I practically ran to the box when the Greenie alarm sounded, excited to see who the knew boy would be.

It was the first one since Nick died, Alby had taken charge and this would be his first greenie to take care of.

Newt and Alby opened the box and Newt jumped down.

"Hey, don't be scared" I heard him talk. He voice was so gentle, and I had a feeling it was a kid who was too young to be trapped here.
"Let's get you out of here" Newt grabbed a rope and helped the new Greenie out of the box before getting out himself. Immediately, all the boys started making comments.

"He's so young"

"Bet he's gonna be a slopper"

"He could be a runner"

"Clint, he's like eight!"

"He's such a small shank"

The little boy twirled around, trying to take everything in. He had dark brown curls and innocent eyes. He looked to be about twelve or thirteen.

"Guys, back off." Alby yelled, and the Gladers backed away from the boy almost immediately.

I walked over to Newt and the Greenie, "Hey, kiddo," I greeted, "I'm Grace, do you remember your name?"

"Chuck" he whispered.

"Well Chuck, welcome to the Glade"

"What is this place?" Chuck mumbled.

"It's your new home. You'll be staying here a long while" Newt pat him on the back and smiled.

"Why can't I remember anything?" Chuck's voice shook.

"We aren't really sure. We've all been through that, none of us really remember anything. But it's alright" I bent my knees so I was closer to his height, "I'm sure you'll find a way to make new memories here" Chuck showed a small hint of a smile.

"I'll show you around, save your questions till the end" Newt took Chuck's arm and limped away, beginning the tour.

I smiled as I saw how kind Newt was to Chuck. Most of the boys here didn't seem to show empathy for the Greenies, even though they've all been through it themselves.

It made me love Newt even more.

.....

Minho finally came back from running the maze.

And then Minho was gone. Into the homestead without a word to me.

"Great, there goes Minho, the only person who can make me a runner" I mumbled as I leaned against the wall.

I sat in silence against the wall of the homestead for a few minutes, debating on wether or not I should give up trying to be a runner.

"Hey Gracy" The familiar British voice cut through the silence and made me jump. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you" Newt laughed and showed his stunning smile.

I grinned, "it's alright. Why aren't you in the gathering"

"Alby said he wanted me to stay with the Greenie. Not sure why though, he seems to be making himself at home. He's made good friends with Ben." he looked over at the two happily chatting away. Then he sat down next to me, not bending his injured leg and only relying on his good one.

"How is your leg?" I asked. It's been a few weeks since the incident.

"It's alright. Could be better. Clint said I'll have a permanent limp. But that's it" he shrugged.

"Could be better, but it could be worse" I looked at Newts chocolate brown eyes.

"How could it be worse?"

"Well they could've had to cut it off completely, you'd either never walk again or we would ask the creators to send up one of those fake ones"

"Maybe a fake one would be better than one that doesn't work at all"

"Alright, quit being so negative" I laughed and so did he.

"Gracy, do you like being in the Glade?"  He asked, slightly changing the mood.

"I mean, I guess. It's the best we've got right now." I answered, "and it's not so bad with you around"

Newt stared at me for a minute, before smiling at me. "Yeah, best we've got" he repeated quietly.

"Do you like being in the Glade?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard, "oh,umm, kinda? I don't know. I just wish we could escape faster, you know?"

"Convince Minho to make me a runner, and maybe we will escape faster" I playfully nudged his arm.

Newt smiled, "I'll think about it. But it'll be hard, we can't have you gettin' hurt"

"Oh but we can have Minho and Ben getting hurt?" I countered.

"Well that's differe-,"

"Because I'm a girl"

Newt opened his mouth to speak, then shut it, then opened it again, "Actually yeah, now that I think about it"

I sighed "Just tell Minho to take me into the maze one day and see how it goes"

"Alright alright, I'll talk to him" right when Newt finished, the keepers came out of the hut.
"So, you guys figured it out without my help?"

Alby nodded, "one of the slicers said something about Grace being weak because she's a girl, so Gally beat him up"

"Just wait till I become a runner, we'll see who's weak then" I mumbled under my breath.

I looked at Gally and raised my eyebrows, he nodded and smiled sheepishly, agreeing that what Alby said was true, "so what's the punishment?" I asked.

"Both are spending a day in the slammer" Minho replied.

"Minho, will you come with me?" Newt asked.

I saw a flash of guilt and fear on Minhos face, but it was gone before anyone else could see it.

Minho helped Newt stand up and the duo walked off together, I could only watch and hope they were just talking about me being a runner, and nothing else. Especially not the fight from the other day.

...

During dinner, I decided to go sit by the Greenie. I looked for him at the tables, but he wasn't there.

I ended up finding him sitting against a tree, happily munching on his food.

"Hey Greenie" I said as I sat down next to him.

"Why does everyone call me Greenie?" He whined.

"Because you are the Newbie. Next month someone else will be the Greenie, and you'll be promoted to the Not-Greenie"

Chuck smiled, "is that really a thing? A Not-Greenie?"

I chuckled, "no it's not a thing. You just won't have to deal with people calling you Greenie"

"What do you mean it's not a thing?" Minho called from behind us. "I was a Not-Greenie for a very long time, it was my favorite job- till I became a runner in the Maze"

I turned to look at him, Minho wasn't supposed to mention runners or the Maze yet.

Chuck glanced up at him with furrowed brows, "maze?"

Minhos eyes widened as he realized what he said, "umm yeah the maze in the deadheads. It's pretty easy to get lost in there" he smiled an unconvincing smile.

"Why do you run in the deadheads?" Chuck asked.

Minho looked at me, his eyes asking for help. I laughed at Minho's panicked expression.

"We don't tell greenies the first day, is scares the klunk out of them" I told Chuck, "but through the gaps in walls, there's a maze"

Chucks eyes widened with fear

"But you're safe in here" I finished quickly, "you don't need to worry about the maze. That's Minhos job"

Chuck nodded, still scared.

Then the doors started to close. They shook the ground slightly as the openings slowly moved closer and closer together.

Chuck looked at me, his face paled, "what's going on?" He asked.

"The doors are closing" I explained, "it happens every night. There's no reason to worry"
I grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. His muscles relaxed slightly, but he was still tense.

The doors finished closing with a boom.

"Let's find your hammock and get to bed" I stood up and pulled Chuck with me.