A Battle With Hope (Newtmas)

Chapter 3

-----------------------------------------------A YEAR ON-----------------------------------------

Newt's back pressed into the soft, green blades of grass, cushioning him from the hard earth below. He chuckled to himself, closing his eyes to the rich, blue sky above. How could things change so drastically, yet stay the same? He was aware that it had been well over a year since his suicide attempt, a secret he carried heavily around with him, materialising in the form of a limp and a dark, black cloud of sorrow over his head. In that time the Glade had grown, new boys appearing every month, like clockwork, Newt mused. In that year, they had recieved 12 or so more boys, each as scared and distraught as the ones before them. Newt hated it at first, the first year he couldn't stand it. He still couldn't, he supposed, but it was something he had begun to grow used to after two years in the Glade. After a week or so of whining and carrying on, refusing to do anything, speak to anyone, the boys all finally came around and became part of the Glader community.

He hated to admit it, even just to himself, but Alby was right. While they hadn't found a way out, the Glade was running smoothly, Alby in charge, and Newt second in command. It wasn't about power, that's not what it was about at all. It was all about influence. Newt relished in it. In the year since he'd taken on his role of helping Alby lead the group, Newt had found something for live for, perhaps even a little spark of hope. He'd become the friendly face amongst the Glader's, the helping hand, the approachable one. A year ago, he was just bitter like the rest of them, but now, now he was strong. He had his bad days sure, but more often than not, he was in good spirits. Well, as happy as you can be when you're locked in a maze with no visible way out and no idea why you're there. He lay there on his back, smiling to himself, thinking about how glad he was with the progress he'd made.

Laying there, with the sun shining down, warming his long, slender body, Newt was suddenly jolted back to reality as he heard the sound of thudding feet along the tough earth, and he could tell they were coming towards him. 'Ah bloody hell', he thought to himself. He'd thought he was hidden, laying deep in the gardens, camouflaged, or so he thought, in the rows of vegetables that ran along one of the four walls of the Glade. Newt didn't bother to open his eyes. He was too comfortable, too content to face reality just yet. He heard his fellow Glader stop abruptly and plonk down next to him in the grass. After waiting to see if his new companion would speak, Newt opened one eye, to see who had joined him. He smiled. Minho.

'What are you smiling at, shuck-face', Minho jeered.

Newt chuckled. 'You, ya shank. What are you doing back so early? The doors aren't supposed to close for hours?'

Minho was the Glade's best runner, keeper of all the other runners. Not only could he run at a steady pace through the maze for an entire day, but he was smart. He could map the maze while simultaneously documenting anything that might have changed from the day before. He was one of the most intelligent of all the Gladers, not that Newt could ever admit it to his face, Minho was also one of the most confident of the Gladers... if confident was another word for big-headed.

'It just doesn't feel right you know,' Minho responded, brow furrowed, his usual spark of humor gone. 'Just a few days ago Nick was killed out there, in broad daylight! I'm not saying I'm scared or nothing... I'm not! I just felt like I should take a moment to think about Nick today. And every other shuckin' Glader we've lost. They deserve that much.' Minho looked down at his hands in his lap, a range of emotions evident across his face.

'I understand Minho, I really do, but there's no use crying about it.' Newt reasoned. 'Yeah it sucks. Yeah the shanks who put us here are the worst people in the world. Yeah if we ever see them we're gonna cave their shuckin' heads in, but we're expecting a new Greenie tomorrow, and the cycle's going to continue. You need to pull yourself together and concentrate on getting us all out of this place.'

'Yeah, about that new green bean...' Minho said with a smirk, turning his face to the sky and closing his eyes. 'Isn't it about time we get a girl Glader around here? I miss girls. Screw freedom. Screw food. Screw clothes! Throw some girls in the box!'

Newt scoffed, but didn't reply. Minho had always had a strange sense of humor, and Newt knew that it was just his way of dealing with the stress and pain that everyone experienced living in the maze.

'Oh come on!' Minho taunted, opening his dark eyes and turning onto his side to look at Newt, resting on a muscular arm. 'Tell me you wouldn't rather a girl in the box over another bloody shuck-face boy!' he dared.

Newt also turned to his side, pushing his blonde hair out of his eyes as he faced Minho. 'I dunno. I guess I haven't bloody thought about it. They've never sent us a girl before, so I don't like our chances of getting one now.'

Minho studied Newt's face, noticing the indifference etched across it. He seemed completely uninterested in the conversation.
'You can't seriously tell me you've never thought about it. Don't you miss girls man?'

Newt sighed deeply before responding. 'Well Minho, I can honestly say relationships have been the last thing on my mind for the past two years, and as for before that. Who knows?'

Minho was quiet. Newt hoped that it was to be the end of the subject and flopped onto his stomach, resting his head on his forearm. He hadn't lied to Minho. He truly hadn't thought about relationships, girls even, since they had been dumped in the Glade two years ago, and the thought of a girl being brought up in the box was truly unexciting to him. He'd heard his fellow Gladers joking about girls over the two years, wondering if any of them had been with a girl and just couldn't remember, wondering if they'd ever see a girl again. Newt never joined in. He had too much on his mind, he couldn't bring himself to sit and muse about an imaginary girl.

Minho coughed, getting Newt's attention and snapping him out of his musings.

'What the bloody hell do you want now Minho?' Newt asked, aggravated at having his thoughts interrupted, again.

'Well... you do like girls don't you?' Minho asked.

Newt looked up once again, expecting to find humour in his friend's eyes and a big smirk stretched across his face, but instead he found sincerity.

'Of course I bloody like girls you shank! I can't remember ever bloody seeing one but I sure don't like boys, do I!?'

The sincerity left Minho's face instantly and he laughed loudly at his friend.

'Good, just checking you shank. You can't be too careful these days. I know I'm good looking, just making sure you weren't thinking of cracking on to me anytime soon'. Minho winked at Newt and lay down again, facing the gradually darkening sky.

Newt sighed loudly and once again lay his head down on his arm. This time, he had lied to Minho. Newt couldn't remember ever meeting a girl, but for the past two years he had wondered, briefly, why he didn't even pay them a thought like the other Glader's did. Newt wasn't sure why he never thought about girls, or why he didn't seem interested when the other boys talked about them, but it's not like he'd ever been interested in any of the boys either! Maybe he just didn't feel attraction for anyone. Or maybe, he thought to himself, he really did have too much on his mind. There wasn't enough time to focus on that sort of thing. Maybe once... if... he got out of this hell hole, he'd be able to give it some more thought.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newt awoke with a start. He sat up, unsure of what had awoken him. He turned to his right, observing the sight next to him. Minho stared back at him, equally as confused, stretching, making it apparent that he had also just awoken. It was dark, the stars twinkling in the distance above the Glade. As they sat there staring at each other, and before either of them could speak, the boys heard a commotion coming from the middle of the Glade. Without a word to each other, they jumped up from where they had been napping in the soft, green grass and ran towards the commotion. 

Hello my dears! I hope you liked the new chapter! Please remember to leave any comments, I'm always happy to hear them!