See You Soon: A Maze Runner Story

Part 1

Glade: 3 Years Ago
The clanging around me intensified in the darkness. I squinted my eyes to try and get a better look, but it was no use. Suddenly everything stopped. Everything was quiet, nothing was moving. Then a loud screeching sound filled the air, and I was blinded by a bright light. I raised my arm up to try and shade myself.
"What's inside this time?" a voice said. The metal box I was in jolted slightly, accompanied by a small bang, like if something had fallen in. I brought my arm down and saw a thin, shaggy blonde haired boy standing above me.
"We got ourselves a she-bean" the boy replied with an accented voice. He offered his hand and I took it, pulling myself up. The boy just smiled at me.
"Minho, some help" he called out. I looked up and saw a tan Asian looking boy with jet black hair above me. He stuck his arm out for me. I was hesitant, but took it, and he pulled me up. I lost my balance a bit when I was out of the box, but he caught me.
"Woah, you're okay" he said with a small smirk. I looked down and took a step back.
"So darling, can you tell us your name?" I heard the boy with the accent say. I turned to look at him, and frowned.
"I- I don't remember" I said. I began to panic. How did I not remember my own name?
"It's alright, you will soon. Come on, let's take you to Alby" he said, motioning for me to follow. I started walking and looked around for the first time.
Walls. All around me. That was what I first noticed. Huge concrete walls surrounding a large field and forest. Where the hell was I?
We came to another boy. He was tall with dark skin and eyes. He had a more serious aura about him, but kind. He smiled and stuck out his hand.
"Hey there Greenie. I'm Alby. Welcome to the Glade".
About two months had passed since I arrived in the Glade. Two more boys came up; Gally and Winston. It was now the six of us huddled in a small teepee every night, which was getting annoying. I couldn't deal with the snores and kicks in the stomach and back. Gally was in the process of building a bigger shack for us to sleep in, but it would take him a while.
I was wandering around the Glade when I saw Minho sitting at the doors of the Maze. Yes, Maze. It was confirmed that's what it was. I walked over to him and sat on the grass next to him.
"Whatcha doin?" I asked, nudging him lightly.
"Thinking" he replied, not looking at me.
"About?" I asked.
"The Maze" he said. I turned my attention to the vine-covered walls through the doors. We sat in silence for a while.
"What do you think is out there?" I asked. He sighed.
"No idea. But I'm gonna find out soon" he said. I nodded silently, then snapped back at him when I realized what he'd just said.
"You're not going in there" I said. He looked at me with furrowed eyebrows.
"We have to find out what's in the Maze, Lia. What if it's our only way out?" he asked. I shook my head.
"It's too dangerous" I said.
"I won't be going alone" he said. Just then I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"He's right. I'm going with him" I heard Newt say above me. I looked up and saw his cheeky smile. I groaned and shook my head.
"No. No! It's insane. We all have to stick together. There must be a reason why those doors close every night. What if it's not safe?" I said worriedly.
"Oh, Alby's confirmed it's dangerous. But we have to find a way out" Newt replied. I opened my mouth to protest when Minho shut me down.
"Look, Alby gave us the okay, we're going. End of discussion" he commanded, and left. I was shocked at his tone. We had become very close in the little time I'd been here and he never spoke like that to me. And I wasn't prepared to lose my closest friend.
Later that night, I was the first in the teepee. I was fixing up my blankets when Minho walked in. I looked up for a minute, then averted my eyes quickly. I was still upset about earlier, but I didn't want to cause any problems. Who knows how long we'd be stuck here.
"Hey" he said softly. I continued with my blankets and looked up again
"Hey" I replied, then returned my attention to what I was doing. I saw him sit down next to me from the corner of my eye.
"I wanted to apologize about earlier" he said. I raised my eyebrows, but didn't look at him.
"There's no need" I replied.
"Yea, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. You were just concerned about me and Newt" he said. I huffed and put down the blankets.
"Of course I am. We barely know anything about this place, and you want to go running head first into the most mysterious and dangerous part of all this?" I asked, my voice raising with each word. He gave me a small smirk which only made me more mad.
"Do you care about me Lia?" he teased. I frowned and furrowed my eyebrows.
"Yeah. I do. You're my best friend... I don't want anything to happen to you" I said. His smirk faded and he scooted closer to me.
"Hey, nothing's gonna happen, okay? Me and Newt are gonna leave early in the morning, see what's out there, and come back. It's nothing" he assured me. I looked down and shook my head.
"I don't like it" I said, laying down. I turned over, but felt his body come closer to mine. I turned around and was face to face with him.
"Look, we won't go far. We'll cut down vines to remember where we came from. I'll be back before you know it. Okay?" he asked. I bit my lip.
"Promise you'll be back before the doors close?" I asked. He smirked.
"I promise" he said, pulling me into a hug. I adjusted myself so my head was on his bicep and breathed in his scent. Minho always made me feel safe, ever since my first day. All he had to do was hold me, and all my worries drifted away, much like they were now. In a matter of minutes I had fallen asleep on him, curled into his chest for warmth.
I felt him wiggle away from me what I assumed was the next morning. I didn't remember much, but I felt something warm on my forehead. His lips? Maybe it was a kiss.
"I'll see you soon" he whispered.