Boxes [The Maze Runner ~ Newt] [BOOK 1]

Time

(WARNING: This chapter contains talk of suicide/attempted suicide as well as spoilers to The Death Cure. If you have not read the last book or you are triggered by negative thoughts/thoughts of death, I would advise that you skip this chapter.)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

It didn't feel like they had been together for three weeks. Days would go by like years in the Glade, but not in this case. Marie and Newt could spend hours on end with each other and they'd never wish to leave. It felt like all that time gone by only lasted a few seconds. "Time's cheating us," Marie would tell Newt, to which he would respond, "Should I kick Time's arse for us?"

Marie thought about this a lot and conferred with Ty as she and Newt walked with him over to lunch.

"Do you think time really does fly when you're having fun?" Marie asked the gangly boy.

Ty thought on it for a moment. "Albert Einstein has this quote," he began. "'Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.' I told Alby about that and he really liked it."

"How do you remember that quote?" Marie inquired.

The Cook shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. I remember a lot of stuff, believe it or not. I memorized the Gettysburg address and I can name about half the elements on the periodic table. Sometimes I think about book plots, too. Mostly classics and all that stuff- To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Rye. I mean, I know this is basic stuff taught to teenagers, but I'm like a sponge. I soaked it all up."

"It's impressive," Marie admitted sounded genuinely interested in Ty's peculiar talent.

Even with Newt walking along with them, he didn't listen to a word of their conversation. He had been so happy for weeks on end that the sudden pang of melancholy hit him harder than it ever did before. His train of thought had been off track ever since the early morning. He woke up feeling hollow, as if all the joy he felt was drained out of him and hidden in a place where he couldn't find it.

When eating with everyone at the picnic table, he didn't say a word. He managed false laughter when someone said something funny and nodded in response to those who were talking to him. He didn't know why he bothered showing up for lunch. Newt just stared at the bacon sandwich Frypan served him and realized he wasn't feeling very hungry. This is bad, Newt thought. This is really bad.

In the blink of an eye, lunch had ended and everyone was returning to their jobs. By now he would have joined Winston in the Bloodhouse but he wasn't up for it. Winston was fine without his assistance anyway. All Newt did was wander around the Deadheads where it was especially dense with trees. He didn't feel like he was moving, yet he obviously was. It was like he was just floating through the reality while he mind was taking a stroll through his thoughts.

It wasn't long before he stumbled across a particular tree that he enjoyed spending his time under. There was nothing very special about the tree. He just remembered sitting there after his first month in the Glade. He still couldn't believe how long ago that was. He could still imagine the way he staggered through the forest with tears stinging in his eyes, his breathing shallow as he slumped down next to the tree, the image of a Griever freshly imprinted in his vision every time he blinked. That was the first time he saw the creature. Nick had just established the new system and hired all the new Runners, Newt being one of them. Everything was fine on his run until he peered around a corner and saw the beast stirring. He got out of there just in time but the sight of it haunted Newt during silent nights that were awfully still.

Newt sat down underneath the tree, hugging his knees as he stared at the ground. There were so many things running through his mind yet he still didn't listen to his own voice inside his head. He hadn't been like this in weeks. He thought everything was getting back on track, but instead it all went all haywire.