pretty eyes ~ newt

chapter 14: the storm

"you drew stars around my scars"
cardigan, taylor swift
—

Aris grimaces in pain as I carefully unravel his bloody bandage, unveiling his fresh wound. He flinches when he sees it—there's no trace of infection, but it's not too pretty either.

It's almost been a day since the crank attack, and I note that his wound's been healing quite nicely. I use a small flask of water to rinse out the wound gently, making sure not to use any more than I need. Water's precious these days, especially in the sweltering heat of the scorch.

I slowly apply a thin layer of salve to the bite, giving him a small apology when he groans in pain. He shakes his head to reassure me, clenching his teeth tightly to hold back another groan. I carefully rewrap his injury with a fresh roll of bandages, making sure that it's secure before releasing his leg.

"Alright, you're all good now Aris. Just make sure to keep your weight off of that leg as best as possible, but it should be back to normal in a week or so. Let me know if it starts bothering you out of the ordinary, I can take a look at it."

He nods, giving me a small grin. "Yes ma'am. Thanks Isa."

"Of course," I smirk back. "Gotta make sure you stay alive, ya know?"

"Good that," the corner of his mouth quirks up into a genuine smile as I offer him my hand. He takes it gratefully, and I help him hobble over to where the others sit on the other side of the cave.

They're sitting in a circle around the campfire as usual, voices and laughter echoing in the small cave. Their heads turn toward us as I help Aris sit down, and Minho is once again the first to check in.

"How's his wound?" he asks me, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

"It's healing up pretty well," I respond, stretching out my legs lazily. "Give it another week or so, and he should be pretty much back to normal."

Minho nods in relief, and I feel my lips curve up slightly at his concern. Looks like they really are besties now.

"How does it feel Aris?" Newt speaks up. "You seem to be handling the pain pretty well."

Aris grimaces. "It hurts."

I roll my eyes at his vagueness.

"It's more of a dull pain now though, which is much more manageable than what it was before," he explains, shooting me a quick glare.

"The first few hours were brutal cause it was a sharper pain, almost like someone was just constantly stabbing thousands of small knives into my leg over and over," he continues, pulling a face at the memory.

Newt nods in understanding. I guess that he would understand the best out of all of us how Aris feels, given that he's had his limp for almost as long as he can remember.

My eyes wander around absentmindedly, fingers once again finding my scarred wrist as I rub it softly. I block out the conversation around me, lost in my thoughts, and I find myself subconsciously finding Teresa's clear blue gaze.

But I start in surprise when I notice she's already staring back at me intently, a strangely familiar look in her eye.

I blink in confusion, but as quickly as it had appeared, the hard look in her eyes disappears without a trace. I frown slightly. Weird.

. . .

Exactly one week later, we're trekking through the sand dunes of the desert. Again.

Aris' leg is already almost fully healed, and he's barely limping as we trudge through the thick sand. But out of the blue, he nudges me lightly, pointing curiously at the sky.