Defender - The Maze Runner (Book 1)

Chapter 27: It's a Twin Thing

Alex was showering off the grime from the day. Newt was telling her about all the dumb things Thomas had asked him that day and what they were planting next. She loved to hear how passionate he was about something. She knew there was a long period where he had no passion, no light, no hope.

"Newt, I'm glad you found something that makes you happy!"

"Ya, me too. Speaking of happy- you seem to be happier." She could hear the smirk behind the question. "Have you had any more flashbacks?"

Alex ignored the first half of that. She dried off and put on some clean clothes and towel dried her hair. She opened the shower door. "Yes actually, but a different kind. Come on, let's go sit in the watch tower and I'll tell you."

"You want to go up there?" Newt seemed hesitant.

"Ya. The view is amazing and it's away from everyone. And if it breaks and we die we can come back and haunt Gally's shuck butt and tease him about his eyebrows!"

"Deal."

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They sat side by side, legs dangling over the side, watching the Glade below them. Newt turned his head to his sister.

"So Sis? What happened?"

Alex sighed.

"Well...On Tommy's first day, I had a small memory smash through. It was short. But it was weird!"

Newt was quietly waiting, he was leaning back on his hands, swinging his legs.

"I saw him in front of me, we were in some kind of computer or control room. I felt absolute anguish and despair! Newt, it was awful! Thomas had tears in his eyes, and was saying 'Alex, he's alive, he lived. Minho and Alby found him. He's going to be okay.' Or something like that..."

Newt had froze. His face twisted, Alex was right in guessing what she saw.

"Alex..."

"No Newt, please don't." Alex had placed a hand on his knee.

"No..I need to. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to watch me at my lowest. It was selfish and I regret it every day." He whispered sadly. She could hear the self disgust in his voice.

"Newt. I love you. You're my brother, no matter what. Please, be kind with yourself. Forgive yourself. You have a second chance at life. Use that! Live for the boys who can't."

He smiled sadly at her.

"Okay. So...any other's?"

She gave him a small smile. "I know it's going to sound weird, but here goes..."

She explained how she heard Sonya's voice, in the MedHut; how she somehow said a few words back. She told him about Minho and the cheeseburger flashback, too. She left out the part of Minho being sweet and tender, making it sound like it was not a date. She still wasn't sure how she felt about how she and Minho might have been together before all this. Newt's eyes were big as saucers while he listened, but when she mentioned the Minho cheeseburger thing his face changed into a smirk.

He was quiet for a moment, his thumb running along his bottom lip thinking. "So, it's like if you touch something you get a flashback? How does it work?" Newt asked.

Alex shrugged her shoulders, "Not sure how it works, it's random. Know how we all can remember things, like riding a bike, but not who taught us? We were talking about burgers, how Minho was drooling over the thought of one and then it hit me. It's like I have to touch something and it triggers a memory and it slams through that mental wall. Or while I'm sleeping it dreams."