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~ DAY EIGHT ~

Zelia feels like she didn't sleep well last night or she didn't sleep at all. What Alby had told her was still replaying in her mind. She just took a deep breath before getting out of bed.

When she got out of her room, she saw that the sky was not very bright yet. Wow, the door of the Maze is still closed, but here I am; my spirit is wide awake.

She walked where her feet would take her, in case sleepiness visited her, and Zelia just smiled to herself because of how quiet the Glade was at this time. She didn't even notice that she had reached the Deadheads.

She took a deep breath and touched the necklace that Minho had given her to calm her down. She was starting to remember what had happened to Zelia here last time.

She sat on the ground and leaned against the tree. This is a day that she came here again. As much as possible, she didn't want to leave the Glade. Even though she can fight, she still has the fear that something bad might happen to her.

"It's been a week; I don't know if I should still believe that you're alive. I really shouldn't have listened to what you said. If only I knew it would be like this, I wish you were alive right now,"

Zelia said to herself while still clutching the necklace pendant. She knows that her interaction with Minho is not good, but she still wants him to live somehow. She doesn't deserve this, especially since he's not really guilty.

She took a deep breath and stood up to go back to the Glade. Since Zelia didn't expect a girl to come to them yesterday, she didn't do her job of teaching the Gladers.

The girl was about to leave the Deadheads when she suddenly saw Jim and Stan standing not far from her place. Great, it's too early to beat up myself.

"You know, it's really wrong move to be alone here. Again," Stan said while grinning and crossing his arms.

"You also know, I can use this for the both of you," Zelia said and showed the pocket knife hidden in her pocket. The two men laughed at her.

"We know, but we can make a story again like we did before," Jim said with a wide smile.

"What's his name again?" Stan asked as he thought about it. Zelia simply rolled her eyes because of how the boys were acting. "Oh, right. Minho."

"So sad for him, actually. I hope you saw their reactions, especially Alby. It's obvious that they really believed in us." Zelia clenched her fist because of what Jim said.

"We had a little trouble at first, but in the end, our plan works," Stan said and started walking slowly to Zelia's place. "Please, cooperate with us. We just want to have fun."

"In your dreams." The two men's grins widened even more, and they were about to approach the girl when suddenly they felt a pain in their heads, so the men suddenly fell to the ground.

"Don't move," a man who had just arrived said while holding a stick that was just the right length, pointing it at Stan. Zelia immediately looked to see who the newcomer was.

Her eyes widened when she saw Alby and Frypan holding a frying pan while he focused on Jim. The two who were on the ground tried to stand up, but the newcomer stepped on their backs to prevent them from leaving their place.

"Alby? Fry?" The two men she called by name looked at Zelia.

"Frypan saw you go to the Deadheads. He ignored you and continued to go to the bathroom, but he noticed these two following you, so he immediately went to my room to wake me up and explain what happened," Alby explained. The girl still couldn't believe it.

"We heard enough to prove that Minho is innocent." Because of what Frypan said, they heard how the two men at their feet were cursing. The girl breathed a sigh of relief.

"We need to eat our breakfast first before we have Gathering. For now, you can take a rest and we'll take care of them," Alby said while smiling at Zelia.

"Thank you," the girl said before she left at the Deadheads completely. I just wish this was a good sign.

-----

Everyone is here inside the homestead. Almost everyone was wondering what was going on and why Jim and Stan were tied to their own seats. Frypan was behind them, still holding the pan.

Zelia told Newt, Kendrix, Ben, and Maggie what happened this morning while they were eating their breakfast. They took a deep breath when Alby finally found out. They will know that their friend, Zelia, can finally feel safe at the Glade again.

"I know you're wondering why we have Gathering today," Alby started, and the whispers fell silent. The leader looked around before continuing what he was going to say.

"Someone broke the rules earlier this morning." Suddenly, there was a different reaction among the Gladers, making noise again inside the Homestead. Zelia noticed that Jim and Stan were glaring at her, but she ignored it.

"How come?"

"As in everyone is still asleep, did someone break the rules right away?"

Zelia couldn't tell who the speakers were. She just looked straight at Alby, who was now waiting for the crowd to quiet down. The Gladers noticed that, so they didn't speak and let the leader finish his sentence.

"You can say that but..." Alby stopped talking and started walking back and forth in the middle of the Homestead.

"Do you remember the day where Minho got Banished? The day that these two told us what happened to Zelia?" The other Gladers looked at the girl who was now sitting quietly next to Newt and Maggie.

Everyone was wondering why the conversation suddenly went there, but no one spoke. They were just waiting to see what Alby would say next.

"Well, it turns out that what Jim and Stan told us is all fake; instead, Minho, they are the ones who really did it. They just made up all the story to put the blame on Minho."

"Wait what?"

"All this time, Minho is innocent?"

"We Banished him for no reason?"

Different reactions were generated inside the Homestead, so it started to get noise again. Some of them were cursing the two, asking how it happened, and planning how they would find Minho.

"There's one more thing I would like to say." The Gladers immediately fell silent when Alby suddenly spoke again. The man looked around before Zelia met his gaze.

"Minho planned all of this."

Everyone was confused by what the leader said, especially the girl. It's obvious on her face that her forehead is wrinkled; her brain can't process what the meaning of what their leader says. Zelia noticed that her friends looked at her, so she looked at them one by one and slowly shook her head as if she were saying that she didn't know anything else.

"Not all of it, I mean. You might think he's really part of these two." Alby took a deep breath before continuing what he had to say.

"Hey Alby, can I talk to you for a moment?" Minho said as soon as he got close to their leader that he was walking to the garden to talk to Newt. Alby looked at him and nodded.

"What's up?" Minho looked around to see if anyone was listening to them, and when he saw that there was none, he came a little closer to the leader and spoke.

"I saw Jim and Stan walking to the Deadheads, where Zelia is heading." Alby frowned and waited for what the young man would say next.

"I think they're doing something bad to her." The leader was surprised by what Minho said.

"What? No way," he said with disbelief in his voice. "We won't let that happen. Let's go, let's tell the other Keepers. We need their help-" Alby was cut off when he suddenly felt Minho gently grab him by the arm.

"We can't do that."

"What? Why? I know you've been ignoring her, but we can't let that happen. For once, show to her that you care about her. She will lose her trust in us if we just let the two go."

"I know, but I have a plan." Alby raised an eyebrow. When the leader didn't speak, Minho continued with what he had to say. "You need to Banish me."

Hearing what he said, Alby started walking to find the Keepers. Minho immediately followed him as he heard him calling him by his name, but he ignored him. The young man's pace accelerated, so he went in front of the leader to stop him from walking.

"Just hear me out first, please." Alby just looked at Minho while crossing his arms and waiting for him to say something.

"Whoever follows them at the Deadheads, for sure the blame will go to that person because I know that the two klunkheads will make up fake stories so that they will be the victims."

"How can you sure about this?"

"It's just a hunch." Alby shook his head at what the Keeper said and was about to leave when he was suddenly feel that Minho gently grabbed the leader's arm, again. "Remember the times they accused Scott for destroying our garden? Or the times they accused Dave for releasing the animals? I know they get the punishment, but we both know they have made many fake stories, but they are also forgiven by the names they sympathize with."

Minho saw how Alby was thinking about what he said. For a few minutes no one spoke to them, and the leader looked at the young man.

"So are you telling me that you will go along with their plan? Even though you will risk your life just for her?" Minho nodded slowly. "But why?" The man took a deep breath.

"Because I trust her. The first time I saw her at the Box, I know she's not just a girl in this Glade. She's different from us, Alby. I believe she can do something else aside from being a Med-jack. Just give her some time to prove that." Alby saw in Minho's eyes that everything he said for Zelia was true.

"I know it doesn't make sense to what I'm saying since I'm the one who's walking away from her. I also know that you will not expecting this coming from me. Trust me, this is going to be worth it."

"How will you convince her?"

"I don't know."

"How will you survive at the Maze?" Minho stared at Alby for a long time in his eyes.

"Keep running and hiding."

"Give me a few days when I can tell them the truth and I can punish the two."

"1 week."

They were surrounded by silence. Minho's plan is too dangerous, but Alby knows that the young man is serious. He wanted to refuse, but he had a lot of trust in the Keeper of the Runners.

Alby took a deep breath before nodding and saw how Minho smiled.

"See you in 1 week, Alby."

"If you don't follow our deal, I'll be the one who punches you when you come back." The young man laughed softly before he finally went to the Deadheads.

'All I know is that you are a crazy son of a klunk, Minho.'

Zelia combed her hair with her own hand before leaving the room. It still hadn't quite sunk in to her what Alby had told them. Because the entire Gladers found out that Minho had the idea why he was punished.

She is going to the entrance of the Maze right now, where Stan and Jim have been Banished. At this point, they really deserve the punishment. They tried to blame her since she was the one who punched first, but Alby said that it wouldn't happen if they weren't planning anything.

"They finally deserve it," Kendrix said as Zelia arrived at her friends' place. She just hummed, and they saw the two being dragged by Gally and Frypan.

They first removed the rope from their hands before throwing the bags inside. They immediately got ready and grabbed the long sticks.

"Please, Alby. Maybe we can talk about this. Promise, we won't do it again." Stan begged, but the leader ignored him. Suddenly the wind blew, a sign that the door of the Maze was about to close.

The Keepers did not hesitate to push the two inside with the stick. Just a few minutes ago, the door was closed. Zelia took a deep breath, and the Gladers slowly left to go back to what they were doing. She felt Ben tap her shoulder, so she looked at him.

"We will see him tomorrow. I still believe Minho is still out there, alive." The girl gave the young man a short smile and nodded before they started walking to where they were going.

Jim and Stan just screamed in anger and started blaming each other. They only stopped talking when they heard a familiar voice, so they both looked where it came from.

"We finally see each other again, you ugly shank."