T R U S T [The Maze Runner || Newt || Book 2]

Chapter 12

Flashback

Clara looked in the mirror at her throat, a deep purple bruise where her brother had strangled her the week before was finally fading, but it was still visible. She huffed and sat down on her bed, fiddling with the knife that she'd received from Jorge as a gift for her birthday. She smiled at the memory of him and Brenda surprising her on the day, just the three of them. Nobody else had remembered her birthday, well, except Teresa, who wished her a happy birthday when they'd seen each other that morning.

A soft knock at the door drew her attention, she stood up and walked to her door, jumping back when she opened it. Standing in front of her was the same blonde boy she'd seen in the video feed. She peeked around the corners, wondering how he was able to get away from his bunk and why he was standing at her door. She looked him up and down, he was quite tall and very skinny, and she knew he was younger than her, most of the subjects were.

"Can I help you?" She questioned, tilting her head at him,

"Hey, I'm Newt," He whispered, a thick English accent coating his words, "I know bloody well who you are, which is why I've decided to snag you. Come on."

Clara stared at the boy in confusion, a thousand thoughts in her mind, a thousand risks that came with following this stranger. But ultimately, she decided she felt like going on an adventure.

"Okay." She whispered, grabbing her coat and following the blonde boy, Newt, outside.

"What's going on?" She asked, breaking the silence the two of them were walking in, "How did you get out of your bunk? And why did you come to me specifically?"

"Quick with the questions are we? Teresa asked me to fetch you, as for the first two questions, you'll find out soon enough."

"And where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see."

Newt lead her of them through various halls, Clara was impressed that he was able to find his way around so easily, even she sometimes managed to get lost in the various halls. They ended up in the basement, in front of a door labeled 'Maintenance closet',

"This is our favourite hiding spot." Newt announced proudly, opening the door and pushing all of them into the large room. Inside was a dusty old table surrounded by a few boxes and other cleaning equipment.

"What's up, gents?" The greeting came from the Asian boy that Clara had recognized the week before,

"Would you stop saying 'gents'? It's not funny, and it's getting on my nerves." Another boy said, he had dark skin and an authoritative tone to his voice, Clara also recognized him from the video feeds. She noticed Thomas and Teresa sitting with them as well, waving at her. The first boy ignored his friend, walking forward to hug Clara but instead opting for a handshake when she took a step back and stuck her hand out to him – she was never really one for hugs, plus her back was still healing from Janson's knife.

"You weren't lying Teresa, she is pretty." Minho said as he stepped back, causing Clara to blush as she looked down,

"Shut up, Minho." The other boy said, stepping forward and pushing his friend aside. "I'm Alby. It's good to meet you. And that's Minho, if he gets too annoying don't be afraid to punch him, he deserves it." He finished, earning a slap on the shoulder from Minho.

Clara moved to sit down next to Thomas as the others took their seats once again,

"So how long have you guys been sneaking around?" She asked, looking around at all of them,

"I'd say a few weeks. It gets boring following all their rules, doing everything they tell us. And yeah maybe they know about it, but until they tell us to stop, we ain't stopping." Alby said, earning a cheer from Minho and a bored thumbs-up from Newt.

"Thomas? How long have you guys been hanging out with them?"

"This is only the second night. But, Clara, they have an idea. And I think you're gonna like it."

"Not just an idea," Minho interrupted, "Many ideas. Plans. Nothing solid, nothing too crazy. But first, we just wanna get to know the three of you. Especially you," He pointed at Clara, "See what you all know, have some fun. When we know each other better, then we can start the serious stuff."

"The serious stuff?" Clara questioned and the three boys looked at each other for a few seconds, all nodding their heads before Newt spoke,

"We're getting out of this bloody place."