"It's basically the same for all of us," Chuck said as he tightened the final knot on Thomas' hammock, "We wake up in the Box, Alby gives us the tour, now here we are..."

I chuckled at the boy and his way of talking to Thomas. He didn't get to do this with me when I was a Greenie a month ago. Things with me were different. I was taken to the Med-Jack hut first thing, and then given my room. I didn't even get the tour until the next day...Thomas is lucky. He was gazing at the East doors while Chuck was speaking, almost as if he wasn't even paying attention.

"Don't worry," Chuck started again as I continued to play with the strings in my pocket, "You're already doin' better than I did. I klunked my pants three times before they got me outta the pit."

I laughed and lifted my gaze to the boy as he turned around, only to be met with no Greenie. My face dropped as I watched him walk towards the doors, "Oh for shucks sake," I groaned, getting up to follow him.

Chuck and I had to jog to catch up with him, and by the time we did, he was almost already there. The chubby boy was out of air, but I felt like I could run another marathon.

"Dude," I stopped him by placing my hand in front of his chest, "Where the shuck are you going?"

He pointed towards the walls, "I just wanna see..."

Chuck and I exchanged nervous glances, knowing that the walls were about to close, "You can look around all you want, but those puppies are about to close," Chuck told him.

"What do you mean close?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"The doors, you shank," I sighed, shaking my head and already feeling exhausted from looking out for the Greenie. Maybe this is how Chuck felt when he had to watch over my while everyone was at the Council Hall. I had to remind myself to apologize to him for it later.

"Doors?" He asked again, "What doors? I don't see any doors..." He looked back and squinted his eyes as if they would just appear out of nowhere. Which they were about to. I had the whole schedule memorized.

"What do you call those big openings?" I pointed to the enormous walls, trying to get him to use his brain.

He rolled his eyes, "I call them big openings."

I gave him a deadpanned expression as Chuck sighed, feeling just as annoyed as I was at the moment, "Well, they're doors. And they close up every night."

"What—"

Suddenly, he interrupted himself as Ben and Minho ran through the doors, returning back to the Glade after a long day of Running. I had to admit, I was starting to get a little nervous. They usually got back a little earlier than they did now, but I didn't think twice about it. I smiled at both of them and waved as they ran past.

"Hey guys," Ben greeted, "New Greenie, huh? How's it feel to be promoted, Mae?"

I stuck my tongue out at him, "Better than it did comin' up here."

He laughed and continued to run towards the Map Room while Minho stopped in his tracks. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering what the boy was doing. Just as I was about to ask, he turned around and charged towards me, a big smile on his face. I rolled my eyes and sighed, knowing that he does this from time to time.

"Oh here we go again," I muttered as Chuck started to laugh. Before I could say anything else, I felt myself being picked up by the legs and thrown over his shoulders. I began squirming around, trying not to breathe from the foul smell that stenched his clothes.

"Put me down, you slinthead," I struggled to say. He did a twirl, making me yelp. From my right, I could hear Chuck's joyous laughter, and I could practically see the ginormous smile on his face as I hit Minho in the back with my fists, "Let me go!"

"Alright," He sighed. He finally set me back onto my feet and sent me a weird face before jogging the rest of the way to the Map Room. I shook my head at the boy and rolled my eyes, turning back to Chuck who was still giggling.

The Greenie had a beyond confused look on his face as he stared at me and then back at the walls. I placed both of my hands on Chuck's shoulders and released a breath as he spoke again, "I thought no one was allowed to leave?"

Chuck sighed, "I said we're not allowed to leave. They're different, they're Runners. They know more about the Maze than anyone."

"What?" The Greenie asked. I sighed and patted Chuck's shoulder, slowly pushing him behind me and telling him to let me handle this.

"He just said Maze..." He pointed at Chuck who was cowering behind me.

I nodded, "Yeah, well..." I knew that I couldn't go back on the information that Chuck had decided to let slip, so I just went along with it, "This is called the East door."

The kid took a few steps forward, examining the sides of the walls. They did look so much bigger up close... It was like looking up at a concrete wall that never ends. But the funny thing was, we all knew it did. We just didn't know how.

"Are you kidding?" He asked, pointing at the grooves in the stone where the walls shut, "You weren't playing with me?"

Crossing my arms, I shrugged, "What else would I have meant?"

He turned back around and took a few steps closer. I watched him carefully, studying his steps as he walked towards the edge of the concrete. I wasn't gonna let him go in, I just wanted to see how far he would actually get before he stopped. When I came up in the Box, there was nothing that intrigued me more than these four walls. I wanted to see what was beyond them...find a way out. I still do, but now that I've seen what an actual Griever looked like—from the help of Newt—I wasn't really sure if I had a greater fear.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder and someone yank my shirt back. I turned my head to see Gally advancing towards Thomas, who was still transfixed with the doors.

"Hey!" Gally yelled, taking one big step towards the Greenie, putting his hands firm on his shoulders and shoving him about six feet.

I cringed as he landed, coughing, "Gally! What the hell!"

The builder ignored me and stood over the top of the boy, shaking his head, "We gotta stop meeting like this, Greenie."

He scrambled to his feet, muttering profanities at Gally as he tried to calm him down, "Alright, calm, calm, calm."

I rolled my eyes at Gally, taking a step forward towards the Greenie, "Gally shut up."

"Hey, don't touch me!" Greenie yelled as I tried to put a gentle hand on his shoulder. I stepped away and held my hands in the air, doing as he requested.

"Just relax," Gally tried to calm the boy down again. I looked around and saw that the two boys had now gathered a crowd. Different Keepers were showing up, all looking at him with the same nervous expression while the Greenie looked like he just wanted to roll into a ball and cry.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" He yelled again, not only speaking to Gally, who was behind him, basically blocking his way from the walls. I felt a gentle hand on my lower back, and I didn't even have to turn around to see who it was.

Newt had his hand held out, "Just calm down, alright?"

"No," The Greenie refused, "Why won't you tell me what's out there?"

Alby came up to him, the stern look on his face had returned, "We're just trying to protect you, man."

"It's for your own good," Newt mumbled, taking a step back and coming up beside me.

"You guys can't just keep me here!" He yelled, his anger slowly rising.

I took a slow step forward, holding my hand out and giving him the softest look with my eyes, but keeping my voice stern, "We can't let you leave..."

But he wasn't having it, "Why not?"

Suddenly, the familiar rumbling of the walls behind us echoed throughout the Glade, making all of us shut up and turn out heads. The first closing of the doors is always scary. Remembering my first night, I shut my eyes and sighed, feeling guilty that the boys was sent here against his will. Even if it wasn't my fault. All I could do was make this place somewhat more bearable, and help him get adjusted to the way of living. But the moving walls was something I had just barely grasped. Sometimes it still amazes me.

As the concrete moved closer together, the Greenie took a step back, almost tumbling into me. I gently put my hand on his upper back, but to him it was like I wasn't even there. He kept his eyes plastered on the moving walls as they suddenly closed, trapping us all in yet again.

"Next time," Gally took a threatening step towards the frightened little Greenie, "I'm gonna let you leave."

I watched as all of the people turned to leave. Still feeling a tinge of sorrow for him, I placed my miniscule hand on his shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze before I turned around and walked away with Newt.

Neither of us spoke, but we both made our way to the Homestead together, going there for no reason at all. Sometimes I just liked to see the Gladers walk around and play like normal teenagers. That was the joy about the event that was gonna happen tonight. They got to act like kids who didn't have to wake up in the morning and work, worrying about whether they were ever going to get to see the world, or if they were going to die within four concrete walls. They got to relax and drink, maybe even get drunk. Party like people our age would do...if only the world was normal. Maybe it was, and all of us were just trapped in a long dream. Or maybe we were in a coma.

"You alright?" Newt asked me as he closed the door of my room. I nodded and sighed, sliding my hands down my face.

"I feel bad, ya know?" I pointed out of the window at the Greenie who was now walking with Chuck towards the kitchens. He still looked a bit flustered, looking over his shoulder as if Gally were to show up at any moment and shove him ten feet again.

Newt furrowed his eyebrows, "Why? For the Greenie?"

I nodded, "I remember what it's like to be like that... Even if I didn't show it, when I first came up I was shucking terrified. I feel bad that someone else has to go through that."

"Hey," He gave me a small smile and walked towards me, "Don't worry about it. Every bloody Greenie that comes up here is gonna be that way. Ya just gotta let it go..."

"I know," I sighed once more, "Maybe I could if Gally wasn't being such an asshole."

"He's always been an asshole," Newt rubbed my bicep, comforting me. I pushed my lips to the side and nodded, not being able to get the guilty feeling out of my chest, "It'll be fine. He's gonna get his name back and then he's gonna get used to the way we run things. Trust me."

"I don't know," I mumbled, looking back out at the window, "Something about him feels...off."

Newt followed my gaze to the closed doors, "Yeah. Imagine if he bloody ran out of those doors," He scoffed and shook his head.

I looked back at the boy and grinned, watching as he analyzed the walls like he were trying to find a way out. He's been here longer than most people, and I knew that if there was anyone eager enough to get out of here, it was him. Even if he didn't think I noticed, I did. I saw the way he looked at the sun as it disappeared behind the walls, and I saw the way he cringed every time he had to take a bite of Frypans stew. The little things that he tried so hard to hide were the parts that stood out to me. The parts I admired about him. Although I could never tell.

"We should probably go back down," I murmured.

"Yeah," He nodded, removing his hands from my shoulders and wrapping his arm around them instead, "'S almost sundown. Alby's gonna wanna start this thing soon."

I chuckled, feeling excited for what was to come.

A few hours passed, long hours of wandering around the Glade, checking on Chuck and the new Greenie, who he had made a sandwich for. I had a feeling that the two were going to be good friends, so I just let them talk and waited until tonight to have an actual conversation. Frypan was making his famous bacon, and Gally was making some kind of weird drink. He wouldn't tell me what was in it, so I was kind of nervous. After trying the pickle, I'm not one for new foods or drinks. Newt and Alby were helping the other Gladers gather sticks for the fire, and now, it was dark outside, and I held a giant torch in my left hand, standing over the makeshift fire place.

I looked at Alby, who gave me a nod, telling me that I could make the call. I smiled at him and nodded back.

"Alright, light 'em up boys!" I yelled, giving the signal. The boys in a circle around the pile of sticks grinned and threw their torch into the fire, igniting it immediately. There were cheers from all around, and I felt Newt pull me to his side.

"I'll get you a drink, okay?" He asked me. I shook my head, refusing.

"I'm okay right now," I told him, "I'll get one later."

He nodded and walked away to get himself a jar of Gally's concoction and a stick of meat that Frypan had made. I scanned the premises, quickly figuring out who was where, and what they were doing. I saw Minho and his fellow Runners sitting by the fire, eating some kind of food and talking about something. I saw Chuck walking around with the newbie, who still looked like he wanted to cry. Gally was in his circle as usual, and most of the other boys were around that as he fought some kid, probably beating the klunk out of him. I cocked my eyebrow and made my way over to them, intrigued by all the cheers.

I pushed my way through the boys, getting myself on the edge of the circle. He was in the middle of pushing some boy to the ground when I felt a nudge on my shoulder. I turned around to see Minho smirking at me with his arms folded. He motioned to Gally and looked me in the eye, which made me wonder if he was thinking the same thing I was.

"Do you think Newt'll be mad?" I asked him, looking back at Gally who had his fist in the air, celebrating.

"Nah," Minho shrugged, "Not if you win..."

I hummed in response, quickly making my decision as Gally walked in an intimidating circle, "Who's next?" He yelled out to the crowd.

"Shuck it," I muttered, taking a confident step forward. Minho chuckled and pushed me along, making sure I wouldn't back out. When I stepped into the circle, all of the boys around me started cheering louder than ever, making some new faces show up. Gally turned around and shook his head with his hands on his hips, giving me an amused smirk.

"Let's get this over with, Gally," I told him, wrapping my hair around my hair tie and pulling up my sleeves.

He chuckled and pointed at me, "You ready to get the klunk kicked outta you?"

I shrugged, "Only if you're prepared to first."

"Ya, okay," He mocked before charging at me.

I let out an excited laugh and charged at him as well. When he was less than a foot away from me, I dropped to the floor and crawled through his legs quickly, kicking his butt, sending him tripping from the momentum he had caused himself. All the boys yelled and screamed my name as I got up and dusted my pants off, readying myself for the next blow.

He got up with a grunt, turning back to me and chuckling, "I'm gonna teach you a few things, Greenie," He told me, rubbing his wrist. I cocked my eyebrow and crossed my arms as he slowly walked towards me. He looked around at the rest of the Gladers and held up his pointer finger in front of my face.

"Get 'em, Maisy," I heard a familiar voice from behind me. I turned my head around and smiled at Newt, who stood on the outside of the circle, biting his thumbnail like he usually did.

"Rule number one," Gally started as I rolled my eyes, "Never take your eyes off of your

opp—" He moved his hand closer, and I snapped my head back and grabbed his wrist. I twisted it and held it firmly, and in one swift motion, I placed my right hand on the ground beneath me and lifted my legs into the air. I wrapped them around his neck and pushed down, immediately sending him to the ground in a summersault.

I raised my own eyebrows as cheers erupted from all around me. I didn't even know I could do that, and yet...I didn't have a problem with it.

Gally coughed and turned onto his stomach, trying to get himself up as I smirked at him, "We've gotta stop meeting like this, Gally."

"Shut it, shank," He groaned. I laughed and moved backwards, prepared for him to advance towards me again. But when he didn't, I tilted my head to the left and shrugged, charging at him instead.

He held his right fist up in the air, almost looking like he was ready to hit me in the face. That was when everything kind of went in slow motion. I heard his name being screamed from someone outside the circle, but I didn't pay attention. I grabbed his rising fist with my left hand and wrapped my right arm around the outside of his leg, using my shoulder to push him to the ground again and out of the circle. He landed on someone's foot with a loud grunt, rolling over and scrunching his face up in pain. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, now realizing that he would've actually hit me if I hadn't done that strange move. I scoffed and shook my head, stepping over his aching body and moving to Frypan, who was smiling with Winston.

"Fry," I tapped on the wood, "Do ya have somethin' special for me?"

"Course I do," He turned around and grabbed a plate of food, handing it to me, "I knew you would be hungry so I saved some."

I smiled, feeling touched, "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"No problem. I figured you would need some fuel just in case Gally tries to come into your room tonight to finish what he started," He smirked, motioning to the circle I had just left. The Gladers were starting to disperse now, but some still stayed by Gally, who was shouting at one of them, trying to get him to fight. I shook my head at the absurd way of the boy trying to gain back his confidence.

"Yeah," I laughed, "The thing is, I didn't even know where that came from. All the sudden I was just like kicking the klunk out of him and then he looked like he was gonna punch me."

Frypan sighed and looked at Winston, who was shaking his head, "Either way, that was shucking awesome. You showed him."

I raised my eyebrows in agreement, turning my head back over my shoulder. Almost immediately, my eyes caught sight of Newt and the new Greenie sitting against a log, facing away from all the commotion. I smiled at the two and thanked Frypan for my food, then I made my way over to them.

"Hey," I greeted in a soft voice, placing a hand on Newts shoulder to let him know I was here. He looked up and sent me a smile as I kept my eyes on the newbie who furrowed his eyebrows again, "Hell of a first day, Greenie..."

He nodded and looked back down at his hands as Newt nudged me with his mason jar full of a brown liquid.

"What's this?" I asked him, grabbing the cup from him.

"I don't even know... Gally's recipe. It's a trained secret," He muttered as I sniffed the liquid. It smelled disgusting, but sometimes things can smell worse than they taste, so I shrugged and tilted the jar until some of the liquid flowed down my throat.