Introduction) 

Imagine this. You’re a teen, barely starting your life  and you get abducted to perform in an experiment. But the problem is, you do not know what it is for or who you are going with and where it is. You get brought to this old, crusted over place and are completely brainwashed. People just stare at you until you’ve had enough. You start to get very emotional and try to find some way to leave. This is how the main character, Thomas, had to live in The Maze Runner. Initially, you'll hear about Thomas's journey through the Maze and the challenges he encountered in his early days there. Next, you learn about Thomas’s connection with the new main character in the fourth book. Then, you’ll hear about the real world’s problem compared to the book's worst problem. Lastly, you will read about my opinion of what should have happened at the end of book one, “The Maze Runner”. 

Chapter 1 Everyone needs a true friend) 

Chuck and Thomas have a very special relationship. He was one of the youngest out of the Gladers and   Thomas´ first friend in the Glade. Most of the Gladers find Chuck annoying because of his childish antics and fondness for practical jokes, but Thomas recognizes that Chuck is a loyal and caring friend. They sleep side-by-side every night, and Thomas soon feels that Chuck has become like a brother to him. 

First, when Thomas arrives, he is very worried, with his breath trembling, as he is helped out of the metal crate. He doesn’t know what’s going on at all, but to make matters even worse all of the kids were staring and making faces toward Thomas. For the sake of Thomas remaining calm, he “closed his eyes, wishing he could wake up from this terrible, terrible dream.” (Dashner, 2009, 12)  Many people despised Thomas and they felt like Thomas did not belong here because of how nicely he was dressed, not to mention how dirty the surroundings were, and even all of the gladers. There were many people, all seemed to be different ages. This confused Thomas even more. Why were there kids here? Where was he? Would anyone offer help or say anything to greet him? 

There was one particular kid who welcomed him kindly and offered to take him on a tour, this kid's name was Chuck. You may be asking yourself,  what is so special about one kid? Well, he acted as a mentor for Thomas throughout the whole first book. For instance, he led Thomas to make good decisions and made an extreme impact on Thomas throughout the book. This action took place in a building that held all of the sick people. Chuck would throw in little tips and pointers for surviving in the guarded glade. The main roles that two of the characters took on was being a leader and acting as a boss figure. Those two people were named Newt and Alby, but they were nicer than the other outsiders. Of course Thomas got a lesson on how to treat everyone and who to step down from. Did Thomas really make a friend? Was Chuck being fake?

To go into more depth on this thought, Chuck was the one kid who wasn't like any other kid, he was unique and he proved himself to be trustworthy as time went on. Thomas and Chuck have the pure friendship that everyone needs. Dashner was intuitive for adding the connection between these two young boys. It not only brings the satisfaction of their special bond, but it also gives the reader an idea what a real friend should be treated like. Chuck is sweet enough to spare his own life, for his dearest friend. “Thomas hugged Chuck to his chest, squeezed him as tightly as possible, as if that could somehow bring him back, or show thanks for saving his life, for being his friend when no one else would.” (Dashner, 2009, 358)Thomas felt so guilty for Chuck’s actions, as any other human being would!

In my opinion, Thomas and Chuck’s connection brought light into my eyes, giving me hope to find someone who would act the same. Through thick and thin, Thomas always looks back at those memories finding himself in despair, even though Chuck himself chose to jump in front of that bullet. While the boys were becoming closer it came across to me that everyone needs a true friend.

Chapter 2 Mark and Thomas connections)

Mark and Thomas have very similar ways of saving their group of friends and in an odd way their relationships, even though they were never in the same book. Thomas was the main character in the first three books, if there was a set archetype for him he would be the hero or sidekick to one of his buddies named Minho. In the fourth book of the series, it is a whole new set of characters. Mark is the main protagonist of The Kill Order, the prequel to The Maze Runner. He survived the Sun Flares, and escaped to the Appalachians along with Trina, his love interest, as well as Alec and Lana, two war veterans, and a few other newly acquainted friends. During the second and third book, I noticed that Thomas was changing. No, not in the way somebody would dye their hair or paint their nails or change clothes. 
Too touch upon this subject, when Teresa didn’t make it onto the berg in book three, Thomas’ life was gloomy and dazed. Thomas let that get into his thoughts and slowed down everything he did, such as getting out of sight from the burnt down WICKED building and finding a safe place to stay. Mark relates to the mood changes, but in a bit different way than thomas. Mark has weird dreams that get him angry, just to leave him waking up confused in the morning. Another example of this mood swing, is the moments when Mark goes crazy and will kill for no reason at all. “Mark raised his weapon and rushed forward…” (Dashner, 2012, 307) As you can see, Mark was going crazy, but a few minutes later he was calm with Trina in his arms. This is showing that from a loved one's touch, or passing away in Thomas’s case, their moods were both affected for the same reasoning.

To add onto this thought, they each made a few important choices leading them to make their characters stronger. Mark’s decisions would change depending on the situation and that intrigued me. As I kept reading the fourth book, I realized that Mark and Thomas have the same way of coming to a conclusion. That one specific way to come up with the conclusion would be to use resources and go with your gut. With the help of Alec, Mark was able to use the intelligence pad as a guide and finally to what they hoped was safety, but he had to trust himself and believe he was leading his friends and himself the right way! In the maze runner, Thomas used the maps of the maze that the runners have been drawing out each day. He used these to try and figure out where an exit was. As you could imagine, Thomas used those old maps, but as letter figures. It turns out that he was right! You may be wondering, how did he do that? Well, it was all because of the maps, and a little help from a few friends just like Mark did in the past. 

To tie a knot to this opinion, Thomas and Mark share a few very important characteristics that make each character unique and complex. With these amazing connections, there becomes a moment of disbelief or even confusion about how two characters could be so similar.  

Chapter 3 Covid vs Flare)

In the Dystopian series, "The Maze Runner" one continuous problem happening throughout the series that relates to the real world is the Flare. This deadly disease relates to the outbreak of COVID-19 that has sprung out all around the world. In comparison, they are both diseases that are very contagious/infectious,  in which they are spreading from person to person like a spontaneous wildfire. 

They are also alike because both have a select group of people that are immune to contracting either virus. According to the text, Thomas knew he was immune-at least, he’d been told he was-but he didn’t know about anyone else, had actually forgotten about it (Dashner, 2011, 26). Just as in the present day, many believe they are ”immune” to Covid-19, when in actuality they do not really know for certain. Knowing what this deadly disease could do, Thomas, like many others around the world today, worries and fears for his friends' safety and health. “Teresa, I know you are not stupid. But I also know you’re in love with WICKED. I’m not sure what you are up to, but I’m not buying it.” (Dashner, 20, 29). The author describes how Thomas feels when his friends are disagreeing with him. This is one of the ways Thomas tries to assist everyone in getting out of these sticky situations without losing his friends. Thomas believes that he is the master of this situation and that he must take command in order to keep everyone secure.

There are only a couple of differences between the two. One is that after you've been infected with the Flare, you'll start losing your mind, spinning out of control and being irrational. One example from the text is, “His hair had been torn out in patches, leaving bald spots that were nothing more than red welts. Scratches and bruises covered his face; his shirt was ripped, barely hanging on to his thin frame, and his pants were filthy with grime and blood.” (Dashner, 2011, 245). This depicts what happens to people after contracting the Flare. Another difference is that Covid-19 has a vaccine newly released, meanwhile flare has had Thomas’s blood as their cure. This puts everyone, especially Thomas, into so much pain, seeing that one if their best friends have gone psycho and there's no way to help! Going ahead into this scene, Newt asks Thomas to shoot him and put him out of all the misery so he will not have to suffer any longer. Thomas does what he is asked, and this decision made everyone miss Newt like never before. They all knew it was the best decision for Newt to feel free and everyone to realize that he is in a better place.  Although contracting Covid-19 will result in a variety of health problems, being mentally ill is not one of them.

As you can see, in the maze runner series you can see that there are many similarities and differences between the flare in the book, which affects Thomas and the characters but also, the current time covid scare.  Unfortunately infectious diseases like this can ravage a community regardless when or where it is. In my eyes I can see how the flare makes Thomas feel. It is difficult to ensure that the people you care for are healthy and secure in today's world. But there's another part of Thomas who wants to bring people out of their misery when it's necessary, which is why Thomas shoots Newt, and I agree with him!



Chapter 4 Fanfiction) 

The novel's protagonist, Thomas is a teenaged boy who enters the Glade with no memories other than of his first name. Although Thomas comes to the Glade scared and confused, he shows himself to be brave, resourceful, and strong-willed. Gally is one of the main antagonists in the maze runner, the first book in the series. He is relentless, rude and regularly disturbed with the newcomer, Thomas taking the role as a leader. He takes things so out of hand, he ends up getting put in the maze to die! 
“We did, we really did it Thomas!” Chuck announced from the bottom of the griever hole. Chuck, as satisfied as he was, realised that they had just started their mission and weren’t close to accomplishing it! 

“Chuck move out of the way!!!” Teresa said as she threw her pen at a ferocious griever, to give Chuck time to run in the opposite direction. 

“Teresa what are you doing”

“Saving your butt Chuck.”

 Teresa was head to head with the griever at this point, the griever got a hit, but then Teresa got an even more powerful hit. It was too soon to tell who was winning this battle. 

Minho jumped down the black abyss with his jackknife and slashed the griever every which way, killing the griever in a matter of seconds.

 “Go put the code in Teresa, NOW!” Teresa gained her full balance and sprinted over to the padlock. 

Teresa was so worried that she would screw it all up for everyone and get them killed, but she maintained calm and punched the code in. It didn’t work. What has happened? She put the code in and it did not work yet again. 

“Thomas help me, the code isn’t working…” 

Thomas made it his priority to get over there, but of course after he grabbed his best friend. 

Loud noises began to sprawl into the air.

 “Five, Four, Three, Two, One.” The padlock lighted the room with red, flashing on and off, on and off. The walls were shaping, just like the maze. A man in a neon chemical specialized suit came out and spoke to the gladers. 

“Welcome to the end of trial 1, you all should be very proud of yourself. But you did not check every last bit of the maze. Right over there, right behind the young pretty girl.” 

Those exact words flew out of this man’s mouth, but it intrigued every single glader. They all turned their heads, like a domino effect. It was Gally, the old mate that was thrown in this very maze a while ago!

“Thomas, in order for your friends to pass this trial, you need to be shot. But there are a few things I need you to understand first.” He walked up to Thomas, grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. Thomas, as confused as he was, took the hug because it felt right. 

The old friend whispered in his ear, “hey kid, i know that i have been mean to you in the past. That was only because I love you and I need you.” Thomas lifted his head up from Gally’s shoulder, asking, “Wwhat are you talking about man?”
“I know it is hard to understand what im talking about, but i- i am your dad.”

Thomas jumped away from Gally, staring at him like a blank sheet of paper. Could Gally really be his dad? Would Thomas trust him? 

“I don’t believe you!” Thomas yelled back at him.

“My dad has a real family back home, wherever that is, and nothing to do with the treged maze.” Thomas was angry, Thomas was feeling bold and ready to put his face into Gally’s old face. 

“I knew you wouldn’t trust me, that is why i have to prove it to you.” Gally pulled out the gun, slanted it to his leg, and pulled the trigger.

“Gally, dad no!” Thomas began to shed a few tears. 

“Go get out of here, I left you a stolen school bus just to the right of the exit.

“Dad no please, Ii need you.”

I will be fine, go son now!” Thomas’s dad screams just as he shoots the man in the toxic free suit. 

Thomas and Teresa led the gladers out the exit just at the end of the hall, staring back at his dad, Thomas wiped a tear off of his face. 

Conclusion)

Dashner is sure to enlight Thomas and the whole society’s problems, but also forms Thomas as an amazing, brave and committed leader. And though some of his relationships were difficult, Dashner shows the reader the importance of true friendship and teaches us that a friend is anyone who is willing to stand by you and support you. This story is important because it helps others who feel isolated, especially through this pandemic, know that they are not alone. It also pushes readers to think about their decisions thoroughly. Although the series adds new characters to the mix, they all seem to relate to one another. The characters faced many fierce obstacles, in all five books, but never they gave up. Not a single one of them! 

Nerves rolling through my body

I know we're almost there

Remain calm

The car's tires tremble to a stop

Remain Cam

6:59pm

One final minute

Mother forces me out of the car

The door slams shut

I know my fate is sealed

No turning back

Dad waves us over

The game is about to begin

Remain calm

I look out onto the field

Just to see my brother on the mound

Heart beating like a drum

The ump throws him the game ball

Is this really happening

The other team is so much bigger and older

Remain calm

Jace throws the first pitch 

¨striiiiiike¨

He deals the second and third pitch

¨striiiiiike threeeeee, yourrrr outtttt¨

As the game goes on  ,

Jace keeps dealing 

My heartbeat is back to normal

I am actually remaining calm

I realise that the better he does

The more fun i am having 

A different feeling comes over me

PROUD- that's my big brother 

I ran out the front door, like a lightning bolt striking a tree top. There was a feeling of weight on my chest. I kept psyching myself out about the possibility of missing the first period of school. If I was late, I knew I would not be able to take the quiz. Could this day get any worse? Just then I realized I did not bring my cell phone, it was still on the charger, on my nightstand. I kept going, determined to beat the bell. I took a shortcut through Water View, the fancy neighborhood. I did not notice at the time, but I must have slowed down to take in all of the beautiful houses and landscaping. They were so pretty, if I wasn't in this horrid situation I would spend hours walking down this street. But then a strange feeling came over me. I did not know exactly what it was. I knew something was not right. I just kept going, taking a left and then a right. I took too many turns, lost in my thoughts. I am not sure if it was the stress of being late and missing the quiz, or that strange feeling that something was not right, but suddenly a white Chevy drove up next to me, going almost as slow as me. When I tried walking faster, it drove faster. When I turned the corner, so did the car. I now knew what that strange feeling was. I saw this same car, it had been in Water View just a few minutes before. 

My heart was pounding. School was no longer on my mind. The only thing I could think about was the white Chevy that was mirroring my every move. I tried to peek inside the car, but it just slowed me down. All I could see was a man that looked a little older than my dad. He was wearing a blue bandana over his head. Did I know him? Was he lost and just needed directions? Was I overreacting? I did not plan on sticking around to find out. For some reason, I kept envisioning his horrifying grin in the back of my mind, it was making me sweat and I was starting to tear up. I wanted to knock on house doors, but what would I say? Would they think I was playing some sort of prank? I kept thinking of my dad and what he would do in this situation. It doesn't matter that we have not been getting along, I know he would tell me to be brave, to keep going, and to find help. 

In my quest for help, I tumbled over my own feet, they tangled as I ran. I looked down and saw a mini river of blood flowing from my knees and hip. I scraped myself good! I forced myself to get up. I saw the Chevy getting closer, and there was no time. As I got my footing, I realized I was in a familiar neighborhood again. Did I seriously run in a three-mile circle? I ended up in my own neighborhood. I had a choice to make. If I ran to my house with this car following me, this creepy man would know where I lived. So at that moment, I decided that the best decision was to go to my school. I had to stay focused this time.

I followed up with my plan, running it through my head. But what if-stop, Laney, youŕe overthinking everything, it will be fine. So I told myself. I was almost there, one more block. My knees were about to give out, at any given moment. There were a few more turns to safety. When I finally reached the school, I pushed through the big red doors that kept C-Wing shut. I ran to the first class to my right, that happened to be my second period class. I approached my teacher, Mr. Montgomery, with this wild story.

¨Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Montgomery!¨ 

He stared at me, confused as to why I was so dirty and bloodied. ¨Laney, what happened, and why are you late?¨ 

All the kids were staring at me, I could feel it, but I did not care. He escorted me to the hall once he noticed all of the attention on me. He asked me again to explain what was going on. So I began telling him the story. 

¨l was followed, I mean chased, by a man in a Chevy. The car was white and the man looked as if he was a bit older. Thatś all I know. Every time I turned, so did the car. If I sped up, so did the car. I wanted to go home, but didn't want him to know where I lived, so I came here. I hope I did the right thing.¨ 

The bell rang and kids began filing out of the classroom, but Mr. Montgomery did not seem to notice. He kept me there and wanted to know more. I told him as much as I could remember as he grabbed his cell phone from his desk. He asked me for my dadś phone number and dialed. 

I did not agree with Mr. Montgomery. I thought the first call should be to the police. After all, there was a strange man following children out there. Maybe it was nothing, but maybe it was something. You can never be too safe. 

I quietly said, ¨Thank you.¨and walked to my desk. I plopped my things down and Mr. M got band aids, rags, and hydrogen peroxide. I realized that no kids came in the classroom and Mr. Montgomery explained that it was his free period. I poured the peroxide onto my cuts and quickly covered each of the scrapes with bandages. After a few minutes of my knees burning, my dad busted through the doors-just the same as I did moments earlier.

My dad began to tear up and whispered to me, ¨You are so smart and brave, Laney.¨ He picked me up and gave me a giant bear hug. This is the first time my dad was affectionate since my mom had left. It caught me off guard, but I welcomed it, and I think that was exactly what I needed. My dad and I decided that the next thing to do was call the police, but Mr. Montgomery disagreed. We could not figure out why, but we did not care, we did it anyways.

We called the police, and they rushed to the school. This caused quite a commotion. I told the police the same story that I told my Mr. Montgomery and my dad. They said it was not a lot of information, but they would keep a lookout. When my dad and I left the school, I saw the same car in the parking lot. The words would not come out of my mouth, all I could do was point. My dad knew what I meant and flagged down the police officer. Before the officer could react, my dad went to the white Chevy and punched in the window. Glass shattered everywhere. The police had to pull my dad away from the car so they could investigate. We were lucky they let my dad leave-so we did!

A few days later, our home phone rang. It was Sergeant Benson. She asked for my dad, but I stayed close so I could hear everything. I heard my dad speaking with expression and a lot of  ¨uh huh” and “I see¨. My dad hung up the phone and looked at me straight in the eye. 

¨They caught him! They know who it was!¨ he yelled.

I stared blankly at him, waiting for the answer. 
¨They figured out it was a sick man that escaped the mental hospital. His last name was Montgomery. He is the brother of your teacher, Mr. Montgomery.¨

I did not believe what I was hearing. At that moment it made sense why Mr. Montgomery did not want to call the police, he was protecting his brother. And who knows, maybe even part of his plan.

This entire situation was so confusing to me. Why was my teacher´s brother following me? Did he know me, or my dad? There were so many unanswered questions, and my own teacher was not willing to answer any of them to help solve the mystery. Mr. Montgomery, unwilling to cooperate, lost his job. His brother went back to the hospital. We would never really know why or how this was planned. But what I did learn from all of this is, family is everything. My dad and I had been through a lot and this potential kidnapping brought us back together. Even though my dad had been hard on me in the past, and maybe he was not the nicest person, I forgave him. Family is the only thing that matters, and maybe that is what Mr. Montgomery thought too.

A blanket,

A clove of natural herbs 

Stuffed animals

Lavender smells like essential oils,

Natural herbs,

Nature and its creation,

An epsom salt bath,

Lavender is peaceful,

A bird tweeting,

A cup of water being poured,

Soft natural herbs crunching off the tree

Lavender is a juicy pear

Cotton candy being made

Freshly made tea

Natural herbs being munched on by cubs,

Lavender is strawberry lemonade,

Lavender is sweet and warm,

The sunrise is Lavender,

The beach waving goodbye,

Lavender is natural herbs sprouting

Macaroons being resourceful tasted

The horrors inflicted on the ones with fear

The innocent ones they have no voice

And so many people do not want to hear

Many speak out for some lives 

To stop their abuse

But believe that others

Are just here for our use

Can't you see, can´t you feel

The pain you cause is most definitely real

You leave them to suffer, you leave them to die

Your heart is either made of stone

Or your whole body wants to break down and cry

¨eat meat¨ or ¨go vegan¨

They all may say

Without knowing what goes on past the light of day

Their smiles as bright as the sun

Nobody knows any history

So they all think that this has just begun

I get thrown, i get eaten, i am not     ,

Alone

Many others surround me

I am green

I am squishy

I am thought to be gross

When i am only trying to help

You can see me through the clear pond

But i get lost through the murky stream

I release nutrients for other complex plants

I can hear the kids yelling

As the step by me

If i were to be eaten

You would taste sour apples

And salt

I adapt to weather    ,

Just like a human would

I look around and see

The world full of green

As i am full of love and care

For our tremendous world

Kids shelter there     ,

You can hear the closet door

Full of packaged toys

The disgust you feel as it tumbles open

In front of all of your guests

Embarrassment

Everything sprawled out on to the floor

Oh God, oh God

Please help me feel

My heart is full of sadness and it feels way too       ,

Real 

Embarrassment, embarrassment

Dark

Fights fill the room

Windows squeaky clean

Imagine me smiling

In the warm happy weather

the guests arrive with pleasure

Run your finger down the wall     ,

Feel all the smooth paint

Here Comes mother already with the Lysol spray