I sat with my friends at dinner like I usually did, but didn't say much. Not many people did. Lorna wasn't present and was apparently attending a Gathering at the moment. It was a quiet evening and a heavy depression hung in the air like dead weight. It was the time for Erik to shine with his inappropriate jokes at inappropriate times. Completely oblivious to the depressing aura around him, he rambled on loudly about various things no one cared about, causing many Gladers to glare at him and silently will him to shut up.
Dan and Callum attempted several times to fill him in on the situation but, even with knowledge of the deaths of two Gladers, he just wouldn't be quiet. If anything the extra information only added to the pile of inappropriately timed jokes that seriously made everyone want to stab him.
"Whoa, would you look at the time," Felix exclaimed suddenly, looking at an invisible watch in fake shock. "I think it's about time to leave, don't you think so, Greenie?"
Erik looked up from his meal. "What? But I haven't even finished-"
We each grabbed a portion of his food until there was nothing left on his plate. He stared at it in dismay and Felix pulled him away from the table. "Come on, you'll get plenty of food tomorrow after you stop acting like an idiot."
There was a moment of silence after the pair left, then everyone audibly sighed and many started laughing. Despite everything, it was relieving to have at least one person in the Glade unaffected by tragic events. "He's like a comic relief character in a serious story," Dan mused, poking at his food with a fork.
"Oi, don't play with your food," Bonnie scolded him. "I worked hard making that."
"Bonnie, we know you were asleep," Callum sighed, "or at least you were faking it."
"What? No I wasn't, that's a load of klunk!"
"Quit lying, we know you were! You're a really great deputy by the way," he added sarcastically, "I'm sure Harriet is super glad to have a shank like you around."
"Hey, I can be serious when I want to be," she pouted. "I just don't need to be serious with you guys since I thought we were friends. Apparently I was wrong; friends are nicer than this."
She feigned heartbreak as the others continued to tease her. I turned my attention to Dan. "You okay?"
He seemed surprised that I had noticed and nodded slowly. "Yeah…it's just that…that was the first time I'd seen someone die. I never thought I'd see it happen right in front of me while I was in the middle of treating them." He looked down at his hands and frowned deeply. "If I had been faster maybe I could have saved him."
"Oi, don't start going on about what you would've and should've done, I've had plenty of that and don't intend to see any more. I'm sure you did everything you could and no one could ask for more. Marcus wouldn't blame you; he'd blame the shuck Griever that wounded him in the first place."
Dan nodded sadly, "Thanks, Claire."
"Don't worry about it, just keep your chin up and do the best you can. He died to bring Sonya back, didn't he? That means, if you feel guilty for his death, you should take responsibility for her and make sure she's okay. Don't doubt your abilities, Dan."
A sudden clarification filled Dan's eyes and he nodded determinedly. "I'll look after her with everything I have," he agreed. "Marcus' death won't go without meaning. Whatever happens, I'll make sure Sonya lives through to the end."
"Hey, it's nice and dandy that you're motivated but don't go talking about an 'end'. We're gonna get out of here and I plan on getting out alive." I smiled, "And I'm taking you all with me."
Dan smiled back at me, "Yeah."
"Claire, could you come with me for a moment," Newt's voice whispered behind me. I turned to see him standing awkwardly behind me, looking worried. "Bring Bonnie."
I nodded, surprised by his appearance. "Sure." I left the table, pulling Bonnie with me and followed Newt across the field. Waiting for us were Gally and three people I didn't know. One was a tall boy with dark brown hair and wide eyes; the other was a dark skinned girl with her hair tied back in a ponytail; and the last was a boy with bright blond hair that almost looked white and very pale skin. All three of them looked as confused as I felt. "Newt, what's this about?"
"You probably already know that a gathering was held," Newt answered, not looking at me. "Alby will explain everything that they discussed when you get there."
"Did you not go?"
"No, I was catching up on sleep, like you and Bonnie." We joined Gally and the three strangers.
"Hey Sophia, hey Hawk," Bonnie greeted them, clearly well acquainted with them. "This is my friend, Claire. Claire, this is Hawk, Sophia and James."
I nodded to the pair as a greeting and they nodded back. Upon closer inspection, I could see that the pale boy's, James', eyes were an alarming shade of blue and stood out in the darkness of the evening. He looked extremely nervous and his eyes darted left and right constantly. Maria, the girl, looked almost bored and was checking her nails for dirt. Hawk, the tall boy, was watching Newt and I inquisitively, but did so in a way that wasn't unnerving and he seemed more welcoming than the others. Before an awkward silence could settle, Gally growled with annoyance. "Come on, let's just get to Homestead. The others are waiting and I can't believe I was the one they sent to get you guys. They should've sent Lorna."
Newt rolled his eyes. "I did most of the work you know?"
"Why else do you think I got you first?"
Newt didn't even bother replying and began walking to wherever they were. I walked alongside him, leaving Bonnie to make small talk with Hawk and Sophia; James hung at the rear in silence. "So what's this all about?"
"I have a pretty good guess," he murmured, "and I'm sure you do too."
I nodded. "Yeah, I have a pretty solid idea too. We'll just learn the details from Alby and Harriet."
"Exactly." After a few minutes we arrived at Homestead. We stepped inside and Gally lead us to a room I'd never been in before. Once inside, I saw that the room was already full of about eleven or so people sitting in chairs. The group seemed to consist of all the Keepers plus Alby and Harriet. The room was large and, besides the chairs, there was no other furniture except for a small table in the corner. The walls were all made of wood, as well as the floor, and it didn't look like anyone had particularly tried to make the place look welcoming. I couldn't see any windows which explained why the air didn't feel very fresh and smelled of old books. There were several empty chairs at the front of the group, opposite of where Harriet and Alby were waiting. We all took a seat except for Gally, who leaned against a one of the walls and refused to sit down, glaring at everyone with the stubbornness of a child.
'I wonder who pissed him off,' I wondered as I attempted to remain calm under the eyes of so many people. It wasn't a large group, but being in a single room with everyone made me feel slightly claustrophobic. It was similar to the feeling I had when I first got out of the box and was probably a feeling I'd never really recover from. I was sat next to Newt who, sensing my sudden nervousness held my hand and squeezed. I squeezed back, letting him know I was fine.
Alby cleared his throat. "As you know, two of our Runners died last night after being attacked by a Griever. This means that we now only have four. Today's Gathering was held to decide what to do about it, to find a solution."
"We decided," Harriet jumped in, "that we need to find new Runners and quickly. However there is no easy way to become a Runner. It takes time and you need to stand out as a capable survivor." She smiled, "That's where you guys come in."
"What's that supposed to mean?" A voice spoke to my left. I turned my head and saw that it was Hawk who had spoken. His voice was deeper than I imagined it to be.
"What we decided to do was make a list. We made a list of all the people we thought were capable of becoming and being a Runner. We came up with four names that we all agreed on. Those names were Sophia, Hawk, Claire and Gally."
"Gally?" Sophia yelled in surprise. "But he's a Keeper!"
"Believe me, I'm not happy about having to leave my job either," Gally snarled bitterly, glaring daggers at Harriet and Alby. "Unfortunately, everyone ganged up on me. Thankfully I have one person in mind to replace me until I'm allowed back to my original work, so everything isn't as terrible as it could be."
"It can't be that simple," I interrupted, looking directly at Alby for an answer. "There's more isn't there, something you haven't told us?"
Alby nodded, "You won't just become Runners. You aren't all physically or mentally prepared for the strain and will need to go through training. Usually this is done in the Maze but I don't want to send a bunch of new Runners out there at once, so you'll have to do it in the Glade and take turns when actually going outside. The training will also double as trials. If during later events we decide that you aren't capable of becoming a Runner after all, you'll be sent back to your old job where you'll continue to work. Of course, we won't force you to be a Runner if you don't want to, but we strongly advise you do." He paused to see if there was anyone who wanted out. We remained silent.
Pleased with this response, Harriet stepped forward. "Your training shall begin tomorrow morning. You will be expected outside the map room half an hour before the Maze doors open for the day. I guess you could say your first trial is waking up." Several Keepers chuckled at this and the female leader seemed satisfied with that result.
Alby rolled his eyes, "Minho will give you extra details on your trials tomorrow. For now I advise you get some rest, you're going to need it."
With that statement, we were dismissed and slowly the Keepers began to file out of the room. I stopped Gally who was making his way to the door. "Are you really going to become a Runner, Gally?"
He shrugged. "Apparently I'm the most physically capable for it and have the mental capacity to deal with the stress of being in the Maze. I'm actually surprised you were chosen. I know you have the legs for it, but you don't have a lot going on upstairs." He prodded my forehead for emphasis. "Like a true Builder."
I swatted his hand away. "Are you saying I'm stupid?"
"You figure it out," he teased and left me alone and confused.
I turned to Newt, "Do you think I'm stupid?"
He patted my shoulder in a patronizing manner and gave me a smile, "You are whatever you want to be." This of course earned him several hits on the arm and a grumpy girlfriend.
"So you're finally going to become a Runner," Bonnie interrupted joyfully. "This must be a dream come true for you, huh Claire?"
"I guess you could say that," I agreed. I WAS excited to be a Runner. In the beginning I had wanted to become a Runner in order to escape from the Glade but now I wanted to find a way out and bring everyone with me. I didn't really want to be a hero or anything; I just wanted to be free. I wanted to see birds again, to build a snowman, to go on a terrible first real date with Newt and live a normal life. I doubted any of that would happen even if we did get out, it seemed too wishful, but I could hope couldn't I?
Becoming a Runner was the first step to accomplishing that dream. Whatever we find out there will be better than in the Maze, of that I was certain. I know Newt said there was no way out, but there HAD to be. If not, why would the Creators have put them there?
"Claire, are you okay?" Newt's voice broke my thoughts and I noticed him watching me with a concerned look. "You've been staring blankly for like five minutes…"
"Oh, yeah I was just thinking about some things," I assured him, smiling. "I should probably be more worried, but I'm really not. I'm not confident or anything and I'm obviously scared of what might happen if I ever encounter a Griever, but if I do find trouble I can always count on my legs to carry me out of there." I patted them dramatically, grinning.
Newt didn't look convinced. "Just be careful out there, okay?"
"Yes, dad," I answered, turning to leave the uninviting room, glad to be able to get away from it. Everyone else had already left, so it was just Newt and I. "Come on, let's go get something to eat before dinner en-"
I felt something grab my arm and pull me back suddenly, interrupting my words. I yelped in protest but was quickly silenced as Newt placed a kiss on my lips. I relaxed into it, enjoying the moment we created before we pulled away from each other. He rested his forehead on mine and stared into my eyes with an expression I couldn't read, but I didn't hate it. I returned the look, smiling slightly.
"Have I ever told you you're beautiful?" He asked suddenly.
I thought about it for a moment. "I don't know, I can't remember."
"Then I'm telling you now: you are literally the most beautiful shuck girl I've ever seen. Now I may have only seen a little over 20 girls in the single year I remember living but I'm certain that, even amongst those I knew before I lost my memories, you're the single most brilliant person I've ever met. You're bloody amazing. Seriously, all your pros, all your cons, every perfection and imperfection, I love them all." I felt my face grow red and looked down at the ground, embarrassed. "Oi, don't look away." He lifted my chin gently with his hand, tilting my head back so that I was forced to look into his eyes. Unexpectedly, I found an incredible sadness there. "If you die out in the Maze, I'll never forgive you. You do everything bloody possible to get your ass back here in one piece. If we really are going to find a way out of here, you need to be there with me because I seriously don't see the point if you aren't there." I noticed his eyes moisten and realized how well he knew the pain of losing the people he loved in the Maze.
Unable to take it anymore, I threw my arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. "I promise, Newt. I promise with everything I have I will not die. We're going to get out of the Maze and we're going to live, even if it's just the two of us. Everything will be fine because it'll be you and me. I won't die if you won't." I realized there were tears in my eyes now. The idea of losing Newt broke my heart but I knew that for Newt, who had already experienced the pain of loss, it must be even worse. I needed to be strong for him.
Newt pulled back a little, smiling again. "Moron, I'm supposed to be the strong male figure here, not you! We have our roles backwards."
I gave him a wry smile, "I'll only let you protect me when I think I'd need protecting, suck-face." I stuck out my little finger. "Let's promise here and now that we won't die. Even if we're separated with no hope of finding one another, we won't ever give up as long as there's a chance that we can be together. Even if there isn't, we have to keep going. We can't die until we're old and wrinkly, okay?"
Newt nodded and didn't even make a sarcastic comment on how they were using a pinky promise for this. He simple wrapped his little finger around mine and shook it. "I swear."
"Good that."
"Good that for sure shuck-face."
