A Way Back - The Maze Runner (♡Newt) UNDER EDITING/REWRITE

Chapter 7

Edited: 13-12-24

~.~.~

Cally

The next morning I got woken up by some knocks on my door. I stretched, letting out a big yawn, glancing at the window to see the first rays of sunshine reaching over the walls. Again, three knocks sounded on the door.
     "Come in." I called out, smoothing my hair out a little bit, only able to imagine how big of a mess it must be.
     The door opened to reveal the tall blonde guy that I started to suspect the others decided was best suited to handle me. "Mornin' Greenie, how you holdin' up?"
     I send him a half smile, "Better."
     "Good," Newt said, opening the door a little wider when Bark came over to great him. He bend down to give her some stretches behind her ears. "Do ya want some more time to yourself or do you feel ready to try out a job or two?"
     I observed the guy for a moment as he petted Bark. If this would be my life for now, maybe Newt wasn't the worst person to be around. When I didn't respond for a moment he looked up at me, the sun that shone through the strands of hair that obscured his face lighting his brown eyes so they had a bit of an amber glow when he looked at me questioningly.
     "No, it's fine." I started eventually. "I want to work. Do something, to be useful. If this is gonna be my life, better make the best of it, right?"
     Newt pushed the strands of hair out of his face when Bark made her way back to me, sending me a smile. "Yeah, just keep it down this time. No screamin', no freakin' out and no flappin' around with knifes. Good that?"
     "Um, yeah... Good that." I still don't really understand what all the words they use mean, but I guess I would've to get used to them sooner rather them later if I wanted to blend in better.
     My reaction seemed to satisfy the boy, as he stood back up and gestured to the hallway with a nod of his head. "Okay then, let's go get some breakfast. After that I'll drop ya off by Frypan."
     "So I'm starting in the Kitchen?" Although it sounded like a question, it really was more of a statement.
     "Yep, don't think it's gonna be an easy first day, Greenbean. Lots of work to do in there and lots of people around, so careful with the cutlery." 
     "Ha, ha, very funny." I rolled my eyes while Newt just snickered at his own joke, I think he also noticed the hint of amusement in my features, but oh well.
     After I'd gotten dressed, which basically just meant putting my bra back on and pulling my purple sweater over my head, I joined Newt on his way back down into the common room. Only right before we reached the bottom of the stairs he turned to me, "When I'm back from the Maze, we're gonna talk."
     I frowned, "Talk about what?"
     The boy just shrugged, playing it off as no big deal. "Things. Now com'n, ya're gonna need your energy." He didn't say more as he started his way into the room, I followed but with a bit more anxiety stirring my stomach than before. It couldn't be that he already figured out that I'm not from this place, right? No one is that smart. Or did I say something that gave me away last night? Eventually I managed to shake the thoughts away, no use in worrying about that right now.
     We ate together, Minho and some other Runners were also in the kitchen. They had to be ready the earliest from everyone so obviously they also ate earlier. We didn't really talk, Minho asked if I had slept well, I answered with that I had slept fine and we continued on with a bit of small talk before they all went to the doors and I was left with Frypan and the other Cooks. To my relieve, no one brought up the day of solitude I had taken yesterday, maybe it did happen more often then not that the new person needed some time to adjust. Which did make sense to me now I thought about it.
     Once I'd followed Frypan into the kitchen, I didn't know where to look. There were people everywhere, cutting things, backing, cooking, moving plates and pans around, there even was a whole section dedicated to only doing the dishes.
     "Welcome in my kitchen." Frypan started. He was a big guy with dark skin and pretty hairy. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I don't think any of these guys really bothers with shaving their arms.
     "It's bigger than I thought it would be." I mused, slightly in awe while I let my eyes take in as much of the place as possible.
     "Yeah, when you've got to feed every hungry bugging mouth in the Glade, you need some space to do it." The guy clapped his hands together, turning his full attention to me. "So, Niewbie, have an idea how to cook?" His question made me think back to all the times I attempted to cook anything. Sure, I could make a grilled cheese sandwich or cook an egg. But most things that required more skill than just putting something on a stove and let it warm up never really had come out very edible. Even dog food tasted better than most of my cooking. Do not ask me how I know this.
     "No... let's just say I don't."
     "Good that, but it's no problem. Most of these shanks didn't know how to hold a spatula the correct way when they got here and look at them now. Maybe you've got talent, just like them."
     There is a correct way to hold a spatula? I shook the question away, "Or maybe I'm going to mess up the spaghetti and burn down the Homestead in the process."
     The Keeper of the Cooks looked at me with one raised eyebrow. "Aren't you the optimist, Greenie."
     I shrugged. "I prefer realist. But whatever you say."
     "Well, we're not making spaghetti, so I think we're safe for now." Frypan joked, making me laugh. The guy really wasn't too bad. At least to me, when I fucked up he was chill under it, explaining to me how to prevent from messing up again. But when one of his cooks messed up... I don't think I wanne be in their position. Making me wonder if all Chefs were like that, I always thought the stern chef to be a stereotype, but maybe there was a ring of truth in it?
     The rest of the day I spend in the kitchen. First, I joined the group of guys who were making the sandwiches for lunch time. Even I couldn't mess that up. Then I got send to help doing the dishes. Which- completely out of my control-  had ended in a water fight with a handful of the cooks. Frypan didn't like it at first, then we dragged him into it and... well he still didn't like it that much, but we managed to pull a laugh out of him and got off pretty easy. All we had to do was cleaning the whole kitchen because apparently 'we like water so much that we wouldn't mind'. Totally worth it.
     Gideon, Fred, Mike, and I were cleaning the kitchen while the others were having their lunch break. Soon, we had to start making dinner for the Glade, so we were given the time limit of half an hour.
     "This is all your fault, Newbie." Gideon said, whipping some liquid off his brow. I couldn't tell if it was sweat or leftover water from the fight.
     "Hey! Don't blame it on me! Little Mikey here thought it would be funny to throw soap in my hair." A laugh sounded through my voice as I spoke, taking away any kind of edge there might have been.
     Fred, Mike, and Gideon laughed as well. "I thought it would look good on you."
     "He was right, you know." Gideon continued, big smiles on his face at the memory.
     "Oh, well, good to know." I said half laughing. "But I still think the soap unicorn horn from Freddy looked better." Now we all laughed. Maybe fitting in wasn't going to be too difficult after all...
     After we finished cleaning, we only had about ten minutes to choke down some food before we had to get back to work. Frypan first let me try helping out with the cooking itself. Which did not end well, I manged to knock over a big vile of olive oil into a pan, creating a small blowtorch in it that obliterated the meet that had been slowly simmering before.
     "Okay, let's try this instead." Frypan had said after extinguishing the fire and tried his best to sound nice when he escorted me with a hand on my back to the table where they cut the vegetables so I could help out there instead.
     Serving the food to the Gladers however seemed to be the best thing for me, mostly because there were no fires I could start by accident. Most of the guys actually were kind of nice. They said hello, asked me how I was doing. Some of them even complimented my hair. Others... well, let's just say that it was clear that they hadn't seen a girl in a very long time.
     "Enjoying the work, Greenie?" Minho had come back, sweating as always, but with a smile on his face.
     "Actually, yes. But I'm going to spit in the food of every boy who gives me another of those crinchy pick-up lines."
     He laughed while taking his plate with food from me, "Oh, poor you. I almost feel bad for you." Minho acted as if he were about to walk off, but turned back to me, smile filled with mischievous glee before opening his mouth. "By the way, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"
     I hoped the amount of annoyance translated well through the glare I shot his way. Thankful that all my time spent on the internet at home had prepared me for almost any bad pick-up line in existent. "No, but I broke a nail while climbing out of hell. Now give me back your food," I stuck out my hand to him, "I need to spit in it." Minho's laugh just became louder as he walked away to sit on a table with Alby and some other guys.
     It didn't take long for the other, Runners to come by and claim their food, every single one of them still stinking of sweat and I really hoped all of them would use the showers sooner rather than later. Among all of them, of course, Newt also eventually walked into the Homestead. His demand for a conversation popped back into my mind, together with the nerves. Distracting myself from the coming confrontation during my time in the kitchen had been easy enough, but now Newt stood in line, getting closer with the second it became harder to talk myself out of worrying. What if he suspected something? Will he have me locked up for lying? Or worse have me Banished to die at the mercy of those Grievers? 
     "Hey, Cals." Newt greeted me, a smile on his face, seeming completely unaware of my mental crisis and not worried in the slightest for whatever our 'talk' would be about. "How's it goin'? Like it in the kitchen?"
     "It's alright."I answered honestly, thinking to spot genuine consern in Newt's question. Maybe I'm overthinking all of this and he is just worried about my mental state after freaking out over the Griever? "But I'm pretty sure being a cook isn't for me. Fryp-"
     "Hey! Greenie!" The Keeper of the Cooks called to me from the kitchen, not even bothering to simple walk over.
     "Speak of the devil." I mumbled.
     "Time to switch! Those dishes aren't gonna clean themselves!"
     I signed, pressing my lips together for a moment. "Well, I gotta go. See ya later, Newt." And with that, I left my post and made my way back to the endless rush of Frypan's the kitchen.
     After another hour of cleaning plates, pot, pans and cutlery, I was finally done with the dishes and could leave the Homestead. Exhausted that I was, I needed to go outside for at least a little while. This definitely would not be the job for me. I needed something that I could do outside where I could breath fresh air once in a while and didn't have people around me all the time.
     The moment I set foot outside, Bark welcomed me with a happy face and a wagging tail. "Hey girly!" I kneeled down, pulling out a piece of meat I'd smuggled out of the kitchen and gave it to her. She chocked it down without hessitation, immediately following it up with pressing her body against me and trying to lick my face, making me laugh.
     "You're such a sweetheart, Bark. I missed you too."
     "Again with the dog talking?" I didn't look up when I heard Newt's voice from right behind me. A bit of annoyance rushing through me that I couldn't have even a ten minute break from people.
     I pushed myself up from the ground, turning to face the boy, seeing that at least one of the Runner's had heard my silent prayers and taken a shower. Newt's hair was still damp and combed back, reaching just past his shoulders this way. "Did no one ever tell you that interrupting a conversation is considered rude in society?"
     Newt laughed, "weird, I thought you were new in our society."
     "You would think so, wouldn't you?" I said, crossing my arms, hoping my slight amusement did not shine through.
     "So, I heard two things today," Newt started, changing the subject. "First, you're a danger for everyone who enjoys eating food."
     My eyes grew bigger and my slight attitude from before fell away as I started to rub my arm, mumbling a "Sounds about right."
     "And second," the boy continued, a bit of enjoyment sparkling in his eyes. "You spit in peoples food?" This time I could not help but laugh, surprised that that's what came up. A smile cracked on Newt's face as well. "Minho told me you were going to spit in his food, but he got away in time."
     "Ha! Yeah, well, he had it coming." I said after I stopped myself from laughing.
     "I'm sure he did," Newt chuckled as he spoke, "but why?"
     I shrugged, "He used the worst pick up line after I complained about the amount I'd already heard."
     The blonde shook his head in disbelieve, "Of course he bloody did."
     "Yeah, but seriously, what's the thing with the bad pick-up lines in here? Don't you guys have any kind of dignity in your bodies? Not even a little?"
     Newt seemed to think about it for a moment, then he just shrugged. "Some of us do."
     I chuckled, my attention falling on Bark who had started running around, chasing some invisible prey or toy.
     "That dog really has too much energy." Newt commented, taking the words right out of my mouth.
     "Yeah, she would make a good Runner."
     "Maybe, except, ya know, that she's a dog."
     "Eh, just a small detail."
     Quiet followed for a moment after we had stopped laughing, before Newt decided to start the conversation about the topic he had actually wanted to talk about. "So Cally, about this yesterday morning."
     A jolt of fear went through me and I subconsciously took a step away from Newt. "Can we just forget about it? I freaked out. Happens to the best of us, doesn't it?"
     "Yeah, it does..." He started, rubbing the back of his head, some doubt in his voice. "But the things ya said... About the dreaming. You said we were bloody fake. What did you mean with that?"
     I wrapped my arms around my chest, stumbling a bit over my words. "I was confused, okay? It didn't mean anything."
     Newt's eyes seemed to analyze me with a mixture of concern and curiosity. When he spoke, however, only the concern sounded through. "Do ya still think this is all a dream?"
     I looked down at the ground, rubbing my upper arms with my hands, pressing my self hug a little tighter as I did so. "I fucking wish..."
     Newt let out a sign, "It's a lot, I know, but it gets better ones you're used to it. And if not better, at least easier."
     "Sure." I answered, not sure what else to respond. Yes, I'd fun with Gideon and Mike and Fred today, but I could barely see myself feeling good again until I was back at home with my family.
     "Don't be like that, Cally," Newt continued a little more upbeat, unaware of the emptiness that filled my chest when my thoughts wondered to my home. "There's always hope." When his words did not seem to change my mood nor evoke a response, Newt stuck out his pinky finger to me, "I promise."
     This time I bursted out laughing. "You know I was only joking when I did that, right?"
     Newt shrugged, "Maybe, but I think loosing half the strenght in your hand isn't really something to bugging joke about, don't ya think?"
     "Guess not." I gave in, hooking my finger with his for a short moment before dropping my arm back beside my body.
     My eyes fell back to Bark, following around her movements for a moment until I realized Newt hadn't started talking about anything else after that. I looked at him from the corner of my eye, suspicion clearly visible, "Wait, that's all you wanted to talk about?" 
     "Pretty much, yeah."
     A big sign of relieve left my body, "And you couldn't just have told me that this morning? Here I was thinking you were gonna accuse me of working with the Developers or some shit like that."
     "Are you?"
     "Am I, what?"
     "Working for the Developers."
     I stared at him for a moment, trying to read if his expression was real serious or pretend serious. Eventually settling for better safe then sorry. "What? No. Why the fuck would I be here if I could've been on the other side of..." I gestured to everything around us, pure disbelieve sounding through my words, "whatever this bullshit is."
     Newt just laughed, "I'm just messing with ya, Greenie."
     "Yeah... well... Whatever" Not able to find the words I needed to respond I crossed my arms and let out a huff of air instead. Which, to my dismay, only made Newt laugh harder.
     "You guys really need to stop enjoying messing with people so much." I mumbled, leaning back down to give Bark more attention, which she happily accepted.
     "Just ya wait, Greenbean, you'll see how much fun it is after a few more people pop up in here." 
     "Somehow I doubt that," I answered, glancing up at the tall guy, who just looked down at me with a hint of amusement. 
      "Guess we'll see." He said, kneeling down to give Bark a little pet on her head, shooting me one last smile before starting his way back to the Homestead.  "See ya tomorrow, Greenbean."

~.~.~