(A/n: HIIII, I made an edit of newtmas recently, and also, it absolutely hurt me to put Teresa into this book, but I need her for lore, so... :)) Should I still make Gally a love interest or no?)
We were at the gathering, right after Minho casually announced that I had killed a griever, which, of course, wasn't the case. The creators did.
Me and Tommy were sitting in front of all of them, almost like we were being judged. I held his hand for comfort, and he looked at me and smiled.
I'm sure we'll be fine, don't worry mei.
he said in my head.
"Things are changing. There's no denying that. First, Ben gets stung in broad daylight. And then Alby."
"Now our Greenie and mei, here, have taken it upon themselves... to go into the maze. Which is a clear violation of our rules here." Gally was mad.
He was no longer the sweet, funny boy patching up my finger just because of a piece of wood.
"Yeah... but they saved Alby's life." Frypan stood up for us,
Gally retaliated. "Did they? For 3 years, we have coexisted with these things. And now, you've k*lled one of them. Who knows what that could mean for us."
"Well what do you suggest we do?" newt said.
"They have to be punished." Gally shrugged.
Protests could be heard all around the cramped room, "Whoa whoa, wait" "she killed a griever!"
"Minho, you were there with them. What do you think?" newt looked over to Minho who was leaning up on the wall.
"I think... in all the time we've been here... no one has ever k*lled a Griever before."
"When I turned tail and ran... these dumb shanks stayed behind to help Alby."
"Look, I don't know if they're brave or stupid. But whatever it is, we need more of it. I say we make them runners." Minho declared.
"A runner? What? Minho, let's not jump the g*n, here." frypan exclaimed in shock.
"Thomas, Thomas, Thomas, Thomas!" Chuck chanted but soon stopped as no one had joined him.
"If you want to throw the newbie a parade, that's fine. But if there is one thing I know about the maze... it is that you do not..."
We all heard it, the box was coming up again.
Newt rushed out to see what was the commotion, and soon all the other gladers were out in the glade, wondering why it was there again.
Newt and Gally, who were the first ones by the box, opened it,
"It's another girl." he looked up confused.
"I think she's dead," he said with concern.
I recognized her. She was one of the people in the white coats, she was helping the lady with the blonde hair test on me, I know it.
I stepped back in fear, Why would they send one of them up?
"Are you alright?" Thomas grabbed my hand with worry.
"I'm okay." I tried to smile at him, but I still couldn't shake off that horrible gut feeling.
"What's in her hand?" newt reached and pulled the note from her,
"She's the last one, EVER." he read.
"What the hell does that mean?"
She woke up, gasping for air, she looked directly at the boy I was holding,
"Thomas!" she breathed out, falling back asleep.
Everyone looked at Thomas now, including me, in confusion, He was confused too, Tommy squeezed my hand and looked over at me, trying to make sense of things.
"Still think I'm overreacting?" Gally commented.
Thomas looked back down at the girl, his curious gaze on her.
The other gladers had picked her up and brought her to the medjack hut.
I pulled Thomas away, wondering if he'd recognized her at all.
Tommy, do you recognize her? at all?
No, I don't, but she still feels so familiar, like the first time we'd met, remember? it's the same feeling.
I do.
he looked at me in shock.
Remember we talked about those weird dreams we've been having? Well, she was one of the people in white coats I saw. I explained to him.
Tommy didn't say anything back, he just kept quiet for a while.
Well, I'm sure there's an explanation why she's here, maybe she remembers, let's go. he stood up, offering me a hand.
we made our way into the medjack hut, passing by Alby who was twitching in his sleep.
"What's the matter with her? Why won't she wake up?" Newt asked Jeff, turning to us as he noticed our presence.
"Hey man, I got my job the same way you did." he shrugged.
It was quiet for a while, but newt finally broke the silence.
"Do you recognize her?" he asked Tommy,
"No" Tommy lied,
"Really because she seems to recognize you."
"What about the note?" he switched the subject.
"We'll worry about the note later." newt looked away
"I think you should worry about it now."
"We've got enough to deal with at the moment."
"He's right, Newt," Jeff said, finally breaking their banter. "If the Box isn't coming back up, how long do you think we can last?"
"No one said that." he gave Jeff a stern look.
"Let's not jump to conclusions. We'll just wait until she wakes up and see what she knows. Somebody gotta have some answers around here."
"Okay." Thomas ran off
"Where are you going?" Newt asked.
"Back into the maze"
Minho ran after Tommy, and the medjacks went to check on Alby, leaving me and newt alone.
"What about you? Do you recognize her at all?"He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
I hesitated, "Yeah... I do," I finally admitted.
"But I don't want to talk about it here. Can we go somewhere else?"
He nodded, understanding my need for privacy. He led me to his hut, a small space that felt surprisingly intimate despite its simplicity. We sat down on his bed, the weight of unspoken truths hanging between us.
"I've seen her before," I said, my voice low. "In my dreams. She was one of the people in white coats... she was there when they... tested on us."
He gasped, looking stunned.
"You mean... she was one of the creators?"
I nodded, "I don't know why she's here or what she wants. But I have a feeling she's connected to all of this.
He nodded as he looked at me for a while, his expression slowly softening,
"What are you looking at?" I nervously said, my eyes avoiding his.
"I haven't talked to you in a while," he rubbed the back of his neck, seeming embarrassed.
"We're talking right now?" I giggled, moving closer to him.
"You know what I mean." he rolled his eyes.
"I missed you too." I smiled, placing my hand on his.
He held my hand and pulled me in for a hug.
"Did you miss me that much?" I said, my voice muffled by his clothes.
"I did," he said in an almost whisper.
He pulled back a bit and looked at me again, that same soft expression,
As we sat on the bed, the air between us was heavy with unspoken emotions, Newt reached out and gently lifted my chin, guiding my gaze to meet his.
There was a moment of hesitation, a silent question passing between us, before Newt closed the distance, his lips meeting mine in a soft, tender kiss.
My heart fluttered as she leaned into the kiss, my hand reaching up to rest on Newt's neck, The world around them seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of us in that small, intimate space.
When he finally pulled away, my cheeks were flushed pink, and I looked down, suddenly feeling shy. But when I glanced up, I found Newt smiling softly at me, his eyes filled with warmth and affection.
"I've wanted to do that for a really long time," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
My heart skipped a beat, and she smiled back at him, feeling a rush of happiness. "Me too" I whispered back, his arms wrapped around my waist as I pulled him in, leaning in for a kiss.
He pulled away, hesitating to say something,
"I really care about you, Mei. I find myself worrying about you every single second in the glade. You occupy my entire mind, and I can't make it go away."
I felt a warm glow spreading through me at Newt's words. I looked into his eyes, seeing the sincerity and care reflected in them.
"I really care about you too, Newt," I replied softly, my voice filled with emotion. "I've never felt this way about anyone before. You make me feel safe, even in this place."
Newt smiled, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. "I'll always do my best to keep you safe, Mei. You mean a lot to me, more than I can put into words."
"I know things are complicated here," I said,
"But being with you makes it all a little easier to bear."
Newt smiled and pulled me into a hug.
"Can you stay with me tonight?"