Be Mine

Chapter 10

I ran into the forest and continued running. I found a tree and climbed it. I sat down on one of the branches and cried.
   Why did everyone not want me to be a Runner? I knew the dangers, but I was still willing to run. Didn't the Glade need more people like that? Was it really wrong of me to want to be a Runner?
   I heard footsteps. I stopped crying and tried to stay as still as possible.
   "Addison?" A familiar voice called out. "Addison, I saw you run out here. Where are you?"
   I didn't move a muscle, not even daring to breathe.
   "Addison!" Newt called out again. "Please answer me!"
   I didn't know how much longer I could hold my breath, but I was determined to not let Newt find me.
   "Alright," I heard him sigh. "I guess I'll see you later then."
   I listened to his footsteps fading as he walked back toward the fields. I took a deep breath. Did Newt really come all the way out here just because he saw me come here? Was it possible that he still cared about me?

Newt's POV
   I saw Addison run into the Deadheads. I knew something must be wrong. She always seemed to run off somewhere when she was upset. She was so fast and she looked flawless when she ran. She'd make a really good Runner. But she can't be. It's too dangerous. I don't know what I'd do if I lost Addison. Well, I probably already did.
   I know that I got upset and stormed off and I regret that. But it hurt to know that Addison had lied to me about what job she wanted. I know that it was just a tiny white lie, but I had still trusted her. I trusted her and she had lied to me. By now, I wasn't upset about her lie about wanting to be a Med-Jack. Now I was worried that if she could easily tell a lie to me, she could just as easily lie to me whenever and about anything else. When she said she liked me, did she really mean it or was she trying to get me on her good side so that it would be easier to persuade me to let her become a Runner? Either way, I wasn't going to give in very easily.
   I didn't doubt her ability to be a Runner. I knew that she could do it. I just didn't want to take any chances. What if something happened to her and she didn't make it back before the walls closed? Just the thought of never seeing her beautiful face ever again made me feel sick. I had to convince her that being a Runner was not a good idea.
   She wouldn't listen, I thought. But I had to try. She'd be so upset and hurt, but I'd rather have her alive and never talk to me again than have her dead and the thought that I could've prevented that from happening haunt me forever.
   I made my way to the Deadheads, trying to take the exact route she took. "Addison?" I called out her name. "Addison, I saw you run out here. Where are you?"
   I was so sure that she was somewhere nearby. I looked up and scanned the trees. Aha! I saw someone sitting in a tree a few feet away from me. Her back was turned toward me so she didn't know that I could see her.
   "Addison!" I called out again. "Please answer me!" I looked at her but she still didn't know that I was just a few feet away from her. She didn't move and I decided not to get any closer to her. So close, yet so far away.
   This girl was not going to answer me anytime soon. "Alright," I sighed. "I guess I'll see you later then." I walked out of the forest and back to the fields.
   I desperately hoped that I would see her later. I really wanted to talk to her. Tell her I'm sorry. Tell her how much she means to me. Tell her why she can't be a Runner. Tell her I love her. Maybe not the last sentence.
   But if I don't, she won't see why she can't be a Runner, I argued with myself.
   I can't tell her. What if she doesn't feel the same? She probably doesn't, especially after how I treated her.
   But what if-
   Make up your bloody mind, Newt! I mentally screamed at myself.
   I decided that I would try my best to talk to her, but I won't tell her my true feelings yet.