Minho

The sun in the Glade beat down mercilessly. The air shimmered over the stone walls, and even the shadows from the Maze offered no relief from the sticky humidity. Mia stood by the chicken coop, clutching a bowl of grain in her hands, watching Minho lazily sharpen a knife by the entrance to the hut.

"You still haven't given me back the bucket," she said, without much hope of being heard.

"I didn't give you the bucket because it's mine," Minho replied without looking up. "I found it in the Maze, I cleaned it, I..."

"You stole it from my pantry," Mia interrupted. "The bucket was needed for collecting rainwater. Now the chickens will be without water, and if they die, you can scavenge for dinner yourself."

Minho finally looked up. His dark eyes glinted with a smirk.

"Listen, you got here three weeks ago and you're already acting like the head of housekeeping. We were doing just fine without you."

"Just fine?" Mia snorted. "Your potatoes were rotting in the pit, and the meat supplies ran out before Frypan even finished the porridge. At least I know how to organize a household."

"Organize a household?" Minho stood up, tossing the knife into the grass. "We're surviving here, not having a picnic. Your rules are just getting in the way."

"My rules keep us from starving to death while you lot run around the Maze playing heroes."

"We don't have time for your chicken dances!"

"And I don't have time for your arrogance!"

They froze, facing each other. A few Gladers working nearby turned at the shouting, but quickly looked away—arguing with Minho or Mia was more trouble than it was worth.

Newt was the first to break. He approached, rolling his eyes:

"You two are driving me crazy. Every day it's the same thing: the bucket, the chickens, the rules, the heroism. Maybe enough already?"

"He started it," Mia muttered.

"She's always poking her nose in," Minho said at the same time.

Newt sighed, scratched the back of his head, and suddenly blurted out:

"You two need to find some common ground."

"How are we supposed to find common ground?" Mia snapped.

"Kiss each other," Newt answered, completely calm and serious.

Silence hung in the scorching air. A dog barked somewhere in the distance; the wind carried the scent of heated earth. Mia and Minho stared at Newt.