I Know Places [Thomas The Maze Runner]

[11: The Gathering]

By the time Elle and Thomas made their way to the Council room, all the Gladers were already waiting for them. Thomas was instructed to grab a chair at the front of the room as everybody discussed his punishment for what happened the previous night. Elle sat in the front row beside Chuck, trying her best to look positive and encouraging. She knew things weren't looking good for Thomas, but she didn't want him to feel like nobody was on his side.

The Gladers were sitting in a semicircle around Thomas, following the natural curvature of the round room. Elle knew it was a big deal that everyone was in the Council room when it was usually restricted to Newt, Alby, and the Keepers. Thomas didn't seem to think he'd done anything wrong and wasn't sure what the big deal was, but Elle knew better. To question order is to question everything the Gladers worked for, and that was unwise of him.

"Are you doing okay?" Elle asked Chuck as Newt asked everyone to settle down. The younger boy was relieved to see his new friend return, but he was just as worried as Elle about Thomas's fate. Not only had Thomas broken one of the Glade's most important rules, but he had also done something nobody else had ever done before. That could be dangerous.

"Yeah," he whispered, just as Newt cleared his throat.

"In place of our leader, sick in bed, I declare this Gathering begun," Newt spoke as if he hated the formality of the Gatherings. Elle assumed this was how Alby usually started the meetings and that it was Newt's first time doing so. Gally looked pleased that he decided to follow this tradition, and Elle recalled that he was a stickler for the rules. "As you all know, the last few days have been bloody crazy, and quite a bit seems centred around our new Greenbeans, Tommy and Elle. It should be noted that their arrival was unusual and that we do not know what this means for the future. Also, Thomas sits before us today, awaiting our judgement on how we should move forward."

Thomas's face flushed red with embarrassment. He hated having all the attention on him when he just acted out of instinct. There was nothing planned about his actions, and the night of fighting Grievers should be considered punishment enough for breaking the rules.

Once Newt introduced the issue, Elle took a moment to observe Minho for the first time since he arrived back in the Glade. When he, Thomas and Alby first returned, she'd only looked him over to make sure he wasn't too badly hurt. Now that the attention was off him, Elle tried to figure out what the Keeper of the Runners was thinking. More than anything, he just looked exhausted and filthy. Minho and Thomas could use showers and rest, especially considering all their recent traumas. Elle knew there was a lot of responsibility riding on Minho's shoulders, and she didn't envy him for a second.

"To follow procedure, let's have the Keepers start off with their thoughts," Newt suggested, offering the stage to any of the Keepers who wanted to say something. When nobody spoke, he sighed. "Look, the reason we're here is because almost every lovin' kid in the Glade has come up to me in the last day or two, either boohooing about Thomas or beggin' to take Elle's bloody hand in marriage." She flushed at the mention of her name. A few people snickered, and Newt silenced them with a glare. "That's not funny," he scolded them. "We need to decide what we're gonna do with 'em," Newt announced. "Now, Elle hasn't done anything to be punished for. What I want to discuss is her job. She's quick to understand the rules of the Glade, and we've all seen how smart she is. She'd be wasted on being a Slopper or a Builder. "Zart the Fart, you start."

Several Gladers snickered at Newt's rhyme, and Zart shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I agree," he spoke up, glimpsing momentarily at Elle. As the Keeper of the Track-hoes, his opinion mattered. "She was pretty good at gardening, but I think her potential would be wasted there."

"What do you suggest?" Newt asked, blinking at Zart.

"We should treat her like we do all the other Gladers and assess her by her skills. The meal she cooked with Frypan was good, and she seems to know a lot about healing and first aid. She's intelligent, quick-thinking and observant. I say we make her your helper or something," Zart put forward. Elle was surprised he spoke highly of her, especially because Zart usually kept to himself. "Since Alby's sick, you'll be needing some help, right? I think she could be our temporary second in command. That way, she can do all the things she's good at."