To Capture A Heart | The Maze Runner

1.5 Comfort

Newt tugged a loose strand of his hair, "I- 'Lix I don't really know what to say, you can get so poetic that it makes me speechless, but... thank you." He rose and came next to my side, I sat up and he helped me stand by taking my hand. Before I even had the chance to stable myself, his arms were around my waist. He was hugging me. I immediately responded to his touch by hugging him back, one of my hands cradled the back of his head, holding it to my shoulder.

"I know I'm hard to be friends with," The boy whispered, "Thank you for staying...."

"You don't give up on people when they're at their worst. You offer them help..."

He pulled away, wiping his face. "I appreciate it."

I smiled, "I know you do."

***

After much hydration, my body had returned to normal by the next morning. Nick had deemed this day a day off, his reasoning was that we had worked so hard the previous day. Some Gladers were annoyed by it, one of them being Gally. He didn't want the Runners being away from the Maze, and I didn't blame him, but this break was needed and well-deserved. The newer arrivals give Gally a hard time, he isn't the nicest with strangers and misunderstandings happen in both parties. Gally used to be really friendly and welcoming, but then he was stung. The flashbacks he saw changed him, when his physical health returned, his mental health took a nose dive. Gally was more paranoid than ever, he didn't trust anyone.

Gally's story was always so tragic to me, and it was horrible to witness his trauma come out in anger and negativity. I wasn't justifying his way of coping with it, but what most newcomers never realized was that there was reasoning behind it.

"Felix!" Newt's voice snapped me back to the current day, I turned to him, he was holding two brown paper bags and a bright smile.

"H-Hi?" I said, unsure about what he was doing.

"C'mon," He laughed, holding out one of the bags to me. "Come have lunch with me."

I smiled, accepting the bag, "Okay."

I followed him into the woods, getting confused looks from varying people.  "Newt, what are you-"

He clapped my back, "You'll see." He didn't respond to my following questions, only guiding me deeper into the trees. The farther back into this corner of the Glade you venture, the thicker the vegetation becomes. By the time Newt finally stopped walking, the trees were big enough to hide behind and the grass was halfway up to my knees.

I was tired of walking, even though it wasn't far. Newt may have had a disadvantage with his leg, but his endurance was still much better than mine. "Newt, what the klunk?" 

He smiled, enjoying the fact that he knew something I didn't, he pointed up the largest tree, "Look." I followed his arm upwards, near the top of the tree was the bottom of a wooden platform. Newt used his fingers to whistle loudly and a rope ladder falls from the top of the platform. I used my hand to shield my eyes from the sun as I looked up and I could see Hiro making her way down the ladder.

"Thanks Hiro!" Newt said when she was on the ground. She nodded to him and Newt started up the ladder.

Hiro grabbed my shoulder, pulling me towards her, "Don't mess this up," She whispered.

I blushed, not knowing what she was talking about, "What-?" But she was walking away before my question could finish.

Newt gazed down at me, "What are ya waiting for? A bloody invitation? Come on, 'Lix!" He waved me up.