From the moment Alby announces that they're looking for new runners, there's practically a line of boys to volunteer. Most of them weren't around when Alfred met his fate, though they've been warned of the dangers. Of the seven boys to volunteer, only three are chosen for now. Among them, Ben is the only one who had been able to meet Alfred. Who had been there to see the aftermath.
Minho starts training them immediately, the first month being strictly supervised, short excursions into the maze.
There's a constant feeling in the pit of Ash's stomach, and she finds herself zoning out more often as she wonders why the sudden rush for new runners. Alby and Minho's announcement had been abrupt, the keeper's meeting quite last minute.
Something's clearly changed— maybe Minho found something? she thinks. He must've. Counting back the months, including the ones she knows came before her, her brows furrow.
Unfortunately, before she can reach any kind of conclusion, she's snapped out of focus by some movement in the corner of her eye. It's slight, but it's just enough to catch her attention when she knows she'd been alone only a few seconds prior.
Ash turns her head to get a better look, and has to bite her tongue to keep herself from screaming. A small squeak escapes her lips instead, and she rushes out of her room. Shivers race up and down her spine, and her skin is crawling… just like that spider she'd seen on her hammock.
"Nope, nope—" she tries to steady her breathing, but the image of that— that creature is still fresh in her mind. A couple gladers pass her, giving her strange looks as she hops around a bit and shakes her arms out. "Oh hell no—"
"You good?" Gally speaks up from behind her, and she turns to see him smirking with his arms crossed.
"It was a nice room, Gally," she says earnestly, "but now I'm going to have to burn it down. It belongs to that thing in there, and I can't allow that."
"I— what?" His whole face contorts in bewilderment, especially as Ash shivers again. "What thing?"
"It's a spider the size of my entire thumb!" she exclaims. "Not including the legs! Holy shit, there's no way I'd beat that thing in a fight."
With an exasperated sigh— one that sounds suspiciously amused— Gally steps around her and pushes the door open. She can hear him grumbling to himself at first, but it abruptly stops. Then she hears a quiet "shit!"
After another moment, Gally re-emerges with a crumpled washcloth in his hand and a real scowl on his face. She thanks god— or whatever it was that put her here— that she'd just finished washing it, and had left it out to dry. Trying not to imagine how awkward it would be if Gally had had to search through the small two-drawer side table for it… she shudders. Not that she has anything to hide, but the small stash of "feminine hygiene products" and minor pain killers would have raised some questions, no doubt.
None of which she wanted to have to answer, especially to any teenage boys.
"Thanks," she mumbles, scratching at her arms to try to rid herself of the crawling sensation still present.
"I assume you want me to burn this?" he says, scowl fading. She nods quickly.
"There weren't any others, were there?" Her voice is small, cracking slightly, and she curses herself.
"No, I checked," he promises. "Does that mean we don't have to build you a whole new room?" A smirk creeps across his face, and she narrows her eyes.
"Yes, the current one can stay," she allows.
He glances over her shoulder, and she turns to see Newt hobbling over with some assistance from Jeff. The former runner seems to be doing much better lately, even going so far as smiling sometimes. It's certainly helped Ash feel like she can breathe again.
Gally walks away without another word, only a half-hearted wave to the pair approaching them; the washcloth is still clenched in his fist.
"Hey," Jeff says, tilting his chin upward. "Newt wanted to talk to you, wouldn't take no for an answer— you know how he is."
"Stubborn as a mule," Ash agrees, laughing at Newt's disgruntled look.
"Oh, both of you can shut up," he says. Rolling his eyes, he continues, "I need to talk to you about— about what I can and can't do. In the Glade. I can't keep staying in that cot all day every day."
"I get it," she says gently. "Why don't we talk over breakfast? I'm starving." He nods along, seeming to be relieved she's actually considering it this time. "Jeff, can you go find Alby and have him meet us over there? I've got him."
The two medjacks carefully switch out, and Jeff gives a two-finger salute before heading off. Ash and Newt head toward the kitchens. It's a bit more awkward than it had been with Jeff, given the height difference— but just like when she'd helped bring him back to the Glade, they make it work.
"So I think you already know that running is out of the question," she says. She can feel him sigh against her before he mumbles a confirmation.
"I'm just glad Minho's not alone out there anymore," he admits quietly. "I think… that might be my biggest regret about it all. Leaving him like that."
"It's not exactly your fault, Newt," she says just as quietly. "Trust me, if anyone here can understand what you were feeling that day, it's me. I… it doesn't matter now." She bites down on her tongue to keep from saying anything else on it, even as Newt inhales sharply.
"I'm not really a believer in the whole everything happens for a reason philosophy," she says instead. "But I do believe that every problem, every struggle, will eventually have its place— and no matter how much they suck, things will eventually work out. Maybe for the better, maybe not. We may not be able to change our destination, but we can decide what path we take."
Newt doesn't say anything as they reach the edge of the dining area, claiming the first empty table. He carefully takes his place on one of the seats, and she sits across from him.
Alby reaches them only a moment later, taking the spot next to Ash.
"Newt says he's ready to start doing things around the Glade again," she tells him.
"And what do you think?" he asks in return, glancing between them. "In your… professional opinion?" The word is clearly meant to tease, and she shakes her head with a small smile.
"I think it would be good for him," she admits, subtly tapping one finger just above her ear. "Now it's just a matter of figuring out what he physically can and can't do."
"And I already know I'm not going back running," Newt says. "And honestly… I'm not really sure I'd want to, even if my leg was workin' properly."
Alby crosses his arms, resting his elbows on the table, and stares at his oldest friend with narrowed eyes. The other two know him well enough by now that he's deep in thought, and wait somewhat patiently. Ash does end up getting up for a couple minutes, going to get some breakfast for herself and Newt; by the time she gets back, Alby seems ready to say his piece.
"What if we had you in a new job?" he asks. "Out in the woods… in the map house." His voice is quiet, an effort to keep that particular building a secret from the common Gladers, though no one else is close enough to overhear them anyway.
"Studying the maps?" Newt asks, an apprehensive look on his face. Ash keeps her eyes on him, scrutinizing every twitch of muscle, every micro-reaction. Finally, he shakes his head.
"I— I can't," he croaks, before taking a bite of the mush that Frypan calls oatmeal. "I'm sorry, Alby…"
"No, it's okay," Ash interjects before the other boy can respond. "Don't apologize for having limits. Ever. Okay?"
Surprisingly, Alby nods in agreement.
"What about medjack stuff?"
Newt immediately scrunches his face in disgust. "I've had enough of that place," he says, and Ash mocks affront.
"And here I thought we were friends," she says, sniffling dramatically as both boys roll their eyes. They glance at each other, and Newt gives him a look to say see what I mean? though it's all in good fun.
"We'll figure something out," Alby promises. "For now, keep working on building your strength back up. Once you can make it from the bathrooms to the kitchens—" total opposite ends of the main living area of the Glade— "without any help, we'll talk again. Bet you could get it in a week?"
Newt glances from one area to the other, then nods. There's a determined glint in his brown eyes that hasn't been there in a while.
Late that night, once everyone else has gone to sleep, Ash gets up and sneaks her way toward the sand pit where Gally and the others hold their little wrestling matches.
Unlike their other semi-weekly self defense sessions, however, Gally isn't waiting for her. He's nowhere to be seen.
Biting her lip to keep herself from frowning, she brushes it off as him having to wait until the coast is clear— maybe someone else is still awake or something. Maybe he's still working on the builders' next project.
Or maybe he forgot, a small voice whispers.
No. He wouldn't forget, she tells it, along with a few choice words she's found that helps keep that voice at bay.
Busying herself, Ash does some stretches in the sand. Arms, legs, neck, back. She moves slowly, each one deliberate and calculating. By the time she feels done— nearly an hour later— Gally still hasn't shown, and she wonders what she might be able to practice on her own.
Given that this is self defense training… the answer is really not much. She doesn't have a punching bag to practice hitting. Not even a pillow, unless she wants to steal one of the tiny ones in the medjack hut. Even if she did do that, she'd have nowhere to prop them up. She'd just be punching them into the ground.
She groans, plopping down into the sand.
Maybe he did forget, she thinks sullenly, glancing toward the homestead where the boys all slept in their hammocks.
After a few more minutes, she stands up again and dusts the sand off her rear end. Sleep feels too far away to appeal to her, so she turns and heads toward the medjack hut instead. At least there she can do something to distract herself from getting stood up—
No.
Don't say it like that, she reminds herself. That implies it was a date, and it's not. No matter how many times they've found themselves a little too close together, his arms wrapped around her and her back to his chest as she learns to throw him off faster and faster.
No matter how many times she's found herself dreaming of his hands on her, wandering to places they certainly would never go in real life. Even if she wanted them to.
She swallows past the lump in her throat as she sits on the grass floor of the medjack hut, facing the set of drawers she's organized over and over again.
She lets out a small sigh as she begins once more.
Early the next morning, she emerges from the medjack hut without a wink of sleep, to find several of the boys seeming to panic near her room across the Glade.
She jogs over, feeling a little guilty for her all-nighter.
"What's wrong?" she asks as she approaches, and sees each of the others— Alby, Newt, Minho, Frypan, Ben, and Gally— turn toward her with varying levels of relief.
"Where the hell were you?" Minho asks. "Your door was wide open and you were gone!"
She winces, grimacing. "Sorry," she says, her eyes flitting over each of her friends. "I, uh… couldn't sleep. I ended up in the medjack hut all night, doing inventory and stuff."
"Leave a note or somethin' next time," Frypan says.
"I think Alby was about to call an emergency meeting," Newt says, chuckling.
"Really? For what?" Her eyebrows furrow, before she bites her lip and blushes. "Oh. Because I was— got it."
Satisfied that their friend was safe and sound, most of them wander away to get started on their various tasks. Newt has one of the crutches Gally had once needed, though she can see where a couple inches have been sawn off the bottom.
"You okay?" he asks quietly, staying behind. His eyes dart all over her face, no doubt noticing the evidence of her lack of sleep.
"I'm fine," she says stubbornly. She looks around, meeting eyes with Gally for only a brief moment before he turns away.
Newt follows her gaze, and laughs quietly. "Trouble in paradise?" he teases.
"I will break that crutch," she deadpans, but that only serves to make him laugh harder.
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," he promises, still grinning. Ash just rolls her eyes and steps around him to go into her room.