Desire ❃ newt

cнapтer 6

Someone shook me awake. My eyes snapped open to see a too-close face staring down at me, everything around them still shadowed by the darkness of early morning. I opened my mouth to speak but a cold hand clamped down on it, gripping it shut. Panic flared until I saw who it was.

"Shh, Greenie. Don't wanna be wakin' Chuckie, now, do we?"

It was Newt—the guy who seemed to be second in command.

Though I was surprised, any alarm melted away immediately. I couldn't help being curious, wondering what this boy wanted with me. I nodded, doing my best to say yes with my eyes, until Newt finally took his hand away, then leaned back on his heels.

"Come on, Greenie," the tall boy whispered as he stood. He reached down and helped me to my feet—he was so strong it felt like he could rip my arm off. "Supposed to show ya somethin' before the wake-up."

Any lingering haze of sleep had already vanished from my mind. "Okay," I said simply, ready to follow. I knew I should hold some suspicion, having no reason to trust anyone yet, but the curiosity won out. I quickly leaned over and slipped on my shoes. "Where are we going?"

"Just follow me. And stay close."

We snuck our way through the tightly strewn pack of sleeping bodies, me almost tripping several times. I stepped on someone's hand, earning a sharp cry of pain in return, then a punch on the calf.

"Sorry," I whispered, ignoring a snicker that came from Newt.

Once we left the lawn area and stepped onto the hard gray stone of the courtyard floor, Newt broke into a run, heading for the western wall. I hesitated at first, wondering why he needed to run, but snapped out of it quickly and followed at the same pace.

The light was dim, but any obstructions loomed as darker shadows and I was able to make my way quickly along. I stopped when Newt did, right next to the massive wall towering above us like a skyscraper—another random image that floated in the murky pool of my memory wipe. I noticed small red lights flashing here and there along the wall's face, moving about, stopping, turning off and on.

"What are those?" I whispered as loudly as I dared, wondering if my voice sounded as shaky as I felt. The twinkling red glow of the lights held an undercurrent of warning.

Newt stood just a couple of feet in front of the thick curtain of ivy on the wall. "When you bloody need to know, you'll know, Greenie."

"Well, it's kind of stupid to send me to a place where nothing makes sense and not answer my questions." I paused, surprised at myself. "Shank," I added, throwing all the sarcasm I could into the syllable.

Newt broke out in a laugh, but quickly cut it off. "I like you, Greenie. Now shut it and let me show ya somethin'."

I really like you. He didn't mean like like me . . . right? He wouldn't have just said it aloud like it was nothing.

Newt stepped forward and dug his hands into the thick ivy, spreading several vines away from the wall to reveal a dust-frosted window, a square about two feet wide. It was dark at the moment, as if it had been painted black.

"What're we looking for?" I whispered.

"Hold your undies. One'll be comin' along soon enough."

A minute passed, then two. Several more. I fidgeted on my feet, wondering how Newt could stand there, perfectly patient and still, staring into nothing but darkness.

Then it changed.

Glimmers of an eerie light shone through the window; it cast a wavering spectrum of colors on Newt's body and face, as if he stood next to a lighted swimming pool. I grew perfectly still, squinting, trying to make out what was on the other side. A thick lump grew in my throat.