The Forest Trials | Newt

024

Nighttime had struck. The group had finally fallen asleep after having their questions had been after and after the eventful day it was well deserved.

Jennifer lay awake, contemplating all her effort to get the group to this point. Knowing where the Safe Haven was and her straightening the path was worth it. What if they decided they simply didn't trust her and that would be that?

It would make sense, they had been consistently lied to by her and WICKED one after another, for her to then tell them an almost unbelievable story and expect them to trust her.

She wouldn't if trusted herself, it would be smart if they didn't too. Anything could happen, she could say anything and they'd believe it. She glanced over the peaceful sleeping group, laying her eyes on one.

"Newt," she whispered without thinking,

"Huh?" He replied not asleep, only turned away,

"I was just seeing if you were awake," She replied before leaning her head against the wall and shutting her eyes. It had been a long time since she talked to him. She almost missed his voice,

"Are you all right?" She almost missed his consistent questions about her well-being too. Almost.

"Yes, are you?" She asked back, this was the first time she had ever asked that question back.

"No, I cant sleep,"

"Can you ever?"

"Nope," he said as he rose onto his elbows looking over at her in the pale moonlight, her eyes still shut and her head against the wall. "So you are like a Griever?" He asked abruptly,

"A what?" She repeated rising from the wall to see him.

"A Griever, the things in the-"

"No, I'm not," she said harshly to him "When I designed them I made a distinct difference, I made sure they had no-"

"You... designed?"

"Helped," Newt went very quiet, the same thing that killed so many of his friends... was designed by Jennifer. "I didn't have an choice, by that point I had no will or thoughts,"

Newt didn't hate her, couldn't hate her. Simply because he had never hated her. Why would he hate her, if she had no control there was no reason. He was completely forgiving when it came to her.

"How did you get... will and thoughts?"

"WICKED put a lot of effort in the creation of me, yet with the constant dedication they developed me further than intended. Giving me a knowledge of the outside world and before they could reverse what they did, I pulled the tracker from my body and escaped,"

"...impressive,"

"Impressive?" She scoffed, "Thats not the reaction I thought I'd be getting,"

"It is though, breaking free from WICKED, running from them for so long," he explained, there was quietness again until Jennifer spoke.

"You know we've met before,"

"What?"

"Me and you, we met. But then they whipped your memory," Newt went quiet once more "When we first met, you remember what I said right?"

"Yeah uh... Make a move and your little friend, Newt gets it,"

"Yes, how do you think I knew your name?"

"... I never thought about it,"

"Yeah, you were my favourite even back then,"

"Why?"

"I don't know,  I might've had a crush on you or something,"

"You had a crush on me?"

"Maybe," she shrugged avoiding his gaze, "When we first met you said you liked me,"

"What?"

"Well, you didn't. But Minho and Alby used to tell me all the time,"

"... and you liked me back?" It suddenly felt weird, something suddenly felt different. It no longer felt like they were talking in the past...

"Uh- I don't," she cleared her throat, unsure of how to feel about this sudden mood change "I didn't do feelings,"

"Why?"

"Because they involve feelings... I don't have any, remember?"

"I think you do secretly,"

"No, I cant have feelings. They weren't apart of the program,"

"Right..."

"Go to sleep,"

"You must've-"

"Newt," She said harshly turning to him for the first time "Go to sleep," and with that, the moon fell behind the stone walls of the building and eyes were shut.

She woke up to a very loud commotion...