Tricked (t.m.r.)

1.35 - Route

Newt woke up about the same time as I did the next morning and watched in fascination as I did my hair to get myself ready to go into the maze. I couldn't tie it into a ponytail as the hairband would gradually slide off as I run, so I resorted to tying it into dutch braids instead. I kept the pins he had gifted me on the tiny table that was in our room, I didn't want to wear them into the maze and risk losing them amongst the gigantic rocks. 

"Pretty?" I asked him hopefully when I was done.

"Gorgeous." He marveled as he touches the end of my braid. "Be careful in the maze, don't get lost-."

"-remember my route. Gotcha." I continued after him as I gave him a hug. He returned it and rested his chin on my head. "I'll be fine, Newt. Minho is going to be in the maze too."

"I know. You're a big girl." He pats my head, careful not to mess up my hair.

Our moment had been interrupted when we heard a few rhythmed knocks at the door. Newt sighs as I pulled away from him before opening the door to let us out. Both of us traveled down the stairs with Minho in silence, who has his arms slung over our shoulders as he walked in the middle. All of us were still focusing on trying to 'wake up' from our sleep to say anything else.

Newt had gone a separate way from us. As I glanced over my shoulders, I could see him tip-toeing amongst the sleeping gladers. He was being remarkably careful not to step on anyone's limbs as he approaches Thomas. 

"Minho? Where is Newt bringing greenie?" I asked curiously as I continued to stretch my legs, watching until both boys disappeared into the forest in the glade. I had thought Newt woke up early to see us off, but he crept over to where Thomas was sleeping to wake him up instead. Minho, who was doing push-ups next to me barely gave them a glance before replying.

"To see a shuck griever. Why'd you just laugh?"

"Nothing." I dropped to the ground to join him. "I thought you said Newt was going to show Thomas a griever."

"Well, he is. There's a small window at one of the walls."

I guess I didn't receive the honour to look through the window because I had pretended to be blind, so there was no point for Newt to bring me. I started to hyperventilate slightly and hoped that I had memorized everything Ben taught me in the months I was training to be a runner in the glade. I think he's getting better, since he didn't scream much last night. I haven't even heard him scream this morning.

"But... we're going into the maze in a while."

Without answering me, Minho claps his hands to get everyone's attention before barking orders at them to prepare to start running since the door is about to open in less than a minute. All runners began to make their way to all four doors that surround the glade, each of them looking as though they had just been tasked to get lunch from Frypan instead of allowing themselves to be submerged in a living-threatening situation. It makes me wonder whether they knew about the finished map.

Today's an important day, Minho had decided that I had performed well enough to run in the maze on my own. I wasn't exactly thrilled about it, and had been praying he said I sucked as a runner and demand for me to quit. I wasn't sure if it was allowed, but I had brought a map of the maze along with me in my satchel, just in case I had gone in the wrong direction. At this point, I was convinced that my life is way more important than mapping out an escape route for the gladers. Maybe I won't even attempt to finish running the route I was assigned, just going to run to a certain spot and sit there the whole day before coming back to the glade. There isn't a point to even map out an exit, since Minho had already finished running the maze himself and found no way out. We are all just liars who are playing the role of a purposeful existence to the gladers.