Before Her

Newt 12

Newt
'Shuck-face Minho,' I mutter under my breath, as I walk along the halls of the homestead with Minho and Jane.
Minho had somehow managed to persuade me into this. I don't know how, but I always end up doing this and it's too late to back out. Minho and I had originally started because I felt sorry for him when he first came and he was so desperate to just forget everything for at least one night. Yep, that's right. I got him drunk. After that, one bottle shared between us both. We'd both had a massive hangover and hadn't been able to do our jobs that day. After a while, we did it again. For fun this time, sort of thrilling, heart racing thrilling.

Alcohol was strictly used only by the med-jacks to clean wounds. No one had ever drunk alcohol, at least not in the glade but we all knew that it was drinkable. We'd sneak into the rooms when everyone was out eating or sleeping, grabbing only one bottle. The alcohol was kept in large locked cabinets at the back, which means we'd have to steal the key too.

We went by Andrew's room and I snuck in while Minho and Jane was on look out, since I knew where he hid the key. We somehow managed to not act suspicious and get into the infirmary rooms. At the back of the main room was a large cupboard with medicines and alcohol. Minho stayed watch since I wasn't going to let him get the alcohol after what happened last time.

Jane walked in after me.
'You know you guys still haven't told me what we're doing in here.'
'Well, since your a med-jack now, you should know what alcohol is used for.'
'Umm, I think it was for cleaning and some other stuff,' she mumbles, almost embarrassingly. I can't help it, small patches of pale pink had formed on each side of her cheeks, I let out a chuckle.
'That's right, we call that rubbing alcohol, but alcohol can also be used for something else. People drink it and get drunk. Drunk people do crazy stuff, they say stuff they wouldn't normally say, they do stuff they wouldn't normally do. They're complete opposites to who they usually are when they're sober. They send one bottle up with the supplies each week. Back when we didn't know what it was used for. We drank it. Chaos broke. It was bloody brilliant and awful at the same time. That's why we don't drink. Only a handful of people know what it does when drank.'
'So, why are we getting them then?' she asks curiously.
'Oh umm, we're going to drink it.'
I watched as her eyes widened in surprise and shock. I bit back a smile and unlocked the cupboard, pulling out one bottle, and rearranging the bottles until they were all upfront and didn't look like anything had been taken.
'Didn't you say it was forbidden?' her voice calm, but I could tell she was trying not to crack.
'Oh, yes. But don't worry, Minho and I have done it at least ten times before and we haven't been caught. The trick is to look casual. Pass me the water bottle.'
Runners had really nice, metal water bottles about the size of the alcohol bottle. We used that bottle to pour the liquid into the water bottle, everyone would think we just happened to only have one water bottle and were really thirsty, so we would end up drinking from the same bottle.

I steadily poured the liquid into the bottle with a skilled hand while Jane watched. It was harder with her watching. She was distracting. Her eyebrows were knitted together, trying to decide whether or not to stop me. I poured the last drop into the bottle and screwed the lid on. I took the now empty bottle and thew it away, with all the other empty bottles. We put the bottles in the box once they're full and put them in the box, then the creators take them, recycling them.

I grab the bottle and let my hand travel to the small of her back, guiding her out of the room. I suddenly stop when I hear Minho, talking in an unusually high pitched voice. He was talking to someone. Someone likely to come in. I grab Jane's hand, soft, warm and delicate and speed walk, pulling her with me, into the broom closet. The broom closet, I hated this place so small, barely big enough to fit us both. It reminded me of the box.

My body pressed against hers gently, I was standing face to face with her. Her eyes were wide and her face had gone pale. I place a finger to my lips, motioning for her not to talk. I realise that I was still holding her hand and quickly release my grip. I heard shuffling feet and Minho's loud voice, trying to distract whoever it was. They kept talking. I look at her, in the dark, her eyes glowed, bringing out the golden sparks in her eyes. Her honey coloured hair looked almost brown due to the lack of light and her cheeks were rosier than usual, but I wasn't sure if it was a trick from the dim light.

'Hey guys?' A familiar voice half shouted, half whispered, it was loud enough for both Jane and I to jump at the sudden sound that had broken the silence and intensity in this small broom closet. I push open the door and tumble out of the small room. I blinked at the bright light, that filled the room, shielding my eyes until they adjusted. I turned to see her walk calmly out, closing the door gently behind her. Everything about her was perfectly composed, the only thing out of place was the faint pink flush across her cheeks.

Minho didn't seem to notice anything and grinned cheekily.
'That was so close,' he said, dimples forming. He noticed the bottle in my hand and immediately snatched it, taking a long swig from the bottle before handing it to me. I took a sip, letting the liquid burn down my throat. I hand the bottle to Jane. She eyes it suspiciously and looks at me with a quizzical look on her face, as if asking 'is it safe?'.
I nodded and watch her hesitantly lift the bottle to her lips. The look on her face was directed towards me, disgust, regret and something else that I couldn't put a finger on, all mixed into one. She shivers as she swallows it and Minho laughs teasingly.
'I don't know how you guys can drink this stuff, it tastes terrible!' she exclaims, then coughs as we start to walk out into the glade. At this both Minho and I burst out laughing. Her face was flushed from the alcohol.
'You get used to it after a while,' I reply, reaching for the bottle in her hand and taking a sip before handing it to Minho. Minho drinks, and offers the bottle to Jane, she wrinkles her nose and shakes her head.

All night, we crack jokes and drink. I watch as the fire, that was built in the middle of the glade, grew brighter, sending flames up, gasping for air. I watched the colours turn red, orange, yellow. I watched the effect of its light all around me, on the people surrounding the fire, but mostly, on Jane. I couldn't keep my eyes of her after what had happened in the closet. She seemed to glow in the firelight. She seemed so beautiful, not knowing just how brilliant she actually was. Her laugh would fill the whole glade and her eyes would sparkle with amusement when she heard one of Minho's ridiculous jokes. Her smile would grow so wide, she was one of those people who smiled with her whole face. She was so smart, but careful and caring too. She'd get a small crease on her forehead and furrow her eyebrows whenever her was concerned. This happened when we'd nearly finished the whole bottle.

My head was dizzy and everything was fuzzy, but other than that I was still thinking pretty clearly. My mind seemed to be fine, though my body didn't seem to agree. Minho was worse, he was laughing at random things and blurting out random stuff. Jane's look of concern was written all over her face.
'We should get him into a sleeping bag before he does something crazy,' I say to Jane, my words slurring together.
'Okay, here I'll help you up,' she replied. She grabs my arm and pulls me up, immediately my body groans and my head screams. I shut my eyes and press my hand against the side of my head. I flop back on the ground. For some reason, she finds this funny and bursts into giggles.
'Okay, I'll get him in a sleeping bag and then come back for you. Stay here okay?' Her question seemed ridiculous since my body wasn't exactly functioning properly. I nodded and watched her walk off, dragging Minho with her.

After a while, I wake to someone shaking my shoulder gently. I open my eyes to see her in front of me, smiling at me.
'Sorry, but I'm not strong enough to carry you up the stairs of the homestead. I need you awake.' I laughed at this statement and took her outstretched hand, letting her pull me up. I leaned heavily on her with an arm flung over her shoulder. This time, it wasn't for show, not really anyway. Everyone was asleep and I was trying to stand up straight. She somehow managed to help me into the homestead and up the stairs, all the way into my room.

She pulled me over to the bed and I flopped onto it, my body thanking me as my head sunk into the pillow. It had been so long since I slept in this bed. I'm in paradise. I feel happy for some reason, I can't stop smiling. I feel my eyes, fluttering shut, sleep pulling me into darkness. The last thing I hear is her voice, shy, small, and sharp, whispering my name.

Next chapter's gonna be this night told in Jane's POV. Plus a 'bonus' *wink wink: Minho drunk. Pls comment any ideas for a drunk Minho!!!