Finding Hope - Newt x Reader | Book 1

Chapter 14

My eyes open as I find myself laying my head down on a table. Picking my head up, my eyes adjust to the light and I look at my surroundings. I was in the Glade, sitting down at the table Newt, Minho and I usually ate at. How is this possible? Didn't we just escape? Or was that all just a dream?

Fry walks over and stops beside me with his arms crossed, "Well look who's finally awake." The whole sight of the boy and his actions feeling all too familiar.

I open my mouth to speak--wanting to try to ask what's going on--but different words come out of my mouth, words that I did not want to say. It feels as though I'm watching myself do things without wanting to do them, but I'm watching it happen through me. "Sorry Fry, how long have I been here," I ask the boy.

"Around two hours now, Clementine," he answers as he takes a seat in front of me. "You came in and sat there for a bit like you were thinking about something before you laid your head down. What's wrong? Are you okay?"

I sigh as I look down at my hands, my left wrist was all bandaged up and sat in a cast. Everything hits me right then. This is a memory. I'm dreaming of a memory right now. This happened so long ago--I've only been here for about 6 months at this point. "Yeah, Newt and I got into an argument."

"Really," the boy asks in disbelief, "you two are always together and never get into fights. What happened?"

I lift up my left hand, showing the boy my wrist, "Minho and I went out on a run today, as usual. We were exploring Section 7--ya know, the one with the big Blades I told you about." He nods as I continue. "Well as we were running out, some of the Blades start spinning like crazy. One of them knocked me to the ground and my body ended up landing on my wrist, jacking it all up. When we got back, we went straight to the Med-jacks. Jeff told me that I fractured some of the bones-or broke them--something like that, some medical diagnosis or whatever. But it was really bad. Newt, of course, was freaking out and taking it out on Minho."

I look up at the boy, his eyes locked onto me as if he were intrigued by the story. I sigh before continuing, "I tried getting Newt to calm down and told him it wasn't Minho's fault. You know, being a Runner comes with consequences and each Runner sucks up to it, knowing that the Maze is full of mysteries. I mean, how would we have known that the Blades would've started going crazy. But Newt blamed Minho for me getting hurt and asked him why he took me out there in the first place. After a bit of arguing, he just stormed off."

There's a brief silence between us as he looks down at the table. Eventually, he takes a deep breath and turns his gaze to me, "Look, Clementine. Before you got here, he wasn't in a good place for awhile. It wasn't always like that but after a long time here, he started going downhill. He was always moody, but when you got here, all of that changed. You got him back to his usual self, and he got happier." I look at him, raising my eyebrows. "Look, my point is: Newt really cares about you, and that's never going to change. He got upset because he was scared; scared for you. Things will go back to normal soon, I promise.  Whether it's because you go to him or he goes to you and you guys talk things out, everything won't stay like this. He can't stay away from you, I know that for a fact."

I smile at the boy, "Thanks Fry. Honestly, an amazing chef and a good pep-talker? You got the all in one dude!" The both of us laugh before he looks over at my back and points at it.

"What is that," he asks me, gesturing to the camera inside my backpack. The camera. I still have it too, it's at the bottom of my backpack. I made sure I always had it with me so I wouldn't lose those memories.

"Oh, it's a little video recorder. It came up in the Box one day and Alby let me keep it. I've just been taking random videos of everyone when we're having fun or something, just so I can capture all the good memories of the Glade," I explain.

"Cooool, you have any of me," he asks as I take the camera out of my bag.

"Yeah actually, I think I have one of you getting mad at Minho for sneaking a bunch of cookies to Newt and I," I recall, as I pull up the video. I hold the camera out across the table so the two of us can watch it. Fry was scolding Minho as he just sat there in the seat continuing to stuff cookies in his mouth, you can hear Newt and I laughing in the background. Eventually, the camera moves and points at Newt--the boy looking at it before turning his gaze above the camera at me, a big smile on his face. The video ends with Fry snatching a few cookies back and walking away.

The two of us laugh as we watch the video, making me feel a warm sense of happiness throughout my body. I look up at the boy, his expression softening. "Here, I'll be right back. You stay right where you are," the boy says as he gets up and heads to the kitchen. I remember this so well. He's gonna give me cookies to take to Newt.

The boy comes back, a small container full of Newt's favorite cookies in his hands. "Here, take this to him and talk to him. If the two of you never talk to each other again, this Glade will never be the same. So for my sake, go cheer that boy up again," he tells me with a smile as he places the container in my arms. "But don't tell him I gave this to you, tell him you snuck into the kitchen or something."

"Thank you, Fry," I smile before giving him a side hug and walking off.

I spot Newt at the top of the lookout tower, his arms resting on the railing as he leans against it, looking out across the Glade. He doesn't seem to notice me as I walk up the steps, making my way to him. "Hey," I say softly, as he turns to look back at me, a pondering expression on his face. It was a windy day today, and the breeze blew through the air as it brought his hair along with it. I brush the straggling strands of hair out of my face as I stand there.

His gaze returns to the Glade after he glances at me. "Hey, Clem." I walk over to the boy and stand next to him, placing the container on top of the railing as my arms wrap around it. Newt eyes the container, "What's that?"

I smile as I open it, revealing the cookies to him, "Just a little gift."

The boy's eyes widen as if he were a kid that got a look at these. He looks up at me, as if asking if they were for him. I nod at the boy, a smile forming on his face as he takes one of the cookies and looks back at the Glade. "I'm sorry," he admits, "I was just scared. I really don't want to lose you."

"I know," I say softly, "I know, Newt. But hey, you're not gonna lose me any time soon, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

He looks at me and smiles, "Promise?"

"I promise," I tell the boy. He holds out his pinky finger and I roll my eyes. He still does stuff like this to this day. Just a few weeks before Thomas got here, he made me pinky-promise that I would share my brownies with him whenever I'd convince Fry to make me a batch.

"A pinky-promise, really," I laugh.

"Heyy, a pinky-promise locks the whole promise. Then you can't break it," he defends himself, a childish smile on his face.

"Whatever," I smile, interlocking my right pinky with his, the two of us kissing our thumbs as a way of locking it.

"There's no going back from a pinky-promise, Clem," the boy tells me, his eyebrows raising as he continues to defend his statement.

"Eat your cookie, Newt," I smile, looking back at the Glade, "you're such a dork."

"A dork that you tolerate," he smiles as he turns his gaze to the Glade as well.

The dream fades away, returning to darkness. Not another dream comes to my mind as I sleep for the rest of the ride.