That damn Greenbean was at it again.
Standing at the West Gate, watching for Minho and Alby to come back. Like he was obsessed. It was past the time for them to come back- all the other Runners had returned already. The sun had yet to begin setting- still, the towering stone walls were only minutes from closing, and there was no sign of the Keeper or Leader.
Soon there were others that joined Thomas at the gate, others like Newt, Zart, Chuck, and Frypan. Even Winston had ceased his blade to stand there, watching the Maze for any signs of life. Soon everybody, even Gally, waited in front of that damned gate.
Even Newt's sister, who seldom showed herself except at meetings and when she returned from running the Maze, had come to wait. Marie was shorter than her brother by a few inches, though they were the same age- Fraternal twins that had come up in the box together two years ago. Like Newt, her hair was a streaked blonde and fell below her shoulders, but it was more curly and unruly. Her nose was crooked from a fight she got into years back, before the Maze. Marie stood next to her brother, arms crossed. Her brown eyes flickered from Newt to the Maze, anxiety beginning to swell in her chest.
She told herself they would make it. They had to. Minho was smart- He wasn't the Keeper of the Runners for nothing. He had the Maze memorized. Marie chanted those thoughts in her head. They had to. They had to. They ha-
"Look!" It was Thomas' voice that brought her from her thoughts.
When she looked, her heart thumped ten times harder.
Minho was there, at the end of the path that led from the West Gate into the Maze, panting hard. Alby was slumped against him, his arm slung over Minho's shoulder. Sweat dripped down Minho's face, his mouth twisted in agony as he struggled to pull Alby along. He looked exhausted.
Everyone started screaming at once, but it was all muffled for Marie. Then suddenly a scream poured from her mouth, ripping from her throat a sound she had never heard before, "Minho!"
He looked straight at her, then, and she knew.
He wasn't fast enough, not this time.
Marie's feet moved before she did, bringing her a step closer to the Maze. Her mind raced- She was fast, the fastest Runner in the Glade, she could make it, she could get to him, and-
Strong arms gripped her shoulders and jerked her back, pulling her against a broad chest. Marie tried to jerk out of her captor's grip, but to avail.
"Gally!" She yelled, pushing against him roughly, "get ya bloody hands off me!"
"No! I'm not letting you kill yourself in that death trap!" Gally spat back. He grunted as she struggled, her hair flying up into his face. Gally held her flush against him, still, though Marie kicked up into the air and fought with all she had. Finally, all she could do was stand limply and watch as her worst nightmare unfolded.
A loud screech interrupted the calm air, cutting through the peace as the huge Maze doors began to close, metal sliding along metal making sparks fly. With the closing doors came an intense fear blossoming in Marie's chest as a sick realization settled in.
The doors were closing for the night.
She screamed along with the other boys until her throat was raw.
Suddenly, just as the doors shut completely, the greenbean made a move, darting away from the Gladers. Newt yelled his name, stepping forward to stop him, but it was too late.
Thomas slipped through the Maze doors just as they shut, and they did with a deafening sigh.
It took several moments of dumb silence before anyone moved.
Marie felt Gally's grip on her loosen and she sprung into action, shoving him away roughly. "Have you lost your shucking mind!" She shouted horsely. "I could have-"
"We can't afford losing anyone else! It's bad enough that slinthead decided to take off!" Gally yelled back, pointing toward the Maze doors accusingly.
Marie, quick tempered as she was, was furious. Her blood boiled in her veins, her chest heavy and her head throbbing. She knew he was right, but she didn't want to believe it. In a sudden rush of bravado, she began to lunge at him, but it was Newt who stopped her this time. He grabbed her upper arm, yanking her back to his side. Marie didn't bother trying to fight him.
"Newt, we have to-" She began, but he raised his hand to interrupt her.
"The doors have closed for the night," Newt's voice was strained, as if he were trying too hard to sound strong, "Tomorrow, when they open, we'll know if they made it."
"No one's made it a night in the Maze," Winston piped up, but he quickly shut his mouth when Marie shot him a dirty look.
"Winston's right, there's no use hoping they live. Might as well pick a new Keeper," Gally added.
"Shut it, Gally," Marie spat at him. She shrugged off Newt's hand and walked up to him, unfazed by the extra foot of height he had compared to her. Marie pointed at him, her finger just inches from his face. "Next time you try to stop me from going into that maze," She said, her voice low, dangerous, "I will throw you over the shucking Cliff myself. Got that?"
She didn't give him a chance to respond, however, and turned away from him. No one dared to follow her as she headed for the Homestead, instead watching her retreating form in the coming twilight. Newt shot Gally a stern look as he went to join her. He knew he would hear it from the other Keepers later if he didn't calm her down now.
Newt found her in the back room, messing with something she pulled from her pants-pocket. It was a key, one she was given when she became the second-in-command to Minho. Newt pushed back the particularly painful memory of why she was only the second-in-command to the Keeper, pushing down his own guilt as he walked over to her. Marie bent down and began unlocking the locked door to the basement.
"Just what the bloody hell are you doing?" Newt asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
Marie didn't answer him at first, heading straight to the table with the knives. Newt sprung forward, grabbing her wrist just as she was reaching for a blade.
"Marie," Newt commanded, "answer me."
"First light. I'm taking two runners with me and we're going to look for them," Marie said, pulling away from him.
"Gally won't have that-"
"Gally isn't the Keeper of the Runners at the moment, is he?" Marie went back to inspecting the knives, making Newt shake his head.
"Marie, stop," He said gently. "You're going to throw yourself into one of your fits." Newt watched her sigh. They both knew how easy it was for her to get worked up, especially after his accident, when the fits all began. Marie hated them, as they rendered her a useless mess of hysteria. She knew Newt was right- if she had a fit, it wouldn't help anyone at all.
Marie set down the knife slowly. Now that she had calmed down, she only felt exhausted. She agreed to wait it out till morning, to see if anyone had survived. Newt was relieved to see her finally calm, and even more so when she followed him back up the stairs and outside the Homestead.
No one dared say anything to her about her outburst, mainly because everyone was quite surprised. Marie was extremely quiet and reclusive, unlike her friendly brother. Many of the Gladers didn't even know her name. The only common knowledge of her was that she was close to Newt, Alby, and Minho, and she was a blindingly fast Runner.
Not only were they hesitant to say anything, they were hesitant to sleep next to her. Laying in her sleeping bag under the stars, Marie tried to ignore the deep rumbling of the Maze as it changed its pattern. She felt a familiar anxiety coil deep in her gut, and she pushed it down by counting Newt's breaths as he slept next to her.
The next morning, Marie and Chuck were the first ones at the doors when they opened for the day. Newt and the others approached them. Normally, the Runners would leave as soon as the doors opened, but no one would be leaving until it was decided what happened to Thomas, Minho, and Alby.
Marie felt her stomach drop as she peered into the empty corridor. The wind shuffled the vines gripping the huge grey walls. There was no sound, no life. Just the empty, dreary Maze. Newt placed a hand on her shoulder as she dropped her gaze to the ground. Chuck sighed. Marie barely heard what Newt said to him. She was trying to hold back the sinking feeling in her chest.
The first time Minho wasn't fast enough was the last.
Newt wrapped his arm around her shoulder as every one turned to leave, and she leaned her head on him and closed her eyes, letting him lead her away from the doors.
Then Zart glanced back at the Maze and stopped. "...No way," He said in disbelief.
Chuck exclaimed suddenly, "Yeah!"
Marie and Newt turned suddenly, the others following suit. All the wind rushed out of her at what she saw.
There was Minho and Thomas, Alby hanging between them. They were almost falling against each other, each step staggering dangerously. Relief exploded in Marie's chest and she took off, sprinting at them full speed while the others behind her cheered. Newt limped after her, with Zart and Winston following. Zart and Winston took Alby and carried him toward the Glade while Marie and Newt helped Minho and Thomas respectively. Marie took Minho's arm and pulled it over her shoulder, letting him settle against her.
"Hold up," He winced, trying to keep from putting his full weight on her. Marie shook her head.
"I've got you, don't worry," She said. Marie nodded to Newt, who was already helping Thomas back to the Maze.
The entire Glade was ablaze with excited chatter. Everyone was asking questions, and Newt had to calm them down and send them back to work. That worked for a little while, until Minho told them what had happened, that Thomas killed a Griever. That was all Marie heard about for the next two hours as she helped Clint and Jeff tend to Thomas, Minho, and Alby. A night in the Maze had done a number on them, though it was Alby that was the most concerning- His breath was steady but quick and he was extremely pale and clammy, all signs of being stung. Marie couldn't bear the thought of seeing him so vulnerable, as he was normally the backbone of the Glade. She decided to leave him with Clint and Jeff and tend to Minho and Thomas.
Marie shifted around the room Minho was in, bringing in a bowl of water and a rag. Minho was laying on the bed, conscious (unlike Thomas, who fell asleep right when he laid down on his cot) and watching her with tired eyes. He looked exhausted, his entire body covered in cuts and bruises. Minho tried sitting up as she approached. Marie sat down on the side of his cot and dipped the corner of the rag into the bowl of water. Minho grunted when she started cleaning up a particularly long cut on his shoulder.
"You look like klunk," Maire muttered.
"Gee, ya know," Minho scoffed, "it's almost like I spent a night in the Maze."
She pinched him then, making him jump. "Slim it. I was actually worried about you for once."
"Oh? Afraid you'd have to take over for me, huh?" Minho said, smirking at her.
Marie bit back a laugh as she wiped the blood from his shoulder. "As if I'd be afraid, love. I might even lead better than you," She looked at him then, their eyes locking.
Minho took note of the way the dim light from the almost-burnt out light bulb overhead cast shadows over her face. He had to look away for a moment, but looked at her again, this time with that trademark smirk on his face. Marie thought he looked cocky at best, but Minho was always cocky. He leaned forward, thinking perhaps she'd move back, but she didn't.
"When are you going to admit it?" He asked her, watching the light dance in her brown eyes.
"Admit what?" Marie wanted to move back- if Newt or someone else came in, they'd get the wrong idea. But, she wanted to show Minho that she wasn't intimidated by him.
Minho leaned away suddenly, his smirk shifting into a smile. "That you're hopelessly in love with me."
Marie didn't bother holding back her laugh. Her? In love with him? What an idea!Minho's smile grew as she chuckled.
"Minho, I don't love you, but I do care about you," Marie said moving to wet the rag again. She pressed it up against a cut on his cheek. "Don't read so far into what isn't there, love."
"Mmmhmm sure. Just you wait, you'll admit it sooner or later."
Marie stood and tossed the rag to him. He caught it instantly. "Alright. Tell you what, since you're so sure of yourself. If we ever get out of this shuckin' maze, I'll admit that I love you," Marie said this with a cocky smirk of her own. It was the one thing that she could think of that would probably never happen.
Minho's smile grew wider, stretching across his face. He shook his head at her, gesturing at her with the rag.
"That might not be as far off as you think. Thomas is trying to figure the Maze out, and I think he may be onto something," he said.
Marie's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You think its possible? Us getting out of this bloody place?" she asked, her voice quiet. The thought of them leaving had been unheard of for so long, it sparked something in her to hear Minho sound so...optimistic.
"I think it just might be. I also think you should start rehearsing your confession," he smirked again, making her shake her head.
Marie walked over to the door, looking back at him over her shoulder one last time. Minho stared back at her. Injured, but alive. She almost couldn't believe it. Marie informed him that she was going to check on Thomas. Minho didnt answer her, instead watching her leave. He made no move at first, but then smiled to himself and dipped the rag into the water bowl.
Marie kept his words in her head. I think he may be onto something.
She shook her head as she walked down the hall, to Thomas' room. There was a flutter in her chest that wasn't there before, and it wasn't because of the possibility of escaping.