I stirred the mixture and let it drop from the spoon to check the consistency.

"Too bloody thick" I growled, glaring at the bowl.

Frypan laughed at my expression before grabbing the bowl and a large jug on the table.

"Luckily greenie, there is a solution for every problem"

I turned my glare on him.

"And today, that solution is milk"

He poured said milk with one hand while stirring rapidly with the other. I stared, fascinated as always by his grace and skill when it came to food.

"So, why are we doing this again?" he asked, checking the temperature of the pan.

"Oh, I may have promised Minho pancakes yesterday" I ran a hand through my plait - which was becoming increasingly frizzy with the hot air. "And I couldn't let him down, could I?" I said to him a with a grin.

"Hmmph - you've got a point, greenie. I can't remember the last time we had pancakes - just never occurred to me" he mused, thoughtfully.

"Where did you learn to cook?" I wondered, pouring the now-runny mixture into the oiled pan.

He yelped and grabbed my hand to stem the flow. "Slow the shuck down!"

I sniggered.

"And I can't really remember, Resa. I arrived just Minho so I was one of the first and thought to myself, 'Well this place could do with some proper food'" he shrugged, flipping the pancake expertly. "Guess I've just got an interest. Besides these shanks were literally living on boiled veg and UNSEASONED meat" Frypan whispered to me, shuddering as though he'd just witnessed the Queen eating with her hands.

I stifled a giggle - knowing he was serious. "Oh the horror" I added as he winked at me.

"Right, you - make sure they don't burn while I go see how the others are getting on"

X_X_X

Minho was like a child on Christmas Day when I brought the Runners an overflowing plate of pancakes.

"Shuck me! Is this real Resa?"

"Better be" I replied. "Took me a bloody hour to make these beauties"

We were joined by the other Runners as Minho grabbed the plate and began stuffing his face, grunting what sounded like compliments in the process.

"Wow, thanks a lot greenie!" Ben clapped me on the back and I smiled at him, munching on a pancake. "What's the occasion?"

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I have no idea" I told him honestly. "Just thought you guys deserved a reward"

The boys nodded in agreement seeming pleased, when Minho added;

"How 'bout the fact that Newt's coming back to the Maze?"

Pancake in hand, I froze, staring at him. "Sorry - what?"

The Head Runner blinked at me, as if just realising he'd stepped the line. "Uh, no big deal greenie - its just for the day..."

I turned to face the others questioningly. " When was Newt ever in the Maze?"

When it became apparent I wasn't going to get an answer, I began to head back to Homestead, leaving them shuffling uncomfortably from foot to foot.

Newt - a Runner? I let the idea flow through my mind, until the problem became obvious. Newt had a limp... He used to be a Runner... What had happened?

X_X_X

"Have you seen Newt?" I asked the third random boy that morning. The Runners were about to leave and I HAD to speak to the second before he went with them.

"Erm yeah, I think he was looking for you in the kitchens" the Glader told me shyly.

Nodding my head, I rushed off towards the Mess Hall, almost colliding with Frypan in my hurry.

" - Oh my God!" I panted, "Have you seen Newt?"

The Cook frowned at me, gesturing towards the Maze. "They've just left greenie, Newt went with them. But don't worry, he stopped by for some pancakes before going" he smiled uncertainly at the look on my face.

A lump of worry lodged deep in my chest - what if he got hurt? He's not as fast as the rest of them!

Newt was obviously in great physical shape (I blushed inwardly, remembering how my hands had roamed his body yesterday), but his leg would inevitably slow him down.

What was Alby thinking - letting him run the Maze?

"When will they be back?"

Frypan scratched his chin, "Huh, the Runners'll be out 'till the usual time - 'bout an hour before sunset. Newt's gone to check something, so I'm not sure how long that'll take..." He trailed off at my look of despair.

"But its gonna be fine, Resa. He'll be back soon"

X_X_X

I spent the rest of the morning helping Frypan in the Kitchens.

I'd dropped my mission of trying to find out about Newt's past pretty early on - when it became obvious that I was going to be answered by an awkward silence.

But part of me was angry - why hadn't HE told me?

Of course, there was no reason he HAD to - but we had kissed (quite passionately too)... I felt my cheeks heat up at the thought.

Bloody hell, Resa - just stop it.

Immediately I busied myself with the task at hand. Me and several other cooks were preparing vegetables for dinner tonight.

Fry had excitedly asked me to decide on a meal - he 'admired my boldness' apparently, after how the pancakes had been received this morning.

So I had suggested a vegetable pie - obviously a bit of work, but rewarding in the end.

The Cooks has to be the most hard working of all the jobs I had sampled so far - they weren't time-wasters but neither was there a dull moment. The Keeper kept them all on their toes, good-naturedly barking order left, right and centre. It was nice, I concluded grinning.

After a quick lunch, Frypan excused me;

"You deserve a break, greenie. Go chill, but try 'n be back in time to make the sauce"

I'd rolled my eyes at him as I wandered to the Farms. But really, I enjoyed working in the Kitchens. The other boys sort of looked up to me for help and stuff - probably 'cus I'm a girl, I thought sheepishly.

Maybe I could do it full time?...

Crunching happily on an apple I'd grabbed from the kitchens, I waltzed through the gates into the courtyard of the Farms.

I glanced over in surprise as Rob waved me over.

Wow, maybe he was just having a bad day yesterday. The younger boy seemed to be in high spirits.

"How's it going, Resa?" He was chasing chickens around the grounds and I giggled - the sight was hilarious.

"Even better now Rob - you've just made my day"

He sniggered quietly - a sound I hadn't heard before - before grabbing a plump chicken and placing it gently on the coup.

"Glad to be of service, ma'am" He straightened up, saluting. "Are we getting something special for dinner, courtesy of you? The pancakes were incredible" A grateful grin was aimed at me before he shot off again.

"I'm glad you enjoyed them" I leaned against the gates with an amused expression. "But its just vegetable pie tonight, nothing special"

"Huh trust me, that's special enough" he said incredulously. "I'd say you're the best cook since Frypan himself"

I snorted, "I wouldn't go THAT far"

Rob rolled his eyes at me.

We carried on chatting until I glanced nervously at the Maze again - something I hadn't noticed I'd been doing until Rob sighed at me;

"Resa, he's probably on the way back, don't worry"

In response to my confused frown, he raised an eyebrow as if I was missing out on something obvious. "Newt? He'll be back soon"

Dammit, why am I so bloody readable?

I didn't insult him by denying it - only smiled wanly. "You know me so well..."

The Glader shrugged self-consciously. "Maybe - but I know Newt even better. Its the way he looks at you..."

"How does he look at me?" I smiled, glancing at the open Maze doors again.

"Sometimes he's full of - I dunno - happiness, then he gets really concerned about you. Like its hurting him too - " Rob paused, looking at me shyly.

"And other times, its like he's been in the dark all his life and you're the sun"

X_X_X

I was preparing to return to the Kitchens when Gus - a tall dark Cook - came jogging over to me, potatoes in hand.

"Resa!"

I acknowledged him with a wave.

"Fry's wondering if you could pop by the Gardens and pick up some green beans for the pie?"

Turning slowly to meet his gaze, I was surprised he wasn't in stitches on the ground. I could feel my mouth twitching, struggling to hold in a snigger.

Managing to keep a relatively straight face, I walked slowly past him. "Sure thing, Gus" I said in my sweetest voice. "Oh and tell Fry what a great idea I think it is - we all know how HEALTHY and BENEFICIAL green beans are for us"

Finishing with a simpering smile at his blushing face, I made my way to the tall, winding plants of the Gardens - still smirking at the deliberate irony of Frypan's request.

When I bumped into Knox in the Gardens, he certainly reacted in the expected way. I told him I was the Greenbean picking green beans and he cracked up, dropping his spade and clutching his stomach in laughter.

"Oh man, Resa! I bet you LOVED that, hahaha!"

I joined in, giggling as he helped me choose said green beans. "Not as much as Frypan must have, though!"

I looked at the younger boy, thinking about how close he and Newt were...

"Knox, do you know what happened to Newt's leg?"

He looked away, busying himself in the plants. "Its not that I don't want to tell you, Resa..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I just think it would be better if you asked him that question" Knox looked at me, slightly apprehensive and apologetic - but I nodded.

"No that's fine, I understand..."

His answer only intensified my suspicions that whatever had happened had left Newt scarred for life - and not only on his leg.

X_X_X

MINHO POV

My stomach grumbled over the rhythmical pounding on my feet on stone.

Shuck it, I cursed in my head - must be at least another hour to go...

The Maze, as per usual, was eerily silent. That was one of the reasons I preferred to keep moving - at least my breaths kept me company.

The other reason was, well, the Grievers.

Another day with no sightings is a day well-shucking-spent, I thought grimly.

Even after two damn years running the Maze, it never failed to surprise me. Sure, it was as boring as reading a freaking newspaper in some boring corner of hell - but at the same time it was exhilarating, kept you on your toes in a manner of speaking.

I remembered when we'd started, thought it was the best shucking thing to do - imagine finding a way outta here! Get to be a hero!

Then it became obvious that we were running in the same paths every couple of weeks - the patterns repeated every month.

And guess what? No exit! We sure felt like ass-kissin' idiots then...

Almost lost the will to live - some shanks more than others.

I shuddered.

Suddenly, there was a low moan from deep within the walls of the Maze. Ah, for the love of shuck... Must be the buggers' wake up call.

Passing a mossy green boulder, I slumped in relief - only 2 mins to go, Minho...

It was then I heard the piercing yell that broke the silence - somewhere on the left half of the Maze. My blood ran cold when I realised who the voice belonged to...

SWITCH POV

I abandoned the stove to rush out and check the East Door again, jumping as Frypan shrieked at me.

"Resa, the shucking sauce! That's the third time - "

Growling at him, I returned to stirring the sauce on the hob. "Gods! I'm worried about them, you shank!"

If not for the dire circumstances, I would have laughed at the comical looks on the boys' faces - Oh, they've never heard me in 'full Glader mode' I remembered.

Another boy recovered and attempted to calm me down;

"Its alright, greenie - maybe he just decided to come back with the rest of them"

Great, I thought with a blush. Exactly how many people knew about Newt and I anyway?

"But its almost dark! The other Runners should have been back by now as well!"

Frypan sighed in frustration, rolling the pastry when suddenly - as if on cue - there was a commotion outside.

I whipped around to stare at them, before Frypan nodded at me and handed the rolling pin to someone else. I followed his lead - thrusting the spoon at a nearby Glader - and we hurried outside.

Again, it surprised me as to how dark it was already - they made it just in time, I thought, relieved.

I felt a frown crease my features as I caught sight of the boys emerging from the Maze. Due to the limited lighting, it wasn't clear but it looked as if a bunch of them were huddled together -

"What's going on?" I asked Frypan, but the Cook only shook his head in confusion and jogged faster to reach them.

I felt my heart stop in shock when I realised someone was injured. Oh God... I almost collapsed when I spotted a sweaty blond head amongst the tangle of arms.

"Frypan, is that you?" Alby was helping the Runners and trying to regain order.

"Yeah, its me and Resa - what's happening?" The Cook grabbed my arms to prevent me rushing into the heart of the havoc. It was impossible to break the grip.

"What the shuck!?" Alby threw a glare our way. "Get the greenie outta here - and someone get the Med-Jacks!"

I hissed through my teeth. I had as much right as anyone to be here!

Frypan turned to me, worry clouding his eyes. "Greenie, you go find Clint and Jeff - tell 'em to get over her... Quick!" he insisted when I opened my mouth to protest.

I stared at him in shock, until we heard a pain-filled groan which snapped me back to reality.

Without looking back, I dashed to the Med-Hut, screaming for Clint and Jeff as soon as I was near.

Seconds later, they came thundering down - gripping sheets and towels - and told me to get a bed ready. They started running towards the other urgently.

I however did more than that. Rushing into the hospital room, I began to hunt for alcohol to disinfect whatever wounds needed treated and grabbed stitching equipment from various shelves.

My mind was a complete blur and I didn't even know where this information was coming from, but I grasped it eagerly - needing to be of use.

I was about to run back outside when I heard voices rumbling - they got steadily louder until the door burst open, revealing the Med-Jacks, Alby and Minho, all supporting a barely-conscious, covered in blood Newt.