#readsomemore

She sank into the hammock, trying not to think about anything; but her mind always wandered away from her. Things had been getting tougher in the Glade: supplies kept coming later and later, often only bringing half what they needed; the Gladers seemed to be getting more agitated and restless; the days only seemed to get longer and harder; and the Runners hadn’t brought back any good news in weeks.

            The day had finally ended, and the sun was almost all the way down. A fire had been started, and Gladers milled around talking to one another or relaxing by the fire as the day died out. She glanced at the door to the Map Room every few minutes waiting for the Runners to come out, more specifically, waiting for her best friend Thomas to come out.

            She watched for a few minutes before the door finally opened and Minho walked out with Thomas right behind him. She watched as they exchanged a couple of words, said there goodbyes, then turned to walk in opposite directions, Minho toward the fire and Thomas toward her.

            “How was it today?” she asked when he was close enough to hear her. He looked exhausted as he crumbled to the floor in front of her bunk, crossing his legs in front of him and resting his elbows on his knees.

            “Terrifying and exhausting,” he said with a slight smirk on his face, as if what he had said was a joke. But (y/n) knew it wasn’t a joke, she knew that even behind the smile, he was serious. The Maze really was terrifying and exhausting. She nodded her head slightly, and laid back down in her bunk with a long sign.

            “You okay?” she heard Thomas ask from the floor below her bunk. She watched as he got up and came over to stand by her bed. He leaned against one the large support beams that held up the Homestead, looking at her, “Do you feel alright?”

            “Yeah, I’m fine. I just—I don’t know…” she said, looking out of the Homestead toward the fire growing outside, “I’m just getting discouraged, that’s all.” She glanced at him, but looked away again, “I’ve been keeping track of some of the things that go on in the Glade, a journal of sorts. I’ve been keeping a record of when supplies come in…” She said shaking her head, “The Box keeps coming later and later, and with fewer supplies each time.” She looked him in the eye, a small panic beginning to ripple through her, “What if WICKED stops sending us supplies all together? How are we gonna survive? What if this just some cruel, sick joke? And they sent us here just to die? What if—“

            “(Y/n) stop!” he says coming closer so he’s face to face with her, “You can’t think like that okay. We’re here for a reason, I know we are. WICKED’s not going to let us just die out here. Th-this is probably one of their tests, “he stammered, “they’ll keep sending us supplies. They wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble of getting us here just to watch us starve to death.” He gives her a reassuring smile, “We’re gonna make it out of here, I promise.”

            “But what if you’re wrong.” She says worriedly, “We don’t know anything about these people, Thomas. How do we know they aren’t just using those Beetle Blades to watch us for their own entertainment? Or-or maybe this is some kind of prison for something we did in the past. We don’t have any of our memories, we have no idea what are lives were like before we came here.” She can feel tears start to prick at her eyes, and she has to try to force them back down. “What if the Maze is just a trick and there is no way out, and we’re stuck here until we die.” She says, her voice cracking a bit at the end.

            “Hey,” he says softly as he reaches up and wipes away a stray tear that had fallen down her cheek. “None of that’s going to happen alright. You know that I’ve gotten some of my memories back, this isn’t a trick WICKED is playing on us, it’s a test. And we’re gonna find a way out. And no matter what happens, I’m not going to let anything happen to you okay?”

            She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, soaking in Thomas’s words. She knows he’s right, there has to be a purpose to all this. When she opens her eyes again to look at him, she feels as if she’s seeing more clearly now than she has in days. Like she can finally breathe and has the ability to face another day.

            She smiles at him, a real smile, “Thanks Thomas. I guess I just needed to be reminded of that.”

            He smiles back at her, “What are best friends for?”