Lover Boy | Newt (Book 1)

~~ 7 ~~

Cyrah's P.O.V.

   A shrill alarm sounds in the peaceful Glade. I jump at the noise, but Alby and Newt look around calmly, though still a bit shocked by the sudden noise. The animals all whine and moan at the noise. 

   "Is that for the newbie?" I yell as we sprint to the box.

   "Yeah..." Alby says. He's already panting. That guy needs to get himself to the gym. Well, if we weren't trapped in a maze, that is.

   We stop at the box and sit down since according to Alby, it'll be a while before the new person comes.

   "Cyrah, do you want to go meet the Newbie?" Newt offers.

   "Uh, it's fine, you can," I say. I don't want to, and Newt probably does it better anyway. 

   "Okay...Let's hope the newbie reacts as well as you did," Alby says, grinning.

   "Leave it, Alby," I grumble as we sit. Suddenly the rumbling sound that was previously coming from the box stopped, and we lift the handles that open the box.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Newbie's (you'll see who in a moment)'s P.O.V.

   I wake to standing and dizzy. I rock around and try to walk forward, but the darkroom I'm trapped in lunges, and I fall, luckily catching myself with my hands and then lifting myself into a sitting position.

   "Hello?" I whisper, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

   I try to focus on everything, anything that my brain has to give me, and the only thing I can come up with is that I'm in a box made of metal and the box is travelling up. I can't remember anything either, except for "Minho". My name is Minho.

   I continue pulling on my brain, picking at the seams, like my brain is a piece of quiltwork that I need to pick apart.

   C...cy...cy...almost there...cyr...Cyrah!

   The box lurches in an abrupt stop, sending me crashing to the floor. Abruptly, the 'lid' of the box slides open, and I quickly raise my forearm over to cover my eyes. 

   After I adjust for a bit, I'm able to see the silhouette of three people, but I can't tell if they're boys or girls. I grab the nearest thing next to me, which are spare planks of wood, and I hold it up like a baseball bat, crouching behind the boxes.

   Cyrah. I need to find Cyrah.

   "Hello?" Someone jumps down from the top and I jump on him. He has an accent and blonde hair. About 14. "What–––"

   "Where's–––" I never finished.

   "Woah, Woah, calm down, man," he says, waving his hand. "I'll answer your questions later. Can I get up now? Feel free to keep the plank," he adds. "Not that you'll need it, though." 

   I slowly get up and stand. I don't drop the plank. He rises to one knee, dusts himself down, and stands. He holds out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Newt, welcome to the Glade," he says. "What's your name?"

   "Minho. Where's Cyrah?"

   Newt gasps and his mouth drops open. "Do you still have any of your memories?" He asks hopefully. 

   "No, why can't I remember anything? Where am I? WHERE'S CYRAH?" I demand.

   "I'm coming down, Newt!" A girl with the same accent as Newt calls, throwing a rope at us.

   "Love, you don't need–––" Love?

   Too late. The girl jumps down and lands in a crouch. "Hey, what–––" she stops there, staring open-mouthed at me. She has black hair, hazel eyes, pale skin. About 13, maybe. Cyrah.

   "I know you..." she murmurs.

   "Cyrah?"

   "Uh...guys?" A guy asks. He has a deep voice. "Are you camping down there or something?" 

   "Um...you might wanna come down, Alby," Newt mutters. "Slight issue."

   "Yeah..." The boy named Alby says, and after a couple of moments, he jumps down with the rest of us.

   Dark hair, dark skin, and a friendly smile. Looks about 16.

   "What's up with the Newbies being dressed in green?" He huffs and I snicker slightly. "I guess you're the new 'Greenie' now, man," he says, offering me a slightly dimpled smile.

   "Nice to meet you, I'm Alby," he adds.

   "That's not what we need you for, Alby," Cyrah says, making a duh face. 

   "What, then?"

   "They know each other. He knows her name and she knows him."

   "Can you stop talking about us like we're not here?" Cyrah and I ask at the same time and then laugh, because why not?

   Alby rolls his eyes and squints at us for a bit. 

   "Uh..maybe we should settle this matter after we go up, give the tour, and get food," Cyrah cuts in when we all stare at each other. Easy to see why she's the only one here with common sense.

   "Sure," Alby says and climbs up the rope. Cyrah follows and I step on the rope next. When I'm about to climb it, the rope suddenly launches up and I'm jerked to the ground above, which is grass.

   "Oh, sorry, Minho," Cyrah says, giggling softly at my fall. She offers a hand up and I take it since it's the only hand I trust. She pulls me up with enough force, surprisingly for her size, and I look around the place Newt called 'the Glade'.

   I notice she doesn't let go of my hand.