Newtmas: Til Death do us Part

Chapter Three: Thomas

"Are you okay?" Brenda asked, looking concerned. We were both sitting down at the beach, something we did often. The sand felt soft on my hands, and I leaned on a smooth, gray rock. Brenda sat cross legged next to me, and played with the hems of her dress. It'd been a month since we'd first arrived, and I still wasn't used to all the free time. Even in the Maze, I'd always been worried about what I didn't know, what was outside, and how I could save everyone. Obviously, that didn't work out too well. Newt's face had been haunting me, and everything seemed to remind me of him. Strangely, I've only cried for Teresa once, but for Newt countless times. Maybe it was because I'm the reason he's dead, or maybe it's-

"Thomas!" Brenda said, reaching over and pinching me. "Where's your head?" I glanced over at Brenda, and saw that her hair fell down to her shoulders, and her lip gloss glimmered in the light from the sun. The sun was the only reason I knew we were still on Earth. Because it was the most beautiful place I've ever seen, and Earth was a hot mess.

"Up in the clouds." I said, causing her to laugh. Now that we're in the Safe Haven, people are laughing more. Smiling more. There's more to be happy about. "Hey, where'd you get the new clothes?" I questioned, and Brenda looked uneasy.

"Um, some of the girls from Group B found a stash, and now they're looking for more. Maybe WICKED wasn't so bad." She blushed, looking down at the sand.

"Are you joking? Newt's dead because of them. If he wasn't some stupid control variable, he would have been fine. He could have lived." Stubborn tears slipped from my eyes, and I wiped them off before Brenda could see. I knew that she did, after she looked away. 

"Yeah... and Teresa." Brenda said. "And you never know, maybe Newt's alive. Never checked the pulse."

"No, but then the flare would have taken him. And that's even worse." I can see his face, and his last words still echo in my ears like a song that's stuck in your head. I should have waited. He was lucid for the last part, his eyes had finally cleared. I hadn't killed a monster, I had killed a scared boy.

Brenda sniffled, "Maybe not." Her voice cracked, tears freely flowing down her cheeks. "She could still be alive."

"She?" I asked.

"He. I mean he." Brenda quickly said, not bothering to lie convincingly. "There's a chance that they're alive. A one in a million, but that's still a chance." Minho ran over to us, and by the looks of his clean clothes, had found another stash. "There's a chance." Brenda whispered, mostly to herself. But I still heard her.

"Guys, they left supplies. Seeds, clothes, food, weapons, clothes, and I care a lot about the clothes." Minho laughed. As he saw Brenda blinking back tears, he looked sheepishly at the ground. "Sorry, didn't know you guys were... having a moment?" He said apologetically. "Thomas, when you're ready, come meet me at Hellbound." With the new territory, came the new slang. Hellbound was a big black rock, near the other side of the island. It's a good meeting spot if you don't want anyone to see you, so I assume Minho wanted to talk about more than just clothes. "Time for you to change, you smell like clunk."

"Thanks Minho." I said sarcastically, looking up at him. Smirking, he ran back to wherever he came from. Probably breaking up a fight, or starting one. Either way, it would be interesting to watch. "What are you talking about?" I whispered to Brenda, who was now sobbing.

"Thomas, please don't hate me." Brenda wailed.

"I won't hate you! Just tell me what you did." I said, awkwardly patting her on the back. Looking up at me again, she wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked like a normal teenage girl, who had a bad day. Not a teenager who had fought wars, betrayed people she loved, and watched an entire society crumble around her.

Sniffling, "Really?" She asked. Her tears had finally started to abate, and she just looked tired and scared instead of miserable and angry.

"Well, it depends on what you did." I gave a weak laugh, hoping that she would chime in. But she just looked at me, and it was like she could see right through me.

"By an incredible stroke of luck... or unluck, I don't know...it sounds like Newt was shot where my g- I mean, friends always talked about escaping too. They were working on a cure, or at least they still were when I left. But if Gally had a way of letting them know they weren't safe, then they could have escaped in time. And maybe they went there, and found Newt. But they're probably all dead."

Brenda looked at me, searching my face for a sign of recognition. "Thomas?" She asked quietly. Rage started to build inside of me, how could she not mention this? Newt could still be alive, and she thought that it wasn't worth mentioning.

"Gally!" I shouted, standing up from the sand. "GALLY!" Hearing his name, Gally looked out of the hut he was in. When he saw me, he sighed.

"Thomas!" Brenda scrambled after me, pulling at my sleeve. She looked determined to stop me, face twisted into a scowl. "Just... think before you do anything you can't take back." She let go of my arm, and stood next to me. I should have waited, and probably should have taken her advice. Every girl who I'd liked had felt compelled to lie, hurt, and betray me.

"What now Thomas?" Gally said, faint fear in his eyes.

"Who did you tell about the right arm?" I shouted, running past Brenda. His mouth opened and closed, and he looked like a fish. "Did you tell anyone?" He started to walk backwards, and he looked at me like I was a monster. "Gally, TELL ME!" I yelled, causing him to tear up. Rage was building up inside of me, and the fact that he was crying made it break through. I grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him against the nearest tree. His head hit the bark with a sickening thump, and he cried out. Tears teetered on his eyelids, but none fell.

"OH MY GOD THOMAS, AGAIN?" Minho shouted, sounding like an angry dad. He ran over to us, and I let go of Gally. He gasped for air, like a drama queen. Minho reached to me, and put his hand on my shoulder. "What the shuck is going on?" He asked, much quieter again.

"Thomas is trying to kill me again!" Gally said, gesturing wildly.

"Great, now you can talk. " I growled, causing Minho to sigh. "Gally might have told people in WICKED to get out before the Right Arm went in." Minho's jaw dropped, and his eyes glanced back and forth between Gally and I.

"Fine! I told my sister. But that's it." Gally's tears had abated, and looked murderously angry. At me.

Pushing past me, Brenda said "Do you think Scarlett told Roxxy? And does she know about Rachel?" Gally shook his head, and looked at the ground. "So Roxxy is dead?"

"Maybe. I don't know." Gally whispered. Who was Roxxy? Gally had a sister? Brenda's face looked ashen, her eyes hollow with sadness. Even though she seemed to feel the way I do- did about Newt, she wasn't crying. She looked hollow inside.

"Does she even know where we are?" Brenda said slowly.

Gally laughed a sad, empty laugh."Does she know where we are? Brenda, we don't even know where we are."