How I survived in an all boys glade

Chapter Fifty-seven

- "that's Y/n, the only girl here" -

"Light him up!" Alby yells, his voice carrying across the Glade. He hands out a few torches to the boys, who cheer excitedly as they toss them onto the pile of wood. The fire quickly ignites, crackling and roaring into the night. The boys around it shout and laugh, caught up in the energy of the moment. "To the Gladers!" one of them calls, lifting his drink in a mock toast. The rest join in, raising their cups in unison, shouting back, "To the Glade!"

I stand on the side, watching the celebration but not partaking. I'm not much of a drinker, especially when it comes to Gally's special concoction. That stuff is disgusting, and I've seen enough of the boys' reactions to know better than to even try it. I shake my head, smiling to myself, as the boys continue their raucous cheering and laughter, the firelight flickering against their faces.

---

"Hell of a first day, Greenie," Newt says, his voice low but steady, as he and the Greenie sit together on a log away from the rest of the group. The bonfire's glow is faint in the distance, but the buzz of laughter and the occasional shout can still be heard. Newt passes the Greenie a jar of Gally's special drink. "Here," Newt says, grinning. "Put some hair on your chest."

The Greenie looks at the jar skeptically, but after a moment of hesitation, he takes it, raising it to his lips. He takes a sip, but immediately spits it out, gagging. "Oh!" he groans, his face contorted in disgust. He coughs violently, making Newt chuckle quietly.

"What the hell is that?" the Greenie asks, still wheezing. Newt laughs, taking the jar back from him. "I don't even know," Newt admits, shaking his head. "It's Gally's recipe," he adds, glancing over at the chaos unfolding in the small fight circle, where Gally is trading punches with one of the younger kids. "It's a trade secret," Newt says with a smirk.

The Greenie shakes his head, wiping his mouth. "Yeah, well, he's still an asshole," he mutters. Newt turns back to face him, his smile fading slightly. "He saved your life today," Newt reminds him. The Greenie looks at Newt, surprised by the change in tone. "Trust me," Newt continues, his voice dropping a bit, "the maze is a dangerous place."

The Greenie looks away, his eyes wandering over to the others still gathered around the bonfire. "We're trapped here, aren't we?" he asks, his voice a little softer, more resigned. Newt pauses, staring out at the others for a moment. "For the moment," he answers, but then his expression shifts, like there's more he wants to say. "But..." he trails off, glancing over at the boys by the fire.

"You see those guys there, by the fire?" Newt points out, his finger directing the Greenie's attention to a group of runners clustered around the fire. "Those are the Runners," he explains, his voice a little more serious. "And that guy in the middle," Newt adds, narrowing his eyes, "that's Minho."

Y/n is sitting a little further away from the group with Theo and Tyrell, but as Newt talks about Minho, she catch sight of him. Minho sets his plate down and looks up, spotting Y/n walking toward him with Theo and Tyrell. Y/n sits down in front of Minho, grabbing her drink from the ground as she laughs at something Theo said.

Newt continues, "He's the Keeper of the Runners." The Greenie turns his head to look at Minho and the others. "Now, every morning, when those doors open..." Newt leans in, making sure the Greenie is paying attention. "They run the maze, mapping it, memorizing it, trying to find a way out." The Greenie stays quiet, his eyes locked on the group as they talk and joke, the weight of Newt's words starting to sink in.

"How long have they been looking?" the Greenie finally asks, turning to Newt.

"Three years," Newt replies, his voice flat. The Greenie turns back to stare at the walls of the Glade, the distant hum of the maze ever-present. "And they haven't found anything?" he asks, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Newt shrugs slightly. "It's a lot easier said than done," he says, his tone acknowledging the difficulty of the task.

The two of them sit in silence for a moment, the crackling of the fire and the faint sounds of the maze's shifting walls filling the space between them. Newt leans in, his voice quiet. "Listen," he says. "The truth is, the Runners are the only ones who really know what's out there." His eyes flick toward Minho, who is still surrounded by the other Runners. "They're the strongest and the fastest of us all, and it's a good thing too, because if they don't make it back before the doors close..." He lets the words hang in the air, the implication clear. "Then they're stuck out there for the night."

The Greenie's eyes widen. "Only two have ever survived a night in the maze," Newt adds, his voice lowering, like he's sharing a grim secret. The Greenie looks at him, shocked.

"Wait, what? Who?" the Greenie asks, clearly intrigued.

Newt turns to look at the others by the fire again. "You see that girl over there?" he points out, his finger landing on Y/n, who is laughing with Minho and the other boys. "That's Y/n," he says, his voice quiet but carrying a hint of admiration.

The Greenie narrows his eyes, looking over at her. "The girl who tried to catch me?" he asks, recalling the earlier encounter. Newt nods. "Yeah," he replies. "She's the only girl here."