Boxes [The Maze Runner ~ Newt] [BOOK 1]

Better

CHAPTER TWELVE

Marie awoke to a boy sitting next to her hammock.

She let out a yelp of fear as her eyes fluttered open to see a boy looking at her. The boy got to his feet to calm down Marie as her body shook frantically.

"Woah woah woah," the boy said with a reassuring voice. "God, I'm so sorry. I honestly should have known better than to bombard you as soon as you woke up."

Her quickened breathing slowly went back to normal. Marie examined the boy as he stood over her. She had seen the boy around the Glade but neither of them bothered to make conversation. He was tall and lanky with dark skin and a long face. The front of his gray t-shirt was tucked into his stained jeans. Marie suddenly remembered that he was the Greenbean before her that worked in the kitchens.

"I'm Ty," the boy introduced himself as he questioned whether or not it was a good idea to hold out his hand.

"Hi," Marie murmured as she sat up from her hammock. "Sorry if this sounds rude, but what the hell are you doing here?"

Ty reached into his pocket and pulled out something small wrapped in tinfoil. He handed it Marie who eyed it for a moment before reluctantly taking it. She looked up at the boy and into his dark brown eyes, turning to the strange item that rested in her hands. Her slender fingers carefully peeled back the tinfoil to find a few pieces of chocolate. She looked up at the boy for an explanation.

"I heard you crying and running around last night," he explained.

"You were eavesdropping on me?"

"You were loud enough for anyone to hear. It wasn't intentional."

Marie looked back down at the chocolate and considered eating it but she wasn't sure if it was advisable. He had never talked to Ty before and had trouble trusting anyone around the Glade. A pang of hot anger spread to her chest as she realized that James had made her this way.

"Panic attacks can really drain you," Ty began. "You have to calm yourself down, build yourself up, too. I figured you could do with some comfort food while you're at it. There's more leftover from the Bonfire once you're finished with what I just gave you."

"Does Siggy know you jacked this from his kitchen?"

"Well- no, but if he finds out, he honestly won't care. He'd get mad if it was someone else eating it all, but he likes you better than all the other shanks here."

Marie wrapped the tinfoil around the chocolate and clutched it within her fist. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"Don't mention it," Ty managed a small smile. "Seriously, don't mention it. Siggy won't get mad at you for eating it but he'll get mad at me for stealing it, and he's already pissed at me for knocking over a bag of rice and burning a few rolls of bread."

"Tell me," Marie said with a grin, "how does someone with no clue how to prepare food become a Cook?"

Ty shrugged his shoulders. "Frypan lied to the Council during the Gathering to determine which job to give me. He said I was better than I actually was so I wouldn't have to become a Slopper. I never would have expected him to do something like that for me, but what can I say," Ty said through a laugh, "I grow on people."

Marie smirked at the boy, realizing he was right. He was beginning to grow on her as well. Of course, the incident with James still nagged her thoughts, trying to remind her that she shouldn't be so faithful in people, but Ty seemed to be a different story.

"I should get ready for work," Marie sighed as she stood up from her hammock.

"That's actually the other reason why I came here," Ty stopped her from heading to the tables for breakfast. "Nick doesn't want you working today."