What If | tmr, newt ✓

Chapter 30

Sitting outside the Gathering room, I take a deep breath and feel the contact of my back against the wood. It's almost a joke how many emotions are running through me right now; mostly, I'm shocked that Minho, Thomas, and Alby made it through the entire night. I'm extremely relieved, of course. Worried for our former leader, who hasn't yet woken up. Scared that everything seems to be changing, just as the girl said. Happy that my friend is okay. Empathising with him and Thomas for what they had to go through.

So, I'm pretty much just a mess. I recall how I wouldn't stop crying when I saw the two of them motioning to Alby's limp body hanging in the ivy - I just couldn't believe it. I should have had more faith in them. Then I helped them over to the Homestead before they had both collapsed. The other two Med-jacks and I had certainly been kept busy, with those two exhausted Gladers, as well as Alby who was going through the Changing, and finally the girl, who was still in a coma. The building was pretty frenzied, with all the Gladers avoiding it if possible.

I wish I could go inside the Gathering room right now, but not being a Keeper, I wasn't permitted. Newt had nearly convinced the others to let me in when we received a deathly glare from Gally. So that finalised that.

The voices are faint, and too hard for me to make out. Every so often the same one speaks up, and I can just about recognise the British accent. Newt was doing his best to take charge. After realising that Alby was unconscious, he subtly asked me to be his temporary 'second-in-command', and I only agreed on the basis that nobody else would know and we would resume normal positions after Alby wakes up. I didn't want to be in charge, but Newt needed me just as much as I needed him.

All of a sudden, an uproar starts inside. Startled, I jump away from the wooden panels, still trying to hear what's happening. After a few moments, the door opens, and someone steps outside the room - Gally. He's about to leave when he turns back to the room and practically threatens Thomas's life.

I sit frozen, listening in without a word, my hatred for the boy growing the more he speaks. When he slams the door, he doesn't notice me, but I watch as he storms across the Glade and disappears into the Maze. Let him go, the jerk. I'm furious. How can he get away with that?

My impatience only grows the longer I sit there. I could be working, or helping to organise the Gladers, or mostly I just want to talk to my friends who are currently on the other side of this wall. Growing restless, I notice Chuck approaching from the Homestead. The young boy is definitely not in good shape, but he does his best at sprinting nonetheless.

I stand up to greet him. "What is it?"

He doubles over, exhausted. "It's-" he starts, breathless, but is interrupted by the door flying open. My nerves are wavering as more Keepers file out.

Chuck motions for me to follow him, and once the Gladers have finished leaving he knocks succinctly on the open door.

"What is it?" I hear from inside, stepping up behind Chuck and placing one hand on the door-frame. Only Newt, Minho, and Thomas are left, all looking positively nervous.

Chuck starts speaking, a conversation happening between him and Newt that I hardly catch. Because one word stuck out from the rest from that first sentence: Alby.

I wait until they finish talking to follow Newt and Thomas to the Homestead. When we reach the stairs, Newt gives Chuck a cold stare and tells him to wait. His gaze flicks to me, unknowing what orders to give.

"It's fine," I say. "I'll stay here." My preference, of course, would be to go up and see Alby, make sure he's okay. But I don't know how he'll act, how he's 'changed', and if he doesn't want to see me, it's for the best that I stay away.

I sit on the bottom step and listen to the two boys' evanescent footsteps. As the young boy sits down, it hits me that Minho was left in the Council room, and I never found out the results of the Gathering.

"You'll be alright here?" I say, standing up once more. The question shouldn't be necessary, but Chuck is almost like a little brother you have to look after. He nods quickly, unusually not saying a word. Smiling encouragingly, I sprint back out of the Homestead and towards the Gathering room in search of my friend.

I push open the door slowly and find Minho still there, sitting on a solitary chair and staring ahead, blank expression on his face. He looks up when I enter, face never changing. "Hey, Falcon."

"Are you okay?" I reply, stepping into the room and dragging another chair across to him.

"Yeah, all good," he lies.

I look past his untruth and stony features. "So what was the decision?"

"Thomas gets to be a Runner," Minho says. "But the shank has to spend a whole day in the Slammer."

I cringe, thinking of the unstable wooden chair, cold stone, and most likely blood stains on the floor from the last time Ben was there.

"Good that," I say eventually, the Glader slang still not sounding completely natural on my tongue. "You should get some rest, you look exhausted."

"Good that," he echoes, not putting any thought to the words. He pats my back before getting up to leave, expressionless all the while. It would have been easy to miss him shudder just before the door closes behind him.

A/N Sorry for the short-ish chapter. I feel like now we've entered into the actual plot I might just be repeating TMR in my own words and from Adalyn's view - which is not what I want to do! - so I'm taking more time to think about what to write, hence the slower updates. My apologies! Anyway, feel free to vote if you've enjoyed it so far and comment if you have any questions.