This is late, but shoutout to TheBeautyinEverything for guessing right! Marie is named after Marie Curie. Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed, I can't explain how inspirational you all are!
Feel free to shoot me a PM or drop a review!
"I'm going to teach Teresa some self-defense, so if it looks like I'm beating the klunk out of her, don't worry."
Newt's face scrunched up and he looked up at his sister from his spot on the ground, where he was ripping out unwanted roots. It was later in the afternoon, the sky a pretty violet just before the sun set. Teresa was standing beside her, shifting her weight from one foot to another.
"Um...yeah," Newt said, raising an eyebrow. He scoffed at his sister. "She's only been awake...what, three days? Go easy on her."
"She won't learn anything if I go easy. Come on, Teresa," Marie said, motioning for Teresa to follow her.
Teresa followed without much thought. Since waking up in the Glade, she found herself practically attached to Marie's hip. Wherever Marie went, Teresa went with her; when the Runner went out into the Maze, Teresa couldn't help but keep one eye on the doors as she worked, waiting for her new friend to come back. Newt had warned her to let his sister have her space, so Teresa did, though it was hard. There was a certain kind of confidence about Marie that made Teresa feel safe in this new, frightening world.
Marie led Teresa to the center of the Glade, where they usually held the bonfires, and stopped once they reached the fight circle. She turned to Teresa, cracking her knuckles.
"Alright, lass," She said, "You ready?"
Teresa shrugged, laughing a little. "I guess, but...I don't think I really need to- ow!" Teresa cried out, rubbing the spot where Marie had suddenly slapped her.
"Yeah, you do. You're soft and you've got bad reflexes," Marie said, reaching down to stretch her legs. She straightened up and turned, pouting her lips as she scanned the Glade. Finally, she spotted what she was looking for. "Oi! Minho! Come 'ere a sec!"
Minho, who was coming from the Map Room, turned his head. Upon seeing her, he smiled widely, eyes lighting up.
"What's up?" He asked, placing his hands on his hips.
"Teresa, this is Minho, in case you haven't met him yet. He's the Keeper of the Runners," Marie said, gesturing to him. Teresa smiled at him and he nodded to her, greeting her with a wave. "Minho, this is Teresa, our newest Greenie."
Marie continued, "I'm teaching her some self-defense. Want to help?"
Minho shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind. What do you want me to do?"
"Just stand here-" Marie positioned him right in front of her. "Okay, Teresa. So, we're going to start with the basics- Minho, put your hands around my throat and try to choke me."
Minho scoffed a little as he did what she said. "Didn't think you'd be into that," He muttered, raising his eyebrows.
Marie ignored his comment, sending him a glare before looking at Teresa. "Now, when someone's trying to choke you, the easiest way to break free is to grab one finger, like this-" Marie grabbed Minho's finger and pried it away from her neck, "And bend it backward, like you're trying to break it." Marie suddenly snapped his finger back and Minho instantly let go of her neck, wincing.
"I taught you that one," Minho muttered, shaking his hand. He marveled at her quick reaction.
Teresa nodded and stepped forward, ready to try it.
It took some hours for Teresa to get the hang of it. Minho's fingers were killing him by the time Marie moved on to other self defense tactics, and then it was Teresa's turn to get beat up. Marie felt bad for it, but her mind argued that Teresa needed to toughen up anyway- a little roughhousing wouldn't kill her.
Teresa exclaimed loudly in frustration the third time she was thrown to the ground. Her hands and knees were bloody, stinging from the dirt that been rubbed into them. Marie was relatively unscathed, standing above her with her arms crossed. Marie couldn't help but feel as if this scene were familiar, but couldn't remember why.
"Come on, lass. One more time," Marie urged, moving her hands to her hips. "If you can knock me over, completely on the ground, we'll call it a day."
By that time it was almost dinner, and a majority of the Glade had come to see what the two lone girls were doing. They crowded around in a circle, waiting to see if the new girl could keep up with her predecessor. Minho was watching carefully, as he had since they started. He hadn't noticed before how aggressive Marie could be, but he saw it in the way she would deflect Teresa's attack- grabbing her and shoving her back roughly. Minho could tell, however, that it wasn't intentional; Marie didn't act malicious. She winced whenever Teresa fell and frequently asked her if she were okay.
Newt was watching as well, and he saw the way she glanced nervously around the Glade. All of the watchful eyes of the Glade were beginning to make her freak out.
Teresa stood and lunged at Marie. Marie grabbed her shoulders, just as she had previously, and moved to shove her back when she felt Teresa's hand grip her leg, just behind her knee. Teresa yanked Marie's leg out from under her, letting her own momentum take both of them to the ground. Marie gasped, crying out when she landed on her back. Teresa, having landed on top of her, jumped back, face twisted in agony.
"Marie! Marie!" She gasped, "I'm so sorry!"
The navy sky was blurred by tears, and Marie blinked them away, feeling them run down her face. She coughed, but there was nothing to cough up- she couldn't catch her breath, couldn't breathe. The coil that was wound up in her chest unravelled and she found herself lost in anxiety, in fear. She couldn't move. All she could do was cough and gasp for air.
"Clint! Jeff!" Newt shouted, rushing forward to help her sit up. He'd seen the beginning of her fit before it even started.
"Marie, I-I'm so sorry!" Teresa said. She turned to Minho, desperate, "I wasn't trying to hurt her, I just-"
Minho helped her up before waving Thomas over. "It's okay, accidents happen. Thomas," He added when his friend ran over. He spoke lowly, "Get everyone to go to dinner okay? Marie's having a panic attack."
Thomas wasn't sure what Minho meant by 'panic attack'. He looked over Minho's shoulder at Marie, who was sitting upright but clinging to Newt. Her head was down, shoulders heaving and he heard broken sobs escape her. Thomas looked back at Minho, nodding. "Yeah, no problem."
Gally helped Thomas round everyone up, save for the medjacks, Minho and Newt, who stayed with Marie while she worked herself out.
"She's not hurt," Clint said, inspecting her bare back before lowering the hem of her shirt, "At least not visibly. Her spine is still straight, it looks like."
"Well? What caused it?" Newt asked, referring to her episode. Marie was clinging to her brothers shirt, head resting in the crook of his shoulder. Her knees were drawn up, as if to shield her away. Her breaths were quick and panicked, and she squeezed her eyes shut. There was a...swirling, twisting feeling in her chest, making her head and chest ache. It was uncontrollable. More prominently there was fear- Marie was afraid, and she wasn't sure why.
"I don't know, man. It could have been triggered when she got the wind knocked out of her." Jeff said, shaking his head.
Minho was quiet. Seeing Marie like this wasn't a unfamiliar sight, but it was a rare one. Something in him stirred and he looked away. Gally was watching them from the Homestead. When he saw Minho looking at him, he shook his head and turned away. Minho's hands turned into fists. It was then and there he decided he'd really break Gally's neck if the shank said a word to Marie.
Marie suddenly began to speak, bringing Minho's attention back to her.
"Newt," She gasped, "I can't-I can't breathe-"
"You can," Newt's voice was quiet and slow, "Count your breath. One. Two..."
Thomas ran over to them, his features dark with the coming twilight. "Hey," He breathed out. "Is Marie okay? What happened?"
"She was sparring with Teresa and Teresa tackled her. She hit the ground pretty hard, got the wind knocked out of her," Minho said, in a low voice as to not break the twin's counting.
"Teresa's really upset about it. She didn't mean to hurt her," Thomas said. He ran a hand through his hair. "She's gonna be okay, right? What's going on?"
Minho inwardly groaned. Thomas' questioning never ceased, it seemed. "Yeah, she's fine. It just happens sometimes- Look, just give her some space, okay?"
Newt was wide awake when Minho stepped quietly into the infirmary room. It was the same room he had been kept in after his night in the Maze. The second-in-command of the Glade was watching his sister sleep soundly from a chair next to the bed. The room was dim, only a few candles lighting the darkness. In the dimness Minho could see the stress on Newt's face.
"Is she asleep?" Minho asked, quietly so to not wake her.
Newt only nodded, dropping his gaze to his hands. His fingers were wringing together, his jaw taught.
"Newt?" Minho's voice was a little louder.
"It's my fault she's like this," Newt said suddenly, voice broken. He looked up at Minho, his brown eyes almost black in the candlight. He blinked and tears spilled over his face. "Did she tell you that? That she has these fits because of me, because of what I did?"
Minho knew what he meant and shook his head, walking over to stand beside him. "No. No, Newt. That's not what this is-"
"It is. If I had been stronger, if I hadn't jumped-" Newt's raising voice caused Marie to turn in her sleep. He stopped talking abruptly, and the two boys watched her shift in her sleep.
When she settled down, Minho spoke quietly. "Newt..." He was hesitant to speak at first, "...I don't know why this happens to her. I don't. But I do know that Marie needs you more than anyone. The sooner we get out of this place, the sooner we can get her help."
Newt was quiet a long time, staring at Marie's sleeping form. He wiped his face with the hem of his shirt, smearing the dirt and tears on his face.
"I'll stay with her. Go get some sleep," Minho whispered, patting Newt's shoulder.
"Thanks, Minho. I'll be next door- just come get me if she starts up again," Newt said nodding. He stood up and limped to the door, casting one last glance at the two Runners before quietly shutting the door behind him.
Minho exhaled sharply and sat down. He leaned forward and rubbed his face with his hands. It was well past midnight, but his mind wasn't tired at all.
He turned his head to look at Marie. She was awake, staring at him silently.
"Thank you for talking to him," Marie said quietly. She was laying on her side, with on hand tucked under her pillow.
"How are you feeling?" Minho asked. He noticed the way the light was casting shadows on her face, just as it did the night after he survived the Maze.
"Better now. Just tired," Marie rubbed her eye with her free hand. "He wasn't wrong," She added quietly.
Minho's eyebrows furrowed. "What?" He asked incredulously.
Marie's mouth set into a line and she looked away from him, watching the candle flame's shadows flicker across the walls.
"Clint and Jeff call them 'panic attacks'. They started happening after Newt's accident. But I don't blame him," she said. Turning her gaze back to Minho, Marie added, "I don't want him to blame himself, Minho. I think I'm just jacked."
Minho shook his head. "You're not jacked. It happens to everyone every now and then." Hesitantly, he asked, "That's why you go to the Deadheads, isn't it? To keep this from happening?"
"Yeah. I don't like it when everyone sees...it makes me look weak."
Marie sighed, rubbing her eyes again. Minho thought he saw tears, but couldn't tell in the light. "Gally thinks I'm not stable enough to be a Keeper. I guess I reinforced that, didn't I?"
"Don't listen to that slinthead. Next time you feel anxious, come get me. We'll work it out together. Good that?" Minho said, trying his best to be optimistic.
Marie smiled up at him slightly, and it looked like she was...shy? Minho swallowed nervously, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Thanks, Minho. I will," She said quietly.
Feeling his hands become clammy, he decided to change the subject. "Oh, I forgot to show you-" Minho reached behind him, having just remembered he never took off his backpack, and pulled out the long cylindrical stinger he'd been carrying around.
Marie frowned and propped her self up on one elbow, leaning forward to get a good look at the foreign object. Minho leaned towards her, holding it out so she could see better.
"The body hell is that?" She asked. It was was large, barely fitting the palm of Minho's hand, and poking out at the end was a long sharp needle. There were letters printed along the side, and a red number four glowed angrily. "W-I-C-K-E-D," Marie spelled, tracing the letters with her fingers as she spoke. Her eyes darted up to meet Minho's. "Where did you get this?"
"Remember that Griever Thomas killed? This was stuck inside it," Minho said. He couldn't help the excitement that leaked into his voice. "Whatever the hell this thing is, it's our first clue."
"These are the same letters printed on the walls in the Maze. So whoever put us in here must have made this thing." Marie was getting excited as well. Their first clue! All that time, they'd been stuck there without any way out, without any thought as to how to solve the Maze. Then Thomas came and that all went out the window. He made more progress in four weeks than they had in two years.
"I can't believe it, Minho," She breathed, smiling broadly at him, "You were right. Thomas really is going to get us out of here!"
Minho was silent, watching the shadows dance across her face. He wanted to do something, but held himself back. Marie was still propped up on one arm, significantly closer to him than he realized. That same feeling from before was stirring in his chest, as it had been since the night he made that bet with her. At the time, it had been a joke because he liked to mess with her, but it was nagging him now.
When he first met her, Minho knew that she was something else. She wasn't slim and frail like the Gladers had expected, but athletic, strong, built like her brother. She was confident and smart; It was no surprise that she was a natural runner and leader. That was what attracted him to her at first, but it was purely physical, and he hadn't made a move on her because she was his best friend. But the last few weeks...When he saw her at the end of the Maze, just before the doors closed, his heart had jumped in his chest, and he felt something else there.
Without thinking, he said, "Marie, I..."
Marie blinked, waiting for him to finish.
"...I want you to get some sleep. I'll be here if you need anything," Minho said, suddenly loosing confidence. He looked away from her and shifted in his seat, placing the Griever's clue back in his pack.
Marie bit the inside of her cheek. She was expecting him to say something else, but pushed down her disappointment. She wasn't even sure what she thought he would say.
"Goodnight, Minho," Marie replied, settling back down into bed. She tucked her hand under her pillow and closed her eyes.
"Goodnight, Marie."
About ten minutes later, Minho was still staring at the wall when he heard Marie stir.
"Hey, Minho?" She voiced, her words slurred with sleep.
"Yeah?" Minho said, turning his head to look at her.
Her eyes were still closed, "Thank you."
Minho's face soften a little and he smiled, running a hand through his hair. "You're welcome."