A girl on Instagram named Samantha sent this to me! I love it! If you have fan art, send it to me through Instagram, (Shuckoffgreenie) and I will be sure to add it to my chapters ❤️
The usual hustle and bustle of the morning is set around the Glade as I walk outside, greeted by the grey skies and dry grass. Everyone seems to have eaten already, guess I wasn't up in time. I make my way to Frypan's kitchen, where he is already preparing for lunch.
"Hey! Looks like your'e doing better huh?" He says, while he continues to cut up lettuce.
"Water, and food?" My voice catches in my throat.
"Of course." He gets me a large plastic cup of water and some soup from last night.
"Thanks." I croak out.
"I assume you're wondering where Newt is?" Frypan snickers.
I look up at him, nodding.
"He's with Alby. Probably in the Gathering room, the one with all the chairs. I would wait a little though, go ahead and get to work. Alby is in a really pissed mood."
I finish eating and help Frypan clean up the kitchen before heading out to meet Zart at the gardens.
"Nice to see ya back on your feet," Zart said, slapping me on the back. "Let's get to work."
Zart and I checked up on the tomatoes, almost ripe. In the meantime, we harvested some corn and pulled weeds. So. Many. Weeds. God I wish I was a Runner. Mapping and finding a way out of it seems so much more exciting and useful than this.
After an hour of work, I decide to get some water for us. As I walk back to the kitchen, a familiar, soothing voice rings in my ears.
"Olivia?"
I stop dead in my tracks. Turn around quickly to see Newt. A smile is spread across his face, and he looks like he hasn't seen me since we were kids.
I can't help the cheesy grin spreading across my face as he limps towards me.
"I'm so relieved you're okay," He embraces me into a cautious hug, running his fingers through my hair. I wrap my arms around his back and bury my head into his warm chest. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, hurts to talk though." I reply, still hugging and swaying to an unheard beat.
"I thought you were going to die, Olivia."'His voice cracks, and I can hear the tears coming from his eyes.
"No, no I am here. I'm here," I say, rubbing his back.
"I couldn't live with myself,"
nWe stay like that for a minute or two before he whispers into my ear, "I have to go, love. I'll let Alby know you're doing okay. And you'll keep getting better. I can't wait to hear your sweet, soft voice." He lets go of me and kisses my cheek. Once he steps away, I get our water and head back to work with Zart.
"Back to work." He commands after we chug our drinks.
"Do you guys ever take time off?" I ask, wiping the sweat off of my forehead.
"Nope. Work keeps your mind in the right place. If you get lazy, you get sad. And sadness is a dark thing to fall into around this place,"
"Good that." I say and decide to resume to pulling weeds.
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It's lunch time. I take a bowl of soup and sit down next to Chuck and Winston. I scan the room for Newt, and spot him sitting next to Alby. Newt locks eyes with me and gives me a kissy face.
"Great." I murmur. Now I can't even eat lunch with him.
"Alby is being way too harsh on you guys, what a shank." Winston says, as if reading my thoughts.
I nod my head. "Yeah," I say. "So, Chuck. How's your day so far?" The rasp in my voice seems to surprise him.
"Oh, um good I guess. I was on shower duty. Today. It was so gross. I hope you feel better Olivia, I'm really sorry about what happened."
"Me too." Winston adds.
"I'm fine." I blurt out a little too harshly. I didn't want these people's pity. I refused to be the weak one in the Glade, the one every one feels bad for. I look down at my soup, swirling my spoon around and making ripples in the liquid.
The normal buzz of lunch time is not present, everyone seems to have a rain cloud over their heads.
"Why's it so quiet?" I ask, lowering my voice.
"Has no one told you?" Winston says. I shake my head.
"Today's Ben's banishment." Chuck says.
"What? What does that mean?"
"Just like it sounds. The shank's being forced into the Maze." Replies Winston.
I almost choke on my soup, which seems impossible judging that it's liquid.
"Why?"
"He tried to kill you, Olivia."
"Yeah but he was stung!"
"Doesn't matter to Alby."
"The guy seems like a control freak." I mumble.
"Sometimes. But he keeps us all in line, helps everything run smoothly. And good thing too, otherwise it'd be utter chaos."
I finish lunch in silence and then head back to the gardens for the rest of the afternoon.
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After the day's work, I sit on one of the picnic tables outside, watching the doors that will close in three hours. Chuck is sitting next to me. The little guy has grown on me. I feel so bad for him. He's only 11 or 12 years old and was thrown into such a horrible place.
He is carving a block of wood with a knife, the head of the structure apparent.
"Whatcha makin?" I ask.
"A statue. I'm going to give it to my mom when I find her. After we get out of here."
"Your mom?" I can't remember my mom's face or what she was like, but I could remember the typical mother things like cradling you when you're crying and taking care of you when you're sick. I wonder where my mom is. She's probably at home with my father, worrying about where I am and praying I'll come home.
"Yes. I know she's out there. And when we escape I'll see her. She will be waiting for me with open arms and I'll hug her and she'll kiss my head and everything will be back to normal." The hope in his voice tugs at me and I put my arm around his shoulders.
"You're right Chuck." I say and watch him work away on his little masterpiece.
About ten minutes later, I see Newt walking, limping, towards us. Towards me.
"Hey guys." Newt says.
"Hi Newt!" Chuck exclaims, waving excitedly. Newt laughs.
"Mind if I steal Olivia for a little bit?" He asks, not looking at Chuck, but at me.
"Sure. But you kids don't get too crazy. You and your flying hormones." Chuck says, acting like Alby.
Newt and I both burst out laughing. His impression was spot on.
"Thanks Chucky." Newt ruffles his hair and takes my hand and leads me to our hammocks.
We take a seat. "How are you doing," He asks.
"Better. My voice hurts, but not as badly as this morning,"
"I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear that, love." He wraps his fingers into mine. I look down at them.
"Where's Alby?"
Newt's expression changes. "With Ben. I managed to sneak away,"
"Why does Alby hate...us?"
"I don't know. Maybe he thinks we'll both get distracted, maybe he just has a chip on his shoulder. Whatever it is, it won't get in the way of what we have. And I can promise that."
"Really?"
"Yes," His smile makes everything seem clearer. His glowing eyes looking deeply into mine when he says four words that make my heart stop. "I love you, Olivia."
I am speechless. I want to say I love him too, I want to have him next to me every hour of every day and I want him to be mine for the rest of my life. But I have forgotten how to talk.
So instead, I cup his face and put my lips on his. He kisses in return. Soft, sweet, magical.
I break, but keep my forehead pressed on his, noses touching.
"I love you too, Newt." I whisper.
Suddenly, a piercing cry rings over the Glade. Ben.
"The banishment is about to start," Newt says, standing up. I see all the Gladers begin to make a crowd around the North Wall entrance. "I have to go." He rubs my arm before quickly walking away to join the Keepers at the front of the crowd.
I make my way towards them as well, but feel a heavy weight fall on my shoulder when I see Gally and another Builder holding Ben back. He's fighting them, kicking, dragging his feet and screaming.
I run over to the crowd and stand next to Chuck. Ben is getting closer to the front of the doors, and I have a better picture of him now. He looks so different than the boy I used to hang out with. It makes me sad. His veins are still purple and green, crossing his body. His eyes are bulging and his skin is wrapped tightly around his face. His clothes are tattered and threaten to fall apart with one touch, and he is breathing heavily, foam running from his mouth, licking his lips.
The builders let go of him and he falls to the ground in front of all the Keepers, who are all holding a long wooden pole, about 20 feet long, with a 2 foot stick attached perpendicular to it.
Ben quickly stands up. He's crying. "Alby, please don't do this to me."
"Ben, because of your attempted murder." Alby says.
"No no please! My head wasn't in the right place." Another cry from Ben.
"You are being Banished from the Glade."
"Alby! I was sick! I never would've hurt the girl if I wasn't sick!" He turns to the Gladers standing around him. I duck behind someone else, avoiding him seeing me. I can't make eye contact with those wild, crazy eyes again. "You can't let him do this! Someone help me!" He yells at us.
The doors begin to rumble, and the mysterious wall comes out of the side of the gap, closing in on the other wall.
"Poles up!" Alby shouts. All the Keepers raise their sticks and they begin to walk forward towards Ben. He fights them, trying to push them away, but there are too many of them. The ends of the poles force him into the Maze, pushing him backwards until he is out of doors way.
He's screaming things no one can understand. And then, its all cut off when the doors shut with a loud final boom, indicating its night time.
Alby turns to us. "Ben's gone. He belongs to the Maze."