The First Runner

Bonfire Night

Thomas POV

"Hell of a first day, Greenie. Here. Put some hair on your chest." Newt said coming over and handing me a jar with some kind of beverage in it, which I took a sip from.

"Oh, my God! What is that?" I said spluttering

"I don't even know." Newt laughed "It's Gally's recipe. It's a trade secret." Newt said wriggling his eyebrows

"Yeah, he's still an asshole." I retorted handing the jar back to Newt

"He saved your life today," He said with a pointed look, "Trust me. The maze is a dangerous place."

A feeling of hopelessness threatened to overwhelm me.

"We're trapped here, aren't we?"

"For the moment," Newt replied then turned to look at a group behind us. "But... you see those guys? There, by the fire?" I turned to see where he was pointing and looked at the group that seemed a bit like veterans. Some of them were laughing and joking but for the most part, they seemed really serious, "Those are the runners. The two in the middle there, that's Minho and Jess. They're the Keepers of the Runners."

I focused on the pair that were sitting having a quiet conversation. I realised they were the pair that I had seen earlier with Chuck. Minho had an Asian complexion and hair that was perfectly styled. He was relatively muscular and looked incredibly fit. Jess sat on his left, she had long dark brown hair that reached far down her waist but there was something else that I realised.

"Jess," I said slowly, still trying to piece everything together. "She's the only girl here, isn't she?"

Newt nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, she is. Only girl in the Glade, and trust me, she's earned every bit of respect she gets. Nobody messes with her."

"How did she end up here? I mean, why only one girl?" I asked, genuinely curious. It didn't make sense—why was she the only one?

"Wish I knew," Newt replied, his tone more somber. "Jess has been here longer than anyone, even Alby. She's what we like to call the big boss around here, even if she doesn't act like it. She keeps things in order, keeps everyone focused. But why she's the only girl? No one knows. It's just the way it's always been."

I frowned, trying to make sense of it. "And no one's ever asked her?"

Newt chuckled, "Keep in mind she was once a Greenie just like you. The first one. She spent a whole month here by herself. Could you imagine, a whole month with no memory and no one to comfort you? She woke up in the box just like the rest of us, with no memory of anything prior,"

I glanced back at Jess, watching as she talked with Minho. There was an air of authority around her, something that made the other Gladers look up to her without question. It was hard not to be curious about someone like that, especially in a place like this where so little made sense.

"You see, every morning, when those doors open, they run the maze... mapping it, memorizing it, trying to find a way out." Newt continued

"How long have they been looking?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me

"Three years."

"And they haven't found anything?"

"It's a lot easier said than done. Listen." He stopped talking and I listened, a distant grumbling filling the air. "Hear that? It's the maze, changing. It changes every night."

"How is that even possible?"

"You can ask the people who put us in here, if you ever meet the bastards. Listen, the truth is... the runners are the only ones who really know what's out there. They are the strongest and the fastest of us all. And it's a good thing, too... because if they don't make it back before those doors close... then they are stuck out there for the night. And no one has ever survived a night in the maze," Newt paused thoughtfully, "Well except for one,"

"Who?"

"Jess,"

I sat there dumbfounded. "And no one else has?"