Unintentional Subject - Book 1 In The Jessie Series

Chapter 63: Totally Thomased That

"You guys coming?" Thomas called over his shoulder.

Minho and I hadn't moved, it had been three years of running every inch of two mazes and I had never seen anything like this. Minho slid his hand into mine and he stared down the hall after Thomas. Thomas was still following the beeps of the cylinder. Which were speeding up the closer we got to the walls.

"Minho? Jessie? I'm guessing you've never seen this before?" Thomas asked.

"No." I said flatly.

"It's just another dead end. It kinda looks like the Cliff, just way bigger!" Minho replied, looking around.

Thomas was still looking at the beeping cylinder, and following the noise as it sped up to an almost constant beeping. It was rather annoying the high pitch constant beep.

I looked apprehensively at Minho, "You sure about this?"

"Nope" he said, popping the p at the end, but kept walking slowly after Thomas. "But, Jess, I think he's out best bet to get out. Look at what he's done so far."

I just nodded. Minho slowed to stop and hung his head, his body deflated. I stopped and faced him.

"Words." I said, folding my arms, "I can't help if you don't use your shuck words."

He took a shuttering breath.

"I've been Keeper for three years. I've run every inch and cycle. And couldn't find a way. Then this shank," Minho gestured to Thomas who was leaning over the edge looking down into the pit of nothingness. "He shows up and what a week later finds this?" He threw his arms around.

"Yeah? And? I've run two mazes in three years, been a Leader and a Keeper, and we found this together. Someone had to do the ground work."

Minho deflated some more, looking away, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

"Look. You and I are both stubborn as hell. We got up every day and came out there and risked our lives for everyone else. Runners, and their Keeper, gave the rest of those shanks hope. You kept the shuck Glade running. And that's not a pun. Every day to get up and come out after knowing there was nothing left to map. Know how much fucken stubbornness that takes? How much hope you still had to have to come out each day to still try find a way? If you and I hadn't mapped the whole fucken maze we wouldn't have know about the cliff, or that the walls change or about the blades. He come here with all the pieces readily available. Someone had to be first and find the shuck pieces, that was you and me."

"Look at you with pep talks and encouragement!" Minho tried to tease.

"Yeah it's fucken awful. If only Sonya could see me now." I rolled my eyes. "But here, this is more my style."

He raised his head and looked at me, raising his eyebrows waiting. I crossed my arms and stuck a hip out.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stand the fuck up, brush the dust off and let's help our Intelligent Idiot find a way out.  Sure he has wild ideas, but who is going to actually exicute those plans? You and I. So, quite the pity party and let's do something useful Sparky."

The corner of his mouth lifted.

"What would I do without you?"

"Do you want me to answer that?"

He sighed dramatically, and pulled me closer. He ran his nose along mine making my eyes close in contentment. He kissed my forehead and slid his hands down my arms to my hands.

"I love you Jess. Thanks for the tough love."

"It's why you keep me around."

"Among other reasons." He murmed against my forehead. He kissed my forehead one more time, then stepped back and pulled me with him further down the hall behind Thomas.