Minho grabbed a torch and led her away from the fire, towards the stone walls.

"Is this where you kill me?" She teased.

"Nah, I'd have to kill you, drag you to the deadheads, dig a hole and barry ya..hide the evidence. Too much work, I'm too lazy for that!" He sassed, his sly smirk on his face.

She chuckled at his response. She didn't feel threatened or scared with Minho. When Chris tried to lead her off away from the group she felt her fight or flight kick in, she knew she was in danger. But walking away from the group and the bonfire, she felt at ease, she had slowed down while she thought of the differences between the boys.

"Come on there Greenie, keep up or you're gonna get lost in the dark!" He called, a tease in his voice. Alex rolled her eyes and jogged to keep up with his long strides. She caught up with him and they walked in comfortable silence towards the towering walls. Minho slowed and stopped. Alex looked at him curiously, she watched as his sly smirk and playfulness slipped off his face. Replaced by a cold mask of stone. His eyes looked straight ahead of them, staring at the wall. She couldn't see anything, just the towering walls and ivy. She looked back at him curiously. He ran a hand through his hair. He let a heavy sigh out, his shoulders sagged. He stuck the torch into the ground. He turned to face her, crossing his arms across his chest. He looked at her seriously for a moment, all the sass and goofiness gone. Alex bit her lower lip, nervous all of a sudden.

"Alex, you're one of us now. You're a Glader. For whatever shucked up reason, the Creators sent you here, but you're now a Glader. You need to know what that means."

She wasn't sure what to do, so she nodded, waiting for him to continue. He glanced at the wall. WIth the flickering light of the torch flame, she could see carvings. She took a step closer to the wall. She realized the carvings were names. She reached a shaking hand out, and traced a few. She recognized a few of the names: Newt. Minho. Chuck. Alby. Gally. Many names she didn't and a few of the names had a line carved through them: Erik. Mark. George.

"Minho? What happened to them? The ones with a line through them?" She whispered, though with the feeling like her stomach just dropped off a cliff, she had a feeling she knew.

"We had some dark days, Alex. We lost a lot of guys. Good kids. Dark days. " His voice was quiet and rough. She was quiet, still reading and tracing the names.

"Like I said, you're a Glader now. Means you're now part of the family; we have your back. Carve your name." He had stepped up right beside her, his arm brushed hers. He held out a small knife he pulled from his belt. He looked down at her, his dark brown eyes boring into hers. She took the knife, looking at it for a moment. Minho stepped back, letting her do this on her own. She stepped over, and carved her name, Alex, into the wall. Right in the middle of Minho, Newt, Chuck and Alby's name. She felt like a Glader now. She had a name, she proved herself, and gained the respect of the boys and now her name was forever on the wall.

She took a step back to admire her work. Minho stood beside her. They were both quiet for a minute, lost in thought, and respect for the names that were crossed out. Alex could hear Minho take a deep breath. She turned and held the knife out for him to take back. He took it and slid it back into this belt. He took one more sad look at the wall and then turned to face her. His eyes lit up once more, the spark of mischief was back and a sly smirk slid back onto his face.

"Okay Shanket, time for you to try Fry's bacon!" He threw an arm over her shoulders once more. Picked the torch up from the ground and they walked back to the bonfire, laughing about Fry's gourmet cooking.

__________________

"Oh.my.goodness!" She said with a mouth full of hot greasy bacon. "Fry! Now, this is gourmet cooking!" She swallowed hard and grabbed another piece.

He laughed and pointed his BBQ tongs at her "Darn tooten' lil Lady-Bean! And don't you forget it! This is the good stuff. Don't get it often, but when we do.."

Mmmwwuh. He put his hand to his mouth and made a kiss noise and opened his hand into the air. "chef's kiss! Kiss the chef!"

"Sorry, Fry, I love this bacon, but I don't think I'm gonna kiss the chef anytime soon." She laughed, greedily grabbing another piece off the BBQ.

"Oh just you wait, She-Bean! Sorry, Alexandria- no wait, Alex- suits you, your name- Alex, you'll eventually kiss the chef. One day, at some point." He teased flipping bacon over.

They both laughed. Fry was a good guy, he was a Glader Alex felt the bonds of friendship forming. She tried to take a fourth strip of bacon but he smacked the top of her hand with his tongs, "Hey! Save some for the rest of us!" She snatched her stinging hand away.

"Ouch Fry, that was so mean" she pouted "I'm hungry! I had to take on Gally, I need food!"

He huffed. Alex looked at him, making her eyes big and sad, sticking out her bottom lip just a little into a puppy dog face pout. "Pleeeeeaasse Frypan? Just one more?" She said it as sweetly and innocently as she possibly could, batting her long eyelashes. He huffed again. Then sighed.

He caved. "Fiiine! One. One more. And that's it!" He handed her one more piece of the thick greasy gourmet bacon.

Alex jumped up and down. "Thank you Fry! You're the best!" She couldn't believe that worked. She took it and started to walk away backwards.

Fry yelled after her, pointing his BBQ tongs at her again, "Don't you forget it! And do not make this a habit! That face won't work next time!"

She laughed. "We'll see! Hey Fry?" she called, "have you seen Chuck, Newt, Minho or Alby?"

"Chuck went to bed, Newt and Alby had some important Glade Leader things to do and Minho went to get another jar of Gally's drink, I think. Check by the fire, he's probably with the other Runners!" He hollered back, and turned back to his bacon with a shriek. His bacon was burning.

Alex signed, she was tired, and she didn't know where she was sleeping, or what she was supposed to do. She spotted Minho sitting with a few other guys laughing. They all had a jar of the brown liquid in their hands; Gally's secret recipe she had been told to avoid tonight. This must be the group of 'runners' Fry mentioned. She made a mental note to ask Alby what a runner was on her tour tomorrow. She walked over to the group of rowdy boys, suddenly nervous, and aware of what her body was doing, again.

"Uhh, Minho?" She asked quieter than she intended. She had grabbed a piece of her hair, fiddling with it. All the guys looked at her, then eyebrows raised at Minho, smirks on their faces. One blond guy elbowed him in the ribs.

"OOOOHHH looks like the Sheee-Bean needs a Keeper! Ha! She really neeeeeds a KEEPER! Ifff ya know what I mean Meeeean Ho! You gooo keeeep her busy toooonight!" He burst into giggles along with the rest of the guys.

Minho rolled his eyes, "Slim it Ben, you've had too much to drink and you gotta run tomorrow!" He laughed, pushing the blond guy's head, making him teeter and fall off the log. His cocky smirk never left his face, but there was a little bit of pink in his cheeks. He stood up and walked her away from the group of teasing tipsy guys who started wolf whistling at her.

"What's up Buttercup?"

"Well...ummm, I can't find Newt or Alby. I'm exhausted and I have no idea where I'm supposed to sleep. What usually happens with the new kids? Do we just crash, do the new kids have some kind of horrible initiation and we gotta sleep in the barn..? Do you happen to know anything?" she asked hopefully, looking up at him. She was exhausted, her body and mind were beat up today, the whole Box situation, passing out, smacking her head more than once, not to mention all the bruises and sore muscles now from fighting Gally.

"Oh! Umm, ya sleeping. I guess you shouldn't be sleeping with a bunch of hormonal teenage guys." He suddenly seemed a bit nervous, she could see red creeping across his checks. He scratched the back of his neck and looked away and then back at her. She smiled shyly at him.

Is he nervous? Aww, he's so cute when he's nervous! Shuck it Alex, get it together!

He cleared his throat. His smirk and confidence back in a flash. He put his hand on the small of her back. She could feel the warmth from the spot his hand touched, and it radiated through her body. She could feel her whole body tingle.

He leaned in and said quietly "Follow me Shanket. I'll make sure you're safe tonight."

He led the way to the Homestead, Alex could hear snoring from beside the Homestead, under what looked like a very large lean-to. Minho led her through the front door and up the creaky steps, and into his room.

Wait. His room?

The heat rising up her neck into her cheeks, she couldn't look him in the eye, instead opted to study the nails in the floor.

Dose he really expect me to sleep with him? In the same bed? I just met this guy not even 12 hours ago! No! I'm not going to do that! Yes he's attractive...very very attractive. STOP! No! Did I misjudge him?

She thought he was different, flirty and sassy. Overly dramatic, yes, but not gross and creepy like that Chris guy! A small bubble of panic rose up inside her. She took a step back.

"Just let me grab my stuff for tomorrow, and you can stay here. I'll crash in Newt's room until we figure somethin' more permanent out."

She looked up at him startled. The panic bubble popped and let out some wild butterflies, she sighed with relief. He was a good guy. She had made a few friends she could trust: Newt, Chuck, Frypan, Minho and Alby- even though he was always grouchy, she was sure he would have her back.

"Are you sure? This is your room! I could crash in the Med..Jack? Medjack room!" She said, a little unsure, glancing at him. She felt guilty, even though she really did want to sleep away from all the guys.

"Yes. I said so. So it's fine. No take backs." He crossed his arms, a frown line forming between his eyebrows.

"But-"

"-Nope, " he said, popping the p.

"Minho! I can't!"

"Can!"

"Can't! "

"Can!"

"Can't!"

"Can! Can Can! Shuck it Alex! You can't sleep outside with those shanks. And the Med Jack room is a public area, who knows who comes and goes!" He ran a hand through his hair. She could tell he was getting frustrated, his face was set, a frown on his face and forehead was creased and his arm gestures were more wild.

"No. You're safe here! It's just Keepers in here, and I know they'll also keep ya safe! Also, I'm fine in Newt's room. We can snuggle and paint our nails and play truth or dare!" He said exasperated, throwing his hands into the air.

Alex's lip twitched into a small smile. She started giggling at the thought of Newt and Minho in green facemasks with matching hot pink pj's paint each other's nails, gossiping. Minho was now looking at her in amusement. He liked her laugh. It was sweet and bright. It made something in the pit of his stomach tingle, it made him feel warm and happy- and it had been a long long time since he felt that way. She was laughing so hard now at the mental picture of the boys, she snorted, making her laugh harder.

"Did you just snort?" He asked with a grin.

"Nope!" Alex said, mimicking Minho and popped the p.

He just smirked at her, chuckling to himself. "Ok She-Bean, whatever you say!"

"Yup, whatever I say! Ok, seriously though, this isn't permanent, right? Cuz you and Newt couldn't possibly fit in a bed together for long, and this floor does not look safe."

"Right. That shank snores and is clingy in his sleep. No way am I sharing a bed with him!" he agreed.

"Wait...how do you know that?" She asked him suspiciously, eyes narrowed as she watched him grab his water bottle and throw it into the backpack from the hook.

He looked over his shoulder at her and winked, "What happens at sleepovers in Newties room, stays in Newties room. Also, a gentleman never kisses and tells." He grabbed his belt with the knives, while Alex roared with laughter. He grabbed his shoes and a change of clothes from the dresser drawers, laughing along with her.

"Okay. All yours Alex." He said backing out of the room with an overly dramatic bow, and wave of his arm. As he was closing the door, he poked his head back in.

"Hey Alex?"

She liked when he said her name.

"Ya Min?"

He grinned at her for a second before he answered, he liked the way she gave him the nickname, "That was some fight tonight...G'night Feisty little She-Bean."

Alex smiled at him. "G'Night Minho. Don't keep Newtie up all night."

They grinned at each other for a second and with a click, the door closed and she could hear his footsteps leave down the hall. She yawned, looking around. She took off her black combat boots, running her fingers through her tangled hair, trying to brush out the knots, she sat down on the bed. She didn't really want to wear dirty sweaty and stinky clothes to bed, but no way was she going to sleep without something on; boys and no locks...she got back up and went to the dresser.

Minho wouldn't mind, would he? Probably not...

She decided she would just wash it in the morning and put it back. She opened the drawer and found a bunch of t-shirts, and a few button up shirts, all in neutral colours. The next draw had a few cargo pants and exercise shorts, the next drawer had a hoodie. Bingo! She grabbed it. Kind of curious about what was in the last drawer, she opened it, but closed it immediately, her face heating up. "Uhg" she groaned.

Living in a place full of guys, I guess I'll have to get used to guys' underwear..

She slipped out of her dirty clothes, folded them and put them beside her boots, slipped on the black hoodie, it went down past her butt, the sleeves went past her hands. Alex bunched up the extra length in her hands, lifting them to her face, nuzzling her face into the fabric. It had a comforting smell. Like a smell her brain recognized, but couldn't remember where. But the smell made her feel calm, and a wave of exhaustion hit her. She climbed into Minho's borrowed bed and lay down, snuggling into the blankets. Alex was asleep within minutes. It had been a long day.

_______________

10 minutes later there was a soft knock on the door, there was no answer.

"She-Bean? Alex?" Minho called quietly. There was still no answer, he slowly and cautiously opened his bedroom door, and he saw the small girl curled up in one of his hoodies, wrapped up in the blanket, sound asleep. Her red hair fanned out behind her. Her long eyelashes fluttered in her sleep. He felt something weird and fluttery in the pit of his stomach. He smiled to himself. He was gonna like having her around. He quietly placed the small crat labeled "for the female'' on the floor beside his dresser. It was the crate that had come up in The Box with her. He was just backing out of the room when he bumped into Newt.

"Hey, Have you seen Alex, I can't find her!" He asked, his voice strained, and his eyes wide with worry.

"Ya, she's asleep already." Minho opened the door a little bit.

Newt poked his head in and saw Alex curled up in Minho's bed, sleeping soundly. She looked so small, and so much younger. He leaned back and closed the door. He had a puzzled look on his face, was Minho going to sleep with her? No way Alby would allow that! No way he would allow that! These weird feelings sprang to life, like he had to protect her, do anything in his power to keep her safe, not because she was a small girl, not because he found her attractive, there was something else, something deeply hidden inside him. Like instinct, but more intense then when he thought of protecting the other Gladers. He felt like punching his best friend, right in his pretty face.

"Looks like we're roomies Newtie Pattotie!" Minho said clapping his hands and bouncing on his toes, like an exited two year old. "We can paint each other's nails and play truth or dare!"

"What the Shuck? Not on your life!" Newt looked bewildered, "also, do not ever call me that again!" But the relief flooded him, Minho also wanted to keep Alex safe. He should have known better, Minho was cocky, and apparently quite flirty, but he was a good guy, his best friend. Newt looked back at the door, where Alex was sleeping.

"Can I tell you something Min? She doesn't look familiar, but there is something about her that feels...I don't know...safe, like... like something from home, maybe? ...from before all this bloody klunk. Does that make any sense? There's something. Almost like a little piece of what I was missing is back. When I felt like it was the end and I couldn't hold on anymore... feels like maybe..I don't know, I found it? Something...I don't know, Man."

He looked at his best friend, hoping his jumbled words made sense. Minho nodded, folding his arms over his chest. Feeling the exact same way.