Empty Promises

6

"If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree

I'll never grow up"

-peter pan

∞

Y/N's POV

I didn't want to come down and face the reality that lay on the ground. If I stayed up here in the trees, I lived in my little world. A world where I was a normal 14-year-old, climbing trees with my friends before dinner. We were just kids living a life, school five days a week, and adventures all day long. Earlier we had played hide and seek, the tree was my hiding place. But the boys were still searching for me, or they went home. But in a little bit, my mom would come and yell at me to come down and wash my hands,

"Y/N are you still up there?" Minho yelled from below.

"No"

It was silent for a moment before the rustling of leaves and grunts came from underneath me.

"Holy beetle blades, that's sharp"

"Shuck"

"Ugh you've got to be shucking me"

I found it slightly amusing listening to Minho's complaints as he rose in the tree, unaware that I could hear him. After a couple more exclamations of pain, his sleek black hair flashed through the leaves at my branch. He must have been standing on the branch below because all I could see was his face poking through the leaves.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Of course," I told him, patting the space on the branch next to me.

It took him a couple of seconds to situate himself onto the wood, but he sat next to me, our shoulders nearly touching. His presence calmed me from the overwhelming fear that we were trapped inside the maze. Minho was different from the others, I felt safe with Gally and Newt, sure, but when I was with Minho, I felt at home.

"What are you thinking about?" his gentler personality returning.

"The maze, you?"

"Same here"

"Do you think we're trapped?"

"I'm not sure," he grabbed my hand and my stomach tightened just slightly. "But even if we are, at least we have this. We have a family, we have food and land. We're not in any danger. And we have each other."

I rested my head on his shoulder, looking out at the homestead in the distance. His head found its place laying on mine, our hands still entwined. His breath softly fluttered on my hair, his warmth spreading throughout my body.

"Minho?"

"Hm?"

"Promise you'll never leave me?"

"Why- why would you say that?" his confident voice cracking, filled with worry.

"Well what if you find new friends, what if I'm not your best friend anymore. I - I'm not very good at making friends and if I lost you then, then I'd be so lost," my voice going at a mile a minute.

"I promise I won't leave you, shank," he said lightly, placing a tender kiss on the top of my head.

And that was the first promise, the time would come when it became more than just words two kids said in a tree.

∞

Small snores drifted from the other rooms in the homestead, as my mind raced while I lay awake. I wasn't sure why I couldn't fall asleep but my ears were listening for any sign of unusual activity.