Atomic [Newt || Maze Runner]

[Chapter 1] ✙ The New Arrivals

[Chapter 1] ✙ The New Arrivals

Resting her chin on the base of her palm, Eden stared down blankly at her mash potatoes. The sounds of people talking could be heard throughout the cafeteria. A mixture of different voices, people subconsciously trying to talk over each other as they continued through their evening conversations. Usually, this disorderly manner would bother her, but at this point, she's learned to tune it all out. Lost in her thoughts, she continued to mindlessly comb her fork through her meal.

"You okay?" A voice sounded, accompanied by the light ring of a meal tray being dropped down onto the table. She didn't even need to look up to know who it was.

"I'm alright."She nodded ever-so-slightly before lifting her gaze to meet Aris's stormy gray eyes with a faint smile. "Just a little tired from all the tests."

The boy returned her smile before settling down into his spot across from her, pursing his lips and wincing as he does so. Eden's brows furrowed.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, glints of worry immediately flooding her dark brown eyes.

"No," He assured, sucking in a harsh breath through his teeth as he gingerly rubs his knee. "It's just a bruise I got when I was climbing through the vents yesterday."

Eden's lips tugged into an acute frown. "Are you still doing that?" She whispered, being careful that the others around don't overhear their conversation. "Aris, I really don't think-"

"Shh." Before she could finish her sentence, Aris hushed, subtly pressing a finger to his lips as if to tell her to remain quiet. His gaze flickered to the left as his brows knitted closer together, staring intently at something behind her. 

Following his gaze, Eden peered over her shoulder, spotting a small group of five boys enter the cafeteria. They seemed disoriented, wide eyes darting from left to right as if they didn't know where to look in this new, overwhelming environment - tell-tale signs of being the day's newbies.

One of the boys, an Asian like her, seemed to have noticed the buffet line towards the side of the cafeteria. His face immediately lit up as he reached over to nudge his friend, a stocky boy with dark skin, in the rib. The two of them gleamed with excitement, rushing over to snag a spot in the thinning line like children at a candy store. Thanks to their friends' swift disappearance, the rest of the group quickly noticed the food as well, hurrying over to join them. A boy with olive skin threw his arms around their necks, exchanging a few words with them before breaking into a fit of laughter. Another boy, strangely resembling Aris in his small, scrawny stature grabbed a tray for himself before fixating his gaze on the three, joining in on the conversation. Finally, there was a tall boy with caramel blond hair. He quietly followed along with the rest of his friends, occasionally chiding at their boarish behaviour. Though the faint traces of a smile seemed to suggest he was in a rather good mood as well.