in another life; the maze runner

☆three ☆

Once Mae had calmed down and lifted herself out of bed, the parade of boys started off showing her around the Glade.

Everyone watched in awe as she walked, and she felt the gaze of their eyes glued to her. It was a unsettling feeling, but she brushed it off. She was already trembling in fear from not remembering her whole life, so the constant looks were just adding on to the stress of being in the Glade.

They act like I'm some sort of animal, she thought. 

"And that's where Frypan and the other cooks make our food," Newt has been pointing out the different areas, hoping to help Mae feel more at ease. She gave him a half smile, appreciating his kind demeanor, knowing he was putting an effort in to make her feel comfortable.

__

The group stopped at a part in the stone wall with various names carved onto it. A few of them had big gashes through them, and although she didn't want to ask why, she figured it wasn't for good reason.

"Well, since you've remembered your name, you can go ahead and carve it in. You're apart of the Glade now, like it or not." Alby handed the girl a conveniently sized hunting knife and gestured to an blank space.

A few other Gladers had stopped what they were doing to watch her make her mark on the wall. Unaware of the eyes on her, she brushed her hair out of her eyes and concentrated on the task set before her. Carefully she engraved the first letter, even though it was challenging to press hard enough to carve the letters. She started with the M, and she managed to complete it in an acceptable manner. She went on with each until her small, yet regal name was completed and displayed proudly amongst the others.

"Welcome to the Glade, Greenie." Newt said, giving her a soft pat on her shoulder. She looked back around at the boys who seemed genuinely excited to have her there, shouting words of encouragement and support. For the first time since she arrived, Mae smiled for real.

Her attention turned to two boys who had just appeared from the darkness between the gaps in the stone wall. Her eyes narrowed in confusion and she turned to Alby.

"I thought we weren't supposed to go in there," She questioned. But Alby had walked off to fulfill his duties, and Newt was in conversation with another boy, so she was left asking her question to no one.

"We aren't, but the runners can. It's their job to run the Maze," The curly haired boy she saw before, the youngest, she presumed, had stopped next to her to answer her question.

"Runners?" Mae's gaze followed the boys as they slowed, reaching the interior of the Glade. One of them, a tall, athletic Asian boy, returned her stare for a second and nodded to her in acknowledgement. She instantly looked away in embarrassment and back to the boy she had been talking to.

"Well- Don't worry about their jobs. It's not like you need to know about it anyway. But that guy is Minho," He pointed to the boy Mae had locked eyes with before. "And that dude is Ben." She nodded and glanced at the pair one last time, as they removed their special running gear.

"And I'm Chuck by the way," The small boy held out his hand and grinned, waiting for a response. Mae smiled a bit at the kind boy. He must've only been about twelve years old, and it was a shame so much of his life was waisted being trapped in this place. Considering how lost she felt, she couldn't even imagine how Chuck had felt when he came up in that huge metal cage.

"Well nice to meet you Chuck," She shook his hand. He blushed a bit, not used to this type of interaction.

"Well come on! We've gotta eat dinner, then, they're going to start the bonfire!" Chuck exclaimed, tightening his grip on Mae's hand and dragging her off to God knows where.

-

Being the only girl in the Glade, it was no surprise that choosing where to sit would be a challenge for Mae. Everyone's eyes were glued on her as she drifted past each table, carrying some sort of stew that a kind boy named Frypan had given her. She noticed Chuck sitting at a less crowded table, waving his arms in excitement and pure joy. She smiled and slid in next to him, ignoring the glances of the jealous boys. Chuck's innocence and humorous personality helped her cope with the days events, and she wasn't going to let a few dirty looks influence her decision.

"Hey Greenie," A boy who she recognized as Thomas plopped down in the seat across from her and she nodded in his direction as she scarfed down the food in front of her. Being out cold for two days would certainly do that to a girl.

Not second after, Newt took the spot on her right and chuckled at her hunger.

"Big first day, huh?" He teased, raising his cup of water to his lips and taking a swift sip.

"Just a lot to take in, I guess." Mae slowed down and looked up at the boys at the table. One last guy came over and took the remaining spot at the table, barely looking up to greet Mae or his friends. It was the Runner from before, Minho.

"Someone's grumpy," Thomas muttered with a small smile, elbowing Minho in his ribs. He barely responded and instead proceeded to pick at his food with his fork, resting his head on his hand.

"Minho, introduce yourself to the Greenie," Newt prompted, wanting his friend to play nice.

"She already knows my name, you just said it." The boy rolled his eyes. Mae shared a worried look with Thomas and Newt. Clearly, Minho was not in a good mood. Nonetheless, the only girl pushed forward with an effort to be friendly.

"I'm Mae. Nice to meet you," She smiled weakly, noticing his tough exterior break for a second.

"Cool," Minho said blankly. The table sat in awkward silence for a few seconds before Chuck tried his best to ease the tension.

"So, Mae, what do you think your jobs going to be?" He asked.

"Not sure. From the looks of it, I could work well as a Med-jack or cook or something, but I haven't gotten to try anything yet." She shrugged, finishing off the last of her food.

Noticing that almost everyone had finished, Newt smiled and stood himself up.

"Alright shuckfaces, stop moping around. We've got a bonfire to attend," He smirked.