The Forest Trials | Newt

010

She gasped loudly as she jolted up. Her eyes darted around quickly, her head was pounding, her vision was slightly blurry, and her arm was killing. She steadied her breath as Merlin joined her side, rubbing against her slowly. "Yes, another one I know," Jennifer whispered to him "Everything's fine. No I don't need the- Would you keep your god damn voice down?" She scoffed, trying to keep her voice as low as possible.

"Don't need what?" She heard, and her head swung around. She could only see a figure cast by the moonlight behind the head.

"Why the hell are you awake?" She asked quickly

"Couldn't sleep," Newt sighed as he pulled himself up against the tree "You were freaking out in your sleep, have a nightmare or something?"

"No," she replied a little too fast.

"You were whispering things, scaring me if I'm honest,"

"Well, sounds like you should grow up," she scoffed as she leant up against the other side of the tree "Aren't you tired, we've been walking all day?"

"All yesterday," he corrected "Not really, my legs needed a rest but not me," Merlin quickly jumped towards the two nestling himself in between them. She felt a finger against her hair making her jump away "Sorry," he apologised quickly "It's just, there was something in your hair. Thought you'd rather it wasn't there,"

She ran her fingers through her hair briskly, pulling out a hair or two. "No, it's- just let me," he sighed as he placed two fingers into her hair and dragged it down until the end. Her hair was long, elbow length. But she barely ever had it down, always had it tied behind in a bun as it was more practical.

"What was it?" She asked turning to him, they looked at each other for a moment before he held it out to her. It was a piece of foliage, bright green especially when it was put against her pale skin. "Oh, thanks," she turned back, head against the tree.

It went quiet again, the two just sitting there against the tree. Newt wondered if this had happened to any of the others, sitting one on one with Jennifer in the middle of the night. He doubted it, party because he didn't want to believe that this happened before.

Her eyes began to grow heavy, she didn't fight it though. She could do with some sleep, she had only been asleep a couple of minutes by the time her head found comfort in Newt's shoulder. He didn't mind, she was warm.

They stayed like that until the morning sun shone down on them through the clearing. This had been the first time in two days since they saw the sun considering it had been covered by trees the whole journey.

She rose her head slowly, Newt was already awake along with Jorge and Thomas. None of them said a thing about where she slept. Not a word. She looked at them all with narrow eyes, careful for a second of if any of them would react. It was still before she rested her head on the tree.

"Morning," Jorge said looking over at Jennifer. She shot him a glare before shutting her eyes. "Isn't she a little ball of sunshine?" He asked rhetorically turning back to the others.

"Newt, how's your head?" Minho asked, Newt's head hadn't stopped beating as if it had a heart of its own.

"Painful," Newt replied as he ran his fingers over the headache spot. Talking about heads, Jennifer was reminded of her wound. She moved her hand to her head, trailing her fingers over it. Flinching slightly at the sensitivity.

Newt caressed the wound on his arm, flinching at the same time and wincing. Jennifer's arm hurt too, she assumed that maybe it was internally bruised or something internal since the outside was spotless.

The others began to wake up staggering on time, they decided that they'd eat on the way considering yesterday they lost a lot of time in the morning and catching breakfast would take a while.

It was the morning, everyone was feeling just slightly more energetic and talking along the way. Newt, Minho, and Jennifer were in the front.

"So Newt, got the hots for this chick or what?" Minho asked with a smile, Jennifer looked at him with devil-like eyes. "Real friendly one you've picked up there," he said sarcastically to Newt.

"Minho, please," Newt rolled his eyes as they walked

"So Jennifer, if you've been here from the start. How did the Flare start?"

"The sparks from the sun," she answered quickly

"What do you mean?"

"There was an irregular increase of them,"

"Is that it?"

"Pretty much, why not impressed? What were you expecting, China ate some weird exotic animal?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, quietness engulfed them again but only for a couple of seconds before Newt spoke.

"So this place is 100% no longer used by WICKED?" He says

"Yes, as I said before. WICKED hates you almost as much as me. I'm in a lot of deep shit with WICKED, more deep that you comprehend. I wouldn't be waltzing around their garden without an arrow in my heart,"

"Heres a questions, why does WICKED hate you?" Minho asked

"Long story full of murder, unfulfilled deals, more murder and a bit of fraud," she paused for a moment "The Maze Trails, that where you came from?"

"Basically,"

"Tell me the whole story from leaving the Maze Trails to now,"

"It's long,"

"I didn't ask for the duration, I asked for the story," She shot. Newt glanced up now listening fully, before he was just listening for keywords that might interest him but this was weird. He had never heard anyone speak to Minho like that, not even Alby. Minho looked at her carefully before speaking.

"We got taken in a helicopter, thought we escaped. We didn't. Then we did. Found Jorge and Brenda after a while. Then we went to the Safe Haven. Got betrayed by someone in our group. WICKED came. Only just escaped," he explained quickly "Brenda got bitten while we were escaping. Came to you,"

"Impressive," she said as she turned to Minho examining him up and down before glancing forwards.

"Ouch!" Newt and Jennifer said in unison as Newt's toe hit a fallen branch hidden with a fern. They looked over at each other with curious faces, what the fuck was going on? Jennifer thought, what is wrong with him? They looked at each other for a long second before she looked away as if giving him a warning.

Something weird was happening. Something so very weird.