"that wasn't supposed to happen to her!" cried the dark-haired boy, tugging angrily at the ends of his hair.
the blonde woman looked at him with distaste. "we don't tell you all of our methods, thomas," she said coldly. "chelsea has provided us with the most promising patterns ever since we sent-"
"that boy you drove crazy before you even sent him up?" thomas snapped, fury tingling his spine.
the blonde woman nodded. "yes, exactly. everything involving that girl had provided brand new patterns hugely valuable to us. we haven't even had to prompt anything. they just happen, and those are the best patterns we can record. organic, unstimulated."
thomas slammed his fists down on the table that separated them. "that girl is my sister," he snarled. "and you promised me no one would attack her."
the blonde woman looked up at him with a cold smile. "yes, i know. but she just might be the key to finding a cure."
———
chelsea kept running the dark. alby had shown up seconds after she'd taken off and called the boys back. she didn't know why or what he'd said to them, and she didn't care. she just had to get away. far, far away.
she headed to the first place that called out to her. the wood stood before her, it's shadows beckoning her, offering her refuge from the boys behind her.
"chelsea!" she ignored it and kept running deep into the forest.
it wasn't a large wood, but it would do. all she needed to do was hide. she came across a large tree and without missing a beat, leapt into the lowest-hanging branches. still shaking uncontrollably, she climbed to the top. finally, out of both eyesight and earshot of the boys, she began to slow her breathing and calm her racing heart.
back to where the gladers had gathered, newt turned to the injured boy still lying on the ground. blood covered his face and he was dazed and confused.
"what happened?" newt yelled, a strange rage coming out of no where and blossoming in his chest.
"newt, calm down," alby said sternly. "let me handle this."
newt ignored the leader. "you were hurting her. weren't you?" he spat, taking a few steps towards justin.
"no!" justin defended himself. "she came up to me and was practically asking for it! she begged me for it, and when i started to give it to her, she turned on me."
"liar!" newt snarled. "i heard her yelling for help. you attacked her! she would never ask you for it."
justin fixed his icy blue gaze on newt. "and how would you know? you've hardly been able to keep away from her! you can't keep your hands off her, i've seen you. news flash, newt, she's not all yours. you can't keep her all to yourself."
newt launched himself at justin, tackling him to the ground. before he could even get the first punch in, he felt himself being pulled off.
"that's enough!" alby's commanding tone rang out. his expression was hard. "both of you, in the pit for the night. tomorrow we'll hold a gathering and figure out what happened."
"what about the girl?" asked one boy.
alby looked in the direction the girl had run. the darkness has enveloped her seconds after she'd taken off. "the doors are shut, she won't go anywhere tonight. if she doesn't come back by tomorrow afternoon, we'll send out a search party."
newt and justin were taken to the pit, justin defending himself the entire time and newt practically spitting fire at him. the boys taking them didn't dare put them in cells next to each other, fearing that they'd never get any sleep if the two chose to holler at each other for the entire night.
"bloody shank!" newt screamed one last time from his cell.
"ugly shuck-face!" justin hollered back.
then they both fell silent, seething in their own fury. clint, a med-jack, tended to justin's injuries before turning in for the night, ignoring newt's mutters about how chelsea probably needed medical attention more than justin did as he past newt's cell.
then the glade was quiet again. the lights were extinguished and the gladers settled back in for the night.
but two people couldn't sleep.
newt paced in his small cell, his mind running at top speed as various emotions ran through it. in anger, he often slammed his fist against the structure's walls. where was chelsea? what had that shank done to her? would she come back? closing his eyes, he remembered how chelsea's first instinct when she'd shown up as soon as she felt threatened was to run to the maze. he'd explained the dangers of the maze, how no one had ever survived a night in there, how only the runners could go in. she'd listened, but something told him that she'd rather face blood-thirsty grievers than risk another encounter like the one she'd had with justin.
newt felt his heart drop as he realised he didn't actually know how far the boy had gotten with chelsea before she managed to get away. newt looked through the bars and tried to get a look at justin several cells down, but he couldn't see anything, so he gave up, resuming his enraged pacing.
newt had finally started making progress with chelsea. she'd started opening up to him. she hasn't smiled yet still, but sometimes he could see a faint spark of amusement in her eyes. instead of constantly pushing him away, she'd began to accept his presence. he stuck around her as much as he dared, wanting to keep the other boys off her. but obviously he couldn't protect her at all times.
newt felt a crushing weight on his chest. was this his fault? he should've slept with one eye open or at least move his hammock closer to the gathering hall. he could've done so much more, but even as his mind ran over the things that he could've done, he knew no one would have expected him to keep vigil outside while she slept. chelsea would not have appreciated the lack of personal space.
but at least she would be safe now, not somewhere in the wood, hiding under a bush and praying that she'd never have to see another glader. that crazed look in her eyes, one of horror, fear, rage and utter brokenness as she desperately looked for an opening to get away haunted newt's mind. distraught, newt sunk to the floor and closed his own eyes, praying for sleep to take him to morning.
deep in the wood, chelsea cling to her tree for dear life. her hazel eyes were wide as she scanned the area below her, watching for anyone approaching. she was as far up the large tree as it would allow her, safe from being spotted from the ground unless someone was looking very hard. the only sound that reached her ears was her own laboured breathing and the soft whirring of beetle blades, small mechanical bugs that the creators used to watch them. she knew they were watching her now, maybe laughing, maybe a little sympathetic, maybe awaiting in anticipation for what would happen next. she didn't care. she wasn't sure she cared about much anymore. she just knew she couldn't go back to the gladers.
"it's alright, you're safe."
newt's voice rang in her head. she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the words that repeated in her head. no, she wasn't safe. she hadn't ever been safe ever since she'd gotten here. and he knew it, too. yet he had the audacity to tell her she was. he'd hung around quite a bit, and while at first it made her uncomfortable, soon his presence offered her a little comfort and was a remedy to her raging loneliness.
trust no one, trust no one, she told herself fiercely.
she'd trusted them too much when she'd opened the door in the middle of the night. she trusted them every time she opened her door in the morning to newt who came softly knocking, inviting her to breakfast. she trusted them every time she accepted frypan's food. she trusted them every time she turned her back on them to tend the garden. it was a fragile trust, and now it was so shattered she had no idea if she'd ever rebuild it, not that she even wanted to.
the ghosts of justin's hands still crawled up her back and gripped her wrists, causing her skin to tingle uncomfortably. tentatively, she let go with one hand and peered at it in the dim light. she couldn't see much, but when she pressed on her wrist with her chin, the only thing really available, she let out a slight gasp of pain.
the stupid shank had bruised her. with that same hand, she reached slowly behind her head and felt there. dried blood crusted her hair. she winced as her prodding fingers felt a gash there, set atop a large bump. it was sore, but she knew she'd probably be fine.
after an hour of waiting, chelsea determined that no one was coming to look for her tonight, and she relaxed the slightest bit. she was perched securely in a tight nook of the tree. she did not think she would fall out unless she fell entirely to one side, but she left her arms around the trunk. finally, she dared to close her eyes. she would not sleep, fear did not allow that, but she managed to fade between the real world and blackness. and thus she stayed, until sun peeked over the eastern walls.
newt must have finally fallen asleep at some point of the night, because he awoke when the bright rays of sunlight pierced his cell. he sat up, sore from sleeping on the hard ground all night. jumping up, he peered outside. the sun had just come up, the shadows were still long and dew still clung to the long blades of grass. immediately, he looked towards the doors. they hadn't opened yet, but he could see minho and the other runners standing by them, waiting for them to open.
"minho!" he yelled, hoping to catch his friend's attention.
the boy turned, his wide build and his black quiff marking him even from a distance. he caught sight of newt through the bars, the skinnier boy's arms threaded through the door. minho turned and said something to ben, who nodded, before jogging up to newt.
"what's up?" minho asked, taking in newt's situation. "i can't let you out, y'know."
"yeah, i know, i wasn't going to ask that," newt said impatiently. "just listen. remember the first day chelsea arrived?"
"and i had to drag her back with ben after you dumb shanks let her get to the maze? yeah, i remember." minho's tone was annoyed, though more at the memory than at newt.
"right, well the thing is, chelsea ran for the maze as soon as she felt threatened. but i mean, she felt threatened from the beginning, but as soon as someone made a comment like they wanted to..." newt hesitated, looking for the right word. luckily, minho seemed to get it.
"as soon as it was more than just being scared of being locked up, right?" minho offered. "i know what you're saying."
newt nodded, grateful. "right. and i'm afraid, since no one knows where she is exactly, she'll find a way to sneak back into the maze today."
minho furrowed his brow. "doesn't she know what's out there? i'm pretty sure she knows it's not safe."
"yeah, of course she knows it's not safe," newt said, trying to make the runner understand. "but... she's kinda like me, she hates being trapped here."
"she's told you that?" minho asked, narrowing his eyes uncertainly.
newt shook his head and bit his lip, looking for words. "no, but i can see it in her eyes, in the way she looks at the walls. she wants out."
minho snorted and straightened his back. "we all want out, newt. that's why the runners have to run the maze when those doors open in a few minutes. is there a point to the discussion or are you just telling me you know chelsea's heart's deepest, darkest, desires?"
"my point is, i want you to station a runner as a guard by the maze doors today."
minho gave him a weird look. "why one of my runners? what's wrong with someone who works in the glade all day?"
"she got past all of us on the first day she was here. i need someone who can match her speed and isn't forbidden to go into the maze."
minho studied him for a minute.
newt's expression grew desperate. "please, minho."
minho sighed and shook his head to himself. "is this your order or alby's?"
"mine, and it's not an order. it's one friend asking a favour of another."
minho rolled his eyes. "alright you shank, tell you what, i can't do it myself because alby wants me to stay here for the gathering to decide what happened last night and the consequences and whatever. i'll get ben to stake out just inside the maze, around the corner. he's fastest after me, so he'll catch anyone who comes in. if you want someone watching tomorrow, too, i'll do it then."
newt's face broke into a relieved smile. "thank you, minho."
"don't mention it," minho said as he stood up. he started to walk away, then thought of something and turned back to his caged friend. "newt."
"yeah?" newt looked up at him.
minho scrutinised him for a moment. "do you like her?"
newt's face paled, his relieved expression changing to a thoughtful one, then a guarded one. without answering, he turned away, facing into his cell.
minho let out a slight chuckle. "well, whether you do or not, i know a lot of boys in this shuck place want more than a few kisses off her, and not too many are willing to protect her."
newt turned his head slightly, listening. "that's not true." he objected.
"which part?" minho asked, a small smirk growing on his face.
"i'm willing to protect her, alby is, frypan, and even gally cares about her."
minho shook his head. "no man, alby only cares enough to try to keep something like what happened last night from going farther than it did. frypan is friendly, but you and i both know he's no protector. gally... well maybe gally could help keep her safe. as for you," minho turned and took a few steps closer to newt again. "you can't protect her all by yourself unless you're totally committed. she's gonna get away from you, she's gonna get away from all of us. you've gotta make some kinda move. if she comes out of that forest, you have to make her feel protected and cared for."
his eyes hardened and he reached through the bars, roughly grabbing newt's shoulder and turning him so he was forced to look at minho.
"because i saw the look in her eyes last night, newt. i can promise you protected and cared for was the last thing she felt." his dark eyes searched newt's, who ran a hand through his blonde hair again but said nothing.
just then, a loud grating sound announced the opening of the doors into the maze. minho didn't move for a second, still searching newt's expression for some sort of sign. when he got nothing, he sighed and stood up.
"i'll tell ben to wait inside the maze in case she comes in," he said. then he turned and ran off, meeting up with his fellow runners to bid them farewell and give final orders before they poured into the maze.
newt watched the runners go, turning minho's words over in his mind. everything minho said he'd already thought, but hearing them spoken aloud to him put everything into a completely different light.
chelsea had not left her tree except for once, when the need to relieve herself forced her to climb down and hide behind a bush. it was even worse than the filthy toilets back at the homestead. the work the sloppers did, who cleaned the showers and toilets, was never left for long.
she'd managed to calm her racing heart and shaking body, but she'd already resolved to never return to the gladers. she'd already worked out her plan. she'd sneak into the glade that night and steal some food and weapons. she couldn't take newt's machete or any of the others personal weapons, they'd miss them and know she'd taken them. she'd have to sneak into the weapons room, which was on the edge of the woods. most gladers didn't know where it was, but she'd watched minho go in there once, so she knew where it was. the food would be easy. if she took a little of everything, frypan wouldn't miss anything.
but today she would have to hide in the woods. she'd creep to the edge and hide in a tree again and watch to see what would happen to justin. she knew there would be a gathering, where his fate would be decided, so she could easily listen to what was going on.
chelsea turned her mind to her own future again. could she really hide in the forest forever? probably not. she'd slip up eventually, they'd find her and bring her back. maybe this time she actually would be locked up. her eyes turned to the gap in the walls, knowing the runners had just left.
what about the maze? she'd been told time and time again about the dangers of the maze, how no one had ever survived a night inside. the huge monsters no one could describe because no one had seen one and lived to tell about it. the endless corridors, changing every night. what was the point of having the runners map the maze one day if it would be completely different the next? she'd asked minho once. he'd given her a strange look.
"patterns," was all he said.
could she escape into the maze one evening after the runners had returned, only minutes before the door shut? would she be able to survive? maybe. but she couldn't stay here long term, that was for sure. she knew the gladers, though. they'd expect her to try to run into the maze again. newt might, anyway. and alby wouldn't risk it. there would be a guard today. maybe even tomorrow, she didn't know.
i'll stick it out today, she decided. tonight i'll sneak some food, then tomorrow i'll run into the maze. it can't be that hard, right? i can just hide from the grievers until daybreak. i can hide from the runners every day, too. it can't be that hard.
with those thoughts, chelsea set her resolve. but the sun was slowly and determinedly climbing. it wouldn't be long before the gladers were up and the gathering was held. she slowly made her way down the tree, pausing frequently to listen for the tell-tale sounds of the boys. nothing.
it took her ten minutes to make it to the edge of the forest. she found a tall tree thick with plenty of branches and clambered up with ease. she went as high as she dared and scanned the large glade.
she was just in time, for seconds after she'd settled in her spot, she saw the hall figure of alby leave the small area newt had told her he and the keepers slept. soon the other gladers were up and about, too. without realising it, chelsea found herself searching for the tell-tale lanky figure and slight limp that newt had. but she could not find him. she watched as alby and a few other gladers, minho and gally among them, walk to the pit. she showed no surprise when justin was pulled out of one cell, but she was confused when newt emerged from another.
she watched, bored but apprehensive as the boys got breakfast. she noticed that they were oddly quiet. either that or she just couldn't hear them at a distance.
finally, she saw alby lead the boys into the gathering. she saw that newt was the last one to go in, turning and scanning the glade before finally ducking inside. now was the time to move. chelsea climbed down from the tree and ran across the glade towards the gathering hall, her feet barely making any noise despite her speed. she watched around her for stragglers. there were none.
chelsea didn't stop by the front door to listen. instead, she crept around the back, crouching by the wall and pressing her eye against a gap. she was lucky, no heads blocked her way.
she could see alby standing in the centre, gally, newt, minho, and the other keepers around him. the regular gladers surrounded them, seated on the dirt step-like benches. there was tons of chatter, but it didn't last long.
"alright, settle down you lot," alby said, and soon the murmurs and talk died down. "we need to discuss and find out what happened last night. it appears as though chelsea, who, it seems, either was attacked by or attacked justin here," he gestured to the boy, who looked up with his piercing blue eyes. his nose, she noted with satisfaction, was swollen and bruised despite the med-jacks efforts. "has not returned from the woods after she ran off last night. so we will have to make due with what the rest of us saw and can come up with." he turned to justin.
"let's start with you, shall we?" his tone was hard.
justin cast his eyes across the crowd and stood up. "last night i couldn't sleep. i decided a walk would do me some good, clear my mind a bit. i hadn't gone very far before chelsea appeared out of the darkness, a blanket around her shoulders. she came up to me and started flirting. i was a little sad, if i'm honest, and decided her company could do me some good. i flirted back. it seemed to me as though she was strongly hinting at what she wanted, and i wasn't about to say no. she let me to the middle of the glade. i was worried someone would see us, but she told me that was part of the excitement of it. we were laying on the grass when she suddenly started screaming at the top of her lungs. i of course rolled off her immediately, only to have her jump on top of me and bash me with a rock. then you all showed up and she took off into the wood, apparently too ashamed to face what she'd done."
chelsea could barely contain her anger. her blood boiled and her hands shook. several colourful names arose in her mind, but she managed to keep from betraying her presence.
luckily, she wasn't the only one who was angered by justin's lies.
"that's a load of klunk!" newt spluttered. he turned to alby, pleading in his brown eyes. "there's no way you can believe this shank," he begged.
"calm down, newt," alby said. "of course i don't." then he more obviously addressed the entire glade. "i didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with chelsea, but from what i have experienced with her and from what i've been told about her, there is absolutely no way she initiated what happened last night."
newt visibly relaxed.
"i know what happened," gally snarled. the large boy had spoken little, but the smouldering anger in his eyes made it clear that he was far from pleased. "this lying shuck-face came onto our girl-greenie last night, and when it was clear that he wouldn't get away with it, he came up with a lie and let chelsea bash his face just he would look innocent."
chelsea had mixed emotions when gally spoke. specifically when he referred to her as "our girl-greenie." almost as though he cared for her, but since he didn't specify who the "our" was, she couldn't be sure.
"justin broke the rules. he harmed another glader in a way none of us have ever had to deal with," gally continued.
"so what do you suggest we do?" alby asked.
"banish him!" newt immediately stated, a disgusting expression on his face whenever he looked at justin.
immediately there was an uproar.
"he must be banished!" agreed gally, crossing his arms.
the gladers continued to bicker for several minutes before alby calmed them. chelsea took another look at justin. fear had entered his icy blue eyes, and he looked anxiously from side to side.
—
𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟒𝟏𝟓𝟏
𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠. 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬? 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨, 𝐢'𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞. 𝐢 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐢 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢 𝐝𝐢𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟖𝟎𝟎 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲 <𝟑