Maze Runner: The Subject Experiment

16 ❀ Keep at it

In the days that followed Stephen's banishment, the girl continued to try the different jobs.

For a couple of days she reluctantly tried out for the baggers. She practised patrolling the Glade, then was taught how to wrap a dead body up. Overall it was morbid. Billy and Jackson kept reminding her that she may have to wrap Ben up soon.

Ben was still recovering from Stephen's attack and it was still questionable whether he hadn't been fatally injured. The girl prayed for his recovery, feeling guilty that she had anything to do with it at all. She played it over and over in her mind, how she'd distracted Ben. Soon enough she'd convinced herself it was entirely her fault, no matter how hard Newt tried to tell her otherwise. There was something else about that day that lingered in her mind - Stephen. She sometimes wandered if he was still out there, snarling and cursing the Gladers. Newt reminded her, "No one survives a night in the maze, you need to stop thinking about him. Get some sleep and forget about it." But she pictured his face, twisted with hate and rage. 

How could a sting do that to a person?

...

After the baggers it was cooking with Frypan. Now, that was more pleasant.

Frypan always greeted the girl and Newt before welcoming them into the kitchen.

One day Frypan announced with glee, "Alright you two, today you're gonna learn a secret recipe, so don't go spilling my secrets or else!"

She and Newt sniggered, but they silenced themselves just before Fry could notice.

"Now, where is that shucking pot..." Fry began rummaging around for all the tools he needed. He set a few things out with his ingredients before searching for something else. After a while it was obvious he was having trouble finding something.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," said Frypan, turning to the girl. "I broke my wooden spoon and Gally was making another one. Could you go get it from him?"

The girl and Newt headed to the builders to pick up the stirring spoon. Gally approached him.

"Why might you two be here?"

Newt answered. "We're here to get Frypan's spoon. Apparently you're supposed to have made it by now."

Gally nodded. "Eric has it." He pointed to a boy sitting carving bowls out of wood.

As soon as Newt walked over to retrieve the spoon, Gally closed in on the girl. He leaned in.

"Still think Alby's rules are stupid?"

She reeled backwards. "What do you mean?"

Gally raised his eyebrows and tilted his head towards Newt. "I think you're beginning to like those rules. Getting attached to him aren't you, greenie?"

The girl's eyes widened in shock. No, she didn't think of Newt that way. Was he attractive? Yes, but no more than Winston or Minho. "I'm not getting attached!" she hissed. "And I do still hate those stupid rules."

"Good." Gally leaned in again, wrapping an arm around her waist. "We can break the rules, if you want?" He gave her a smirk, his face now inches from hers.

The girl was so stunned she froze on the spot. She did not find Gally appealing in the slightest and she wanted to tell him to piss off, but her shock overcame her. Instead she just stood there with no idea what to do next.

"Everything alright here?" Thankfully, Newt had come back with the spoon. His brows were furrowed in concern, with a hint of anger.

"Just fine, Newt." Gally smiled before walking back to his work.

Newt raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Come on," he said sharply. "Frypan will be waiting."

...

The girl continued cooking for a few days more with little to no success. She couldn't help but notice that ever since the incident with Gally, Newt had kept a closer eye on her and avoided situations that would involve being close to Gally. Of course Gally still stared at the girl, sometimes attempting to flirt by giving her winks and smirks with a sneaky compliment here and there. Each time he earned an irritated glare from Newt. The girl didn't understand Newt's anger sometimes. Some days she would ask him what was wrong and tell him not to worry about Gally 'being Gally'.

One night when they had finished dinner, Newt took her aside.

"I need to ask you something."

"Sure, what is it?"

"If you were thinking of...I don't know...doing anything stupid, you'd let me know right?"

What did he mean? Breaking Alby's rules? She looked into his soft brown eyes to see his concern. "Don't worry, Newt, I'm not an eejit alright?" She gave him a reassuring wink. Her special word, eejit, never failed to make him smile.

...

Finally, on her eleventh day in the Glade, the time came when she was expected to try out to be a runner. It only took Minho a few hours to realise she was hopeless at running. He was terribly unfit and kept stopping to catch her breath.

Still, it was custom to put a try out in training for three days. Three days later she was convinced she'd never hated her life so much. At the end she decided if she had to run one more lap of the Glade she might just dander out into the maze to end her suffering.

"I'm rubbish at everything," she complained to Newt that night.

"You're good at some things."

"Like what?"

"Like track-hoeing."

"But it's so boring!"

Newt looked offended.

"Sorry..."

Newt laughed. "You'd be good at it, trust me. Besides, it would make it easier for me seeing as it is my job. I don't want to have to become a bloody cook or something just because I have to follow you around and do whatever you're doing."

"I don't think me being a cook is going to happen any time soon, Newt."

They both erupted into laughter at the memory of her attempt at recreating Frypan's dishes.

...

The girl had adapted to Glade life and she'd become accustomed to how everything worked. However, every night she sat and wondered if she would ever remember her name. Sometimes she came close to tears when she imagined never knowing. She just wanted a name, was that too much to ask for? Everyone else had one, but she was just the odd one out, as usual.