Chapter 1: Cassiopeia
Chapter Text
I awaken in a rickety, dilapidated metal box that jolts upward. Melanie, that’s my name. Lying beside me is an Asian boy, probably my age, who appears lifeless. Tears stream down my face as I realize I’m trapped with a likely dead body, and I can’t help but wonder if this is my fault.
My breathing is ragged, and I stare at a piece of reflective metal. I can’t make it out well, but I see a girl with different colored skin splotches on her body, each one a symbol of imperfection. She has one chocolate brown colored eye, and the other is Caribbean blue. That girl is me. A girl who doesn’t even remember what she looks like.
That is, until he awakens, staring at me bewildered, as if I’m a mirage. I trace one of my vitiligo spots, attempting to calm myself down. He looks utterly terrified, seeking solace in my eyes, even though we’re complete strangers.
As his expression softens, our gazes meet, and he extends his hand to hold mine. I accept, regardless of whether he’s a stranger or not.
“I-I’m Melanie,” I stutter out, still terrified. “That’s all I recall about myself. For some reason, I retain a general knowledge about everything, but nothing about my identity.” I sob, and I’m not exaggerating.
“Minho. Your eyes and skin are really cool.” The boy smiles at me, offering comfort in his expression.
“I’m still amazed by the strangeness of everything. I didn’t even remember that my eyes were heterochromatic.”
“Hetero- what now?” Minho asks, as his brows furrow in confusion.
“Heterochromia iridum, or a condition characterized by multicolored irises. In some cases, the color of the iris in one eye may differ from that of the other eye, as in mine, I suppose.” I explain, expecting him to follow.
Instead, I receive a slightly concerned expression. “Are you a walking encyclopedia or something?” He chuckles softly, and I join in his laughter.
“No, just really… what’s the word, technical?”
We share a laugh for a moment before the moving box comes to an abrupt halt.
“Well, I supposed that this would eventually happen.”
I released his hand, my supposedly heterochromatic eyes meeting his for the final time before our gazes met the metal gates of the box opening.
“Day one, Greenie. Rise and shine.” A boy said, but the sun was too bright for me to discern his features.
“There are two of you? And one’s a girl?” A British boy with a thick accent inquired.
“Why is it a big surprise that I’m a girl?” I trailed off, the words lingering on my tongue as I gradually realized that I was the only girl in a group of around thirty boys.
“The name’s Newt,” the British boy replied with a warm smile.
Newt introduced some of them individually before extending his hand to me and Minho, one at a time.
“Got names, Greenies?” A boy named Alby asked, which seemed harsh, but it wasn’t.
Minho began. “Minho. That’s my name.” He smirked.
“I’m Melanie,” I said, wiping away the tears from my face.
“That’s a long name. You’re Melby now,” Gally said, not even considering my input on my name.
Various expressions of agreement emitted from the boys.
“Nice to meet you shanks, welcome to the Glade.”
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾𖤓 ⋆⁺₊⋆
I’ve grown accustomed to the Glade, as they called it, pretty fast. There’s a lot of things to do, including finding the escape through this giant Maze that moves every night. They call themselves the Gladers, and they wanted me to move between different jobs, since I’m super intellectually gifted, and I have all-around skills in everything they need. I didn’t want to be a Runner, or a person that runs the Maze, because of my anxiety, and they seemed okay with that. Minho accidentally messed up my name earlier, and now I have a nickname specifically for him.
I am so ecstatic that Minho listens to me when I talk about tropisms and stimuli. He listens to me talk about my unhealthy obsession with owls, the stars, and Greek mythology. Funny thing is, he looks invested. He’s listening to me, his chin propped on his hand at this bonfire. At this point, I’ve essentially tuned the rest of the Gladers out. I’ve been rambling at the bonfire while drinking for at least fifteen minutes.
The weird facts sort of go like this.
“You know, Owls are zygodactyl, meaning they have two toes facing forward and two facing backward on each foot. I-“
“So wait,” Minho interrupts. “You’re telling me that they have toes pointing in different directions?” He stares at me bewildered.
“It’s how they catch their prey.” I answer, and he looks amazed.
Apparently, these guys have a bonfire night every other time a new person comes up in the Box, as they call it. A new person shows up in this “Box” at the same time every month. I can’t lie, this event is super fun. We’re sitting on rotten logs, drinking an unknown beverage, and having a blast. The fire lights up Minho in a way that I can’t explain, but god.
He’s captivating.
I’m too drunk to even see straight, and Minho is absolutely the only thing on my mind.
That’s when he slurs in my ear, “Hey, Mellie? You’re like… really pretty by the way.” His breath reeks of alcohol, but I don’t care.
I giggle softly in response, and I’m wasted. So, I slur happily in his ear.
“Thanks, you’re pretty handsome yourself.”
His red face is too much to handle. He looks so silly, and it just makes him cuter as he giggles in response. After a while, everyone walks off to the Homestead, the place where all of the Gladers lived to sleep, and we’re still red-faced. We’ve just been staring at each other for the last fifteen minutes.
I don’t know how it happened, but all of a sudden, we’re… kissing.
After I pull away, I confess. “I really hope we can spend the rest of our time here together, hopefully even beyond that.” I lock our pinkies together as he agrees with me.
“Me too, Mellie. I really do. I also would like to go to bed, so.”
I giggle as he takes my hand in his, helping me stand up and walking to the Homestead, stumbling miserably.
Chapter 2: Caelum
Notes:
Extreme time gap here, apologies!
Chapter Text
It’s been rough having a relationship in the Glade. I mean, this road has been super rocky, and it’s not appearing to stop anytime soon. The thing about relationships, is well… normally you’re not trying to escape a maze with no memories of who or what you are. Maybe that’s brought us closer, but I will never understand how we have made this work. Having to explain why Minho has seen me at my highest, and at my lowest. Of course, I’ve seen him there, too. His confidence is an absolute facade, and I’m the only one that knows about it. He treats me like I’m a goddess, way more than I deserve, in my opinion. Every time that he’s out there in the Maze, I find my chest hurting right where my heart is. Normally, this is caused by the stress hormones in the nervous system. The system interprets mental feelings as physical pain. And yeah, in case you were wondering, in my two years of living in the Glade, I have always wondered why I have the most random knowledge. The only thing that it’s been useful for is finding out the probability of how many walls will move nightly, and which for some reason, can’t be calculated, because it’s unpredictable! Well, I have made the crops grow pretty well. Frypan has always thanked me for how well grown the vegetables are, and at this point, I’m tired of not escaping. If I’m so smart, then how haven’t we found a way out?
It’s right after the run in the Homestead. I found myself lying under him, repeatedly kissing him.
He forced me to roll over, lying down next to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and burying his face into the crook of my neck.
“You’re really shucking pretty, Mellie.” Shuck is a word that caught on pretty early on in the Glade. The boys came up with it themselves, and it is Glader terminology instead of curse words. Some other words have caught on, like slinthead, shank, or klunk. Being surrounded by teenage boys isn’t so scary when they have decency, and maybe not even remembering who they are has a part to play in that.
I don’t think that I’ve mentioned that we’ve sworn our lives to each other. He even made me a promise ring out of scrap metal from the Builders.
“Thanks, handsome.” I feel his face heat up against my neck, smirking to myself. I know he gets weak at nicknames.
“Shut up, Mel.” I hear him mutter against my neck. Seemingly in retaliation, he bites down on my collarbone jokingly.
“Ow.” I say, but there’s no real pain behind it. I was about to make a flirtatious comment, but that’s when the Box alarm goes off, signaling for a new Greenie.
“Shuck, new Greenie today.” I pull myself away from Minho, standing up.
“Mellie, I don’t care about a shuck Greenie.” He grumbles as I stand up.
Just then, there’s a knock at our door. “Melby, Minho, hurry your shucked asses up, there’s a new Greenie!” Alby yells, mad at something, per usual.
“Yeah, yeah, Alby.” I respond, monotoned. “Get your lazy ass up, Minho.” I kick his side, and when Minho lays there, I grab the underside of his armpits, lifting him up to stand.
“Mellie…” He whines, obviously just wanting to stay with me on the ground. I squeeze his bicep. “Come on, we can meet him later.” He complains.
“Minho, do you want to get yelled at by Alby?” I ask, practically dragging him up.
Almost in unison, Alby pounds on the door. “Melby and Minho, I’m giving you a minute to get out here and decent or I’ll kick the door in.” Alby has never once seen us indecent or in any intimate moments, and note this, I will never describe any sort of those situations, but he acts like he’s seen us countless times.
“Come on.” I groan, dragging Minho by the wrist.
“Fine.” I release Minho from my grasp as he follows me out the door, meeting a timid Alby outside. “Come on, lovebirds.” I glare at him. I mean, who is he to talk? I swear I’ve heard him and Newt, or maybe it’s just my imagination. Sound familiar? That’s probably his situation as well. I start to walk towards the rising Box. All of the Gladers surround the Box, until it finishes rising, and Newt opens the gates.
I gasp in shock. It’s another female.
I’m about to bombard her with questions, until Minho put his hand on my shoulder. “Mellie, give her a second to adjust.”
I grumble under my breath, reluctantly obliging. She seemingly starts panicking and hugs her knees, tears welled up in her eyes. I know how that feels. I leave Minho’s grasp, jumping down in the Box to comfort her, despite everybody’s protests. I crouch down next to her, grabbing her shoulder and introducing myself gently.
“I’m Melanie, but everyone calls me Melby.” I reassure her that everything is going to be okay, even if she’s shaking.
“Would you shanks disperse?” I yell at the rest of the Gladers, trying to get them to stop bombarding her.
As they all leave, I get a better look at her, it seems like she’s warming up to me. She has this chocolate brown skin, and she looks like me, just without the vitiligo spots and heterochromia.
She looks up at me, with tears welled in her eyes. “I’m Valentina.”
“We’re calling you Val. Too long of a name.” I smile at her, and she’s seemingly warming up to me, even if it’s in small increments.
She smiles back, seeking solace in my eyes. Almost like Minho did when we woke up in the Box together. “Don’t freak out, shank, but me and you are the only females here.” Her response is priceless. She stares at me, bewildered.
“How do you survive like that?” She asks, and I simply laugh in response.
“I’ve been asking myself that question for two years. It takes a while, but you’ll get used to it. I’m a total nerd according to these guys, so if you have a question about anything related to a matter of smarts, ask me.”
She stares at me concerned, her jaw slacked. “T-two years?!”
“Yeah, you get used to it after a bit. Just stick by me and you should be okay.”
She nods in response as I help her out of the Box.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾𖤓 ⋆⁺₊⋆
At Val’s bonfire, I notice how Minho looks annoyed at Val constantly talking to him. I don’t care that she’s talking to him; I trust him with my life. I have this overwhelming sense to protect the younger girl, and I can’t tell why. She’s warmed up to everyone pretty fast. She’s adjusted to the Glader lifestyle easily, and I have to say, I’m proud of her for it.
She walks towards me, and sits down on the log next to me. “Minho doesn’t seem to like me.”
“What do you mean by that, Greenie?” I question, still concerned about his reaction.
“He just ignores me, and when I try to talk to him, he gets mad at me.” Val responds, looking a bit sad in her expression. “I don’t want to be a pain to anybody, but he seems upset at me.”
“I’ll talk to him about it later, okay?” I reassure her, squeezing her shoulder lightly.
“Thanks.” She replies, and I think she genuinely feels better.
We’re going to get along really well.
Later that night, all of the Gladers were sent back to the Homestead by Alby.
I ask Minho the question that’s been bothering me all night. “Do you not like Val?”
“Hm? I was just annoyed at her talking so much. You’re the only one that’s allowed to drain my social battery, you know.” He slurs softly, pressing his nose deeper into my neck, and sending a shiver down my spine.
“She doesn’t think that you like her.” I respond, running my thumb over his knuckles.
“The only thing I don’t like about her is that she takes my attention away from you.” I can feel him fighting to stay awake against me, and I’m contented with his answer.
“Love you, dork.” I sigh, my eyes fluttering shut.
“Love you too, nerd.” He replies, and I feel his eyelids shut against my neck.
Chapter 3: Adhara
Summary:
Rather short chapter, I promise this will pick up eventually, there’s just a lot of explanations.
Chapter Text
That morning, I wake up with Minho, like I do every day. Since me and Minho have been in the Glade for two years, waking up at the same time everyday has been easier, because it’s like a mental alarm clock. I don’t know how to explain it, but we always wake up at the same time every day. All of a sudden, I feel a sharp pain in my head.
And there it is, the awful headache. He always gets these migraines after he drink, and I somehow never learn from my mistakes.
He buries his face into my neck, seeking any darkness that he can find, since his eyes can’t adjust to the light yet. He groans from the pain, and then I question him.
“What’s wrong?” I ask tiredly, and he can hear the concern in my voice. I have always been a light sleeper, and it’s hard for me to stay asleep. That’s partially why we wake up together.
“Migraine.” He mumbles, wrapping his arms over my chest from behind. He presses a soft kiss to my neck, not wanting me to go anywhere just yet. “Mellie, hold me.” He whines as I tries to pry myself away from me.
“Come on, ya’ big baby.” I insist, winning in getting off of him. I look at him, amused, kissing the top of his head.
I start getting dressed, repeatedly trying to get him up, but he refuses. Eventually, I grab him by the wrist and forces him to stand up, dressing him like he’s a little kid.
“You seriously going to make me drag you around like a toddler over a little hangover? Get over it, shuckface.” I groan, rubbing his forehead and attempting to soothe him.
I hand him an unlabeled bottle from my bag that’s nailed to the wall. “Take two. It’s acetaminophen, 325 milligrams.” I explain, as if he understands any of that bullshit.
“Stop talking about that Med-jack bullshuck.” He grumbles, taking the medicine out of my hands and popping two pills, dry.
“That has to taste like klunk.” I laugh, amusedly. He blows air in my face, sticking his tongue out at me.
“You really are a toddler.” I jested, resting my hand on his hip. “Now come on, we don’t need Newt and Alby on our asses.” I say, dragging him by the wrist outside. He releases himself from my grasp, following me to the kitchen part of the Homestead. Val immediately starts following me, her face brightening when she sees me.
“Hey, Greenie.” I smirk, flicking her forehead.
“You’re going to pay for that, you know.” Val sticks her tongue out at me, rubbing her forehead. “Oh yeah, I have something for you.”
My face lights up as Val reaches in her pocket and pulls out a pair of homemade earrings. I pull Val in for a tight hug, and a smile is tugging at my lips. Val quickly reciprocates, and the hug holds until I pull away. I can feel the joyful tears well up in my eyes. “I think you’re going to fit in just fine.” I immediately sat down after grabbing her food, asking Minho to put in the earrings as soon as we both sit down. He takes the backs of them off, putting the needles through my pierced ears that I did myself at Jack’s bonfire, around a year ago. I didn’t even get an infection. He finishes putting them in, and I can’t stop smiling.
Chapter 4: Andromeda
Notes:
This is how my work usually is! Long and thorough. Sorry for the time gap again, I had to move on, as it was not very important to the story.
Chapter Text
It’s been about a month since Val came into the Glade. I’ve only taken those earrings out to clean my ears. I have an overwhelming sense to protect her, and I really don’t understand why. We’re expecting a new Greenie today, so during my break, I’m on Box watch. That’s when the alarm goes off. Perfect timing, I thought to myself, as I yelled for all of the Gladers to gather around. I’m a bit upset because Minho is running, but I don’t let it effect me.
Newt opens the Box, per usual, and there’s a nauseous boy in there, ginger headed, acne scars, and hazel eyes. Newt is introducing some of the Gladers to the newbie, and he looks rough.
Emesis. I thought, clearly knowing the signs of bile going up someone’s throat. I left it alone, until I noticed the Greenie’s eyes, his pupils dilating ever so slightly at Zart’s face. “Name’s Melanie, but the shuckfaces around here call me Melby.” I’m picking up on subtle interest between Zart and the Greenie, but I catch myself before I smirk.
Val makes some sort of comment at Newt’s words. All I know is that it made the Greenie chuckle. He asks the normal questions, and I answer them.
“This is the Glade. We were all sent here in the Box, and we don’t know why. We understand that it takes a few days to get used to it, but you will with time. In a month, there will be a new Greenie and you can show them around.” I’m interrupted by the Greenie, and I swear that the next time this shucked Greenie interjects, I’m gonna throw him. He doesn’t seem to pick up on my tone and continues anyways. “What is this place though?” I’m about to storm off, pissed that he won’t listen to me. That is, until he makes the most idiotic question I think I’ve heard in my time here. “What country are we in?” I burst out laughing. “We know as much as you, Greenie.” The signs of emesis get worse. Newt orders Val to get the Greenie some water.
Then the Greenie starts running. “Greenie, get back here!” I yell, but to no avail. “Let the shank run-” Gally replies, “just hope that he’s smart enough to not run into the Maze.” Val runs over to the Greenie as soon as he stops running. Immediately, emesis occurs. He starts dry heaving, and I can’t help but smirk to myself. Hell, I knew that this was going to happen eventually. She makes Newt come over to them, leaving him in the dust to carry the Greenie. I really want to laugh, but I have to hold it in.
As Newt walks him over to us, the Greenie gets defensive over the nickname. He claims that he doesn’t belong here, saying, “to not start giving him nicknames.” His name is Hawk. He then asks what this place is again, and I am on my last shucking nerve trying to answer him. Val puts a water bottle in the Greenie’s hand awkwardly.
“It seems like running away wasn’t the best idea, Greenie.” I suggest, still pissed off at his constant questioning and lack of listening. All I want right now is Minho, and this Greenie’s stressing isn’t helping the constant anxiety I have when he’s not around.
He scoffs at me and rolls his eyes. We’re not at a good starting point, and I just want to throw the kid. This collected girl facade just isn’t for me.
“Don’t get mad at me! I’m just saying, you were in shock, and you already looked like emesis was about to occur.” I can just tell that he cut me out of his hearing right before I said “emesis”.
Val sighs. “Mel, stop nerding at the poor guy.”
I shoot a glare at her. “Nerding isn’t a word.”
The Greenie says something about a hawk under his breath. Something that happens to be one of my hyper-fixations lately. I’m about to ramble about the bird, before Val questions him.
“That’s my name.” The Greenie states firmly. Woah. That’s a cool ass name. I can’t stop myself, and I blurt.
“Did you know that there are more than 200 species of hawks?” I cup my hand over my mouth, embarrassed as all hell. He didn’t know that, and now I feel stupid for even asking. What kind of a person would know about hawks anyways? “Huh.” I sigh, a bit disappointed.
Alby interjects. “Welcome to the Glade, Hawk. Let me show you around.”
Seriously, this Greenie is going to have a hell of a time here. I grab Val’s hand, dragging her to follow me into the Homestead.
“What?” She asks, obviously annoyed.
“Listen, do you want to gossip or not?” I say, smirking.
“Oh.” She returns my smirk, following me into the corner.
“New Greenie today. Go.” I lead the start of the gossip.
The “Mel and Val Gossip train” goes normally something like this.
Starts off with a subject, then one person adds their opinion. An important rule here, there are NO interjections. Let the other girl finish first, because chances are, she’ll answer your question. Next, the other girl shares her opinion, then they start comparing and reasoning their opinions. Most importantly, the gossip stays between us. Nobody else.
“He’s kind of weird, but I think he’s gay.” She says, and I can’t help but laugh.
“That’s it?” I ask, genuinely confused that she wouldn’t be talking more about him.
“Yeah, I guess.” She blinks, trying to get any other thing to talk about.
“Onto me. So, speaking of him being gay, I think I saw him and Zart lustfully glancing at each other. Their pupils were both dilated.” I smile, biting my lip to hold back a laugh.
“You’re serious?” She probed, but she was unable to hold back her laugh.
Per usual, as Minho gets out of the Maze with all of the other Runners, he rounds them all up, counting them, and runs into the Map Room to pin what they’ve seen today. I start braiding Val’s hair in mine and Minho’s room as we continue gossiping, because she’s been complaining about the length. Yeah, we’re both skipping work, but being the only girls in the Glade has its perks. I keep telling her to cut it, and she won’t let me. I’m doing two five-stranded Dutch braids, and damn. I have gotten so good at braiding for the time I’ve been here. I can hear their footsteps pounding outside, running to the Map Room.
Val tilts her head back and smirks at me.
“Your little lovesick puppy is coming out of the Maze~” She teases, sticking her tongue out when I pull her braid.
“Shut up, shankshit.” I huff, but there’s no real bite behind it. I tie a flower in her hair, finishing as I tie it off. “There, ya shuckface.” I say, pushing her head away. “You finally look decent for once.” I smirk as she pushes my hand away, and I stick my tongue out at her.
“One day, there’s going to be a really cute Greenie, and you’re going to fall in love with him. I know it. He’ll be head over heels for you like Minho is for me. You’re a really pretty girl, Val. I’m calling it here. Your man is going to show up in two months.” I truly mean this, and I think it’s obvious in my expression.
“I hope he’s not like Minho, I don’t need a man kissing the ground that I walk on.” She teases, trying to take a jab at me, but I’m used to her comments by now.
“It’s not for everyone, but he treats me like a goddess, no less or more than I deserve. You’ll come to learn what you like, it’s called standards.”
Just then, Minho walks in, setting his Runner’s pack down, beaten and ready for a shower. His sweat-soaked hair is sticking to his face. “Mellie, I forgot my hair gel.” He whines, like hair gel is an absolute need.
I snicker with Val, before pulling her hair to tell her to shut up silently.
“Min, it’s just hai-“
“It’s not just hair gel, Mel! It’s my dignity! My list of priorities are you, then hair gel, then myself!” He huffs, upset by the fact that I’m laughing.
“You are such a toddler-“ I say, amused greatly by the whole scene taking part in front of me. “Just take this, ya big baby.” I add, taking some hair gel made out of sap out, slicking Val’s hair back with it. I toss him the container.
Minho catches it, still upset.
“I love you, dork!” I call as he walks out, and I receive a middle finger instead. I roll my eyes, before realizing that he forgot his towel on the ground.
“He’s going to come back in here and try to kiss me.” I smirk, looking down at Val’s finished hair. “I must say, I did a pretty good job.”
“Looks amazing.” She says, genuinely impressed. “So uhm, we gonna go back to work now?”
“Hell no. If they question us, just say it’s the ladies days.” I put my hands behind my head, interlocking my fingers.
Just then, Minho walks in to grab his towel, before breaking, walking over and attempting to kiss me.
He huffs, upset at my dodging. “I’m sorry, I was being a shuckfaced shank and I didn’t take my girlfriend’s feelings into consideration when I flipped her off. I know that she wants the best for me, and flipping her off wasn’t funny. Do I have permission to kiss my girlfriend of two years now?” We’ve been through this a couple of times, and I made him do this the first time, even though now I just think it’s funny watching him do this.
“I’ll think about it.” I smirk, crossing my arms as he rolls his eyes, before he grasps my chin and presses a quick kiss to my lips, flicking my forehead. He grabs his towel on his way out.
“He is so whipped for you.” Val says, a smirk creeping onto her face.
That’s when a bunny trots in the Homestead. “Did that little guy escape the Bloodhouse?” I ask, confused as to why there’s a literal rabbit in my room.
“Shh, I stole him.” Val says, picking it up and holding the tan bunny. “His name is Nutmeg.”
“Val-“
“Shh.” She jests, kissing the bunny’s head.
“How? Just how?” I ask, touching its nose, and he nuzzles his face into my hand.
“Better question, how are you so good with animals? It’s like you have- what are those things called again? Those things that attract animals?”
“Pheromones?”
“Yeah. It’s like you have pheromones on your hand.” Val concedes, handing Nutmeg to me and letting me hold him.
“I swear, if this guy gets his klunk on my hand, I will hurt you.”
That’s when he nuzzles into my chest, burying his face.
I can feel my pupils dilating, I mean, this is the cutest thing.
“I wish we had cameras up here.” Val adds. “You’re not moving anytime soon.”
“Choke.” I mutter, trying not to give her the satisfaction she wants.
I hand him back to her, almost dying inside as I have to take his claws out of my shirt.
“Melby!” I hear Newt call, “stop skipping, we know the sharks haven’t bitten.” Ugh. I’ve been caught in my lie. “Come on shank, we gotta go back to work.”
“Ugh.” Val mutters something incomprehensible under her breath, following me out the door as she puts Nutmeg back in his “hiding spot”, which is just under her hammock with a bunch of celery that she stole from Frypan.
Newt claps my shoulder. “Come on now, just a couple of hours and we’ll start the Bonfire.”
The Greenie walks past and I hear snickers from the Builders, off of something that Gally said.
I’m not going to let him be put down like that, no matter how agitated he made me.
I walk over to Gally, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. I hear him gulp, but he doesn’t let his facade fall. “Let go of me, shank.”
I tighten my grip on his shirt. “Final warning, shuckface. Don’t talk bad about the Greenie again, or I’ll have your ass thrown, and you’ll have the honor of having my fist in your face.” I take my role of the “Glade Mother” seriously. A nickname that was gifted to me after I was constantly taking care of the needs of the other Gladers. I don’t let anything go by my view. “Do you understand?”
Gally snorts. “Yes, I understand.” He rolls his eyes.
I roll my own in return, shoving him to the ground. “And I mean it.” I walk away, debating on whether I should harass Minho in the showers or not. I shouldn’t. I’ll get yelled at again.
Or should I? Fuck it. I’m doing it. I grab one of Zart’s watering cans and fill it up with water from the spigot. I sneak into the bathrooms, somehow managing to not get caught. I look for Minho’s Runner’s pack, eventually finding his stall. I stand up on the toilet, dumping the cold water on Minho’s head.
“Shuck! I hate you, Mel!” I hear through his chattering teeth. I snicker to myself, before Minho reaches out and grabs my wrist. “No wait, I didn’t mean that.”
I smirk. “Not that I thought you did, though.” I turn around, kissing him as he pokes his face through the gap in the curtain, releasing me from his grasp. Pulling away, I press my forehead against his wet face, holding both sides of his face. “Listen, I have to go sneak back into work again, but I love you and I’ll see you later.” I kiss the tip of his nose, holding his face for a minute longer, before wiping my face and sneaking back into the gardens, where somehow nobody saw me.
I walk my route for supervision, and one thing catches my eye. The hydrangeas are turning a bit too blue for my liking, meaning that there’s a bit too much alkalinity in the soil. It’s becoming acidic, because nobody is watering them as they should, and we don’t exactly get a lot of rain here.
Wait, didn’t I tell Zart this yesterday?
Ugh. Nobody ever listens to me. Maybe he just forgot, or maybe he’s too focused on his little Greenie boyfriend of his to pay attention to his work.
Honestly, I can’t blame him. I can’t focus on a lot of things without thinking of Minho, and how scared I am that he’s not going to make it out. He always proves me wrong, though. I trust him with my life, but I don’t trust him with his own.
As the Runners finish showering, the Gladers all head to the fire pit. I talk to Hawk a couple of times, though he seems rather unamused. Other than that, everything happened as it normally did. Val just stands there awkwardly, per usual. I held Minho against my chest, like I always do at bonfires. Still, something made me feel off. The way the Greenie was acting. He seemed unsure of everything, and even refused a drink. About halfway through, he walked away.
Strange. It’s whatever, most of the younger Gladers had went to bed by now, so it was mainly the ones that were my age out at the pit.
“Is anybody else worried about the Greenie?” I ask, breaking the question that we were all too scared to answer.
Words of agreement from the other ten boys at the fire start emerging.
“I mean, Gally’s been a total asshole to him, and the Greenie seems suicidal. He’s not helping. I threatened to beat the living klunk out of Gally, and he still hasn’t stopped.” I explain, still annoyed at the situation.
“He never takes you seriously, and without fail, you always manage to prove your point pretty shucking well.” Newt rolls his eyes, obviously agreeing with him.
Minho yawns, but then mutters something like, “Seriously. He’s been put in his place countless times.” I slightly tighten my grip on his torso.
“Alby, can I kick his ass this time without getting thrown in the Slammer?” I probe. He’s not going to get away with it regardless, and I’ll deal with another week in the Slammer.
“I’ll make sure to turn around.” He smirks. Ah, Alby finally gets it. It isn’t worth it to throw your girl in for punishment.
Quiet cheers ring out.
I finish my last drink, still unfazed. The fire is dying, and it’s starting to drizzle.
“Off to the Homestead, I guess.” I say, letting go of Minho, standing up.
“Yeah, that’s probably wise. Rest up, shanks.” Alby says, starting to put out the fire. I stretch, then help Minho up as everybody starts to leave.
I intertwine mine and Minho’s fingers, walking to the Homestead. I see two figures next to the Maze wall, but I don’t say anything. We’re all trying to live in this hell together, so whatever you gotta do to cope, I won’t judge.
We tiptoe around the Homestead, trying not to wake the others. I move the curtain, letting go of Minho’s hand and lying down. As always, he lies down next to me.
I cuddle next to him, covering the both of us up and taking my leg up over his hip. I bury my face in his shoulder, syncing up our breathing, and falling asleep almost in perfect unison.
Chapter Text
I awake to Minho stirring, and nobody else is up. I look at the sundial outside. 6:43. I roll over, making silent eye contact and smiling at each other. I put my hand on the side of his face, and he holds it there.
After around two minutes of this, I finally whisper softly. “Morning. We’re up like fifteen minutes early.” I yawn, pressing my forehead against his.
“I think we can stay like this.” He murmurs, his voice raspy from just waking up.
“Me too.” I press a soft kiss to the tip of his nose.
“You know, it’s hard to believe you threaten to kick people’s asses all day, and I get to see you all soft and mushy like this.” He whispers, smiling and brushing a piece of my frizzy hair out of my face.
“You know, you’re pretty annoying.” I say, rolling my eyes at his comment.
“You think I’m pretty?” He smirks.
“And that’s the annoying part.” I answer, sticking my tongue out.
All of the others are starting to stir awake now, so I press a gentle kiss to his lips, before reluctantly pulling away. He stands up, helping me up, and starts helping me brush my long hair out.
“You’re such a lifesaver.” I yawn, turning around as he finishes tying it up. I grab some folded clothes from under the bed.
I walk to the restroom, moving to get myself ready for the day.
That’s when I notice the hydrangeas are still discolored. I’ve brought it up twice now, why isn’t anything being done about it?
In annoyance, I walk to the restroom and finish changing, and walk out to the Glade that is now bustling with movement from the Runners.
I go back into the Homestead to put my clothes up, before seeing Gally tease the Greenie again, sticking his finger in his ear.
“Nuh-uh, shank. It’s time to wake up, Alby’s got a job for you.” That’s it. I’m done. I’m already mad about being ignored enough, so I walk up to Gally, grab him by the collar of his shirt, and bitchslap him. The sound of my hand on his face echoes throughout the Homestead, silencing all of them. I leave a giant red handprint on his face, leaving everybody in shock, and Gally to have tears well up in his eyes.
“I told you that would hurt you if you messed with the Greenie again. You didn’t listen. You should know by now that I don’t play around, shuckface.” I throw him to the ground, dusting my hands like I finished some hard work.
I hear Gally mutter under his breath as he stands up. Something along the lines of, “such a bitch. How does Minho deal with you?” He holds his face and his bloody lip.
I snap my head backwards. “What was that?”
I see his eyes go wide. “N-nothing.”
“That’s what I thought.” I storm downstairs, hearing the laughter of the other Gladers puts a smile on my face.
“What’s got you smiling like that?” Val asks, a smirk of her own creeping onto her face.
“Nothing… other than the fact that I just slapped the klunk out of Gally and he has a giant red handprint on his face.” I snicker, putting my hand over my mouth as Val’s jaw might as well have dropped to the floor.
“So that’s what that sound was?” She laughs, grabbing my shoulder to keep her from falling down.
“Was it seriously that loud?” I laugh with her, following her into the kitchen. Frypan tosses me a peeled nectarine, which I accept gratefully.
“You feeling okay?” Frypan looks like he’s ill, and I really don’t want to cover for him.
“I’m shucking hung over, if that’s what you mean.” We all laugh for a moment.
“I’ll go tell Alby. You just finish up breakfast.” I roll my eyes, patting him on the shoulder.
I walk out to the table that Minho is sitting at with some of our friends, Val flanking my side. “So, can I see the map from yesterday?”
“Mel, are you seriously not going to act like Gally didn’t run to the Med-Hut with a giant welt on his face and tears in his eyes? We know it was you.” Newt sighs, his usual hatred for mornings prominent.
Various responses of agreement emit from the other boys.
“Okay, fine. It was me. He stuck his finger in Hawk’s ear and it made me mad.” I roll my eyes. “Seriously, I need the map.” Minho puts his hand on my thigh, an action that goes unnoticed by the other Gladers.
Ben pulls out a folded piece of paper, and I take the pen that I always have out of my cargos.
“Ah, the highlight of my mornings.” I take out another piece of paper, trying to draw the walls that would seem likely to move, even if I’m inaccurate around seventy-five percent of the time.
“Oh, Alby, Frypan has a hangover. Get somebody to cover dish duty so he can recover.” I add, completely disregarding that I can practically feel Gally’s gaze on me.
“Classic Fry.” Alby rolls his eyes.
“Two years of this shit and yet it’s still unpredictable.” I rub my forehead, making my predictions, which would almost certainly be wrong. I put my pen back in my pocket, blue ink smudged on my hand.
“One of these days, we’re going to find it. If I’m so smart, why can’t I figure this out?” I groan, resting my head on the wooden table.
“Melby, you ask yourself that question every day.” Clint responds.
“Seriously. Stop beating yourself up about it.” Newt says, his accent thick.
Minho moves his hand near my trapezius, rubbing up and down it gently.
I lift my head up, resting my chin on my hand. “It still doesn’t make any sense, though.”
“Mel, this place hasn’t made sense from the moment we came up in the Box over two years ago.” Alby groans, rolling his eyes.
“I suppose you’re right. It’s just frustrating.” I rub my temples.
“Listen, Melby. You’re just one person. You can’t carry the entire Glade on your shoulders. It’s not up to you to get us out of here.” Zart says, squeezing my shoulder.
“Man, you look rough.” I reply, looking at the bags under his eyes.
“Yeah, didn’t get much sleep.” Oh. So he was the one that slept outside last night.
I don’t comment on it. I’m still lost on who the other person was, though.
“Is the Greenie not coming down for breakfast? I think I embarrassed him.” I yawn, tucking my hair behind my ears.
“I think he’s just tired.” Zart responds, a bit too quickly.
I furrow my brows in confusion, but let it go.
“You shanks get out to the Maze, I’ve got to go give jobs to the Sloppers.” Alby says, walking upstairs.
“Yeah. Disperse. I don’t want to see any of your faces.” I smirk, crossing my arms.
“Shut up, Mellie.” Minho pushes my face, standing up.
“Love you too, dumbass.” I retort, rolling my eyes as he kisses the top of my head, walking out to the Maze.
“Get to the Gardens, sleepy. Go on, get.”
Zart grumbles something incoherent as he walks out towards the Gardens.
I toss the nectarine pit in the trash, following Newt into the medical wing of the Homestead.
Me and Newt quietly snicker at Gally’s face. There’s still a giant handprint, but now his face is starting to swell up with welts.
“Thanks for making my job harder, Mel.” Clint rolls his eyes at me, and I glance over at Gally, who is glaring daggers at me.
“You’re so very welcome.” I smirk, pointlessly sterilizing my hands. Seriously, if looks could kill, Gally would’ve stabbed twelve knives into my chest by now.
I walk over to the Homestead, splitting paths with Newt as he walks to the Gardens. I start sweeping all of the wood droppings, dusting the hard to reach areas.
Then I make my way to the bathrooms. Why do the boys always leave their hair in the sink?
Then I realize the water is draining slowly. You know, this should be a job of the Sloppers, but none of them know how to clean a P-trap, apparently.
I walk to one of the storage sheds, grabbing a mop bucket, when I see a Beetle Blade. I flip it off, something I’ve always done since learning that the Creators watch us through them.
Then I see the Greenie. At bliss, cutting the weeds under Newt’s supervision. He seems so… calm. Like he didn’t just witness me hit Gally. Like he isn’t surrounded by a death trap.
I decide to push away those thoughts, instead walking back to the bathrooms. I crouch down, loosening the trap and immediately putting the bucket under it.
Disgusting. I try to look away from the accumulated facial hair and water that smells like it’s been through Death’s motorcycle’s gas tank and back, gagging at the smell.
I swallow the bile coming up my throat, reattaching the part as I get all of the gunk out of it. I dump it in the trash, going to put the bucket back.
Taking a break for some fresh air, I sit down, resting my head back on one of the East Door walls. It sounds pathetic, but I’m worried about Minho. It’s a stupid attachment, because I know he’ll be fine. I’m not trying to reassure myself, more so trying to rationalize my fear. It isn’t long before I feel tears streaming down my face. I bury my face in my knees, feeling lost. Displaced.
I’m pathetic. I crave the feeling of his presence. Just knowing that he’s safe, or standing right in front of me. I wish I was out of this hellhole.
Everybody wishes they were out of this hellhole.
Chapter 6: Ophiuchus
Notes:
This chapter is kind of short. Sorry for going on a long break, life has been crazy recently.
Chapter Text
I look up at the sun. In the two years I’ve been in this place, it has never rained. These so called “Creators” care about our functioning, but there’s never any explanation.
It feels hopeless. Almost like giving up. I’ve almost taken the knife out of its holster countless times. There’s definitely things to live for, but it’s starting to grow distant. At least my friends keep me grounded.
I certainly have things to live for, like Val. I love her like a sister. It’s never been easy here, but it’s easy to die.
That’s when Newt walks over and sits next to me, snapping me out of whatever that was.
“Bloody hell, Melby. Stop thinking so hard. You look like there’s a force field of knowledge around you.”
At that, I laugh. A real, genuine laugh. Something rare around here. Leaning my head back against the wall, I respond.
“Sorry. Just a bit lost in my own thoughts, I guess.” I put my legs back down. “Nobody talks about how stupidly hard it is to live here. It’s just too silent. You’re like the only one that understands-“ I pause. Newt’s suicide attempt early on in the time that we’ve been here. “Shuck, I’m sorry.” I drop my expression sheepishly.
“Yeah, uhm. Just go on to the Medhut. Clint and Jeff need you for some reason.” He stands up, walking away.
I am such a screwup. I walk into the direction of the Medhut, before feeling something trickling down my nose. I wipe it off my lip. Blood. It’s all over, waterfalling out. I start running to the Deadheads desperately, not knowing what else to do. I hunch over a bush and cough out phlegm. It waterfalls and doesn’t stop. I can’t breathe.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t take a shucking breath.
My lips are blue. I’m gasping for nonexistent air, drowning in my own blood and mucus. My shoulders shake violently with sobs and useless attempts at breathing.
“Somebody…help…me!” My voice is scratchy, my head is pounding like my life depends on it. It’s a useless attempt of yelling and a waste of my last breath.
But then, I hear a voice.
“Melanie. Mel. Melby. Mae. Wake up.”
I open my eyes, taking in the biggest breath I could’ve. “What the…”
It’s Newt. He’s shaking my shoulders with every word. “You took a pretty gnarly fall, Mel.”
Then a killer pain comes on from the right side of my head. I press my hand to the knot that’s forming. “But I- I just sat down in front of the East Door. You said you needed me at the Medhut, and then blood started pou-“
“Melby. Listen to me.” A familiar voice says, “You just had a concussion.” It’s Clint.
“That’s just great.” I groan, shielding my eyes from the harsh light. “Can I at least have some acetaminophen? I’ll pop em’ dry for shuck’s sake.”
I hold out my hand expectantly, feeling two tablets fall into it. Without waiting for the water, I swallow them dry.
“By the way, whatever happened to Gally? I still don’t feel bad.” I let out a weak, pathetic laugh. I can’t even laugh.
“Took forever to get the swelling to go down, but I’d watch my back if I were you.” I can practically hear the smirk in Clint’s voice.
“By the way, we’ve got you on bedrest for the next two weeks.” Jeff pipes in.
“You’re kidding, right? I’ll be fine. It was just a tumble.” I roll my eyes, turning off the light closest to me so I can open them.
“Melanie. Don’t push it. You know that’s minimal, you even said it yourself.”
Curse me and my stupid medical knowledge that I shared. “I hate that you’re right. I’m still convinced that I’m fine, though.” I take the bag of ice that’s next to me and put it on top of the swollen knot.
“Is anybody going to tell Minho, or what?” Newt pipes up.
“Fair point. Don’t mention it, and when he asks where I am, just tell him the truth.” I shrug.
“You’re really bloody boring, Mel.” Newt smirks.
“It’s kind of hard to come up with an idea when you took a fall.” I glare at him weakly.
“You look like a bloody toddler.” He retorts, sticking his tongue out.
“I can’t even glare. Ridiculous klunk if you ask me.” I sit up on the bed, almost hissing at the light.
I shine a flashlight in my face to focus on it, practically blinding myself as tears burn my face.
“My eyesight is fine.” I turn off the flashlight. “I can at least walk around.”
Clint and Jeff look at each other in exasperation. “You’re only walking around supervised.”
“This is ridiculous.” I sigh, refraining from bashing my head into the wall.
“I’m gonna need a visor.” I narrow my eyes at the ceiling. “At least something to keep the sun out of my eyes.”
“Just don’t walk today, okay? You’re staying here.” Clint furrows his brows, probably annoyed at my antics.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” I take out a compact mirror, looking at the damage on my forehead. I wince as I look at the red splotched bandage. It’s for the better that I don’t go anywhere.
“Again, gnarly fall. The Runners should be out in a couple of minutes, though. I’ll tell Minho to not expect you in the showers.” Newt smirks, dusting off his pants.
I flip him off, wincing as I roll my eyes. “Jealous much?” I smirk in return.
Newt walks out the door, the other Med-Jacks following to go wash up.
This sucks.
fantasma_bewitched on Chapter 1 Tue 01 Jul 2025 07:55PM UTC
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Xx1LL13_5T4RZxX on Chapter 1 Tue 01 Jul 2025 08:09PM UTC
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