Rose// Gally Maze Runner

Potential

The Slammer was dug at least five feet deep. Its earthy walls and floor were remarkably cooler than the rest of the Glade. Your headache was slowly fading after an hour of solitude, but your energy was dwindling. With your grumbling stomach and heavy eyelids, you didn't make an effort to stand when you heard a soft set of footsteps approaching in the grass above.

A worn boot kicked the wooden bars to grab your attention. When you didn't respond, Newt huffed and crouched down to look inside the cell. "Wanna tell me what the hell all that was about?"

You shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. There was a looming fear of the headache coming back. But you weren't exactly at the peak of healthy regardless. There was a sharp pain in your shoulder that had been patched up. You were afraid to look underneath at the damage. The force that griever ran at you with must have left a gnarly bruise surrounding the injection point.

"Fry saved you lunch, and after a bit of convincing, Alby said you can come out."

That caught your attention. "It's only been an hour."

"Hours a long time for someone that hasn't eaten in three days." Newt unlatched the gate and swung it open. He gave you a stern look. "But you aren't just getting let out for free. There's a condition, and you're gonna bloody well do it, alright? I don't care if you like it or not."

"What? He's gonna make me clean the outhouse?"

"Alby wants you to apologize to Thomas at the bonfire tonight."

Thomas. God even his name made you want to puke. You saw flashes of him peering at you through a wall of shelves. The pristine white clothes and stark lighting clearly weren't from a place like the Glade.

"Forget it," you snapped back, sounding a bit too harsh to be talking to your best friend.

"Hey, I didn't give you a choice. Either you're in here for the night with no food, or you make amends. I'm not letting you go without food, so come on." Newt held a hand out to help pull you out.

You glared at his hand and then at him. Your arms crossed like a child having a tantrum. Newt shook his head in disappointment while you insisted, "I'm not apologizing to that shank."

The gate slammed back shut as Newt stood to walk off. He pivoted back and crouched again, not quite ready to give up on you. "I might not know what you're going through or what you saw, but I know that kid was sent down here with no memories and scared shitless just like the rest of us. It's his first day and the only girl in the Glade, which he was told was dying just twenty minutes before, wakes ups, slaps him in front of everyone, and now suddenly half the slintheads here are steering clear from him like he's got the bloody plague. I'm not saying you've gotta marry the bloke, just be the bigger glader and apologize for hitting him."

Seeing how angry Newt was with you made your heart clench. Newt was a relatively laid-back guy, so disappointing him meant you did something really awful. You stood from the ground and stepped up to the gate.

"I'll apologize, but I can't promise I'll mean it."

"Alby'll be none the wiser. Come on then." Newt swung back open the gate and hauled you up. You winced from the burning in your shoulder, and the harsh sun had you squinting. Dizzy from fatigue and starvation, you swayed and stumbled a bit. Newt patted you between the shoulders and directed you toward the kitchens to refuel.

Fry had saved you two helpings of lunch and reminded you there would be plenty more at the bonfire that night. Once Newt dropped you off at the kitchens, he wandered off, claiming he had other things to take care of. You tried your hardest to get any bit of information about it out of Frypan, but no amount of compliments was making him spill this time. He insisted he knew nothing about it.