Into the Maze

Chapter 7

But she didn't stop thinking about the Cliff. When Minho and Alby had finally convinced her to leave the gorge, she was hesitant, and her thoughts were taken from Newt as she tried in vain to think of where she knew it from.
Upon their return to the Glade, Minho and Alby made a quick getaway to the map room, instructing Jackie to wait for them.
She wandered away toward the kitchen, scuffing the dust up with the toes of her boots and contemplating the action of the day.
"Hey, Shank." It was James, the keeper of the Sloppers, jogging up behind her.
"Why aren't you working?"
"Well, nice to see you too." James didn't look offended though. "I got let off early."
He slowed to a walk beside her. "Did you see Newt?"
"Yes." She didn't feel like talking about it. Then she realized he carried valuable information, being a keeper. "What happened in the Gathering?"
"Not much, actually. A lot of shouting, and Alby told Minho to prove your whole Runner thing, and Minho said okay, and then they both left. When's Newt going to be better anyways?"
She didn't answer.
"How did he get hurt anyways?"
She rounded on him, her eyes suddenly snapping in anger. "It's none of your business, Slopper! You aren't a runner, why do you care!?"
He stare at her for a few seconds, then turned his back, something like anger or maybe disappointment in his hazel eyes. "He's my friend, Greenie." Then he was gone, running toward the Homestead, not looking back.
Guilt pursued her through the entire day, by even if she would have been humble enough to apologize, James was nowhere to be found in the Glade. So she spent the rest of the day trying to find Alby and ask him what he had decided about her fate as a runner.
However, the most she got out of Alby was an order to leave him alone or else he would personally feed her to the Grievers, and Minho ignored her altogether. Newt was still in the med-jack's hut, and James was still hiding, and so by the time Frypan finally rang the Gladers in for dinner, she had begun to wonder if Grievers were really that bad next to the unresponsive boys of the Glade.
After Frypan had dished a good amount of something she didn't want to eat onto her plate, she meandered away to sit alone.
She sat with her back against an log at the far edge of the circle, trying to blend into the darkness behind her.
"Hey." She glanced up and shrank away when she saw it was James.
He plopped down next to her and closely examined the food on his plate. "Betcha two weeks' slopper's duty this has Griever goop in it."
"No thanks." She was extremely curious. Why wasn't James ignoring her, angry at her?
"Well, it's edible." James had scooped up a huge forkful of the slimy goo and stuffed it into his mouth. "Still tastes like Griever though."
She felt her mouth threatening to quirk up in a smile.
"Here, I'm pretty sure I found an eyeball." James shoved his fork in her face, and she swatted his hand away with a small shriek.
He laughed.
She was beyond confused. She had offended him just a few hours ago and now he was acting like they had been friends for their whole lives. She was still puzzled when she finally flopped down on her back at the edge of the Glade, listening to the Grievers screaming within the maze and the voices of the boys lying around her.
It seemed only moments later that she was being kicked awake for the second day in a row. She grunted and tried to roll away from Minho's voice, which was demanding that she get up.
When she realized that she could not get away from the persistent runner, she lifted herself slowly to her feet. It was then that she realized she was one of the first people up. "Minho," she whined. "Why did you make me get up now?"
"Well"- Minho sounded indignant, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth- "I thought you'd be more excited to try being a runner."
"What!?" Her eyes snapped open wide. She noticed that Alby was standing behind Minho, arms crossed but almost smiling. "Are you serious!?"
"Yep." Alby said it crisply, as if he was trying at all costs to seem tough and mean. "But if Minho brings back a bad report, you're becoming a full-time Slopper, understand?"
"Yes."
It seemed to take forever for Minho to be ready. First, he wanted them both to eat breakfast, then he left her to pack their lunches with Frypan while he planned their route in the map room.
But finally they did go into the maze, Minho jogging ahead of Jackie as she took in the sights and sounds of early morning in the maze. Shafts of bright sunlight filtered over the walls and through the vines, making splotches of light on the stone floor. Birds sang from somewhere hidden in the vines, and every once in awhile a flash of metallic silver would signify the appearance of a beetle-blade.
"Keep up," Minho called back to her.
She only nodded, wanting to conserve her energy. Still, by the time Minho stopped for a rest, her breath was somewhat short and strained. "Okay, Greenie?" He asked, looking sideways at her.
She clasped her hands above her head and nodded, feeling proud of herself. "When's lunch?"
Minho laughed, a strange sound when it bounced off the walls and floor. "Not for another few hours, shank."
She groaned, making him laugh harder. He looked almost like a normal teenage boy, standing there in the morning sunlight and laughing his head off. She squinted, trying to see the boy left behind outside of the maze, before the maze, the boy who went to a normal school, had normal friends, and, maybe, (her throat tightened for some strange reason) a girlfriend.
"Whatcha staring at, shank?" Jackie found that she had been watching him so intensely that she had drawn his eyes to herself.
"Nothing." She replied, glancing down.
"Come on, then, shank, whoever stops running first gets a double portion of Frypan's sloppy stuff tonight." He grinned at her one more time and jogged off down the stone corridor. She sighed, straightened, and ran after him.
The first thing she saw when she finally dragged her exhausted body out of the maze that evening was her welcoming committee. James was standing a few yards in front of the maze entrance, looking mussed and scruffy from his day of sloppers' duty. Alby stood next to him, and leaning against Alby was (Jackie's heart leapt) Newt. He looked weak and wan, but he was standing on one foot, assisted by Alby, and he was smiling.
"How did the Greenie do, Minho!?" He called teasingly.
"I'm alive aren't I?" For Minho, that was high praise.
"Surprise, surprise." She pretended to be sulky, but James poked her in the ribs and she swatted at him and laughed despite her exhaustion.
"How did I do, Minho?" She turned to the runner, who was conversing quietly with Alby.
He took awhile with his response. He looked around at the Glade, then turned and stared deep into the maze which was due to be closing any minute now. Newt caught Jackie's eye and crossed his fingers, grinning. Finally, Minho shrugged and said in his most nonchalant voice. "I'll let you have another go."
James whooped, throwing his thin arms into the air. Newt was slightly too sophisticated for whooping, but his wide smile told her all she needed to know. Alby said nothing, but when he looked at her she saw a proud look in his eyes, and she knew that if he had a say in things, she would be named a Runner there and then.
James took off running across the Glade, shouting and occasionally tripping over his own boots, spreading the news. Newt, assisted by Alby, limped towards the kitchen, leaving Minho and Jackie.
"Good job today, Greenie." Minho began to walk towards the map room. "We'll make a Runner of you yet."
And although that was all he said, it was enough to make her heart fly high and her hopes fly higher.