To Forget The Unforgettable

Chapter 1

A/N: Hi! These next few chapters are going to take place in Fever Code, so we can get a feel for Ruth's character and her relationships with people before the Maze Trials. I'd love to hear what you think, enjoy :)

It was the night she turned ten, that she first saw someone from Group A. His name was Newt...

Little Ruth, after tossing and turning for hours, gave up on sleep. She shoved the thin blanket aside and peered to the bunk below. It seemed her sister Beth had been successful. Ruth watched her mirror image breathe in and out slowly, dark fringe flopped over her forehead and sheets pulled up to her chin.

Birthdays weren't celebrated at WICKED. Ruth hadn't had a party or even a cake for years now. Everyone accepted this and shrugged off the day as if it was nothing. Beth included. But Ruth had never been able to shake off the bubbling excitement that built up the closer and closer the day got. Which is why Ruth now sat, wide awake, waiting for the small clock on the wall to tick over to midnight.

'11:58' still shone at her and Ruth found herself internally pleading with the clock. As if giving in, the last digit switched to a '9'. Ruth counted down the seconds, the suspense itching away at her mind.

"... ten, nine, ... " She whispered to the empty air. Time dragged as midnight neared. "One." Her eyes burned as she tried to keep them open. She didn't want to miss it.

Finally, the clock switched.

'00:00' it blinked from across the room. A flurry of euphoria exploded in her chest. The ten-year-old beamed, a chorus singing in her head despite the blanket of silence surrounding her. She dropped back, the mattress creaking slightly, and smiled at the ceiling.

The giddiness died away, yet still, Ruth could not sleep. She huffed, twisting over to look at her twin again. Definitely not awake. Ruth paused, dark hair hanging around her as the blood rushed to her head. Would it be such a bad idea to wake her up? Pondering this for a second, Ruth grinned. Of course, it wouldn't. Sitting upright, Ruth swung her legs to the ladder. She quickly pressed her palms against her flushed cheeks, feeling them cool as the blood returned to the rest of her body.

Planting her bare feet onto the concrete floor, Ruth padded towards her sister's head. How can she be sleeping? Ruth wondered- her mind was dancing, she couldn't imagine lying as still as Beth did now. She leaned over the sleeping girl, ready to shake her shoulder.

Before she could, Beth sighed, as if sensing Ruth's plan, and turned over in her sleep. Ruth blinked; her lips pursed. She thought back to the last time she had woken Beth up and crept back to the ladder.

Maybe not such a good idea.

She had placed her hand on the rung when a flicker of movement caught her eye. Glancing over her shoulder, Ruth saw a figure at one of the barrack's small windows. She froze, worried she'd been caught. She hadn't been doing anything wrong, but WICKED staff always found something to punish them for.

She relaxed as she realised the figure belonged to a boy, and he wasn't even watching her. Instead, his eyes were glued to someone in one of the bunks.

Perv. Her eyebrows knotted together, ready to go and bang on the window, that would teach him. However, when she followed his gaze, Ruth noticed who he was watching.

The blonde mop of waves belonged to a girl named Sonya. Which meant the boy must be the brother she talked about so often. Newt.

Unable to resist, Ruth scurried to the window. She had never seen anyone from Group A. WICKED ensured the two groups were entirely separate. As she got closer, she noticed Newt was not the only one there. Behind him stood three boys: one Asian, one with dark skin, and another whose eyes seemed to be soaking in his surroundings in awe. Having reached the window, Ruth tapped against the glass, startling Newt from his daze.