The leaves brushed against the ground, sun peaked through my eyelids waking me up. My eyes fluttered for a few seconds, adjusting to the sun which was shining down. I twisted my head slightly, realising that I had fallen asleep on Thomas. My head was resting on his shoulder as his arm draped around my back then to my waist. He was still asleep, he looked cute while sleeping. Suddenly, I heard running footsteps coming our way.

"About time ya woke up." Minho greeted, lowering Alby off of his back ad leaning him against the concrete walls.

I shook my head with a sly smile on my face before gently getting up, not wanting to disturb Thomas.

Silence surrounded us, I was still pissed that Minho would run off like that, I think he gathered that.

"Look Taylor, I'm sor-." But before he could finish, I wrapped my arms around him. A second later, his wrapped around me.

"Just don't do it again." I spoke, pulling away. Mihno smiled softly before looking at Thomas, a sigh escaping his lips.

"I think I need to remind this shank of rule number four," Minho sarcastically mumbled, I laughed.

Minho walked over to Thomas, kicking his shin. The greenie jolted up.

"Relax, only us" Minho said.

"What- what happened?" Thomas asked, forgetting for a moment.

I smiled, "We survived the night."

----

We had arrived back at the Glade, Alby was being treated by the Medjacks and there was non-stop talk on how Thomas killed a Griever, it had never happened before.

I was back in my room. I slouched down on my bed for it only to bring me sudden pain. I straightened myself up but the pain was still there. My hand glided as far as it could up my back, as I touched it, it stung even more. Must've been from where the Griever's tail hit me.

After getting changed into new clothes, I couldn't find myself to socialise so I just sat there. A sudden wave of sadness washing through me like an ocean. Tears escaping my eyes. My chest grew heavy. I wanted to collapse on the floor and lie there until I grew tired and fell asleep. I wasn't sure where all of this was coming from, but I've been bottling everything up for three years now, it had to be let out at some point. The last time I remember properly crying was when I came up the box...and when I had to leave Thomas for the Maze.

Knock, Knock.

I looked up quickly, wiping my tears and sniffing. "Come in," I called out, my voice slightly raspy. My nails picked the skin off of my fingers.

The person who entered was Thomas, his smile soon vanishing when he saw me upset.

"Taylor- Whats wrong?" He asked, closing the door behind him and sitting next to me.

I didn't reply, I didn't know how to, I felt weak. I hate how weak I felt right now. Thomas pulled me closer to him, his hands now wrapped around mine as my back gently rested against him and his head resting by the side of mine. I automatically felt better as we stayed close together.

Moments had passed and we still stayed like that. I let out a deep breath before turning around to look at Thomas. My face stained with dried-up water.

"Um, what did you come here for?" I asked.

"Oh- uh, they're having a gathering in a few minutes and they want you there" He answered.

I nodded yet my eyes didn't leave his and his didn't leave mine. He leaned in closer, as did I. My heart picked up its speed as our lips attached. Everything around us had disappeared. Our body's stiffening then relaxing, my stomach fluttered with butterflies. Fireworks exploded. My arms wrapped around his neck as his hands held the sides of my face. His tongue wetting the bottom of my lip, asking for an entry, which I accepted. It was a soft kiss, a passionate one. I never wanted this moment to end but sadly it had to.

We parted from each other so we could breathe. My smile grew the widest it could get, so did Thomas'.

"Guess I broke rule number four then" he chuckled, eyes flickering down before meeting mine again.

Rule number four: never touch Taylor.

I let out a small laugh before getting up, "Come on, we have a gathering to get to."

----

Waking in, I stood next to Minho as Thomas was placed at the front of the hut. His eyes gazing to mine quickly.

"Took you long enough" Minho whispered to me, I nudged him slightly.

"Things are changing. There's no denying that." Gally spoke, "First Ben gets stung in broad daylight and then Alby. And now our Greenie here has taken it upon himself to go into the Maze. Which is a clear violation of our rules here."

"Yeah, but he saved Alby's life." Frypan said from behind Newt.

"Did he?" Gally questioned, there was a long silence before he continued, "For three years, we have coexisted with these things and now you've killed one of them." He now stood in front of Thomas.

Me and Minho shared a look.

"Who knows what that could mean for us?" Gally questioned again.

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Newt asked.

"He has to be punished."

Murmurs and gasps were circling around the room, I looked straight at Thomas, his face full of confusion, he didn't know what that must've meant.

"Taylor, Minho. You guys were there with him. What do you think?" The British boy spoke directly towards us.

Minho's and my head quickly turned to one another.

"You go first,"

"No you go first,"

"He's your boyfriend,"

"No he is not!"

"I think you should go first."

"Nope, your going first sha-."

"For god sake!" Gally cried out, me and Minho had finished our squabbling, "Minho, you go first since you were so reluctant to make Taylor speak first."

I stuck my tongue out at Minho, he grinned before letting out a sigh.

"I think, in all the time we've been here, no one's ever killed a Griever. When I turned tail and ran, this dumb shank" he looked towards Thomas, "and my favourite shank" he gestured towards me, "stood behind to help Alby. Look, I don't know if he's brave or stupid."

"Brave" I coughed.

Minho quickly glared at me before continuing, "But whatever it is, we need more of it."

I stepped forward, now my turn to speak: "I say we make him a Runner."

Thomas' head picked itself up, shocked at what one of the Keeper of the Runner's had just said.

"A runner? What? Taylor, let's not jump the gun here, all right?" Frypan exclaimed.

Chuck then began chanting Thomas, I chuckled at that. Chuck was the youngest here, he had more enthusiasm than any of us, it just surprised me he'd use most of it towards the dark haired boy. I looked over at Thomas, my eyes meeting his. I smiled a proud smile, him returning it.

As everyone still talked, I began feeling warmer. A headache grew in my head and my back throbbed in small pieces of pain. My eyes squinted shut for a moment.

"If you wanna throw the newbie a parade, that's fine." Gally yelled over everyone, my eyes shot open, I pushed aside any feeling I had right now. "Go ahead. But if there is one thing I know about the Maze, is that you do not-."

But he was cut off.

Metal grinded in the distance, the horn going off. Pushing myself off of the wall and unfolding my arms, me, Newt and Gally were the first people to leave the gathering. The box shouldn't be coming up, it hasn't been a month yet.

We rushed over towards it, everyone following suit behind us.

"Ok, wait, wait. I know that sound." Thomas said loudly.

"The box! It's coming back up." Chuck said also.

"It shouldn't be." Minho exclaimed worriedly.

I opened the gate with Gally, Newt jumping down it. I stood at the front of the crowd, Minho one side of me and Thomas the other.

"Newt what do you see?" I asked, hoping its a girl.

Silence echoed the crowd before Newt looked up.

"Its a greenie." He spoke up.

I leaned my head over, a boy laying there, not a girl. Head slightly turning, I looked at his features. His hair was dirty brown, it looked combed, neater then the other boys. His skin pale as he wore brown trousers and a green shirt, daps on the bottom of his feet like everyone else's.

Thomas' eyes were burning into me, as if he was jealous on how the way I was looking at the new greenie. I no longer looked at the boy in the box but now at Thomas, I slipped my hand into his, a small smile pressured onto my lips.

"What's in his hand?" Gally asked.

Newt's face scrunched up before pealing away his fingers, unclenching the tight hold he had. A piece of paper came into my view. The blonde picked it up and began reading it out.

"He's the last one...ever." He read, the last word emphasised. Newt looked up at us, confused just like the rest of us.

"Alright, get him out." Gally demanded, "The med jacks will keep an eye on him until he wakes up."

Everybody nodded in agreement. Winston helping Newt get the new greenie out. The crowd lessened, everyone retuning back to their jobs.

Me, Newt, Minho and Thomas followed the medjacks into the safe hut where all the hurt/sick Gladers are kept. The greenie was placed across the room from a shivering Alby, small whimpers of pain escaping his mouth.

My back stung again, this time hurting more. My eyes squeezed shut, letting the pain go away.

Thomas' looked up from Alby, noticing there was something wrong, "Taylor," he spoke, making me open my eyes, "are you ok?"

I smiled, one hand of mine rubbing my back. "Yeah, of course I am." Thomas didn't seem too convinced.

"Are you sure? Because it looks like-." But he got cut off by Newt.

"Jeff. What's going on?" He questioned frustratedly, "What the matter with him? Why won't he wake up?"

"Hey, man. I got my job the same way you did," Jeff spoke, tiredness etched into his tone.

"What about the note?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah, we'll worry about the note later." Newt replied.

"Newt I think you should worry about it now, later won't do any good to us if we're already worrying about it." I spoke, Newt looked at me, he sighed.

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

"She's right Newt," Jeff said, "if the Box isn't coming back up, how long do you think we can last?"

"No one said that." The blonde haired boy answered, "Let's not jump to any conclusions. We'll just...We'll just wait until he wakes up and see if he knows anything. Somebody's gotta have some answers around here."

Thomas looked down, thinking hard of a decision before pulling his head back up.

"Okay." He muttered, soon walking towards the hut door.

"And where are you going?" Newt asked, arms folded.

"Back into the Maze."

Seconds after he left, Newt glared at me and Minho before both of us Runners jogged out of the doors to catch up with what it seems like, the no longer Greenie.

"Hey," Minho called out, both of us trailing towards Thomas.

"Tom, wait up." I spoke.

The blue-shirted boy stayed still. Minho jogged to stand in front of, as did I.

"Are you suicidal?" I asked out of the blue.

"What- No." Thomas exclaimed.

"You got a death wish?" Minho questioned even further.

"We just got out the Maze and now you want back in?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

Thomas sighed, "Newt said that no one's ever seen a Griever and lived to tell about it, right? Taylor, Minho, now we have one. You guys are telling me you're not even a little but curious?"

"Yes actually-."

"Not really, no."

I glared at my best friend before turning back to Thomas, a light smile on his face. He took a few more steps, me by his side until Minho stood in front of us once more.

"So, what's the plan?" He asked, "You guys gonna go out and dissect that thing all by yourself?"

"We will if we have to," Thomas replied, "have the other Runners left yet?"

"The other Runners quit this morning, they're being pussies after what happened before we got stuck in the Maze." I scoffed.

We glanced over to them, they were taking new jobs from Gally, mainly to be builders.

"After Alby got stung, they're not in any hurry to get back out there." Minho said, "Why are you?"

"Minho, we've been stuck here for 3 years..." I began.

"No shit," Minho replied sarcastically.

"I think it's finally time to find out what we're up against." I finished, Thomas giving a nod of agreement.

Minho thought for a moment, "All right, but you guys aren't going back out there just the two of you. Meet me in the woods in half an hour." then he began trailing off.

As we stood there, I suddenly hissed in pain. My arm reaching to my back. Thomas' eyes whipped to look at me then my back. He quickly grabbed the back of my shirt and began lifting it up.

"Hey a little privacy!" I yelled but all I got was silence in return, "Thomas what is it?" My voice gone quiet.

He stepped back, lowering my shirt. I turned around and met him, worry written all over his face. His hand grabbed onto mine before he was taking me to see the Medjacks.

What the fuck is happening?

"Thomas tell me what the shuck is happening before I cut your hand off!" I demanded as we walked into the Medjack's hut. He let go of my wrist, clearly not wanting his hand leaving his body.

Thomas looked around, Clint and Jeff weren't here. Soon he began frantically searching the draws to be met with a small mirror, the only one in the Glade. He placed it on the wooden table and lifted my shirt up once again. I twisted my head slightly, a gasp coming from my mouth. Sharp blades from the Griever's tail was stuck all over my back, five to be exact. Blood stained in a circle around them.

Once again, Thomas was searching more draws until he picked out a pair of tweezers. When his eyes met mine, he froze, lips quivering on what he was going to say next.

"I- I, um, need you to take your top off." He spoke.

I turned my head in confusion but I did it anyway, he looked at me for a few moments, blush crept on his cheeks before he sat me down on one of the beds and brushed my hair out of the way. His cold hand's sent a shiver down my spine.

"This is going to hurt a little." He said, his hand placed into mine to hold while the other began plucking out shards. I bit down on my lip, trying not to wince from the slight amount of pain. The cuts had already scabbed up so no blood dripped down luckily. I could feel Thomas' breath heating my neck.

A few minutes later, Thomas had finished taking all the Griever tail out of me and wiped the dried blood off with a rag. His hand tracing a few lines down my back, longing to touch me before I pulled my top back on then turned to Thomas.

"Thanks" I said.

He sent a reassuring smile back until his face scrunched up, "Wait, your not actually going to chop my hand off are you?"

I shrugged my shoulders then left, realising we had to meet Minho in the forest.

----
seven completed
2692 words