hello my people! Sorry for the long wait. School's started up again and it's been putting a hurtin' on my time. I'll try to keep pumping these babies out weekly now that I'm in my groove. Anyways, enjoy my next installment!

There were so many people. A huge crowd spilled out over the meadow next to the Overseer's house. A bonfire glowed in the center of the party. Giant barrels were laid in different places with a glader filling his or her cup with beer. The whole field rumbled with conversation. Mostly Gladers in circles talking, usually a boy or girl group exclusively, though a few brave souls were venturing towards the opposite sex. Alex has never seen all the girls so clean before. She'd taken a shower earlier before the lines came. Sonja said it was a 30-minute wait and the hot water was long gone when she turned the faucet. It took even longer to find what to wear. Alex's clothes were mostly worn out after countless hours of running and Sonja's were littered with dirt stains. Alex rummaged through her closet for something with the least amount of holes. She eventually found close fitting black pants and the only clean white shirt. Sonja insisted that they arrive late. That way the guys would talk to the early girls in the beginning and get used to them. The new girls would be like a splash of cold water. The boys would all notice them.

"All these options," Sonja observed smiling at a group of boys who turned to look at the pair.

"I wonder if Jeremy's here," Alex murmured.

"Forget about Jeremy," Sonja scoffed. "He's awkward anyway."

"I'm going to look for him," Alex said.

"No wait!" Sonja exclaimed pulling her arm. "You can't leave me alone."

"Why not?" Alex asked. "You said you wanted to talk to guys. Well, here they are."

"But not by myself," Sonja hissed. "Come on, 20 minutes that's all I ask."

Alex's face singed with frustration, but only for a moment. She understood why Sonja was so adamant about doing this together. She wasn't sure she herself could walk up to a bunch of guys and start talking. To be honest, she was scared of meeting a new boy. So many things could go wrong. What if he thought she was weird and told his friends how strange she was? What if he flat out rejected her in front of everyone?

The girls filled their cups to the brim with beer and set out boldly to make some approaches. Only they'd hover near a circle of guys for no more than 30 seconds. If the guys didn't do anything then they'd float to a different location, or if they did talk to them (which was rare) then it'd go solid for a minute or two and then quickly dry up. The worst part was standing there waiting for one party to leave the conversation. It was horrifying.

"We need to drink more to take off the edge," Alex said as they retreated back to the beer barrels.

By her third cup she was feeling a little woozy, but she'd turn into such a social butterfly that she could keep a conversation with a tree. Sonja was defiantly in the zone. They talked to this one group of boys for the longest time. Sonja really liked Garrett and they were hitting it off pretty well. It was odd to watch. Like the two of them were separated from the entire party. Brad, the guy Alex was talking to, was kind of cool. He was drunk, more drunk than she was and kept saying that they should go somewhere quiet to talk. She'd politely deny him and he'd slap his forehead and laugh blaming his "aggression" on the alcohol.

Alex felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and a huge smile formed on her face when she saw who it was.

Max.

"Hey!" she greeted throwing her arms around his neck. He almost fell backwards not expecting her to throw all her body weight on him.

"Whoa," he laughed. "Hey, Alex."

"Max, I haven't seen you in forever!" she exclaimed.

Yeah, she was drunk.

"I know," he replied. "I can tell you're having a good time."

"I am," she said. "Have you met Natalie yet?"

"I have actually," he answered. "I'm on my way to the map room to compare our two maps."

"You're working?" her face twisted in disgust. "Do you and Natalie ever have fun?"

"Not everyone's definition of fun is the same," he returned. "Anyway, I've got to run. It was good seeing you again, Alex."

He walked a couple steps before turning around again.

"Oh and Jeremy's looking for you."

Her eyes light up.

"Where?"

He pointed over her shoulder and she followed his finger. She half expected him to be off to himself somewhere away from crowd sipping his drink while looking on. She didn't think he'd be surrounded by three giggling girls pushing against each other just to get close to him while he sat on a log smiling. Her smile dropped and that familiar weight in her chest felt like it would break her back. It's like what Sonja said. They're hot on the market.

"I don't know," she replied. "He looks like he's having fun."

"He's been asking for you all night," Max said. "Go talk to him."

She looked unsure. He sighed and took her hand leading her to Jeremy. He did it so abruptly that she didn't have a chance to pull away, and before she knew it she was standing right in front of him.

"Found her, Jeremy," Max said and turned around and left her among the three girls competing for Jeremy's attention.

"Alex," Jeremy said standing up. His eyes glowed in the firelight. He genuinely seemed happy to see her.

"Hey," Alex said trying to keep her voice from slurring.

"When'd you get here?"

"Oh a while ago," she replied glancing at the other girls.

Jeremy noticed her uneasiness. He quietly excused himself from the group of girls and took her hand. She was caught off guard by his sudden boldness, but she was more than willing to move with him. The girls cleared the way looking slightly disappointed. Alex couldn't really focus on their faces. She let out a burp as he lead her away from the firelight and into the meadow near the maze walls. They were both fueled by liquid courage. She wondered how far the alcohol would take them.

He sprawled out on the field. The moon replaced the fire glow for the night. They could still hear the chatter from the party, but for now it was just them. The maze walls towered above them, like parents silently watching their children. She laid down next to him gazing at it. Whenever she saw the maze walls her mind immediately formed an image of an exit. A beautiful exit with flowers and pine trees lining the door, and a single ray of sunlight shining on the button to open it. It was a stupid fantasy. She'd even have dreams about it. She wanted nothing more than for it to be a reality. Or at least she thought, because at this moment she wanted nothing more than for him to reach out and touch her.

"You ever wonder what it's like up there?" Jeremy asked.

"Where?"

"The moon," he replied. "You think anyone's been there yet?"

She stared hard at the glowing white ball that was swaying back and forth. It seemed so close enough to reach, unless it was massive giving a false illusion that it was close.

"I don't know," she answered. She covered her mouth to hide a burp.

"If we ever get out of here I'd like to go there," he said. "But I don't know where I'd rather be right now, up there, or with you."

She turned her head and he was gazing back at her. He lifted her arm and grazes her cheeks with his fingers. His touched sent shivers through her body. She couldn't believe this was really happening. She'd think was dreaming if his hand wasn't gliding down her face and through her hair. He scooted closer to where their hips were touching and turned on his side. She did the same. Their eyes were glued to each other as they lay in the grass, his hand still caressing her cheeks. Despite all of this, she didn't know if she should kiss him. She didn't even remember how to kiss.

She didn't have to worry for long.

His hand trailed over to the back of her head and he gently pulled her lips towards his own. When their lips touched she almost giggled. Not because anything was funny, but because his lips kind of tickled. It wasn't unbearable; it felt nice, like taking a cold shower after a long run in the maze. She grinned as they kissed. She felt his other hand slid under her shirt and trail along her back. She wasted no time in reaching under his shirt and feeling his chest, arms, and stomach. She'd been dying to do that. Her fingers circled around the hard bumps spaced evenly apart in his abdomen. He pulled back slightly and for a terrifying moment she thought he was going to cut it short. Instead, he reached back for his collar and peeled off his shirt. Her heart was thundering so hard she was surprised he couldn't hear it.

"To make it easier for you," he murmured before kissing her again.

Whatever inhibitions she had quickly disappeared the moment his shirt came off. Her hands freely roamed every inch of him. He was getting more aggressive too, cupping her breasts and tracing her figure. Their lips were locked together and their tongues did an endless dance. The world had faded away. The two Gladers were in their own universe. The Grievers howled within the maze, sensing the heat of two wrangling bodies on the other side of the walls. But for the first time since they've both arrived in their glades they didn't even notice. Alex rolled over on top of him throwing her shirt away before bending down to kiss him. It was like if she weren't kissing she'd die of hunger. She felt his heart pound in her chest. The thought that she was exciting him turned her on even more.

The loudest noise she'd ever heard shook her insides. Jeremy instinctively grabbed her turning her over using his body to shield her. The ground vibrated. She saw double, triple, quadruple of everything. She covered her ear curling up into a ball as the sound continued. It was like someone was bashing her eardrums with a hammer over and over again. It was so loud that she couldn't tell what it sounded like. Just an awful boom.

It stopped.

Her ears were ringing. Jeremy was talking to her but She couldn't hear him. Being a little drunk wasn't helping much. She glanced at the maze. She feared that the walls might've tipped over. That'd be the only explanation for the loud noise. But it still stood. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. A large group was going in a hurry. They were running to the elevator. Something wasn't right. She leapt to her feet and pulled Jeremy up to race after them. A crowd formed around the elevator. Alex sighed bouncing on her toes trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on. Jeremy tapped her bare shoulder. When she turned she noticed his shirt was gone. Hers was too. They'd left them in the field. But they weren't the only ones without one from what she saw, besides no one really cared at the moment. Jeremy bent down on one knee and it took her a couple seconds for her to figure out what he wanted her to do. She moved behind him and lifted both her legs over his shoulders and rested her pelvis against the back of his neck. He hoisted her up and she could see well over the Gladers. Brenda was in the center next to the elevator. Her brow was low over her eyes. She had something in her hand. A note. A message from the creators?

"What does the letter say?" someone shouted from the crowd.

Her head snapped up and she eyed the crowd for a long time. Judging by her expression it wasn't good.

"The creators aren't sending supplies here anymore," she finally answered. "They're going to be coming through the other maze from now on."

She paused. Alex swallowed hard. A sick feeling slammed the pit of her stomach.

"The Grievers have a new weapon that'll activate if you get to close to one of their nests, even during the day. It's called a stinger. That's all it says."

The Glade fell silent as another Griever within the maze bellowed another high mechanical shrill.