➊ 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 - 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐨, ᵗᵐʳ

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒: 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮

It's hard to predict what the future holds, but sometimes I can't help wondering if I would look back on these days and realize the emotions I'm feeling now were only the beginning of something worse?

Maybe one day being trapped in this Maze will feel like a minor inconvenience compared to what's ahead. But for now? It's already enough. More than enough.

I still couldn't wrap my head around why Alby had punished me for defending myself. Did justice work differently here? Did being a girl change the rules?

I'd been here four days, and if there was one thing I'd learned, it's that the Glade had its own logic. Its own twisted order. And I hadn't cracked it yet.

Footsteps approached from the left, crunching over dry leaves and packed earth. My body tensed immediately, instinct pulling me back into the shadows between two trees. I crouched low, barely breathing.

Two voices followed.

Runners.

I recognized them almost immediately Ben and Hawk. Their gait was lighter than most, their silhouettes outlined by the fading sunlight. They were talking quietly, making their way toward the small shack used for storing maps and supplies.

"Did you hear?" Hawk muttered. "The Greenie kicked someone again."

Ben groaned. "Yeah. Minho's gonna blow a fuse. He already thinks she's cocky just 'cause she's the only girl here."

My hands clenched into fists. Minho, again. If I had a shuckin' klunk for every time he trashed me behind my back, I could build a ladder over the Maze wall.

"Sounds like someone's jealous," Hawk replied, voice low and amused. "Didn't seem like he hated her the other day when he checked on her in the Slammer."

"I appreciate her devotion, but I wouldn't even want to be a Runner if I were her," Ben said gruffly. "I only got the spot because they needed someone."

They kept walking, unaware I was listening. But their words lit something in me. Anger, sure, but something stronger beneath it.  My body moved on its own, rising from the forest and stepping onto the trail ahead of them.

I didn't care if they saw me now.

"Evelyn?" Hawk blinked in surprise.

"Wait—how long have you been listening?" Ben asked, clearly uncomfortable.

I glanced over my shoulder and replied flatly, "Long enough."

"Where are you going?" Hawk called.

"To be a Runner." Was the only thing that left my mouth. And it was enough for them to understand I was going to meet their Keeper.

It wasn't some dramatic declaration. It was a fact. I didn't care what Alby or Minho thought. If they kept saying I wasn't meant for this, then I'd prove them wrong. I'd find a way.

Ben and Hawk shared a look behind me, one amused, the other concerned.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun to watch," Hawk muttered.

"That's a terrible idea," Ben added.

I ignored them and walked straight to the Maze entrance. I knew Minho would return soon, his day runs always ended around this time, and a few Runners were already back.

I waited, arms crossed, pacing slightly. The air felt heavy with expectation.

Soon enough, his silhouette appeared, jogging back into the Glade with sweat clinging to his brow and his breath short from the run. His expression immediately dropped the moment he saw me.