Clint was being nice to me, and that's something because he was one of the only ones who didn't think that I killed that boy. He gave me a review of the supplies, told me what went where and what was used for what. He even gave me a small quiz, to test what I remembered. It was a perfect score.
After lunch a boy came in with a bleeding arm. It was a small cut and Clint assisted me with it. He gave me a highfive after the boy left. "Now that was easy, but usually with a Slicer it's worse than that."
I waved my hand and absent mindedly said, "I've been through worse." Then I froze and stared at the wall. The silence was so uncomfortable. I gave an awkward laugh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that outloud."
Clint cleared his throat. "That's fine. Listen it wasn't right how the others were treating you. If it makes you feel better, I was on your side the whole time."
A lump formed in my throat, but I forced it down. "Thanks." It got quiet again. The keeper of the med-jacks was a quiet boy, even when working on someone, he didn't try to make conversation with them and I kind of liked it. Of course it left me with a lot of time to think, but after everything was settled I didn't mind thinking.
The only thing on my mind right now was the dead body. Did it have something to do with the lady in my dream the first night? I haven't dreamt of her since and I wanted more answers. I wanted something more than her sending her own daughter to be killed for the greater good.
Yelling disrupted my thoughts and two boys rushed in carrying a third. The boy looked like he had been attacked, cuts on his arms. There was a huge hole in the side of his shirt and he was knocked out, head falling to the side. He was sweaty, purple veins popping up on his face.
"He's been stung." One of the boys said as they set the injured one on the bed. Clint lifted the boy's shirt, hissing at an ugly wound in his side.
"Stung by what?" I asked but no one answered me. They were too busy trying to keep the boy alive. Was it a bee? Did they have insects here?
Clint sent the boys out of the room and called me over. I stepped up to the boy, cringing at his wound. It was a clean hole, a perfect circle about the width of my thumb. What the hell got him? "Jane, I need you to get the grief serum. It's in the bottom right cabinet, a syringe with blue liquid." I rushed to get it and put it in the keeper's hand. "Hold his legs and hold them tight, because he will wake up."
I latched onto his slender legs, holding them as tight as I could. My heart was racing, waiting for Clint to inject the serum and when he did the once asleep boy went wild. He screamed and trashed, kicking his legs against me. He got me in the chin with his knee and I had to blink fast to righten my vision. Clint kept yelling for him to relax, but in this state I don't think the boy was able to.
It took a while but the injured boy finally settled, his breath rattled in his chest and he started to break out in hives. But the veins lightened though still there.
"Don't hives usually mean an allergic reaction. What the hell did you give him?"
"This is a normal reaction to the serum. It helps with griever stings." Grievers? I heard that in passing a couple days ago and put it together that this boy was a Runner. The creatures out in the Maze got him. I tried to imagine a creature with a stinger and ended up picturing a bee big enough to make that hole. It helped lighten my mood. "I heard that the sting or serum brings back memories and I assume that is what's so painful."
I stared at Clint. It was that easy. All I had to do was get stung and go through this process? I turned away from my keeper as I started to plan and plot.
I was insane. I had to be. To think of something so absurd was...well absurd. Who would purposely get stung by a griever? It's to get memories back, but still. I stared at the flames of the fire in front of me as every boy celebrated me becoming a glader, thinking about asking Minho if he can train me to be a Runner.
Of course I already had a job, but it was the first thing I wanted since I got here. Well the first thing was to get out of here, but that's a different want, and I have to want to be a Runner if I want to get out.
"You look a little too serious for a party." Just the boy I wanted to see. He had a jar of something amber in his hand. "Here, drink some of this and loosen up." He took a drink before he handed it to me.
"Actually I wanted to talk about becoming a Runner."
Minho coughed over his drink, choking it back down. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right." His voice was hoarse.
"I'm serious."
"So am I. Newt told me about you wanting to be a Runner on your first day. I thought he was joking."
"Why would it be a joke? Shouldn't it matter that I want to be a Runner?"
"You don't actually want to be a Runner. You're just curious."
I sighed. "Of course I'm curious. And I want to get out of here. At least consider me. You have an opening right now with a boy in the Med-jacks. You can test me and if I don't meet expectations then I'll stop asking. Deal?"
Minho looked like he wanted to disagree. But I was right, he was short one boy. He didn't really need me, but if he was going to keep things running smoothly then someone had to be added. Might as well be me since I was asking. He thought for another minute and the whole time I felt my heart in my ears, then he sighed and nodded. "Alright. You can try out."
I shouted and jumped up, taking a chug from the drink. Then I immediately spit it out because it felt like I was drinking pure lava that tasted like moldy bread. I gagged and handed Minho-who was laughing his ass off- his jar back. "What the hell did you give me?"
"Just a special drink." He said in between snorts.
I glared at him. "Anyone ever tell you you sound like a pig when you laugh."
He looked shocked and then he smiled. "You officially are the first one to tell me that." I noticed the hint of sarcasm. I just rolled my eyes and laughed. "I have a day off in two days. I'll test you then."
I frowned. Only two days to train. It wasn't enough time, but I had to make it worth it. I started to walk away from the fire but Minho pulled me back. "Where are you going?"
"Start training."
He snorted and shook his head, smiling. "Tomorrow. Tonight you relax. Especially after the hell you've been through." Having other thoughts in my mind allowed me to forget for a brief moment what exactly I had been through. My mood darkened at the memories. "Oh, hey, I didn't mean to make you remember. Here, have another drink, slowly this time." I did as he said and found that it went down easier this time. It still burned but I welcomed the warm filling it left in my stomach.
It wasn't long before I was chugging the glass and joining the boys in their celebration. A lot of them still didn't trust me, but it didn't matter, because I found myself dancing with Nick anyway. I had lost my shoes a bit ago, but it was fine, it was easier to dance anyway. He grabbed my waist and spun me, a giggle escaped my throat and I truly felt happy. Even if it was a fleeting feeling that would be gone by tomorrow, I basked in it.
