The Rebel •Newt TMR• HIATUS

15: The Banished

"So, what happened to him?"

Alby, Chuck, Thomas and I were sat under the overhang of the Homestead, watching the Gladers work. I had overcome my panic attack and listened in silence as Alby began to speak.

"It's called 'The Changing', it's what happens when someone gets stung. We had a cure once, it came up with Castoria, but we used it all." I winced, absent-mindedly resting my hand over the scar left from being stung by a Griever. Chuck patted my shoulder comfortingly, his eyes trailing off into the distance. "Listen," Alby rubbed his hands together, "We haven't been able to get a clear word out of Ben since it happened. You know, he's not making any sense and it's only going to get worse."

I couldn't help but feel guilty. The boys had used every single drop from the vials on me over the month that I was out. If I hadn't been stung maybe we could have saved Ben from this.

"The infection is spreading. He's dangerous."

Dangerous.

The word hit me hard as I remembered the note that was attached to the box when I came up. I was supposed to be dangerous, but why? How?

"What did he say to you two?" Alby asked, glancing between Thomas and I. I pulled out my notepad.

"He only really said things to Thomas. All I got was a bunch of screaming and spit."

The dark Glader nodded, turning back to Thomas, waiting for his answer. Thomas looked unsure, his eyes darting nervously in my direction as if to ask for reassurance. I gave him a small smile, crossing my legs. The Greenie sighed.

"Um... He– he said he saw me and that this is all my fault. How could this be my fault?" My eyes widened slightly as Alby turned to me.

"Castoria, you said there were two Creators that were constantly with you in your memories. And you said you knew Thomas before." He pressured, crossing his arms suspiciously. I bit my tongue and wrote, holding up the notepad with fake confidence.

"As I told you before, Thomas was a friend of mine. He was not a part of the shucking Creators in any way. I swear."

The leader sighed and looked back at the Greenie, who almost appeared worried.

"Alright, get some rest." He ordered, patting the Glader's shoulder and leaving the three of us behind

"Wha–, Alby!"

"Yeah?"

"What's going to happen to him?" The question hung in the thick, tension-filled air for a few moments. Alby turned away with a gloomy look and headed off without a word.

I chewed on my lip, avoiding Thomas' gaze and I focused on playing with the curly stands of hair on Chuck's head. The chubby boy blushed, swatting my hand away in embarrassment. I had never seen a banishment before, but it had been explained to me during my first days. It was cruel, but at this point, it was the only option.

———

My hands shook as I held a wooden beam with a small plank attached perpendicularly at the other end. I kept my dull irises glued to the grass below me, not particularly ready to push Ben into the Maze. The sound of two sets of footsteps approaching caused me to tilt my head up, watching Minho push an unwilling Ben to the entrance of the Maze. The stung Glader growled at everyone, begging to be let off.

The asian cut him loose in between the entrance and the Glade, throwing him to his knees as the boy gasped and cried. Alby nodded at Minho, who tossed a sack of supplies in front of Ben. In my opinion, I thought it was just a waste of supplies because he obviously wasn't going to make it through the night with his condition.

There was a brief pause where we all looked down at him sympathetically. The silence was broken by Alby's command, and the fellow Gladers and I lowered our poles, slowly moving towards Ben as the Maze doors began to rumble.

The stung Glader pleaded as we continued to push him along, our faces emotionless and hearts stone cold. His final scream rang out before being cut off by the doors slamming fully closed, separating us from him. A heavy silence filled the air as I leaned against my pole in remorse, not daring to look around. Instead, I made sure I was the first to walk away, passing a shocked Thomas on my way to the Homestead.

———

Night had fallen over the Glade, a dim light emitting from beside the Maze doors. The chipping noise was irritable as I rubbed my temples, sitting on my hammock with my legs dangling off the side. Newt was lying on his hammock next to mine, his lip caught between his teeth. Another wave of guilt flooded my head as I held my head in my hands. I hadn't know the Runner that long, and we certainly weren't friends. I didn't mourn the loss of Ben at all. But having to watch my friends suffer from the loss hurt my heart greatly.

My vision stayed trained on the blonde mop of hair and the cute baby face that the fellow Glader had. I knew it was wrong to be checking him out at the moment, but I couldn't help it. Newt sighed, rolling on his side, his back facing me. I could see the slight shake of his shoulders as he attempted to drift off to sleep.

Lying down on my own hammock, I turned away from him and closed my eyes, letting out a calm sigh. My mind drifted to memories of Pollux as I focused on remembering the boy's smile and laughter. The corners of my mouth twitched at the happy thoughts as I felt my eyelids growing heavier by the second. Just as I was about to fall asleep, my hammock seemed to sink behind my back a bit. A warm feeling raced through my spine as hands slowly slid around my waist, pulling me close. I blushed when a light pressure was applied on the skin of my shoulder. And with that I fell asleep feeling safe and happy.