Hiya Readers!

Hope you're all well. I've got an ultra long chapter for you here so make yourselves comfortable! :) There has been a time lapse of 1 week and during this time, the Gladers have been training in preparation for entering the Maze and facing the Grievers. Now, we're gonna catch up on the events and Resa is *FINALLY* going to choose her job at the Choosing Ceremony... Enjoyy!

Reviews;

Fawn22 - Wooo! Aww, thank goodness it went down well - at first I thought the thing with Finn was too dramatic but then again, I do love me a bit of drama... ;P I don't know about the brainwashing (it would be a shame to lose all those emotional conversations lol) but I think I will have him come to the Glade one way or another.

OMG, that romance scene though... When I read through the chapter a couple of days ago, I literally couldn't stop laughing/cringing all the way through that part HAHA! But I'm still so glad you guys seemed to enjoy it :D

You are actually too sweet - your reviews are soo heart-warming and I absolutely love reading them - thank you so much! Enjoy this one.

Abby (guest) - Haha, thank youuu! This one's quite a bit longer than the rest actually... Hope you enjoy it!

samanthagunning12 - And here's the update! Lol, I've made it pretty long so enjoy! And thank you for reading :D

District DivergentPotterhead - Yesss, I'm glad you liked the talk between those two :)) I really enjoy writing stuff like that - its always nice to bring out the more caring side of an otherwise tough character. Oh gosh, that romance scene... I can't get over the fact that I did that LOL.

Don't we all love a bit of drama and suspense? ;P I'm looking forward to bringing Finn back soon, I need to figure out how I'm gonna do it though!

Thanks for all your support (heart) enjoy this one!

MaPa04 - Hey! Aww you're right - I don't write nearly enough with Chuck! I've given him some scene in this chapter and hopefully I'll add some more in later ones. :) Nope nope, he's not gonna die if I have anything to do with it - DW!

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing - enjoy this one!

ONE WEEK LATER

Heavy steel collided with a deafening bang as Harry and I disbanded, both of us panting intensely. That was the third time that had happened. Our weapons - or rather, metal shovels - didn't look too worse for wear though.

"The Grievers don't stand a chance against this" Harry laughed breathlessly as I collapsed against a wall. "Maybe we should get back to the sacks?..."

Despite Alby's orders to only use wood or heavy sacks to train against, most of us had spent time going face to face with another Glader. I believed it was a more effective way to train - not to mention, an 8 foot tower of wood wasn't going to fight back, no matter how much you provoked it.

"Maybe we should - " I accepted Harry's outstretched hand with a grin and he pulled me back to my feet. "But only after lunch... I'm exhausted!"

The Glade had been training hard for the past week. We had eventually agreed on 3 hours of it everyday, after some debate, of course. Initially, Alby had proposed 1 hour then Newt and a few other Keepers had voted for an increase. The Leader had taken some coaxing, but after a while he'd agreed - only if the usual jobs weren't being neglected within the combat practice.

As a result, I would be required to attend my first and only Choosing Ceremony tonight. It wouldn't be easy, singling out only one job that I enjoyed doing in the Glade. I wonder if I can choose more than one job, though? Nobody else has done that, but there's a first time for everything.

Obviously, I wanted to be a Med Jack - that was my skill and I felt motivated when I made someone feel better... There was no feeling like it. Then again, despite my occasional clumsiness, I DID enjoy working with Frypan and his Cooks in the kitchens. Some small part of me yearned to be the mother amongst these boys. I wanted to take care of them and make sure they were all well and healthy.

Pfft, that's silly. In a few days, we'll all be in the Maze, running for our lives from the Grievers. You won't be able to protect them all then, will you? I pushed the small voice aside with a frown. That's why we're training now, I thought. So we're more capable when we DO go out there.

I couldn't imagine losing any of them. Not now, I'd got to know so many of them so well - and over such a short period of time too. I glanced at Harry, walking a few paces ahead of me to the Mess Hall. My mind flashed to Finn - as it had numerous times over the last few days. They were all my brothers now, and we all had a common goal.

To escape. To solve the Maze and get back home.

"Hey Chuck!"

Harry and I joined the smaller boy at a table of food eagerly. He grinned his bright grin and cheerfully began telling us about his day - all the way from tending to the showers this morning to accidentally piercing his straw bag with a garden fork during training.

A part of me drooped at the enthusiasm that he spoke with. Chuck was one of the few Sloppers in the Glade. As if the name didn't explain itself, I'd asked Newt what exactly they did.

"This and that, love - but generally speaking, those poor lads do what no-one else will do" He'd looked at me carefully then - a sharp glint in his eye - before continuing. "The toilets, showers, so on, so forth... If not that, then the Sloppers'll lend a hand wherever they please. They deserve none of the disrespect that they get from some of these shanks, though. Bloody resourceful, every single one of 'em - "

I jerked out of my daydream and smiled as Harry playfully mussed the younger boys curly hair.

" - And then, believe it or not, she twirled it around her head - like some crazy samurai - and brought it down on the ground. Whack!" It seemed the Farmer was giving a slightly exaggerated account of our previous fight. "I'm tellin' ya Chuckie, she's a tough one - I'd be headless right about now if I hadn't rolled out of the way"

Chuck laughed and gazed at me in wonder. "Wow. We're gonna win against those Grievers, aren't we? They're gonna be destroyed... And then we're gonna get outta here - "

I swiftly kicked Harry under the table, simultaneously smiling at Chuck. "Um... Yep, of course! We're going to try our absolute best out there - We can do this, Chuck. Don't worry about it..."

Harry and I exchanged a weary glance. But what if we couldn't? What then? If it didn't go to plan and the Griever's - or something else - prevented us from escaping? I turned my eyes to the hopeful look on Chuck's round face. Somehow, the hopes of that one boy meant more to me than my own. I couldn't bare the thought of letting him down. In my mind, I knew that I'd do everything I could to make his dream come true.

We would - by some miracle - destroy the Grievers and get out of here.

"Oh look, there's Newt!" I swivelled in my chair to follow Chuck's finger. It was indeed the second, strolling over to the side of Homestead, twirling his machete.

My mood lightened considerably as I grinned and bounded over to him. "Hey! What're you doing?"

"Hey, love - I need to sharpen this, apparently huge dents in the wood isn't a good sign" He rolled his eyes at me and brushed something off my face with a finger. "How 'bout you, eh? You didn't injure anyone today, did you?"

Ughh, he hasn't forgotten about that...

"I'm pretty sure Minho is just faking it now - it was three days ago, for goodness sake!" I grabbed his whetstone and began throwing it up and down. "And I doubt it's as bad as he says... I literally tapped him on the leg - honest!" With a steel pole, that is...

Newt laughed, checking the balance of his weapon. "I believe ya, Resa - he's just layin' it on real thick, that's all"

I held out a hand and looked at him through my lashes. "Can I do it? Please..." I didn't let him say anything before continuing. " - I've sharpened your knife before, remember? And you said it was good - "

" - I remember... You asking ME a handful and a half of questions. Why, how, when?" He handed me the knife, hilt first and smiled wistfully. "Seems to be reversed now - I'm askin' you the questions"

Shaking my head, I began dragging the stone across the edge of the hilt, careful not to misplace my hands. "That's not true, Newt. I'm still as clueless as I was that day. We just have a few more questions to answer now" I glanced at his face quickly. He was also looking at me, leaning against a tree.

"There's lots of questions - with no bloody answers. But, y'know what's different, love? We know what we're up against, we're well-prepared now and... We've got you"

My eyes widened at his words. But he wasn't finished yet.

"We might not know a lot, but one thing I DO know... Is that we've got to do something"

"C'mon, greenie - hurry up" Gally stood impatiently outside my room, his heavy pacing could be heard clearly through the sheet leading into the hallway.

It was almost time for the Choosing Ceremony and I was attempting to look smart - as stupid as it sounded. I was stuck with a bunch of teenage boys, none of whom would care or notice what I was wearing. But I still felt the need to at least do my hair nicely. For me if not for anyone else.

So far, I'd undone my plait and my hair fell in soft waves down to my upper waist. Should I just leave it or not? Maybe I could put it up...

"Resa. I dunno 'bout you, but pulling on two items of clothing should only take 2 minutes - tops!" I jumped slightly at Gally's loud voice and sighed.

"Well I don't know about YOU, but I normally wear more than 2 items of clothing Gally!" Deciding on loose hair, I turned my attention to my clothes. "And last time I checked, I had longer hair than you too!"

Smiling to myself, I acknowledged his grumbles with a roll of my eyes and gave myself a last glance over. Obviously, there were no mirrors in the Glade - the boys weren't vain enough for that - so I normally made do with a bowl of water or the shiny edge of a weapon.

"Okay, I'm ready!"

"Thank shuck for that" Gally whipped open the sheet and hastily gestured me out of Homestead. The look on his face was almost comical - all anticipation and excitement.

Of course, he didn't spare even one glance for my outfit, or my hair...

Alby was sat on the table with Newt when Gally and I finally arrived to the Gathering.

"Shuck me, greenie - we barely made it on time" The Builder hissed to me before winking and going to take his place by one of the rails.

I nervously met Newt's eyes and he smiled, nodding towards the seat on his other side. If I could sit beside Newt, that would make this whole ordeal a whole lot better, I thought, glancing at Alby. I began walking towards the second, keeping my head down. The entire Council Hall had gone silent. This was unlike any Gathering I had attended so far.

Sitting down beside Newt, I slipped my hand hesitantly into his under the table and to my relief, he squeezed softly - bringing my hand to rest in his lap.

With a grateful smile, we both turned our attention to the Leader, who had risen to his feet in preparation for a speech, I presumed.

"Right, I declare this Gathering open. Now as we're all aware, things have been a little bit out of whack around here over the past couple of days. We are preparing for an escape from the Maze - once and for all"

The Keepers remained silent. Everyone hung onto Alby's words.

"Despite these changes, we need to bring back some normality within the Glade... And what better way to do that, than with a Choosing Ceremony for our newest Greenbean?"

The boys murmured amongst themselves before falling silent at one of Alby's hard stares.

"Therefore, that is exactly what we are gathering here for this fine evening" He paused to let it sink in. Meanwhile, dozens of thoughts filled my head. What would I have to do? Do I have to give a speech or something? "We will move around the Hall and each Keeper will share why they want - or why they don't want - Resa to become one of them" He pointed at Zart. "You first, Zart"

The Keeper of the Track-Hoes got to his feet, threw me a smile and turned to Alby. "I thought she - that is, the greenie - was amazing in the Gardens. She doesn't question, just gets on with the job and... I respect that in a shank" I met his deep set eyes and gave him a smile of my own. He blinked and hastily cleared his throat. "I would like to request Resa for the Track-Hoes, Alby - I think she would bring a little something different to the Gardens and she would have a chance to see her idea of a flowerbed come to life"

Zart sat back down to a chorus of 'oohh's' from various Keepers. My smile widened at his reddening face but I was strangely touched by his honesty.

"I think you've got a secret admirer, love" Newt whispered in my ear and I flushed, stepping on his foot.

Winston was next. Even before he began talking, I knew his speech wouldn't be anywhere close to Zart's. "Wow, erm... sorry to disappoint ya, greenie - but I don't think you were cut out for the Slicers..." I only shrugged at him.

"Honestly Winston, I think you guys would be better off without me"

There was a collective snigger from the Keepers and Winston smirked. "Maybe... Unless you wanna give beheadin' a pigeon another go?"

"No way!" I shrieked. "There is no bloody way I am going near a damn pigeon with a knife again"

The snigger only got louder as Alby stood to regain order.

"Oi, that's enough you shanks! Right Winston - time up, you're next Harry"

I turned my gaze to the green-eyed Farmer. What would he say about me?

"Okay Resa, I'm requestin' you for the Farmers" He flashed one of the flirty smiles that I was so used to. "You're hard workin' and the rest of the shanks love ya. In all honesty, I've had more that one request from the Farmers askin' for you - it'd be a shame to let them down" He tossed a nod to Alby and sat down again. Quick and to the point.

I felt my heart swell again at Harry's words. We had definitely grown closer over the last week - he was one of my favourite fighting partners - and I could turn to him with anything. So why shouldn't I accept his offer?

Next was the Keeper of the Cooks - Frypan.

"Alright, shanks - we're in a bit of a pickle... Because I would also like to request the greenie to be a Cook" He looked around at the other Keepers pointedly, as if expecting the rest of them to suddenly claim they wanted nothing to do with me. "The first time she entered my Kitchen, wasn't even asked to, but she insisted on cooking up a batch of pancakes for the Glade" I smiled at that, remembering the delighted looks on the boys faces. "And trust me, Resa - your veggie pie will be appreciated for years to come" Frypan gave me a wide grin and a thumbs up.

"Thanks Fry, I'm yet to make a cake for you"

He laughed, a cheerful booming sound. "Imma hold ya to that, Greenbean"

Then Clint stood up. Oh no, how on earth am I going to decide on this!? I wanted to be a Cook, a Farmer, a Track Hoe and a Med Jack! This was going to be impossible...

"Well shuck me, Jeff and I also want to request Resa to be a Med Jack" He raised his eyebrows at me and I made an exhausted face back at him. "On her day, she nursed a sick lamb back to health for one of the Gladers and on top of that, she managed to single-handedly stitch Newt up when he was mauled by a Griever..." I glanced at Newt then, my chest tightening. He wound an arm around me and squeezed comfortingly.

"There is no better suited job for this Greenbean, Alby - I'm tellin' ya" Clint sat down with a gruff smile in my direction. I was very much aware of half a dozen curious eyes on me, but kept my own downwards.

"Wow, you've been busy Resa..." Alby actually managed to look surprised. "Gally, your turn, then Minho - you finish us off"

The Keeper of the Builders stood up and crossed his thick arms. "Well, I'll definitely say you're hardworking, greenie. You put 100% into absolutely everything you're asked to do, and I admire that" He paused, eyeing me carefully. "I'd have no problem requesting you if it weren't for Stephen though... He's specifically told me he doesn't want ya working with him again - the guy's not right in the head if you ask me but... I have to respect their will" His expression was almost apologetic. "The rest of 'em are all but in love with ya of course - " There was another collective snigger and I rolled my eyes. "But I don't want to make YOU miserable by forcin' you to work with him, alright?"

I nodded, understanding. Clearly I had made Stephen just as mad as he'd made me. "Sure thing, Gally - it's probably for the best"

The Builder grinned at me and sat back down, gesturing to Minho, who stood up with a dramatic flourish. He'd been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the Gathering, but clearly, he was preparing to make up for that now...

"Righto, Greenbean. Well I'm not gonna lie - you've been utter trouble since the first time you went into the Maze - " He raised his eyebrows suggestively as there was a series of impressed murmurs from the crowd. They were surprised I'd gone into the Maze once, let alone multiple times. "Yeah that's right, this shank's made a habit of waltzing into the Maze whenever the shuck she feels like it - "

Alby folded his arms. "Minho"

He only nodded distractedly and continued. " - And I'll tell ya something else - she is a natural. She makes that klunk look easy... And she might not be the fastest Runner, but by the Creators, she knows how its done" I caught his eyes and made a face. He was going to say something utterly stupid, I could see it coming. "Then instead of sitting back and acceptin' our fate like a whole host of bloody shanks have, she decided to get out there and find a way out of this hellhole! She is - in fact - the only Glader EVER to go into the Maze at night and make it look good!"

"Minho" Alby was rolling his eyes now, but the Runner wasn't finished yet. I could feel Newt sniggering next to me - he was enjoying this. I hoped Minho was going to finish with some massive fault of mine - because honestly speaking, I couldn't be a Runner. Not after listening to Newt and his story of the Maze. I wouldn't feel like to be a Runner.

"And as if all THAT wasn't enough, she's taken our results of 3 years and tripled them - finding us an actual way out of here! Let's just take a minute to - "

" - MINHO!" Alby got to his feet and glared at the Runner. "As much as we all appreciate you taking the time to remind us of Resa's impressive feats, would you mind answering one question?"

The Runner paused in his noble declarations and blinked at the Leader innocently. "What's that, mate?"

"Are you shuckin' requesting her or not?"

Minho closed his eyes as if in despair and bowed his head. "...No, I'm not"

In all honesty, I wasn't the only one that sat utterly dumbfounded at his words. The entire Council Hall went silent for the best part of 10 seconds before Newt dropped my hand and got to his feet.

"You what?" His face was a confusing mixture of bewilderment and relief. "After all that, you wanna say that Resa's not good enough to be a bloody Runner? That's a bit shuck-faced, Minho - even for you"

Minho just sighed and raised his head to look at me. "You want my honest opinion, greenie?" I could only nod. "I want you to put your skills to use somewhere else. You're a damn good cook, even better healer - it would be selfish of me to make you a Runner when it would be best for all of us if you were amazing us all like that everyday" He gestured to Newt and I knew what he meant.

My heart soared at his words. I was both elated that I could do something I loved, but also because I didn't have to officially be a Runner. I'd actually had enough of it over the past few days.

"Well Minho, I wish I had THAT on film" I grinned at him. "Never heard you sound so sincere before"

He laughed and winked at me. "The word was 'mushy' shuckface - and you're welcome"

The room breathed a collective sigh of relief. I couldn't imagine what Alby would say if Minho had tried to make the Greenbean a Runner - never mind Newt! The second settled himself at my side again, bringing his mouth to my ear.

"That was a close one - never thought I'd be so happy to hear Minho say anything..."

I sniggered. "What would you've done if he HAD requested me?"

"Oh, you don't wanna go there, love. It would have been bloody and brutal, with NO survivors" Newt shook his head in mock disapproval and I elbowed him, giggling.

Alby was looking at us expectantly. "Are you two back in the room? Can I continue?"

The three of us glanced at each other sheepishly and Alby turned to the crowd, rolling his eyes. "Alright, thanks to the Keepers for sharing their expert opinions. Now its time to hear from the Greenbean herself" He gestured to me with a long arm. "Resa, you may review the Keepers' opinions and your own experiences and tell us where you think you would be best suited"

And the Gladers all looked at me as I stood up. My mind spun, thoughts whirling, options clashing... What can I do? No, no - what can I do BEST? Where would I be better off... For both myself and the rest of the Glade.

But I couldn't find an answer. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't picture myself doing only one job. It didn't fit right at all

"Ummm..." Well, that was articulate. " - I er, can't decide on only one job, I'm - well, I feel like I would be suited to... to both Med Jack and Cook" There. I said it. Obviously, it was the truth but nevertheless, I didn't know if Alby would make an exception for me.

" - And you can't choose between the two?" Alby looked from me to Clint to Frypan, unsure. Both Keepers were frowning at Alby - this had clearly never been a problem before.

I shook my head, more certain with my choice. "No. I know I can't do one or the other - I have to do both... Or none" Our eyes met and I felt a flash of boldness rush through me. "Is there any way I could be a Med Jack and a Cook?"

The Leader faced away, seemingly lost in his thoughts. A faint crease wrinkled his dark forehead and his eyes were slightly narrowed with the weight of this decision. "I think..." He rose to his feet and turned his hard gaze back to me. "I think you're right. Given the amount of Keepers that have requested you, its only safe to assume that you can't be suited to only one job - "

" - Make her a Go-Betweener!" Our heads whipped to Minho, who was taking evident pleasure in the confusion that had spread through the Hall. "She can spend most of her time in the Med Hut - since there's only Clint and Jeff - and when she wants, she can lend a hand to Fry in the Kitchens!" He grinned at me, "Problem solved"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Newt and Alby exchange a glance. The second got to his feet. "You can help out with anything that isn't a Runner's bruise or something trivial, Resa. But anything serious, and I want you with the Med Jacks because trust me, I can vouch for you" I smiled as he winked at me. "Aside from that, you can help Fry out with dinner or any other busy times in the Kitchens, 'right?"

I nodded gratefully, smiling at Clint and Frypan. "Sounds good! Thanks so much everyone - "

" - Hey! A Runner's bruise is in NO WAY trivial, you shank - "

And that was Minho, of course.

...And breathe...

Until next time :)

Love, LadyFantasy13 xox