" WHITE BLOOD " T. MAZE RUNNER¹

thirteen.

[CHAPTER THIRTEEN]

~

Eleanor knew that being alone whilst suffering through guilt and grief was a bad idea, though that night she had no choice. As she sat in the shadows of the Slammer, back pressed against the dirt wall and chin resting atop her knees, the young girl was left alone to drown in her thoughts. The only source of light was a single torch that was lit in front of the Homestead, only just dimly lighting the cell that she was trapped in. The flickering flames caused dark shadows to dance along the walls behind her, and every so often, she would turn around in fright, thinking that there was something behind her.

Eleanor debated on whether or not she could just sleep the night away. At first, she tried, but she found that every time she closed her eyes, an image of George's limp and bloody body would make its way into her wandering mind.

So Eleanor forced her eyes to stay open, for she was afraid of seeing the reminder of the boy who she had killed. Instead, she lay with her back pressed against the wall, listening to the low rumbles of the walls shifting deep within the Maze and the calming songs of crickets.

Time seemed to drag on, and to say that Eleanor was bored would be a complete understatement. Minutes felt like hours, and the snores of the boys coming from the opposite side of the Homestead were beginning to become annoying. She wasn't looking forward to spending the entire following day in the cramped cell with no food and nothing to do; she was convinced that if her wandering mind hadn't driven her to insanity by then, the lack of something to do would do it instead.

Eleanor's stomach grumbled loudly, and she covered it with her hands whilst scowling slightly. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, since she had missed lunch while she was in the Slammer- and the fact that she wouldn't be able to eat until dinner the following night seemed to make her stomach growl even louder.

"I'm pretty sure we can all hear your stomach growling from inside the Homestead."

Eleanor jumped at the sudden noise, for she had grown used to sitting in silence and listening to the chirping of crickets. She looked up from the ground, surprised to see Minho squatting down in front of her cell; he held a half-eaten plate of food in his hand, and he wore a small smile on his face as he looked down at her.

"I was thinkin' of you at dinner tonight," Minho said to her as he settled down in front of the cell. "It was kind of lonely without ya. I can't exactly make fun of Gally with Newt like I can with you- the shuck-face is very stuck up."

Eleanor couldn't help but laugh lightly at his words, though she couldn't help but wonder how much truth was behind them. Was he just saying that to make her feel better? To strike up conversation in order to break the awkward silence?