The Beginning of the End // The Maze Runner // Newt

// Chapter 7 //

The first thing they did as soon as they returned to the Glade was hold a private meeting. That meant it only included all the Keepers, Athena and Thomas. There were boys outside, some trying to listen in on what was being discussed, and some just waiting to be told about what was going on.

"We found this. It was inside of the Griever." Athena handed the device they found to Newt as soon as they were all gathered in the Hall.

"These are the same letters we get on our supplies." Newt observed, running his fingers over the details of the 'WCKD' engraved on the side.

"Yeah, whoever put us here obviously made the Grievers, and this is the first real clue – first anything you've found in over three years, right Minho?"

"Right."

"Newt, we've got to go back out there. Who knows where this might lead us?" Thomas continued with his convincing proposal but Gally seemed unfazed.

"You see what he's trying to do, right? First he breaks our rules and then he tries to convince us to abandon them completely? The rules are the only thing that have ever held us together, why now are we questioning that? If Alby was here you know he'd agree with me. This shank? He needs to be punished."

"You're right. Thomas broke the rules. One night in the pit and no food." Newt declared his verdict.

"Oh come on, Newt! One night in the pit? You think that's going to stop him from going into the Maze?"

"No, and we can't just have non-Runners running into the Maze whenever they feel like it. So, let's just make this official. Starting from tomorrow, you're a Runner."

Everyone apart from Gally seemed to be content with the decisions that were made. The latter storming out of the room, quickly followed by Frypan.

Soon, the Hall had emptied, the Keepers going back to their jobs and Minho going to show Thomas all he needs to know about being a Runner and leaving Athena and Newt alone.

"I always knew you'd be a great leader. Once we get out, you should run for President or something." Athena joked, breaking the silence.

"Thanks, it's just that soon the Glade will be divided between those who side with Gally and those who side with Thomas. It's just a matter of time now."

"I mean, for the time being Gally hasn't done anything reckless or insane and yes, some of his ideas might be a bit extreme, but we can trust him to do the right thing. That's all he wants after all – for the Glade to be a safe and ordered place with regulations to stop things from changing. I think that's what he's afraid of. Change."

"So, what can we do?"

"I don't think there's much we can do - he just needs to realise that he can't blame Thomas for everything, but that might take a while. Longer than it took for him to trust me, probably."

"You're right. I just bloody hope he gets over it soon." He sighed.

"Newt, what was it you wanted to say earlier today?"

The boy turned around quickly, "Oh no, it was nothing. Don't worry about it." He gave her one more shy smile and then Athena left the room, heading out into the bright sunlight.

Weirdly, she felt disappointed. As though she had been expecting to hear something, which confused her because even she didn't know what it was exactly she wanted him to say.

That was a lie.

She realised that whatever she felt towards him was more than friendship, something she had failed to realise up until the night before when they were talking in her room and she finally understood the flutter of butterflies in her stomach, a wonderful feeling she only felt around him. What she wanted to hear was simply that he felt the same way.

After leaving the Gathering Hall, she made her way to the Med-hut from which Jeff and Clint emerged in a panicked state.

"What's going on?" She asked, jogging over to them.

"She's gone!" Clint yelled. "We need to find her! What if she runs into the Maze?"

Athena turned around, her eyes scanning the Glade for any movement she could find before noticing someone peeking over the edge of the tower. "I see her!" She said, jogging over to the bottom of the tower.

"Hey! You okay up there?" She called, trying to be friendly but instead ended up having to dodge a tomato that flew down towards her. By this time, the rest of the Gladers had come to join the commotion, either trying to get her to stop wasting their supplies and come down from the tower like a normal person or watching on in amusement from a safe distance.

"Leave me alone!" She yelled.

"Why don't we just give her some space and send one person up to talk with her?" Athena reasoned but was quickly drowned out by other shouts.

"Hey! If you throw one more of those things I-" Gally's yelling was abruptly cut short by some other thing she had found hurtling off the edge of the tower and hitting him square on the head. Athena burst out with laughter, unfazed by Gally's slight glare. He lifted his hands up in front of his face to provide some sort of protection against the projectiles whizzing towards them.

"Hey, hey, whoa, it's Thomas! It's Thomas!" The boys fell silent, waiting in anticipation for what would happen next. The girl peeked her head over the edge of the tower and all the rocks and tomatoes and whatever else she was throwing ceased. "I'm gonna come up, okay?" Her head vanished.

Gally looked shocked that he said he would be the only one to go up there, but Athena wasn't surprised in the slightest. After all, she did keep saying his name in her sleep, apparently even when she had been moved into the Med-hut, so that must be why she trusted him. Some boys left but a small group stayed to find out whether she was going to come down but, after finding out they might be a while up there, they too headed out.

"Is this what all girls are like?" Frypan asked nobody in particular.

"Ehem," Athena coughed slightly from behind him, "Am I not a girl? Do I look like a donkey to you?"

"Would it be bad if I said yes?" He chuckled slyly, preparing himself from the inevitable playful shove he received from the girl moments after the words left his mouth.

"I set myself up for that one." She laughed happily.

Gally seemed the most uncertain about leaving them alone – perhaps he thought they would start plotting something.

"C'mon, Gal." Athena said, "Let's leave 'em be." With a small nod, he followed her and the rest of the Gladers heading back to do their work.

Since Athena wasn't in the Maze that day, she basically had a day off, so in that free moment she could find among the busy schedule, she made her way up to her room to have another look at the weapon she had been keeping secret from the rest of the Glade.