This Conspiracy

Chapter 29

Author stuff: So, plot wise, we're about twenty-five months into the Maze Trials. Which means, there's eleven months between now and when Thomas arrives.

So, ten months from Chuck! Yay, Chuck!

I rewrote this chapter and a couple of others a while back because... reasons. Mostly plot. And I didn't like how it was progressing. It was all... messy.

Anyway, enjoy this!

Chapter 29

In Which Gally Has A Secret

Gally was avoiding her.

She'd become aware of the fact when she didn't see him for dinner. A part of her was relieved, in all honesty.

She'd kind of grown used to the giddy feeling that bubbled around in her stomach and sang through her veins every time he was near — the self-defense lessons had probably helped with that. But there was still something in her that made her want to run and hide whenever she thought about him.

It was... embarrassing. Newt seemed to get it, but at the same time, he was with his partner. He ended up laughing at her in a way that wasn't malicious, more teasing and friendly. That didn't mean that she didn't hate it, however.

So, the fact that she hadn't seen him in... almost a week. And then, before that, he'd slowly been spending less and less time with her or the others. She thought that she was the only one who'd noticed until Minho cornered her after he'd gotten back from running the Maze.

"What's up with your Keeper of the Builders?" he said, watching as she gathered the tools she'd used that day. Occasionally, she'd hand him one to help carry them back to the gardening shed.

"He's not my Keeper," she said. "I'm a Track-hoe, remember?"

Minho shrugged, taking another tool from her.

"Besides," she said, continuing, "he's got a lot of other things to worry about, now that you took away Archie."

"Oi!"

She grinned up at him. He returned it tenfold, before it slipped off his face as if it hadn't ever been there.

"He's probably a little upset about not being your bodyguard for the showers anymore," Minho said, trailing alongside her as she rolled her eyes and started toward the gardening shed.

"I doubt it."

"I don't know, Girlie. I think he enjoyed it. Having his little princess to watch over."

She scoffed, doing her best to ignore the teasing dig.

"Gally probably just has a big project or something. I don't know. I haven't spoken to him in..."

"What, it's been a while or something?"

"Yeah." Her voice was a lot softer and came out more pitifully than she'd wanted it to.

He managed to pull her into a one-armed hug. As he pulled away, he ruffled her hair. She couldn't summon the energy to fix it at that moment.

"Why don't you go try to find him, yeah?" Minho said. "I'll take these back to the shed for you."

"What? No! You'll put them somewhere I can't reach them or find them!"

"No, I won't."

"Why do I not believe you?" she said, looking up at him through her lashes.

"Those big eyes don't work on me, Girlie. Save it for Gally."

She rolled her eyes at him, muttering under her breath, "I wasn't giving your shuck ass any kind of eyes."