Questions // Mazerunner

15-In which we are not okay

The morning came and with it, yet more misery. There was no way Maddy could forget that particular memory. No way. But she also couldn't find a way to tell somebody. She couldn't even look at Newt. Hours passed and time ticked and yet the weight on her shoulders only seemed to increase.

Maddy's skin was pale and she had bags under her eyes. Frypan noticed. Nick noticed. And yet they didn't ask. Friends? you might ask. But they were friends. And possibly, at that moment, they were the kindest friends. Is not often better to leave a person alone if they want to be left alone? Of course, Newt also noticed. But he for one, was not going to leave Maddy alone.

Newt pestered her all day, but she just shook him off with one word answers or a simple shake of the head. Maddy didn't know who it hurt more, her or Newt, but she knew that eventually she'd have to tell someone. And so later that evening, after dinner had been eaten, albeit halfheartedly by many, she pulled Newt aside. "Follow me," she mumbled to him, and although he had no idea where he was going, he followed her anyway.

Ten minutes later they sat in the forest, nestled against opposite trees. Silence loomed over them like a thick blanket and the night began to envelope them. "We've got a plan to get out," Newt said, trying to cheer the mood up. Maddy raised her eyes to look at him. "When the box comes up tomorrow, we're going to put somebody in it and send them back to the creators." Maddy's eyes widened at this. "No."

"No?" Newt repeated. Maddy continued. "No. You can't send them back. You can't leave. It's horrible, they're horrible," the exhaustion and stress began to take over her body as she started crying. "They send one person up, month after month, regardless of family or friends or relationships. It's horrible," her voice cracked and she sank back onto the tree trunk.

"Is that what's wrong Mads? Did you have a relationship before all this?" He crawled over to her and put his arm round her shoulders. "Mads?"

She nodded slowly. "I had a boyfriend." Newt didn't seem surprised. "Who was it?" Her body shook more violently with sobs. "Hey. Hey Madgirl," Newt soothed, rubbing her arm, "Don't cry. You don't have to tell me." She shook her head. "No. I need to get it off my back," she exhaled slowly, "It was Stan." Newt opened his mouth to speak but Maddy interrupted him. "You don't know the half of it. So Stan was here before you right?" Newt agreed.

"The night before Stan was sent up, he wanted to have sex," Newt started muttering things under his breath, "I didn't want to. So I said no. He wasn't going to have that. And-." Maddy was weeping now, sobbing into Newts t-shirt. "And he-. He raped me. Next morning he was gone. We used to share a room, you and me, so when I didn't come back, you came looking and you found me. Brought me back to the room and looked after me. Couple days later we were together. A month later you were up here and I was down there"

His face was unreadable as Newt stared at her. "He raped you?" Newt was spitting out the words, disgust clearly written all over his face. "He actually bloody raped you," he finished as Maddy nodded. "Oh god." A fat tear trickled down Newts face and splashed onto Maddy's cheek, then started to roll down her cheek. Newts rough finger wiped it off.

"So... We were actually together? Before all this?" She nodded again. They were quiet as the sun began to set, Newt rubbing his thumb up and down Maddy's cheek as she nestled into his body.

"I'm sorry," Newt mumbled after a while. Maddy looked confused. "For what?"
"For not being able to save you."
Maddy sighed quietly,"You couldn't have saved me. The door was locked. Its ok."
Newt shook his head, "No," Maddy raised her eyebrows as she looked up at him, "No. It's not ok Maddy. He raped you. He bleeding raped you and there was nothing I could do about it. I'm not ok about that."

"Sorry," she breathed out. Newts thumb still rubbed her cheek, soothing her, keeping her calm. Eventually she fell into a deep sleep. Newt still sat with her leaning into him, back on the tree, until he too fell asleep. So that was how they woke up the next morning. Nestled together on the leafs and twigs but confide just for being together.

A/N THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 314 READS THATS RIDICULOUS *screaming with joy* Thanks for bearing with me. I get stressed quite easily so that's why there are so many weird update times. Hopefully I will get better at updating... THANK YOU AGAIN YOURE ALL THE BEST

-K