I'm a Keeper (Gally and Thomas Fanfic) [#Wattys2016]

Chapter 10

Think, Annabel thought. Where could Thomas be?
She wandered aimlessly through the Glade while scanning her surroundings for his familiar face. She knew he and Minho had to be back from the Maze by now, as a lot of the Gladers were already done working for the day.
Then it suddenly hit her. The Map Room. After the Runners came back from the Maze, they went to the Map Room to map out the route they took that day. Surely Thomas and Minho would be there right now.
She picked up her pace and went to the woods. She wasn't sure where the room exactly was, but she remembered it completely surrounded by trees, so she assumed it had to be somewhere hidden in the woods.
She groaned when raindrops started to fall. If there was one thing she truly hated, it would be rain.
It only took her five minutes to find it. It was an old shack, located in the middle of the woods. The beams of wood that made up the room were rotten to the core, probably eaten away by vermin.
Annabel opened the door, and was surprised by how heavy it was. The door swung open, and the hinges which connected the door to the rest of the shack protested loudly.
"What do you think you're doing," a familiar, but unfriendly voice said. "You're not allowed in here, shuck-face."
Annabel glanced around. There was nothing special about the room. Six large trunks covered most of the floor, all but one closed. The open one was filled with stacks of paper, likely containing maps of the Maze. Then she eyed Minho, who was looking cross at her. She could feel Thomas's eyes on her as well, but decided to ignore him for the time being. "I um, have decided what job I want to do. I want to be a Runner."
"A Runner?" Minho snickered. "I don't think so. Besides, you don't get to choose your job, Greenie. Alby-"
"Why do you want to be a Runner?" Thomas abruptly interfered, cutting off Minho.
"Because-" Annabel hesitated. She knew Thomas could be trusted, but could the same be said for Minho? She glanced at him and saw that he was now looking at her expectantly. She also saw a certain interest in his look, that made her decide to trust him. "Because I know the way out."
Minho looked dumbfounded. "First you hop your butt in here all nice and lovin' saying ya wanna be a Runner and now you're saying you know the way out? Wake up shank, there is no way out."
"Wait what? There's no way out?" Thomas looked incredulous at Minho.
"Not now, shuck-face."
"But there is," Annabel retorted, looking at Thomas instead of Minho.
"How do you know?"
"Just – Trust me, okay?" Annabel said, pleading.
"Okay."
"Okay?" Minho said to Thomas, his voice full of disbelief. "Who do you think you are? The shuckin' mother of the Glade? Look, we can't just have people running around the Maze."
Thomas shrugged. "I know that, that's why I think we should make her a Runner."
Minho sighed. "Aren't you listening?"
"No, you aren't listening, Minho."
Minho pressed his fingers on his temples and sighed again. "Fine, she can be a Runner."
Annabel let out her breath, not realizing she had held it in all this time.
"Thanks, Minho," Thomas said.
"Whatever, shuck-face." With that, he stomped out of the room, leaving Thomas and Annabel alone in an awkward silence.
"Thanks, Tom," Annabel finally said, smiling sheepishly.
"No problem," Thomas responded, returning the smile.
Another awkward silence.
"Well, I'd better go," Annabel then said while she started to make her way to the door.
"Annabel?"
She turned around immediately. "Yeah?"
"I, um – This may sound weird, but I have the feeling I've met you before," Thomas said, shyly running his hand through his hair.
Annabel saw his cheeks turn red. What is that all about, she thought. Then it suddenly hit her what Thomas had actually said. He remembered her.
"I'm right, aren't I?" Thomas asked upon seeing her reaction.
Annabel nodded slowly. "Yeah, we were. Sort of."
"Sort of?"
Annabel bit her lip, now she had to tell the truth. "Yeah, you and me, we were – you know, more than friends."
"Wait, you're saying that you were actually my girlfriend before the Maze?"
Annabel nodded again. That was exactly what she meant.
"But – How do you know?"
Then suddenly Gladers started yelling and shouting, making Thomas and Annabel look at each other in alarm.
"We should check it out," Annabel said instantly and she ran out the door, followed by Thomas.
When they arrived at the Glade they looked around for the source of the commotion, and it wasn't long before Annabel found it. Manon was running towards the Maze, but the doors were closing fast.
Annabel didn't hesitate for one second as she darted after her best friend. She had to stop her, no matter what, otherwise she would be dead by morning.
She ran at full speed, quickly catching up with Manon. The wet grass almost made her slip twice, but she never lost her balance.
She finally reached Manon when she was almost through the doors. "Are you mad?" she shouted, while she gripped Manon's wrist. She tried to pull her back, away from the walls, but Manon yanked her wrist free almost instantly, and closed the last couple of metres between her and the Maze. Annabel groaned frustrated, but followed her friend nonetheless. She squeezed through the massive doors just in time. If she would've been a second later, she would've been crushed by them.
Annabel just stood there, regaining her breath, when she heard Manon's accusing voice, making her wince. "What the hell are you doing here?"

~

Thank you so much for the reads and the votes, please keep it up ^^

Also, I would love to hear your opinion about the story, so feel free to leave a comment!