Born to Run (Newt X Reader)

Faded Painting

"You wanna be a Runner?"

     "Yip. Don't go telling anybody, ya hear me shank?"

     Stephen rolled his eyes with a laugh. "Good that. I think you'd actually be a great Runner."

     You punched the boy hard in the arm. "Don't shucking mess with me, man," you growled, "It ain't funny."

     "Sorry, sorry," Stephen grinned, "Seriously though, a Runner? I've only been here two weeks and I already know that ain't gonna happen. Plus, why the shuck would you want to go out there with the Grievers?"

     "Oh come on," you grumbled, "No one's ever even seen a Griever before, and they don't come out in the day. For all we know they could be absolutely harmless."

     "Then why do they shut them in every night if they're so harmless, huh?"

     "If you don't shut your klunking mouth I'll shut you out there with 'em as a test."

     Stephen rolled his eyes before shoving his hands in his pockets. "Why'd you bring me out here for anyway?" He queried, gazing up at the lush canopy of the Deadheads.

     "I wanted to show you something," you replied, stepping over a log.

     "And here I was thinking you were gonna give me a kiss," Stephen pouted.

     "In your dreams."

     You crouched by the roots of a tree, beginning to dig amongst the dirt with your hands much to Stephens confusion. After a moment you pulled free a silver metal tube.

     "The shuck is that?" Stephen mumbled as he crouched down next to you.

     "You tell me," you shrugged, handing it over to him. "I was hoping that maybe it looked familiar to you."

     Stephen turned the item over in his hands, brushing a thumb against the letters carved on the side before pushing the button at the top. The tube popped open with a hiss and Stephen turned to you with a brow raised.

     "Something was in he-" he cut off as you pulled the blue vials from your pocket. "What the shuck are those?" He gasped.

     "I don't know," you mumbled, "But they helped.

     "What do you mean, helped?"

     You let out a breath, looking away. "Have you ever had, a memory?" You questioned.

     "A memory?"

     Your shoulders shook and you closed your eyes, clenching your fists. "Memories from before all of this. From before the maze." Stephen placed a hand on your shoulder as you continued. "Memories, where you see things from the past, but it's like looking at a faded painting. No matter how hard you try some parts will always be unrecognizable. Such as faces, a reason for why it's happening. Names, dates, everything but the basic idea."

     "What have you seen?" Stephen whispered, "You can tell me."

     You knew you could too. When Stephen had come up in the box just a mere two weeks ago, he had been timid and cautious. But as he began to get used to things, his real personality began to shine through. He proved himself to be extroverted, cheerful, loyal and a great listener. You'd instantly grown close to him.

     "I had a brother," you chuckled dryly, "Don't remember his name, or what he looked like. Well, other than his blue eyes."

     Stephen looked amazed but didn't speak, simply waited for you to continue.

     "This thing keeps happening, where this memory will just come to me out of the blue. I completely zone out from everything around me and just get lost. The other week, I was with Newt when it happened again, but this one was different. Something happened to me, something, not normal. I was with my brother, and he was teaching me to fight. He kept saying something about the next trials or whatnot. The next thing I knew, there was this incredible anger inside of me, an anger I couldn't control. I attacked him. He got me down and the anger seemed to fade but-"

     You cut off and Stephen squeezed your shoulder lightly. "But what?" he pushed.

     "I said something," you whispered, "Something about being tested on. Something about, being the best pick or something, and feeling it inside of me. My brother was horrified. When the memory ended, I felt that same anger, and it wasn't the first time I'd felt it either. It's happened so many times but it's never been as bad as it was at that moment. Newt was trying to see if I was ok and I just had to leave. If I had stayed I would have hurt him."

     "What does that have to do with the vials?" Stephen asked.

     "Well," you continued, "I ran into the Deadheads to get away, and with the anger, came this pain. This excruciating pain that felt like my skull was being torn apart, and I ended up collapsing on the ground. Thats when I saw the tube, jammed between the roots of a tree. I crawled over to it and pushed the button. A note fell out along with the vials, and without much thought, I just injected myself with one, and the pain went away. So did the burst of anger. It just faded."

     "What note?"

     You pulled the piece of paper from your pocket and handed it to the boy. He studied it before tilting his head. "A9? The fighter? One a month? What the shuck is going on here?"

     "I don't know," you shrugged, "I think it's meaning to take one of these vials a month but, everything else makes no sense."

     "Have you told anyone else about this? Newt? Minho? Alby?"

     "Alby and Newt are always busy running the Glade, I didn't want to worry them over nothing. And Minho's always out running, when he gets back he just wants to rest."

     "How long have you been having these memories?" Stephen pressed, clearly intrigued by what you had to say.

     "Ever since I came up."

     Stephen ran a hand through his hair as he passed you back the tube. "This is weird," he sighed, "Really really weird."

     "No shuck slinthead."

     You reburied the tube and slipped the vials and slip of paper back into your pockets. You didn't want anyone else knowing about them, for some reason. They gave you a bad feeling.

     Stephen grabbed a hold of your shoulders and forced you to face him. "(Y/n), if you ever have another memory, tell me ok? And if you find anything else like this then please, come to me. I want to help you. You know that right?"

     You nodded your head and Stephen sighed.

     "I'd suggest telling either Newt or Alby what you've told me. No one else needs to know about it, but I think they have a right. Maybe they can help?" Stephen let out a breath of air, releasing your shoulders. "Just, stay safe. Ok?"

     You forced a smile to your face, punching him in the arm.

     "Always ya shank."