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THE MAZE RUNNER
──── ❝ i promise ❞

CHAPTER TWO
.ೃ࿐, someone to remember
*ೃ༄ ﹌﹌﹌ღ ‗ ❍                 . . . . . 🌚🥀
•◦• ACT ONE
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✧.*

THE ROUGH AND UPRIGHT cylindrical blades of grass collided with the soles of Aife's shoes as she strode across the glade, a large saw-blade in her grip. she gritted her teeth as she tore through a large slab of wood. after the blonde haired boy had shown up in the box, whose name had turned out to be nick, they had begun to build a home for themselves. together . after the boy had dozed to sleep, he had managed to come to terms with the fact that the two of them weren't escaping any time soon.

Aife hissed as a splinter found its way into her flesh, and she gnawed on her bottom lip until she could taste the familiar metallic flavor on her tastebuds. her thin eyebrows were pinched together in concentration as she focused on the task at hand. hearing heavy footsteps approaching her from behind, she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Nick's blue ones.

he offered a small grin, the brown-haired girl returning it before she spotted the crate in his grasp.

"where do you want this?" he asked, his voice coming out strained as he struggled to hold the weight of the boxes. Aife had instructed him to relocate them, so she could place the items where she believed their rightful place should be. she thought it'd be easier to leave all of the heavy lifting to him.

"Just put that next to the pile. Those still need to be emptied, though." Aife instructed as she jerked her head in the opposite direction in which the other crates were stacked. the girl watched as he turned and did as told, lugging the crates around before dropping them to the ground. the girl huffed, suddenly aware of the way that the fabric of her clothes clung to her body.

"I got it," Nick offered, reaching for the saw-blade that had been in her grasp. she allowed him to take it, watching as he began to chop away at the slab of wood. Aife approached the crates, taking out the items and placing them in piles. there had been knives, new items of clothing, and some blank sheets of paper.  Aife then placed the weapons into a separate crate, before turning to Nick.

"I'm gonna bring these to the weapons room." 

the boy nodded in response. Aife didn't waste another moment before striding to another section of the glade, ducking behind a few trees to get there. a tired huff escaped her chapped lips. she approached a humble building of simple construction, and it was clear that the room had been built with natural material, such as logs and grass. it was a simple roofed establishment, and they hadn't bothered to build a door to the space.

she then placed the crate on a small makeshift table before heading back towards Nick.

the boy suddenly turned to face her, a small frown on his lips, "who do you think put us here, Aife?"

the brunette's eyes slightly widened at the question.

"Honestly? I don't know, but let's hope it's for a good reason. Otherwise, i'll be pissed." she mumbled the last part and gave a half hearted chuckle. Nick didn't seem to find humor in the situation.

"well, do you remember anything else?" he reached up to run his fingers through his hair, closing his tired eyes for a moment.

whatever look of amusement that Aife had worn was now gone. her jaw ticked, and she found herself glancing at the large walls that had trapped them in the glade.

"no."

the fact that Aife still remained oblivious made her furious. why? why couldn't she just remember. there had to be a reason. was this a punishment of some sort? she just couldn't fathom it.

Nick's voice had pulled her from her thoughts. Aife realized she had begun to space out, her fingers curling tightly into her fist.

"What do you think is out there?"

Aife couldn't help but scoff at the question. the boy had no doubt heard the vicious screeches that would echo in the glade when the sun fell. whatever was trapped with them, wasn't human. she knew that much. Aife had been in beyond the walls a few times, and she never managed to get too far before being forced to return.

when the sun went down, the doors would close. and who knows what would happen.

"whatever it is, we have to be careful. we don't know what it's capable of." she said pointedly. at her tone, he pursed his lips, glancing down at his sneakers.

"Nick, promise me you won't go out there. okay? not without me, at least. I mean it." Aife took a step closer, green eyes not leaving his. Nick sucked in a sharp breath, eyebrows furrowed deeply.

"i promise."

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

AIFE FIDDLED WITH HER wounded fingers, a small frown on her chapped lips as she stared intently at the blonde haired boy. he had drifted off to sleep not long after the sun had fallen, and by now, it was beginning to rise once again. the boy slept in a hammock, his forearm resting on his forehead, and his lips slightly parted as soft snores fell from his throat.

it'd been a few weeks since the boy had arrived.

the leaves of the bushes were slightly damp with dewdrops, and the day began to dawn crisp and clear. feeling a light breeze push against her cheeks, she allowed her green eyes to flutter shut for a small moment. with a huff falling from her lips, she strode forward, reaching her hands out to shake the boy awake.

"Nick," she hissed in a low whisper. she continued to shake the boy until he woke with a gasp, eyes growing wide. he nearly rolled over in his hammock, but Aife stopped him with a steady hand.

"easy," she gently cooed. upon seeing her expression, he stopped thrashing, placing a hand on his chest to calm his heart.

"what- what's wrong?" he stammered out.

Aife shrugged, taking a step back and reaching for her knife, "you slept in. but, I wanna show you something."

Nick rubbed the exhaustion away from his face before pushing himself out of his hammock, stretching his arms over his head before following the girl across the glade. it wasn't long before they stood in front of one of the wall's of the maze. the boy frowned, staring down at Aife.

"what are we doing here?" he questioned, his voice hoarse.

"when I first got here, I was counting the days that had gone by. I didn't know how long I'd been trapped here, but eventually, I accepted it. this is supposed to be home, Nick. our home. and so," she brought her hand up to lightly graze her fingers over the carvings of her name. she had made it just a few days after she had arrived in the maze, and figured that since nick wasnt going anywhere any time soon, he should carve his, as well.

"i figured it was time to make your mark, too. We've made something of this place." she handed Nick her blade, and watch as he hesitantly lifted it to the wall before repeatedly tapping it, his name being sculpted into the stone. 

Aife wore a small grin as the boy formed his name, pursing her lips before turning over her shoulder so that she could allowing him to finish on his own. she began to take long strides across glade, only to halt as a loud blare reached her ears. she flinched, face falling flat as she stared at the box. narrowing her green eyes, she began to walk towards the middle of the glade. was there another newcomer?

she could hear the heavy footsteps of Nick approaching her from behind, and she didn't spare him a glance before reaching for the metal door of the box, "help me with that door." she jutted her head to the second gateway.

the boy did as told, the two of them then peering down into the box and taking note of the dark-skinned boy who had already been on his feet, a look of panic and confusion painted on his face as he craned his neck up towards them.

Nick sent subtle glance at Aife, before he offered the boy a smile, "welcome, Greenie."

AUTHORS NOTE: hellooooo!!! i hope you're all enjoying the rewrite! pls don't be a silent reader <3 vote and comment