Perry was the first person in the Glade. Only wanting peace and quiet quickly goes south after the arrival of twelve teenage boys a month later.
Female oc x Minho
Pre tmr- tdc
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It had been weeks since Leo had started running. Perry now made a point that every morning she would make sure he had everything he needed, confirming with Ben that the young boy would be safe. Perry still wasn't on speaking terms with Minho, but she got the odd feeling he was staring at her every time she looked away.
The now four Runners all sat at the picnic table, eating their eggs and toast while discussing the day's route. It filled Perry with joy to see little Leo talking gleefully with the older boys. She wished she had a female figure to look up to, someone who could understand her worries and fears.
"He has everything, right? The map, the dagger, the water," Perry began listing items off with a very calm Ben standing in front of her. "He's running with all of us today; it's going to be fine," the blond boy reassured her, his tone gentle yet firm.
Minho coughed impatiently, causing Perry to glare at him before squatting down in front of Leo. "You're going to be great," she whispered in his ear while she hugged him. The younger boy beamed up at the girl with a toothy smile before running towards the Maze with the older boys.
As she watched, she could feel Frypan swing his arm around her shoulders. "That kid really loves you, you know that?" He could've been referring to any of the four boys that just ran out of their sight, but Perry didn't bother to ask. The warmth of Frypan's arm was comforting, grounding her amidst her swirling anxieties.
"Tony! Excited to no longer be the Greenie?" Gally asked the newbie with a mouth full of food, Perry motioning at him to close his mouth while chewing. Tony, somehow, had gotten fatter in his few weeks at the Glade, but no one pointed this out. His curiosity had eventually worn off (Perry was very happy about this) and had settled on being a Slicer with Winston.
"Yeah, I guess so," Tony shrugged, also speaking while chewing. Frypan chuckled a little at Perry's frustration. "How about you give him, or her, a tour?" Nick offered. Tony perked up at this option.
"Me? You think I can give the new Greenie a tour?" he confirmed with surprise. "Me and Perry would be with you, but yeah, I think you could do it," Nick encouraged. Tony continued chewing happily, a grin spreading across his face.
As Perry was working with Gally, the alarm for the Box sounded. Immediately, all the Gladers rushed over to see who the Greenie was this time.
The usual routine continued. A boy around Perry's age, disoriented and panicking over his lack of memory, emerged from the Box. Perry observed the scene with mild disinterest; she was just glad she wasn't having to answer all the questions this time.
Tony was having a blast, leading the new Greenie around while Nick and Perry trailed behind. "Builder for sure, look at those arms," Nick commented, the two betting on what the new Greenie's job would be. "I hope so, I'm getting tired of helping Gally all the damn time," Perry rolled her eyes.
"I heard my name," Gally piped in from behind them, surprising the duo. "All good things, don't worry dude," she told the Builder, who crossed his arms over his chest.
"Right, well, I was just checking with you guys to see if you like the new rooms I added," Gally motioned for them to follow him. They made their way to the now much larger Homestead, which boasted a new kitchen and five additional finished rooms.
"Looks great, Gally," Nick praised, the Builder looking away bashfully. "It was nothing," he brushed off, but Perry could tell he appreciated the compliment. "Who's going to be sleeping here?" Perry asked, since they had finally gotten some mattresses in the Box this month.
The two looked at Nick, figuring he had the final say on this. "Perry gets her own room, obviously," Nick stated, to which she wasn't going to complain. "Everyone else can fight over it, I guess," he shrugged. "Can I get a room, since I built the place?" Gally asked, Nick clapping his shoulder. "Absolutely, mate," he confirmed.
They continued discussing the room situation as three of the runners sprinted into the Glade. Perry immediately recognized that Leo was not part of the group.
"Ben, where is he?" She ran up to him, hands on his shoulders as if for support. "Perry," Newt said, barely above a whisper.
"Leo, where is Leo?" she repeated, trying to keep the hysteria out of her voice. None of the three runners said anything, making Perry feel sick to her stomach.
"Perry, he... he got stung," Newt eventually told her. She stumbled, Ben having to catch her before she fell to the ground. "No, no! You said you would be with him," Perry pointed a trembling finger at the three boys. "You said he would be safe!" she cried.
By now, most of the Glade had crowded around. The boys were not only distraught by the loss of a friend, but also by Perry's state. They had never seen her so upset.
The girl continued to cling to Ben and cry, Nick leading them away from the group to her new room. By the time she was placed on the bed, her throat was already scratchy and her face blotched with red streaks where her tears had run.
"What happened! You... you said he would be okay!" Perry continued to scream through shallow breaths. Newt and Minho had joined the room as well, and she was starting to feel crowded.
Minho finally took a deep breath before explaining. "We decided that we'd let him run alone for a little while. None of us had seen a Griever in a while. Then we heard the scream. We all rushed over, but it was too late. He was already stung," he told her, not even sure if Perry could hear him over her sobs.
"He was just a kid! You agreed someone would always be with him! What were you all thinking?" The boys were overwhelmed with guilt as Perry stared at them with glassy, tear-filled eyes.
Deep down, she felt like she could only blame herself. After all, she was the one who had volunteered Leo to be a runner. Remembering the smile on his face just hours before, so excited to hang with the "cool kids," made Perry feel even more nauseous.
"We thought it would be fun," Minho admitted, only making Perry even angrier. "Fun?" she roared. "Just a couple of weeks ago you were saying how difficult and serious your job is, but now you decide to have fun?" she yelled, her voice carrying across the Glade.
Nick mumbled something along the lines of "Perry, calm down," before she really lost it. She demanded everyone leave the room before she shut the blinds and balled herself in a corner, crying until exhaustion overtook her.
