The Only One (Newt || fanfiction)

Chapter 7

I can't stop thinking about what Alby said, who knows what else you'll be able to think of.

Nothing has come to mind except the music and guitar stuff.

I start to think of excuses, Maybe music was just a huge part of my life. Maybe the creators wanted me to keep it because maybe when I was younger-

I immediately stop in my train of thought. When I was younger, repeats in my head over and over. There's some sort of familiarity to it. As it keeps repeating in my head, the words start to get softer and smoother.

Then I hear them against the music I heard and sang earlier.

They're the first lyrics of the song!

I listen to the lyrics with the beginning of the song over and over in my head. It's a perfect match, but I don't know the rest of it.

"What are you doing? You've been sitting there forever," a young voice says and I spin around quickly. Of course it's Chuck.

I had been at this picnic bench for a really long time thinking about what's happened. "I've just been thinking," I say casually so he doesn't suspect anything.

"What did they say in there?" Chuck asks and sits down next to me on the bench.

"They said that they weren't going to worry about what happened, but they are going to keep an eye on it," I say. It sounds a lot less horrible out loud, makes me feel a little better about it.

"That's not too bad," Chuck says.

"Yeah, I guess not. But Alby seems kind of uneasy."

"He'll get over it. Alby worries about everything," Chuck says. Maybe he's right.

"Well, I hear that there's probably going to be one of those big bonfires tonight," I say trying to lighten the mood.

"Really?" Chuck says, excited.

I laugh lightly and say, "That's what Minho said."

~

I watch as Minho, Alby, Gally, and Newt get a fire started. There are logs set around the big pile of wood as seats.

A small flame starts and they all back up, satisfied with their work.

Minho and the other runners had come back just about a half hour ago and now it's dark.

Minho walks up to me, smiling. "Told you we would have one," he says and stands next to me.

"You did," I say, watching the fire grow.

"So I hear you can sing," he says.

"No," I say, not wanting to talk about it.

"Well they held a gathering about something that has to do with you. So what was it?" he asks.

"Well, I remembered a song. I was humming it earlier today. That's all," I say, trying to end the conversation. "Why weren't you at the gathering?"

"I was in the maze. And if Alby thinks that it's not that important or if he really wants to discuss it then and there, then he'll do it without me," he says.

"Oh."

The fire has gotten huge and it's swallowed all of the wood.

Minho goes and sits on one of the logs. As the gladers finish up their jobs, they walk over to the bonfire. They all start crowding around the fire talking and shouting.

I see as all the boys come together like a big family. It's beautiful and sad. They are real people. Real people who had lives before this. Who knows what's out there. Who knows who's out there.

"This is so cool," Chuck says, a chubby grin on his face.

"It is. I wonder if they do anything like this past there," I say and point at the huge stone walls. "Too bad I can't remember."

Chuck sits there for awhile thinking. "I wonder if my parents miss me. I mean, I don't know who they are, but they know me," he says.

Newt and now Chuck. Someone is probably missing both of them. Chuck shouldn't be here. He should be with his mom and dad. With other kids his age. He should be happy. We all should.

"Yeah, I don't know. I can't tell you much about the outside world," I say.

"I wish you could," Chuck says, his voice cracks on "could." I look at him and see glossy eyes staring into the fire.

Behind the face of a lonely boy are more boys. They wear smiles now, but deep, deep down is loneliness. The fire adds an orange glow to the whole scene. I capture the picture in my brain, as if I'll be able to keep a vivid memory of it forever.

That vivid memory will be my motivation and my strength. To get the lonely boys out of the maze.