Her || The Maze Runner

Twenty One

Mara had only gone through a few more minutes of her job after giving out the runners' food when a booming siren blasted though the air. Everyone froze, this time Mara knew what that siren signaled.

Another greenie.

Threre was another Glader? What was going on in that place? Would there ever be a quiet day in the Glade?

Everyone in the kitchen immediately stopped what they were doing and bolted for the door, wanting to see this new kid when they arrived. Mara was the first out of the door, pushing towards the box but she was interrupted.

"What's going on?" Thomas asked, pulling her away from the crowd.

"The box. The thing you came up in, its bringing someone else up." Mara told him, wanting to get to the box. It could be another girl, someone she could talk to about anything, sure she had the boys but having a boy best friend isn't the same as having a girl best friend. She could remember that at least.

"So why is everyone freaking out? Isn't this how you all got here?" Thomas sighed in frustration as Chuck wandered towards them. The noisy siren cut off after Thomas spoke, only the chattering of the Gladers could be heard.

"I don't know - guess its always been real regular-like. Once a month, every month, same day." Chuck told him, not mentioning Mara's entrance to the Glade. But that was a good thing, they weren't supposed to tell Thomas, and assuming the next newbie, anything about Mara and how she had apparently changed the Glade. Maybe whoever's in charge realised you were nothing but a big mistake, sent someone to replace you." Chuck giggled, Thomas elbowed him in the ribs.

But it was different for Mara; she knew she was a mistake. She had never meant to go to the Glade. All she could do was pretend she was meant to be there.

"You're annoying. Seriously." Thomas said, but Mara wasn't paying much attention, her vision lingered over the crowd surrounding the box. She was curious, she wanted to know who was coming up in half an hour. But for some reason, she felt like something bad was going to happen.

"Yeah, but we're buddies, now, right?" Chuck asked, sort of snorting with laughter as he spoke.

"Looks like you're not giving me much choice on that one."

"You may be buddies, but Tommy here still likes me more." Mara winked, breaking her thoughts from the box.

"Okay buddies, at least one of you calls me by my name." Thomas smiled at Mara, who reproduced the smile on her own face. "If ya don't, Chuck, I'll throw you down the hole after  the box leaves." Thomas paused. "Wait a minute, have you guys ever-"

"Tried it," Chuck interrupted before Thomas got the chance to finish his sentence.

"Tried what?"

"Going down the box after it makes a delivery." Chuck answered. "It won't do it. Won't go down until it's completely empty."

"I already knew that, but what about-"

"Tried it." Chuck interrupted yet again, causing Thomas to sigh in frustration. Mara didn't blame him, the poor newbie couldn't get a sentence out without Chuck saying 'tried it'. She would've been pretty annoyed if that had been her too, but the box still held her attention. It was her focus, with Tommy and Chuck's words floating around her.

"Man you're hard to talk to. Tried what?" Thomas asked, again sighing in frustration.

"Going through the hole after the box goes down. Can't. Doors will open, but there's just emptiness, blackness, nothing. No ropes, nada. Can't do it."