THANATOPHOBIA - newt [1]

~ FIVE

She made her way out of the Homestead, and wandered around trying to find newt. Her first thought would be the kitchens, as it was around lunch time.

"Hey fry." Lela greeted the chef with the same big smile she did everyday, "has newt came for his sandwich yet?"

"Newt? I thought you and him didn't talk to each other? Why would you be looking for him?"

She groaned once more, "we don't. Alby's making us work together for the week, to 'release the tension' or something."

"We'll be hasn't came in yet, good luck finding him." He shrugged, serving up an all english breakfast.

"It's not finding him I need luck for, it's surviving the day with him." She chuckled, waving frypan goodbye before making her way around more of the Glade.

Lela eventually found Thomas with newt, wrapping flowers around sticks together.

Thomas must be having tryouts. She thought to herself.

"I see you're late." Newt told her as she approached, "again."

"Well it's not like anybody told me I'd be fired from Medjack and forced to work with you, slint head." She scoffed back, picking up some vines and a section of the stick.

"Well maybe you shouldn't rely on a twelve year old to wake you up." He spat back.

Thomas was deep in thought, catching Lela's eye, "whatcha thinking about, Thomas?"

"Has anyone tried climbing to the top?" He asked randomly, "of the maze, I mean."

Lela noticed newt tense up at the question, and she knew exactly why. She knew about how he got his limp and why it happened. She was a Medjack, of course she knew - she attended his 'injury' as they called it.

"Tried it." Newt told him, "The ivy doesn't go all the way to the top."

"Even if it did, where are you gonna go from there?" Lela asked.

Thomas suggested another idea, "And what about the Box? You know, next time it comes up-"

"No, we tried that." Newt shook his head.

"And?"

"The Box won't go back down with someone in it." She explained.

"Okay, what if we-"

"No, we tried it, all right?" Newt stopped him.

"Twice." Lela added, "Trust me. Anything you think of, we've already tried. The only way out of here is through the maze."

"Now, look, you wanna be helpful?" Newt asked, picking up the empty bucket near his feet, "Here. Go dig us up some more fertilizer."

"Bye thomas!" She waved frantically to the boy before he disappeared into the Deadheads.

Newt sighed, shaking his head, "you're too nice to him. He's a greenie. He needs tough love."

"Yeah, he's a greenie. I wish somebody was nice to me when I came up in the box. I got slammed in the Pit all night."

He stopped what he was doing, "you know it wasn't me that put you in the pit? Sure, I physically took you there; but it was Gally's idea."

"I don't care who's idea it was. I care that you let it happen." She told him, not shifting her eyes from the work in front of her, "when I first saw you, I thought we would get along just fine. But when you walked me to the Pit, I knew we would clash."

"Listen, I didn't have the confidence to stand up to Gally back then, okay?" He apologised, "if it were to happen now, I wouldn't let it happen. I'd probably be in there with you."

Lela took it in before sighing, "be honest. Did you ask Alby to make me work with you?"

"Hey, is Thomas back?" He asked, looking past the girl with the question.

"Listen to me." She turned his face to look at her, before bringing her hands back down, "did you?"

"Fine, yes." He scoffed, "I thought it would help us bond, but clearly you're still as mad as you were last night."

"I had every right to be annoyed at the bonfire." She told him, "you've apologised now, and I accept it. We're now civil."

"Civil?"

"I'll work with you and talk to you when I have to, if not, don't expect to see me." She explained.

Newt nodded, satisfied with the slow progress he was making with her. Hopefully, by the end of the week, the two could be labelled comfortably as friends.