in another life; the maze runner

☆fourteen☆

The next morning, Minho and Thomas left to run the Maze with the device that they had found in the dead Griever. They were gone before Mae woke up, which she was slightly disappointed for because she had wanted to talk to Thomas, but she brushed it off and headed off for the Med-Jack hut. She was happy that Newt had decided to make her a full time Med-jack in training, and she spent most of her work learning from Jeff and Clint.

"Usually, when they come in overheating, the first thing we do is sit them down. Can't have em' walking around with their heads shucked up. Ask Frypan for some ice water, he'll have some always. Wet cloth on their forehead until they've calmed down and have them rest for a bit."

Jeff was explaining some more procedures, waiting for Mae to nod before he continued. He was a great teacher, and when they weren't working, he would joke around to make her laugh. She was beginning to really like him, and she was grateful for his company.

"Alright, that sounds easy enough. Do they overheat a lot?" She questioned, trying to do her best as a new Med-jack and soak in as much information as she could.

"Oh for sure, especially those head strong Builders," Jeff chuckled, placing a glass of fresh water on Alby's night stand as he slept peacefully.

"He looks a lot better. I guess Thomas and Teresa had the right idea," Mae noticed, peering over at the considerably healed leader. Jeff nodded, taking a seat next to Mae and patting her back.

"You better grab some lunch. I'll need your help when he wakes up though," The girl nodded, shooting her Med-jack mentor a bright smile before standing up and walking outside, closing the door softly behind her as not to wake Alby.

Mae strode across the field, squinting through the bright sun and greeting every boy she came across. She was in a great mood today. Her sister was here, Alby was better, Thomas and Minho were looking for a way out, and she was working in an area she really loved.

Mae spotted Chuck, Newt and Teresa at a table by Frypan's kitchen, digging into their lunch. Chuck waved at her enthusiastically, and she smiled softly at his joy. She quickly grabbed a plate, thanking the kind Cook, and sat down swiftly.

Teresa looked pretty comfortable, despite having only been in the Glade for two or so days. They had agreed to keep their family relationship secret, at least until they were ready to dive more into it themselves. Mae was pleasantly surprised as her sister welcomed her with a bright smile, and she greeted Chuck by ruffling his hair.

"Good afternoon," She chirped, stabbing her fork into a piece of potato.

"Hi," Newt responded, his voice muffled through his chewing. Chuck elbowed Mae in her side, startling her as she turned her head to look at him.

"Hey! What was that for?" She exclaimed. Chuck smiled, his chubby cheeks glowing red as apples as he nervously pulled something out of his pocket. Mae watched as he revealed a little string of dandelions woven together to create a bracelet. Mae's heart swelled with delight, and she lowered her fork as she took the delicate work of art.

"Is this for me?" She beamed.

"Of course it's for you. You're so nice and pretty- and so are these flowers. So I thought: Why not combine the two!" Chuck rambled on, blushing wildly. Newt was grinning, knowing how hard being in the Glade had been on the small boy, and happy that he had been feeling better lately. He watched with admiration as Mae lifted her wrist, allowing Chuck to tie the bracelet around it.

"I love it, thank you Chuck." The girl gushed, holding her arm up toward Newt and Teresa. "Look at this kid! An artist in training, I swear." Teresa nodded, giving Chuck a warm smile, and Newt took gentle hold of Mae's wrist gently to further inspect the boy's work.