Endure: Newt & Reader Fanfic

2. Gladers

After what seems like ages, a small knock sounds on the door. You sit up straight and tell them they can come in.

It was Newt. His hair stuck to his forehead from a sheen of sweat and you watch him as he steps up to you.

"Mind if I sit?" He asks respectfully and motions to the spot next to you on the bed. You nod and scoot to your left to give him some room. He grins at you and you try to return it but it doesn't quite come.

Newt sighs and looks down to his hands, then back up to you. "How are you handling everything, Greenie?"

You were getting a little irritated at the word Greenie but decide to save that conversation for another time. "I'm as confused as I'll ever be, but didn't Alby send you here to help me figure things out?"

Newt nods and smiles again. "Ask away."

You suck in a deep breath and ask the most pressing question. "Why can't I remember anything and what's behind those walls?"

The boys nose scrunches up and he scratches the back of his neck. "Well, we don't know why we can't remember anything. We all came to the Glade, like you, and couldn't remember a shuck thing."

You accept that and wait for him to answer the other half. He looks down to his feet and you could tell he was deciding whether or not to tell you everything.

"Those walls keep us safe. Every morning they open, every night they close. Simple as that." He bites his bottom lip and you narrow your eyes.

"Newt...keep us safe from what?"

He was hoping you wouldn't ask this. "They're...creatures. We call 'em grievers, but no ones actually seen one and lived."

Your heart goes insane and you look out the small window to your left and stare at the big, looming walls. Knowing something was waiting behind them destroyed any sense of security you had created.

"But wait, won't they just come out during the day? The wall is open now."

"They don't come out during the day," Newt states simply.

You begin to ask your other questions, most of which are answered. Some questions caught Newt off guard and made him laugh, which you found adorable. You spent the rest of the evening doing this until it was time for dinner.

Newt stands and holds out a hand to help you up with. He leads you down to eat with the other Gladers and your heart begins racing as you see all the boys surrounding the food and seemingly attacking it.

We're you...nervous? You shake your head and clear your thoughts as you walk with Newt to the group of starving Gladers.

Shouts like: "Frypan toss some of that over here!" and "That was mine, shuck face!", we're all you could hear. As soon as you get close enough that they notice you, the shouts stop and a low murmuring takes its place.

"Come on," Newt says and takes your hand to steer you to some empty seats. Once you're seated, the voices start to rise again and soon enough the boys were shouting at one another again.

"Don't worry, Greenie. It's just weird for them since you're the only girl. They'll get over it," Newt states, trying to comfort you. It doesn't work.

When you don't respond, Newt stands saying, "I'll go get us some food."

You glance around at the other Gladers and see that they were all laughing and smiling at each other. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad.

One of the boys, a chubby kid with curly hair who seemed to only be 12, sits at your table, directly across from you. You smile at his ear to ear grin.

"I'm Chuck!" He says excitedly. You laugh and say hello, wishing you knew your own name. You hoped that it would come back soon.

Someone sits next to you and you look to see that it's Newt. He places a plate of food in front of you, vegetables and some kind of soup. You realized you were starving and took a sip of the soup. It was delicious.

Someone sits next to Chuck while clapping him on the shoulder. Chuck greets him with a "Hey Thomas!"

You wave awkwardly to the boy, Thomas, and he winks back at you. You blush and stare down at your soup. Then, another boy joins you at the table. Apparently, you were already very popular.

"Looks like everyone wants to meet the newbie," Newt says with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He stuffs a piece of a potato into his mouth and you look to the other boys. They all looked annoyed.

"Well you shanks are a lot of fun," says the boy whose name you didn't know. The boy then turns to you. "You know, Greenie, I'm sure I haven't been kissed in a while. Why don't you come snuggle up next to me instead?"

You're not sure how to respond so you look to the other Gladers for help. Thomas and Chuck are rolling their eyes. Then you look at Newt. His hands are squeezed into fists and you're confused by his reaction.

"Slim it, Gally. You know what Alby said," Newt says quietly but you could swear you heard anger in his tone.

"Maybe you should slim it Newt," Gally laughs. "I was just having a little fun with the new Greenie here."

Newt glares at his soup and it quickly becomes awkward. You breathe out sharply and look at Thomas.

"So, Thomas, how long have you been here?"

Thomas talks through a bite of vegetables, "A month. I was the Greenie before you."

You nod and furrow your eyebrows and ask no one in particular, "Why do you guys keep calling me 'Greenie'?"

Gally speaks up quickly. "It's what all new arrivals to the Glade are called. When the next arrives, then they'll be Greenie."

You just nod. It's quiet for the rest of the meal.

After dinner is over, Chuck tells you to follow him so you do. Thomas tags along and Newt is nowhere to be seen.

Thomas and Chuck take you over to a tree that's close to the stone wall. There's a tall opening in the wall and you wonder where it leads.

"Wait until you see this!" Chuck exclaims. You're confused at his statement until a loud groan sounds and your attention whips to the sound.

It was coming from the opening in the maze, the door. A loud scraping noise is heard and soon the two sides are closing. They push together, coming closer and closer to each other, and it seems impossible. But you couldn't deny what you were seeing. At last, the two sides are together and a loud crack fills the air around you. The wall was completely shut now.

You stare at the wall in awe and Chuck looks up to you with a prideful glance. "Pretty cool huh?"

You nod and laugh. Thomas speaks up then.

"We should head over to the other Gladers. You're the guest of honor, and they're going to want to celebrate."

And with that, you were whisked off to the celebration.