*Frypan's Fabulous Food*

When I exited the room, Minho was waiting outside for me. Looking around, I found myself in a landing, with a long stretch of corridor leading to several other rooms. A shabby set of stairs spiralled down into another hall, and a door that led outside was propped open. A cool breeze washed through the building, making me shiver slightly. The blouse he'd got me wasn't the thickest of material.

"You ready?"

I nodded, and he held out an arm for me to take. I glanced at it skeptically, before tugging my lips into a fake smile and slipping my arm through his. "You're such a gentleman."

He smirked and we marched down the stairs quickly; more so dragged me down. Didn't he know how to treat a girl!?

The field - did Minho call it the Glade? - was again dotted with other boys, though most of them were crowded round a small shack, or sitting on benches surrounding it.

Must be the Food Shack, considering it was lunch.

"So what is this place?"

Minho glanced at me. "The Glade."

I suppressed a huff. "Yeah but, the Glade and the Maze, what's it supposed to be? What's it for?"

Minho barked a dry laugh. "You think we know? We just do whatever we have to to survive, 'kay, shank?"

"My name is Rowan," I growled as we approached the rickety shack. I tugged my arm away from Minho's upon seeing Newt. He was glancing at us suspiciously, and I felt my cheeks grow warm. Damn it, now he probably thinks there's something going between us. I trailed after Minho to a long line of people.

"Hope he's treating you well," Newt grinned, popping up beside me.

"Huh?" I shrieked, not seeing him approach.

He chuckled, and it suddenly made me feel warm inside. "Oh, right. I suppose you could say that," I muttered with a frown in Minho's direction. He shrugged and moved forward with the queue.

Newt tugged me away from the crowd, lowering his voice.

"How're you feeling now?"

I stared at him for a moment, finding myself lost in his gaze. Then a shrill whistle caught my attention, just as I was about to answer. Was that a wolf whistle? I glanced round to see a group of boys staring at me, wiggling their eyebrows flirtatiously. Oh, great. This is exactly what I wanted.

Newt scowled and shot them a warning glare. They instantly backed away with a huff. Was he getting protective over me?

"Um, okay, I guess," I murmured, averting my gaze to the ground. Was I always going to receive this much attention? News certainly spreads quick, but at least Newt was here.

"Just ignore them. I've already spoken to a majority of the Gladers about leaving you alone; but it looks like some just can't help themselves," he muttered, a dangerous edge in his tone.

I chuckled, and he looked at me, puzzled. "What?"

I shrugged. "Felt like the right time to laugh."

He stared at me for a moment before the corners of his lips tugged into a smile and his expression softened. "Don't get many of those moments here," he said sadly, though his eyes still sparkled. "Anyway, let's go get some of Frypan's fabulous food."

Newt limped back towards the shack, me following, muttering to myself. "What kinda name is Frypan?"