In the Scorch (Newt x reader)

Fourteen

~ (y/n)'s P.O.V. ~

"You're bad ass." I laughed softly at Dan as Newt picked me up so he could continue to carry me through the Scorch. Teresa stared at all of us. 

"We will go to our camp. Follow closely because if you get lost, we will not come back for you." She turned and walked forward, Group B following her. All the Gladers grumbled, yet started forward after Group B.

"So that's... Teresa? She seems a little stone cold." I looked to see Brenda beside us. Her voice was quiet as Dan talked to Tommy on the other side of us. 

"Teresa didn't act like that in the Maze. I don't know what changed." I looked forward, watching as Teresa spoke with one of the girls towards the front, her gaze flickering across us briefly.

"And Thomas likes her?" I shrugged. "Well I'd guess so. They've known each other for years, since way before we were put in the Maze. They're close." Brenda nodded and looked down. 

"Are you alright, Brenda?" She scoffed, but nodded. 

"Yeah. Just peachy." Brenda sped up her pace, walking away from us. I watched her, confused. 

"I wonder what has got her so upset." I missed Tommy's guilty gaze watching Brenda as she left. 

~

Group B's camp was in a shady, cool forest. We arrived when the sun was going down, but the girls moved around quickly, beginning to build different things. 

"We currently have two areas, and we are building a third. The first area is for Group B, the second is medical and food, and the third will be for you boys or whatever your group is-" 

"Group A." Minho said, but the girl speaking ignored him, brushing her red hair behind her ears. 

"The rules are simple. Don't cause any trouble." We all nodded. "The sleeping areas have enough room for at least three to four people, sometimes five people if you squeeze in. Group A people, do not mix with Group B." Minho scoffed. 

"As if we want to anyway. We have at least some respect." Minho said and I smiled as she glared at him. 

"You can do as you please until dinner, just don't interrupt our work. We don't want to have to work longer than we have to." She said, then got off the stump, going to help the other Group B girls build.

~

I watched with Newt as the girls worked. They were surprisingly fast as they twisted knots of grass and vines over wood to create tents. It was decided Newt and I would be in a tent together, and Delilah said she would join us. I looked past Delilah as she said that, seeing Tommy sitting on his own.

"Tommy!" He slowly looked up and I waved him over. "Would you like to share a tent with us?" Tommy nodded, looking briefly up at Dan who was goofing off with Adam. 

"Why not? Two of my close friends and someone who can watch over my wound." He smiled, but it quickly dropped as he watched Teresa pass us. 

"I should check your wound now that you mention it, make sure it's doing alright." Delilah had Tommy sit back as she unwrapped the bandages, then gently recleaned his wound. 

I leaned back against Newt. He wrapped an arm around me. A girl walked up with some trays of food as Delilah finished rewrapping Tommy's wound. On the trays were some meat, water, and a large portion of fruit. I took my tray from her with a smile, my fingers brushing the bandages wrapped around her hands. 

"I'm sorry about your hands. I didn't know I'd cut you." She waved her hand, a small smile playing on her lips. She pushed back her dark hair. 

"It's fine. I would've done the same." My smile back to her faltered at the familiarity of her eyes. She turned to Newt, giving him his tray next, then Delilah and Tommy. As she walked away, back to the fire Group B had made. One of the other girl's said something and the girl who just gave us food leaned back her head to laugh, her dark skin shining in the fire light. 

"Alby." Newt paused in eating, looking at me with a confused look. 

"What?"

"That's Alby's sister." Newt looked towards the girl.

"Was she his partner too?" Delilah asked, leaning forward. I shook my head. 

"No. They generally kept siblings a part because the trust was already there. They wanted us to build trust with new people... Alby's partner isn't here. But Minho's partner is the girl over there." I pointed to the girl with red hair from earlier.  

"Isn't that the girl he was making remarks to as she gave us the rules speech?" Tommy asked, laughing and I nodded, smiling as I looked around the camp. I spotted a small brunette who hadn't come with Group B to get us earlier. I pointed. 

 "That was Chuck's partner." Tommy perked up. 

"Where?" 

"It's the smaller girl over there, the one with brown hair." Tommy set his tray aside.

"I'm going to go talk to her." I nodded,  beginning to eat my own food.

"Alright, just don't freak her out too much." Tommy didn't answer, he only walked over to the girl, extending his hand for her to shake. She grabbed his hand with a smile. I watched as they talked, and she briefly looked at me before looking back at Tommy.

"Anymore partners you can pick out?" Newt asked me and I looked around, pointing out more of the pairings.

~

I crawled into our tent space, Newt following me. The beds were made out of soft leaves and moss. I sat on one of the side beds and Newt sat with me. Newt, Delilah, and I had decided that Tommy should sleep in the bed closest to the back since Teresa seemed to want him so badly. We were hoping the back bed would make it more difficult for Teresa to get to him. 

I watched as the other Gladers began to get into their homemade tents as well. Dan was whispering to Delilah outside of our tent, a small smile on his face as he held her hands between them. Tommy walked passed them, a conflicted look coming to his face as he crouched in front of the tent entrance, looking at us. 

"Which one is mine?" 

"The one in the back." Delilah said from behind him. Dan was gone now, going to his tent with Adam, Aidan, and Jeff. Tommy shrugged, crawling in and laying on his bed. Delilah crawled in after him to the bed opposite of me and Newt. 

I watched the girls from Group B pull a string on their shelters and a group of vines rolled down to cover the front, the only opening. I looked up, quickly finding the string and pulling it. I watched as the vines covered the entrance. Delilah let out a little gasp of surprise.

"That's so cool." I murmured. Newt huffed a laugh, pulling me to his chest and laying down. We all wished each other a goodnight. I shifted so my head lay over Newt's heart. I heard his breathing begin to slow in one ear and his heart beat in my other. I smiled and closed my eyes, and for the first time in a while, I didn't dream.

Original Publish Date: July 28, 2017