The Glade needed an official Gathering, there was so much going on at once and the chaos needed to be addressed.

Gally stood in the front of the room as the other Gladers sat in the formed rows. Thomas was sat in the corner, furthest from the door in case he were to bolt. Newt stood off to the side, leaning against a support beam, letting Gally say his piece.

"Things are changing. There is no denying that. First Ben is stung in broad daylight, then Alby! Now our new Greenie has taken it upon himself to go into the maze... that is a clear violation of the rules here."

"He saved Alby's life," Frypan objected.

"Did he?," Gally questioned him. "For 3 years we have co-existed with these things and now you," he pointed to Thomas," killed one. Who knows what that could mean for us," he faced the crowd.

Newt was already getting tired with Gally's show. "What do you suggest we do?"

"He has to be punished," Gally spoke like it was obvious.

"Woah! He killed a Griever," Hank did not agree.

"Yeah come one," Chuck chimed in.

"Minho," Newt spoke acorss the room, silencing the objections," ...you were there with Thomas, what do you think?"

"I think that in all the time we've been here... No one had ever killed a Griever before. When I turned tail and ran, this dumb shank," he looked to Thomas," stood behind and helped Alby." Mihno paused before looking to Newt. "I don't know if he's brave or stupid, but whatever it is we need more of it. I say we make him a Runner."

"A Runner? What? Mihno let's not jump the gun here," Frypan shook his head.

While some were voicing their opinions to disagree or approve and Chuck tried to start a chant, Gally made his voice louder.

"If you want to throw the newbie a parade, that's fine. Go ahead! But if there's one thing I know about the maze is that you do not-.."

Gally was cut off by a rumble in the maze and then the Glade heard the siren of the box. Newt and Gally were the first to exit the hut, racing to the box. As the two arrived, the hatch opened and Newt was struck by the sight.

It can't be. Please, no it can't be.

He jumped down to get a closer look, but it was undeniable what lay alone in the metal crate.

"What do you see?!," Frypan asked as he ran up with the other Gladers.

"It's a girl," Newt's voice was hollow.

there in the box lay a single girl curled up with a note tucked into her hand. Her dark wavy hair was so similar to the girl he had known, he was tempted to touch it. No, this isn't her. They sent a new girl. Why would they do this?!

"No way...," Zart whispered.

"I think she's dead," Newt was watching her carefully and didn't see her breathing. Was this to mock them in some way, because the last girl they had sent had died.

"What's in her hand?," Gally nodded to the note.

Newt carefully reached across her and unfolded the paper to the words written in blue ink:

She's the last one EVER

"She's the last one ever," Newt relayed the message to everyone. "What the hell does that mean?!"

Suddenly the girl gasped and sat up, her eyes wide and her breaths quick and shallow. Her eyes looked blank and hazy and she only said one word before falling unconscious again: "Thomas."

Everyone looked to Thomas who was staring at the girl with the same shock.

"Still think I'm overreacting," Gally growls.

"Let's get her to the med hut too. Hank, Mihno, Thomas, come help me," Newt becomes them into the box. They all lift her carefully up and carry her to the Med hut, placing her on the cot farthest from where Alby lay hyperventilating and twitching.

"Jeff. Why won't she wake up?"

"Hey man, I don't know. She's breathing but just asleep."

Newt turned to Thomas who was watching the girl silently. "Do you recognize her?"

"No," Thomas shook his head.

"Really? Because she seemed to recognize you," Newt was suspicious.

"What about the note," Mihno changed topics.

"We'll worry about the note later," Newt waved it off, focusing on the more pressing issues.

"I think you should worry about it now."

"We've got enough to deal with at the moment."

"Newt, he's right," Jeff speaks. "If the box isn't coming back up... how long do you think we can last?"

"No one said that. Let's not jump to any conclusions. We'll just wait until she wakes up and see what she knows. Somebody has to have some answers around here."

Everything was just too off balance. Ben was stung, now Alby. A Griever a was killed and now a new girl arrives in the box. It was all too much for Newt who had just taken charge of the Glade.

Thomas turns to leave the Med Hut and Newt asks him," Where are you going?"

"Back into the maze," Thomas replies and Mihno follows him.

Newt can barely get a grip on how things are spiraling out of control, he hoped that Mihno would be smart enough to stop him from barging back into the maze. He looked back to the girl curled up on the cot. She looked so familiar... they just looked so similar that it was hard for Newt not to stare at her.

"She looks like her," Jeff crossed his arms as if reading Newt's thoughts.

"Yeah, she does."

"Why do you think they sent up another girl?"

"I've been asking myself that too..."

"You notice that it was only the girls that got notes? She got a challenge note and now this one is the last one ever?"

"I've been dreading this day," Newt ignored him. "Paralyzed when the box come up, thinking it will be another girl... scared they same things will happen over and over."

"We won't let that happen," Clint entered from tending to Alby.

Newt rubbed his face and sat on the cot behind him," What is happening to the Glade," he wondered out loud.

"Gally's right, things are changing," Clint slung a towel over his shoulder.

"But are they for better or worse..."

"I say worse," Jeff said bluntly. "If that box doesn't come back up, we won't make it another two months."

"With everything happening, what scares me most is if the Glade breaks down. I don't want it to be how it was... those dark days before we had order."

"Should anything happen, know we got your back, Newt," Clint smiled and Jeff nodded.

"Thanks guys," his eyes drifted to where Alby lay panting. "How is he?"

"No changes," Clint sighed. "The poison is eating away at him, but were trying to keep him asleep."

"How long do you think he'll make it?"

Jeff shrugs," Who could say? Maybe another day or two at most."

Newt looked at the man who had taught him how to survive in this place, his one true support after losing the love of his life. He lay strapped to cot, shirtless, struggling to breath and fighting a poison that was going to overcome him. Newt had to turn away before tears swelled in his eyes, Alby looked like the shell of his former self. Newt could only hope he would die here in the Glade and not be banished to die in the maze. He would not let that happen.

Some time passed when Mihno came back and pulled Newt to the Gathering hut, where Newt found out that not only did Mihno let Thomas go back into the maze, but also took other Gladers too. Zart, Frypan, and Winston had accompanied them into the maze, and Newt knew this was recipe for disaster, especially since Gally was so determined to see Thomas punished the first time. Thomas handed him a metal cylinder with loose wires. On the cylinder was an electric number seven on a panel and below that a yellow plaque with the letters WCKD.

"We found this inside that Griever."

"These are the same letters we get on our supplies from the box," Newt traced the stamp with his thumb.

"Whoever put us here made the Greivers and this is our first real clue, the first real clue in 3 years, right Mihno?"

"Right," Mihno nodded.

"Newt, we have to go back out there, who knows where this might lead us?," Thomas seemed set on being Gally's number one enemy.

Newt looked to Gally and he could read it all in his eyes, he was not happy with what was happening.

"You see what he's doing, right? First he breaks the rules and now he wants us to abandon them all together. The rules are the only thing that have ever held us together. Why are questioning them now? Because of some Greenie!?," Gally took a calming deep breath in. "If Alby was here, you know he's agree with me. He needs to be punished."

Newt looked between the two boys, trying to decide what he should do with the power left to him by Alby. He saw the twinkle glimmer in Thomas' eyes, that he was passionate about this, wanting to help the Glade only after just arriving. He wanted to be the savior and Newt thought he might have it in him. He knew that he had to punish Thomas to appease Gally because tensions were already high... but he wouldn't be too harsh.

"You're right, Gally," Newt agreed and handed the metal tube back to Mihno. "Thomas broke the rules... his punishment is one night in the pit with no food."

"Come on, Newt," Gally threw his hands up. "One night in the pit isn't going to stop him from running into the maze."

"You're right, we can't just have non-Runners going into the maze whenever they feel like it..."

Thomas looked away ashamed and the rest of the non-Runners avoided Newt's eyes for fear of punishment themselves.

"So let's make it official. Starting tomorrow, you are a Runner, Thomas."

Thomas looked up surprised, while Frypan and Mihno nodded along with the decision. Steam was practically pouring from Gally's ears as Newt made the announcement.

"Wow," he said in disbelief and huffed out of the Gathering hut. Frypan tried to stop him, but he shrugged him off and stormed away.

"Thanks Newt," Thomas gave his gratitude for Newt's decision.

They really are alike, Newt decided to stop fighting their similarities. Next to the doorway he say a flash of her again, smiling at him as if approving the decision he made for the new Greenie. This is what she would have wanted too, someone to really listen and look past the rules that have no purpose. This was just Newt's way of working around them and he made him proud to think she would be happy with his choice. He turned away from Thomas without a word holding her smile in his mind.

With Thomas becoming an official Runner, Newt told Mihno to take him to the Map Room. He only wished that Thomas would take the news batter than she did. Newt went back to the Med Hut to check on Alby when he was struck head on by someone who ran into him. He hit his head on the ground and groaned, his vision was blurry for a second before he saw it was the girl.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Get away from me!," she pushed away from him before jumping up and running away.

"Ow!," Jeff exited the hut holding his head. "I guess I don't have to tell you she's awake. Did she hit you too?"

"No" Newt popped up, watching her run to the observation tower. "But it looks like she took my knife," he reached to his belt and felt it was missing. "I'll deal with this, go get Thomas!"

"Go away!," the girl screamed as she climbed the tower despite the Gladers protests. That's when she started throwing things and the boys all grabbing shelter with loose boards and pans.

"Leave me alone!"

"Stop throwing things," Newt demanded but she did not comply.

"Come down, we aren't going to hurt you!," Zart tried to explain

"Stop! Just leave me alone!," she continued to rain things down on the boys below until Thomas showed up. nothing hit Newt, but Gally got a apple on the forehead.

Thomas was able to calm her down enough to stop throwing things and went up to meet her, but it was obvious she didn't trust anyone.

"Is she coming down?," Newt asked.

"Uh... maybe just give us a second?"

"Okay... come on guys," Newt ushered them away from the tower.

"You shouldn't leave them alone," Gally stopped Newt. "She remembers him, they must know each other."

"Gally, we don't know that."

"Of course we do! She said his name before anything else. Look, I don't trust Thomas. He wants us to just forget everything we know and for what? Because of some Griever piece? We can't trust him."

"I think we're going in the right direction. She's calmed down and isn't throwing things anymore. Maybe she knows something that can help us."

Gally scoffed," As if... I don't trust her."

"Let's give her a chance," Newt looked at him sternly. " I don't want her to feel isolated from us already."

The words carried a heavy weight, and Newt hoped it would help Gally cool off. Newt headed back to the Med hut where Thomas came by with the girl, showing him weird blue vials. Thomas was certain this was some cure for Alby but Newt was not convinced.

"We don't even know what this stuff is or why it came up with her. For all we know it could kill him."

"He's already dying, Newt. Look at him."

Alby looked worse than before, he was covered in sweat and his face was scrunched up like he was in pain.

"How could this possibly make it any worse for him," Thomas argued. "It's worth a try."

Alby twisted in the cot, and let out a sharp grunt. It was obvious he was fighting for his life, but everyone knows Griever poison is too strong. The words Jeff told him earlier echoed in his mind: Maybe another day or two at most. Anyone could see he was in pain... maybe the vial could save him. They had sent remedies before so why not now?

"Do it," Newt blurted.

Thomas leaned over to give Alby the medicine when he sprung up and grabbed Thomas' shirt.

"You shouldn't be here!," he cried with black coated eyes.

"Watch out," Newt tried to peel them apart.

Jeff grabbed one wrist and Newt grabbed the other right as the girl snatched the syringe and plunged it into Alby's chest. Immediately, Alby calmed, he no longer was fighting and his breathing slowed.

"Well that worked," Jeff took note.

"From now on someone needs to watch him around the clock," Newt looked down to Alby who lay in his cot tranquilly.

"Hey Greenie," Gally strode in. "It's sundown, time to go."

Newt knew this was part of his agreement, it was needed to keep the fragile peace in the Glade. Thomas had to spend a night in the pit and that was a low sentence for the rules he had broken. It was technically a Bagger's job to escort someone to the pit, but Newt let it go. Thomas left with Gally and the girl turned to Newt.

"Where is he going?"

"The pit," Newt explained. "His punishment for running into the maze."

"The maze?"

"Didn't Thomas explain it all to you?"

"Not really," she admitted.

"Looks like you're in for a long night," Jeff laughed and went off to the Homestead, implying that Newt was taking the first watch.

Newt sighed and pulled up a chair and started from the beginning. The speech was so fresh in his head that he felt like he was in a time wrap with having two Greenies so close to one another.

"...so if anyone calls you, it's just the term we use for newcomers and until you remember your name."

"My names Teresa," she stated bluntly.

"What?"

"My name... it's Teresa?," she must have read the look on Newt's face and nearly laughed. "Must be some record or something remembering your name this soon. Thomas also seemed surprised."

"No, no... sorry, it's not that," Newt shook his head.

Why did you get to remember you name? She never... what is going on? How did this happen?

"Thomas says you're in charge, right?"

"Well, temporarily, until Alby wakes up. I hope you really did bring medicine for him."

"I honestly can't say," she tucked her hair behind her ear and Newt sucked in a breath. It was so much like how she had looked, almost exactly. "I just hope it helps."

"Uh... yeah, me too. I hope it helps."

"So this place... it's just some giant maze? So does that make us rats? Like a lab or something?"

"It's pretty much exactly where we are... but there's no way to know. Not until we get out."

"How long have you been here?"

"Too long."

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