Minho:

I opened my eyes greeted by darkness. The light hadn’t come to the glade yet casting shadows across the glade. I knew that the walls hadn’t opened yet and that it was way too early to even leave. This was the second day that I had woken up this early and I didn’t understand why.

Almost as if she knew what I was thinking Eliza started thrashing around cries coming out of her mouth. I moved over to the ground sitting next to her. I placed my hand on her shoulder. She seemed to calm a little but was still crying out. I opened my mouth about to wake her but then I shut it and instead just talked to her. I told her how I was feeling and how I wished that we would find a way to get out of here.

I didn’t expect anything to happened but surprisingly she stopped crying and moving around and instead she seemed to be actually sleeping.

Even though she was actually sleeping now I still sat by her side not leaving her there by herself. I felt that she needed someone by her. She needed a person to help her, even if she didn’t want to admit it herself, she needed someone.

Soon the dark sky started to brighten up. I knew that it was finally time to go. I placed my hands on her shoulders again and shook her gently. She stirred a little and then opened her eyes.

“Hey Minho.” her voice was groggy and dry. “Is it already time to leave?”

“Yeah. We have to go to the map room first and then we will head into the maze. You ready to head out?”

“Sure, just let me get my jacket and brush my hair.” I nodded helping her up and watched as she walked into the bathroom.

I walked over to the door ready to go out as soon as she came out. I looked back at the bathroom door waiting for her to come out, but found myself thinking about what was going to happen. I felt like something was wrong and I was nervous that it was because of what was happening. Was is because Eliza was going to be going back into the maze? Or was there something else that was going to happen aside from that?

A hand rested on my shoulder snapping me out of my thoughts. “Hey are you ready?”

I looked up meeting the worried look of Eliza. I don’t know how long she had been there or been done but it was probably for a while knowing me.

I shook my head and stood up straight and cleared my throat. “Yeah, I’m ready. We have to go to the map room first to pick up supplies and then we can head into the maze.”

“What are we waiting for then?”

She headed out the door while I followed right behind her. When we got outside she stopped and looked around, but then turned to me with a smile on her face.

“We should race to the map room.”

I stood there for a second before I accepted her challenged. She counted down from five and once the word go came out we were off.

I could see the map room and knew that I was going to win but then she passed me sprinting to the building. Her legs carrying her farther than I thought they could. Her thin body racing past me and straight the building before I could even comprehend what was going on.

Once I made it to the map room I stopped and bent over breathing heavily. I couldn’t believe that she had beaten me so easily.

As I stopped that breathing in and out she walked over and stood above me. She breathed out and in but it wasn’t heavy or ragged. It was just a little bit out of breath. I couldn’t understand how she wasn’t out of breath. She seemed almost completely fine unless you really listened to her breath, and tried to see if she was struggling, but she wasn’t. She was perfectly fine.

After several minutes I was able to breath in again. I stood up and looked at her, a smile present on both of our faces.

“I beat you.” she said as she looked at me, letting out a laugh. I tried to keep my face serious as I tried to pretend that I was upset but I couldn’t seem to do it, breaking out laughing with her.

“How are you...so fast? I don’t...get...it.” I said laughing so hard I found it once again hard to breath.

“I guess it helps that I was in the maze for so long also maybe I was a good runner before all this happened. I really don’t know.” she said her face turning to a frown as she mentioned the maze. I guess she still was having all those dreams that were like memories to here, I was starting to believe that they were memories.

“Well anyways we should get going.” she nodded at me as I lead her into the building.

It was dark inside but there was just enough light from the small windows so that we were able to see inside.

I moved over to the shelves and grabbed my running shoes and my backpack. Everything was already in my bag so I didn’t have to do much but then I had to set Eliza up with everything that she needed. I gave her a backpack and handed her both a notepad and a pencil. Next I handed her a water bottle and then helped find some shoes that fit her.

Before we left I grabbed a machete off the wall and small knife. I grabbed another knife and offered it to her but she bent down pulling out a pure black dagger. I placed the knife back on the wall and instead lead her out of the building and over to the dining hall.

As we walked she asked me what we were going to do in the maze and I explained to her that we just ran through the maze writing down anything that might have come up as helpful. She seemed to understand but continued to ask other questions about things like, how long has it been since we have started, or what we have found so far? I answered her questions the best I could. Once we made it to the dining hall we grabbed the two sandwiches and the apples, that were left out for us to take, then it was time to go into the maze.

We entered the maze and began running. As we ran I watched Eliza cutting off the vines like I had taught her to do. I had expected her to pick up on it quickly but she caught up on it a lot faster than I had expected her to. She picked up on everything really fast, it was like she had been doing it for a while now but she had just started. She already knew how to travel around the maze after being here for so long, along with taking notes and cutting the vines on her way. If a new person was to come he was certain they would think she had been there for a long time. She acted like she had been with us for a while, even if she is just getting better. She is more comfortable with us all, or at least she seems like she is.

She slowed down in front of me pulling me out of my thoughts. I stopped and turned around walking back over to her. She was looking at the wall but I couldn’t tell what she was looking at. As I got closer I noticed something on the wall, it was small and shiny.

I was standing right in front of her now and I noticed that it was the silver plat that read … W.I.C.K.E.D…I was surprised that she was looking at it like she was after being in the maze for all this time. She lifted her hand and pressed it against the plat her fingers spreading out over top of it. Her mouth was no longer the bright smile it was when we entered now it was nothing more than a frown, as her eyes looked upon the silver plate upon the wall.

“Hey are you okay there?” I asked her moving my hand so that it was resting on her shoulder. She pulled back turning to face me her face pure shock for the first few second before she realized that it was just me. “Hey, hey it's okay. It’s just me.”

“I’m sorry Minho. I was, just thinking of something and I guess I got distracted. Should we keep going so we get a little farther in?”

“How about we stop here for some food.” She nodded, at me as I turned around finding a small area where we could sit. I walked over to it as Eliza followed behind me.

I sat on the ground grabbing my bag and pulling out my sandwich and water bottle. I began to eat my sandwich looking up as Eliza steeped closer before sitting on the ground beside me. She opened her backpack and pulled her sandwich out, ripping off pieces of it and eating them. Neither of us speaking a word as we ate. I don’t think either of us knew what to say. I had many words to say, many questions I wished to ask her but I knew that right now was not the time and that I would just have a wait a little longer for that time.

“Shall we continue?” she asked placing her backpack on her back once again. I hadn’t noticed that she had finished as well. I simply nodded my head placing my water bottle in my backpack standing up.

We started off again running through the long corridors of the maze.

The light in the sky began to disappear sending the maze walls into shadows. I watched as Eliza took off to the door. She wanted to race. I took off after her trying to catch up and beat her this time, but it was no use. She was too fast.

She got out a minute or two before me waiting at the exit for me to catch up with her. When I finally did I was out of breath and my chest hurt from the lack of breath. We both stopped just walking trying to catch our breath, more me then her however. We headed to the map room to take care of everything that we needed to.

I set down my backpack grabbing out my notepad also grabbing the one from Eliza’s. I began to draw out the maze and what it had been like today. Eliza sat a little bit off from me watching what I was doing. She was still new and probably had no idea what I was doing either way this would be good for her to watch what I was doing for the time when she would have to do it herself.

Once I had finished I put the bags away and headed to the door along with Eliza. We headed to the dining hall grabbing some food and moving to one of the tables. We sat down eating the food while talking about random things.

I would ask her about her time in the maze or about how she was doing being in the glade now. She would answer all my questions asking me her own questions.

It was nice just being able to sit and talk about things. I didn’t have to worry about anything else just talking. I don’t remember the last time I felt at home here. It usually felt like a prison that I was trapped in with no escape, but ever since she came it felt like a home. I didn’t feel as trapped and it was almost nice.

After dinner ended everyone headed to the homestead to get some sleep. I headed upstairs, Eliza following behind, to my room. I sat down on my bed letting out a sigh. Eliza sat down on her bed on the ground, taking off her jacket and placing it on the ground beside her. She laid on the ground starring up at the celling.

“Hey Minho?” she started her voice quiet and almost hard to hear, “How long will it take to get out of here you think?”

I just looked at her for a few minutes unsure how to answer. I had thought about it plenty but I didn’t know the answer. “I don’t know.” I admitted to her. She frowned a bit at my answer.

“Okay. Do you think we will all make it?”

“I hope so,” I knew my hope was in vain though, “But I don’t think so. A lot of people have already died and I make take a long time to even start finding the way out.”

“Thank you-“ I smiled looking down at her. She had fallen asleep. Her eyes closed, she looked so peaceful. I stood up pulling the blanket out from under her, draping it over her sleeping figure. I moved a strand of hair out of her face just looking at her. She was so beautiful.

I shook my head standing up and moving to my own bed. I climbed in it closing my own eyes. I feel asleep the only thought in my head about her and what she had said. She had just got here and she was already thinking about everyone else and felt close to them. She wanted us all the be safe. How could she feel like that right after she had moved her?

                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Sorry that the update was late I got a little bit behind and before I 

                knew it, it was Tuesday.  I will hopefully get all the rest of the    

                                                  updates on time.