The Inventor

Chapter Fourteen; "Prodigy, huh?"

You released your hands, when the view of boys crowding at the entrance to the Maze. Nothing was spoken between you two as you walked directly through the crowd, muttering excuses through the mingle of pats on the back and warnings.

And finally, there was Newt, grasping onto your upper arm and dragging you along with him, away from Minho.

"Hey, hey, easy there Newty," You said with a nervous laugh, "Aren't you proud of me? I survived a night in-"

He pulled you into the hogsmeade and hugged you, so tight that it restricted your breathing.

You hung onto his arms and gave them a pat, "Your hug is more deadly than the grievers."

He shoved you away and gripped your shoulders now, yelling right into your face, "What the bloody hell did you think you were doing?!"

You winced at his tone and carefully removed his hands, pulling the griever recording out of your pack and flaunting it to him.

He blinked at it, "That? What the bloody hell is that? It looks like a health hazard."

You clicked the replay button and watched him stumble into the wall at the screech of the griever, you almost flinched too, it was incredibly loud.

"How did you-"

"I made a recording thingy, recorded a griever shrieking, got trapped with one and played it and it stopped dead in its tracks," You summarized, "Point is Newty, I have just created the tool that could get us safely through the glade. This is exactly what we need to get Nick to suck it up and start sending people out!"

"Nick is angry, Y/n. He wants you thrown out, doesn't even care about the greenie he wants you out."

"He's bluffing," You shrugged, "He can't do that, now that I have this."

"They have that thing now, they don't need you."

"Nobody else can replicate it!" You insisted, "I'll bargain for my life with information and my own brain."

"I don't know if that will work this time," He hushed his voice, hearing footsteps coming.

"You're on my side though, right?" You asked, now worried he might vote against you.

Of course I am," He assured you, "You know I'll always be. But the rest of 'em', I don't know. I don't know if I can convince them."

"You don't have to, I will."

The door opened and you slipped the recording back into the bag, gripping it like life depended on it. There was Nick, and Alby, and three baggers standing at the door, boys peeking in behind all of them.

You gave a little wave, "Long time no see."

"Trial is tonight, take em' to the slammer," Nick said bluntly, harshly.

Newt gripped your shoulder, once, in a somewhat reassuring way before the baggers corralled you out the door. In a moment of bad decision making you looked to Nick and smiled, giving him a sarcastic thumbs up.

You're pretty sure he wants to snap them off.

Alby walks with the baggers and you shake them off as they keep trying to grab your arm.

Hands off, hands off," Alby finally said.

You shrugged a hand off your shoulder, "Thanks."