[2] Remember Me ➝ The Maze Runner ✓

*The Only Way is Down*

*The Only Way is Down*

The weapons weighed heavily in my arms, and my movements were stiff and sluggish as I lugged them across the glade and to the Maze walls.

Thomas walked beside me, also struggling under the weight of various types of spears and machete-type weapons.

"Thanks," I suddenly perked, my thoughts still lingering on his earlier encouragement speech. "For saying all of that. You're right; I need to get a grip on reality."

He smiled warmly but said nothing, his eyes sparkling. His hair ruffled in the slight breeze, and I found my gaze lingering on him longer than intended.

What are you doing? I hissed to myself. Newt! Think about Newt!

"Hey, how's Axel doing? I haven't seen him in a while," he suddenly said after depositing the weapons on the previous mound.

I stared solemnly at the ground. "I should talk to him, really," I murmured quietly. "I think he's pretty upset."

"Go now; I can handle this," Thomas replied shortly, and I looked at him.

"Are you sure?" I asked hopefully.

He nodded, his cheeks dipping as he smiled wanly.

"Thank you so much! You're shucking amazing!"

Then I took off across the Glade without another word; it was time to put things right.

My feet thumped heavily as I skidded into the deadheads, my heart beating rapidly in my chest.

Hearing a warble of voices, I slowed my pace and picked carefully through the underbrush, trying to keep silent as I padded closer.

"What do you think about all this?" A voice broke through the rustling laughter of the trees.

Alyssa.

My heart thudded to a stop.

"What d'you mean?" Newt's accented voice replied, slightly muffled through the dense copse of limbs.

"These... strangers. And that girl; she seems pretty weird."

My jaw clenched. That little shuck-faced piece of klunk. Had she any idea what we'd had to go through?!

"I don't think they're strange. I think they're here to help us," he countered shortly, and my jaw softened. "But... that girl... Rowan, I think... there's something about her... something familiar. It is weird, but not in a bad way."

I drew in a sharp breath. He remembered me? Even if it was just a brief memory, there was still hope!

"What do you mean, familiar? She probably just has the same face as another glader; average and boring."

Anger raged through my shoulders, and I involuntarily tottered into the tree as I stomped my foot and caught my ankle.

A loud crack ricocheted off the dense branches, and a flurry of 'huh?'s swam through the air.

Shuck.

I spun on my heel and took off once again, my shoulders still heaving at Alyssa's words. How could she be so harsh? She barely even knew me... unless it was just jealously.

Lost in my train of thought, I barely had time to register the approaching figure until I slammed into it and threw us both into a tree.

My head slammed into the bark, sending me plummeting into a disorientated trance. Vision swimming and ears ringing, I blindly scrambled back onto my feet and leaned against a tree as I waited to regain my bearing.