Into the Maze (English Version)

8

As J left the Med-jacks hut with Newt, they almost stumbled into Minho and Thomas, who were talking outside, in front of the door.

"We're going back into the maze," Minho announced firmly and Thomas nodded eagerly.

"Oh yes? With who? If I'm not mistaken, there are no runners left except for you Minho." Newt did well being the leader, he sounded pretty strict.

"I'm still here too," J intervened. With a practiced hand movement, she immediately tied her hair into a braid.

"You probably don't have a particularly good memory. I said no labyrinth for you in the next few days," Newt said decisively and immediately pulled the elastic band out of her hair again. "You stay here."

"Newt," J looked pleadingly at her brother, but he just wouldn't budge.

"Forget it J," Newt crossed his arms over his chest. "Wasn't my announcement earlier enough for you? Do I need to say it more clearly? The labyrinth is a no go to you from now on!"

"Minho," J turned to the young Asian for help. At least he was on her side. "Come on dude, let her help."

"Like last night when she wanted to help you? You're taboo for her too. It's because of you that she ran in there in the first place," Newt snapped at him. However, Minho couldn't help but grin at those words. Of course he liked hearing that. Now both Newt and J gave him a death stare. But Minho hardly seemed to mind.

"I survived," J then concentrated on her brother again.

"You were lucky," Newt replied unmoved.

"She's really good, I mean, I was the one who taught her everything," Minho chimed in again. J blew out a contemptuous breath. "Modesty isn't your thing at all."

"I'm trying to help you," Minho immediately defended himself. Then Thomas suddenly intervened. "Listen Newt, we need all the help we can get. And Minho is right, J is pretty good. We might actually find something out there. You don't want to stay here forever. Do you? You don't want your sister to have to stay here forever."

J looked from Newt to Thomas, waiting. Her brother was silent. She could see that he was thinking. Finally he groaned in exasperation.

"If one of you dies, the others don't have to come back, because then I'll kill them myself." Was that a yes? It certainly seemed that way. Wow. She had to remember that. In the future, J would always send Thomas ahead when it came to changing Newt's mind.

"Understood! J take Thomas to cards, I'll meet you at the hut, just get a few more together," Minho took the lead. J couldn't help but look at him skeptically.

"Maybe Thomas should do that. He's much better at persuasion than you are, as we've just seen." She turned to Thomas and smiled at him. "Thanks, by the way."

The boy grinned at her. "No problem."

"Careful, before I agree with Newt to keep you here," Minho sounded too serious, so she didn't dare to test him. So J didn't provoke him any further and he finally jogged away satisfied.

"You really chose the most exhausting best friend you could have found in this Shithole," Newt commented as they watched Minho go. J sighed and took the hair tie back from Newt. "Oh really? Thank you for mentioning, otherwise I would have never noticed."

Then she and Thomas set off to the cards hut.

"You've already explained it to me, but you two argue all the time, why are you friends with Minho?", Thomas asked while walking. J really had to think about that for a moment. It was a legitimate question. They were really arguing a lot, and sometimes J found Minho really unbearable. But she preferred having him around and getting on her nerves instead of being without him. "It was just like that. And I'm sure won't find out why, because believe me, I've been asking myself this question for ages."