Newt imagines 2

Memories? WICKED buried them in the graveyard

I was sat. On a log. Eating a sandwich. Basking in the glade's sun, it was a gorgeous place; long steamy grass where the cows chomped and mooed, fresh corn ready for the picking, the badly designed homestead that brought the closest feeling of home possible to every boys' heart. Only it was ruined by the irrefutable dark walls, webbed with black ivy.

Around boys quietly mulled about, some thinking about dinner, others on greater things like escaping this darn place. The only real noise was the boy smashing his ham sandwich around in his open mouth. He was sat next to me, as he had been told to do so, by the leader Alby.
Ben, he called himself, was the newest 'greenie' before me. Alby said he was the nicest guy available, still too young for his mind to be on those wrong thoughts.
I set my sandwich down. "Do you have other friends?" I asked Ben twice to get the message across.
Ben took another bite and nodded, i looked back over the glade sighing and nodding. Nodding was all that happened, maybe it strayed to a word or two, three on a lucky day but that was it. There was no one for me to sit down with and have a good natter. Hell! I don't even know where the showers are, if they have them....

I handed Ben the remainders of my sandwich, which had become a routine. I must have enjoyed eating before this place because it showed! However here... food just didn't interest me.
"Can i meet your friends?" I asked the skimpy boy. He nodded, stood up and walked off. I followed. Silently.

He took me to a picnic table, four boys sat around it, eating their own lunch - ham sandwiches. Ben and i took opposite seats at the table, the boys stared for a moment with open mouths. Their heads almost fell with their eyes - going up and down me.
I put on a cheerful smile. "Hi, I'm y/n. The new person." I kept the smile as the gob smacked boys kept staring.
When i had arrived in the crate, that i beleive is called the box. Alby and his bunch of trusted friends had whisked me off into the homestead the moment they noticed i was different. They didn't do anything bad, just prodded me with loads of questions i still don't understand then handed me over to Ben. It meant i hadn't

One of the boys eventually finished his mouthful. "Bill, Jeff, Sandy, Joe and Ben."
Then went back to eating in silence.
"Hi. What jobs do you guys do? I haven't had my try out week yet." I used that high cheery voice that irriates the hell out of me.
They shrugged. "Builder, medjack, bagger, slicer and builder." Jeff muttered through the food.
I gave up with a smile and looked helplessly around the glade. I'm sure these boys are nice but there has to be someone better...
My breath hitched in my throat. Newt was coming this way. More exactly heading straight for me!
I have no idea what it is about the blond boy but he makes me turn into an awkward mess. I always have this longing for his presence, it just.... ugh words cannot explain it.. i feel cured of any and all diseases.
"Hiiiiiii!" My voice was high and wavery. Even the boys looked up startled.
Newt just looked away. "Alby sent me over to check how your settling in?"
I shrugged. "As good as anyone can in this giant moving wall and creatures trying to kill us situation i guess." I blushed a little replaying the words over in my head.
Newt nodded shoving his hands in his pockets. "Bloody true that is." He nodded a hello to the other guys. "Well if you want to bloody talk to someone about klunk just come to Alby or I. Got it?"
"Yeppy got that in the noggin'! Alby or you! Just you or Alby!" I piped too cheerfully. Oh fuck!! Yeppy? Noggin'?
Newt frowned and nodded extrememly slowly. I smiled, more like cringed, my face muscles straining to maintain it as Newt turned back around and left. He went back to his table of mates, they laughed and welcomed him back with claps and cheers.
I smacked my head into my palm. The one guy i wanted to impress and i couldn't talk to him without stuffing it up.
The guys gazed at me like i was an alien from a seperate universe. "Good sandwiches?" I forced out trying to play it off.

My week of job try outs came around soon enough. I had thrown up when Winston showed me how to kill a lamb. Knocked over a ladder at the builders, poor guy has his arm in bandages for several weeks now. Then got hiccups with the baggers to the point they asked me to leave. So i wasn't jumping out of bed to work in the gardens this morning.
Worst bit is i think Zart, the keeper, had heard of my other disasters; he made a solid effort to keep me away from his prize veggie patches. Although it was by far the best! Zart he's happy to talk about whatever without judging as long as the work is done.
I was pulling dandelions out of the carrot beds, side by side with him, the motion was agony on my back. On the otherside of the gardens Newt was carefully tending to the runner beans making extra care that they curled around the bamboo sticks.
"When did Newt get here?" I whispered to Zart.
The keeper groaned as he thought. "He was one of the first 40 or so boys." He was a little louder than i would have liked.
"Has he always had the bad leg?" I said shuffling along to the next carrot patch.
"No." Zart said moving the wheelbarrow of dead weeds along. "shuck that wasn't actually that long ago. When was it? Like two or three weeks ago."
I yanked the plant and root out the ground spraying a shower of dirt everywhere. "How did he do it?"
Zart brushed the mud off his legs and shrugged. "I don't know, don't ask. Thats for him and Alby to know. I think it happened in the maze though."
I nodded and stared off at the blond boy. He was clearly still in a fair bit of pain. The way he gently hobbled, tried not to move and leant on his good leg.
I snapped round at Zart surprising him. "Who do you sit with at dinner?"