Melodic Meaning

Minho ran the Maze like every day. With his group of three behind him, Minho ran through the tall, stone walls. Straight, left, right, back, straight, left, right, back, and so forth, Minho ran. Running and running and running. More running… and then more running. He didn't stop running, he didn't take a break, he didn't give up for even a second. Since, if he did, Minho felt like he was letting everybody down. More than he already was. Truthfully, Minho wasn't simply running. This wasn't just a physical activity for him.

This was his dread.

"Don't you… ever get tired?"

His failures.

"Do you ever wanna give up?"

Hope was right, but Minho didn't want to admit it. He did get tired. He was more than tired. Every time he entered the Maze, Minho just wanted to fall to his knees. He wanted to give up and surrender himself to his inevitable death. But he couldn't. He couldn't give up even if he wanted to, because there were people who needed him to never give up. If the Gladers learned that there wasn't a way out, then all this running would have been for nothing. And all the work Alby did to create peace, would crumble into nothing.

There was a terrible burden on Minho's shoulders, and he couldn't get rid of it. His body was tired, his mind was unhappy, his heart was broken, and his hope had completely vanished. But he kept on going. He had to keep going. To Minho, it was okay if he had lost all hope - he could live with that. However, what Minho couldn't live with, was taking hope away from everyone else. That would crush him.

That… would kill him.

"Dang it…" Minho cursed under his breath. "I'm an idiot."

Minho was tired. More tired than he'd ever been before. After the strange morning he'd had with Hope, Minho had accidentally twisted his ankle during the run. He had been so preoccupied with her strange generosity toward him that… he wasn't really paying attention to anything. Of course, Minho didn't let any of the other guys know about his ankle, but his body definitely knew about it. Therefore, his body and mind was extra tired after the horrible day he had had.

Slowly, Minho walked across the Glade. There was a limp in his step, but because of the sunset, no one could notice. Likewise, off in the distance, everyone was sitting around the Kitchen having Dinner, so no one would notice his absence. Minho just wanted to sleep. He wanted to rest. But as he made his way to the Homestead, Minho's mind started becoming frazzled, his eyes started becoming droopy, and his limbs started… to feel numb. He couldn't make it. His body physically couldn't walk anymore, and his mind didn't want to.

All Minho's soul wanted… was to sleep.

Thump! Hence, Minho fell to the ground with a thump. His body lay in the tall, green grass, while the other Gladers enjoyed their Dinner. Together. Minho was alone out there, and he was okay with that. Everything would be just fine… without him.

That entire day, Hope couldn't stop thinking about Minho. Every time she looked out the Kitchen's windows and saw the opened doors leading into the Maze, Hope's heart hurt. She wondered what Minho was doing; she wondered what Minho was thinking; she wondered… what Minho was feeling. In summary, Hope was worried about the boy. From only a few conversations with him, Hope could tell that Minho was a pretty closed off person. He didn't let people get close to him, and he seemed okay with that. Or, in a much sadder sense, Minho felt like… he didn't deserve to have people close to him. That thought made Hope's heart hurt even more, but her worry for him became twice that when… she didn't see Minho at Dinner.

Hope looked everywhere for him. She looked left, she looked right, she looked straight ahead, and yet she couldn't find the dark-haired boy. So when Minho's three Runner buddies walked up to get their Dinner, Hope had to ask. "Hey, guys, um… Have you seen Minho?"

"Minho?" Hank raised an eyebrow at her. "You mean the shank who was a complete mess today?"

"Yeah, he was totally out of it," Dan agreed. "Kept getting the directions wrong."

"...He went to the Homestead," Ben said after showing his two friends a glare. "He had a long day, so he wanted to go get some rest."

Hope gulped. "H-He didn't even want food?"

"Minho sometimes skips Dinner," Frypan acknowledged, scooping some soup into a bowl. "It's normal for him."

"I… I see…" Hope mumbled as she glanced over toward the Homestead. It was located in the corner of the Glade, so it was quite dark over there despite it only being sunset. And although Hope had no reason to worry, she did. She was very worried. Still, she helped Fry make up three servings for the Runners and handed the bowls to them. "Have a nice night, you three."

But when the three thanked her, Hope knew that she wouldn't be able to accept their words. She knew that this uneasiness in her heart wouldn't go away unless she talked with Minho, especially after hearing a snippet of the bad day Minho had had. And Hope being Hope couldn't shake the feeling that maybe… some of it was her fault. She did make Minho walk away from their conversation three times already, so it was obvious that she wasn't a very positive person in his life. Nonetheless, Hope wanted to help him.

She wanted… to give Minho what he deserved.

Once everyone had been fed, Hope ladled some leftover soup into an extra bowl. She then carefully snuck out of the Kitchen and walked into the night. As Hugo walked beside her, Hope heard the sounds of crickets and boys' chatter all around her. They were nice sounds, but… Hope couldn't focus on that right then. All Hope could focus on was the Homestead, which was her current destination. The soup's bowl felt warm in her hands, and she wanted to keep it that way. Giving someone cold soup would have been completely rude in Hope's book. Therefore, Hope hurried toward the building, making sure not to trip on the way there.

But then, a few yards away from the wooden building, Hugo suddenly stopped. Hope stopped as well, but before she could ask what was wrong, Hugo went into a full sprint.

"H-Hey…! Hugo!" Hope yelled, immediately following after him. Naturally, Hope had no idea where the dog was going, but she also knew that he wouldn't do this for no reason. And luckily, when Hugo abruptly stopped running and allowed Hope to catch up with him, Hope's instincts were proved correct. Since, laying in the grass before the two, was- "Minho!"

Hope instantly sat down on her knees and carefully placed the bowl onto the grass beside her. She leaned over Minho's sleeping face, her brown eye and blue eye swimming with worry. Furthermore, she placed her hand against his forehead, but felt no fever present. Still, though, this circumstance was…

"Oh, Minho…" Hope sighed. "What are you doing to yourself?"

At first, Minho's slumber was filled with melancholy. He saw nothing but blackness, felt nothing but nothingness, and felt oh-so alone; it felt like the first day in the Maze all over again. Although, maybe he had never left that day. The feelings hadn't, anyway. It wasn't that Minho was scared, it was that he was out of hope. After the initial fear had passed, every Glader felt the same feeling of hopelessness. They tried to forget about it by surviving, but… you could never truly escape it. Minho had tried running from it for years now, yet here he was: still trapped in the same darkness.

It was lonely there, in Minho's mind. It was cold, too. So very cold.

"Oh, Minho…" But then, Minho heard it. "What are you doing to yourself?"

A voice like silk - a voice that made Minho forget about the blackness. He felt something warm against the back of his head, while also feeling something soft envelop his mind. Minho took a long, deep, tranquil breath, letting the life-filled air seep through his body. He didn't deserve this kind of comfort, but at that moment, he couldn't seem to reject it. Minho was only human, after all. A young but strong boy, who only wanted what was best for others.

What Minho was feeling was like a melody. A gentle, warm melody that could move even the most adamant, heaviest of stones. However, like all melodies, they had to end. Eventually, the darkness would have to come back. Minho… had to wake up.

"…Hello, Minho." Minho heard that melodic voice again once he'd opened up his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"W… What?" Minho breathed, squinting his eyes to get a better look at the fuzzy picture above him. "Who…"

"It's Hope," she said, causing Minho's eyes to fully widen. He gulped, however, when he realized that his head was lying on her lap. "Hugo found you passed out."

Sitting on the other side of him, Minho saw the black German Shepherd. "Ruff!"

"This… This is weird," Minho grumbled as he lethargically yet quickly sat up. Messaging his sore neck, Minho then let out a scoff. "I'm sorry that you had to see that."

"N-No, it's perfectly fine!" Hope told him. "I'm just happy that I found you. Your body must be sore from laying on the ground."

"It's fine," Minho huffed and then dropped his hand to the dirt. "What are you doing here, though? Shouldn't you be practicing your bow?"

"Oh! I wanted to bring you Dinner!" Hope said, picking back up the bowl of soup and handing it out to him. "Here. It's still steam-"

"I'm not hungry," Minho interrupted without even glancing back at her. "Just bring it back to Fry."

"B-But…" Hope dropped her out-stretched hands. "It'll be good for your body to eat after the day you've had."

""The day I've had"? What does that even mean?" Minho asked while his hands gripped the grass. "I've had these days since I got here. The same thing over and over again."

Hope tilted her head sadly. "Then… Maybe just come to Dinner? Say 'hi' to everyone?"

"Why would I need to do that?"

"Well, I know Alby and Newt would love to see you. Frypan, too."

"They see me every day."

"Y-Yes, but… Um…"

"Nobody needs me to talk to them… or for me to even show up," Minho admitted, prompting Hope's heart to stop. "They're fine without me. Don't you hear them laughing? Don't you hear how happy they are? Plus, they don't even like me. Most of 'em are intimidated by me, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I don't need to be liked or wanted - I just need to get out of this stupid Maze. So, please, don't say that I need to go to Dinner, 'cause I don't… I need to find a way out! I need to help everyone get out of this place! I need to stop being such a failure!"

"Haha…!" Off in the distance, the Gladers merrily laughed about something. All of them, each of them, laughing as one. They had no idea what was going on between Hope and Minho, yet that perfectly-timed laugh made Minho feel even worse. He wanted to be like that: carefree. He wanted to forget about the Maze, and the constant haunting it had over his life. But he couldn't. He just couldn't. And although Minho didn't want to admit it, he felt… he felt so very-

"It must feel so very lonely," Hope mumbled, and it was Minho's turn… for his heart to stop. Her voice was as melodic as ever, but this time, it was bleached with sadness and sympathy. "It must be so hard to run back into that Maze every day, and then come back knowing that you couldn't find a way out. A-And knowing that you'll have to go back in there tomorrow… It must feel so miserable. You've felt guilty, and you distance yourself from the others… because of that guilt. You feel like you don't deserve their friendship. M-Minho, you…" A tear fell from Hope's brown eyes. "You've been hurting so much, haven't you?"

Thump! Minho's heart beat.

Thump, thump! It went.

Thump, thump, thump! It roared.

"A-And I'm… I'm sorry if this makes you angry, but…" Hope's hands clenched around the bowl, making them shake. "I-I want to tell you that you're strong, Minho. That you deserve to be recognized and thanked for your resilience. Despite what you've been put through, you never ask for more. Y-You don't even see the kindness in your actions. But I… I want you to see it, Minho!" Minho's eyes widened. "I wanna tell you that you're great! I wanna thank you for what you've done! And I… I want to be your friend, Minho. I don't want you to feel alone anymore!"

With his eyes still wide in shock, Minho finally turned his head around to face Hope. And there, he saw tears streaming down her right cheek; they sparkled in the moonlight, almost blinding Minho. Still, Minho didn't look away from her. This was the second time he had made her cry, but… This time, it made Minho's heart soar instead of break. Someone understood him. Someone… cried for him.

For so long, Minho thought that he was a failure. So much so that… maybe his place in the Glade wasn't needed. But right there in front of him, was someone who blatantly cared about his place there. And until that moment, Minho hadn't realized how much he longed for that someone. Someone who wouldn't give up on him like he never gave up on the Maze. Maybe… Maybe there was meaning to Minho's life. And maybe… it started with accepting a little bit of hope into his life.

"Hey, uh… I would like that soup now," Minho ultimately said, reaching out his hand to her. "And I… Well… If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like you to… stay with me. Talk… with me."

Hope's surprise… turned into a warm smile. "Yes… Yes, I would love that, Minho."

She then placed the bowl into Minho's hand, spending her night beside the strongest boy she knew.

Hope turned over in bed, her eyes unable to close. The soft light of the moon illuminated her bedroom, while the crickets continued to sing outside. Leaning against Hope's wall was her mysterious backpack, and her fully-awake eyes naturally found it in the darkness. Within that backpack was a note, and beside that backpack… were the flowers Gally had given her. Those flowers reminded Hope of the boys. The boys who hid such pain underneath their smiles.

The girl's unableness to sleep was caused by something that should have happened long ago. The day she had first gotten there, actually. Yes, the full force of Hope's predicament… had finally hit her. It had finally set in. But it wasn't the Maze that worried her. It wasn't the fact that she was trapped in a prison, because the truest horror of them all, was what the prison did to the boys. Not physically, but mentally.

It drained them.

It suffocated them without even batting an eye.

They each held in so much pain.

Hope curled her body up into a ball, tightly shutting her eyes. There was so much pain in the Glade. So much. Hope's heart hurt for each and every one of those boys. They didn't deserve such sadness. Hope wouldn't be able to bear it if one of them got hurt. Or, even worse, died. Slap! Hope slapped her hand over her mouth at the thought. No, she couldn't even think of it.

Alby…

Newt…

Frypan…

Chuck…

Gally…

Minho…

Jeff or Clint…

Zart or Winston…

Ben, Dan, or Hank…

If any of them died, Hope would practically die as well. And yes, it made her feel like a coward, but Hope cried for them. She cried for the unfortunate boys who never gave up. She bawled for the boys she was never able to meet. There was so much weight on Hope's shoulders, and she didn't know how to lessen that weight. It was getting to be too much. Way too much.

Hope needed someone… to save her.

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews! I love reading them!