Memories (Newt X Reader)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

229.02.02 / 9:10 p.m.

You and Newt had been spending more and more time together as if anticipation for the day he'd be taken away -- though you knew this wasn't what was going through his mind. He was prepared for you to go down with him, you had no doubt about it.

Months passed. Whenever you could, you'd sneak out to meet him at night, in little nooks with no cameras or guards, just to talk. You knew soon all you'd be able to do was watch him, so you were making up for it as much as you could, covering every topic you could think of.

"What is your father like?" he asked on one particular night, leaning against the metal wall with his arms crossed and long legs stretched out in front of him. This was one of your favorite spots to meet because there were no cameras in sight, and the guard's rotation lasted an hour, sometimes more before he came back around.

You laughed humorlessly and slid down the wall to sit. Newt did the same.

"Ya know, I'm not too sure. It's been years since I've seen him, I only have memories of my early childhood."

"What about those, then?"

You tilted your head back to stare at the dim lights hanging from the ceiling. "I remember going to the store with my mum, sometimes. It was right down the street from our house and she'd buy me an ice cream and carry me home if I was too tired to walk."

"I remember playing in the summer with Lizzy," he said, barely above a whisper, as if he spoke too loud the memory would slip through his fingers like smoke. "We'd run around in our swimsuits and jump through the sprinkler. I think we had a dog too, but it ran away once the bloody sun decided to scorch our planet."

"I don't know if this makes it better or worse," you said, a sudden feeling of overwhelming sadness washing over you. "Reminiscing like this. It only reminds me how nothing will ever go back to how it used to be. I'll probably never even get to see my father again."

Newt paused. "Well, who knows? Maybe in five years, we'll all be sitting fat and happy, talking about the good old days and how Rat Man had a heart attack because Minho pushed him over the edge. And we find a cure and don't have to worry about crazy Cranks running around and live happily ever after."

You laughed like it was the most ridiculous thing you'd ever heard. "Maybe," you mumbled, not believing a word of it, but relishing the talk of a possible future all the same.

It was hard to believe you had much of a future at WICKED at all. You'd lived there your entire life and you couldn't imagine being anywhere else. Even if they managed to find a cure and get rid of the Cranks, the world as you knew it was gone. Your mother was gone, probably your father as well. There was nothing for you out there.

"Hey," Newt said warmly, reaching over to take your hand as if he'd read your mind. "We'll all stick together, don't worry. You can't go through shit like we have and then all go your separate ways to lead your own bloody lives."

You smiled and closed your eyes, picturing the image of you and your friends, free from WICKED and daily blood tests and from the maze and work. Even sitting in a circle in the middle of nowhere appealed to you more than the cold metal halls you were crouched in now.

You glanced over at Newt, who also had his eyes closed, clutching your hand to him like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. You have him a squeeze and he smiled again without opening his eyes.

A few more months, was all you could think. To look at this face. Only a few more months.

229.02.05 / 5:47 p.m.