling at Daphne.
"Hey guys." Daphne smiled. "Us Med-Jacks spend most of our time bandaging up the slicers."
"Well, besides you," Newt reminded, looking at the greenie. "What makes Daphne different from the rest of us is when she arrived in the box, the creators, the ones who put us here, left a bunch of scientific shit in her head."
"All that, formulas, equations, and a bunch of stuff about my sister." Daphne clarified.
"So she spends her time messing around with the chemicals that the box brings us." Newt looked at her proudly.
"What if I want to be a runner?" The greenie asked.
"Have you listened to a word I've just said? No one wants to be a runner." Newt sighed.
"That and you have to be chosen." Daphne added.
"Chosen by who?" The greenie questioned before he was knocked to the ground by Gally throwing another Glader. Newt pulled Daphne back gently, making sure she wouldn't get hit.
Gally looked at the newbie, smirking. "What do you say, Greenie? Wanna see what you're made of?"
The gladers began to chant for him to fight and he eventually stepped into the fight circle.
"All right. The rules are simple, Greenie." Gally got into a fighting stance. "I try to push you out of the circle... you try to last more than five seconds."
Daphne glanced at Trinity, who walked up to her side. "This isn't gonna end well."
"What are you talking about?" Trinity smirked, taking a sip of her moonshine. "This is gonna be great. How is he?"
"Curious, asks a lot of questions." Daphne whispered, shrugging and the two backed up when Gally threw the Greenie on the ground, into the sand. "Ouch."
"Come on, Greenie, we're not done yet." Gally insisted.
The boy stood up, rolling his eyes. "Stop calling me Greenie."
"Stop calling you that? What do you wanna be called? Shank?" Gally smirked and Daphne stifled a laugh. "What do you think, boys? Does he look like a Shank?"
Gally and the greenie began to push each other around before of course, Gally threw him on the floor. "You know what? I think I've settled on Shank."
Trinity shrugged, "Not bad."
Standing back up again, the Greenie lunged at Gally, managing to push him to the ground. "Not bad for a Greenie, huh?"
His victory was short-lived, Gally kicking his legs and the greenie landed on the sand. He lifted his head up slightly, "Hey! Thomas! I remember my name. I'm Thomas!"