"Wicked is good" The woman's voice filled Joanna's head.
She sat against a tree, watching Alby hand the knife to Thomas, signalling him to carve his name into the wall.
She signed and let her head fall back a bit. She tied the mask around her head and got up. She walked towards the kitchen where Fry was preparing breakfast.
"Fry." She greeted him.
"Hey Jo. I got some bacon and eggs, jus' the way you like it." Frypan smiled and handed her a wood plank with crispy bacon and scrambled eggs on it.
"Thanks Fry. Do you have Minhos?" She asked politely.
"Sure thing." He handed her Minhos breakfast and walked to his hammock.
"Day one, Greenie. Rise and shine." Joanna whispered in Minhos ear, mockingly.
Minho opened his eyes, looking slightly panicked and then rolled his eyes.
"I swear, one day my heart will stop and I will blame you." He groaned and got up. Putting on his blue shirt.
"Maybe you don't need this." She gestured to his food, jokingly. "Your muscles are fading."
"Bitch, please." Minho laughed and grabbed his plate.
They sat there and ate slowly. Joanna took off her bandana mask and rested it next to her. Revealing the scars running down her eye and lips and cheek. Minho looked at her and smiled. She only took it off around him, Newt and Alby.
"You're pretty." Minho smiled cheekily and tilted his head at her.
"Oh, why thank you, kind sir." She giggled and spoke in a posh British accent.
He smiled and continued to eat.
"Day off today. Do you wanna go through everything in the map room and see if there's anything new." Joanna spoke up.
"Of course, but only because it is you and you are smart." Minho joked and finished his food.
"Boy! You better slow down when you eat. Jesus! it's like you have a bottomless pit." Joanna joked.
"You wish you was me." Minho Joked.
"You wish!" Joanna laughed. She stood up and put on her mask.
She was quite slim, but her muscles were toned and where she needed them. She had a slight outline around her abs. Making them a bit visible and she had muscular legs which complimented her short body frame. It was from all the running she did.
Put it this way. She isn't weak but you wouldn't be able to tell that straight away.
"Girl, put a shirt on. Don't want the boys seeing the bod' of a goddess." Minho joked and chucked her a spare shirt he had. Minho and Joanna have a best friend, sibling bond. Nothing more, nothing less.
She laughed and chucked it on. The boys were just starting to wake up.
They headed into the woods to the map room.
-
"It's just no use!" Minho sighed. "We have looked everywhere!"
"What are we missing?" Joanna whispered to herself.
"I am missing a will to live right now." Minho joked but then stopped smiling after he heard a boy screaming for help.
"HEY!! HELLPPP!"
There it was again. The two looked at each other before Joanna sprinted out, into the Glade, to the where the noise was coming from.
She saw Thomas being chased by a weird looking Ben.
"It's Ben?" Joanna questioned Minho.
"I thought he was out in the Maze?" He responded.
They watched as Ben jumped on Thomas. Luckily, Newt swung a shovel, whacking ben in the head and getting him off Thomas.
The boys held Ben down. Trying to ask him what he was thinking.
Alby had made it over just before Jo and Minho.
"Lift his shirt!" Alby ordered the boys.
"He's been stung. In the middle of the day?" Gally asked confused, looking at Alby and Newt.
Joanna pushed her way through the crowd to Ben.
They all looked at her. Ben looked at her with pleading eyes.
"No Joanna, please!" Ben pleaded quietly with her.
"Please, please, please. Listen to me."
They all looked at her, waiting for her signal.
"Get him up. Take him to the pit." She ordered before grabbing Thomas and pulling him away.
-
Alby joined them on the Hammock.
"He said he saw me and that this is all my fault. I mean, how can this be my fault?" Thomas asked them, confused.
Joanna and Alby shared a look. Joanna stood up and started to walk away.
"Get some rest." Alby stood up and started to follow her.
"Alby!" Thomas called after him. Alby turned to look at him. "What's going to happen to him?"
-
Everyone was in their positions ready. Thomas and Chuck watched from a far.
Joanna stood in the middle watching Minho practically drag Ben across the Glade, to the group standing by the doors.
"Please listen to me! Minho!" Ben pleaded as Minho cut his hand ties from behind his head.
Ben dropped down and started to throw up black blood. He stood up and Joanna threw a bag into the maze, past the doors.
"No, Joanna, please!" Ben whispered.
Joanna stood tall and looked towards Alby and nodded. She walked next to Newt and Minho as the Sirens blared and the gust of wind blew through the maze.
"Poles!" Ably shouted.
-
"I just don't understand." Gally whispered to Joanna as he started to cross Bens name off the wall.
Joanna looked at him and tilted her head down. She didn't understand either. No one ever gets stung in the middle of the day.
She rubbed Gally's shoulder and then walked towards Thomas and Chuck.
"You think he might make it?" Thomas asked
"Ben? No." Chuck responded. "We just gotta forget about him."
Joanna stood next to Thomas' side. She faced away from him and he stood up slowly making eye contact with her.
She gestured him to follow.
They walked through the woods slowly.
"How did you survive?" Thomas asked slowly.
Joanna stayed quiet for a long time before she spoke.
"I ran, got corned by a griever. And then I ran until I couldn't anymore. So I hid. I don't remember how, but I did. I managed to make it to the doors right before they opened. Then I passed out. I should be dead."
Thomas looked at her, "Did a griever do that to you?" He looked at her scar covering her eye.
Joanna slowly took off her bandana and let him look at the claws marks that covered her the left side of her face. She nodded.
Thomas reached his hand out and slowly touched them. Joanna jolted slightly at the touch but let him continue, looking at him. There was something about him. Something that confused her.
"I'm sorry." Thomas pulled his hand away and looked down.
"It's okay." Joanna whispered.
"I'm just so confused." Thomas whispered.
Joanna moved closer to him. "We all are. We have our dark days. Those days will always confuse us the most. But if you talk about it. It will be okay." She smiled slightly and moved her hand to touch his. Then she stopped and pulled away.
"You should get some rest." She said to him and brushed past him softly. Walking to her hammock.
-
"Thomas, you have to choose."
Thomas jumped awake to the noise of the doors opening and the dream he just had. He looked towards the doors to see Joanna, Minho and Alby talking to Newt. Joanna hugged Newt and he shook the boys hands and they ran into the Maze; Leaving Newt at the doors.
Thomas watched until he could no longer see them.
-
"Why would Alby go into the Maze? I understand Joanna and Minho but Alby, he's... He's not a runner?" Thomas questioned Newt.
Zart smiled, looking at Newt.
"Things are different now. Alby went to retrace Bens footsteps with Joanna, before sundown. Are you gonna help?" Newt replied and gestured to the tree stump. Thomas didn't budge.
"Okay so they're gonna go back to where Ben was just stung?" Thomas questioned.
"They know what they are doing. Alright? Joanna knows better than any of us." Newt said, using his Machete to gesture around the boys.
"What does that even mean?" Thomas asked.
Newt straightened, getting tired of all the questions.
"Look, it's like you heard, yeah?" Newt started. "Every month, the box brings up a new arrival. Someone had to be first. Someone had to spend a whole month in the glade... Alone. That was Joanna. I mean it can't have been easy for her. But as soon as Alby and me and the other boys started coming up. We saw the truth. She learnt that the most important thing here is that we all have each other. Because we are all in this together." Newt stated and then started chopping again.
Thomas, feeling a bit more satisfied, got up and started to help chop the tree stump.
"Yeah! There you go Greenie!" Newt cheered him on.
Just as he started getting into it, thick black clouds started rolling over the Glade. Thunder following it.
They worked for a bit longer until it started to rain heavily. They all gathered under shelter to watch the doors. Waiting for the three to come back through.
"They should have been back by now!" Thomas stated. Looking worried. "What happens if they don't make it?"
"They're gonna make it." Newt responded.
"What if they don't?" Thomas almost whispered.
"They're gonna make it." Newt said again.
He didn't know if he even believed himself. He was worried. He didn't know if his sister was going to make it back in time and that scared him.
The rain had finally stopped and the boys gathered around the doors. Waiting. Worrying.
The sirens blared and the wind came hurling through the Maze.
"Come on guys, can't we send someone after them." Thomas said worried.
"That's against the rules. They either make it back or the don't." Gally replied bluntly. He was worried.
"Can't risk losing anyone else." Newt sighed. "Joanna would kill me."
"There!" Thomas said.
Joanna and Minho came stumbling round the corner.
"Wait no! Somethings wrong." Newt stated as they looked the Runners who were dragging Albys body towards the doors.
"COME ON GUYS YOU CAN DO IT!"
"COME ON MINHO!"
"COME ON JOANNA"
"COME ON GUYS!"
"YOU GOTTA LEAVE HIM!"
"They're not gonna make it." Newt said in disbelief.
"YOU GUYS GOTTA LEAVE HIM!"
Time had felt as if it slowed down for Thomas. He looked between the boys and then back at Joanna and Minho struggling to drag Albys lifeless body.
In that second, he made a decision. He needed to help. His body started moving before he even had time to register what was happening to him.
He ran into the maze. Newt and Chuck tried to grab him but they failed and watched as Thomas nearly got squished between the doors, pushing himself to the other side.
He fell to the ground and then turned round looking Minho and Joanna who sat next to Albys body panting and sweating.
"Good job." Minho panted. Thomas looked at him.
"You just killed yourself." Joanna replied and started to slowly stand up, panting.