Lost in a Maze

Chapter 28: The first of the Changing

Clint and Jeff met us halfway there, helping me stumble across the Glade hurriedly, towards their hut. Once inside they sat me down on a bed I knew all too well, as I bit my lip to hold back my tears.

"If you want to cry Lip, cry." Jeff said firmly, his hand on my shoulder as Clint fumbled around in the corner.

"I'm not crying." I replied, looking up and fanning my eyes. "Fuck! It hurts."

Clint brought over a tiny torch, a cloth and a white bottle of something. He looked at it more closely with the torch, tutting away. "You're shuckin' lucky that missed your eye, or this would be a whole other experience."

"What the shuck happened?!" Newt came in, getting down in front of me beside Clint. "Bloody hell, are you alright?!"

"No," I pouted, "I'm never going to be pretty again am I Clint?"

He ignored me and gave instructions to everyone else instead. "Jeff, cloth. Newt you might want to hold her hand for this."

"You're still beautiful." Newt assured me, holding my hand as Clint picked up the cloth and began dabbing at my face, being harsher with the dried blood.

"It's stopped bleeding in most areas now, I don't think it's deep enough for her to need stitches." Clint observed, Jeff noted everything down on his clipboard.

"Well aren't we professional in here?!" I said, grimacing in pain.

"Squeeze my hand love." Newt said, readjusting his grip.

"Ow, fuck Clint that hurts." I hissed through my gritted teeth, pulling away from him.

"Pull away again and I'll make Newt hold more than your hand." He threatened, taking the bottle from Jeff.

"Who pulled you out of bed on the wrong side?!" I grunted.

"Just trying to be professional." He answered shortly, pouring the clear liquid onto the blue cloth he was holding. "Actually squeeze your lovers hand now, cos this bouta' hurt like a bitch."

I squeezed Newt's hand tightly as he pressed the cotton to the bridge of my nose, causing it to sting worse than I'd ever anticipated. Without even meaning to cry, my eyes streamed, salty tears sliding down my cheeks.

"Almost done, almost done." Newt kissed the back of my hand.

"Clint hurry the fuck up or I'll slap you!" I exclaimed, my face burning.

He quickly removed the cloth and leant back. "Yeah, looks better now."

"You dickhead." I muttered, the gash still stinging.

"All we can do for now is put paper stitches on it to hold the skin together, and hope it'll have fused back together by tomorrow or else it'll get infected." He said, getting up and pulling his gloves off.

I left the Medjacks hut a good half hour later, my face "stitched back together". Gally apologised profusely, but I shook him off. I knew it was an accident. He hugged me, and ran back off to finish his work, still not convinced it was alright.

The most pressing matter of the day however, arrived shortly after.

***

Minho and Adam came charging back into the Glade halfway through the day, Minho looked excited but Adam, not so much. Minho ran straight to where Alby was working, not stopping to talk to anyone. Then the two boys disappeared into a nearby hut and didn't come out again for a few minutes. Adam marched into the woods, sour faced.

"They're early." Newt pointed out to me, showing his watch. "Wonder why that is."

"Yeah actually, that is weird." I replied, frowning at their punctuality.
Together we headed towards the hut Minho and Alby were in, but as we knocked on the door it flew open and both boys came out, ignoring us, heading across the Glade.