The Maze In Her Heart (Newt, Minho ::The Maze Runner.) ✔

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Switching Statuses.

MARIE

I glance over at the Maze walls, holding my fork in my hand. Days in the Glade felt like years, especially without your mentor and friend by your side. 

I heave a sigh and set down my fork, turning my attention to me plate. Don't get me wrong, Frypan's the worlds best cook, but I'm not in the mood. I haven't really been in the mood for a while now. 

I clear my throat and look over at the Homestead. Minnie means the best, but with her in the Maze all day, I've been more alone than I thought. Newt was in leader mode, and we never talked anymore. All days I had were spent with the greenie, while Newt wandered about, sometimes dropping by in awkward silence.

The food's steam has long gone, leaving a cold plate of mashed potatoes and chicken.

"Mind if I sit down?" A familiar voice sends jolts up my spine.

"Why?" I ask, turning to look at Newt. His eyes flicker from my face to my food, an expression on his face that I couldn't decode. Was it regret?

"I'm hungry and I want to bloody sit."

"Be my guest." I turn back around and pick up my fork, wiggling it between my fingers. 

Silently, he takes a seat next to me and begins to eat. I watch him for a moment before taking setting my fork back down.

He notices. "Do you need more food Marie?"

"I'll live."

He drops his fork with a clatter and turns to look at me. I can feel his eyes throwing daggers into mine.

"Marie, why are you being so distant..?" he asks with a bit of an irritated edge to his voice.

"Why are you being so distant? You keep dropping me off with the girl and going to do other things. You never talk to me anymore, and you never meet my eyes! If we're leaders, don't you think there has to be a little communication here?" I didn't mean to burst out, but it happened anyways. I looked away quickly, embarrassed by my own actions.

I can't see it, but I know his face softened, judging by the tone of his voice when he says, "Meet me by the shade. I have to ask you something."

My stomach drops as he walks off, meeting up with some other Gladers. I know he's gonna kick me from my leader role- I know it. He doesn't seem like the type to listen to the stereotypes of girls being too unpredictable, but my freak out towards him didn't help my case.

I study the wooden designs in the table for a while, long after the others boys have moved on. Frypan and the other cooks began to clean up dishes. I take that as my cue to leave. I stand up and walk out of the homestead, the wind ruffling my thick curls back and off of my shoulders. 

Newt's standing under the shade of the trees now, at the edge of the woods. I look over at him, then stop when seeing something in the corner of my eye. I quickly turn my head to see, knowing that it was a metal thing as soon as I saw it. 

I rush over to see it scuttle past, and into a thick bush. I lunge my hands forward, falling squarely onto my chest. My hands plunge into the bush. I almost loose it when I feel the cool metal under my fingers.

In a split second, it's gone though, as quickly as I had reached it. 

~

Newt is waiting, the shade casting shadows on his figure. He walks over, and I get up, brushing myself off of dust and dirt.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" He asked with a quirked brow, hands on his hips.

"I don't know." I said stupidly, pushing myself up and off of the ground.

He stared at me a moment more before taking a seat on a nearby tree stump.

"What did you want to talk about?" I ask, sliding down the trunk of a tree.

"Minnie and Minho went into the maze yesterday, and they found a griever." He paused, twiddling his thumbs. He was biting his lip again. "But it was dead. Not like Alby's griever, which was playing dead. This griever was squashed between two bloody walls. And I wanted us to check it out."

"We're not runners." I give him a puzzled look.

"I know, I know. But I used to be a runner. I know my way around... I want us to see how this happened, and if we can find anything out about it."

"Are you sure? Who will watch the greenie?" I ask while straightening up. 

"We have Gladers alternating. If she ever wakes up, then I guess we'll figure it out soon enough." Newt rubbed his jaw, and smiled over at me.

"Right then, I guess it's a date." I laugh, then stop when hearing my word choice.

A date? Are you actually stupid? Going into that maze is no date- it's a death wish.

However, Newt laughed. He got up, and looked down at me with an amused smile on his face. "Our plan will take place in twenty minutes. Minnie and Minho will not be assisting us."

I quickly look up to see him with another smile on his face. "Why?"

"Like you said.. It's a date."

He walks off, and I swear there's a slight skip in his limp. 

After tying my shoes, I stare at the dirt for a long time. Finally, I push myself up and pull my hair into a long ponytail. Some hairs escape- they always seem to.

For a second, I wonder: how can I get my hair like Minnie's, where the pony tail is always is tight and taunt, not one hair daring to escape?

Pushing myself off the ground, I see Minnie and the boys return and Newt passing them water bottles. The sun is still in the sky, shining down hotly. 

Newt is in a different outfit. He's wearing a black tank top, with baggy pants and running shoes. I stare at him from my distance, trying not to make it obvious as I mess with my hair and double check my laces are tied. After a few seconds, I give up the stalling, and sigh. 

Time to go.

I jog over to Newt and I see him carrying two backpacks. He hands one to me and I sling it over my back.

"Should we get going now?" I ask him, watching over his shoulder as Minnie engages in a deep conversation with Minho, both of their backs arched, whispering furiously.

"We're leaving!" I shout at them.

They wave and Minnie shoots me a lop-sided smile before returning to her conversation. I take a deep breath and walk into the casting shadows of the Maze. Newt follows me, and I take a minute to look back one more time at the Glade, before walking into the Maze.