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

Builders: My mind is going a mile an hour
Lauren: That fast?

Lauren
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(I feel like I just put this, but this chapter takes place a week and a half after my last one!)

I must say, looking at the Glade from really high up makes it look so much prettier. It doesn't seem like a prison for young people who sometimes die.

Standing up, I felt the familiar rush of adrenaline.

"And now, I will put the last nail in this shucking thing, and we will be done with it!" I called to the Builders, Bricknicks, Newt, and Alby.

I held up the hammer and the nail. Cheers were heard across the boys.

Thunk.

"We're done!" I felt like throwing the hammer, but Henry was in the crowd. It would probably find him somehow.

Instead, I just dropped it underneath the ladder and climbed down. Chaos ensued. There was hugging, cheering, laughter, the feeling of being free, and everyone that wasn't a Builder or Bricknick thought we were crazy.

But we did it. We shucking rebuilt the Homestead. We said we would do it, people called me crazy, but we did it. 

Peter came up and gave me a big hug.

"We did it!" He yelled.

"We should convince Gally to make his drink!" I yelled back.

"Will you be my drinking buddy? We'll keep each other in check!"

"Yes! Of course!" I said, like a liar.

After a bit, the cheering died down.

Gally found us and gave us a rare smile, and we all turned to Newt and Alby.

Newt started it off. "I wanna say, congrats. The shucking place looks so much better now. You all did great." He smiled and turned to Alby.

"I was hesitant at first."

Wow, Alby. Way to congratulate us.

"But, lookin' at the thing now, it's not an eyesore anymore. Good job." That was the end of his speech. Alby walked away, and Newt just nodded and followed.

These people needed a real speech. I made my way to the front of the crowd and made sure Alby was out of earshot.

"Well, that was pathetic, but I guess that's high praise coming from Alby. Congrata-shucking-lations, we remodeled the Homestead! People called me crazy, it took a while, but you all stuck with me. You were my guys! I want you all to close your eyes and think of what the Homestead looked like before this." I paused for dramatic effect.

"Now open them. You did that! And you did it fantastically! Now, I know with toxic masculinity and all that jazz, guys don't say their true feelings, but I'm a woman, and I'll tell mine. You all did amazing, I'm so proud, and you guys deserve the rest of the day off. Don't break anything." I bowed.

I got some thank yous and some congrats while the guys disbanded. Jonathan came up, and I gave him a big hug, and we chatted with Gally and Peter for a bit, swapping favorite stories from the remodel.

We all avoided the topic of Carl. But he was in the back of our minds. I looked up toward the sky and said a silent prayer hoping that he was in a better place. Away from this glorious hellhole were some good things happen.

This one Builder came up to us later with some cookies in his hand, and then I got informed that Frypan baked a fresh batch and gave them out to the guys plus me. 

Friendship with the Keeper of the Cooks had its perks.

It was fun, just hanging out with my friends, and I found myself savoring every moment. We were kids again. I hadn't realized how much the Creators had robbed us until then.

Yet another thing I wanted to ask if-when we got out.

And, as the saying went, all good things must come to an end. Newt came up to our group.

"Chuck just got done. We're doing the Gathering before supper." He told us.

"Have fun." Peter and I started to walk away.

"Where you goin'? You're practically a Keeper." Newt asked.

I looked at the three of them.

"Oh. I guess I am." I said bye, and we all went to the Gathering.

|~^-^~|

"I now declare this Gathering begun. Chuck, you're not to say anythin' til we're done. Zart, go ahead." Alby started the meeting.

Poor Chuck. He looked like he was about ready to pass out at any moment. I threw a reassuring smile his way and tried to make him feel better.

I tuned out most of the chatter. Chuck wasn't going to go anywhere. I tried to shadow him as much as possible, working with the Keepers he was going to be with, and he didn't do so hot. The unofficial consensus of the Keepers was that Chuck was going to be with the Sloppers.

You kinda had to feel bad, but the Sloppers were as important of a job as anyone else. Someone had to keep the place clean.

At least Frypan tried to be nice about it. "Well, in the time that Chuck was with me, he managed to burn water. He won't be a Cook, so I vote that he becomes a Slopper."

Some just flat-out said that he's not good anywhere else, including Gally.

At long last, Minho was up. And then it would be me.

"He's not a Runner; you can tell just by looking at 'im. He's Slopper material."

Newt wrote down everyone's responses, but it wasn't much writing. For the first time in forever, the Keepers were all in agreement. I felt like taking a picture. This was historic. 

"Lauren." Alby pulled me out of my mulling.

"Well, I tried to shadow Chuck as best I could, and from the times I saw him work, it was, well, disastrous," I admitted. "I'm with everyone. He's a Slopper." Cue another smile. 

"Looks like we're all in agreement. Chuck, you're a Slopper. You start tomorrow. Talk to Lee about the details." Alby stood up and walked out the door.

A while after it began, the Gathering ended. I hated these meetings. I told Gally I'd meet him out there and went to see Chuck.

"Hey, it could've been worse."

"How? The Sloppers suck." He wasn't happy.

"No, they don't. They just get a bad rap from the higher-ups. Alby doesn't really like a lot of people."

"You're just saying that because you're not a Slopper."

"I could be."

Chuck seemed to perk up a bit. "Really?"

"Sure, when I don't get picked for somewhere else, I'll come to hang out with you."

"Thanks." For that, I earned a hug. I tried to savor it. Working with the Sloppers wasn't my favorite thing, but if it would make Chuck's day a little better, I'd power through it.

The things I do for these people. 

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Hello!

In all honesty, I really liked writing this chapter. A-You get a Gally smile! B-Gladers being kids! C-ChuckxLauren friendship! D-I got to bash on Alby a bit!
And who doesn't like that?

Questions!

-Will Lauren ACTUALLY work with the Sloppers?

-Fav character from the Glade?

-Which route should I go for Death Cure? Movie or Book?

Goodbye!

(y'all probably won't get this, and maybe I'm just weird, but that was an umbrella academy reference. if you get it, just comment 'Leonard deserved to die')