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"Everyone, let's go to the Homestead. We have a gathering right now," Alby said after the door of the Maze was close. He didn't look at the Gladers and continued walking towards the Homestead. They didn't complain and just followed the leader.

Minutes have passed; they arrived at their destination. When Kendrix saw Zelia with Newt and Ben, he immediately went to where they are.

"What do you think he'll say to us?" Kendrix asked.

"Maybe about what happened today," Newt said, and Zelia and Ben were quiet on the side, just letting the two talk.

Alby cleared his throat when it started to get louder because of the whispers of the Gladers. They immediately fell silent, and the man took a deep breath before speaking.

"We all both know that this is unexpected, but rules are rules. This is the only right thing to do," Alby started while looking around. Zelia just stood there silently, preventing herself from speaking anything.

"What's the meaning of his last words? Is it possible he really survives on the Maze?" Frypan asked, and the Gladers started whispering again. They were fell silent when they heard loud laughter.

"Oh, I'm sorry if we laugh, but seriously? That's impossible, guys; we all know that. No one can ever survive inside the Maze unless he's really smart, strong enough, and knows how to kill a Grievers," Jim said, so Zelia looked at where he was; he and Stan were next to each other while still laughing.

"Who knows? That's Minho, who spent 2 years running on the Maze," Alby said, and the two fell silent. Stan was about to speak when the leader suddenly spoke again.

"Because of what happened, can you make your own hut for Zelia, Builders? Just to make sure she's still comfortable at the Glade." Zelia looked at Alby, who was now also looking at her. She gave him a smile and didn't argue.

"We can; just give us a day since it's almost evening now; we'll have a hard time working if we insist on finishing today."

"Thanks Gally. You can sleep in my room, Zelia, for a night while waiting to make your own room." The girl just nodded her head and thanked him.

-----

"Should we follow her?" Newt looked next to him when he heard Ben's voice. He didn't notice that it was already close beside him. They were now both looking at the woman walking away after the Gathering.

"Just keep an eye on her. Probably she needs more time, especially since we don't know what really happened yet." Ben nodded slowly. They noticed that the Gladers were gradually returning to what they were doing, so they were left outside the Homestead alone.

"You do really believe Minho is innocent?" Newt took a deep breath before continuing to walk. The man just followed him.

"The way they talked? The way she looked at him? The way she's comfortable to sit in front of his pit? Yeah, right, of course he's innocent." Ben seemed to breathe a sigh of relief because of what his companion said.

"I just wish; everything is going to be fine," Ben just said, and they went to their respective places.

After the Gathering, Alby also said who would replace Runner's Keeper. He couldn't wait for tomorrow because it was important for them to know immediately who would replace him. They all voted for Ben, and he never complained.

Zelia is now in the tree, where she can see the entire Glade. It was almost getting dark, so everyone was just waiting for the night before they went to their respective beds. She feels so sad right now because she knows that this is not really what should happen.

"I really shouldn't have listened to what he said. Come to think of it, I really could have spoken, but I just let myself stay silent." The girl took a deep breath before leaning back in her seat. Zelia doesn't know where to start again because of what happened today.

She was about to close her eyes when suddenly she heard a groan from pain; a man bumped his head into a wood. Zelia was about to stand up to prepare herself to attack the newcomer when he suddenly spoke.

"Hey, it's me, Kendrix. I'm sorry if I scared you; I didn't mean to. I just want to see that you're okay," the man explained, and he slowly peeked out so the girl could see him.

"Don't do that again, please," Zelia said, and Kendrix immediately nodded. She signalled her friend to sit beside her, which the man followed.

"What's the secret of yours?" The man asked, causing the girl to smile briefly.

"It seems like a while ago, you were still on other sides."

"For your information, that's not counted. They were so good at manipulating that I immediately believed what they said. I didn't even listen to you," Kendrix said while looking at the Gladers, who were gradually coming to the kitchen because the sky was dark to start eating their dinner.

"And besides, I heard the conversation between Newt and Ben when I left at the Homestead."

The young man noticed that Zelia was staring at him, so he looked at her. The girl's eyes were full of sadness that he couldn't blame either. He gave her a short smile as if to say it was okay to be sad.

"Let's go; maybe Fry will scold us if he didn't see us eating the food he prepared," Zelia said and invited Kendrix to go to the kitchen so they could eat. The young man immediately nodded, and they left the tree.

-----

When the two got their food, Newt immediately called — along with Ben — Zelia and Kendrix to sit at the table where they were so they could eat together. They both agreed and sat in front of the two.

Almost only Kendrix spoke to them because, even though the girl knew that they had many questions for her, they tried to avoid the topic. They want Zelia to be the first to tell the story. The three of them didn't want to force their friend; the girl might still not be ready to tell the story.

When Zelia finished, she persuaded her three friends to go first to Alby's room to sleep. Newt even volunteered that he would be the one to wash her plate and utensils. The girl quickly rejected it, but her other two friends joined in. She couldn't do anything either and just let them whatever they want. She first went to where Alby was to tell him that she was going to sleep.

I don't know if they really care too much about me. I mean, I'm thankful that they're there for me, but I hope it doesn't get to the point where they ban me from working or they panic immediately if I just disappear from their sight for a while.

Zelia suddenly stopped walking when she noticed that she was walking too far from Alby's room. She reached the area where the Keepers' rooms were. She was about to leave when she suddenly caught her attention in a room with no name hanging on the door.

She knew this room belonged to Minho. He was the only one who disappeared today. She wanted to be angry, but she didn't know who. It's always like this in the Glade when someone is gone, life just goes on as if nothing happened.

Zelia's hand seemed to have a life of its own because she slowly opened the bedroom door. She looked for where the lamp is. When she found what she's looking for, the girl was amazed at how well the young man's things were arranged. The room is not that big.

Hanging on the wall was what looked like a vest that he always wore when he entered the Maze at the foot of the bed. There is just the right size closet where the man's clothes are kept, not far from the bed. She saw a bedside table; she saw a clock that could be worn around the neck, resting on top; and she also noticed a drawer.

Zelia sat on the bed and took the clock to look at it carefully. It seems obvious that this has been going on for a long time, but I didn't expect it to still be working fine. But this is beautiful even though it is obviously used and looks old.

Suddenly the girl looked at the door when she heard a noise coming from outside. She couldn't hear what they were arguing about, but she already knew who they were. The girl was about to get up to open the door, but someone opened it, and she saw Newt; behind him were Ben and Kendrix.

"Sorry if we disturb you. These two are still arguing about who will open the door first," Newt said, and the girl just let her friends come in. Zelia just shook her head because of what the three boys were doing.

"Good thing you can still handle being with them," the girl said jokingly, and Newt just laughed softly.

"I'm just forcing myself to be with them at this point." Because of what the young man said, the two suddenly argued again. Zelia just ignored it and stared at the clock in her hand again.

"Every runner has their own clock; there's a time when we need to separate from the groups that are assigned to us so that it's easier to map and we know when the door is going to close." The girl didn't notice that it suddenly went silent for a few minutes if Ben didn't speak.

Zelia looked up at the three men — Ben and Kendrix were sitting on the floor, not far from where she was, while Newt just stood there, his back against the wall beside the closet, waiting for what she did or said next. She took a deep breath before she speak.

"I told Jeff and Alby this morning that I'm going to Deadheads, and they agreed. Maybe it's because I'm tired staying in the whole day at the Med-Hut." Zelia began and looked back at the clock she was still holding. The three men just let their friend talk.

"I took a flower first before going to Deadheads, and after that, I offered the flowers one by one. Since I just wanted to visit them and I find that place peaceful for me, well, it was okay at first; it was quiet, but I didn't expect the wind would change." The young men saw how the girl's grip tightened on the object in her palm.

"I didn't notice that someone followed me, Stan and Jim. I tried my best to avoid them. I felt uncomfortable, so I wanted to go back to the Glade. I'm sorry, but I can't help myself. The moment Jim touched my arms, my mind told me that I need to protect myself. I punch them, kick them, fight them, but there are two of them; I'm the one who loses to the fight," Zelia said. She doesn't show any other emotion right now except anger, as she just looks at what she's holding.

"I just closed my eyes and prepared myself for whatever would happen to me next, but they stopped. I looked at what happened, and I did not expect what I saw. Minho, holding a long knife, placed the blade on their shoulders. Once they saw him, they didn't argue anymore and just left." The girl added and gradually loosened her hold on the clock before putting it back on the bedside table. She stared at the three men who were just looking at her silently.

"He's the one who told me that I can't say what really happened to Alby. At first, it doesn't really make sense since I'm ready to be punished because I know I broke the rules too. Minho doesn't deserve this, even though the interaction between the two of us is not good." Slowly, her friends were enlightened as to what really happened.

"Bastard. How dare they manipulate all of us?" Newt said, his anger on his voice is visible. They didn't expect that this would happen at the Glade.

"Oh, gosh. Why did I just let myself believe them?" Kendrix asked while rubbing his forehead.

"Well, at least we know, Minho is innocent," Ben said, trying to enlighten the mood. As much as possible, he wants to be positive and hope that his friend is still alive.

"What's your plan?" Newt asked, and they were silent for a few minutes. Now that they know that Minho didn't do anything wrong for Zelia, they need a plan to protect their friend when these two klunkheads are still at the Glade.

What exactly is my plan? I don't know. Just wake up from reality?