Saving Newt

Chapter 12

Sorry about the long wait, but I've been really excited to write this chapter!
Hope you enjoy,
Annabelle_the_reader
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Then Minho stood up, placing his rucksack back on his back and fastening it in place. As Brianna copied, she asked, 'You said that Grievers always come out at night, but not as many in the day.' Minho nodded to confirm this. 'So where do they go when they're not in the maze or the Glade?'

Minho ignored the question at first, immediately reminding her that Grievers never vits the Glade, thank God. Eventually, when she stood up to confront him again, he mumbled in an almost embarrassed stage, 'I dunno.'

'You never wondered?' Brianna exclaimed startled. She had always been a very curious person and now that she was determined to leave the Glade, that curiosity intensified. She was quiet for a second, then wondered, 'Did you ever follow them?'

'Wow, Shuck face, you really do have a death wish don't you? Come on, we gotta go.' Minho had already turned at started running before finishing the sentence, so Brianna just leapt up, nodded and jogged gently beside him, enjoying the breeze in her hair once again. Something about the Grievers just didn't make sense to Brianna. Frustrated, she pushed this aside and sprinted to catch up with Minho.

They ran for another two hours, stopping occasionally for breaks that seemed to get shorter each time. Suddenly, breathless, Brianna managed to gasp. Minho spun around immediately, as much as he both hated and cared for Brianna, he was surprised to see the courageous girl staring at the ivy. As if in a daze, she pulled back the ivy and gasped.

WORLD IN CATASTROPHE:
KILLZONE EXPERIMENT DEPARTMENT

'What's that?'

Minho sighed, running his hand through his damp, shaggy hair, plastered to his forehead with sweat. 'That-' he pointed at it in frustration. '-Is something we see everywhere around the maze, like a prize or a plaque of their pride. Don't bother your pretty little head with that anymore, Shank, just gotta get used to 'em.'

Brianna nodded but didn't let it pass easily. As they continued to run, she contemplated the plaque with confusion. What did it mean? Was it the creators? It sent a small chill down her spine. The world was in danger. She was now part of a experimental operation with a high concentration of fatalities. Brianna wasn't sure what made her feel more ill; the fact that she was a toy to the creators, the fact that this was a place in which she would most likely die or the fact that the people she once loved were in danger.

Then her breaths became ragged and her muscles like they could disintegrate, as they turned around to reluctantly return to the maze, Minho reminding her that they couldn't take any chances. WORLD IN CATASTROPHE: KILLZONE EXPERIMENT DEPARTMENT. WICKED. There had to be a connection.

She didn't tell Minho for three reasons:
1. He probably already noticed the connection.
2. If he hadn't, he would shrug it off with a dismal expression.
3. She frankly couldn't be bothered.

The rest of the day was a blue of exhaustion. Running until they reached the end of the maze, then creating a map of the maze in the map room. The walls closed. Dinner was served. It was a day like no other to the Gladers, but the most exciting day of Brianna's life, or what she remembered to be her life.

'Can I show you something?' Brianna jumped and spun around, looking up to see Newt looming behind her, his shaggy hair in all directions and his posture upright.

'Sure.' She replied, a mixture of excitement and curiousity.

'C'mon.' He encourages and leads her across the Glade, leaving behind every Glader there was talking and laughing loudly.

They continued their journey in silence, yet perfect silence. Newt occasionally turned to watch Brianna, her curly blonde hair bouncing as she walked, her blue eyes determined and fixated on the path ahead, she was beautiful to him.

'Here we are!' He cheered and pointed at a tree. Brianna frowned, but followed him up the branches until they reached the top. It was an apple tree, with a strong, large trunk and equally impressive branches. But what struck Brianna the most was how tall it was, it stretched up until she could see the entire Glade from where she sat.

'Wow.' She breathed.

'I come here to think, sometimes. Nobody else knows about it but you, I suppose this tree is like me being the first to know your name.' He smiled and shrugged. Brianna looked away awkwardly, but secretly delighted that he shared his secret place with her.

Newt slide downwards slightly, plopping himself onto one of the branches. Brianna sat beside him, resting her back against the trunk of the tree.

'So, honestly, what do you think of being a runner?' He asked as Brianna ran the leaves of the tree through the palms of her hand, feeling the pattern underneath her fingers. Brianna sighed, thinking slightly. She couldn't be brutally honest with someone she'd only known for two days, but Newt seemed like the perfect friend to her, like she could trust him with her deepest darkest secrets and even her life.

'I just love spending so much time with someone as cute as Minho!' She sang, teasing him and he glowered at her, his eyebrows knitting together.

'I'm kidding, it's really fun and Minho is a nice guy.' Brianna redeemed herself and Newt smiled, satisfied

'Had any second thoughts yet?'

Of course not!' She cheered a little too enthusiastically for her feelings. 'I've loved every second of it, well, loving as much as one can when following Minho round a maze with no end chased by half-machine-half-monster creatures.' She said sarcastically, but it was an obvious lie to her, even when Newt brought it with a chuckle. In reality, her reflection of the day was that being a runner had lost all noble courage that it had at the beginning. It had vanished into a pit of dismal, despairing fog. It almost seemed pointless.

But Newt made her feel better as he weaved an arm around her waist, bringing her into an encouraging hug. So nobody could hear, even though nobody was there, Newt whispered in her ear, 'It'll get better, first day's the worst.'

Brianna wished she could believe him.