The Girl In The Glade

Part Eight: Banishment

You were sitting in a tall tree, the same tall tree you climbed up to hide from the Galders, for what seems like ages. You felt really bad for yelling at Newt, he didn't do anything wrong. You were just scared.
You remembered Newt's sad expression as you shouted at him, demanding him away. A part of you wished he went after you. A part of you wished he had stopped you and wrapped you in his warm embrace again.
Why? Why did Ben do this? Why did he attack you? What did he mean before? What stung him? What was the syringe? So many questions. Too many questions that no one was there to answer.
You rested your head against the tree and let the wind blow against your face. You were still soaked and your face hurt. Your hair was flowing over your shoulders and whipped around in the wind. You listened to the tranquil silence. You only just realised Newt was standing below you. You looked down at him but he never looked up, not knowing you were there.
So he did follow you after all. That made your heart melt a little. Even though you yelled at him, he wasn't going to let you be on your own. You saw that he was frustrated at not being able to find you.
"Bloody hell." He said to himself and you sighed.
"Up here." You called out and the blondie looked up to see you sitting on the branch and leaning against the tree. He smiled weakly but you refused to make eye contact. You weren't mad, you just didn't want him to see you like this. You weren't crying or anything, you just felt stupid.
"I'm coming up!" Newt yelled up and two seconds later you heard leaves rustle and the tree shaking as the boy made his way up. Eventually, he was right next to you. There was no room for him to sit with you so he just stood on the stable branch he was currently on. He looked distressed from being so high but you thought nothing of it.
You still didn't look at him. Newt took his hand and reached out, turning your head so your eyes met his.
The two of you stared at each other a while and it was Newt who broke the daze. He looked down and then back up at you, but this time he had his signature soft smile. You couldn't ignore him, it was too difficult.
"I'm sorry." You both said at the same time and Newt pulled you into a hug. You tightened you grip on his shirt, but you still didn't cry. Crying meant showing weakness.
There was something about being in his arms that made you feel safe. He was warm and you listened to his beating heart. You felt something between the two of you and it was different from the feeling with Gally. It was a warm feeling, something you couldn't understand, not then anyway.
"If you tell Minho about this," You said, trying to keep your voice steady. "I'll kill you myself." Newt laughed at this.
"It's okay love." Newt said, pulling back and letting you rest against the tree once again. You caught him looking at the bruises along your neck and jaw. You saw the guilt written all over his face, but you didn't understand. He didn't do it.
"It's fine, it doesn't hurt." You lied, it hurt a lot. But you knew you were fine, if you weren't then you wouldn't have been able to talk. Ben wasn't able to choke you long enough to hurt you to that extent.
"He could have killed you and I was the one who sent you into the bloody Deadheads." Newt said and you furrowed your brows in confusion.
"Newt, you do know this isn't your fault, right?" You said but the boy's silence answered your question. "It wasn't your fault."
"But if I hadn't of sent you out there then—"
"He would have found me somewhere else. Ben wasn't out there to take a stroll in the woods Newt, he walked all the way back from the maze just to get to me. Everything that happened was bound to happen whether or not of you had sent me in there or kept me in the gardens." You told him and the boy was about to argue, but shut his mouth. He knew you were right.
"Well, I did bring this." Newt said, tossing you a baggy army green shirt. It was probably his considering it was too big for you. "Thought you might want a change of clothes. I couldn't find your chest so I hope you don't mind using one of mine." Newt said and you grabbed it thankfully. Newt closed his eyes as you changed shirts. Once you were done he opened them again. The shirt may have been big but it was comfortable.
The two of you sat in silence for a little while, just enjoying the scenery. The breeze picked up slightly and you felt at peace. You listened to the boys working, but a certain sound destroyed the peace.
"ALBY LET ME OUT! PLEASE!" You knew it was Ben. You heard him scream and cry out for freedom. It made you realise that there was one more question, and now, you had someone that could answer.
"What's gonna happen?" You asked, but Newt just looked at you with a concerned expression.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Ben, what's going to happen to him?" Newt looked outwards, not making eye contact with you. He looked upset which worried you. "Newt, what's gonna happen to Ben?" You asked again and he paused.
"Banishment."

Newt tried to talk you out if it, but you needed to be there. It would give you closure or something. Deep down you thought that this was your fault. It was weird because you didn't do anything wrong.
It was hard to think that just twenty four hours ago, Ben was cheering you on as a friend. You knew that something happened to the boy, that he wasn't himself. You didn't know him well, or at all for that matter, but you knew that this was not the same boy who sat with Minho at the Bonfire yesterday.
Chuck was right beside you. He looked as upset as you were. The pour kid had probably never seen a Banishment before, like you. Before you could say anything to the young boy, you heard them coming.
Minho pulled Ben, who had his hands tied behind his back. Ben pleaded for Minho to let him go, that he didn't do anything wrong, but the headstrong boy never looked away from the waiting Gladers. Minho got Ben on his knees and cut him lose in the middle of the circle of Gladers. Hitting the floor hard, Ben coughed up a horrible brownish liquid as he rose up from his hands and knees.
"Please don't do this! You don't understand!" Ben pleaded, then he looked at you. His eyes were unnatural, almost evil or possessed. He gave you a glare that sent a shiver down your spine. If a glare could kill a person, that glare would do the trick.
You knew that wasn't Ben looking back at you but someone, something, else. "Your going to kill us all! THATS WHY YOUR HERE!" Ben yelled at you and it was then that you wanted Newt's hand to hold. You did however, feel Chuck's scared hand grab yours. You squeezed it tight. You weren't sure if Chuck had grabbed your hand to reassure you or himself.
Ben was screaming bloody murder, trying to convince all the Gladers to stop this.
"You broke the rules Ben, and now, you belong to the Maze." Alby said and then a huge gust of wind came from the Maze. You walked forward, standing next to Minho and Gally. Chuck couldn't watch the rest.
You were never told what a Banishment looked like or what it was, but with the poles and the closing Maze, you got it pretty quickly. The one thing about this that you didn't understand was, what made the Maze so dangerous at night?
"Alby, please!" You could tell Alby didn't want to do this. In fact, you could tell that no one wanted to do this.
"Poles!" Alby announced and all the Gladers lowered their poles. Ben looked deranged and yelled like a caged animal. He clawed and attempted to push the poles back, but it didn't help. He cried and screamed some more and it took everything in you not to cover your ears. This was your fault, you told yourself, you suffer the consequences.
As you watched the squirming boy, you notice him grab something from beneath his shirt. It was medal and sharp. It was a cylinder shape and it was about the size of the boys hand. None of the other Gladers knew what it was, but you recognised it. It was the syringe that he had in the Deadheads. But you thought he had dropped it when he leapt at you. Clearly that wasn't the case.
Alby looked at the metallic syringe in the boys hand and it took him a moment to figure it out. Then, suddenly, his eyes went wide. He knew what it was.
"Everyone get back! It's a stinger!" Alby yelled and all the boys without poles stepped away quickly, except you. Minho and Newt exchanged a worried glance. Gally looked at you.
"(Y/n), step back!" He said but you weren't paying attention.
What was a stinger?
"(Y/N) LOOK OUT!" Newt screamed but it was too late. The moment you shook from your daze, Ben was already in front of you. The sick boy drove the needle into your arm and you quickly collapsed on the floor, shaking uncontrollably and screaming in pain.
What did he do to you?
It was hard to ignore the pain as it was the worst you could ever remember. You were stabbed in the arm and yet, the pain radiated throughout your entire body. You squirmed and twitched and screamed uncontrollably, it was as if you had no control over your seizing body.
The pain was so intense that you could feel yourself beginning to lose consciousness, just like when you were being drowned, except ten times worse.
Last thing you remember was Newts's worried face, looking down at you as you laid twitching and squirming in his arms. Gally and Minho right beside him. Then, you let the darkness take over.