Abused ≫ Newt [2]

Chapter 10.

The sun barely shone over the towering stone walls. Dew covered the tall grass that covered the field, wetting Emily's legs as she led Thomas across the Glade. Her mind was full of thoughts, buzzing through her head like a swarm of bees around their hive.
Thomas. His name was Thomas. Her step-brother was called Thomas. He seemed so familiar; his hair, his eyes, his voice. It could only mean one thing:
This boy was her step-brother.
She had doubts at first, like when she only heard his voice. But then, when he said his name, she was sure of it. She did not tell anyone, however. Not Newt, not Alby, not Minho. Not even Thomas himself.
She would ask him about it- if he remembered her at all. Just not yet. She just had to wait for the right time. She did not want him thinking she was some sort of freak.
But perhaps she was. Maybe she really had no relation towards this boy. Maybe it was only the Creators' way of messing with her head, disorienting her. Just to screw around. It wasn't hard to believe. Especially after what they did to her.
Behind her, Thomas stifled a yawn. She turned to look at him, only to smirk at the look on his face. His eyes were half closed, glazed over with exhaustion. He looked half asleep.
"What are you looking at?" Though the look he gave her was stern, his voice was laced with amusement. Thankfully.
"You," she retorted. "You look asleep on your feet."
"Probably because I am," Thomas said. "I probably won't remember half the things you show me today. You will be wasting your time."
"Then wake up, Greenie." She turned around and lightly slapped his across the cheek. "This is my job, and there's no getting out of it."
"Bummer," Thomas smiled as she began to lead him towards the West Wall; where the Griever window was. "I was hoping I would get some special treatment."
"Yeah, no." She scoffed, though smiled. If only this boy knew he was probably her step-brother, he would not be so flirtatious. She laughed to herself just by thinking of his reaction when she told him. If she ever told him.
"Where are we even going?" Thomas's question brought her out of her thoughts, and she focused on the task once more.
She guessed it was time for her speech.
"There's a reason why no one's ever survived a night in the Maze," she began. She opened her mouth to continue, though Thomas cut her off.
"Why?"
"If you would stop interrupting and let me finish my shuck sentences, you found find out a lot sooner," Emily retorted. "We call them Grievers. They're hideous creatures that prowl the Maze at night; probably the most horrible thing you will ever see."
"How did you survive?" Thomas asked, raising his eyebrows as if challenging her.
She remembered it all too clearly. It was him. It was Thomas that spoke to her that night in the Maze. He told her to run, to keep running until she survived. He was the reason she was standing there then. Though she knew she couldn't tell him that. Not then.
She found herself smiling at the thought. The boy knew nothing about how much he had helped her. He brought her back to Newt.
"Let's just say someone was there to guide me along the way," she told him simply. "That, and a whole lot of luck." She paused for a moment, pursing her lips as she thought of what to say next. "What I am about to show you will surely haunt your dreams for the next week. It did mine. But perhaps it was for different reasons." Again, something he probably knew nothing about, though he had something to do with it. "You need to promise me you won't freak out. It may seem like a stupid promise now- I thought so, too- but once you look through that window, you'll understand."
"All right," was all Thomas said. Emily couldn't help but roll her eyes. They said no more as they approached the West Wall. As they neared the small window carved in the thick stone, Emily felt fear beginning to boil up inside of her. Memories of her night in the Maze came crashing back to her like a tidal wave and, for a mere second, she almost ran back to the Homestead. But she didn't. She had to make sure Thomas understood how dangerous the Maze was.
She could not risk him being hurt.
She approached the window slowly, swallowing the lump that was beginning to form in her throat. Thomas stayed back; she knew he was probably eyeing the window suspiciously. She could sense his curiosity. It was the same as her's.
She hesitantly pulled away the vines that covered the window, wiping off the thin layer of dust that collected on the glass. She peered through, expecting to see a Griever prowling through the dim Maze like the last time she looked through this window. Though the Maze was empty, only now just beginning to show the faint signs of morning.
Perhaps it was too late to show Thomas a Griever. Maybe they already went to wherever they hid during the day.
She pulled away, letting out a shaky breath of relief as she stepped away from the window. She gestured for Thomas to step up, and he did.
"Take a look, Greenie."
Thomas peered through the window, his eyebrows knitted together in deep concentration. She expected him to say something- whether it was about how he did not see anything, or the creature that he saw sliding across the Maze floor. But he stayed completely silent. After a moment, she thought she saw his shoulders stiffen. She knew that he was now face to face with the creature. His brown eyes were wide, unblinking. He seemed frozen in his shoes, staring through the window in either complete awe, or fear. Perhaps even both.
After what seemed like lifetimes, but was really only a few moments, he pulled away. His shoulders heaved as he took deep breathes. He turned to look at her, his mouth gaping in a silent gasp. Speechless. Just like all the others.
"Told ya, Tommy." She patted him on the back and shot him a sympathetic smile. "Better not plan on sleeping soundly for the next week."
"They only come out at night, right?" She expected his voice to be shaky when he spoke, but it wasn't. It was strong, as if he was not just face to face with some hideous monstrosity.
"They always come out at night, my friend." Emily corrected him. "That doesn't mean they don't ever come out during the day. That is why being a Runner is so dangerous."
Thomas smiled, "It sounds exciting. You know, just think of all the adrenaline you would feel while running."
"It's more than adrenaline you feel. Fear, horror. Trust me, I thought the same way when I first arrived here. I wanted to be a Runner so bad. Newt and I even got in a fight over it because I was made a Med-Jack instead," she replied. "Boy, am I glad he made that decision now. You'll feel differently after you've been out in the Maze."
Thomas narrowed his eyes and nodded. He studied her, his eyes traveling all over her face as if taking in every last detail. He licked his lips, and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
The boy shook his head, "Nothing, never mind. Sorry. You just seem familiar."
Emily laughed, though it was more of a nervous laugh than anything, "Get your head out of the clouds, Tommy boy. No one is familiar in this place. We're all strangers to you at this point in time. We're just a bunch of strangers."
If only he knew, she added to herself silently. He would know soon enough.

They finished the Tour rather quickly. Well, quick enough with Thomas asking a dozen questions each time Emily even said a simple sentence. She admired his curiosity, though. It reminded her of herself.
She explained all the jobs to him. All the roles. He did not take much interest in them, except for the Runners. She dreaded him for that. She wished he didn't feel any curiosity towards the Maze, only fear. It would be so much easier for him, and her, even. Every time she explained something, she always saw his gaze drifting over to one of the four openings in the towering walls. She commented about it several times, and every time, his cheeks would turn a bright shade of pink as if he had just been caught staring at a pretty girl. It was quite amusing to her, actually, and she found herself teasing him about it. She knew then that they would grow to be close friends, whether he knew about his past or not.
By the time they finished the whole tour, they still had time to join the others at breakfast. Emily's stomach growled so loudly, that she was sure Minho and the other Runners would be able to hear in all the way out in the Maze. She quickly grabbed a plate of pancakes from Frypan, waiting on Thomas to get his own before heading over to her usual table.
Newt was already sitting in his usual spot, Chuck across from him. The two boys were in deep conversation, and Emily couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"What are you smiling at?" Thomas said loudly, his voice teasing. At his words, Newt looked up from his conversation, locking his gaze with her's. She looked down quickly, feeling her cheeks heat up in a blush.
"Slim it, slinthead." She muttered to Thomas before taking a seat next to Newt. Almost as soon as she sat down, she felt Newt's arm snake around her waist, pulling her into his side.
"Excuse me, kind sir," she tried to sound as annoyed as possible as she spoke, though she knew she was failing miserably. "I am trying to eat at the moment, so if you could kindly keep your hands to yourself, that would be great."
"Sorry, princess," Newt's breath hit her ear as he spoke. "Not bloody happenin'." She felt his lips press against her temple, lingering there for several moments. She felt herself blush once again as Thomas and Chuck snickered. She thought the teasing was over, that it had died down after their... accidents. But apparently, she was wrong.
She pulled away from Newt, poking him in the ribs playfully as she scooted to the far end of the bench.
"Bloody shuckface," she muttered under her breath. He pulled her closer to him again, his eyes shining brightly as he stared at her.
"What did I say about saying bloody. That's my word."
"Sorry, Newtie," she said, scooting away from him once more. She grabbed his hands, entwining their fingers under the table as she used her other hand to eat her pancakes. Across from them, Thomas and Chuck were in their own conversation. She was glad that Thomas talked to the boy; he did not seem to have too many friends.
For a moment, she wondered what they were talking about, but then she noticed them glance towards her and Newt. Then, she knew.
"If you guys are talking about us," she said rather loudly. "Why don't you say it to our faces?"
Both boys grew silent and turned to look at her.
"Sorry, Em." Chuck said and laughed quietly. His cheeks were red, either from laughing or embarrassment. Perhaps both. The boy lit up like a tomato when he did both.
Emily jumped slightly as she felt Newt's arm wrap around her waist once again. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to make her face look as stern as possible. Though he only smiled cheekily and began drumming rythms with his fingers on her side.
They finished their breakfast normally, or as normally as the four could get. The conversations only consisted of small talk, nothing too important. It wasn't the same without Minho's sarcastic comments or crude jokes, and it made Emily miss the Runner's presence. She wouldn't see him as much anymore, as their schedule was more tight now that they were down one Runner.
By the time they finished eating, the sun had risen completely. The heat of the early morning burned down on their backs, and Emily was not looking forward to the heat that was to come with the afternoon. She hated sweating.
She knew she had to get to work soon, as Clint and Jeff would be expecting her now that she was done eating. She stood up, grabbing her plate before saying good bye to the three boys.
"Enjoy your last day off, Greenie." She said to Thomas as she passed him. "Tomorrow you start training, and we have something special planned tonight."

+

So, Thomas is hereeeeeeee ;)
I've read a bunch of stories where they follow the Maze Runner's actual storyline and, to me, it got a little boring because I've already read the books, ya know?
So, in this story, it's not gonna follow the EXACT storyline. Yeah, it'll be based off the book, with some things copied from the book here and there (and I will give credit at that time), but I will be changing some things up. Mostly mixing the book and the movie together, whilst adding and removing some things of my liking. So yeah, anyways.
I'm excited to bring Thomas into this story. I've always wanted him and Emily to be like super close in that brother sister way, where they're really protective of each other and tell each other everything. So be prepared for a lot of that stuff :3
But don't worry, this is still a Newt fan fiction, so there will DEFINITELY be a lot of Nemily moments. :)