STEEL || The Scorch Trials • Newt [2]

Chapter 4

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One of the guys opened up a door to a big room with bunk beds lined up against the walls perfectly. A sink was on the left, but that was pretty much it. The boys walked in, talking excitedly about our new place. I'll admit, it seemed more cozier than the Homestead in the Glade. We finally got our own beds, but two of us were planning to share one with each other. Obviously, you could guess who.

"Ooh, I got top bunk," Frypan called and went over to it.

But Minho jumped up there quickly, looking down at him mockingly. Poor Frypan.

"Too slow," Minho mocked with a little smirk as he exhaled.

Everyone propped down, got adjusted to their beds, sinking into the embrace of clean sheets, letting out sighs of content.

"I could get used to this," Winston commented while putting his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, it's not bad," Newt agreed, taking this all in.

Thomas and I, however, were not pretty comfortable being here. After seeing Teresa for only one time and not being here with us seemed sketchy, especially the way the guards handled the situation. What frightened me more was the fact that the man blocking the eastern wing was too calm, almost casual. It was a red flag for me; it raised suspicion in Thomas, too. Then, the guy that led us to our new room shut the door, locking it up. That was another red flag.

"What do you think those guys want with Teresa?" Thomas wondered, turning to Newt.

He didn't seem to be concerned about her. He simply just shrugged it off.

"Now, if there's one thing I know about that girl, she can take care of herself," he replied and proceeded to climb the ladder to one of the bunk beds. "Don't worry about it."

Later that night when it was maybe one or two in the morning, I couldn't fall asleep like everyone else. My brain was filled with all these questions that it would never shut down. Apparently, Thomas was, too, because I didn't see him in his bed. I was laying still, too still as I stared intently at the blank wall. I wasn't going to be getting sleep any time soon. Silently sighing in defeat, I quietly shifted to sit up, but that made Newt wake up.

"You all right?" He mumbled tiredly, leaning over to touch my arm.

"Yeah, I just need to rinse," I replied, grabbing his hand to kiss it before hopping down to the floor.

The dimly lit lights in the room made it easier for me as I made my way over to the sink. I silently turned on the faucet. Cold water ran down the drain, filling the silence a little. I plugged in the drain so the bowl could be filled with water. I splashed it on my face, letting little droplets run down the features of my complexion. I took a single glance at myself, seeing the caramel-colored haired hazel-eyed girl staring back at me. But she wasn't me. She looked sad, lost and crushed. It wasn't the same Rosalee as before.

I shook my head and turned off the water. I dried myself off and unplugged the sink before trodding back to the bunk bed and climbed up to where Newt was. I quietly laid back down, my back facing him, being very careful not to wake him up. I then felt Newt shifting to face me, inching his way closer until his hands made their way around my torso, sending chills down my spine. His chest pressed up against my back as he buried his face in the crook of my neck, feeling his hot breath on my skin. I sighed and leaned my head back, then Newt lightly pressed his warm lips on my skin.

"Are you sure you're all right?" He asked again tiredly in that husky British accent.

"Yeah," I replied carelessly.

I shouldn't have answered in such a tone that would get him worried. He propped himself up, towering above me, feeling his gaze staring down at me. I shifted until I was lying on my back so he could look into my eyes. I batted my eyes at him, hoping that would flatter him and get him to go back to sleep. But instead, he chuckled softly.

"You are such a terrible liar," he said, smiling a little.

I grinned back and laid my head down, staring ahead. Why did he have to be so good at reading my thoughts? Why did he have to be so good at reading everything on me?

"What's the matter?" Newt asked in a concerned tone this time. "You've been acting strange since we've got here, so clearly, there must be something buggin' you."

I was weighing my options, seeing if I should tell him or just convince him to let it go. But the tone in his voice made me give in, so I answered, letting out a sigh.

"Don't you think it's strange that Rat Man out there just let us stay here with no question? I mean, even Thomas knows that something is off. But don't you find it suspicious that he knows all this information about us? The Maze? W.I.C.K.E.D.?"

Newt didn't answer my question right away. He knitted his eyebrows together, putting on a thinking expression. Ugh, I knew this was going to happen.

"No," he answered after a while, shaking his head. "Should I?"

I groaned and sat up, pulling my knees to my chest, irritated at the fact that he didn't get the hint.

"Rosalee, use your words. Talk to me."

I shook my head, putting a hand on my forehead.

"Even you don't find this place weird. Am I the only one who thinks that this all seems too natural? And what about Teresa? I haven't seen her since we were in the testing room. There's just no way that-"

"Rosalee." Newt put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You're probably just overthinking this. I mean, we just got out of the Maze alive. I'll admit, I have been having trouble trying to adjust to this place because we've lost so many good people. I think that's what's happening with you."

Adjusting? I never gave much thought into that. It sounded logical. Maybe he was wrong, because the last time I had an ugly feeling in my gut, it turned out to be true. On the other hand, Newt hasn't been wrong about his assumptions, either. We've both been wrong before, so it wasn't much of a battle between who was right and who was wrong. I decided to let the subject go, at least for now.

Newt gently cupped my face in his hand, using his fingers to trace my jawline and neck. I shivered by his touch. He brought his face closer to mine until our foreheads and the tips of our noses were touching.

"I promise, Rosalee, we're safe now. You're safe now," Newt whispered softly.

He brushed his lips against mine, sending pleasant signals through my body. I gently grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him closer to me until our chests were touching. When a few seconds have passed, we pulled back to catch our breath. He lightly ran his finger down my cheek and over my bottom lip, causing my face tingle.

"Go to sleep," he whispered again. "I'll watch over you tonight."

"Okay," I replied with a little smile.

We both laid down together, Newt lying on his back while I curled myself into him; snuggling into his neck, then letting out a sigh of satisfaction.

"Feel comfy?" Newt grinned while rubbing my back.

"Very," I replied dreamily into his ear.

Newt swept my hair out of the way and pecked below my earlobe. But he didn't stop there. He left a trail of kisses from my jaw down to my collarbone; I could feel the heat rising in my chest by the feathery touch of his lips. Within a few seconds, I was able to get sleepy. I fell asleep in the most relaxing way, wrapped in Newt's arms lovingly.

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Oh, Newt is so romantic 🥰 *sighs dreamily*. I've never felt so alone in all my life.