The Reason

The Meeting

Nikola only ventured out late that morning when she was too hungry to stand it anymore. As she crossed the field toward the kitchen she heard the thunder. The wind whipped her hair over her shoulders as rain drops fell on her skin. She paused, putting her hands out to feel the first rain she'd ever seen in the glade. It was almost enough to make her forget her troubles and the pain in her heart. Then Newt was running toward her as best he could.

"Nikola," he said, slightly out of breath when he stopped in front of her, rain drops falling in his fluffy blond hair. "Alby's gone into the maze," he informed her seriously.

"Why?" she asked as her brows knot in confusion.

"They're trying to figure out how Ben got stung," Newt answered.

"Hey!" A familiar gruff voice called. "Why don't you get out of the rain." Gally called as he leaned in the doorway of a shack close by.

Newt gently touched her elbow to lead her to shelter, noticing her downcast eyes. "You and Gally have a falling out?" he asked.

"I guess so," She sighed.

"I hope it's nothing permanent," Newt tried to joke but noticed her somber face. "Gally has always been serious and a bit grumpy, but he doesn't hold grudges forever. I'm sure whatever it is can be worked out."

She felt a pang in her gut. She couldn't convince the gladers that she hadn't been in some kind of sex for favors relationship with Gally and clear his name, she couldn't even banish herself like she'd wanted to with the way everyone watched her now. It was not as simple as Newt made it sound.

The rain eventually abated and still no sign of Minho or Alby. Everyone gathered at the maze door when it was minutes away from closing, hoping they'd return. Nikola watched from a distance, as she was getting accustomed to doing, when something shocking happened. Thomas pointed into the maze and a second later all the boys were yelling. They yelled and yelled as the doors began to close, and then suddenly Thomas was gone.

It was a long night. Most everyone stayed by the doors, sleeping where they sat or where they fell. Newt had asked Nikola to stay in her room that night, no matter how curious she was.

"It's not like the doors will open any sooner than usual just because we camp out in front of them," he told her. Still, he was one of the ones who stayed.

When morning came and Chuck woke everyone as the doors began to open, it was like nothing had happened at all. The maze was how it always was, empty.

"I told you, Chuck," Newt sighed. "They're not coming back."

Chuck still hung back as everyone else walked away, still clinging to some hope that things would be different. Zart looked back after him and noticed something just past him.

"No way," The keeper said under his breath as he walked back toward Chuck.

The kid followed his line of sight and saw Minho and Thomas coming toward them, carrying Alby, and cheered.

News reached Gally and the rest of the glade. Without Alby there to take the lead, Newt and Gally called the meeting, all the gladers coming in to hear what was going on now.

"Things are changing," Gally said as he stood before the restless crowd, Nikola tucked quietly in the back of the room. "There's no denying that. First, Ben get's stung in broad daylight," he started off, skipping over Nikola's arrival completely. "And then Alby. And now our greenie here has taken it upon himself to go into the maze," gone was the nicety of calling him by his name as he spoke in a slightly derisive tone. "Which is a clear violation of our rules here."

"Yeah," Frypan spoke up softly. "But he did save Alby's life," he pointed out as he stood behind Newt.

"Did he?" Gally questioned with raised brows, earning a wary look from Newt. "For three years we have coexisted with these things, and now," he turned and pointed at Thomas. "You've killed one of them." He turned back toward the gladers with upturned palms. "Who knows what that could mean for us."

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Newt asked, seeming to be merely humoring him and not really asking for his guidance.

Gally shrugged. "He has to be punished."

That earned some unhappy grumbles from the crowd around him.

"Minho," Newt called over them as he looked past Gally to the keeper of the runners. "You were there with him, what do you think?"

He was quiet as all eyes turned to him, silently waiting for his answer.

"I think," he sighed. "In all the time we've been here, no one's ever killed a griever before," he agreed. "When I turned tail and ran...this dumb shank," he gestured to Thomas. "Stayed behind to help Alby. Look, I don't know if he's brave, or stupid, but whatever it is we need more of it. I say we make him a runner."

That got everyone riled up. Gally was raising his voice above the others again, saying they could throw the newbie a parade if they wanted, but there was one thing he knew about the maze. What that was, they never found out because a sound echoed across the glade outside earning everyone's attention. The box was coming.