DAYS BEFORE DAWN

‎‧₊˚✧ ∘₊✧ CHAPTER FIVE ⎯⎯ STICK WITH ME, I'LL KEEP YOU SAFE ✧₊∘ ✧˚₊‧

❘༻༺❘

ONE YEAR LATER

     Time flowed like a relentless river, unnoticed until the realization struck—they had been trapped within those confining walls for an entire year. The hope of escape seemed as elusive as ever. Yet, Minho remained resolute. He had meticulously mapped every nook and cranny of the cursed maze, but frustration mounted with each familiar turn as he found himself retracing his steps. While some Gladers resigned themselves to life within the Glade, others, like Olive, refused to surrender to complacency.

     Olive had lost count of the times she had been thrown into the slammer for daring to cross the maze's threshold. Her insatiable curiosity and willingness to face danger head-on had pushed Nick to his limits.

     "You just don't learn your lesson, do you?" Nick's voice cut through the air as Olive stood mere steps away from following Minho and Ben into the maze. She halted and turned to face him. Their relationship had soured; the respect they once shared had eroded. Olive's disregard for the rule meant to protect her clashed with Nick's growing disdain. He seized her arm and dragged her to Gally. "Try to keep an eye on your charge, maybe?" Nick grunted before storming off.

     "He's going to throw you into the slammer if you keep this up, Ol," Gally warned, handing Olive a hammer with a sigh. She accepted it reluctantly. "We're getting nowhere. Why can't we send in more than two?"

     Olive took her place beside Gally, helping him expand the med-jack hut. "Because of what happened to George. He doesn't want to risk it happening to multiple people at once," Gally explained, his voice a mix of roughness and tenderness. Olive fell silent for a moment, contemplating his words. "Still—"

     "Olive, drop it, okay?" Gally's tired sigh conveyed his exhaustion. Olive nodded, conceding for the moment, though Gally knew her compliance would be short-lived. They worked in silence, the only sounds being the rhythmic hammering and the occasional rustle of leaves.

     After a while, Gally broke the silence. "I made something for you." Olive paused, watching as he approached, pulling something from his pocket.

     He revealed a necklace, a metal bird pendant hanging from a thick black string. He held it up, and Olive's eyes widened with surprise and delight. She reached out, her fingers brushing against the cold, handcrafted metal. A smile spread across her face, a rare moment of warmth in their harsh reality.

     Olive's fingers lingered on the metal bird, her smile fading as she met Gally's eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the ambient noise of the Glade. Gally nodded, a rare softness in his usually stern expression. "Just know I'll always be by your side." Gally explained with a smile. Olive was about to respond until Newt showed up. "Mind if I steal Olive for a moment?"

     "Just keep an eye on her, she's slippery," Gally said with a chuckle. Olive rolled her eyes, putting the necklace on. "Very funny."

     Newt and Olive began to walk in silence until Newt spoke. "Nick's at his wits' end with you, wants to banish you since you're so keen on trying to sneak off into the maze," Newt explained. Olive rolled her eyes. "Of course. It's not like I've even gotten far; he watches me like a hawk," Olive said, noticing Nick watching them. "He's trying to keep you safe, keep all of us safe," Newt tried, but Olive was relentless. "How are we supposed to get out of here if he only lets two out, hm? Minho has said it himself that they've found nothing new. Maybe more eyes will help."

     Newt pondered her response for a moment but shook his head. "George could've killed you that day; we got lucky he didn't. And what happened to him happened in the maze. Nick doesn't want to risk it." Olive stayed quiet, so Newt continued, "Banning you from the entrance of the maze won't do anything, and making you a runner would be give you exactly what you want and he's against that idea, so Nick is willing to make you a deal. No more going into the maze for at least two weeks to prove yourself, and you can help the runners in the map room. You're too skilled as a builder to lose, and Gally would have a cow if we did that. So, what do you say, love?"

     "I'm not one to make deals with Nick, but if it gets him off my back and I can help, then deal." Newt smiled. "He had you ask me because he knew if he did, I'd be snarky and tell him he's jacked in the head before declining, didn't he?" Olive asked as they stopped walking, now not too far from the homestead.

     "Can't hide anything from you, can I?" Newt confirmed her suspicions. "No, besides, I saw the two of you talking before you came over to get me."

     "Sometimes you scare me," Newt said with a chuckle. "Thanks, I get that a lot." Olive said with a laugh, "Speaking of seeing, you and Gally were getting quite cozy in the corner there. Care to explain?" Newt asked with a smirk, placing his hands on his hips.

Olive rolled her eyes, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "Nothing happened if that's what you're suggesting. He just gave me this." She pulled the necklace out from under her shirt, letting the metal bird pendant catch the light.

Newt's eyes widened slightly before he chuckled. "Gally's gone soft, I see."

Olive shook her head, pointing towards the med-jack hut where Gally was aggressively shoving a hammer into the new Greenie's chest. "He's currently yelling at the new Greenie. I wouldn't say he's gone soft."

Newt followed her gaze and laughed. "Guess he's only got a soft spot for you. You two better behave yourselves. Nothing nasty going on, I sleep right next to the two of you."

Olive's cheeks flushed slightly, but she maintained her composure. "Don't worry, Newt. Gally and I are just friends. Besides, he's too busy being the Glade's resident tough guy to get involved in anything 'nasty.'"

Newt raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Just friends, huh? Well, just make sure it stays that way. I don't want to be woken up by any midnight shenanigans."

Olive laughed, shaking her head. "You have nothing to worry about. Gally's more likely to lecture me about safety protocols than anything else."

Newt's smirk softened into a genuine smile. "Good to hear. We need to stick together, especially now. And if Gally's got your back, then I know you're in good hands."

Olive nodded, her expression turning serious. "I know. And I appreciate it, Newt. Really."

Newt gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Anytime, Olive. Now, let's get back to work before Nick finds another reason to yell at us."

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

TWO YEARS LATER

     Olive found herself once again in the map room, just as she had two weeks ago after striking a deal with Newt and Nick. Her relationship with Nick had improved significantly; they now considered each other close friends. She had even helped him organize the hut better. Today, she was meticulously drawing a map based on a conversation she had with Minho. She was translating his words and memories into detailed sketches, making the runners' job much easier with her assistance.

     "You're going to go mad in here all by yourself," Gally's sudden voice broke the silence, startling her. She quickly masked her surprise and turned to him. "It's quiet in here. Wait, why are you here? I'm on map room duty today," Olive questioned, though she didn't mind his company. They had grown extremely close, sometimes too close, often losing count of the times they let their bodies take over, feeling each other's breath on their faces. They never went all the way, never able to if they truly wanted to, thanks to Newt's watchful eye.

     "I'm just worried about you. You've been quieter than usual. You haven't even hummed in a few days like you started doing a year ago," Gally said, pulling a chair beside her. "And I've brought you food," he added, handing her a plate and making her put the pencil down. Olive smiled in gratitude. She had barely noticed that she hadn't hummed the melody she heard in a dream a year ago. A blurred woman used to hum it to her, and she had managed to recite it perfectly. She would hum while she worked, bringing a sense of serenity to the other builders when they heard it.

     "I guess I've just been distracted," Olive admitted, playing with the food on her plate. "With getting out?" Gally guessed. Olive nodded before looking at him. "Are you even sure there's a way out? I mean, it's been three years. Life in the Glade is all we know. Why try to leave?" Gally asked. Olive knew he had given up trying to get out over a year ago, possibly two. But she hadn't, and neither had some of the other Gladers. "If there wasn't a way out, why would there be a maze?"

      Gally pondered for a moment. "I'm not sure, but life here is good. We have everything we need," he said, taking Olive's hand in his. "But what if life outside these walls is better?" Gally was about to respond when the familiar sound of the box coming up interrupted him. "That's a fairly big 'what if,' Ol. But let's go, we've got a new greenie," Gally said, helping her up by putting the plates down on their seats before guiding her out of the room, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

     The two jogged towards the box just as Nick and Newt got it open. Down in the box, Olive immediately spotted the greenie. Though she expected him to be around the same age as the rest of them, she instead saw a scared kid who had backed himself into a corner, crying. The boys around started to chuckle as Gally jumped down to help him out, which only scared the boy more when he made the box move. "Day one, greenie, let's get you out of here," Gally said, but the boy tried to get away from him, sobbing at this point. The Gladers laughed, causing Olive to roll her eyes. "He's a kid, he's scared, and whatever we're doing right now isn't helping," Olive said to Newt.

     Newt nodded. "We've got to get him out of there." Olive looked back down towards the box, watching as Gally still struggled to get the kid. "Chasing him around isn't working, now is it?" Olive commented before she jumped into the box, ignoring Newt and Nick's protests. "Gally, stop chasing him. He's just a scared little kid," Olive said softly. Her calm demeanor caused the kid to run straight for her, hiding behind her while gripping her forearm.

Gally finally noticed Olive in the box. "Ol?" he called out. Olive glanced from the frightened kid to Gally. "He's terrified. Let me handle it, okay?" she said. Gally nodded and began handing supplies to the other Gladers as Olive turned and crouched down to the kid's level. "Hey, I know you're scared, but you're safe here. We don't want to hurt you, alright? Let's just get you out of here, and we'll explain everything, okay?" The kid's cheeks were flushed from crying, but he nodded nonetheless. Olive smiled and looked up at Nick. "Mind helping me get him out?" she asked. Nick nodded and extended his hand. "Take his hand, and we'll help you out of here," he said. The kid did as Olive instructed. Olive took his small, shoe-clad feet in her hands and, with Nick's help, hoisted him up and out of the box.

"Let me help you," Gally said, coming up behind Olive and placing his hands firmly on her hips. Heat traveled up Olive's neck at his touch. Newt then extended his hands for Olive to take, and Gally lifted her with ease. "Thank you," she said once she was out. Gally only smiled and nodded before returning to the supplies.

"Where's the previous greenie? Time to get this kid settled!" Nick called out after greeting the new arrival. "Let me handle it. I seem to be the only one he's relatively comfortable with," Olive said. Nick shook his head. "You know the tradition. He'll be fine," he replied.

"Olive's right. Jared can tag along, but Olive should take this one," Alby said, siding with Olive. Nick huffed. "Fine, but she better get back to work once I come to get the kid to show him around," Nick conceded, something he had been doing a lot lately. "Deal," Olive agreed.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

     Olive and Jared began setting things up for the new kid, who clung to Olive's side, clearly still frightened. Observing his scared demeanor, Olive decided to let Jared finish up while she focused on comforting the boy. "Hey, I know things are scary right now, but it's okay. If you want, you can stick with me. I'll keep you safe," Olive reassured him gently. She then asked, "Got a name?"

     The boy remained quiet for a moment, trying to remember. Olive stayed silent, not wanting to pressure him. She gave him the time he needed, and when a small smile finally broke out on his face, she mirrored it. "Chuck. My name's Chuck," he said softly.

     "Welcome home, Chuck," Olive replied warmly.