I'm a Keeper (Gally and Thomas Fanfic) [#Wattys2016]

Chapter 13

Manon had no concept of time as she went through the Changing. Her mind was a hazy blur, but she knew it was her lost memories that were clouding it. She tried to get ahold of them, but somehow she couldn't, so they just floated in her mind.
Time stretched on. Manon's curiosity turned into boredom.
More time passed. Manon's boredom turned into numbness.
Finally things began to change. The fog in her mind slowly began to lift, leaving a dark void. A mind-numbing pain was slowly taking control. It began crushing her brain from the inside out, steadily putting more pressure on it. When the pain was almost unbearable, Manon suddenly felt the memories flood into her mind.

Hurt.
Manon looked up when she heard the sound of a door opening. She was sitting all alone on a bunk bed, in a plain-looking room. The walls were white, and on the floor lay a blue, scratchy carpet. Next to the bunk bed stood a dresser, but other than that, the room was empty. She wondered how old she was, but something in her mind told her she was eight.
Manon watched as the stranger kneeled in front of her. The man had a rat-like face, with small eyes that were constantly scanning its surroundings.
"You're safe now," the man said with a smile, but his eyes didn't match his expression.
Ache.
Manon just stared at him, waiting for what else he had to say.
"Shall we go and meet your new friends?"
Friends? Manon thought, but she nodded anyways. Anything would be better than sitting alone in this room.
The man took her hand and walked to a room with children. They all fell silent when Manon entered.
"Everyone, this is Manon. I expect you all to be nice to her," the man said. With that, he was gone, leaving Manon all alone in a room full of strangers.
Anguish.
"Hi," someone said behind her. Manon turned around and saw a cute looking boy. "Name's Newt, what's yours?"
"Um, Manon," Manon replied.
"Nice to meet ya. Come, I'll introduce you to some of the other kids." He took her hand and walked over to a girl and two guys. As far as Manon could see, she was the only girl in the room. Besides herself of course.
"This is Manon," Newt announced, looking expectantly at Manon.
"Um, hi guys," she mumbled, eyes on the ground.
"Hi Manon, I'm Annabel," the girl said, wide grin on her face. "I'm so glad there's another girl now, I was getting tired of all the boys' talk." She rolled her eyes, making Manon laugh.
One of the boys stuck out his hand. "I'm Thomas."
Manon shook it awkwardly. "Hi Thomas." Then she looked to the other boy, who still hadn't said a word. He had a stoic expression on his face, but Manon saw right through his act and realized he was just very shy. "I'm Manon," she then said. "Who are you?"
The boy's mask instantly fell, and he shyly ran his hand through his hair. "I'm – I'm Gally."
A smile appeared on Manon's face. She had the feeling they were going to be great friends.

Twinge.
Manon was fifteen now. Annabel and her were talking in hushed voices when she was startled by a familiar voice. "Manon, can I talk to you?"
Manon looked up and saw Gally standing there. Instantly a bright smile appeared on her face. "Sure. Be right back, Bells."
Gally took Manon's hand and lead her outside, up a hill, where a majestic oak tree stood.
"Gally, what are we doing here?" Manon asked surprised.
"I –" Gally started, but was immediately interrupted by Manon.
"Wait. Do you see that?" She pointed at something shimmering in the tree.
Gally followed her gaze. "Yeah, what could it be?"
"Let's find out."
Manon slowly began climbing up the tree, careful as to not fall down. However, when she was halfway, she suddenly lost her balance. She tried to grip a branch, but it was already too late.
"Watch it, Gally!" she yelled as she tumbled down. She prepared for the impact of the fall, but instead of hard, solid ground, she felt her body collide with Gally's. Manon fell on top of him, while he hit the grass with a thump. He groaned.
"I'm so sorry," Manon mumbled, while she felt her cheeks redden. She quickly started to climb off of him, but stopped when Gally grabbed her hand.
"Wait."
Manon sat completely still on Gally's lap and watched as Gally fumbled with the hem of his shirt. "We – We have been friends a long time, and –" he hesitated, choosing the right words.
Pain.
"I just thought we could be more than friends."
Oh no, Manon instantly thought. She had been in love with Gally for a while, but she had always refused to admit it, for reasons.
"I –" Then it hit her. Gally had asked her now, because in a few days he would be sent off to the Maze. However, what he didn't know, was that he would have no recollection of her once he was there. She closed her eyes. She couldn't do it. She couldn't put herself through the pain of him not remembering her. But what was she going to say to him? Her head started throbbing when she realized she already knew the answer. She had to hurt him.
Torment.
"I can't, I'm sorry Gally." She watched as Gally collapsed before her own eyes.
"What? But – I thought you liked me."
"I don't Gally. I'm sorry."
Tears sprang in his eyes, but Manon averted her gaze. She couldn't bear the sight of him suffering. She never wanted to hurt him, but she knew she did the right thing. In a few days, he wouldn't remember her anyway.
Crush.
"I'm sorry," she whispered once more, before standing up and walking away.

Agony.
Manon looked straight ahead, reluctant to show any emotions. It took her a lot of effort to keep her breathing steady, but she couldn't break down now. It had been three days since she had last spoken to Gally. It had also been three days since he had declared his love for her. And now it was time to say goodbye.
She was standing last in line, so when Gally finally stood in front of her, everyone else had already gone back to their rooms.
Manon forced herself to look into Gally's eyes, but instantly regretted it. His eyes were full of hurt.
Tears sprang in her eyes, but she rapidly blinked them away. She couldn't show any emotion. Not yet.
"So, I guess this is it," Gally said, awkwardly pulling Manon in his embrace.
Manon could only nod, while she desperately tried to hold back her tears. She didn't want him to go. She wanted him to stay. Without him she would be nothing, just an empty human being.
He let go of her while his hand cupped her cheek. "Manon, promise me one thing. Promise me that you'll never do anything you'll regret later," he whispered, looking at her intently.
Torture.
Manon looked down. "I promise," she said. Her voice sounded strangled.
She felt Gally press a kiss on her forehead. "Bye, Manon."
"Bye Gally," she said without looking up. Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
She couldn't help herself when she heard him walk away. Tears were pricking in her eyes while she looked up. She prayed that he didn't look back. He didn't. He walked in the room without glancing back.
When the door closed, Manon collapsed on floor, breaking down.
Suffer.

~

A/N

Hi guys! New chapter! I am sooo excited for this one, so hopefully you are as well ^^
Please keep voting!

And I would love to receive some feedback, so if you have any, please don't hesitate to tell me ~