Desire ❃ newt

cнapтer 25

I followed Newt as he hurried down the stairs and out of the Homestead into the bright light of midafternoon. Neither one of us said a word for a while. For me, things just seemed to be getting worse and worse.

"Hungry, Greenbean?" Newt asked when they were outside.

I couldn't believe the question. "Hungry? I feel like puking after what I just saw—no, I'm not hungry."

Newt only grinned. "Well, I am, ya shank. Let's go look for some leftovers from lunch. We need to talk."

"Somehow I knew you were going to say something like that." No matter what I did, I was becoming more and more entwined in the dealings of the Glade. And I was growing to expect it.

They made their way directly to the kitchen, where, despite Frypan's grumbling, they were able to get cheese sandwiches and raw vegetables. I couldn't ignore the way the Keeper of the cooks kept giving him a weird look, eyes darting away whenever I returned the stare.

Something told me this sort of treatment would now be the norm. For some reason, I was different from everyone else in the Glade. I felt like I had lived an entire lifetime since awakening from my memory wipe, but I'd only been there a week.

We decided to take our lunches to eat outside, and a few minutes later they found outselves at the west wall, looking out at the many work activities going on throughout the Glade, their backs up against a spot of thick ivy. I forced myself to eat; the way things were going, I needed to make sure I'd have strength to deal with whatever insane thing came my way next.

"Ever seen that happen before?" I asked after a minute or so.

Newt looked at me, his face suddenly somber. "What Alby just did? No. Never. But then again, no one's ever tried to tell us what they remembered during the Changing. They always refuse. Alby tried to— must be why he went nuts for a while."

I paused in the middle of chewing.

Could the people behind the Maze control them somehow?

It was a terrifying thought.

"We have to find Gally," Newt said through a bite of carrot, changing the subject. "Bugger's gone off and hid somewhere. Soon as we're done eating, I need to find him and throw his butt in jail."

"Serious?" I couldn't help feeling a shot of pure elation at the thought. I'd be happy to slam the door closed and throw away the key myself.

"That shank threatened to kill Thomas and we have to make bloody sure it never happens again. That shuck-face is gonna pay a heavy price for acting like that—he's lucky we don't Banish him. Remember what I told you about order."

"Yeah." My only concern was that Gally would just hate me all the more for being thrown in jail.

I don't care. I'm not scared of that guy anymore.

"Here's how it'll play out, Greenbean," Newt said. "You're with me the rest of today—we need to figure things. Tomorrow, Thomas goes in the Slammer. Then he's Minho's, and I want you to stay away from the other shanks for a while. Got it?"

I was more than happy to oblige. Being mostly alone sounded like a great idea. "Sounds good. Am I still gonna go around the Glade, find a job?"

"That's right." Newt huffed, seeming like he forgot I needed something to do around the Glade.

We sat in silence, finishing our lunches, until Newt finally got to what he really wanted to talk about. Crumpling his trash into a ball, he turned and looked straight at me.