Chapter 13 - The maze

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After dinner, I headed to the Homestead with Chuck. We fell asleep shortly after lying down in our hammocks. This time, I didn't have any strange dreams, so I had a peaceful night. The next morning, I woke up with the first rays of sunlight. I then headed towards Minho's hut.

"Can I come in ?"

"No ! I'm not done getting ready."

"If you're worried about fixing your hair, believe me, I won't steal your routine."

"Liar ! You dream of having hair like mine."

"Your hair looks like it wants to touch the sky, no thanks."

I heard him sigh through the door, and he eventually opened it, ready to start the day. He invited me to follow him to a room filled with various weapons of all kinds.

"You should take one, just in case we run into any... trouble." Minho said.

I looked over the assortment of weapons available. I knew how to use a bow and, moreover, I enjoyed it. I picked up a few arrows and took down the bow hanging on the wall.

"So you've chosen the bow. Still, take a machete too, it can always come in handy." He advised.

I nodded and grabbed one of the available machetes. I also took some small daggers, just in case. Minho then handed me one of those peculiar vests that the runners wore every day. I put it on, and we left the armory room.

We headed to the cafeteria, along with Newt. The three of us had lunch together. Once the meal was finished, Frypan handed each of us a sandwich and some water.

"Good luck, Maylin !" Frypan said to me.

"Thanks, Fry !" I smiled at him, and he returned the smile.

"Put it in your bag, Maylin. Let's go." Minho said.

"But shouldn't we take anything else ? Like bandages or things like that ?" I asked.

"I already packed everything in your bag last night, don't worry." He reassured me.

"Thank you, Minho !"

"I know, I'm awesome, I think of everything." He replied.

I chuckled and followed him to the gates of the maze.

Newt and Chuck were already waiting for us there. Newt started talking to Minho while Chuck spoke to me.

"Take care of yourself, okay !" Chuck said.

"Yes, don't worry Chuck."

"It's going to be boring spending the day without you now !"

I chuckled. "You'll find something to keep busy, I have no doubt about that."

"You're right, I'm planning a prank on Gally ! I'll tell you about it later."

Newt approached me and looked me in the eyes.

"Don't stray from Minho, you're running with him today."

"Okay."

"Good luck, Maylin."

"Thank you !"

I gave him one last smile before running into the maze with Minho. The other Runners had already left.

I took a moment to observe the walls surrounding us. Some were covered in ivy. Some corridors were wide, while others were narrower.

"Keep up the pace, Maylin." Minho said as I had slowed down to observe a wall.

"Yeah, sure, don't worry." I replied, picking up my speed to catch up with him.

He seemed to really know every corner of the maze. We finally stopped at a junction.

"Get out your notebook, I put one in your bag." He instructed.

I did as he said and retrieved the notebook from my bag.

"You need to take notes on what you see. Map out the maze, note certain points if they seem different or important." Minho instructed.

I nodded, and we started running again. I took some notes and sketched what I observed in the maze. After a while, we settled down in a corner to have our lunch. We ate our sandwiches quietly and then resumed running.

The day passed by smoothly. We returned to the Glade an hour before the gates closed. Minho took me directly to a hut far from the others in the forest. He explained that it was the "map room." He showed me where to put my notes and took a deep breath before lifting a large cloth covering a table. This revealed a large model.

"It's the maze. All of it."

"What ? What do you mean all of it, I thought you were still mapping it."

"There's nothing left to map. I've run every inch of it myself. Every cycle. Every pattern."

"There must be a way out, there's no other option. We'll find it together, Minho." I said, trying to reassure him.

He sighed. "Your optimism might come in handy. I hate to admit it, but I think you'll be a great help to us... And please, don't tell anyone about it. Alby wants to keep this a secret. Having hope based on lies is still better than having no hope." He said.

We then returned to the Glade with everyone else. I joined Newt, and we both headed into the forest near the lake. I told him about my day and my impressions of the maze. We chatted a bit more, gazing out at the lake in front of us. An hour passed rather quickly. Dinner time was approaching, so I decided to go take a shower.

"Do you want me to lend you some clothes ?" He asked.

"No thanks, Minho lent me some last night." I smiled at him.

"Oh, uh, okay."

I went to get the clothes Minho had lent me from my hut, and then Newt and I headed to the showers. Again, he made sure no one was trying to watch me while I showered. As I washed my hair, I heard voices behind the door.

"Get lost, Liam, don't even try to look at her."

"Calm down, Newt, it's nothing. I'm not going to do anything to your little protege." Replied the boy whom I presumed to be Liam.

Newt sent Liam away, and I finally finished my shower. We then headed to the cafeteria to eat. We sat down with Chuck, Minho, Ben, and Zart. Chuck asked me to tell him about my day, so I did. We chatted a bit more while eating, and then each of us headed to our hammocks or huts.

Chuck then told me about his idea to prank Gally. Being tired, I didn't fully grasp everything he had in mind, but I understood enough to know that Gally was going to be really annoyed. With that, I fell asleep.

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Chapter 13 is over !

I love writing this story !! This chapter is short, sorry <3


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