Dinner that night was flavoured with hope as the boys listened carefully to Minho list off all he had seen. He had explored the entire perimeter of the Glade, sticking to the innermost passageways. The corridors had led this way and that, stretching further into more and more passageways. As far as Minho could tell, it was a maze or at least something that looked like a maze. He had sketched out all that he had been able to remember.

With the idea that an escape was now inevitable, the boys had a real reason to celebrate and their bonfire burned higher than any before. Alby was relieved that Minho had made it back safely; there was still much to be discussed with the dark-haired runner. But, for now, he knew the hope Minho had given the boys called for an announcement. He stood upon the rock he had been lounging on and held up a jar, full of Gally's amber moonshine. The boys quieted and looked at him, their eyes shining. Alby smiled and held the jar above his head.

"To Minho, our first Maze Runner!"

The boys cheered, raising their own jars with Alby's. They drank to his toast, some having to spit it right back out. Laughter pranced among them and they forgot their worries. Alby stepped down to the ground and beckoned Minho, Newt and Gally to him. The boys left the small crowd and followed Alby to the gathering place. Alby smiled at the sight of the working roof, he turned to Gally as they gathered for a meeting.

"How was Eve's climbing?"

Gally shrugged, not meeting Alby's eyes.

"You were right about her being light enough to get the branches. We made good progress today,"

Alby nodded before he turned back to Minho.

"So, you're the first Runner,"

Minho nodded excitedly, handing Alby his rough sketch of the days' sightings.

"I have to map this Maze. Alby… those noises at night, the walls moving. The Maze changes,"

Alby looked up from the drawing, not completely surprised, but not entirely satisfied either. Newt and Gally looked on, waiting for Minho to explain. The black-haired runner continued.

"The walls change, move and open up new passages, closing other ones. It's changing all the time. That's why I have to map it. Maybe there's some kind of pattern to it all, something that is part of the puzzle,"

Alby looked back at Minho's notes. The Glade was etched in as a thick black square and several spindly lines represented passageways around it, he counted about seventeen in all and that was only the inner edges of the Maze. Its overall size was still unknown.

"You want to map it all?"

Minho nodded, suddenly grim.

"The Maze is three times, if not four times the size of the Glade Alby. Mapping it is not going to be an easy task. And adding in the fact that it changes every day, it'll be months before I can run its entire length. That will be the hard part, but if I can get out every day, I can try to figure it out. If this is a puzzle, I know we can solve it! It will just take time…,"

Alby nodded and handed the sketch to Newt, Gally looking over his shoulder to observe. Alby turned back to Minho.

"How long do you estimate?"

Minho frowned, thinking for a few moments before he gave an answer.

"Years,"

Alby, again, was not surprised. He knew Minho spoke the truth, but the disappointment in his heart was unmistakable. Years… no one could say how many. More boys. Or more girls. One every month; they would be as large as a small town by the time Minho finished mapping it. What then? Would they actually solve the puzzle?

Minho cleared his throat and Alby looked up at him.

"I heard... those things. Up close, I mean,"

Alby, Gally and Newt leaned in to listen. Minho held up his hands, stowing their eagerness.

"I didn't see it. It was in the passage ahead of me. I didn't dare let it see me, I was too far from the Door to hope to outrun it. But Alby… that thing isn't… I mean it shouldn't… I don't think it's alive,"

Alby cocked his eyebrow and waited for Minho to continue. The boy was flustered as he tried to explain what he could not see.

"It was snuffling, sniffing around for something. I don't know what kind of senses it has, but that's what it sounded like. But… it's not a creature.. not like we know. I heard... I guess it sounded like gears, churning on each other, running together to make it move. I think it's a machine of some kind. Alive… but not really alive,"

Alby was quiet, Newt and Gally digested Minho's report in silence. Minho tucked his arms behind his back.

"I was.. too afraid to look around the corner and see it,"

The Runner hung his head, shamefaced, but Alby grabbed him by the shoulders.

"None of us could have done better. You did what I told you to do. It would not solve anything if you were to see it and be killed,"

Minho nodded grimly, raising his head to meet his leader's gaze. Alby patted him on the back and took a step back, chewing on his nail as he thought over all Minho had said.

Newt, his arms crossed over his skinny chest, watched Alby for a moment.

"Alby? What are we going to do?"

Alby shook his head.

"Nothing. There isn't anything we can do yet. The Doors are open all day and we haven't seen anything pass them yet. If these creatures are out there, they either don't know about the Door or they can't come through it. We keep cautious and Minho," His eyes were dark with seriousness. "Don't ever lead one of those things back here,"

Minho nodded vigorously and bowed his head. Alby acknowledged his bow and looked down. After a moment, he clapped his hands together softly.

"Minho, you will go out tomorrow with Winston. Map what you can. Draw it, carve it, build it. Whatever you have to do, but remember all you can. Study the changes and if there is a pattern, you must remember it. A pattern of any kind has to mean something in a puzzle this size. I'm entrusting this project to you. Each month, more boys will come up,"

"Or girls," Gally spoke up, disdain tainting his speech.

Alby nodded but did not acknowledge him.

"Or girls. Either way, there will be more. I know there will. They'll be tested, we'll hold more races. The fastest will join you to be Runners. I will not have anyone of you going out there alone. There must always be a pair, if not more. Winston will be your partner, for now. Take care of him,"

Minho nodded, but Gally looked incredulous.

"You're taking my only Builder Alby! How am I supposed to build this roof," he pointed above him. "In any reasonable time, by myself?"

Alby held up his hands to calm him.

"There will be more boys. Those who can not run will be added to your team. They will help with the building, the garden and anything else that needs to be done. We are scarce now, but if this mapping will take, as long as you think Minho, we will be here for... some time," He couldn't bring himself to say years. "We will have more bodies soon, more Runners and more Builders. You will have work with Eve for now,"

Gally snorted, his eyes mocking.

"The girl?! She can't build. She was tying the branches today. I would be doing the building myself!"

"So teach her! You cannot blame her for lack of knowledge. Newt had to learn to cook before Fry Pan arrived. Everyone had to learn and adapt. No one is born into a role,"

Gally rolled his eyes.

"Well, who's knife will she use? Winston will be taking his own into the Maze,"

Alby breathed out, as if the answer was obvious, which it was.

"We get knives in the supplies, we only have to pick one that's suitable for her,"

Gally shook his head in disagreement.

"Girls weren't meant to use knives or build roofs,"

Alby held Gally's gaze.

"No one was meant to live like this, in this place with a Maze around them. We adapt and so will Eve. And so will you,"

Gally didn't reply, but he nodded solemnly and Alby relaxed. He nodded to the other boys and the meeting was adjourned.

"Minho, brief Winston on how he can prepare tomorrow and make sure he bandages up those wounds; I'm not taking any chances, no matter what Jeff said. Newt, find a knife Eve can use and Gally, you will show her how you want the branches cut tomorrow. No more excuses,"

Newt and Minho nodded, climbing up the makeshift dirt stairway out of the dugout. Gally shook his head once more and followed along with Alby close behind. All four of them returned to the bonfire; the flames had diminished significantly, but the boys were still celebrating with laughter and lively conversation.

Alby watched as Minho approached Winston and the two held a quiet, hurried discussion. Winston, although he looked nervous, nodded obediently and left with Minho to prepare their gear for the next day. Newt ducked into the small storage hut. Eve could not be seen and no doubt Jeff had her in the Med Jack hut. She had not eaten dinner and it was obvious that Jeff was still worried about her. Alby decided he would take Gally to check on her; the blonde was going to have to get used to her eventually.

"Gally," The blonde turned at his voice and Alby signalled for him to follow. Gally hesitated for a moment, but then strode forward to keep pace with Alby. A questionable look came across his face when Alby led him to the Med Jack hut, but his leader merely beckoned him forward. The two ducked into the small hut, feeling immediately the warmth of the enclosed space. Jeff stood deeper in the room with his back to them and turned quickly at the sound of their entry. He approached them quickly, worriedly.

"I'm glad you're here Alby. Eve isn't here, I gave her some of Fry's porridge and she took it back to her hammock. She must be there now. I don't know if she ate it though," Jeff had his hands on his hips as he spoke, looking this way and that. Gally listened with arms folded across his chest, clearly not impressed.

"She's gonna have to eat eventually, she'll starve if she stays that skinny,"

"Already aware of that Gally," Jeff rolled his eyes at the blonde before he turned back to Alby. "The shock is wearing off, she already seems more alert. I hope she'll eat more tomorrow. But someone has to get her to at least try to eat now. I think she's worried it won't stay down. The worry is only going to increase the problem. Can you talk to her, Alby?"

Alby nodded slowly, taking in the Med Jack's flurried speech. After a moment, he turned to Gally. The blonde giant looked back at him for a moment. Finally, he raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Alby smiled, chuckling as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You want to learn patience?"

Gally was not easily fooled. He backed up, his gaze firm.

"Oh no, I'm not getting her to eat. I'd sooner force it down her shucking throat than explain why it'll benefit her! She trusts you, you do it!"

Alby shook his head, amused, and continued.

"But she'll need to trust all of us if this is going to work. Besides, she's going to be working with you, so she'll have to learn to trust you. It's critical Gally,"

Gally shook his head and backed away, shaking his hands at the both of them.

"I'm not gonna be the one to force-feed the Greenie, she'll eat when she feels like it,"

Alby smiled and Jeff hid a smile behind his hand.

"Go check on her and see if she's finished. All you have to do is check, no force feeding needed,"

Gally rolled his eyes and stood for a moment, undecided. But he knew Alby's 'humorous, but serious' tone of voice better than most. With one last scowl, he ducked out of the hut.

Alby chuckled quietly as Jeff covered his mouth for fear of laughing out loud.

"You really think he's going to help get her to eat?" Jeff spoke around his hand, his eyes smiling. He could not help but feel a little worried, he didn't need Gally to scare her any more. Alby shook his head, calming the Med Jack with his simple and firm logic.

"We'll see soon enough,"

Gally stomped, although non-to-hurriedly, back behind the hut to where the hammocks hung. Winston was already there, packing a bag for the next day. He and Minho would be ducking down for the night soon enough. An early morning was before them and they needed all their strength. Winston waved to Gally as he approached but the blonde barely acknowledged him as he strode past him. His hands were balled into fists and his posture forward. He couldn't see Eve but figured she still must be there. Frustration boiled in his stomach. He could not help picking up his pace as he circled around the hammock. He stopped, right before Eve's hammock, shaking visibly.

"If you don't eat that food, you're gonna starve yourself to death! You think-," He stopped short in the middle of his spew as his vision cleared. Eve, laying in her hammock, stared at him with wide eyes. An empty bowl sat on her lap and a spoon was resting on her lips, licked clean. Gally dropped the accusing finger he held and closed his mouth. Eve did not respond to him and the silence soon became awkward.

"I was just finishing," Her voice was quiet and she moved slowly to sit up and stand up. She leaned backward as Gally bristled a mere inch from her. He stepped away and she relaxed.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Gally's voice was tense and he left out any form of apology. Eve looked up, the empty bowl cradled in her hands.

"I was just about to return this to FryPan,"

Gally abruptly stepped aside and gestured with his hand for her to leave, his eyes averted.

"Well, go on then," His voice was not as harsh as it had been, but he had not calmed enough to sound civil. Eve took the hint and brushed past him. Gally dropped his shoulders as soon as she had disappeared and sat down heavily into his own hammock, rubbing his face with his hands.

Patience? What a waste on a stupid girl.

The next morning came, slightly brighter than the one before, in colour and feeling. A sense of hope was flitting around the Glade. Alby could not help but smile. Standing in front of the Door, his arms over his chest, he waited as Minho and Winston suited up for the day.

The newly appointed Runner and old Greenie did not look as excited as his comrade. But Alby knew that Minho would take care of him and Winston had a way of using a blade. FryPan, for all his worth, had a weak stomach and usually called on Winston to kill the animals for eating. After another few months, with a few more Runners, Alby knew that Winston would be able to pull his weight much better in the Glade. But for now, they needed a map and Winston was their only option right now.

Minho double-checked over his gear before he was finally satisfied. Winston gave him the thumbs up and the pair were ready to leave. Alby reminded them once again to be careful and watched, unmoved, as they turned and started jogging into the Maze. They disappeared to the left. Minho was taking a different route from yesterday and Alby could only pray they wouldn't meet with any danger. Alby turned around after a few moments and looked over the Glade. The boys were all awake now and work was going on as usual. Gally could not be seen and Alby figured he and Eve were in the woods, collecting more branches; Newt must have found a knife for the girl. As if thinking could conjure the soul, Newt appeared out of the small storage shelter. After catching Alby's gaze, Newt headed his way at a gentle jog.

Newt greeted him with a cheerful good morning and Alby returned it, the feeling of happiness was contagious. It felt good.

"Fry had a hell of a great knife for Eve to use. I think Gally took her out to the woods," Newt gave his report with an amused smile.

Alby raised an eyebrow at his second in command. Newt chuckled and gestured to the foliage clustered corner of the Glade.

"As far as I could tell, Gally is just doing his bloody job,"

"You know how Gally gets,"

Newt nodded his head, his hands on his hips.

"I can't blame him much… I mean, Eve is doing her work and I'm not complaining. But… Why a girl? After seven boys, why a girl? Do you think it's going to be a new pattern?"

Alby glanced at his boot before replying.

"I'm not sure. Eve questioned her reason for being here as well, it seems to concern her. She wondered if it was for procreation,"

Newt's eyebrows shot up.

"What did you tell her?"

"The truth. We can't be totally sure what the people behind this meant by it. Maybe she's right, but I doubt it. A place like this? With a puzzle meant to solve, why would we be expected to colonize? And with only one girl? It doesn't make sense, no more than any of this does. But we can never be sure,"

Newt nodded and remained silent for a moment.

"Did she… well did she like the idea?"

Alby smirked at Newt and he laughed, rubbing his neck.

"She was worried that was what we were all thinking. She relaxed once I told her it wasn't up for consideration,"

Newt shook his head and laughed, rolling his neck to look back at the woods, dropping his hand into his pockets.

"Poor Gally, I hope she doesn't ask him about it,"

Alby chuckled and shook his head.

"I can only imagine his face if she does,"

Newt laughed and the two walked back to the garden. Newt was eager to show Alby the work he had done on the new tomato vines. The growth was as encouraging as anything and the hope of the morning continued.

"Greenie, can you not see the branch I'm pointing at?"

Gally stood under a tall, thick tree, looking up through the branches to where Eve was barely visible among the leaves. She was nearly at the top and stood precariously on a medium-sized branch; one that would surely snap if Gally put any of his weight on it. She was hesitating, being so far up made her skittish and it was wearing on Gally's nerves. Eve looked down at him once more to see where he was pointing. Following his finger, Eve finally touched the branch that Gally had in mind.

"This one?" Her voice was far away and he could just hear it. If she didn't raise her voice… Gally nodded and shouted up to her.

"That's it. Cut it down and we'll have enough for the morning,"

"Shouldn't we load up for the whole day?" Eve raised her voice slightly, but it was still far from a shout. Gally rolled his eyes.

"You're going to be too sore to do anything if you don't take a break now. Cut the branch and get back down here,"

Eve didn't reply, but he could see her sawing away at the branch with her new knife. It was one of the newer ones. It had come up with Winston, but the Runner had chosen the bigger of the blades. The smaller one was the perfect size for Eve and she seemed to be handling it better than Gally's the day before. Their pile was decent, but Gally planned on coming back just after mid-afternoon, granted they finished tying off these. Looking up once more, he saw Eve finishing off.

"Watch out," She never failed to warn him when the branch fell and Gally kept quiet about the fact that he had eyes in his head. He took a step back and let the stick hit the ground before picking it up and throwing it onto the pile. The sticks clacked together with echoing, wooden thud. With his arms crossed over his chest, Gally waited as Eve made her way down. When she had come back into clear focus, he noticed her arms shaking. Her strength was already waning. If she had just eaten more breakfast, they wouldn't have had an issue. Gally turned back to the pile of sticks, speaking over his shoulder.

"We'll carry these back and you can pick up some more porridge from Fry Pan before we start tying,"

Eve, who was standing on the last branch from the ground, paused to look at him.

"I already ate, wouldn't I be eating someone else's ration?"

Gally shook his head. Eve could not see him rolling his eyes.

"You only ate half of what we would call a 'proper ration' for any normal shank. So you can have the other half before we tie off this pile. If you don't quit shaking, you'll fall out of the next tree,"

Eve didn't reply, Gally's observation causing her to duck into a crouch on the branch. She jumped down on the ground as quickly as she could, hitting the earth a little too hard. Gally turned around as she picked herself up. He watched as she walked past him, picking up half of the pile without being asked again. He didn't say anything as he bent to gather the rest of the sticks in his arms; he noticed that she had taken the majority of them. He then walked behind her out of the forest, treading lightly so as not to trip her up. He soon became frustrated at her slow pace.

"You're bleeding,"

Eve stopped and looked back at him, her eyes wide. Gally continued to walk past her, taking the lead.

"Where?" She sounded worried. Gally rolled his eyes.

"It's just a scratch, it'll scab in a minute or two,"

Eve watched him walk ahead and after a moment continued to follow him. She didn't speak again until they reached the dugout, where they dropped the sticks. Gally started giving instructions as soon as the sticks touched the ground.

"Go eat whatever Fry Pan has for you and I'll grab the twine from Newt. We'll tie this down and put it up by midday if we can," Gally squinted up at the sun. It was just rising over the Maze. If they were quick, they could do it. "We'll do it all again and finish off what we can before the evening meal,"

Eve nodded obediently and turned in the direction of the kitchen hut. Gally turned in the opposite direction and soon met Newt in the gardens. Alby was there too, gathering up some cucumbers from the green, leafy plants.

"I'll need some more twine, Newt," Gally tried to ignore Alby, but the Glade leader raised his head at the sound of his voice.

"How are you working with Eve?" His firm authority was hard to escape. Gally kicked the ground absently.

"Fine. She didn't eat enough this morning and she's already tired. I sent her to Fry to eat the other half of her breakfast. She'll need to eat more if she's gonna bulk up,"

Alby nodded in agreement but spoke gently in return.

"Give her time, the shock is still wearing off her. She's smaller than us as it is. Her body isn't as strong,"

"You got that right," Gally muttered.

Alby gave him a look and continued.

"She'll just take a little longer to adapt than we did,"

Gally didn't respond, looking around for Newt. The skinny, sandy-haired boy was just reappearing around a wall of tomatoes. A bundle of thick twine slung over his shoulder. Newt handed it to Gally, smiling as he did.

"Seems like you two are getting along bloody well,"

Gally waved him off and Newt ducked out of the way before he got swatted.

"Watch your vegetables shank,"

Newt didn't reply but smiled all the while as he rejoined Alby.

Gally hoisted the twine over his shoulder and walked back to the dugout. Eve had already returned and now sat on one of the stumps. A small bowl sat beside her in the grass, leftover breakfast ready to be eaten. She held a stick over her lap and was shaving down one of the ends with her knife.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gally dropped the twine by his own stump and stood over Eve, hands on his hips. The girl looked up at him, washed in his shadow. She held up her stick. He swiped it from her hand and looked it over.

"I was just doing what you and Winston did yesterday," Eve said softly. "I was watching and I thought I had the hang of it. Is it wrong?" Gally looked down at her. Eve's eyes were so wide and she looked so eager to please. The stick was stripped of the thick pieces of bark and Eve had even peeled off the smaller twigs. The ends were thinned out and sanded to allow for easier tying. It looked just as if Winston had done it.

Gally handed it back and sat down.

"It's good enough," He picked up a stick and began sanding.

Eve looked disappointed for a moment. But she set down the stick and reached for another, her face downcast.

Although he acted indifferently Gally was surprised. He had been expecting the long, arduous task of teaching Eve the technique for sizing the sticks correctly. But now it looked like he wouldn't need to. She knew how to tie them and there was nothing else to learn.

They worked in silence. By the time midday rolled around, they were just finishing tying off the last bit of sticks. Gally made quick work of attaching the new pile to the working roof and by early afternoon, they were back in the woods to repeat the same process. Words were not exchanged outside of Gally pointing out the branches and Eve warning him before they fell. The mood was grim and at the end of the day, Gally was glad to get away from her.

Twilight was closing in when Minho and Winston came back to the Glade. An hour later, the Door rumbled to a close and another day came to an end.

But Minho's report was about to dampen the hope that had been growing, ever so steadily, among the Glader's.