The healer [The maze runner Newt x OC]

Chapter five

''Can we please sit down for a moment? I know we're running, but not all of us have Runner experience.'' Grace panted as she threw her shirt of her body, leaving her in her sports bra, wiping the sweat from her head as she turned to look at Winstons condition. 

Minho seemed to think about it before nodding, letting himself fall on the sand as well. Suddenly, Newt turned to Thomas and Aris, seeing the looks on their faces. "What's going on?" Newt asked, looking back and forth between Thomas and Aris. "Why're you guys looking at each other like you just fell in love?"

"He can do it, too," Thomas answered, not taking his eyes off the new kid.

"Do what?" Frypan asked.

"What do you think?" Minho said. "He's a freak like Thomas and Teresa. They can talk in each other's heads."

Newt was glaring at Thomas now. "Serious?"

''They can what?'' Grace looked up from her work with a surprised look, but Thomas began to speak to Aris, ignoring the questions asked. 

"Who killed her? What happened?"

"Who killed who?" Minho said. "No more of your voodoo klunk while we're around." Thomas, eyes watering now, finally broke his gaze with Aris and looked over at Minho. "He had
someone he could do this with, just like Teresa and I. But he said they killed her. I want to know who they are."

Aris's head had dropped; his eyes looked closed from where Grace sat besides Winston. "I don't really know who they are. It's too confusing. I couldn't tell the bad guys from the good guys. But I think somehow they made this girl Beth ... stab ... my friend. Her name was Rachel. She's dead, man. She's dead." He covered his face with both hands.

Grace turned to the others, her head racing. Everything pointed to Aris's having come from
another version of the Maze, set up in the same format except with the ratio of girls to boys being switched. But that would make Aris their version of Teresa. And this Beth sounded like their version of Gally, who'd killed Chuck, instead of Thomas. 

"Well, how'd you end up in the facility?" Newt asked. "Where are all these girls you keep talking about? How many of them escaped with you? Did they bring all of you there or just you?"

Aris looked up finally, wiped a couple of tears from his cheeks. He did it without the slightest hint of shame. "Look," the boy said. "I'm just as confused as everyone else. About thirty of us survived, they took us to that gym, fed us, cleaned us up. Then they brought me to a room separate from them, saying I should be separate since I'm a guy. I've never seen them after that." He looked at the group. ''Then you Sticks showed up.''

"Sticks?" Minho repeated.

Aris shook his head. "Never mind. I don't even know what it means. Just a word they used when I got there."

''Oh, like our Shank.'' Aris turned to Grace as he shrugged. ''I guess?''

Minho exchanged a glance with Thomas, half smiling. Looked like both groups had come up with their' own vocabulary. "Hey," Thomas called out. He was sitting behind Aris, pointing at him. "What's that on the side of your neck? Something black, right below your collar."

Aris tried to look down, but couldn't bend his neck to see that part of his body. "What?"
Thomas saw a dark splotch just above the back neckline of the boy's shirt as he shifted around. It appeared to be a thick line, stretching from the hollow of his collarbone around to his back. And it was broken up, like it might be lettering.

"Here, let me look," Newt offered. He stood from his spot and walked over, his limp showing more than usual. He reached out and pulled Aris's shirt down more so he could see the odd marking better. "It's a tattoo," Newt said, squinting as if he didn't believe his eyes.

"What's it say?" Minho asked, though he'd already gotten up from the bed and approached to get his own look.

When Newt didn't answer right away, curiosity forced Thomas to his feet, and soon he was right
beside Minho, leaning over to see the tattoo himself. 

"What does it say?" Aris asked, reaching around to feel the skin of his neck and shoulders, pulling his shirt collar down. "I swear it wasn't there last night!"

Newt repeated the words to him, then said, "Property of WICKED? I thought we'd escaped them. Or you'd escaped them, too. Whatever." He turned around, visibly frustrated, and went to sit next to Grace when she pulled on his shirt. 

"And why would it call you the Partner?" Minho said, still staring at the tattoo.

Aris shook his head. "I don't have a clue. I swear. And there's no way that was there before last night. I showered, looked in the mirror. I would've seen it. And someone would've noticed it back in the Maze for sure."

"You're telling me they tattooed you in the middle of the night?" Minho said. "Without you noticing? Come on, dude."

"I swear!" Aris insisted. 

''I believe him.'' All heads turned to Grace, who stared at Newt's neck. ''Why?''

''Cause Newt has one too.'' His eyes grew wide as his hand moved up to his neck. "What does it say?" Newt asked. She leaned in closer, her eyes growing as she tapped on his shoulder. ''Subject A5, the Glue.''

"The Glue?"

"Yeah. Probably because you're kind of the glue that holds us all together. I don't know. Read mine."

''A14, the Healer.''

"Whoa!" Thomas said. For a second, he was too stunned to move.

"What?" Minho asked, looking at Thomas as if he'd just sprouted a third ear on his forehead.

"Your—your neck," Thomas finally got out. "You have it on your neck, too!"

"What the shuck you talkin' about?" Minho said, pulling at his shirt, face scrunched up as he struggled to see something he couldn't. Thomas ran over to Minho, slapped his hands away, then pulled the neckline of the shirt back. "Holy ... It's right there! Same thing, except ..."

"What, dude!" Minho yelled at him. ''Property of Wicked, Subject A7: The leader.''  And then the frenzy began. Everyone started talking over everyone else.

"They all say Group A."

"Property of WICKED, just like his."

"You're Subject A six."

Grace had walked over to Teresa, pulling her her aside. ''What the shuck?'' 

''What?''

''You're Subject A One: The betrayer.'' She turned to the others as she let go of Teresa's hair. ''What is that supposed to mean?'' Frypan questioned as Thomas was checking his tattoo. ''A twelve.''

''I don't know ... '' Teresa looked at the different as Grace was still thinking. ''Maybe cause you kind off betrayed WICKED? You worked for them and now you're running away with us.'' 

''Yeah ... that must be it.'' 

Thomas turned to Newt, pulling his own shirt down. ''Read mine.''

"I already did—" Grace noticed that an odd expression had come over Newt's face. One of hesitation. Or dread. Like he didn't want to tell Thomas what his tattoo said. "Well?"

"You're Subject A-two," Newt answered. Then he lowered his eyes.

"And?" Thomas pushed.

Newt hesitated, then answered without looking at him. "It doesn't call you anything. It just says ... 'To be killed by Group B.' "

For those who are already wondering, you may not recognize this as it was only in the books, but I really loved the tattoo's instead of just the tracker in their neck, and so I added it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, please leave a vote, comment and add this book to your reading list to stay updated! See you on Saturday!

-X Violet's-library