The Girl

Chapter Twenty Nine

  I carefully bend Ben's arm in different directions, making sure I don't worsen his injury. Aside from my occasional "does it hurt"s and Ben's responsive "no"s, I inspect him in silence.

His arm was still swollen, there was no doubt about that. But he needed to get back out into the maze. And I promised Newt and Alby I'd have him fixed up by tomorrow's run.

"I'm pretty sure you've been lying to me at least half the time but, if you haven't then you're almost completely healed. You're going out running tomorrow, but try not to be too reckless with your arm. The less movement, the better. I'm putting you in a sling tonight, but that's only to ensure your health for tomorrow. Try to sleep on your right side- sleeping on the shoulder of the wounded arm would not end well. That's pretty much it. Be careful," I give Ben all my instructions and diagnoses. He smiles.

"Thanks, Beth. I can't wait to get back out there!" He exclaims. My own smile falters. He must notice.

"You liked being a runner, didn't you?" He smirks at me.

"Shh! Keep your voice down! But... yeah. I kinda did like running," I confess, somewhat guiltily.

"Why am I being shushed?" He asks, sarcastically acting offended. I think about it a moment, whether or not I should tell Ben the truth.

"I don't want Newt to know that I like running. He'd lose his mind," I admit. Ben hadn't done anything that gave me a reason not to trust him. He lets out a chuckle.

"Don't worry, princess. Your secret's safe with me." I shift uncomfortably when he calls me princess. That's something only Minho calls me.

"Thanks. You're free to go," I tell him. He pushes himself to his feet and begins to exit. I shift my weight from side to side, debating whether or not I should tell him. He's almost out the door when I speak up.

"And Ben?" I call.

"Uh huh?" He answers.

"How 'bout not callin' me princess? I may be sweet but I could send an arrow through your head from a mile away." I warn, matter-of-factly. "See ya." The boy smirks and exits. I stand up from the little wooden chair and make the bed he'd been sitting on.

No one's been injured since, and no one's in the infirmary, so I leave. I poke my head out of the two flaps of the tent and look around. I quickly spot Newt helping out in the gardens, so that's where I go. I walk leisurely, saying hello to a lot of the gladers and making small talk. I've got nothing to do, and I'm still a little sore from the griever attack. But I make my way over. The sun is mostly down, the work day's almost over. Newt smiles as he sees me approach.

"What brings you here, beautiful?" He asks, leaning against a tree. I shrug and smile.

"I've got nothing to do. I decided to help you," I nudge him in the shoulder with my elbow. I bend down to grab a shovel and Newt and I work alongside each other. We dig, plant, and water. We don't speak, but we don't need to.

I quickly rub my hands together to try and get some of the dirt off them. I rub my palms on my pants to try and get the rest, not looking where I'm going as I begin walking to get more fertilizer. I continue rubbing my hands on my pants, annoyed that the dirt won't come off. But before I know it, I've tripped over a root and fall sideways.

"Woah-" I exclaim as I fall into Newt's muscular arms. I quickly grab onto his right arm with my left hand to steady myself. I glance over to see the arm wrapped around my middle.

"I've gotcha," Newt says calmly. I barely hear him though, I'm too distracted by his arms. They're really muscular. He follows my gaze and laughs.

"See something?" He asks and helps me to stand steady. I blush, embarrassed. But he abruptly changed the subject, catching a glimpse of my necklace. He carefully pick the chain up, making sure he doesn't hurt me. "What's this?"

"Just a necklace. They sent me up with it. I guess maybe it connects to my past in some way," I explain. He doesn't stop looking at it.

"It's really pretty..." He trails off, taking the small charm off of the place it rested on my collarbone. I smile warmly.

"Thank you." He drops the charm around my neck. The doors rumble, signaling closing. And the end of the day in the glade. I help Newt and a couple other Gladers carry the tools to the shed. I pile a few shovels up in my arms and follow Zart, the Keeper of the Gardeners, across the glade. We pass the hammocks, and the Council Hall, and the map room. The med tent. I'd never been in the gardening shed before, just the weapons shed. Shifting his load to one arm, Zart pulls a key out of his pocket and unlocks the door. He pulls it open and tosses the tools he'd carried into it. I walk in a little and line the shovels up on the wall before exiting. I lean against the outside of the small wooden shed and shiver a bit. I never realized how cold it got at night in the Glade. Probably because I'm always in the med tent. I feel someone's fingers brush against my arm. I turn my head and look up.

"Cold?" Newt asks, untying his hoodie from his waist.

"Just a little..." I say as he hands it to me. I smile gratefully and pull it over my head. I offer my hand and begin walking back to the hammocks. Newt pulls my hand back slightly.

"Woah, woah, where're you goin'?" Newt asks. I shoot him a perplexed look. He laughs. "We've got a gathering. Since you're a Keeper, you're invited."

"Ooo, my first gathering. This'll be fun," I say, somewhat sarcastically. "What's it for?"

"Discussing why you were sent up to us," Newt says, looking down. I groan.

"Ugh, we're still on this? I thought we'd settled it."

"We did too, but Alby wants to get all the Keepers bloody opinions. But I don't care what they say, I'll make sure they don't lay a hand on ya," He says and swings an arm up around my shoulders.

"And how do ya plan on doin that?" I ask, reaching up to lace my fingers together with his.

"Being second in command can be nice sometimes," Newt smiles.