Newt had found me a little later and had told me that I should have woke him. I had rolled my eyes at him and told him that I was with Minho for most of the time, which wasn't a lie. I had hung out with him, Gally, and a few other Gladers while they ate breakfast, but then Newt had gone out to help Zart with a few things, and I had followed Gally over to where they were fixing a wall of a hut at the Bloodhouse that some cattle had kicked in.
He had told me there wasn't much for me to do with them, as the Builders were running out of things to fix and there was no other plan yet. So I ended up just sitting on a stack of boards next to the Slicer's hut. The wretched smell of blood seeped through the walls and despite my attempts to ignore it, it kept filling my nostrils with intoxicating death.
"Do you think the Greenie is going to make a good Builder?" one of the Builders asked. His orange hair was cut long, ended at his shoulders. And there were a few visible freckles on his face. I hadn't learned his name, though I'm sure I had been told it before. I didn't know most of the Glader's names; there was no way I could remember that many.
Gally held up a board against the wall and gestured for another builder to start nailing it into place. He glanced over at me, then shrugged. "We will see when he tries out. He's only been here a day. Give him some time," Gally grunted as he let go of the board. There were enough nails in it now that it would stay up on its own. He pulled a hammer from his tool belt and fished in his pocket for some nails. "Besides, I can't say that he seems like the most chipper guy here," he shrugged before slamming his hammer down onto a nail that his other hand was holding against the wall.
After lunch, I had gotten bored by the dumb chatter of the Builders and headed off in the direction of the fields to find either Leo or Newt. Either one would be a more interesting company than the hammer-wielding boys.
Leo and a few other Trackhoes were busy uprooting old crops. They had several wheelbarrows around them and were throwing dirt-covered roots into them. A few had hoes, racking away at the soil while others were reaching down into the loosened soil and pulling out large handfuls of roots.
"What's up, boys?" I asked, leaning against one of the wheelbarrows and crossing my arms over my chest.
"Raven, how are you awake?" Leo asked sceptically.
"So you heard about that?" I muttered, getting sick of having to discuss the thing that I still had no idea about with every Glader I spoke to.
"Every Glader did. Minho came into the Glade screaming his head off like a child and you were hanging limply over his shoulder," Leo replied, shoving his hands deep into the dirt. "It was hard to miss."
"Great, as if I wasn't already the abnormal one out of the group," I sighed in defeat. I was never going to be just a Glader.
Leo pulled up a bunch of roots and nodded at me to get out of the way. I pushed myself off the wheelbarrow and stepped to the side. He dropped it all into the bucket of the wheelbarrow and gave me a sympathetic look. "At least you aren't the Greenie anymore," he offered. "Hey, make yourself useful and go dump that one, would ya?"
I groaned but walked over to the full wheelbarrow, "where?"
"Just at the edge of the deadheads, near the wall," Leo explained.
I nodded and picked up the handles, pushing the wheelbarrow along the uneven ground. It had been heavier than expected, but manageable. I was almost to the pile of dirt and culled crops when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I jumped at the closeness and spun around, dropping the wheelbarrow which tipped to the side, spilling half the contents on the ground. My hand raised in the air, as if on reflex, ready to hurt an intruder that came too close.
My eyes met gentle brown ones and I push the boy in the chest. "What the hell, Newt?" I groaned, turning back around to pick up the wheelbarrow and then I crouched down and started scooping up the spillage.
Newt chuckled and knelt down beside me, helping me with the mess. I didn't bother to look up at him, hoping it would show that I wasn't impressed with him. He spoke up after we had cleaned up most of the compost, "I found it rude that you came and saw that Leo shank and not me, Princess."
"Was someone jealous?" I giggled, getting to my feet and wiping my dirty hands on my jeans.
"I just thought that we were better friends," Newt shrugged as if it was the easiest answer.
I picked up the wheelbarrow again and started for the compost pile. "I have other friends," I said, looking over my shoulder at the blonde haired boy and rolling my eyes.
"Yes, but you like me the most," Newt argued. He followed me to the wall and watched me dump the wheelbarrow.
"Newt, you are my best friend. I know-" I couldn't tell him about my dream, "I mean, we must have been friends before the Maze. It just feels like I've known you longer than just a few weeks." It felt stupid saying that, but it was true. No matter how sappy it sounded. Maybe we had been even more than friends before the Maze.
~
It was late. We had already eaten dinner and the sun was close to setting overhead. It had been a month since I got stung by the Griever and nothing was different. I had learnt more about being a Runner than I ever thought I would. I was still running with Minho, instead of running alone. Mainly before there were already eight Runners, nine counting me and there were only eight sections of the Maze. I had run with Ben a couple of days, and a few with another Runner named Jason, but most were with Minho. I didn't mind because I enjoyed Minho's company. He had become somewhat of a brother to me and I couldn't imagine never knowing him. Mistake or not, I was happy to have been sent to this place.
A new Greenie had shown up earlier that day, weeping in the bottom of the box. He didn't seem to have any wits about him but didn't look at me like a piece of meat, so I liked him enough. Well, as much as someone who hadn't even talk to that person could.
Newt and I were wandering through the garden fields, chatting about our days. I hadn't had much to discuss since Minho and I had found nothing new in the Maze, but Newt told me all about the Greenie's reaction to the Glade. "He ran off into the Deadheads and Alby had to go find him. I think he is too scared to function yet," Newt explained.
"Do most Greenies act like that when they come up?" I asked. I had only seen Tony come up and he was no normal Glader. He now worked as a Slicer and the job was warily fitting for him. I would still occasionally feel his gaze on me at dinner or later on in the evenings but Minho, Gally and Newt had all backed off about him being potentially dangerous; however, I could still tell that they were cautious about the whole scenario.
"Some are worse than others," Newt shrugged, "we all have our ways of coping with the change in life. Some adapt quickly and others find it extremely difficult. He'll come around eventually. Just needs a little bit of time.
I nodded, before looking up at him with a devious smirk, "race you to the tree." I didn't wait for him to answer before running off towards the deadheads. I could hear him right behind me, though his limp impeded his speed a little. I made sure not to get too far in front of him.
"Princess, stop! I'm not a Runner like you, this is unfair," Newt complained, huffing out a large breath.
"No!" I yelled back, giggling.
"Fine, you leave me no choice then," he said. I was about to turn my head and question what he meant when I felt his chest collide with my back, sending us both rolling onto the ground. Newt ended up on top of me, pinning me to the ground. His face was extremely close to mine. Catching me off guard. I bit my lip, fighting the urge to reach up and kiss him. His breathing was ragged and I couldn't help but think about how attractive he looked. His blonde hair tousled, and lips parted slightly. His eyes locked on mine and I sucked in a breath. His brown eyes slowly shut as he began to lean in. I could hear both of our heartbeats. My breathing hitched as his lips touched mine and my eyes fluttered shut on instinct. It was a simple kiss. And his lips left as soon as they had come.
Newt pulled away. His eyes were wide as if he had just made the worst mistake of his life. He shoved himself off me and I sat up. Had it been that bad? "I'm sorry, that was way out of line," Newt mumbled, sitting down beside me. He scratched the back of his neck and looked off towards the homestead that was lit up nicely with torches and oil lanterns.
I ran my hand through my hair, heaving out a sigh. "Don't be sorry. I wanted you to," I whispered, knowing just how stupid it sounded.
Newt visibly relaxed, leaning back on his hands. Tilting his head up to look at the pink coloured sky. "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that," he sighed.
I smiled down at the ground, "I didn't ruin it, did I?"
Newt shook his head slightly, "of course not, why would you even say such a thing?"
"I don't know if I have ever done anything like this before," I replied, sheepishly.
I could feel his gaze on me, "I don't know if you've noticed, but there aren't any other girls and I don't go around kissing the boys all day long."
I looked up and let out a small giggle, "you don't? So you and Minho have never done the deed?"
Newt rolled his eyes, but smiled as well, "it wasn't for a lack of trying on his part."
I grinned and bumped my shoulder against him. I spoke before I had time to think if it was the best decision, "I had a dream."
"Last night?" Newt asked, "what was it about?"
I shouldn't have said anything, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to tell him. There was no way I was going to tell him about the voice in my head. He would think I was crazy. "Us," I said, "we were younger, about eleven. It didn't feel like a dream though, it felt like a memory."
"People that get stung remember things. Maybe since you had such a small remission time that you are receiving them in dreams," Newt suggested.
I nodded, "that's probably it."
Newt smiled, "was I as handsome when I was eleven?"
I was glad that he hadn't pushed for any more details of the dream. I wasn't sure if I could even tell him. I gently hit him on the arm and rolled my eyes, "let's go see if anyone needs help setting up."
Once we had found Minho and a few other of our friends in amongst the gathering Gladers, he and Newt had headed off into the deadheads to collect some wood and I was building the bonfire with Alby, Gally, Justin and Leo. I kept grabbing Leo attention and motioning with a head nod towards Justin that he should talk to him, but he kept just shooting me a glare and looking the other way.
Finally, I was frustrated enough that I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aside, "just go talk to him!"
"You remember our deal," Leo said. He crossed his arms over his chest. "As soon as you make good on your part, then I will act on mine."
"Newt kissed me today," I mumbled, "isn't that close enough?"
"Did you admit how you feel about him?"
"Well, not exactly in those words," I sighed. I was starting to think that every single boy in this Glade were stubborn pieces of klunk.
"Then it doesn't count," he smirked and tried to push past me, back towards the firepit.
I grabbed him once more, refusing to let him walk away. He spun back around to me and gave me a look of irritation. "Oh, come on! At least talk to the poor shank," I crossed my arms over my chest.
"Alright, I will," he groaned and turned to find Justin. I smiled triumphantly.
Once the fire was built and blazing, I took a mason jar of Gally's recipe and went over to where the Greenie was standing alone by the fire. "How's the first day going?" I asked him and took a sip of the drink.
"Still trying to grasp the concept of being here," he didn't look at me. The fire seemed more interesting to him than me.
"At least you were awake for yours," I watched his eyes; they still didn't move from the fire, "I'm Raven, by the way. The resident girl here.
"Yes, that's good," was all he said.
I gave up with a frustrated sigh, "it's in your best interest to make friends. They are the anchor that will make living here seem not so bad." With that, I turned and headed over to the fighting ring that Gally seemed to always be in. Minho had just challenged him and they were going head to head. I took a seat on a stump and took a sip of my drink.
Newt came up to me and sat down in front of me so he could lean on my legs. I leaned forward so that my arms rest on his shoulders. "So, about earlier," he started.
"Don't worry about it," I cut him off, "it doesn't ruin anything. We can pretend like it never happened."
"That's not what I meant," he sighed, "I don't want to pretend it never happened."
"What do you mean?" My heartbeat began to pick up.
Newt tilted his head back so that he could look at me. "I want you to be mine," he whispered almost inaudible.
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