Mysterious Meaning

"You came to me on a silver plate."

Hope lifted her bow.

"I loved you from the moment I saw you."

She placed an arrow against it.

"Yes, I know. How could I love something so dirty?"

She pulled back on the bow…

"Well, pretty things are boring."

And let go of it.

"Just like your blue eye and your… brown one."

Thump! The arrow hit the center of the tree, permitting Hope to slowly drop her bow back down to her side. For the past two nights, Hope had been allowing herself to sleep. Or, in other words, allowing herself to be tortured by the nightmares that invaded her sleep. Unlike that one dream where Hope heard her voice, however, the current nightmares only consisted of that girl's voice. The woman's voice was nowhere to be seen, either. Hope stared at her arrow plunged into the tree bark and wondered… the meaning of everything. Of all this.

What was the point of this place?

Why was her mind trying to remember what was purposely forgotten?

Was the Maze and Hope's dreams just torture or… did they have a greater meaning? A better meaning?

Off in the distance, Hope's ears could hear the Gladers enjoying their dinner. Frypan and her had prepared a vegetable soup, which didn't really get great responses from the boys. Still, Hope heard their merry voices. It was like a melody to her, and kept her going despite her confusion. If Hope's dreams were nightmares, then so be it. The only thing that mattered to Hope now was if she could make them smile. And she couldn't make them smile by being a Zombie every morning, now could she?

"Mmm…" Hope felt Hugo nuzzle his nose against her hand, causing her to immediately smile and rub his fluffy head.

"I know, Hugo… Thanks for always cheering me on."

Hugo wagged his tail. "Woof!"

The sun was starting to set, and Hope was starting to get tired again. She dreaded the feeling, but she found ways to accept it. If she went to sleep, then the next morning would come quicker. A morning filled with Frypan and Chuck, a day of idly talking with Alby or Newt or Gally, an afternoon of spending time with the other Gladers. It was enough for Hope. It was more than enough for her.

"…Hey."

"Wah?!" Hope yelped in surprise, whipping her body around to face her "jumpscare." However, exactly like always, Hope went into even more shock upon seeing who she had just embarrassed herself in front of. And, this time, the person was so shocking that Hope dropped her bow to the ground. "O-Oh my goodness… Minho?!"

"Newbie…" Minho said, looking Hope up and down judgmentally. "Uhm, if now isn't a good time, I can-"

"N-No! Me jumping like that wasn't…! It was…! W-Well…" Hope then let out a long sigh. "Look, I do that to everyone eventually. I-It's kinda routine at this point."

"O…kay then," Minho muttered.

"S-So, uh… What brings you out here?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Is it…?"

"Why else would I be these jacked-up woods if it wasn't for you?"

"…Huh?" Hope's eyes widened. "Y-You're out here… for me?"

"Of course, I am," Minho grumbled. "I've had a long day of running, so I wouldn't waste my time taking a leisurely walk."

"O-Oh… Of course…" Hope stammered out awkwardly. "Then, well, don't let me waste your time any longer. What did you wanna talk to me about, Minho?"

But oddly, Minho didn't respond right away unlike his words suggested he would. The older boy merely licked his lips and looked away, each second looking like he wanted to say something, but couldn't. Hope's head tilted in puzzlement and worry, because she could see how… conflicted Minho's dark eyes were. From the first day in the Glade, Hope could tell Minho had a pretty secretive aura about him. He was pretty quiet, kept to himself, but he was also very… honest when he did choose to speak. Minho spoke his mind, never letting his words be censored in any way. Hence, it confused Hope as to why he was suddenly censoring his words now.

"Minho," Hope took a hesitant step closer to him, "is everything okay?"

Minho glanced back into Hope's eyes and saw a softness in them he had never seen before. She wasn't thinking of him as a coward, which was what Minho thought of himself at that moment, nor was she judging him whatsoever. All Hope was doing… was waiting. Patiently. That rare look made Minho ultimately speak up.

"Look, I've… I've never done this before," Minho said as he looked away again. "I didn't mean to… I didn't want you to…" Even as Minho struggled, Hope never forced him; she merely stood there, letting him take his time. However, that kindness only made Minho feel worse about himself. It made him able to find the strength… to say what he wanted to say. "I'm sorry."

It was Hope's turn to be bewildered. "W-What?"

"I said that I'm sorry."

"For… what?"

"'For wha-'?" Minho let out an angry scoff. "Are you being serious right now? 'Cause this isn't a joke. I'm not tryna be funny."

"I-I didn't think that you were…"

"Then why don't you get it?"

"Get what…?"

"Get that I'm trying to apologize!"

"B-But for what?!"

"For the other day!"

"I-I'm sorry, but what do you mean?!" But once Hope asked this, Minho stopped. His anger-level went back down to zero, while his clenched hands relaxed at his sides. Minho had just made Hope apologize to him, when he should've been the one apologizing to her. The realization made Minho take a deep breath… and start from the beginning.

"I'm sorry… for when… I called you weak," Minho ultimately confessed, making Hope's eyes finally widen in understanding. "I've never made… anyone cry before… It was just really wrong of me to say, and I would totally understand if… you'd wanna punch me in the face."

Hope's expression turned from stunned… to soft once more. She stared up into Minho's depressed eyes, wanting nothing more than to wipe all that guilt away. And, well, that was exactly what she did. "Minho, you have nothing to apologize for."

"…What?" Minho asked in surprise. "You can't be serious."

"But I am," Hope argued right back. "I didn't cry because of what you said - I cried because of many other reasons. Most of them being personal. Still, what you said was the truth. I am weak. All I ever seem to do is make you all have to apologize to me, and I… I want that to change. I want to be stronger. I want to face my fears. And your words helped me do just that, Minho."

Minho shook his head. "In what way?"

"Let's just say that… I've been kinda scared of the dark lately," Hope remarked with a small smile. "But, again, no hard feelings here, Minho. I was never even angry at you in the first place, so I'm sorry that I made you feel like you had to apologize. I won't take up your time again."

But… she didn't. Minho might have made it seem like that, but truly, Hope hadn't taken up his time. Not to Minho, at least. It felt nice to get that guilt off of his shoulders, and it felt even nicer to know how Hope really felt. Minho knew he wasn't good with people, but he also knew that he didn't want to end the conversation off like this: like he didn't want to be there. For the past two days, this was exactly where Minho had wanted to be. He wanted it… to last a little longer.

"When did you get a bow?" Minho finally questioned. "Or, well, how'd you get it?"

"Oh, Gally helped make it the other day!" Hope stated, the biggest of smiles adorning her face. It was obvious that she was grateful to the boy. "It's no surprise that he's the Keeper of the Builders! He's great at all things wooden!"

"Hm." Minho nodded. "Then… Why'd you wanna make it?"

"Well… That's a little more of an embarrassing story…" Hope murmured. "After I cut my finger, I was out of the Kitchen for a few days. I still wanted to do something, though, so I chose to work on my strength. But now that I'm back in the kitchen, I have less time to practice, so I'm trying to find balance between the two."

"Makes sense, but… You're out here in the dark, creepy woods, because…?"

"Because I'm... I'm obviously not very good at it yet, so I'm a little scared to show anyone else."

"At least you hit the tree," Minho acknowledged. "That means you might be able to hit a Griever… You'll hopefully never have to do that, though."

"A…" Hope gulped. "A what?"

"A Griever. Y'know, the things that come out at…" It was Minho's turn for his expression to turn confused. "Wait, has no one really told you about those yet?"

Hope shook her head. "N-No… What are they?"

"They come out into the Maze at night, and if the door didn't close, they'd probably kill us all in seconds," Minho explained honestly. "They're gross and large. Most people who see 'em don't live to tell the tale. We've lost a few boys to those things."

"O-Oh my gosh…" Hope stuttered while taking a step back. "Are those things what I hear every night? Those… screeching sounds?"

"That's them."

"Wow, that's just… It's just strange how being in the Glade makes you forget about… the fact that you're in a prison. The fact that you can die at any moment. You've all been so kind to me, so I've found ways to move past that, but…" Hope's eyes found Minho's. "But you Runners… You get reminded of that every day, don't you?"

"…I guess," Minho said after a short pause. "It's our job, though. Our purpose. We gotta do it whether we like it or not."

"Does it… ever get tiring?" Hope asked with sadness in her eyes. "Do you ever wanna just… give up?"

"Again, that doesn't matter," Minho protested. "We have to keep trying. We can't give up. Just like how you wanna get stronger, I wanna get out of this place. No matter what."

"M-Minho, I… I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Minho said before he abruptly turned around. "Thanks for the talk, but I gotta go now. C'ya tomorrow at Breakfast."

"B-Bye…" Hope waved at Minho despite his back being turned to her. "I hope you get a good rest."

As Minho walked away, Hope's heart hurt for him. She wanted to know more about the mysterious Keeper of the Runners.

"She isn't the happiest girl in the world, but…

"I love her. I love her more than anything.

"Please, you must have patience.

"You must save her."

The next morning, Hope did her usual routine. She got dressed, combed her hair, brushed her teeth, and then headed out to her job. The sun was starting to rise, so above her was a dark-blue and orange and pink and yellow sky; she could even see some stars still lingering up there. But once Hope entered the kitchen, her eyes were set on a task much more important. Her and Frypan - with Hugo lying in the corner - prepared Breakfast for the Glade. Similarly, they had finished just in time for the Runners to wake up.

"Thanks, guys," Ben said.

"You're the best," remarked Dan.

"Hey, Hope!" Hank beamed the moment he stood before her. "The food looks as wonderful as ever today!"

"Are you callin' the food wonderful or," Frypan glanced over at Hope, "something else?"

"The food, of course!" Hank chirped, while Frypan handed him a plate. "Mmm. Smells great, looks great… Oh. And of course you do, too, Hope!"

"H-Huh?" Hope squeaked, her face turning red. "What do you-"

"Move," Minho said after he'd pushed Hank out of the way. "You're blocking the way."

"Awe! You're no fun, Minho!" Hank whined at the annoyed-face Minho. "Live a little, won't you?"

"I am living by getting myself some food," Minho said and then took the plate that Hope handed out to him. "Thanks."

Hope smiled warmly. "No problem."

"…Whatever. Thanks for the food, you two," Hank huffed as he turned away. However, once he did, Hope heard what he grumbled under his breath. "What a Slinthead."

But unlike Hope, who frowned upon hearing the insult, Minho simply kept his poker-face and turned away as well. Hope watched him as he walked toward an area away from the three other Runners, sitting down on a log there. To Hope's left, Ben, Dan, and Hank were joyfully talking amongst themselves; but, to Hope's right, Minho was sitting alone and… eating alone. The circumstance didn't seem to make Minho sad, but it sure as heck made Hope sad. Last night, Minho stood in front of her, but now, Hope wanted to sit beside him. Still, Hope knew that her job was the most-

"You can go sit with him," Frypan unexpectedly told her. "The Breakfast rush won't be for another ten minutes, so you have time."

"F-Frypan, I… I don't know…"

"Hey, just be yourself," Siggy mused, lightly nudging her side. "That's all you need."

"Okay… Okay, I'll be back in a little bit," Hope said once she'd made up her mind. Or, in other words, she decided before her mind would tell her not to talk to Minho. "Thanks, Fry!"

"No, Hope…" Siggy whispered as Hope walked away from him. "You're the one we should all be thanking."

The moment that Minho heard footsteps approaching, he stopped eating and looked up. But what he wasn't prepared for was who he saw standing above him. She had that kind look in her eyes, that goofy smile on her face, and that dog at her side. Hope was standing above him, and Minho didn't know why. After almost a month of being there, Hope had never done this. It… confused Minho.

"What do you want?" he asked, prompting Hope to glance toward his right.

"Can I sit next to you? Please?"

Minho put down his fork. "Why…?"

"Because I wanna talk to you."

"Why?"

"Because I… wanna get-to-know you?"

"Why?"

"U-Uhm…" Hope shrugged. "Can I please just sit here?"

"Well, I'm not gonna stop you," Minho said while looking back down at his food. "Do whatever you want."

"Thanks!" Hope smiled and then sat down. When she did, though, Minho tried his best not to notice how her arm touched his. He just continued putting food into his mouth and waited for Hope to speak. "So, how's your morning going so far?"

"Normal," Minho replied, but didn't politely return the greeting. He just kept eating his Breakfast.

"Is the food good?"

"Yeah."

"Is there a favorite meal you like? I could ask Fry if we could make it."

"You don't," Minho gulped down his food, "need to do that."

"But I want to."

"Why?" Minho stopped the fork going into his mouth. "Why would you want that?"

"Because I wanna make something special for you," Hope clarified in a sweet tone. "Something just for you."

Minho asked his infamous question again. "Why…?"

"Because I… I know how hard you work…" Hope stated, eyeing him sympathetically. "I want you to return from the Maze with something to look forward to. To thank you for how hard you work, and to show you that… you're appreciated."

"…That's unnecessary," Minho said after a short pause. "You don't need to do that, and I don't want you to."

"But… why?" It was Hope's turn to ask. She tilted her head, leaned forward, and looked straight at Minho's blank expression. "Why can't I thank you?"

"'Cause I don't deserve to be thanked," Minho said in a low, angry tone. "I've done absolutely nothing… that deserves to be thanked."

But before Hope could respond, Minho stood up from the log and walked away. She stared at his retreating figure, her stomach knotting painfully. Hope might have not known the full extent of Minho's words, but she could understand them. From the bottom of her soul, Hope understood feeling undeserving of something. Especially being 'thanked'. Therefore, that entire day, Hope replayed Minho's words over and over again in her head, wondering where those self-deprecating words came from.

Why, Minho? Hope tightly shut her eyes. Why did you look so sad?

A/N: Lucy2703x, you shall soon see. Maybe even in the next couple of chapters? (O_O)

Also, friendly reminder that I don't own 'Maze Runner' nor its characters!