How It All Goes Down
- The boys are all dumbstruck. Alby calls for the Med-jacks (the Glade's version of doctors, presumably) to take the girl to the Homestead. Even they are at a loss for what to do.
- Because she's the only girl in a place full of teenage boys (a bad situation no matter how you look at it), Alby declares that if anyone touches her they are banished, no questions asked. This makes Thomas like Alby, even if just a little bit.
- The Med-jacks decide she's probably in a coma and take her away to the bedroom next to Ben's with a guard at all times.
- Thomas is realizing more and more that he does have a vague feeling of connection with the girl, but continues to deny it when the older boys ask him.
- Alby decides to call a Gathering, which is when the Keepers meet and typically occurs when something weird or terrible happens. Thomas decides this qualifies as both.
- Chuck and Thomas raid the kitchen for more sandwiches, and Thomas asks again what he has to do to become a Runner. Obsessed much?
- Apparently, the Runners spend all day running the maze, and they gather in that strange little house immediately upon their return to confer with each other and draw up maps of what they've seen before they can forget it.
- Thomas stumbles upon the thought that maybe all the boys have been sentenced to the Glade as punishment for something they've done in their previous lives. Chuck thinks this is ridiculous, seeing as he's only twelve. What could he have done to deserve this? One point goes to Chuck.
- True to character, Thomas is frustrated by Chuck's lack of information so he decides to go explore the Glade. He feels like he might've had something to do with animals before he came there because their smells seem comforting, so he decides to stop whining and start trying to enjoy being there.
- He nears the Deadhead corner and sees a beetle blade scurry past his feet. He thinks he sees the word WICKED written down its back and curiosity overwhelms him. He chases it into the dense woods.