Violation (The Maze Runner, Newt / Sequel to The Original)

14 - Training

Chapter 14 - Training

[Recap: After recovering from an accident, Wendy works with Newt in the gardens and begins to bond with him as Minho runs the Glade. When Minho comes back, Wendy finishes and leaves with Minho, ignoring his odd behavior when she gushes over Newt.]

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This morning I felt extremely happy.

I don't know if it's because of my small conversation with Newt, the boy I was slowly growing fond of, or if it was the fact that Minho was training me this morning to become the runner I want to become.

Trust me, working in the gardens with Newt was, and is, very fantastic. But working in the maze with Minho and trying to find a way out was a dream come true.

Minho, who was already awake and had thrown me out of bed at 4 a.m, was smirking widely at me as I tied up my brown hair in a high ponytail. He watched me carefully as I fixed my brown tank top before snapping his head in another direction when I caught his eye.

"You know you're going to practically die today, right?" Minho asks me as I lace on my brown running boots.

I nodded and smiled, "Knowing you, that was your first intention."

He laughs and pushes me out the door when I finished, both of swiftly walking down the stairs to the first floor of Homestead. Most Gladers were asleep except for the occasional boys who were chatting to one another in their sleeping beds. Either way, Minho and I had to tiptoe past many in fear of stepping on their hands and hair.

When we got out, the sky was still dark and gloomy, but a few torches were placed around the Glade, lighting it up dimly so we could see.

We walked over to the west door that still remained closed and I saw Minho stop right in front of it before looking at me dangerously.

"You've got fifteen minutes to run around the entire Glade and get back here. Remember Wendy, maintain your pace and don't just full on sprint, you'll collapse that way." he tells me, giving me a few tips before I get into stance.

"Easy," I breathe out, smirking at the Asian. "I'll be finished in no time."

Minho chuckles before pressing on his timer, "Go!"

I wink at him before taking off in a fast jog, feeling great as a small wind blew against my face freshly. Fifteen minutes, I have fifteen minutes.

I kept going, sprinting every now and then to gain more mileage until I rounded one of the Glade corners and proceeded on. Even after barley running one side of the four walls, my legs were already burning. It started at my calves until it reached my thighs, but I knew that this is what it's going to be like in the Maze when I run, and if I can't handle this, I can't handle being a runner.

"Pull it together, Wendy." I whispered to myself as I sprinted once again. "You wanna be a runner, you gotta work for it."

My brown hair that was tucked into a ponytail was starting to fall loose as the wind picked up and I ran faster. I wiped sweat from my forehead and looked for Minho to see him a short distance away. It seemed like only seconds had passed, but in reality, almost fifteen minutes had passed by already.

I rounded the last corner to reach Minho and my body felt like it was on fire, but I don't give in. My breaths followed my feet in a pattern: inhale left, exhale right, and repeat. I tried not to sway as I ran, picking up my pace even more until I was in arm reach of the handsome Asian boy.

When I finally got to him, I immediately crashed into his body and threw my arms around his stomach for support. I felt the Glader laugh as I buried my face into his chest and practically gave out on him.