I Know Places [Thomas The Maze Runner]

[10: The Return]

"Where's Chuck?" Elle asked, sobering up enough to look for her young friend.

"I'm here," he replied, sitting beside her.

Newt stood after patting Elle on the knee and encouraged the Gladers to move to the Homestead. They knew they could spend the evening on that spot just waiting for the others to return, but it wouldn't do them any good. Newt, Frypan, and Gally said it was almost time for dinner and everyone should wash up.

"Hey, Chuck," Elle greeted him. "You okay? Sorry you had to see that."

He dismissed her apology, relieved to see that Elle was doing better. "It's okay!" Chuck was just as torn up about losing Thomas to the Maze as Elle, but he understood she had a different bond with him. Perhaps it was because they came up in the Box together, but Chuck could tell that Elle and Thomas had met before. They were too close, too perfectly synced to have met for the first time two days ago. Elle wrapped an arm around Chuck's shoulders, gently pulling him to her side for a cuddle. "I should have stopped him," Chuck said sombrely.

Elle's heart broke in an instant. "It's not your fault," she assured the younger boy. "None of us could have seen it coming." Elle chuckled. "Maybe we should have since that seems exactly like something Thomas would do, but we didn't. And that's okay." She kissed the top of Chuck's head. "We have to make our own choices. Sometimes we just forget to think about how they affect other people."

Chuck nodded, gazing up at Elle with big eyes. "You think that Thomas didn't think about us when he ran in?"

"I think he was too busy thinking about Alby and Minho," Elle rationalised. "All he wanted to do was help our friends, so he didn't think about how much he'd scare us by running in. But he's a fast runner, and he thinks quickly on his feet. I'm sure that he'll be able to help them out," she assured Chuck. "I have a feeling he's really good at helping people."

"He's really bad at gardening, though," Chuck recalled. "I hope he's a lot better at this."

Elle smiled, and Chuck was pleased to know he caused it. "From what I've heard from Zart and Newt, he certainly can't be any worse at helping Minho," she joked. "I'll tell you what. Why don't we go get some dinner and then we can play a game," Elle suggested. "Anything you want."

"I'm not really hungry," Chuck mumbled. Elle frowned, knowing he had to be very upset if he couldn't even work up an appetite.

"That's okay," Elle soothed. "But eating will make you feel better whether you're hungry or not. It's got all these little sugars that help your brain function, and it'll settle your stomach to get you ready for bed," she explained. "What do you say?"

Chuck agreed reluctantly. "How do you know all these things?" he wondered on their way to the kitchens. "You speak like someone who knows everything, all the time."

Elle paused. "I don't know, Chuck," she admitted. "I just... know things."

After dinner, the exhaustion was visible on Chuck's face. His eyes drooped shut, even when he insisted he wasn't tired. Elle excused them and prepared for a sleepless night as she stroked Chuck's curly hair with her fingertips, massaging his scalp to relax him as he slept. The boy was already in his hammock, and once Elle was sure he was asleep, she tucked him in his blanket and left him.

Even though she was tired too, Elle knew she would be plagued with nightmares if she slept, so she decided to bring her blanket and pillow from her room to the Maze walls. She didn't want to spend her night in front of it, but she knew a certain blond would be there, glued in place. "I knew I'd find you here," she greeted Newt, sitting beside him and sharing her blanket.