╔═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

We're just tryin' to figure
out what changed.

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

My eyes snap open, a bright light blinding them.

I died.

I'm okay. I'm not there anymore. I find myself smiling at the notion that I'm no longer trapped in that awful place. I don't have to worry about the grievers, or my friends, or even becoming a Runner and finding a way out of there. I'm already out. But the brightness dies down, revealing the Maze to me, sending a frightened shiver down my spine and a sinking feeling in my stomach as I stare at the dull stone walls, tinted in blood and the venom of grievers.

"Thea, is that you? Can ya move?" Minho's voice rings in my ears as I struggle to focus through the blurring of my vision and the throbbing of my head. Why doesn't he just leave me here? What is he even doing here? Birds tweet happily, the soft melody wrapping my ears in its warmth, almost as if last night never happened. But it did. I can still see it's eyes looking at me.

"I don't know," I whisper to him, though I'm not sure he can hear me. My legs hang limply off the wall, dangling below while my torso lies on the top of the wall. I want to fall asleep once more, my eyelids weighing down; I fight to keep them open.

Minho puts his arms out and calls up to me gently, as though he could scare me if he's too loud. He's probably correct. Even the soft tweeting of birds is making my teeth grind. The image of the griever from last night flashes in front of my mind, and all I can see is it's petrifying face blocking out Minho's. His voice calls out again, harsher in the void I find myself in. "Can you get back down?"

I summon all of my energy to push myself up from the wall and sit upright, the world swaying, grasping for something to steady me. Minho jolts, as though I could fall at any moment. I wasn't all that close from it last night. I can still see the ground spinning below me, nausea rising in my gut. "Did ya get stung?"

"No," I call down to him. His blood is still on my hands. Ben's blood. He was hurt yesterday. I scan him quickly, looking for any graveness on his face — a sign that Ben didn't make it anyway. Of course, I don't know what happened to Ben yesterday, and I'm smart enough not to ask him; I get the feeling he doesn't want to talk about it. "How're you feeling?" I say instead, somewhat airily.

"Doesn't matter, we need to get ya back."

I nod slowly, and walk over to where I climbed up, desperately trying to ignore the ground staggering beneath me, my fear of heights lodging in my throat. I shake my head, my body screaming and begin to climb back down slowly, focusing on where I'm placing my hands and my feet. I grip on to the vines for dear life. Minho's face spins below me, an encouraging smile plastered on it. It gives me the extra motivation I need to move my body despite it screeching at me to stop.

"Ya need help to walk?" Minho asks once I'm almost down, not waiting for my response before lifting me off the wall carefully and putting his arm around my shoulder, supporting my weight while I catch my breath, currently the only thing stopping me from slumping to the floor. I try to protest, but Minho shakes his head and starts to walk, letting me put my weight on him.

"No. I don't. It's not my leg," I say, trying to push him off of me, but he continues to support me.

"I know it's not your leg, shank," he snaps. "I'm helpin' you regardless." Minho lets me lean on him as we begin to walk, even though he's still hurt from yesterday. My legs are screaming at me to stop walking, just for a minute, but I know if I do I won't get back up. After a while, I regain the strength I need to walk on my own, ignoring Minho's protests.

I thought I died. I stare around the Maze, lit by the daylight, still as terrifying, and still as intimidating. I jolt as the screeching of the walls moving scrapes inside my eardrums, and Minho pretends not to notice, which I'm grateful for, and keeps his eyes on the path in front of us.

"We'll take you to the med-jacks straight after," he says after an hour of walking in silence. "I'm surprised you lasted."

"Thanks," I say, my voice devoid of any humour I'd usually push into it. "Nice to know you have the upmost faith in me."

"How'd you do it?" Minho asks, his brow quirked.

I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to relive what I just went through. Just thinking about that griever makes my stomach clench and my organs knot around each other, plunging me into a pool of fear. However, I know there will be so many more questions when I get back to the Glade so I take a deep breath, and recall the events of last night with as little emotion as I can. "Climbed the vines on the top and sat on the wall for the night. Dangled off the other side when I saw one coming."

Just staring at the maze makes me shudder, last night's horrors haunting my thoughts. I stare at the sky, a pink and orange sunrise tinting the clouds in a peachy glow. Minho leads the way, and I trail behind him slowly, taking the time I need which I know annoys him but I do it regardless. "Thank you," Minho says quietly, almost inaudible. "You saved Ben."

"He would have done the same for me," I say simply.

Minho shrugs, pointing in the direction I remember the Glade is in. "Ya had us all worried. Especially Newt," Minho says tiredly, rolling his eyes. I worried them? Why especially Newt? His eyes flash in front of my face again, replacing the horrifying image of the griever. "He slept by the wall last night."

I stop Minho, staring into his eyes, checking for any insincerity. I don't find any. Why would he do that? "What?"

"Yeah. Stupid shank refused to move away from it. Chuck joined him after a while. Both said they wouldn't be able to sleep anyway."

"Oh," I say, because what else could I say? He slept by the wall waiting for me? Involuntarily, my lips quirk up at the thought of the two of them waiting for me, reassuring me that I have friends here.

"He had a go at us all for not letting him go after ya. Pissed us all right off."

I give a half hearted laugh at Minho before we turn the corner. My heart lurches into my throat as we approach. Minho glances at me in the corner of his eye, as though worried I'd drop to the floor spontaneously. As I stare down the corridor and into the Glade, I realise there aren't many gladers there — I suppose most of them had given up on my return. Winston, Chuck, Newt and have their backs to us, and Minho doesn't call them, which I thank him for, because even a noise such as that would set me on edge. My eyes fall upon Newt's figure, walking away from the wall, fists clenched and head hung. Chuck turns around, his face solemn before he spots me, his face breaking out into a wide grin.

"Newt... turn around," he chirps as Minho and I walk closer.

"I told ya," Newt's voice is dejected, almost lost in the echos of the maze as his figure walks away from me. "She's gone."

"Just do it," Winston snaps as he too turns around, beaming at me.

"Alethea?" Newt's voice catches as he turns around, his eyes clinging to me. Time seems to stop for a moment as we stare at each other and my heart lurches. Bags hang under his eyes and his hair is ruffled — he didn't sleep at all. His eyes light up as he looks at me, and my gaze doesn't leave his as he runs over to me, limping slightly.

"Hey, Frog-face—"

"You're so stupid," he says, putting his hands on my shoulders to steady me and staring down at me, eyes widened with concern, studying my injures. "You're so so stupid, Shuck-face! We all thought you were dead! Were you stung?"

"No," I say, staring up at him and he visibly relaxes, loosening his grip on my shoulders and his eyes softening. "I'm fine, Newt. Promise."

"You're so stupid," he breathes, a small laugh escaping him.

I roll my eyes. "You already said that."

"Come on," he says, leaving a hand on my shoulder and walking so that I can lean on him if I need to. I didn't realise how much my legs ached for rest until now, so I lean some of my weight onto him, his warm chest ridding me of the biting cold I felt last night. He looks down at me. "I'm takin' you to the Med-jack."

"No you're not," Gally's voice says as he jogs out from the wooden building in the corner of the Glade.  "Alby called a Gathering. Now."

Gathering? I've heard of one before, but I've got no clue what it actually is or why one needs to be held.

"She's going to Jeff and Clint," Newt says simply, staring at Gally.

"Don't push it, Newt," Gally warns.

He almost laughs at him. "Who's second in command here?"

"I'm only repeating orders."

"She's going to the Med-jacks," Minho says, his voice final.

"Look, I think she should too, but Alby's gonna want to see her now," Gally says, staring at the blood all over me and wincing slightly.

"She won't be able to talk if she's half dead!" Minho argues as Newt glares at Gally, keeping his arm firm around my shoulders. I roll my eyes at the lot of them, not bothering to get involved with the petty argument. I seriously don't care what I do as long as I get to sit down.

"Well, you two can take that up with Alby. Not me. Calm down."

"Gathering?" I ask Newt as we walk reluctantly towards the building. I push myself off of him, determined to walk myself no matter how exhausted my limbs are. Newt doesn't move to stop me.

"Where Alby and I meet with all the Keepers," he explains. "Like a council."

I laugh cynically as I stare at the wooden building we're fast approaching. "I'm guessing I was a popular topic of conversation."

"Don't get too big headed, there, Greenbean," Newt says, chuckling, still concerned as his eyes keep flicking to the blood all over my face. "You're a girl."

"Well spotted."

"We've never had one," he continues. "And you just survived the Maze. We're just tryin' to figure out what changed."

❀

I'm in the Gathering room now, a circular room with stone seats with steps leading down to a lower level — almost like an amphitheatre. I'm sitting on a stone block, lying against a beam, my eyes closed, trying to get some rest while listening to the conversation while staring into nothing, strange shapes of light morphing around me.

"She broke the rules," Gally says. "She needs to have some kind of punishment."

"I would have died in there if it weren't for her. I don't think she should be punished for saving someone's life," Minho's voice argues.

"I don't care—"

"There are rules for a reason, guys, and Greenie broke 'em!" A voice I don't recognise says. "There's a set punishment for this and we should follow it. A week in the slammer."

"A week? You're joking," Newt's voice calls.

"Would ya rather it be two?"

"You're not in command."

"She can't go unpunished."

"I think not letting her go to the freaking Med-jacks right now is punishment enough," Newt growls.

I stare into the black void around me, wishing I could just sleep, wishing I wasn't here right now. Anger bubbles in me as I listen to them argue about my 'punishment', and I just wish they'd all shut up. I'd do a week in the Slammer if I got them to be quiet for five goddamn seconds.

Winston's voice speaks, "She can't be punished for saving Minho."

"Even if it was a complete violation of our rules?"

I snap my eyes open and glare at the lot of them. "Oh, for heavens sake, you lot!" I exclaim. "Just chuck me in the Slammer for a night. Gally and his fangirls get their pathetic punishment, and I don't have to be in there for a week."

Most of them stare at me, shocked at my outburst. I shrug in response. What else were they expecting? For me to be quiet and not talk at all? What a bunch of arseholes. The only ones who don't look at all astounded are Newt, Alby, Minho, Winston and Fry, who just stare at me with a mixture of smirks or nods of the heads.

"No food," Gally says suddenly.

"Seriously—" Newt starts.

I cut him off. "Fine by me, eyebrows. No offence, Fry. I'm not hungry anyway."

"None taken," Fry says, giving me a small smile.

—
Thank you so much for voting and commenting — when people do that it means so much because I'm just starting out, and lets me know who's reading and who's enjoying the story. That being said, there is no pressure at all to vote or comment, I'm grateful for you to be reading this regardless! :)

~ sophie xx
(2340 words)