[1] Let Me Go ➝ The Maze Runner ✓ (WATTYS 2015 WINNER!)

*Hope Trust and Understanding*

*Hope, Trust and Understanding*

I jolted up with a start after feeling someone take my shoulders in a firm grip. Newt was sitting beside me, gazing at me in concern. My blouse felt sticky against my damp skin, and I realised I had been sweating. Now, however, a welcoming cool breeze washed through the Slammer and I gasped heavily for a few seconds.

"What happened?" I breathed, searching Newt's eyes.

"I don't know. You started thrashing your legs about, like you were fighting something," he said, almost skeptically. "Another dream?"

I nodded. "WICKED. They're called WICKED, and they removed all of my memories. They made me forget... everything. I don't... I don't understand..." I trailed, lapsing into my thoughts. Why send me here? They did something to my brain, gave me some kind of mind power, removed all my memories and sent me into a maze full of boys. But why? What was their purpose?

"I think... I think I have some kind of mind power," I muttered, not allowing Newt to fit a word in. He stared at me incredulously. "These are memories, I know they are. And they... they did something to my brain, this WICKED organisation. They did something and I killed someone and they..."

"Woah, woah, hold up!" Newt interrupted, holding up a hand. "Calm the shuck down, okay? We can talk about this after you've eaten."

He handed me a sandwich on a plate and a bottle of water, then sat back and allowed me to eat. I sighed and instantly bit into the sandwich, realising how hungry I actually was.

As soon as I'd devoured the sandwich and gulped down half the water, I turned to Newt and gestured for him to proceed.

"Okay, so this organisation, called WICKED, experimented on your brain and gave you some kinda... what, bloody mind power?"

I nodded. "I think so. This guy came to me and told me to... do something. I didn't know what but... next thing I knew, he was clutching his head and screaming. I was just staring at him; didn't even touch him. I think I killed him, but I don't know how."

I glanced up, expecting to see some form of amusement on Newt's face, skepticism. But his guise was impassive. If he did think I was being ridiculous, he was doing a hell of a good job to conceal it. I took it as a prompt to continue.

"This other man, he said... he said I'd passed the test. And I had to... embrace the power. Then I was paralysed and I got taken away and... he injected me with something and then... and then the pain started. Unbelievable pain just ripping me apart. It was... awful, I don't know why they'd do such a thing..." I lapsed into silence, feeling tears prick my eyes.

Why did this have to happen? Why me? Why us? For what purpose?

I felt Newt's arms slip around my shoulders and I allowed my head to rest against his neck. He didn't flinch, and it made me feel slightly better. At least Newt was there for me.

"Hey Newt, how's the shuck girl!?"

And Minho.

The runner appeared moments later, poking his head through the slits in the window. Surprise and amusement instantly crossed his features.

"Aww, the hell man? You're supposed to be talking to her not freaking making out with her!"

He glowered at him and Minho backed away slightly, though a smirk continued to play at his lips.

"How long are they going to keep me here?" I whispered, my words muffled by Newt's shirt - now damp from my tears.

"I don't know, Rowan," he said gently. "But I promise you I'll find a way to get you out. I promise."

And from then on, I knew there was a spark between Newt and I. A spark of Trust. A spark of Hope. A spark of Understanding. And he'd always be there for me, no matter what. It was some kind of bond, and it was the one thing I needed to get me through this.

"So what now?" Minho's voice hollered from outside. He was pacing back and forth; his muscular figure gliding past the window.

"Let's find out more about these bloody mind powers, huh?"