"Holy shucking mother of god, Jane!" Chuck screamed once he saw me. "That was insane!"
"I'm getting a punishment." I pouted, ignoring Chuck's happiness. I didn't find any of what just happened funny.
"It's your own fault." Chuck blurted out.
"I know, Chuck," I replied as we sat down against a tree. "But still. I've been here a week!"
"What's a dingleberry?" Chuck innocently asked.
"I'm not answering that."
"There is Newt!" Chuck pointed out, not even arguing about me not explaining something. "He looks quite pissed."
Chuck was right. Newt madly walked over to Alby and started talking to him. Minho was nowhere to be seen and to be honest, I didn't even care.
"Maybe they banish you," Chuck said.
"And that is?"
Chuck sighed as his face turned paler. Not good, I immediately realized.
"It's when they put you in the maze right before the doors close. You're trapped, left to death, food for the Grievers. Whatever you want to call it." A shiver went down my spine and Chuck seemed shaky too. "But I've never experienced it and I'd rather not have you, my best friend, be banished."
I smiled when he called me his best friend.
"Maybe Newt will convince Alby to just not punish you." Chuck sighed. "Oh, there he comes." The kid straightened his back.
And indeed, Newt walked over to us, still mad. "Bloody hell, Jane! That was not necessary!" He sternly said. "Alby and I decided your punishment."
"Why didn't you have a gathering?" Chuck wondered.
"Because we don't have the bloody time for something idiotic like this." Newt gave the kid a quick glance, almost a dirty one. "You'll have to spend one night in the Pit."
"Pit?"
"It's sort of a cage in the ground," Chuck explained very fast after I asked. "Cold, dark, spooky, creepy, scary-"
"We get it, Chuck." Newt snapped before turning to me again. "You'll have some company."
"Company?"
"The shank himself will be there too. Same Pit. Same night."
"What?" I raised my voice at Newt. "You can't do that! I just got in a fight with him! How do you know we won't end up in one again?"
Chuck gasped loudly and clapped his hand in excitement, but another look from Newt made him stop.
"Alby's decision. He wants y'all to make it up. He's talking to Minho right now." Newt paused. "Now walk with me."
"Come on, Newt!" I didn't move from my seat. I was not going to spend a night with an idiot like Minho.
"Get up," Newt ordered. "I don't feel like dragging you."
"Then don't." I crossed my arms over each other, acting tougher than I actually was.
Newt got more irritated by the second. "Get off your bloody seat and follow me, Jane." He calmly said though I heard the anger in his voice.
"Alright, alright, Blondie," I mumbled as I finally got up. Ending up in a fight with Newt too, didn't seem like the best idea. Newt started limping away. Quickly I followed him.
Should I ask him about his limp? He never says anything about it, so maybe I shouldn't. Not in this situation. I'll ask later.
"Get in." Newt and I stood behind the Homestead. He opened a bamboo-made fence that lead into a dark... cage. I did as he told me to, sighing loudly, and got in.
"Alby will be here in a second." Newt closed the door. "Behave yourself."
Jesus, he sounds like a father.
"Night." He walked away, leaving me alone. I looked around me. It was just a plain cage. Cold, and dark. The ground under me was hard stone. Very comfortable to sleep on.
"Come on, Alby!" Someone from outside said. "You can't do this to me."
"Don't resist, Minho."
"Who knows if we fight again?"
"You won't."
"But what if we-."
"Get over it, Minho. Whatever you say is not going to help. Now get in."
I crawled toward a dark corner in the Pit and watched Minho hop in. "Good night you two." Alby locked the fence before walking away.
Minho gave me a quick, dirty glance as he crawled to another corner himself. I made a ball of myself, knees on my chest with my side on the ground, and tried to sleep, but it was hard. The coldness made me shiver.
Minho didn't say anything either, which was probably the best decision. He lay in the same position as me, back turned to me.
"How the shuck am I supposed to sleep in here?" Minho mumbled under his breath once he started moving around uncomfortably.
"Be happy. You get to sleep in a bed every day. I sleep on the ground." I whispered back.
"I don't care." He snapped. I sighed and rolled over so I couldn't see Minho anymore.
"If you keep acting like this, I won't give you a training."
"You said you would give me a chance," I replied, offended. "And besides, I'm not the only one acting like this."
"Wow. She admitted she acts stupid." Minho fake gasped. "And you overheard our conversation."
"I can't unhear the shit you talk."
Free yourself out of the Pit.
My eyes opened wide, my heart rate went up, and my breathing stopped for a second.
Do it.
Why would I free myself from the Pit? I would get an even worse punishment! And why would they want me to do that?
I won't do it, I said in my head.
There will be consequences.
"Minho. Is it possible to escape the Pit?" I blurted out.
"No. You can only open it from outside. And what are you planning to do, Shebean? Just go to sleep."
"Okay," I mumbled. I was so scared of what was going to happen.
It was getting dark in the Pit. It had been ten minutes since I got a task, and I still didn't complete it. My heart pounded in my chest, waiting for something to happen.
Suddenly Minho winced. Immediately I shot straight up. "Minho?"
He wiped on his clothes, let out some more cries and mumbles, and twisted around. With wide eyes, I stared at the boy. "What's happening?"
"My skin." Minho groaned. "It burns."
Oh, shit, shit, shit. What do I do?
I crawled over to Minho, who tossed his arms around and threw his head back.
This is my fault. I hate him, but he doesn't deserve this. He did nothing.
"Alby!" I yelled, almost crying. I just didn't know what to do, couldn't think clearly, and only thought about the fact it was my fault.
Minho screamed out in pain.
Stop! I thought, hoping the stupid voice would hear it and obey.
"Help!" I yelled even louder when Minho squeezed his eyes shut. I grabbed Minho by the shoulders. His eyes opened wide. "Minho!" A tear almost dropped down my cheek.
Minho's chest started moving up and down slower, his groans and cries stopped, and his hurtful eyes turned soft again. My hands were still on his shoulders, Minho looked at them.
"Caring for me now, huh?" He grinned.
My mouth dropped open. "You stupid idiot! You were almost dying, I saved you or whatever the hell happened, and the first thing you do is make a stupid comment!" I pulled my hands away and crawled to my own corner again, shocked about everything.
"What the hell do you two think you're doing?" Alby walked over to us with a torch in his hand. His eyes were sleepy and he wore pajamas. "Go to sleep."
~
Alby let me and Minho out of the Pit the next morning. Finally. I probably looked terrible since I hadn't slept for a second. The whole night I had been thinking about what happened. The voice, if Minho getting hurt was the consequence, and my touch making it stop.
I got a plate filled with food and joined Newt, who still looked pissed, somehow.
"I hope you had fun yesterday." He grumbled.
"What?" I frowned.
"Could've picked a more private place, you know." Newt coldly said, not even daring to look at me.
"Private place?"
"The whole bloody Glade heard you two!"
"Heard us?"
"Are you gonna keep repeating me or what?" Newt snapped.
Yep, he's definitely mad... for some reason.
"I don't understand what you're saying."
Newt sighed and wanted to open his mouth, but another boy I recognized as Zart joined us.
"You could've been a bit quieter, you know." He grinned at me.
"Can someone please tell me what is going on and what you mean by quieter?" I raised my voice.
"We all tried to sleep until we heard you screaming Minho's name and him groaning and making other noises," Zart explained.
With my mouth wide open I stared at Zart. "We weren't doing what you think! Minho- he- his skin... it was burning."
"Nice excuse, Jane." Newt frowned deeply. "Very nice excuse."
"We weren't doing that!" I defended, getting angry myself too. "You only think about that because you're all stupid boys! We both just tried to sleep, multiple feet away from each other until Minho was in pain! I tried to help him, so don't tell me you didn't hear me scream for help or Alby! I did NOT just scream Minho's name, so if you shuckfaces would just listen and believe me for once, that would be very nice!" I yelled, though this time I made sure not the whole Glade would hear it.
"Now that," someone behind me said. "Was a nice one."
I turned my head just to see Minho, who sat down next to Newt.
"She's telling the truth."
Newt was taken back and didn't say anything else. He just looked down in shame, cheeks red.
"Jealous boy," Minho whispered a little too loud.