!!DISCONTINUED!! Into The Maze - The First Girl - Newt x Reader x Minho

Chapter 8

I've been in The Glade for three weeks now, and I feel completely at home. Ben, Winston, Frypan, Zart, Gally and Alby are like my big brothers, while all the other Gladers see me as a big/little sister, and Minho is my best friend.

I easily slipped into the routine of waking up at dawn to help Frypan cook breakfast, or to help Zart in the Gardens, depending on what day it was. The Builders have made me my own hut in the forest, near my tree at my request. It's a simple structure, with only one window and a door, but it's comfortable enough.

I have a hammock and a small table and chair where I can sit if I ever want to, but most of the time I'm working outside, or up my tree working on my bow. I have completed the handle, and it fits perfectly in my hand.

I requested glue, sandpaper and a few proper tools from the Box, so the wood is smooth under my hand. I've finished the upper limb, and have almost finished the lower; all I need to do is finish carving my last piece and then glue it in place.

I made a bowstring from some of the ivy growing on the walls, which I found has a nice spring in it, but is sturdy enough to give power to my bow. At first, I wasn't sure how to make arrowheads. I knew how to make the shafts and fletching, but it was the arrowheads that stumped me.

"Just send a note down in the Box when you ask for your tools," Gally had told me. He was the only one who knew what I was working on, and I had told him because I needed his help picking the best pieces of wood. "They'll already know you're making a bow, and you never know, they might give you some."

I looked at him, "How would they know?" and he pointed out a small metal bug, about three inches long. "We call them Beetle Blades; they have cameras on them that we assume are filming us and sending the videos back to the Creators. There are loads of them around The Glade and in the Maze."

I had stared at the little device and decided to try out Gally's theory. Surprisingly the Creators had answered my request, and I received a supply of razor-sharp arrowheads, along with the other items I needed, in the next supply load.

I had squirrelled them all away into my hut and stashed them in the small cupboard the boys had built me. I wasn't sure why I was hiding what I was doing, maybe because I wasn't sure if it would work, or maybe because I wanted to be at my best when I showed them.

Now I sit at the table and look over one of the arrowheads, trying to fit it to a shaft I've made. The arrowheads have a hole at the bottom that goes half the way up, and I have carved the end of this shaft to be a tiny bit bigger than the hole. My idea is that if I make the shaft bigger than the hole, I can push the shaft in and it will hold there.

Carefully I push the end of the shaft into the hole, and I can get it in a little way, but then the end digs into the palm of my hand, and I bite my lip at the pain. I look up as I hear footsteps, quickly holding the arrow under the table, but I see that it's just Gally, and pull it out again. "Hey, Gal," I say.

I'm the only one that can get away with calling him Gal, and everyone knows it. Ben tried it once, and he had to leave off running for a few days because Gally hit him over the head with a plank of wood he had been carrying.

He smiles, "Hey Greenie, need any help?" I nod, "Yeah, actually. I can't get this shaft the whole way into the head, but I don't want to hit it with anything in case it snaps off inside." 

"Try putting a piece of wood or something over the end and pushing on that; it won't be as painful then," he suggests.

I grab a spare piece of wood from outside and try his idea, but the wood keeps slipping. "Bore a hole in the wood and it'll keep it there." I nod, and after a few minutes, I have the modified wood block. This time when I push down on the shaft, the wood doesn't slip, and I can shove the shaft in with a bit of effort.

"Thanks, Gal!" I say, holding up my half-made arrow, "Now I just need the fletching and it'll be ready for shooting." He smirks, "Once you have a bow that is," and I grin, "True."

"Well, I was actually sent here to tell you that breaks over and Frypan needs some help in the Kitchen," Gally says, and I jump up.

"Why didn't you say so? Let's go." I run out of the trees with Gally, who splits off to go back to his own work, while I continue on to the Kitchens.

Frypan looks up, annoyance on his dark face. "Where have you been? I sent Gally to find you ages ago." "Sorry Fry, he was helping me with something," I explain, "What did you need me for?"

"I need you to help me make dinner for tonight, and we need to decide what to make." I think for a minute, looking through the cupboards, when a thought strikes me. "How about pizza?"

"What's pizza?" he asks, looking confused. I think for a minute, visualising the food that just popped into my head. "It's a flat dough with sauce on it, meat on top of that, and melted cheese on top of it all." Frypan nods, "Sounds delicious. You make the dough I'll make the sauce."

~Time Skip~

When the Runners get back, Fry and I have made seven big pizzas that are covered in tomato sauce, chicken, beef and bacon, with tons of melted cheese on top. I take a big whiff of the food and groan, "Ooooh. They smell soooo shucking gooooood!"

Frypan can't hide his own eagerness to dig in, and he bangs on the bell that signifies dinner with much more energy than usual.

We carry the pizzas out to the serving table and lay them down as the boys start coming over.

I hear a mutter of voices, slowly growing louder as the crowd wonders what this new but delicious smelling food is.

"Mmm, this smells good. What is it?" I look around and see Minho walking up to me. "Hey, Min," I greet him with a quick hug. "This is pizza, I just had a memory of it, and Frypan helped me make it."

"It smells delicious!" Another voice sounds in my ear, and I turn to see Winston. "Thanks, are we all here? Because I really wanna eat!" I say enthusiastically, and the boys who hear me all laugh and murmur their agreement.

"I'm pretty sure everyone's here, and anyone who's late can have the leftovers, if there are any," Frypan announces, and we all dig in.

I take three big slices and head to the table I usually sit at with Minho, Ben, Winston and my other substitute brothers, except Gally of course. He doesn't usually sit with us, preferring to stay with his Builder group.

They all greet me with smiles. "This is so good Sis," Ben cries and the others agree. 'Sis' is Ben's nickname for me, and a few others have picked it up too.

"Thanks, guys, Frypan helped me though." 

"Too right I did," Fry says as he sits down, "Are you going to sit and enjoy your creation or what?"

I nod vaguely, "Yeah, in a sec... Where did Min go?" I ask, "I was just talking to him." I look around The Glade, missing the knowing smirk they all share. "I think he went into the forest," Ben says and I bring my attention back for a second.

"I'm going to go find him, see you guys later." 

"Bye," they all chorus, and when I'm out of earshot, they dissolve into whispers; all except Alby, who with a snort of disgust says, "Slim it, shanks" and walks off.

I bite down on my pizza as I walk, the fantastic taste flooding my mouth, and I hungrily take another huge bite. Living with twenty or so boys has caused my manners to become pretty much nonexistent, but I don't mind.

I walk through the forest, quickly devouring my pizza as I head for one of the places I know he might be, my tree. But when I get there, I can't see any sign of him; so I make my way to the other place he might be, the pond.

Minho had mentioned the pond when I first came up out of the Box, but I hadn't been there until a week ago.

Minho had taken me there one day after he got back from Running, and it had quickly become my second favourite place. The first being my tree, and the third my hut.

As I get closer to the pond, I hesitate, hearing music. Quietly, I creep forward, wanting to confirm my theory. Slowly I come into sight of the pond. No way. Minho is listening to my radio and singing. Yes, singing.

I've never heard him sing before and I realise, He has a nice singing voice. I watch from behind a tree for a few minutes, listening to him sing softly to himself, before quietly creeping away and leaving him alone.