Bound | Newt Love Story

6 | First Light

I sling my Runner backpack over my shoulders. It's filled with multiple bottles of water, a sandwich that Frypan made specifically for me and a first-aid kit for emergencies.

"You ready, B?" Minho asks, looking over at me from his crouched position of him tying his shoe. We're currently standing at the place the Runners get ready in the morning and meet after they finish running. Everyone in the Glade has pretty much gotten the hang of calling me B. Not that it bothers me, I kind of like it. It gives me a more intimate feel with everyone.

"As I'll ever be." I smile, my eyes still searching the Glade for Newt. He said he'd be here. Which only brings back memories from last night. Amazing memories, actually. But the same fear creeps through me as I think about what it could be like today. Will it be extremely awkward? Will our relationship never be the same?

Minho stands from tying his shoe and slings his backpack on his shoulders and starts walking for the doors of the Maze. Nerves hit me like a brick as the mouth of the Maze grows larger. I continue looking for Newt, not just because I want to see him, but because I'm nervous and he's the only person who can calm me down. The sun is barely peeking over the walls of the Maze, giving the Glade a foggy look.

Just as we're about to begin running a voice comes from behind me, "Brooke! Wait!"

I spin around and see Newt running towards me, his limp evident. A smile spreads across my lips as I see him approaching.

"I thought you'd ditched me." I smirk.

"Never." Newt smiles down at me, wrapping his arms around me. He pulls me into him and I nuzzle my face into his neck, breathing in his scent. "Please be careful out there, B."

"I promise." I nod, pulling away from him to look up at him.

Newt brings his hands up to my backpack and clips it securely across my chest. "Please." He begs. "I know how dangerous it is out there."

"Newt, I promise." I try to assure him. "I'll see you back here in a few short hours for dinner."

Newt forces a smile on his face, even though I can see right through it. He's scared. Not for him, but for me. He leans down and plants a kiss on my forehead. I feel Minho's confused gaze on my back but I ignore it as I relish in his touch.

"I'll see you soon, Newt. I've got to get going." I sigh, pulling away from him.

He squeezes my hand before sending a comforting smile my way. "Right here. For dinner."

"Right here." I nod before turning around and running with Minho into the Maze.

***

The Maze is nothing like I thought it would be. The large and intimidating walls that surround the Glade are nothing compared to what's inside them. The walls just continue, for what seems like forever. Every turn you stand there, hoping, that a magic door with an exit sign will appear, but each time you're left disappointed. The Maze walls are covered in moss-covered vines that reach almost to the top, but not nearly. Each vine looks strategically placed, like somebody chose where to place them. Along with the intimidating walls, the fear of the Grievers almost never leaves my body the whole time. Even though I know they don't come out until night, the fact that I'm running through their home scares the living klunk out of me. But what keeps me running is Newt. Minho made it very clear that we don't stop until lunch. And even then we only stop for about 20 minutes. Minho also said that if I was to stop, we wouldn't get to where we need to get which will lead us to getting back to the Glade later, which is a large risk, for not only us but the people who care about us. He pushed me off edge when he said "Imagine Newt just standing at the mouth of the Maze, watching the other Runners arrive and never seeing you run through." Minho never really questioned Newt and I, though he saw something there.

Minho's pace slows down as he looks back at me, who's only a step behind him. "Lunch time." He breathes, stopping all together. He throws himself down against the Maze wall and pulls his backpack off. I go to repeat his actions, but he stops me. "You're new so you need to walk around for a second...get your breathing down. It'll help the soreness."

I nod and place my hands on my head, my chest heaving up and down as I walk further down the path a little and then turn back, repeating this until my breathing has slowed. I then throw myself down across from Minho and pull my backpack off. I unzip the top and pull out one of the three bottles of water in there, draining it within seconds.

Minho laughs, "Slow down with the water intake, too. If you drink too much you'll get light-headed and nauseous."

I chuckle, "Thanks for the tip." I place the water bottle down on the Maze floor and pull out my sandwich, taking my time eating it.

"How are you liking the Maze so far?" Minho asks, taking a bite of his lunch, which is a small can of soup.

"It's a little eery." I say, looking around.

Minho chuckles, "Yeah, you'll get used to it after a while."

After we both finish our lunch and successfully drink two bottles of our waters, we pack up and continue our route throughout the Maze.

***

"We're almost there." Minho breathes out as we take another left, continuing our running pace.

"Thank God." I sigh.

Up ahead I see two of the other Runners turn down the same path. We meet at the end and all turn right, which is the entrance of the Glade.

And there he is.

Newt.

He's standing, a bright smile spread across his face and his arms folded across his chest, staring straight at me as I take my last few steps through the Maze. I run straight into his arms, pulling him into me. His hands wrap around me, protectively.

"See?" I say. "I told you I'd be careful."

"I'm aloud to worry." Newt says, a slight chuckle escaping his mouth.

"But you shouldn't." I reply. "Ugh.." I groan, "I'm really sweaty."

Newt laughs. "Well lets get you fed and then you can take a shower."

"That sounds amazing honestly." I reply.

A large racking sound echoes throughout the Glade, capturing the attention of every single Glader. Then something emerges from the Earth.

"The Box?" Newt wonders aloud.

"It's not supposed to come up for another two weeks." I reply, confused.

Newt looks over at me, his eyebrows furrowed, before we both take off running for it, as if I hadn't had enough running to last me the rest of my life. All the other Gladers join us, the Box coming up twice in a month being a very rare thing.

We gaze over the top of the Box, Alby lifting the doors of it. Inside lies a boy. He looks to be around sixteen and has jet black hair. He stares back up at us, just as confused as we are.