"Sadie." A voice whispered in her ear tugging on her hair and shaking her shoulder. Sadie groaned in response burrowing herself farther into her warm pillow and blanket as sunlight leaked in through the windows.
"Psst Sadie? Come on!" The voice pestered again ripping her blanket off of her.
"No. Sleep is good." Sadie groaned her toes curling as they were exposed to the cold morning air. Slowly she forced her eyes open peering around the room groggily. Her whole body ached, her legs were sore, her arms felt strained, and she was pretty sure her hands had rope burn. Memories of last night in the Maze stealthily crept up on her until she could practically feel the sticky slime of the Griever's from the night before. She shuddered and shot up in bed surprising an equally as tired looking Chuck.
"Jeez Sadie way to give me a shucking heart attack!" Chuck said slapping his hand over his chest comically. Sadie rolled her eyes and tried to comb her fingers through her impossibly tangled and curly hair.
"What's the big deal? Why are you waking me up so early?" She whined as Chuck grabbed onto her arms and dragged her out of bed and towards the rickety stairway leading out of the Homestead.
"Newt called a Gathering after what you and Thomas did last night."
"Oh that."
"Yeah that! That was some gutsy klunk!" Chuck exclaimed peering up at her in slight awe. Sadie shrugged and continued to clomp through the grass beside Chucky heading towards the small meeting room.
"Wait Newt called the meeting? Why didn't he come and wake me up himself?" Sadie asked rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and yawning widely.
"I don't know the guy's busy. Especially with Alby being hurt and all. Why you asking?" Chuck responded wiggling his eyebrows at her. Sadie snorted and shoved him.
"I was just wondering!" She said rolling her eyes in exasperation as a small blush crept up her neck. Her thoughts immediately scampered to the night he had comforted her, and to the night he had told her stories, and to the night she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. It was starting to feel like she'd never gone a night without seeing him.
"Naw you just wanted Newt to go wake you up so you could give him some loving." Chuck teased elbowing Sadie and giving her an over dramatic wink.
"Oh shut up slinthead." Sadie hissed grabbing him by his shirt and rubbing her knuckles into his shaggy and curly head. Chuck laughed loudly and pushed her away running off towards the meeting room. Sadie chuckled shaking her head as she followed the younger boy but all feelings of happiness quickly drained out of her because as soon as she set foot into the Gathering room all eyes turned on her. It was set up much like it had been before large chairs were set up in a semi-circle facing not one but two smaller less comfortable chairs, one of which was already occupied. Thomas looked up at her and smiled shrugging his shoulders nervously. Sadie tried for a small one in return and waved awkwardly walking towards the empty chair and flopping down onto it. Here we go again. Sadie thought watching as all of the Keeper's took their seats, everyone was there except for Alby. His chair sat empty next to Newt and seemed to make everything gloomier.
"Ok now that everyone's here, and since our leader Alby's sick I'll declare this Gathering begun." Newt announced rolling his eyes at the formality of it all. "So, we all know why we're here. Everything's been bloody crazy these past couple of days and it all seems to be circling around Tommy and Sadie here." Sadie gripped her hands together tightly in her lap determined not to flush in embarrassment or to show any kind of anxiousness. She'd sat in this seat before getting questions thrown at her left and right, and she hated it with a passion. She already had trouble remembering things, obviously, and now they were going to ask her about last night, which quite frankly she didn't want to talk about. A loud snort came from the eleven Keepers breaking Sadie out of her thoughts as a tall but lanky boy leaned forward in his seat. He had a primitive looking face and a large nose that took up most of it. He ignored Sadie completely and seemed to focus on Thomas.
"They're nothing but a bunch of rule breaking Greenbeans." A few of the boys started to mumble in hushed towns around them before Newt could finally calm them down.
"Sorry but who are you?" Sadie asked in a clipped tone, Newt was about to speak again when the boy stepped forward and squinted at her.
"The name's Gally, but most people call me Captain Gally." Everyone in the room snickered and groaned mockingly.
"Captain Gally?" Sadie snorted raising her eyebrows in amusement. "Did you come up with that one all on your own?"
"Sadie, Gally could you two pipe down I'm trying to keep some bugging order 'round here. And Gally if you're going to keep running your bloody mouth you can just shucking leave." Newt growled giving the Glader a cold look before continuing. "Anyways we're all here because every bloody Glader has been coming up to me either whining about you two or begging for a bugging autograph. We need to figure out what to do with you two." Newt said giving Gally a warning look daring him to speak. Sadie sunk lower into her chair; she was already liking this less and less.
"What do you mean do with us?" Sadie blurted out causing a few of the Keepers to laugh like she'd asked an obvious question.
"Well we'll have to decide that. And you two can't bloody talk for any of it, got that?" Sadie could practically feel her stubbornness rising up inside her, she wanted to argue but Thomas quickly laid a hand on her forearm catching her eye. Just go with it. He seemed to say to her as he gave her a grudging look. Sadie huffed and turned back in her seat focusing her own eyes on Newt.
"Fine." She mumbled reluctantly crossing her arms as she starred him down. Newt shrugged apologetically and turned towards Zart.
"Start her off Zart." And with that the meeting proceeded. Every Keeper got the chance to speak Sadie biting her tongue in an attempt to keep her flooding comments from pouring out. To her relief most of them were on their side, calling what they did brave and even amazing. Except of course for Gally, Winston and even a few others Sadie had to dig her fingernails into the chair to ovoid calling out and arguing with each and every boy that sided against them. Just get it shucking over with. She thought trying to keep her eyes glued on Newt as he scribbled down everyone's recommendations his brow crinkling in concentration.
"I think I've made my opinion clear." Gally announced sitting up straighter in his chair when it was finally his turn.
"Good that, we'll go onto Minho then." Newt sighed rolling his eyes.
"No! I wasn't finished!" Gally yelled causing Sadie to jump in her seat at his outburst.
"Then bloody get on with it!" Newt ordered gripping the pencil in his hand so tightly Sadie was sure it was going to snap.
"You all have to stop and think. All of this seems a bit fishy right? I mean first the slinthead of a Greenbean shows up then two girls come up in the shucking box! Now they're running off into the Maze acting like they're shucking gods pretending to rescue people. I bet it wasn't even their ideas to get rid of the Grievers and tie Alby up."
"Pretending!" Sadie barked unable to sit in silence any longer. "You've got to be shucking kidding me. How would we even pretend to save someone? Are you a shucking idiot or something?"
"Sadie enough." Newt ordered but she didn't care she was so sick and tired of all of this. She was on a roll and not even Newt was going to stop her.
"And it was our shucking ideas! You got that? We aren't here to mess everything up! In fact I didn't even ask to freaking be here, none of us did! We're no different than any of you so give us a shucking break already because all we did was help someone!" Sadie yelled her face burning in anger as she leaned forward in her chair everyone watching her with wide eyes. Gally let out an angry yell and shot to his feet sending his chair toppling over.
"I won't shucking do it! I know who he is!" Gally shouted pointing an accusing finger at Thomas, "And you're no better than him. We can't shucking trust you two! The creators probably just sent you here to spy on us didn't they? Didn't they bitch!" He stepped forward yelling into Sadie's face as spit droplets flew from his mouth, spraying Sadie's cheek.
"I said enough!" Newt yelled jumping to his feet and slamming Gally back into his own. "Now shut your bloody mouth and I better not hear another bugging word out of you or so help me." Newt growled his voice getting dangerously low. When Gally didn't respond and continued to sit in a stunned silence Newt nodded towards Minho. "Hurry up and bloody say something Minho before I go shucking mad." Sadie sunk back into her seat her chest rising and falling quickly as the adrenaline and anger from before slowly began to drain out of her as Minho stepped forward.
"I was out there with them." He said quickly, "I saw what they did. They stayed strong while I ran off like some klunk head chicken. Now I'm going to go ahead and say my recommendation, no use yacking everyone to death like Gally.'' Minho took a shaky breath and looked from Sadie to Thomas before finishing. " I think they should both become Runners and I nominate Thomas to take my job as Keeper of the Runners."
As soon as the words left his mouth the room erupted into an uproar as everyone began yelling trying to get their opinions heard as everyone else shouted their own.
"That's ridiculous!"
"He can't replace you as Keeper!"
"What the klunk is going on in that head of yours Minho?"
"You're all insane!" Sadie stayed rooted to her chair her eyes seemed to grow as wide as plates as she watched everyone in amazement. A Runner? Me! And Thomas… Sadie shifted in her seat and saw that Thomas seemed just as shocked as she felt he turned towards her his mouth slightly ajar. Keeper of the Runners?
"Would you shanks quit your bloody crying!" Newt yelled over the noise giving everyone a hard stare until they returned to their seats in silence. "We need to make a bloody decision!" But it seemed like Gally wasn't done because he stood up and faced Minho he looked so angry Sadie wouldn't have been surprised if steam started to come out of his ears.
"That is the biggest pile of klunk I've ever heard. And I get it that they're two smart ass shanks but-"
"No you don't shucking get it!" Minho argued cutting Gally off and stepping forward. "You're nothing but a worthless little slinthead that couldn't last five minutes in the Maze without klunking in your shucking pants. You aren't a Runner and you never will be! So don't say you get it because, You. Shucking. Don't!" Gally's fist clenched his face turning beet red as he stomped towards Minho.
"If you ever say that again I'll kick your shucking ass!" Gally bellowed but Minho just shook his head and chuckled darkly before stepping forward and slamming his palm into Gally's chest sending the Glader sprawling onto the floor. Minho stepped forward and pushed the bottom of his boot into Gally's chest pinning him to the ground.
"I swear to god Gally, if you ever threaten me again, or even shucking talk to me I will kick your shucking ass over the cliff myself." Everyone in the room watched in complete and utter silence as Minho looked down at Gally his face hard. The tension in the air was so thick Sadie could have cut it with a butter knife. Finally Minho slowly lifted his boot off of the boys chest and resumed leaning against the wall watching in amusement as Gally stumbled towards the exit. He turned and looked at Thomas with a penetrating gaze and said "Whatever you came here for, I swear I'll shucking kill you before you get the chance." And with that he dashed out.
The room broke out into more arguments but Sadie blocked them all out Gally's threat towards Thomas still ringing in her ears. She'd never tell Thomas but she had been having dreams about him too. Dreams about him and Teresa, she already hated Gally's guts but she couldn't help but wonder. In her dreams Thomas and Teresa had been hovering over her, her arms bound to a freezing hospital-operating table as they looked down at her with stoic expressions. The dream always ended in the same way, with Teresa whispering how sorry she was as her and Thomas lowered a helmet over Sadie's head and then it would all fade to black. What does all of this mean? Thomas is my friend and so is Teresa, but my dreams-
"My recommendation is that we hold you both up one day in the Slammer. " Newt said snapping Sadie out of her daze. "That'll be your punishment, but I also think Tommy here should be a Runner, as for being a bloody Keeper though well you can forget about that Tommy." Most of the boys in the room nodded in agreement calling out their votes until Sadie finally realized Newt hadn't mentioned her.
"Wait what about me?" She asked trying to catch Newt's eye as he scribbled away at his notebook.
"What about you sunshine? I already said you'd get one night in the Slammer."
"You know that's not what I meant. What about being a Runner?" The room quieted everyone turning to watch as Newt peered up at Sadie holding her gaze a pensive look pulling at his face.
"We already voted and the answer is no." He responded in a gravelly and condescending tone.
"What!" Sadie shrieked jumping to her feet in outrage. "I was in that shucking Maze too." She roared balling her fist up at her sides as new anger flooded her veins.
"That answer is still bloody no." Newt said pulling himself to his feet and stomping off without another word. Sadie stood stock still her mind spinning in a thousand different ways as she watched the door bang shut behind him.
"Um Sadie you okay there?" Thomas asked quietly as Minho and Frypan joined them all watching as the curly headed girl slowly shook in rage.
"What is his problem!" She demanded whirling on Frypan and Minho the two jumped back instinctively and raised their hands in defense. "Who does he think he is!" She roared stomping her foot. Sadie figured she probably looked like a five year old throwing a tantrum but she didn't care she had earned the right to be a Runner and so help her she was going to become one.
"Sadie I'd just leave it alone." Minho warned watching her warily but it all fell on deaf ears as Sadie stormed out of the Gathering room her head whipping around until she spotted the limping figure of Newt disappear into one of the sheds near the Gardens. You are in so much shit. Sadie thought scathingly as she sprinted towards the small and ramshackle shed. Wait till I get my shucking hands on you Newt!
