Stealers (Newt x Reader)

Chapter 23: The Code

We had sat in the weapons room - a cold room with grey walls made of solid stone, a place that you had to go underground to get to - for about half an hour now, trying to think of all the different ways that we could analyse the maps. Most of the weapons and boxes in there were smothered in thick dust, some were freshly put back in there place and some were missing, a dark reminder of how weapons were now a necessity in the glade. It was a slow start, as we didn't even know what we were looking for but eventually we had figured to do as Thomas suggested and compare each day to the different sections. I couldn't help but be sceptical until we found something, I had studied these maps myself and had never come across any numbers or letters cryptically hidden in them. I had suggested drawing the lines from each day on tracing paper , hoping that the wall movements would show us something and so far it seemed to be doing the job. A second didn't go by though where I wasn't praying for this to work, hoping that it wasn't a waste of time. Longing for something to show up so that I didn't have to spend another night being scared that it might be my last. Me and Newt had sat ourselves together on a small table we had carried down, not speaking a word to each other as we concentrated on cutting and drawing the maps. A few others were sat around the room, lost in their own maps.

"Can I ask you a question?" Newt's voice shocked me slightly, I was used to soaking in the silence of the room. He was still looking down at what he was doing but a look of innocence was on his face, as if he was nervous. I couldn't quite figure it out.

"Uh yeah go for it," I said, keeping my voice low so that I didn't disrupt anyone.

"What were you and Thomas talking about?" We turned to look at each other but I didn't know what he was talking about so I just cocked my head to the side, giving him a confused glance. "When me and everyone else walked into the gathering?" I gave him a long stare, my mind suddenly rattling with ideas of what to say. All I knew was the last thing I could tell him was the truth, which was that we were talking about him. Me and him to be exact. Or could I tell him? What would that do and what would it change? Maybe it wouldn't change anything. I tried to keep my expression calm as I simply shrugged.

"Hm, can't remember, it probably wasn't important," I looked back at the map I was working on, thinking that if he couldn't see my face and look in my eyes, he wouldn't be able to tell I was lying. 

"But you-" he stopped himself and huffed out, making me look back at him. He looked like he was trying to put the pieces of a puzzle together, which I guess in some way he was. "But you both stopped when we walked in and you both looked like you'd just been caught doing something you shouldn't have. You couldn't even look at me," I froze at the fact that he had noticed so much, maybe he thought it was something bad. Maybe me wanting him back was bad. I just chuckled slightly in response, not sure what else to do. He didn't laugh back, just looked at me with a certain look in his eye that longed for me to tell him. I didn't know what he was hoping I would say but he wasn't getting the truth from me.

"It wasn't anything bad, I think it was just about the dreams we've had," I added and shrugged again. He sighed and went back to drawing the lines of the maze walls on the parchment paper. I felt guilty for lying to him but sometimes hiding the truth saves a lot of trouble. After a while he grunted something to himself and frowned, quickly turning in his chair to face me but I didn't look back it him, sure that I was close to finally figuring something out.

"Are you sure?" He had an agitated tone but I knew not to take it personally, "because it just seemed like you were talking about... well it seemed like you were talking about me and I know that sounds crazy but-" 

"Wait stop talking!" I hadn't really listened to him anyway, at first completely missing the part where he figured out it was him we were talking about.