"Who let this Shank over here!" Someone shouted as I made my way to the front.
"Who let you here!" I fired back. Newt rolled his eyes as I stepped up next to him and Alby. Minho came up next to me.
"She wants to meet the new Greenie." Minho said nudging my arm. I rolled my eyes and nudged him back.
"Yeah, I'm hoping he'll be cuter than the rest of you shanks." Minho chuckled and I watched Newt smile.
"She's got our language down already." Minho said as the rattling and groaning of metal against metal finally stopped. "By the way, no one looks as good as I do." Minho murmured in my ear. I stifled my laughter as Alby threw open the metal cage of the Box and then the actual doors for the Box itself. Newt eyed us curiously, but I was focusing on the person in the Box. Thomas. It was Thomas.
He scrambled backwards, scared and bleary eyed as everyone began speaking at once.
"What's he look like?"
"How old is he?"
"Has he klunked his pants yet?"
"Hope he enjoyed the ride." Ignoring all their comments I bent down and looked him over like I was seeing him for the first time. That dark hair, and wide brown eyes were anything but unfamiliar.
"He is cute, I call dibs." I cried out. Some of the Gladers laughed, snickering. Thomas seemed to focus on my voice, on me. Alby held out a hand to him and Thomas stood, taking it. Alby pulled him up.
"Welcome to the Glade Greenie." Thomas seemed at a loss for words. I waited for him to say something, anything. Instead he just stared at us. Turning around and around confused and disoriented. He seemed to keep glancing at me.
"You know her?" Newt asked. Thomas swallowed hard and shook his head.
"I just.. She's just.." He didn't seem to be able to get out what he was trying to say.
"I have that effect." A couple more snickers.
"She's the only girl." Thomas spit out. "That I see anyways." He murmured looking out into the crowd like there might be more.
"Don't worry. We take turns kissing her." Minho spoke up. I almost shoved him into the Box.
"Touch me and I'll cut your lips off Minho." He just grinned. "Remember your name?" I asked turning back to Thomas.
"Tom.. I mean.. Thomas." Tom. Teresa liked called him that. Tom. "Why.. Why can't I remember anything else? Where are we? Are we trapped? Are we..."
"Shuck it Greenie. You'll learn soon enough." Alby said, clearly irritated. "Somebody find me Chuck!" Alby shouted into the crowd.
"'Scuse me. Alby calls." A voice spoke up in the middle of the crowd, drawing closer. Chuck stumbled forward and grinned up at Thomas.
"Looks like you're not the Greenie anymore. Congrats." Chuck nodded, smiling. That's right. He was the one we sent up a month before.
"Do I watch both of them?" Chuck asked skeptically nodding towards me. Alby glanced up at me and shook his head.
"Just him."
"Wait, I wanna know.." Thomas began again before Alby touched his arm.
"You'll learn. Now shuck it. Minho, what did I say earlier?" Minho rolled his eyes and nodded.
"Don't get your undies in a twist." The boy muttered pushing his sleeves farther up his arms before taking off toward the East Door. I almost wanted to go after him.
"Hold it Malls." Newt said, probably sensing what I wanted to do. "You're not going back in there." Off to my left I could hear Chuck, Thomas and Alby arguing over something. I could feel Thomas' eyes on me. "Do you know him?" Newt asked me quietly. I looked up at him.
"How would I know him?" I replied lowly.
"You looked like you recognized him and he recognizes you." We both looked at Thomas again. He was staring at me. I was about to say something when a scream pierced the air. Newt rolled his eyes. Thomas looked scared out of his mind.
"Can't those damn MedJacks just bloody take care of him without me." He muttered jogging off.
"Wait!" I shouted running after him.
"Don't follow me." Newt said heading for the Homestead. I could still hear Thomas' frantic questioning behind me. Sheesh he sure had a lot to say.
"I don't think you can stop me." I replied. Newt didn't say anything as he opened up the door to the Homestead and we headed inside. Ben continued to scream and the sound only got worse as we got closer. Newt took the stairs two at a time, though how he could do that with a slightly injured leg was beyond me. He burst through the door and moved toward Jeff who was trying to hold both of Ben's arms down at once.
"Bloody control him!" Newt shouted as I moved to pin Ben's legs down. He looked awful. I turned away as I gripped his ankles, keeping them on the cot.
"We were! He broke his shucking restraints!" Clint shouted tying back down Ben as quick as he could.
"Well no wonder he broke free! Those knots are useless!" I shouted back. "Hold him!" I ordered Clint. To my surprise he actually listened. I picked up the handy rope tied around the legs of the bed and tied both of his legs down faster than Clint had trying to tie down one hand. I then redid the knot holding his left arm down and went around to Newt's side fixing that one. The boys exhaled, straightening up over him
"You should become a builder." Newt said. "Our buildings are practically tied together with rope." I smirked and shook my head.
"Gally and her might kill each other." Clint said with a chuckle. Ben continued to scream and struggle against his binding but there was no way he was getting out of that.
"MedJack then. You'd be useful." I rolled my eyes at his offer as he placed his hands on his hips.
"I'd rather be a Runner thanks." Newt eyed me curiously.
"Seriously? You almost died in there you.." Newt didn't finish his sentence because someone opened the door, Thomas. Newt and I instinctively stepped to block his view but it was a second too late. Thomas had already seen. Moments later he was yanked back and I could hear Alby yelling at him and then at Chuck for letting him in. Then the door opened again. Alby scoffed when he saw me.
"Newt, what's she doing up here?" He demanded.
"Bandages." Clint spoke up handing them to me before anyone else could say anything. "For her arm." I nodded to him. Nice save. Alby rolled his eyes.
"Just get her out of here. I don't want to see her or that shank the rest of the day. I'm not in the mood." He muttered. Newt took my arm and lead me outside.
"Come on, we'll get those cleaned up and then patch you up." He said letting go of me once we exited the Homestead. "Chuck told you about the water right?" I nodded. It's pumped in from an underground system. We thought about letting it rain here or giving them a flowing river, maybe a couple of creeks, but pumping in water seemed easier.
--
"What are you lookin' at?" Newt questioned. He had obtained a cloth and was wiping away at the dried blood on my temple and down the sides of my arm.
"The Glade." I murmured. I had seen it so many times through the screens of computers but I hadn't actually been in it for two years.
"Not much to look at." Newt muttered putting more water on the cloth. I looked at him now but he was a concentrating on getting my blood off of me to look me in the eyes.
"It's nice though." I offered. Newt didn't reply at first.
"It's different having you around." He said suddenly, changing the subject.
"What do you mean? Is it because I'm the only good looking person around?" Newt smirked.
"Minho might fight you on that."
"And I'll win." He smiled wider. It was better when he smiled. It didn't make me feel like such an awful person.
"Are you sure you don't know him?" Newt asked me. I followed his gaze and found Chuck and Thomas not too far off. Thomas seemed to be shouting at the Maze. I shook my head and bit my lip.
"I don't know him." I replied slowly. As my gaze continued to sweep across the Glade, back toward Newt, I noticed someone else watching Thomas, Gally. He looked mad. He probably remembered him.
"Well, come on, better finish up." Newt said rolling out the bandages. I held my arm out to him and he carefully rolled the white cloth on over my jagged wound. Tearing the section off Newt then tied it securely around my arm. I flexed it up and around with a smile.
"Thanks." Newt just nodded.
"You're probably hungry. Come on, it's almost noon." I stood up with him but hesitated. He noticed. "What?"
"You guys have bathrooms right?" Newt nodded and pointed out toward them.
"I'll come with you." I arched my eyebrows at him.
"I think I can get there and back in one piece." Newt rolled his eyes.
"Sometimes the Gladers pull pranks on the guys in there." Oh. I blushed for some reason feeling a bit awkward. "Don't worry I'll tell them you're in there. They probably won't do anything."
"Probably?" I repeated as Newt began to walk me over, smiling the entire way.
I felt so much better after going to the bathroom. The last time I went was this morning in the Panic Room. Newt grinned as I walked up. "Feel better?" He questioned. I nodded. Unfortunately washing hands was something the Gladers had gotten used to doing without soap. Guess I'll have to get used to it as well.
"When will the Runners get back?" I questioned Newt even though I already knew the answer.
"Late, why? Miss Minho already?" Newt joked elbowing me. I rolled my eyes.
"He wishes." Newt laughed. "How long does it take them to run the Maze?" Newt responded immediately.
"From the moment the doors open until minutes before they close." I nodded my head and trailed my eyes down to his legs and his limp.
"Can I.. Can I ask how you got that limp?" I knew the answer but I wanted to hear it from his perspective. Newt's expression turned dark.
"Back during those dark times, in the beginning, the Maze took a lot of kids. I don't know why it spared me. I wish it hadn't." His words sort of scared me. I didn't know that's how he felt. He doesn't talk about it to anyone. Not even Alby or Minho and they were there.
Newt had me sit with Thomas and Chuck, he said he wasn't hungry and I wondered if that was my fault but Chuck seemed eager to have us at their table and Thomas looked like he had a million questions to ask.
"Where are you from?" Thomas asked as soon as I sat myself across from him.
"What do you mean?" I questioned. Thomas licked his lips and seemed to be thinking of the best way to ask the question.
"I mean you were in the Maze. They said you woke up out there and you survived out there for nearly two days. How did you do it? What's out there? Why won't anyone tell me anything? Isn't it weird being the only girl?" He demanded rapid fire. Even Chuck looked a little dazed by all his questions. I decided to repeat to him what every Newbie got for an answer.
"You'll learn when you'll learn shank."