LIMERENCE ﹐ the maze runner.

26

Minho woke Thomas and Clara before dawn, motioning with a torch to follow him back to the Homestead to begin their training.

In a crooked cranny near a back corner of the Homestead, Minho pulled out a key and opened a shabby door leading to a small storage cupboard.

Clara groggily looked at Minho and felt a shiver go down her back as she wondered what was in there. Things had changed since she had last trained to be a Runner.

She saw ropes and chains and other odds and ends as Minho's torch crisscrossed the cupboard. Eventually, it fell on an open box full of running shoes.

"That right there's the number one supply we get,"Minho announced. "At least for us. They send new ones in the Box every so often. If we had bad shoes, we'd have feet that look like freaking Mars." He bent over and rummaged through the pile. "What size you wear?"

"Size?"Thomas asked, confused. "I... don't know."

Clara looked down at Thomas's feet, then stated,"He's at least an eleven. Sorry, Tom, but you have some big-ass feet."

Minho stood up holding a pair of sleek, silver running shoes for Thomas, then said,"Looks like I've got some - man, we could all go canoeing in these things."

"Those are fancy,"Thomas said, then walked out of the cupboard to sit on the ground, eager to try them on.

"Now, for you, my redhead friend,"Minho said, and pulled out Clara's old flurecent pink trainers from the cupboard. "Ya remember these suckers? I sure do. They almost shucking blinded me. I hope they still fit, otherwise you're shucked."

Luckily, the shoes still fit Clara perfectly, and she slipped them on with ease.

Minho grabbed a few more things before coming out to join them.

"Only Runners and Keepers get these,"Minho said. Minho handed Thomas and Clara each a simple black wrist-watch. "Put it in and never take it off. Your life might depend on it."

Clara slipped it on as Minho continued. "Here's a rucksack, water bottles, lunchbox, and other shit. I don't know. Basically everything you need."

"Now, these are definitely not for you, Clara,"Minho said, holding out a couple of pairs of tightly cut underwear, made from shiny white material. "These bad boys're what we call Runnie-undies. Keep you, um, nice and comfy."

"Nice and comfy?"Thomas questioned.

"Yeah, ya know. Your-"

"Pe-"Clara started, but Thomas cut her off.

"Yeah, got it." Thomas took the underwear and other stuff, then looked at Minho. "You guys really have this all thought out, don't you?"

"Couple of years runnin' your butt off every day, you figure out what you need and ask for it,"Minho told Thomas.

"You mean, you can make requests? Supplies you want?"Thomas asked, a suprised expression plastered across his face.

"Yeah, obviously,"Clara said. "Of course, we don't always get what we want. Like Archie is still waiting for the Super hot girlfriend he requested a while ago."

Thomas snickered. "Ever asked for a map?"

Minho and Clara laughed. "Yeah, tried that one. Asked for a TV, too, but no luck. I guess those shuck-faces don't want us seeing how wonderful life is when you don't live in a freaking maze."

"I've heard that one guy once asked for a fucking motorcycle too,"Clara added.

Thomas laughed, then finished up lacing up his shoes, then stood up and jogged around in circles, jumping up and down to test then. "They feel pretty good. I guess I'm ready."