Paige's daughter •| a maze runner fanfiction, newt |•

He's gone.

I can't believe it. My mom, Ava Paige, got a job at WICKED. I should have seen it coming.

I've overheard conversations that she's had on the phone but paid no attention to them. And worst of it all, I have to go with her. I'm immune. I barely had a choice. My mom kept saying that I could save the world. That did make me feel a bit better, but those words just seemed like a big fat lie. But then she told me, "Leah, if you come, we can save people like your father." My dad was very important to me. He would listen to my problems, even though I was only three years old. I would complain about how my food was too hot or too cold. I would complain that my blanket was horizontal instead of vertical. I would complain that I wanted my blue shirt instead of my yellow.

I didn't know what other people were going through. I never understood the sun flares, or the crazies outside. But when my family told me about them, instead of staying inside and crying my pants off, I wanted to explore and see.

That's how I met him. Newt.

I stayed very well hidden. I'm pretty small, and for four years old, I was a lot smaller. I was so hidden that my parents only caught me twice out of the millions of times I've went. They especially got mad that one time when I went at night. I was pretty stupid. I'm still pretty stupid that I went anyway. But after I met Newt, I couldn't go at night. His dad always nailed the window they have shut.

I secretly went out the small window we have in the basement. Most people live in their basements for protection, but parents barricaded the whole place except for a little entrance.

Newt didn't live that far away. It was really weird how quickly we became friends. It was daytime and the window wasn't nailed shut. I saw his head looking out. He didn't see me. I didn't know how to meet him without making him think I was a creepy Crank. I didn't have many friends because of the Flare, so I just went up to the window. He jumped, a little startled. I waved. He waved. He trusted me right away, he told me when we've became good friends.

I forgot exactly how we met, because I was very young, but after that I just snuck through the broken vents that led to his basement. I always covered it when I left so that it stayed hidden. He also went through the vents to see me. His family didn't know about me. We just stayed hidden in the vents, talking for hours. I don't remember the excuses he used for his family. I think one time he told them he was going to the bathroom and he was with me for two hours.

Anyways, today I'm going to say goodbye to him. After my dad got taken to the Crank Palace, I admitted to my mom how much I snuck out. She didn't seem too mad because I was alright, but I could see disappointment in her eyes.

I got tested after my dad was taken, and they told me I was immune. That's why my mom wasn't that mad. I was worried for her. She isn't immune. But she never went nutso.

My dad did, like I said before. One day he was coughing a lot. Mom thought it was just a random cold. But then Dad started to get a little violent. He got angry so often. He would hit the table or punch the door whenever he lost his temper. We thought it was because he was stressed over the Flare. But then he started hitting Mom, hitting me. He wasn't the same anymore. Completely different person. They took him away. I was sad, but glad that we wouldn't get hurt anymore.

Mom said I don't need to pack anything because WICKED will provide everything. She still needed to get a couple of things, so while she did that, I went to see Newt.

I got to his place. I go inside the vents and do our secret knock. No answer. I do it again. Still no answer. I decide to wait. He's probably in the bathroom or something. While I wait in the vents, I play with the bracelet he gave me. Now that was something I was definitely bringing with me to WICKED no matter what. It wasn't special looking. It was just some piece of a black belt that he found around the basement. He cut up the belt and made two bracelets. One for him and one for me. While I was playing with it, I got things straight. I was never going to see him again after our goodbye. My best friend. Someone who felt like a brother to me. Gone. I start to cry. I hate to cry. I don't cry very often. That's not true. I always cry. I've always cried whenever I didn't get my way. But today it was a big and long cry. I then realize it's been a very long time in the vents. I knock again. No answer. Again. No answer. I decide to peek inside the basement. As I get closer, it's very quiet. I know Newt and his family are quiet, but not this quiet. I crawl through until I reach the basement. I open the steel door blocking it. I open it, and it stinks. That worries me. I get out and see Newt's parent's bodies, unmoving on the ground. I gasp. Where are Newt and his sister Lizzy? What if they're dead, too? I start to cry again. I look everywhere around the room. I fall to my shaky knees. He's gone. I'll never see him again and I will never be able to say goodbye. I lie on the ground, not moving, and I think of Newt's parents who will never move again.