Deleted Memories (The Maze Runner, Newt)

Chapter 28

The room had blinding white lights overhead. It was that type of light that gives you a headache the second you walk into the chamber. I was lined up with about forty other kids. All of them looked at around ages eight to ten. The woman who I had figured out to be the head of WICKED was standing in front of us with her arms crossed. Two guards stood on either side of the one door. Their guns were resting at their sides. Janson paced back and forth next to the guard on the left of the door. He had a clipboard in his hand.

"Thomas, Teresa, Rachel, Aris, Matt, and Raven, please step forward," Janson read off of his clipboard as if he was unsure he was reading out names correctly. He looked down his nose at us. I hesitated and looked around before slowly stepping forward. The others soon followed. "Come with me please," he headed for the door without looking back. I joined up with Thomas and walked beside him.

"Where are they taking us?" I whispered.

Before Thomas could answer, Janson turned around and bellowed, "no talking!"

"Sorry, sir!" Thomas cried. Janson glared at him before walking forward.

Janson ushered us into another room with another blinding white light. A headache was undoubtedly growing in my skull. "Stay here, I'll be back shortly to collect you one by one," he said before the door shut with a loud metal click.

I rolled over in bed and reached out. My hand hit the empty bed. I opened my eyes to find that Newt wasn't in the room. I sighed and got up. I only had half an hour left to sleep anyway.

It had been a couple of weeks since Gally was able to get out of bed, and things in the Glade were back to their normal boring selves, but at least I had the Greenie bonfire to get excited for.

I found Newt working in the field, "why are you up so early?"

"Couldn't buggin' sleep," he shrugged as if it was the most simple answer. "Had a bad night, you see," the boy reached down an pulled a weed from the row of lettuce.

A bad night was what we tended to call nights that were ridden with nightmares or other problems that kept us awake.

I reached up on my tiptoes to kiss his lips, "I'm sorry."

We sat in the field and talked for a bit until my alarm went off. "I'll go make you breakfast, you go get ready," Newt said. He got up then extended his hand to me. I placed my small hand in his, and he helped lift me up.

"Thanks, Newt. You're the best," I smiled.

I jogged up over to the map room where I grabbed my harness and backpack duo, then grabbed one of the hair elastics that I had requested in the box from around my wrist and sloppily tied my hair up into a ponytail.

When I got to the kitchens, Newt had my food all ready for me. I sat down and pecked him on the lips as he slid the food over to me. We ate our breakfast and met with Minho at the wall's opening.

"So, new Greenie today," Newt said nonchalantly.

"Yeah" was all Minho said.

A silence hung in the air, but not an awkward one.

"How come you are still going out running?" Newt asked.

"No time to waste. Figured I shouldn't be such a lazy shank for once and just go out." Minho replied, shrugging.

Newt only nodded in response.

Newt and I stood hand in hand next to Minho who was bouncing from one foot to the other. We heard the familiar screech of the doors beginning to open. I pulled Newt in for a quick kiss, and he whispered in my ear for me to be safe. I told him I would and went running into the maze.

~~~

It had been a normal day, to say the least. I ran the maze and nothing had changed. The walls moved the night before, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. They had sequences. Every day of the week opened up different passageways and the days matched up with each other every seven days; It would repeat the sequence. That didn't come as a surprise to me anymore. I had gotten used to it. The pattern made it easier for me to navigate. I knew where I was headed and how I was going to get there. I know the passages like the back of my hand.

I veered to the right. A sudden burst of energy pushed me through the open doors to the Glade. Today was Greenie day and I couldn't wait to meet the new shank. The hope that Alby would get me to hang out with him surged through my veins.

My time in the map room was short. I scribbled everything down as quick as I could. Newt was waiting for me when I got out. I leaned in and pecked his lips quickly.

"Get a room!" Minho rolled his eyes at us as he ran past.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "You're just jealous that I have him and you don't."

Minho pulled the metal door shut. His reply was an inaudible murmur.

I turned to Newt. "Where's the new Greenie?"

Newt sighed as if he knew I was going to ask that. "He is off with Chuck somewhere. I think close to the homestead."

"Thanks, babe," I smiled and pecked his lips again. I went to leave when Newt grabbed my arm.

"You should eat first. I don't want you missing dinner." Newt was right. My stomach was already feeling as if it was trying to eat itself. Water didn't sound too bad at the moment either. I laced my fingers with Newt's and gestures for him to lead the way.

"Why isn't the Greenie at dinner?" I sat down at our regular table.

"Chuck and the Greenie already ate. Frypan wasn't too happy with Chuckie raiding his kitchen before dinner," Zart snickered. "I could hear him cursing from the gardens."

We ate dinner as per usual. Winston had spent most of it telling us how he had killed the animal we were eating in the stew. Let's just say, it was not good dinner talk. Gally had eventually got him to shut up and we all tried to finish our meals. Zart couldn't do it. He had left his bowl half full; although, he kept it with him to eat later.

After dinner, Newt wanted to get something finished in the field, so I watched him from our tree. The sun was setting over the fields which made it hard for me to see him. I could only see his silhouette. I enjoyed this part of living in the glade. I liked the relaxation; nonetheless, I knew I needed to find a way out. I had searched that maze for over a year and found no evidence of there being a way out. I could feel myself starting to lose hope, but I couldn't. There was no way I could let Newt down like that. It would destroy me.

A horrific blood-curdling scream split through the Glade. It made me cringe. If I had been running close enough to Ben none of this would be happening. I could have made the griever leave before he got stung.

Newt and Alby excused themselves and jogged into the homestead to help the med-jacks.

I headed to the homestead as well, but in no way was it to go see Ben. It was to find the Greenie. I had grown more than impatient. As if on queue, Chuck came running out of the bathroom stalls. I groaned, not again Chuck. He ran past me. I looked back to the bathrooms. I saw the new guy running after him. He darted out after Chuck but was stopped by Gally who was only a couple feet behind.

I ran over to them in hopes to save the Greenie's head. Gally was once again infuriated by the charades that Chuck was pulling.

"I'm not a dong, Greenie." I had just gotten in earshot of their conversation. Gally's hands were in tight fists by his sides. "I saw Chuck's fat face in the window." I gasped when I saw the Greenie. I knew his face right away from my memories. Thomas.