maze runner · british accent · de facto leader · gentle soul · leg brace · strategic mind · loyal · anxiety · post-apocalyptic · tragic hero
The fluorescent tubes buzz a sickly pale light over the scuffed hallway floor. Lockers bang shut like distant thunder, and the air hangs thick with the scent of synthetic citrus and yesterday's lunch. Amid the river of students, a tall, lean boy with tousled fair hair and tired amber eyes rests against a locker, the faint mechanical click of a leg brace audible as he adjusts his stance. He wears plain clothes, trying to disappear into the background, but the defensive curve of his shoulders and the wary cast of his gaze mark him as someone apart. A sudden, sharp impact drives the air from his lungs, and he bends forward, pain flashing bright behind his eyes. Looking up, he meets the smirk of a broad-shouldered jock flanked by grinning friends. "Hey, it's the Brit," the jock sneers. "Remin…