Dangerous: The Maze Runner ~Newt~

The fire

"CAW!" 

I scream, flapping my arms around and almost falling off my branch. A big crow flies off of the branch above me, cawing at me scornfully. 

I finally regain my balance. I rub my eyes, yawning, and start climbing down. 

My stomach rumbles loudly at me as I head for the kitchen, reminding me that I haven't eaten since yesterday.

"Hey," I hear a voice behind me as I'm walking across the grass. 

I turn around. "Hey." 

"Where you goin'?" The blonde boy asks me, falling into step next to me. 

"Where everybody else is. To get food," I say in a monotone voice. 

He chuckles. "Oh, Alby wants to talk to you after breakfast."

My eyes widen a fraction. "He's not still mad at me, is he?"

He grins. "No, I don't think so. It's about your job here." 

I nod. "Ok, I think I can handle that."

~*~

"I'm here," I yawn, sitting down opposite Alby on the grass. 

He stares at me. "You have to start earning your keep around here. I want you starting with the Slicers." 

I raise an eyebrow. "Ok." 

He pauses. "Ok? That's it?"

I shrug. "What did you expect me to do?"

He rolls his eyes. "The new ones usually start asking a million questions per second."

I smirk. "Sorry to disappoint you."

He narrows his eyes. "I'll put Winston in charge of you. If you need anything or have questions, just go to him." 

I nod. 

"Hey, Winston!" Alby yells. "Get over here."

"Yeah, Alby?" The Puerto Rican boy saunters over, grinning slightly.

"You're in charge of her for the day. Don't let any of the boys touch her, understand?" He glances at me. "And make sure she doesn't kill any of them either." 

His grin disappears, replaced by a slightly nervous look. "Yessir." Winston glances at me too, winking briefly before looking back at Alby. "Should I let her shovel or feed?"

Alby stares at me thoughtfully. "Let her feed. I don't think she'd enjoy shoveling." 

Winston nods. "Alright. C'mon, greenie. Let's go feed some animals."

~*~

"Does anyone else want my meatloaf? I'm not that hungry." I poke at it, feeling sick. The stench of animals mixed with the blood and sounds and guts makes me want to climb out of my skin and go bathe in the River Lethe. 

My stomach growls loudly, contradicting what I just said. I frown. "Thanks for being loyal," I grumble back.

Newt smirks at me. "Who talks to their stomach?"

I shove him. "Shut up," I mumble. "It's not like I would want to eat it anyway." I poke at it. "Meatloaf. Hah. More like cardboard with salt and ketchup."

An Asian boy sitting across from me snickers. "You got that right." 

I look at him. "Hello to you too." 

He grins. "The name's Minho," He says, winking at me.

I raise an eyebrow, trying not to smile. "Ok."