Julian leads me down back through the forest as quickly as he can, his long and fast strides almost too much for me, but I keep up. By the time we reach the edge of the forest, and the glade is in sight, he stops me. The rest of the Gladers are awake; the gardens are buzzing with activity, and the smell of breakfast wafts over from where Fry's probably cooking.
"Shit," Julian curses under his breath.
I raise an eyebrow at him. He palms his face.
"They can't see me. I'm supposed to be in the maze." He glances behind him at the forest.
"So? You're not. Big deal." I shrug, but he grabs my shoulder in his hand, surprising me with the contact.
"Every day for almost three years I've run in that maze. Today's the first I haven't." He looks down.
"Why?" I breathe. "What's different about today?" His eyes pierce mine, and I know that what he's about to tell me isn't common knowledge.
"Couple weeks ago," he starts, "the day after you came up, Minho and I noticed that the grievers were out during the day." I stare at him as he speaks, "That's never happened before you- this." He finishes, catching himself, but his slip leadens my stomach.
Is it possible that this is my fault?
I should be scared. I should be terrified that horrible things are happening and scared that I may be endangering everyone here, but I'm not. Julian's words only fuel the anger within me.
"All the more reason to let me into that maze." I say. He narrows his eyes.
"All the more reason not to." he dismisses me and turns back to the forest. I grab his arm.
"You can't just hide for the rest of the day!" I tug on his arm, "Julian!" He shakes my hand off quickly.
"Not today. Give it a week, at least. Maybe by then we'll have figured out what's happening." Julian's eyes plead with me, and I sigh, making to slump my shoulders in a show of defeat.
"Fine." I take a step back. I barely catch his nod before I turn quickly and set off towards the homestead.
There's no way I'm waiting one week. I'll run myself if I have to.
But he doesn't need to know that.
- - -
I soak my hands in a wooden tub of water, relishing in the sensation of the cool liquid slipping through my fingers and clearing the debris from under my nails.
"Bloody hell, if you ask me." The voice sounds from behind me and is laced with an accent I've grown to be able to recognize anywhere.
"You mean the work, or all of it in general?" I smirk, gesturing to the Glade as Newt kneels down next to me, putting his hands into the bucket.
"Both." He sighs, tilting his head back until his floppy blonde hair falls back off of his forehead.
"Good that, and I've only been here for a couple weeks." I say, watching his long, thin fingers in the water next to mine.
"Try three years." Newt says, running a finger over the palm of his hand in the tub. It seems like such an intimate action, my cheeks redden, and I have to look away.
I don't think of Newt in that way; how can I?
"I honestly don't know how you managed." I try a little smile, tilting my head to look up at him next to me. His brown eyes are soft with little flecks of gold. He looks down as I make eye contact with him, almost as if he's ashamed. I take one of my hands out of the tub, eyes drawn in concern, "hey, Newt?" I ask softly. He looks up again,
"What?" He blinks, eyes flickering to mine then away again, "oh, nothing. S'fine." Silence.
"You can talk to me if you want," I offer. At this, he turns to look at me, sadness thinning over his eyes.
"I know," he whispers, holding my gaze. This time, I don't avert my eyes, "soon."
I offer a small smile, and we are silent for a moment, staring.
I bring my hand up from out of the water and reach for him, resting it on his bare forearm. Instant, he recoils, jumping.
"Holy shuck, that's cold!" He laughs, and it's a real one that brings my own to surface. I remove my hand and wipe it on my parka, still laughing.
"I didn't mean to!" I say, smiling for real now, a little glad for our serious exchange to have been interrupted by my stupidity.
"It's fine." Newt says, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiles. This time, it reaches his eyes.
I look down at my parka, the sleeves of which are now drenched. Behind us, the selection of track-hoe Gladers are working away, farming and harvesting self-grown crops. I've been assigned to this duty because Alby hasn't found anything else for me to do.
But he doesn't know I want to be a runner. Yet.
Newt follows my gaze with his own.
"Come on, track-hoes! If you want to be bloody done by sundown then you've got to move a hell of a lot faster!" he shouts mockingly.
The words don't seem right coming out of his mouth to all the other gladers, who look years older than him. Zart, one of the gladers looks up.
"Calm it Newt, maybe if you helped out, it'd go faster!" Newt shrugs it off.
"He does have a point." He chuckles, turning back to me.
Suddenly, a wind blows through the glade, causing the trees in the forest to rustle and reminding me that Julian's still in there somewhere. I stand.
"I'm gonna go get changed- I messed up my jacket." I say, looking out across the glade towards the forest where Julian is. Maybe I can find him and we can approach Newt about the maze together.
"I'll be here." Newt clears his throat and quickly turns back to the tub, letting me walk towards the homestead.
As soon as I'm round the side of the structure, I shed my parka and leave it hanging on a rock in the sunlight next to the entrance.
After another glance around, I take off into the forest behind the homestead, not looking back.
Running is easy for me, almost like it's a part of me. The harsh sting of the lack of breath in my throat makes me feel alive; it always has, and I love it. The leaves crunch under my feet with each exhilarating breath when suddenly a familiar pounding begins in my head.
I look down at my feet, willing them to slow, but I don't have control.
I blink, and when I open my eyes, the corners of my vision are shading.
Tearing my gaze up towards the forest, I open my mouth to yell, but already my gaze is shifting; one moment I'm sprinting through the forest, surrounded by trees, and the next, it's a long white corridor far from the Glade.
The pounding intensifies.
The pain begins as does the hallucination.
Finally, my vision goes black, and I feel the bite of the earth against my outstretched arms and cheek as I fall.
The darkness consumes me.
YOU ARE READING
Newt x Reader || A13
FanfictionHe was alone; he was fragile; he was scared, crumbling under the weight of a leader's role. He is the glue. She is bold; she is determined; she is confused, haunted by visions of her forgotten past. She is the trigger. From the ashes of a world dest...
