Tricked (t.m.r.)

1.36 - 'Benishment'

My twin and I were almost eaten yesterday.

Well at least that was what I've been trying to convince myself as I refused to acknowledge Ben was trying to kill one of us, Thomas specifically.

Thomas was acting differently today- probably still getting flashbacks about yesterday's incident- and Chuck was dragging him all around the place to get him to do his usual routine. I was supposed to be doing more push-ups yesterday instead of getting myself chased and bitten. Thomas was supposed to fetch fertilizers and come back. Jeff and Clint were supposed to keep a sharp eye on Ben and Ben wasn't supposed to be stung in the first place. Everything was supposed to be fine.

I was going to continue my push-ups today, but Chuck had kindly lied on my behalf and told Minho I had completed my punishment before I was bitten by Ben. So here I am, lying in my hammock with one leg hanging out as I swung it gently as I waste the day away. Minho told me I could take a day off from the maze last night and there's no way I would turn down his offer.

Just when I was about to doze off, someone knocked on my door and I groaned at their interruption and force my eyes open to find a short chubby figure standing in front of me.

Chuck wasted no time to tell me what he had to say, "He's going to be banished."

"Who?" I looked at Chuck with a confused expression.

"Ben's going to be banished. They're having a gathering righ- Where are you going?" Chuck asks when I got up from my hammock and stormed towards the hut at the corner of the glade.

"You can't banish him!" I burst through the door.

Alby glared at me. "Either get out or sit down and be quiet Primro-"

"You can't banish Ben! It wasn't his fault he got stung! He's still going through the changing, it wasn't his fault!"

Winston spoke, "But he did attack a fellow glader."

"He wasn't himself. Even the Med-Jacks said so. You're not being fair!" I pointed a finger at Alby accusingly. "And I attacked gladers before!"

"Rosie, you were controlled to do so." Newt sent me a look, silently ordering me to shut up while he speaks evenly.

"He has broken one of our rules!" Alby bellowed as he took long strides until he was in front of me. "I've already made myself clear whoever breaks the rules needs to be punished."

"This isn't punishing, this is a sentence! You're sending Ben in there to die!"

"You're not a Keeper shank so you don't get to say whatever you have in your shuck brain. Now, sit down."

"You can't banish Ben. The Med-Jacks should have kept an eye on him. How did the ropes get loose anyway? You didn't listen to Ben's side of the story. The changing makes you remember things and maybe," I paused before taking a look around the room, half surprised to find Thomas sitting on the chair that was placed in the middle of the room with a worried look on his face.

"Maybe what Prim?" Minho asked.

I hesitated for a moment, not daring to make eye contact with anyone else before pushing myself to say the words. "Maybe Thomas is the bad guy here."

"You're siding with Gally?" Newt asked me in a disbelieving tone. Gally said the same thing?

I shook my head. "I'm not on anyone's side. Who says Gally is wrong? Who says you're right about everything? We don't know-"

"Rules are rules shank! What's keeping the glade from falling apart? It's order! Without order we'll be a pile of mess!" Alby roared, momentary making me fall silent. Before I could retort, he turns around and walks away from me. "I have enough of this shank, take her out of the council hall."