I do not own The Maze Runner or any of its characters.

I just own Lauren and her (oodles of) sass.

Lauren
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Gally led the way to the Kitchen. Well, I guessed it was the Kitchen here. Smoke was curling up from it, and it smelled amazing as we got closer.

The boy operating the Kitchen was a solidly built boy with dark skin like Alby. His curly hair was close-cropped, and he had a smile on his face as something was cooking in a pan.

"Frypan." Gally got his attention.

Frypan turned from his dish to look at Gally. "What's shakin', bacon?"

"I need some food for the Greenie here."

"Lauren." I corrected Gally. "Can I please have some of the delicious food you're cooking?" I turned to Frypan with a smile on my face. He's the Cook. I have got to be acquaintances with him.

"Not this," He pointed to the pan. "But since you asked so nicely I'll give you a cookie with one of these sandwiches here." Frypan gave me a sandwich with bottled water and the promised cookie.

I flashed him another smile and walked away from the Kitchen.

"I saw that, ya know," Gally said.

I took a bite out of my cookie. It was good. "Saw what?"

"You're just tryin' to get all buddy-buddy with Frypan 'cause he's the Cook." So he could read people too.

"Where's the best place to eat?" I deflected, neither confirming nor denying the facts of that statement.

Gally was otherwise preoccupied with answering my question. He looked around, studying the boys milling around this place. I tried to find where Gally's line of eyesight was. It was on this short boy, hanging around the gardens. Surrounded by boys, Shorty was laughing and looking in our general direction. I finally looked at Gally's face. He was mad. His fists were clenched, and he looked like he was going to blow. I had to stop a potential fight.

"Gally? Gally." He wasn't responding. "Earth to Gally." I waved my cookie in his face. "Gally!" He finally snapped out of it.

"What?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"What?"

"Where's the best place to eat?"

He opened his mouth to answer but then got cut off by a boy running up to us.

"Gally." He started, out of breath. "We need you to handle a situation."

"What happened, Peter?" Gally's sour face returned. I didn't miss it.

"Alec and Henry are yelling again. They're not listening to anyone."

Gally sighed. "Peter, take Lauren. Watch her, and don't let her wander off." I was confused. So I needed a babysitter now?

Peter nodded. "Ok." Gally ran off towards a small shelter where a group of boys gathered. Alby and Newt were running towards it too.

I scoffed. "Boys. No wonder they sent a girl up."

"I hear ya." Peter chuckled. "But be careful. Some of us haven't seen a girl in 2 years." Peter started walking. I followed.

"Can you answer some of my questions?" I asked.

"Depends."

"What's a Builder? Or Runner? Some guys said I would be good as one of them." I wondered if Peter would answer my questions.

Peter surprisingly did. "A Builder is a . . . builder. They build all of the buildings here. They made the Homestead over there." Peter pointed towards the sad-looking house.

"They did a fantastic job doing so," I commented, my voice laid heavily with sarcasm.

"Hey, I'm answering some questions that you should find out tomorrow." Peter retorted.

"I'm sure you guys did your best." I corrected.

"Anyway, a Runner is someone who goes out into the Maze every day and runs it. They come back and go into that stone building over there to draw their route. They've been doing so since the beginning." Peter finished.

There was silence for a little bit. Peter stopped and sat at a picnic table, staring at me, and I plopped myself down across from him, finishing up my sandwich.

"You weren't shocked about the Maze." 

"Hm?" 

"You. Weren't shocked. About the Maze." He said slowly. "Most people flip out or start running towards it." 

"Really? That's dumb." I'm confused as to why he's making a big deal about it.

"Why?"

"I mean, the walls have to be protecting something. Whether it's us or whatever's out there from us, which is terrifying to think about, they can't just be there for no reason. And a maze seems perfectly acceptable, since we've all been dumped here with no memories and there's no girls except me." 

"You're different."

"And?"

He stays quiet. I give him a few moments before I start with another question. 

"I have another question. Where's the bathroom here? For future reference."

"It's right over there." Peter pointed to a building not that far from the Kitchen.

(F/A: I honestly don't know where the bathrooms are.)

"What was it like coming up in the Box? Were you one of the first people to be here?" I asked Peter. He seemed like he knew the ins and outs of the Glade.

Peter looked up as if remembering that day. "I was with the first group to come up here. We were all shucking babies. Most of us were curled in a ball, crying our eyes out or yellin' at one another. We were so paranoid. None of us knew anything.

"Nick, who was the leader at the time, whipped us all into shape. Told us to, 'Stop crying like a bunch of babies and start manning up. Cryin' ain't going to help us survive.' I'll never forget that. Alby had Newt's job at the time. Second-in-command. We assigned jobs, started farming, some people started exploring the Maze, and we were fully functioning within a week and a half. Nick was a good leader. I'm not saying that Alby isn't, but Nick was a little bit nicer with the Greenies. You're the first one since Nick died."

"What happened to Nick?" I was captivated by Peter's story.

"He died, trying to go down the Box hole. Alby took his job. Newt became second-in-command. Nick's body was cut cleanly in half. He's buried in the graveyard, behind the Deadheads." He pointed to the forest I looked at earlier.

"So why did Nick go down the Box hole?" I asked.

"We were trying to get out of here," Peter explained.

"But," I started. "The Box hole is massive. Why did you guys think you'd make it to the other end? Also, the creators of this place came up with a giant maze. Don't you think they would want you to go through the giant maze? If they made that maze, they surely wouldn't want you going through the shaft of an elevator." I remarked. These guys couldn't be that stupid.

Peter started laughing. "I think if we had you in the start, we wouldn't have lost as many guys as we did."

My eyes widened a bit at his dark joke. "That's for sure." I chuckled, but was a little unsettled at Peter's comment.

Before I could dwell on it anymore, Newt walked over to our storytime session. "Lauren?"

"Present." I stood up. "What's up?"

"I've come to show you where you're stayin'."

"I get a room?" I noticed the big pavilion with the different hammocks with Peter and assumed I was staying there. 

"We can't have you bloody sleepin' with a bunch of boys out in the open now, can we?" 

I didn't have anything to retort, it made a lot of sense. 

"I'll take you to your room. Peter, you can go back to your job. We got the fight stopped."

"See ya' Lauren." Peter walked off.

|~^_^~|

I followed Newt, and we walked towards the Homestead.

I realized I was slowly pulling away from Newt. I slowed down, confused as to how I did it. It took me a second to get it, but I finally noticed Newt had a distinct stomp, step gait. I snuck a quick peek, and saw that he had a limp. I wondered how he got it, and how I didn't pick up on it earlier. I shook it off; it was most likely personal.

We finally reached the Homestead, and Newt opened the door for me.

"Thanks."

Newt just nodded and led the way up the stairs. One door was open on the way, and I saw a boy that I didn't recognize patch up another boy's shoulder. I guessed that this building also doubled as whatever passed for a 'hospital' here. We finally stopped by a door that looked just the same as any other door. The room was cluttered and dusty as a desert.

"You'll have to bear with the room, we don't normally use it. Abra used to sleep here until he found out he was claustrophobic. He prefers sleepin' outside." Newt explained.

"Oh! I don't mind. I'm just glad I don't have to share a room with someone." I responded. "Or if the whole hammock thing didn't work out, I'd have to build one." It was the truth. 

Newt looked at me weirdly.

"What? Is today National 'Let's all look at Lauren weirdly day?' If so, I missed the memo." I remarked.

"Maybe the guys were right." was his answer. Then he left, saying he'd come for me at supper.

I got to work, moving all of the random things I'd found or the excess furniture into a corner, sweeping the entire room with a broom and dustpan I found in a closet in the hall. I found an old shirt that smelled like dirt and used it for dusting.

While looking for the broom and dustpan, I accidentally found a boy's bedroom, and the person inside did not like that I interrupted their nap. They pointed me in the right direction to get one.

Then I took the extra furniture to the Builders, which only consisted of a bench and dresser, and they were shocked that I could even move them. I brushed it off, just glad I was able to. I cleaned off a bed, dresser, and small desk for myself, moving and situating the furniture how I liked it. 

I got acquainted with the people in the Homestead trying to figure out where things were. They introduced themselves as Clint, Keeper of the Med-Jacks, and his helper Jeff, and the boy who was getting his shoulder patched up was Jim, who worked as a Cook. Apparently he slipped on some cooking oil and messed up his shoulder. 

I was later informed, and assured, that these sort of things don't happen often. 

When I got done cleaning and talking, Newt found me passed out on my bed. I had exerted myself to the max.

"Lauren." He shook me. "Lauren."

I rolled over. I was tired and wanted to stop waking up to people shaking me.

"Thomas! I told you to stop-" I stopped short when I saw it was Newt. Where did the name 'Thomas' come from?

"First, it's supper. Second, where the shuck did you get the name Thomas?" Newt said, his face full of confusion.

"I, uh, I have absolutely no clue." I stammered. I was as confused as Newt.

"On that happy note, let's go." He informed me.

"Yay! I'm starved." Newt walked out, me on his heels.

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Lookit that! We have the second official chapter uploaded! Let's give a round of applause to this book!

I just wanted to give a shoutout to the people who've read this book so far, I love all of you! *air hugs and kisses bc ~cOrOnA~ is still a thing rn*

Questions!!

-You guys have met Peter! First impressions??

-How many hate comments/"we don't talk about that" comments do you think I'll get for mentioning Newt's limp?
(that is the one and only time I'm going to keep hate comments cause I find it hilarious how people get so upset abt it)

-Where is the bathroom in the Glade??

-Questions, comments, constructive criticism?