pretty eyes ~ newt

chapter 6: cute fireside chats

"heaven is a place on earth with you"
video games, lana del rey
—

Isa's POV:

I pant alongside Aris as we start trekking up yet another mountain of sand. The sandy hills have started to blend into each other into a tedious blur, as our small group continues to struggle over dune after dune.

I pause briefly in my tracks, Aris squinting back at me in the sun questioningly to check if I'm doing alright. I use my forearm to wipe at my forehead wearily before flashing him a thumbs up, my entire body covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

By now Teresa and I have both stripped down to our thin tank tops, and some of the boys have slipped off their shirts as well. At this point I'm not even tempted to gawk at them, unable to think about anything but the merciless sun beating down relentlessly on our backs.

I catch up to Aris as he nods in acknowledgment, and we continue our trek together. The fatigue is clear in his brown eyes, and I'm sure I look no better. Nevertheless, I fix my eyes on Newt's back in front of me, forcing my feet to continue plodding on.

After another five minutes or so, I see Thomas and Teresa pause at the crest of the dune, seemingly squinting at something in the far distance.

The rest of us catch up to the pair, all panting in varying levels of exertion. Aris seems to be the most exhausted—he's never been the most athletic, after all—and Minho looks to be the least affected. Unsurprising, considering he was apparently the leader of their maze's runners.

Thomas uses a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sun, raising the other to point at the mountains. They're so far off in the distance that the large peaks almost seem like nothing more than a mirage, existing only to taunt and torment us.

"That's where we're heading," he squints in the sun, using his other hand to shield his face from its rays.

"It's a long way off," Newt murmurs. I nod in agreement, huffing out another sigh.

But almost out of nowhere, just as we're all peering toward the far-off mountains, a particularly forceful gust of wind blows toward our group and I flinch in surprise.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Aris suddenly lose his balance and end up falling on his butt with a small shriek, looking rather confused as he sits there in the sand.

We all blink at him in surprise for a moment. I then burst out laughing at him, almost choking on the sandy wind as I help pull him up. Still snickering, I examine him quickly for any scratches or wounds as he avoids my eyes in embarrassment.

"Holy shit, you good buddy?" Minho looks over, shaking his head in exasperation. "You klutz, you're almost as bad as Newt."

"What? Who're you calling a klutz, Minho?" Newt frowns at his best friend, carding his hand through his blonde hair absentmindedly.

I just roll my eyes in amusement, patting Aris' shoulder reassuringly. I can tell he's still a bit abashed despite his efforts to hide it, and nod gratefully at Thomas when he suggests we all take a short water break.

I plop down on the sand, sighing in content when my burning muscles finally get a rest. I hadn't even realized how tired I really was until I sat down.

I thank him gratefully when Newt hands me a small bottle of water, stretching his long legs out beside me.

"So, how are you holding up?" he breaks the silence, the corner of his mouth curving up as he turns to glance at me.

I laugh lightly. "Doing alright. Definitely could be worse," I shrug, then smirk up at him. "Who're you, my mom?"

Newt gives me a look that plainly tells me he takes great offense to that comment. "Bloody hell, why am I the mom?"