❝faking sleep to count your breath❞

"YOU KISSED HER?" GALLY EXCLAIMED, HIS EYES WIDENING AT HIS BEST FRIEND. Jem had just finished explaining everything that had happened in the Med-jack Hut with Ben. They had awkwardly parted ways, and she went to go speak to Winston while he ranted to Gally.

"Almost kissed her," he reminded him, stopping his pacing for a second to correct him. If he had actually kissed her, that made it real, but they had just gotten caught up in the moment. An almost kiss did not mean anything."The 'almost' is essential to this situation."

Gally breathed out, "Holy shuck. This is crazy."

"Bad. Crazy bad," Jem added, making sure that his best friend was not finding pleasure in all of this. He needed to know that this was a very bad thing because this made everything extremely awkward.

The Builder furrowed his eyebrows because he knew for a fact that Jem had at least some sort of feelings for Iris, whether he knew it or not. This was a step in the right direction since the girl did not scream and run away and actually leaned in. "Why? Don't you like her?"

"She's Iris—" the Slicer started, but Gally was quick to cut him off, knowing exactly what he was going to say because it was the same thing he said whenever anyone asked him about Iris.

"Annoying and happy and weirdly optimistic," the kid continued for him with an eye roll, but that was not what he wanted to know. He wanted to know if Jem would admit to himself that he liked her. "I've heard this speech from you dozens of times, but that's not what I asked you."

Jem shrugged because how the hell was he supposed to figure that out. He could never remember talking to a girl he liked, so he was not sure how it felt. "I don't shucking know."

"Look at her right now," Gally ordered, gesturing over to where she was standing with Winston. Jem turned his body so that he could see better. He examined the scene and awaited further instructions. "Now, tell me how you feel."

"I feel like I want to kill Winston," he answered.

Gally nodded slowly because that was not quite the response that he was wanting or even expecting. He wanted something about Iris, not Winston, but jealousy was definitely not something to note. "Um, okay. Why?"

"I want to be there...with her, making her laugh. I mean, how can she do that?" Jem scoffed, shaking his head as the blonde girl giggled at something that Winston had said. "How can she stand there and laugh and look so perfect? And then it be with Winston?"

"You like her, man. That's obvious. The only question now is what the hell are you gonna do about it?" Gally questioned, not even giving Jem time to process the information or deny any of it. There was no denying, though, and he knew that because he had been caught red handed.

"Nothing," he replied, looking down at the ground. He really did not like the feeling that he was having at that moment. It was weird and depressing and just not cool at all. "She sure as hell does not like me back. Don't we have a Banishing to get to?"

"Nice change of subject. But yeah, you're right. Let's go."

Ben panted and groaned as he was pushed toward the Keepers. It was time for his Banishing, and needless to say, he was not best pleased. There were ropes all around his arms and back, keeping him from being able to move too much.

"Just listen to me. Just, please, listen to me!" Ben pleaded as the Keeper of the Runners forced him into the circle with the poles. "Please, Minho! Alby! Jem! Iris, come on! No, please. Please, don't. Please, don't do it."

Iris could not look him in the eye when he begged her for help. How could she? Although they did not really get along all of the time, she had known Ben for almost two years. It hurt to watch him go for something that was not his fault, something that he had no control over.

There were Gladers on either side of him with spears, pushing him toward the middle, and the Keepers had their poles that they used to push him. Minho dropped Ben to his knees and used a knife to cut away rope, causing the blonde boy below him to let out a high-pitched gasping breath.

Thomas walked over and stood next to Chuck curiously, and they watched as Minho made his way in front of Ben, closer to the Maze with the boy's pack, the thing that kept him alive while he was in the hell hole. He sobbed, "Please, don't. Please, don't do it." Minho did not listen. He just chucked the bag into the walls as the Doors began to close.

"Poles!" Alby caused as Ben began to whimper. He allowed Minho to rush over and grab his pole and stand next to Newt and Iris. She could never watch when she did this. She always had to look away or close her eyes. "Move in!"

"No, no, no! Please! No, please! Please, don't! I can get better! Please, just listen to me! Please, stop, please!" Ben panted in between crying as he was forced into the closing walls of the Maze. He was pushed so far that he was forced to walk all the way through in order to not be crushed by the stone and become a Ben pancake.

His scream was the last thing they heard before it fell silent.

Jem looked over at Iris who was taking a few deep breaths, and he could tell that she was upset. Alby turned around and looked at each of them, but they were all staring at their feet, not sure what to do or say. He was the one who spoke, partially explaining about Thomas.

"He belongs to the Maze now."

《 ✢ 》

IRIS WAS SITTING OUTSIDE AND LEANING AGAINST THE WALL. She was a couple of yards from the doors and waiting for them to open, although it would not be for another six hours. Still, she sat there, not sure what the hell she was doing. The chances that Ben would stumble out once the doors opened was very very slim, but she had to be there just in case. He would most likely need medical attention.

Her head was in her hands, but she looked up when she heard familiar footsteps. Jem was walking over to her with a bundle in his hand, and she furrowed her eyebrows because it was really late and most people were asleep. "What are you doing here?"

"I could say the same for you," he added, gesturing to her spot that was very far away from her nice, warm bed in her private room away from everyone.

She shrugged, looking down at the ground and admitting, "Couldn't sleep."

"Well, I brought you a blanket," he informed her, and he tossed her the bundle and slid to the ground next to her as she eyed him with a kind of terrified look. She wondered what his plan was that time. He noticed her expression and questioned, "Why do you look scared?"

"Did you poison it or something?" she questioned, examining the fabric for anything suspicious. When she felt it, it did not burn her skin or anything, which was a fairly good sign.

"No. I told you. I don't want to fight anymore. I'm sorry for being nice," he sighed, holding his hands up in surrender as she smiled a bit at how corny he was being. She then looked back over to the closed Doors, which he did not fail to notice. "This is really bothering you, isn't it? I didn't think you and Ben were that close."

It was just so shocking to her that a boy that had been with them for a year, laughing with them and contributing by risking his life every day out there in the Maze, could be gone just like that. "He was still one of us."

"He attacked the Greenie," Jem reminded her. It was against their rules, and they always punished every single person that broke the rules. If they did not do that, then people would start believing that they could get away with things like that.

"He was Stung, and he made a mistake," she insisted, wanting desperately to see the good in people. She shrugged and looked down at her feet covered by the blanket. "Who knows? Maybe I could have saved him. I hate giving up on people." -

Jem turned to her with a shocked expression because she did everything but give up on the kid. "You didn't give up on him. You gave him a hell of a lot more than he deserved." She slapped him playfully on the shoulder for his comment. "What? The guy was annoying. You gonna stay out here all night?"

"I wanna be here when the Doors open, just in case. You can go inside, though," she told him, gesturing to where his empty hammock was hanging and waiting for him. HE would be a hell of a lot more comfortable over there.

He shrugged and glanced at her with a slight smile. "I think I'm good where I am."