Disclaimer: I give James Dashner full credit for the Maze Runner Trilogy. The only character I own is Kelley.

We arrived in the middle of the Glade. My arms were tired from using the crutches all the way there.

On the ground were two metal doors lying flat. They looked like they had been painted and taken care of for a while, but that person obviously gave up. The paint had become faded and cracked.

"What is this?"

"The Box," Newt said, casually.

"...A box?" I asked, thinking it didn't look too much like a box.

He laughed a little, "On the inside it is, these are just the doors. This is usually where our greenies come from. Once a month, every month. You showed up around the time we'd be expecting one, which is the only thing about you that makes sense."

I slowly nodded in agreement, not entirely sure how I felt about that remark.

"But every week it brings us supplies like food, clothes, wood. We usually don't have to ask for anything anymore. We can pretty much run ourselves here." He smiled proudly and I chuckled at him.

"How does it get here?"

Newt shrugged, "I haven't a buggin' clue. No one does. We don't know where it came from or who's in charge of it. The people in charge haven't told us a single bloody thing."

"How do you ask for things?"

"You write them on a piece of paper and put them in the box, they almost always bring what we ask. We tried for a television once, didn't work. Some of the boys were rather disappointed."

I recalled the memory of television, "I'm disappointed too."

He laughed a little and I feel like things were starting to really brighten between us. Some kind of weird connection that words failed to explain. Something that you had to feel for yourself in order to really understand. We smiled at each other, but it also caused an awkward tension, so I looked away for a while.

"Alright, what's next?"

He looked around, "Well, I guess we can go over the rules before we move on to anything else. Remember these, they're important."

I nodded.

"Rule number three: always do your part, slacking is not an option. Rule number two: never hurt another Glader."

I rolled my eyes, "That'll be hard. I'd like to give a piece of my mind to a few of the jerks around here."

He tried not to smile, "No, you can't. I'll admit some days these shanks can be a real slintheads, but it doesn't make it right. Anyway, the most important, rule number one: never go outside into the maze unless you're a Runner."

"What's a Runner?"

"They're the people who go out every day and try to find a way out of the bloody maze so we can all go home. They were the ones who found you."

"Oh... that's cool. I guess." 

Newt looked at me like he was worried.

I shook my head quickly, "But I don't want to go back out there. Don't get me wrong, I hate that place."

He nodded, but still seemed a little cautious, "Let's move onto the rest of the glade now." 

He held up a hand and lifted a finger for each word he listed. "We've got the Gardens, Blood House, Homestead, and Deadheads."

He then turned and pointed to their corresponding corners. "Gardens are in the northeast. That's where we grow all of our crops. There are pipes underground that pump all the water. It's our only source. It never rains here, not once."

I found this very odd but decided not question it.

"The Homestead is in the northwest. It's where we live, where keep our sick and injured and where some of us sleep. It's twice as large as what it was originally, but most of us sleep outside anyway. It may be the klunkiest of buildings, but it works well enough. The Deadheads are in the southwest. In the very far back where the trees are the thickest is our graveyard, but the trees do provide nice spots to hang out and relax."

I didn't like that. They had a graveyard. I could feel my heartbeat quicken. How many of them had died and how? What kind of place was I in? Was I really safer here in the Glade? They were only teenagers and they needed a graveyard already. The thought was terrifying.

I looked at him, "...graveyard?"

He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but he turned to look at me and his expression softened. I guess I looked as scared as I felt. He reached out and placed a hand on my arm very gently as if I were a spooked rabbit.

"Yeah, but it's okay. We've had very few casualties considering our circumstances with the grievers. You don't need to worry, you're safe here."

I nodded, not exactly comforted. Then I became very aware of his hand and slightly stepped back. He got the message and took his hand away.

"Then there's the Blood House in the southeast. It's where we raise and slaughter the animals."

A small concrete building caught my attention. It was about twenty feet away from the Box, I was surprised I failed to notice it before. The door was made of iron and had a circular handle similar to a steering wheel. There were no windows and no other openings. It gave off a slightly sinister vibe.

Newt noticed I was staring at something and followed my gaze.

"Ah, that building is for the Runners. Runners only, okay? Minho will feed you to the grievers if he finds you digging around in there."

I had no idea who Minho was, but I decided that I would be fine without knowing for a while. Especially if he would stick me out in the maze alone.

"Okay, got it. Totally off-limits. Don't touch." I looked around the Glade one last time. "It all seems simple enough."

"Yes, it is." Newt folded his arms. "You'll spend the next two weeks, working one day apiece for a different job until we know what you're good at or comfortable with. Slopper, Bricknick, Bagger, Track-hoe, Runner...and many others I can't remember right now."

The names were really weird and I wanted to ask what each individual job was, but I had kind of lost interest in asking questions since learning about the deadheads...

Newt noticed my solemn mood, but continued, "One of the jobs will eventually stick, one always does."

I nodded.

He looked down at a watch he had on his wrist. I had only seen a few other boys with them on. I wondered why only a choice few had them. It must have been a hard material for them to get from the Box.

"It's almost time for the Runners to come back, and after that, we'll have the Gathering. I hope you're prepared."

I shrugged, "I'm not sure. What is it going to be like?"

"Depends on how desperate some of the shanks are to prove you guilty of having to do something with the Creators."

I scrunched my brows together, "Creators?"

"The people who put us here. The people who made this place and took our lives away from us."

"Oh..." I shuffled my feet around in the grass.

"Newt?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I have to do something with the Creators?"

He looked me over carefully for a second, and then stared me in eyes. There was something slightly familiar about him, but I couldn't quite place it.

"I don't know. You're just as clueless as the rest of us... but... you're different. I can't describe the feeling, but I know you're different than anyone else I've ever met."

I smiled half-heartedly, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

He smiled, "Definitely not bad."

We looked at each other and I could feel blush starting to work its way into my cheeks. I looked away to try to hide it.

"So if everyone has a job here, what's yours?"

"Besides being second in command, I'm also a Track-hoe."

I waited for him to explain what that was, but he didn't, so I gave him a quizzical look.

"Oh, right. Track-hoes take care of the crops and grow the food."

"Ah, a farm-boy. Not too shabby." I said teasingly.

He laughed a little, "Glad I have your approval."

"You should be," I smirked. 

Just at that moment, a boy came charging in from one of the maze entrances. He was sweaty and red from work. He must have been one of the Runners because he went straight to the squat concrete building. He never stopped to talk to anyone else and tugged at the wheel-shaped handle to get in.

The boy seemed familiar as well, but not in the same way as Newt.

"Who is that?"

"That's Minho, Keeper of the Runners."

"What's a Keeper?"

"Kind of like the leader, but just over that group. He's the best Runner we have."

I was slightly impressed.

Four more boys came running in without stopping just as Minho had. They charged into the building and closed the door hastily.

"How long will it take them?"

Newt shrugged, "Maybe ten minutes. We should probably head over to the Homestead. Alby will want you there early."

"Alright." I followed Newt back over to the Homestead. 

My arms protested against the trip and suggested we should just ditch the crutches for a wheelchair and have someone push us around all day. I told them to shut up and that we could handle it.

I got the usual amount of stares from all of the boys. I was starting to see less hostile looks, which made me feel a little better about how the Gathering would go. Hopefully, they would just realize there would be nothing to worry about and I will be able to fit into their society easily. I just want to feel comfortable and happy. That's all I want right now. I want good friends that I can laugh with and just be myself, whatever being myself happened to be.

When we got to the Homestead, we took a turn past the stairs and down the hallway to the last room. The floor creaked a lot and I noticed a few boards were missing. I tried to be really careful with how I maneuvered my way around there. Newt opened the door for me and I went in. 

It smelled strongly of old books. It was a decently sized room, but very plain. There were no windows and a single light in the middle of the ceiling. The only furniture was chairs. There was a single chair almost right against the southern wall with roughly 12 or 14 chairs facing that one in a semi-circle.

I had a guess that the lone chair would be mine.

Alby was already in there and sitting in the middle of the semi-circle. There were three other boys scattered out randomly on the rest of the chairs. 

Alby stared at me as soon as I walked in and pointed at the single chair. "Sit down, shank."

I hobbled over and muttered under my breath, "Love you, too."

Luckily Alby hadn't heard it, but Newt did. Newt started laughing, but passed it off as a cough and took his place beside Alby.

I sat down and leaned the crutches against the chair. My ankle stung a little as I rested it on the ground. I forgot to ask Clint and Jeff just how much I had been hurt from my trip in the maze.

A few more boys walked in and one of them was Gally. As soon as he saw me he started glaring. I felt like I was never going to escape this. He was never going to let up. I stared back at him, not knowing what else to do. He sat down and his glare intensified. It made me feel really uncomfortable. I raised an eyebrow at him hoping to get a different response. He didn't budge, so stuck my tongue out at him and moved on.

The remainder of the boys filled the last few seats. One of them was Clint, so I waved. He waved back with a smile. The other one was that Minho dude. He still looked exhausted from his run in the maze.

No one was talking. It was dead silent until Alby stood up.

"As the leader, I declare this Gathering begun." Ably said, "This is Kelley."

He gestured to me and they all stared. 

"Hi."

Alby snapped at me, "I didn't say you could talk, Greenie."

 "Sorry, Alby," I said.

"Quiet! Only speak when spoken to slinthead, you hear?" 

I nodded. I didn't like being told when I could or couldn't speak. I was starting to like Alby less and less. Some cruddy leader they chose.

He continued to speak. "As most of you know, there was talk about a girl in the maze two days ago. Only a few saw her running right before the doors closed. It left everyone confused. We thought for sure she shucking died. The next morning, Minho and Nick found her-"

I looked at Minho, and it finally made sense why I found him familiar. He had been the one to pick me up and carry me to the Glade. I felt a bit of gratitude towards him. I wanted to thank him, but I feared of getting yelled at by Alby again.

"-she survived the night when she shouldn't have. This raised major suspicion and we're here to clear that up." Alby looked at me, nowhere near kindly, "Now before we start making decisions I want us all to hear her side of the story. Keep it short, Greenie." He sat down.

I wasn't quite prepared to tell my story, and I didn't think there was that much to be told anyway.

I started from the beginning, waking up in the maze and not knowing where I was, who I was and where I was supposed to be. As I told the rest, I purposefully left Frederick out of the picture. There was no need to make them think I was going completely bonkers. I finished up with Minho finding me and me passing out from exhaustion.

"So uh, yeah. Thanks, Minho. I really appreciate it."

He shrugged, "Don't worry about it."

I looked around at the other boys to see general looks of disbelief and amazement. The only face that hadn't changed was Gally's. He was yet again, glaring at me. I thought for sure his eyes were going to get stuck squinting like that for the rest of his life. 

No one spoke for a while until Newt piped up.

"I don't find her suspicious at all. It looks like she's just lucky." Newt said.

Gally sneered, "Speak for yourself, what I wanna know is how come more grievers didn't come after her. There should have been seven maybe eight chasing after her. She should be dead."

"Come on now Gally, really?" Clint said, "You think that it's somehow the Greenie's fault that not enough grievers hunted her down? She's obviously one of us."

A boy with brown skin, a large nose, and thick eyebrows got angry at Clint's remark, "Obviously? You're just soft on the Greenie cause she's a shucking girl and you want to get with her."

Clint stood up and started yelling at the boy, "You're a real shuck-face, Winston!"

Winston stood up and they started yelling at each other. Some of the other boys, including Gally, started getting into it as well, trying to get their opinions heard. It was getting really loud. I couldn't hear anything they were saying. Alby started yelling at them for yelling at each other.

Then Winston punched Clint.

It broke into an uproar of violence and yelling. No one was left having a diplomatic argument. All of the boys were getting in, either joining the fight to stop it or help whoever they were rooting for. 

I was frozen with fear. The malice on their faces was sickening. My heart was racing and I felt helpless. I wanted to end this, but I didn't want to get mixed up in the fight. Were all boys like this? Or is this just the kind of response only these boys would give?

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up and yelled.

"STOP IT!!! ALL OF YOU!!!" 

My voice boomed more than I expected. Most of them stopped and looked at me. Winston was still beating on Clint. Punching him in the face over and over again.

"Winston, that's enough!"

Winston looked up at me. I could see on his face that his brain finally caught up with his actions. He looked apologetic. Alby ripped him off of Clint who luckily still happened to be conscious. Minho and another boy I didn't know helped Clint get up. He said he was fine and groaned as he went back to his chair. 

I wanted to say so much to them, yet I didn't know which words to use. I was disgusted. I was furious. What kind of people are these guys? I looked at Alby incredulously. 

Alby sighed and looked at Winston and Clint. "You slintheads done?"

Clint nodded and Winston muttered a yes.

My ankle started hurting. I forgot I was still standing. I tried to sit down gently, but that didn't help. I winced at the pain and rested my foot.

Alby stayed standing, "Now slim it you shanks, good that?"

All of the boys muttered in agreement.

Alby looked around for a while, then continued, "I feel there needs to be a new rule now."

Everyone looked up at him.

"No one is allowed to date the Greenie. Ever. It will keep things simple and prevent fights like these."

I blinked. 

I wasn't sure what to think. I wanted to thank Alby, but I also wanted to assert the fact that if I wanted to date someone then I would. Alby didn't have the right to tell me what I can't do. Then again he had a point. I was the only girl in a Glade full of who knows how many boys. Fights were bound to happen if I were to get romantic. 

Alby looked around, "Does anyone disagree?"

No one dared to say anything, not even me.

"Then it looks like we've got ourselves a rule. Make sure to tell the rest of the shuck-faces when you resume your jobs tomorrow morning."

They all nodded.

Alby looked at Newt who nodded. Newt looked weird, I couldn't tell why. He wouldn't look at me either.

Alby continued, "Now back to business. From what I heard, we're just looking at another Greenbean who was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

 Gally spoke up, "You can't be shucking serious, Alby! She popped up in the maze. Greenies don't come here like that. What if she's lying to us? What if she's just here to-"

"Gally quit your yapping. We have no way of proving if she's lying. So slim it unless you've got some lie detector up your sleeve."

Gally paused, "What if I told you I saw her?"

Everybody went dead silent. No one moved. The tension in the room increased tenfold and I was getting really confused.

What did he mean? Of course, he's seen me before. We met earlier today and he was a complete jerk. I didn't see how that would change anything about my story and why I was here. There obviously was a double meaning to "seeing" someone that I wasn't familiar with. 

Alby's body became taut. "You saw her?"

"She stood right in front of me. I knew I recognized her from somewhere. I wasn't sure at first, but now I'm positive. I saw her many times. She had talked to me. She had talked to all of you." Gally stood up and looked at everyone. "She was even dressed like one of them."

Some of the boys started mumbling to each other. I looked at Newt and he looked back at me, slightly confused.

"Be quiet!" Alby said. The muttering died down.

"What is he talking about?" I asked.

"I told you to be quiet." He pointed a finger at me.

I put my hands up in frustration, "Oh, come on, Alby! I'm a part of this Gathering too and I don't know what the crap is going on. At least keep me on the same page!"

"Shut it, Greenie!"

I clenched my jaw. This was absolutely ridiculous.

Gally looked at me distastefully, "I saw you in the Changing. I got stung by a griever and regained my memories in a painful way. And in my memories, I saw you. You were always there. You are a Creator."

I looked at him for a while. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was in shock. I couldn't be a Creator. That didn't make sense. I didn't know anything. I wouldn't do this to kids, to people my age, to anyone as a matter of fact. People died here for God's sake! Why would I put so many innocent kids in harm's way? Why would I take all of their memories, take them all away from their families? If I was a creator, why would I put myself through this? Why would I take away my own memories just to go through this? I would never torture people like this. Never. I'm a good person.

I could feel my blood rushing to my head, "That's a lie."

He could see he was getting to me, "Oh dear, getting angry, are we? Well sorry to rain on your parade, but I don't trust you. I'll prove to everyone here that you don't belong. That you are responsible for us being put in this forsaken hell."

"What is wrong with you? Why do you think I would ever do any of this to anyone? If I were a Creator then why would I be here? Why would I not have any memories? Why would I put myself in the maze instead of coming up through the Box? Why would I put myself in danger and almost get eaten by grievers?"

He glared at me, "Well, you-"

I stood up quickly and spoke forcefully, "NO. Shut up. I am talking and you listen." 

Everyone went silent. I could even tell that Gally and Alby were taken back by my sudden surge of confidence. I felt in control and it drove me forward.

"I almost died out there and now you're saying that just because I don't make you feel comfortable, just because I don't make you feel all warm and fuzzy, just because you think you saw me in some horrible process of regaining your memories that I'm obviously a Creator and not anyone else? What if we just happened to know each other before? Have you ever thought of that? Have you ever thought of these things called coincidences?"

He tried to speak but his words were failing him. I was speaking too fast to give him a chance to collect his thoughts.

"Now I may not know who the heck I am, but I at least feel like I would have the common decency to not torture people. Nor do I believe that I was capable of doing something like this. Look at everything around you. Look at all the things that had to be built. Look at the freaking grievers for crying out loud! Do you really think that someone as young as me would be able to create gigantic moving stone walls and form a new robotic slug species the size of cattle that feed off of human flesh? And if I did, then why would I make myself forget everything? You would think that a genius who created all of this would not want to jeopardize their knowledge, right? All of the hard work they put into their education would be something they would not be willing to toss away. They wouldn't come in here and try to become one of you. So yeah. I consider your argument invalid."

I took a deep breath and folded my arms.

There was silence. I stopped glaring at Gally and looked around. They were all staring in disbelief. Alby was giving me a very critical stare like he was analyzing what was the best way to keep me stuck out in the maze so he would never have to see me again. He stood up. For a second I thought I had messed up. I thought I had crossed well past the line. This would be the end of my stay in the Glade. I closed my eyes and waited for him to start yelling.

Then there was applause. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I opened my eyes to see everyone clapping except for Gally. The rest of the boys started standing along with Alby.

Everyone looked either proud or blown away. I looked at Newt who looked like he was trying not to smile from ear to ear. He seemed to be one of the proudest.

Alby stopped and the applause died. I sat down along with everyone else. Alby stayed standing.

"All in favor of declaring Kelley an official Greenie to the Glade?"

Everyone said Aye except for Gally.

"Anyone opposed?" 

I could tell Gally wanted to say something, but the looks he was getting from the other boys kept him from doing so. 

Alby nodded his head and looked at me. Then he did something I would never have thought possible. He smiled at me. Genuinely. 

"Kelley, welcome to the Glade."

I noticed he actually called me by my name.

"Thank you."

The boys cheered and whooped.

I felt so relieved. I felt amazing. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt like I could literally take on anything right now. Run a couple miles? Easy. Climb every mountain? You got it. Smack Gally upside the head? My pleasure. Fight off some grievers?

Okay maybe not the last one, but I'm sure I'd be willing to just stare at one for a while. 

From a hundred yards away.

Behind a brick wall.

With a very very tiny window.

"Now before we end this Gathering, is there anything anyone has to say?" Alby turned to Gally, "Besides you, of course."

There were a few snickers.

Minho raised his hand and I got really worried for a second.

"Yes, Minho?" Alby sounded like he was slightly worried as well.

Minho leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. He seemed very relaxed, "I had been thinking about how well Kelley did out in the maze. She was able to run for a long time without getting too exhausted. We've lost a few Runners in the past and haven't put in anyone to replace them because, frankly, there hasn't been enough people qualified to handle the task."

Alby raised an eyebrow, "What are you saying, shank?"

He sat forward and looked at me, "I think with the right training, Kelley could be a Runner."

"NO."

Everyone stopped. 

For a second, I thought I had said it out loud without noticing, but then I realized it was Newt. I caught a glance of what his original expression was before he covered it up. He was terrified. His eyes were wide and his face had almost turned white. I couldn't understand why he was so frightened for me going out in the maze, but I wasn't going to argue against it. I wasn't to keen on the idea either. I was surprised at his ability to mask his fear so quickly.

He maintained a calm face and voice. "We can't put the Newbie in the maze. It's too dangerous."

Minho raised an eyebrow at Newt, "Well, I didn't mean right away." He gestured to my ankle, "She's not fit to start running anytime soon. I was just saying I was thinking about it and it definitely wouldn't be serious at first. It takes a while to become accustomed to running all day."

"Wait, so you want to send me back out to where I nearly got killed?" I asked.

Minho looked at me, "Well, there usually aren't any grievers out during the day and you'll be with me for the most part, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about."

I was flabbergasted. "Nothing to worry about?! You know, I really don't think you quite understand that I am never going out in that maze ever again."

Minho looked annoyed, "I do understand. I go out there every day, shuck-face. Don't get all jacked on me, it was just an idea."

I couldn't believe him. The maze he knew was different from the one I did. He couldn't understand what I had gone through. To have that place be the first thing you ever knew.

I sighed. "Alright. May I be excused? Or is there still more we need to go over?"

Alby looked around. No one said anything, so he spoke, "As the leader, I declare this Gathering ended."

People started leaving and Alby stopped Clint, "Clint, take her to a room upstairs. That's where she will sleep apart from everyone else." 

"Good that," Clint said.

Alby turned to me, "For safety reasons, you are never to be in your room alone with anyone unless it's with me, Newt or Clint. Otherwise, any visits will have to be supervised by one of us. Good that?"

I nodded, "Good that."

The saying felt weird to me.

Clint handed me my crutches and I followed him out of the room and up the stairs to the third floor. He went down the hallway and opened the last door. 

"Here you go."

"Thanks, Clint." I walked in and he followed me.

It wasn't much, not that different from the room I had woken up in earlier. The only differences were that this one had a window with curtains and there was a bed with blankets instead of a cot. I sat down on the bed and looked at Clint.

"I forgot to ask you how bad my ankle was."

He nodded, "Ah, yeah. Well, it's not broken, just badly sprained. You should be fine in two weeks or so if you continue to stay off it and rest."

"That's good."

"Well, it's time for dinner. Do you want me to bring you food? Or would you want to go out and get it yourself?" Clint asked.

I thought about it. My ankle was hurting too badly from me standing on it too much. "I think I should probably stay here."

He smiled, "Good call. I'll be back in a second."

He left out the door and closed it. I laid down and closed my eyes.

I hadn't realized until that moment just how tired I felt. My muscles ached from being used too much after the maze. I was about to fall asleep when there was a knock on my door.

"Come in, Clint. You're fine."

The door opened, but I didn't open my eyes yet.

"That was faster than I thought, so what's for dinner?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not Clint and I haven't a clue what Frypan's cooking for dinner."

I opened my eye and Newt was leaning against the door frame. I sat up against the back of the bed.

"Oh, Newt. What are you doing here?"

He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge next to me. "Just thought I should congratulate you on your terrific speech against Gally. It was bloody amazing. I've never seen Gally at such loss for words before."

I laughed a little, "Thank you. It was nothing."

He shook his head, "No it was definitely something. Alby was extremely impressed with you."

"...He was?"

Newt shrugged, "Well he didn't say it directly, mind you. He would never praise a Greenie on their first day."

I laughed again, "Yeah, that seems like Alby."

Newt smiled, "Yes, but I could see it in the way he regarded you after. He holds you to a higher respect that may even rival me."

I smirked, "Huh, I wonder if I could become second in command someday."

He rolled his eyes, "In your dreams, Greenie."

I smiled, "Maybe, but not for long."

We laughed and I felt something touch my hand. I looked down to see that his hand next to mine. It sent a weird tingle down my body and we both pulled away. I could feel my cheeks starting to flush. He got up.

"I, uh, should probably go get something to eat." He backed out awkwardly from my room.

"Yeah, probably." 

He waved, "See you later, Kelley."

I waved back, "See you later."

He left and I had a strange feeling in me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but as Clint came back and I was eating some food I figured out what that feeling was.

I felt... complete.