"Wait...what?" 

"Chuck!" Newt repeated, "He's freaking the blood hell out!" 

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked, confused. When people were freaking out emotionally I was the last person people called. In the other maze it was Sonya. And here it was Newt.

"Just come on Jessie! But on some buggen' clothes and lets move!" 

Newt closed the door, and I stood still very confused. Minho stepped in front of me. I looked at him confused. 

"What...what am I supposed to do?" Suddenly panicking. 

"Hey, breathe. Just...lets get dressed and go see what the problem is. Maybe its just a spider and everyone is too scared to squish it." 

That made the side of my lip twitch. I dropped the blanket and pulled on some clothes. I turned and Minho was leaning against the dresser, his arms crossed and his eyes just about eating me up. 

"Can I help you?" 

"Just watching." He smirked. 

I rolled my eyes and threw a pillow at him. "Oh shuck you." 

"You already did." He smirked. 

I stepped closer. "Yeah I did." 

There was a bang on the door again. I groaned and turned around, grabbing an elastic, throwing my still very messy tangled hair into a messy bun I flung the door open with a growl. 

"Slim it Newt." I snapped. 

He rolled his eyes and turned. I followed him. 

"Sorry for interrupting." He said as we left the homestead. 

"No you're not." 

"Your right, I'm not!" He chuckled, "You're hair was ridiculous!" 

"It happens Newton." I shrugged,  "Especially when things get hot and heavy, clothes all over the room his hands in my hair, I can make him-"

"Okay okay! Enough!" He yelped and flapped his hand. 

"Then don't ask and zip it." 

"Just wait till Winston buggen' hears about this!" Newt grinned at me evilly. I rolled my eyes. 

"Are we discussing my love life or why you rudely interrupted it?" I snapped. 

Newt's grin dropped. He picked up the pace and led me around the kitchen and dinning area. As we got closer to the guys sleeping area, I heard the unmistakable sounds of Chuck. And he was sobbing. 

"Newt!" I reached out and grabbed his arm, making him stop, "What the hell do I do? People don't come to me for emotional support!" I panicked. 

Newt patted my hand, which was still holding his arm. "You'll do fine Love. He was asking for you." He smiled warmly at me. He pulled me gently towards the lean-to. Chuck was curled up, his face covered but he was crying hard, and hyperventilating. 

"Chuck? Jessie is here." Newt crouched down beside the kid.

I stood awkwardly to the side, my hands were sweaty and my heart was slamming against my chest. I looked to Newt for help. He just nodded, and then gestured with his head. Newt stood up and backed away. I swallowed hard and sat down beside him. 

"Hey Baby Shank." I said quietly. I gently pulled a curl, making it bounce back, "What's going on?" 

He just continued to cry hard. Okay...this is just like talking Gally down...just like when I freak out. This is just a kid having a panic attack. I took a deep breath. Closed my eyes and took a second to get myself under control. 

"Chuck." I said a bit more firmly, "I need you to sit up." 

I reached out and helped him sit up, I did most of the lifting, but he was now sitting. I took in his appearance. He was pale as a ghost, but also red from hyperventilating, he was sweaty from crying so hard. Tears and snot ran down his face. His eyes were red rimmed and wide in pure panic.  

"Are you scared right now?" 

He nodded. I nodded as well. 

"Does your chest hurt right now?" 

He nodded again, his hand flew to his chest, like he was trying to claw at it. I reached out and grabbed his wild falling hands. I held them tightly, he grasped onto my hands and held on for dear life. 

"Hey, Baby Shank...look at me." I demanded. 

His frantic eyes found mine. 

"Breathe. In through your nose...1..2..3..4...good. Hold it. Now out through your mouth. 1..2..3..4... again." I instructed, "No, slow down. Shank, slow down. In- 1..2..3..4. Hold it. And out through your mouth. 1...2...3..4. Again." 

I made him do that a  few more times. I nodded in approval. 

"What's my name?" I asked. 

"Je...J-Jessie." He squeaked. 

"Where are we?" 

He flung his head around, his curls bouncing. His breathing started to pick up again. 

"No. Slow down. In for four and out for four. Good. Now where are we sitting?" 

"Sleeping area." 

I nodded. 

"What did I give you your first night?" 

"Umm...The...you gave me...gave me a..teddy bear." 

I nodded. 

"Can you tell me why you're scared?  Was it a night mare?" I asked. 

He shook his head. He closed his eyes, squeezing them closed. a few big tears leaked out and down his chubby little cheeks. 

"Why'd we have to do that to Ben? He's gonna die. Those monsters are going to get him. There gonna get us all." 

"Baby Shank..." I sighed. I shook my head. This was a kid, who should not be here, should not be witnessing things like this. He was young, too innocent. But he was here, and he had to learn, it sucked, but he needed the truth. 

"Look, Chuck...I'm going to be honest with you." 

He looked at me with his big brown doe eyes. The nightmare from the beginning of the week hit me hard. "Take care of him."

"We had to. He had poison in his mind and the Grief Serum didn't work. We tried to save him. I tried my best to get him back to the Glade safe. The Medjacks did their best. Sometimes it doesn't work. He wasn't going to get better. He got worse. He wasn't Ben anymore, he was part monster. He tried to Kill the Greenie, and Alby and me. We can't have shanks running around trying to hurt people, ya?" 

I paused and I waited for him to either nod in agreement or ask questions. He slowly nodded. 

"Good. So now, how would you keep everyone here safe?" I asked him. 

I could see him thinking, trying to work out the different options. 

"We could have left him in the Slammer." He said quietly. 

"Maybe. But he would get worse and worse, more and more crazy. I saw one girl break out of the jail...it wasn't good. If you had a caged feral cat trapped...knowing it was dying, would you make it suffer?" I asked, trying to challenge his thinking. 

He deflated, "no." He said in a quiet voice. 

"Right. But by sending him out into the Maze, maybe the people who put us here? Maybe they will take pity on him and help him...remember they did it to him." 

"But no one survives a night in the Maze, that's what everyone says!" 

"I have." 

He perked up, his shinning eyes looked at me with wild bewilderment, "really?" He whispered. 

"Yes." 

"So maybe he will. Or maybe the Creators will help. Or maybe he dies and is in no more pain. But out there, for him, it's the best option. It also keeps everyone here safe. I can't have a psycho trying to eat my Baby Shank." 

The corner of his mouth twitched. I fell back into a frown. 

"It was still awful to watch." 

"Yes. I know. It was awful to do." 

It was, but I still didn't feel anything. Neither good no bad, I just didn't feel. Maybe I am the monster of my nightmare. Zero humanity left. I shook my own thoughts away, I needed to make Chuck feel better not myself. 

"Were you scared?" 

"Nothin' scares me Baby Shank." I paused, "Except olives. I don't like those things, so gross. Or bright pink." 

I heard a small chuckle. I gave him a small smile. 

"I don't think I could see you in bright colours." 

"If you do, you know I've been kidnapped and I'm calling for help. Or I've lost my mind."

"Got it." 

I smiled at him. I saw him puffy eyes getting heavy. 

"Sleep Baby Shank. Where's that bear?" 

Chuck twisted and out of his pillow case he pulled the teddy bear out. He held it tight. 

"Where did you get the teddy bear from?" He asked.

I felt the panic surge to the surface. I swallowed hard and shoved it down. 

"That's a story for another day. Right now, you gotta lay down and sleep. It's an early morning." I indicated with my head that he should lay down. 

"Will...will you stay?" He asked quietly. 

"You want me to stay?" I asked, "Why?" I was still very confused, why of all people he was wanting me to comfort him. 

""Cause...you make me feel safe." He whispered. 

"Well I am pretty scary." 

"Naturally terrifying." He gave me a small shy smile. 

"Fine." I sighed. He lay down and curled up, holding the bear tight. I lay down beside him on my back. He reached out and grabbed my hand. I flinched at the touch, but swallowed the need to pull away. My stomach twisted for a moment, my heart slammed into my chest. Taking a few deep breaths I relaxed. 

"Good job Love." Newt whispered. 

I peeked an eye open. 

"This is not going to be come a regular thing!" I warned, and pointed a finger at him. He just gave me a small smile. 

"I'll go tell Minho where you are." 

•×•

I heard the footsteps, that's what woke me up. They stopped right beside me. They started to crouched down, I had a knife to his throat, making Minho freeze. 

"Don't even trying it Sparky." I warned. I peeked an eye open with a smirk. The sun was starting to peek over the wall. I had slept on the ground beside Chuck all night.

"There's no sneaking up on you is there?" 

"Nope." I said quietly popping my p at the end. 

"Well...am I aloud to have my girlfriend back?" 

"What's in it for me?" I raised an eyebrow. 

"Oh...I'll show you all the benefits..." he growled quietly, pushing the knife away from his throat, with a few fingers, and leaned down. As his lips brushed mine, there was a throwing up noise beside me. 

"Do you really have to do that here? Gross!" Chuck whined. 

Minho looked over at him. And then raised his eyebrows, "Excuse me kid, you stole my girlfriend for the night, I will kiss her when ever wherever." 

Chuck scoffed and rolled his eyes. I rolled my eyes as well. Minho got up and held a hand out for me. He lifted me up onto my feet. 

"Latter Baby Shank." I whispered, "Go back to sleep."

"Ya ya...go make kissy faces somewhere else!" He yawned and waved his hand. 

"Well can't ignore great advice!" Minho grinned at me.

"You have been hanging with Dug too much, Baby Shank."

I followed Minho to the kitchen area, grabbed some coffee and a piece of toast and went to our room to change.

"So Newt told me what happened..."

I just hummed and shrugged.

"You really did catch feelings."

I wrinkled my nose. "eww. No."

He scoffed, but then watched intently as I
changed into clean clothes and brushed the tangles out from last night. I grabbed my backpack, threw my lunch and water inside and swung it onto my back, drained the coffee. I swung by the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face and meet Minho by the Map room.

We were always the first to the map room. Getting a plan ready for the day.

"Ready?"

"Always." He sighed. He was staring at the table. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again.

"What's up?" I asked, stepping closer. It was strange to see him like this, tired, sighing... He usually had energy and enthusiasm in the morning.

He shrugged.

"Nah uh. I have to spill my thoughts to you, you do too. It's a two way street, Sparky. Spit it out."

"It's just getting...I don't know. I'm loosing hope in ever leaving this shucken up place."

I was quiet waiting for him to go on. I could see the wheels turning and his eyes were darting all over the place and he was chewing his cheek; his thinking face.

"I keep thinking..." He thought out loud,  "something is different with section four and seven."

"Agreed." I nodded, crossing my arms as I leaned on the map table. "But go on." I encouraged.

"Well...four has the cliff. Why section four? Why the cliff? How come no other section has a drop into nothingness? And seven has The Blades..." He trailed off.

"Well..." I started, I turned to the table and pulled a piece of paper over to me. I sat down on the stool and grabbed a pencil. Minho stepped up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He placed his chin on my shoulder. I started drawing the maze quickly.

"So...if we sent runners to these sections. We can send Jason and Philip to section four, and see if they can like around the Cliff a bit- there the next two responsible and quickest. You and I can go check out seven. If we run a bit faster and shorten lunch we can explore those blades. I also think if you're my Mapping partner, we should grab some more weapons. I have a feeling after Ben's sting and I escaped that Griever...the Designers aren't gonna be happy."

Minho hummed. I turned my head and looked at him, "never know, maybe today will be different."

He hummed again, but didn't look very inspired. I put the pencil down, and spun towards him on the stool. I pointed a threatening finger

"Look here Shuckface!" I began and poked him in the chest. He folded his huge muscled arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Things can happen. The maze is weird and always changing. Today might be the day we find something new. Or the Griever finally gets me. Either way, it's something different."

I stood up and continued to poke his chest, making him take a step backwards.

"I randomly showed up in your maze! Explain that! That was different! If you hadn't gone out that day you wouldn't have found me. So maybe today we find something else different!"

"Another girl?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe. But don't you dare fall for her. I'm very territorial." I narrowed my eyes and poked him harder, making him step back into the wall now.

"I wouldn't expect anything else." He said smuggly.

"Good. Now are you inspired?"

"Absolutely." He smirked, "you're very inspiring. Terrifying...but inspiring."

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer, his other hand slid into my back pocket and pulled me closer. He placed his forehead on mine.

"Thank you Jess. I needed to hear that. Sometimes...the pressure of the entire Glade counting on you to find their way out kind makes me feel...like I'm drowning."

"That's why we're COkeepers." I whispered, "you don't gotta do it alone. People keep telling me that...so now Imma tell you."

I raised both hands and held his face between my hands. I made him look at me.

"We do this together. You and me. Shuck everyone else."

"You've come a long way in the last few months." He smirked at me. "First Winston comes out if his shell, then you help Gally through a panic attack. You saved Ben's ass twice, laying your life in the kine...Then you step in and save the Greenie, and then Chuck is asking for you. And now you're giving me pep talks about doing this together."

"Uhg," I groaned, "I know. It's weird. Not sure if I like this new me. I'm turning into some weird softy."

"Nah, she's still pretty badass and can kick my sorry butt anyday." He leaned down.

"And don't you forget it!" I whispered against his lips.

He wrapped me in a tight hug and just held me close. I wrapped my arms around his neck, one hand on the back of his head.

•×•

The guys all piled into the room and seemed leery to be around me right now. They avoided my eye contact and muttered answers, they also all breathed in relief when they were partnered with each other instead of me. As I suspected.

I crossed my arms and leaned on the wall as Minho paired everyone up and sent them out with the plan. My eyes narrowed as I watched, spinning a small knife around my fingers. Minho turned towards me with a determined look in his eyes.

I grabbed the bow and quiver of arrows, throwing it over my shoulder along with the knives I always had strapped to me.

Today was going to be different. I just knew it.