Saving Newt

Chapter 46

Hey,
Thanks for reading!
Despite the fact that I have two other stories and I am about to return to school on Monday, I promise to update at least once a week. But the work load will be quite a lot, along with revision, so I won't be able to update more than that.
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Enjoy,
Annabelle_the_reader
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Brianna couldn't sleep properly, the memories of the changing to vivid and now her vision was blinded by thick tears. She raced from the hammocks, not stopping even when she nearly disturbed sleeping Gladers. She just carried on running right into the woods.

Wrapping her arms tighter around her, trying to block the cold air engulfing her petite and fragile body, Brianna considered walking back to collect one of Newt's jumpers. But the risk wasn't worth the prize.

Eventually she reached the tree, her secret place of sanctuary. The trees gently swayed in the breeze that chilled her throat and attacked her body.

Suddenly, without warning, Brianna heard the footsteps, only louder this time. They began to quicken their pace and she panicked, particularly when they increased in volume. Maybe it was the Gladers wanting to talk to her? She would rather encounter a Greiver.

Brianna reach up towards the first branch, her hands not protected from the harsh breeze that swept her off her feet. Then carefully, almost painfully slowly, Brianna hoisted her leg onto the lowest branches. Holding her hands out either side like professional balancing acts, Brianna steadied herself on the following branch.

She was barely half a metre from the ground, but it was half a metre closer to where she was supposed to be and half a metre further from the pain of the truth.

Following another snapped twig on the floor, her eyes darted downwards and gasped. There was Newt, his eyes blinking up at her in confusion, but he was at least six metres below her. Brianna felt like she was playing with her dolls again. Not that she could remember who with or who bought them for her.

'Are you alright, Brianna?' Newt stammered, but she could barely hear him over her pounding heart, so loud she was convinced Newt could hear it drumming in his ears too. She remembered the last time she was so high and she fell so far to the point of not being able to walk again. She mentally slapped herself for doing that again.

'Yes,' She snapped, then attempted to say confidently, but it came out broken and confused, 'What are you doing here?'

'I heard you leave and came to see what you were doing. Do you want to come down now, Bri?' He suggested, but Brianna just rolled her eyes and concentrated on keeping her weight balanced on this unruly tree. She hadn't expected this tree to be such a nuisance to climb.

'I think you should leave now.' Her eyes darted away from the ground and back up the tree. There were many branches, but they were thinning out and she wasn't sure whether they could hold her weight. Part of her didn't want to find out.

Instead of leaving as she had requested, Newt, suddenly becoming both obnoxious and defiant, held out his hands beneath the branches. 'What are you doing?' Brianna demanded.

'Catching your shuck face you when you fall.' Her heart sank at his words, it had seemed like such a good idea to climb a tree at the time, but now she felt stupid and humiliated. What would be the logic in climbing a tree with such a large probability of falling from such a height.

'I won't fall.' Brianna objected defiantly, although she highly doubted that scenario, especially as she wasn't moving any time soon.

'You bloody well will if you climb like that.' Newt sniggered, shooting her a knowing smile and revealing his dimples. Her heart rate quickened, melting at the sight of the simple but beautiful thing. Newt was annoyingly impertinent and frustrated, but even more annoying was that he was so good looking and smart.

Brianna disregarded this and frowned, staring up the tree. 'There isn't a right and wrong way to climb a tree.' She objected.

'Yes there is, and you are doing it all wrong, especially wearing those bloody clothes.' Brianna looked down and noticed the jeggings, realising they weren't the most flexible of clothing.

'I'm going to keep going?' It was supposed to sound confident, but it came out like more of a question than she had intended.

'You know, the further you climb, the further you have to climb back down.' Newt sang spitefully and Brianna cursed under her breath, her hands shaking from the fear of falling. If she fell then she would die, even if she fell into his arms. 'Besides, there is only one way down, Brianna.'

Brianna swallowed, he was right. If she carried on climbing, it wouldn't aid her situation at all. In fact, it would make it considerably worse. Anger makes one do ridiculously, illogical annoying things at times that one can never undo.

'What do you suggest?' She inquired impatiently, awaiting his answer with trepidation. There was only two answers he could give: climb down or obtain serious injury after falling. Neither of those appealed to her.

Newt smirked, showing his dimples once more that made her heart flutter and pound, 'I suggest that you climb down slowly, the same way you climbed up.' He stated matter of factly, as if it was just as simple. Brianna bit her lip, her eyes watering, but she suppressed the tears with anger.

'I can't.' She squeaked, looking down to the ground and closing her eyes tightly. By now she had climbed three times above her comfort zone. Climbing upwards seemed like the only escape, she gripped a branch and swung her leg over in a rather undignified scramble to stay in one piece.

'What are you bloody doing?' Newt demanded impatiently. 'You can't get out if you keep going, you will only have to go down further.' He teased annoyingly. Brianna groaned, frustrated by him and by his accuracy.

'I don't think I can.' Brianna said a little louder this time, her hands shaking whenever she turned to see him. She swallowed deeply, but suppressed the urge to jump in order for the climb down to lessen so.

Have you ever had the urge to jump when you are so far from the ground you know you will die? Have you ever just wanted to feel the wind whip in your hair, before you feel the ground hit you menacingly? Brianna didn't have it.

'Yes, you can.' Newt urged defiantly, looking up with calm and fidelity. It was as if he actually thought that she could. But Brianna knew she couldn't. Her biggest fear was heights, but it was a little embarrassing because she had already fallen such a distance and then decided to climb a tree she knew didn't have a step ladder to come down.

'Newt, I can't.' Brianna snapped and the water works begun. She hated herself for needing to cry so, but it almost didn't matter.

'Would you like me to get you a ladder?' Newt inquired cautiously, but her heart rate quickened. She didn't want the Gladers to know what had happened and laugh at her for being like a silly little girl.

'No!' Brianna called, then shut her mouth hoping the Gladers wouldn't hear.

Brianna's arms gripped the tree tightly, the wet stench rippling into her skin and the dewy moss sticking to her arms in a sickening manner. Her legs wrapped around the tree even tighter. Her eyes were closed so tightly they were beginning to sting quite badly, but that didn't force her to open them.

Suddenly she heard the noise of sticks snapping below her. Brianna sighed, so that was it then. Newt didn't really care, he was leaving because there was nothing he could do. To be honest, Brianna didn't blame him. She was being quite pathetic just gripping onto a tree for dear life. She groaned, unsure of what to do.