Abused ≫ Newt [2]

Chapter 9.

It's been a week since Emily woke from her deep slumber. A week, and she had yet to become used to the tight schedule once more.
Her whole body ached with fatigue, her muscles screaming in protest as she dragged herself out of bed one morning. Minho's bed was empty, the sheets crumpled at the bottom in a heap. On the other side of her, Newt still lay in his bed. Soft snores escaping his parted lips, she couldn't help but smile at the boy.
They hadn't talked much over the past week- barely more than a few words, such as "good morning" or "goodnight". Emily had a feeling that he was avoiding her, due to the fact that spent most of the day in the Fields or talking to Alby. She didn't blame him, though. She was being a little nosey.
But, then again, she did have a right to be curious. To ask questions.
She talked to Minho about it. The Runner had told her that he would come around, and that he would tell her eventually. That he probably wasn't ready to talk about it yet as, according to Minho, it was a very traumatic thing to him. Minho had told her not to take it personally, that he didn't tell her only because he wanted to "spare her the pain of knowing". Though she still couldn't help but feel a twinge of hurt.
Emily crawled out of bed with a groan, rubbing her eyes to adjust her vision to the early morning sunlight that shone through the single window. She pulled on her jacket, careful not to wake Newt, before slipping out of the room.
Most of the Gladers were already awake, talking amongst themselves as they gobbled down their breakfast before starting work. Emily groaned internally at the thought of working. After laying in bed for weeks, her body had become lazy, and she felt a permanent feeling of fatigue all day, every day.
Though she didn't mind work all that much. There weren't many injuries around the Glade anymore so, as a Med-Jack, her, Clint and Jeff basically got to chill all day. She was looking forward to seeing her friends again; she missed them when she was in her coma-like state.
She grabbed a plate of bacon from Frypan, sending the cook a smile before heading over to her usual table. Chuck joined her soon after she sat down, sitting in Minho's usual spot across from her. She sent the Greenie a small smile, though said nothing as she gobbled down her bacon hungrilly.
She then remembered with a jolt that it had been a month since Chuck had arrived. Today was the day a new Greenie would arrive. Emily felt a twinge of excitement at the thought of helping the new arrival out- something she hadn't done in over a month.
"Are you excited about the new Greenie?" She asked Chuck. "You're being promoted. No longer the Greenie anymore."
Chuck smiled, waited until he swallowed his food before speaking.
"It feels great, actually. Maybe I won't be picked on as much anymore."
Emily sent a sympathetic smile towards the boy, "Still, if anyone messes with you, tell them to come talk to me."
They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence. As she finished the last of her bacon, Emily said goodbye to Chuck before heading back towards the Homestead.
Clint and Jeff were already in the hospital wing when she arrived. They were too busy cleaning out the empty medicine bottles to even notice her come in. She sat on the single bed in the small room, which creaked quietly under her weight. Jeff turned to look at her, shooting her a small smile in greeting before going back to work.
As the two Med-Jacks continued to clean out the cabinet, Emily found her mind wandering elsewhere. Her thoughts were only on one thing- one person. Newt. Once again, she found herself wondering what happened to him. She had a feeling she thought about it way to much, that it probably was not that big of a deal, but she just couldn't help it. She worried about him.
She worried about the small things. Like what job he would have now that he couldn't be a Runner anymore. Perhaps he would be a Med-Jack, and they could work together after all. Though she knew that probably wouldn't happen. Newt never took such an interest in healing people, and she knew Alby would never let them have the same job. They would never get anything productive done.
She found herself smiling at the thought of them working together. She knew that, if that did ever happen, Newt would spend the whole time distracting her, or distracting himself. While she was actually trying to do something productive, she knew he would be the one to mess around. Never get anything done. She wouldn't mind, though. Not one bit.
"What are you smiling at?"
Emily was pulled out of her daze, feeling her cheeks heat up as she felt three pairs of eyes on her. Clint and Jeff had turned around, exchanging smiles as they stared at her. Winston was in the room, too, holding his arm as a thin trail of blood leaked from a cut wound.
"Sorry," she murmured. She looked at the ground, couldn't help the embarrassed smile that crept on to her lips.
"Will you treat Winston?" Clint asked her, amusement lacing his voice. "The shank cut himself with a knife again."
Emily nodded and gestured for Winston to follow her. She led him to a small desk in the corner of the room, where a few bandages sat, rolled up tightly.
"What did I tell you about playing with knifes?" She joked, making her voice sound as motherly as possible. Winston chuckled and held his arm out for her to inspect.
"Sorry, mom."
"It's too late for sorries, young man." Emily pointed her finger at the Slicer, laughing lightly as she grabbed the bottle of cleaning alcohol. She cleaned the wound in silence, wrapping his arm up in the bandage with a small smile.
"All better."
"Thank you, Emily." Winston smiled at her. A real, geniune smile- something that she hadn't seen much from the Slicer. "It's good to have you back."
"It's good to be back," she said.
Suddenly, the all-too familiar booming sound of a siren echoed throughout the Glade, lasting a few seconds before cutting off completely. The Greenie Alarm.
Clint and Jeff headed out the door quickly, whispering amongst themselves, despite still having a half hour until the Greenie actually arrived. Emily and Winston shared a quick glance and she laughed slightly.
"We might as well go with them," Winston said. "Saves us from having to work for another thirty minutes."
Emily nodded, but as he began to head out the door after the two Med-Jacks, she held back. He turned around, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at her.
"You coming?"
"Yeah," Emily said quickly. "I'll be down in a minute. I just want to clean up the mess."
Winston smiled at her, "Alright."
Emily watched as the Slicer disappeared from the room, hesitating a moment before she began to clean up the soiled supplies in silence.

+

It was only a few minutes until the Box arrived by the time Emily joined the rest of the Gladers. They all crowded around the small opening where the lift would be.
She hung back in the Homestead for a while, being sure to take her time whilst cleaning up the mess. She wanted to be alone- to actually have a chance to think without being interrupted. She really didn't have anything in particular to think about, except for the thing she was usually thinking about. Newt, of course.
Her gaze drifted over the ground of boys before resting on Newt. He stood across from her, next to Alby and Gally, staring down at the copper doors that shielded them from the black abyss. His blonde hair, drenched in sweat, stuck to his forehead, covering his eyes a bit. Almost as if she had triggered something in him, he looked up at her. He smiled at her as their eyes met before beginning to make his way over to her. She couldn't help but notice his limp once more.
"How was work?" He spoke softly as he approached her, as if he didn't want anyone else to overhear their conversation.
Emily shrugged, "Fine, I guess."
Newt said no more. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him so that she was flushed against him. She felt his lips press against the top of her head, lingering there for a few moments before he pulled away. She couldn't help but smile at his actions; it was the first time he showed any sign of affection towards her in the week that they had both been awake.
A final buzz pulled Emily from her thoughts, signalling that the Box had arrived. Gally and Alby positioned themselves on either end of the copper doors.
A voice came from within the lift. It was muffled- Emily could barely make out what it said- but it sounded familiar.
"Someone... help... me!"
Gally and Alby exchanged a glance before they began to pull open the doors. Emily felt a stab of sympathy towards whoever lay in the Box. She remembered the bright light that shone down at her as Minho and Gally opened the doors for the first time. It was blinding, overwhelming, only adding on to the amount of fear and confusion she felt at that moment.
Gally lowered a rope into the lift, hesitated a moment before he began to pull it back out. Emily watched carefully, struggling to see over the crowd of boys that swarmed around the Box. She could just barely make out the boy that was being lifted out of the Box, though she still felt her breath hitch in her throat.
Looking to be only about sixteen, the boy had dark brown hair that stuck to his forehead with sweat. He stared around him, his eyes wide with either fear or curiosity. He seemed strangely familiar, and Emily suddenly longed to know his name.
She wiggled out of Newt's grip and headed over to the Greenie. Alby and Gally stood over him, where he was cowering on the ground in a sort of fetal position. Their eyes shone with amusement, and Alby spoke.
"Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade."
Now that Emily was closer to the boy, she could now make out more details. His eyes were a deep shade of brown, he had a slightly upturned nose, his lips thin. She stared at him, taking in every last detail, tried to figure out why this boy was so familiar. Newt stood beside her once more, his gaze burning into the back of her skull. She wanted to meet his gaze, but it was as if her eyes were glued to the Greenie.
"Where am I?" he spoke, his voice coming out more of a croak than anything.
"Nowhere good," Alby said, his tone somber. It reminded her of the day she arrived; he had said those exact words. "Just slim yourself nice and calm."
There was a chorus of chatter coming from behind them, talking on about how the boy was going to be a Slopper and what-not. Though Emily paid no attention to the coversations; her mind was spinning as she fought to process who this boy was.
"Why are you staring at him like you just fell in love?" Newt's voice whispered in her ear. It was laced with jealousy.
Emily forced herself to turn and look at him, "Newt, he's-" She cut herself off, unsure of what she was about to say in the first place. She pursed her lips and, instead of speaking, only laced her fingers were Newt's, bringing his hand against her body.
She focused back on the Greenie as Alby began to speak once more.
"Can you remember your name?"
The question he asked all the Greenies. He already knew the answer- every new arrival remembered their name- though he still asked it anyway.
"My... My name-" the boy paused, furrowing his eyebrows as if he were in deep thought. "My name is Thomas."