Silence

Chapter 6

As I walked through the trees, I thought back at the day. Not only had I misses the alarm, I had lost the map and almost been squashed in the doors guarding the maze. I hit myself in the head with my hand, how could I be so stupid? If only I hadn't told Minho we should split up, none of this would have happened. My back found a tree and my body slid down until I was sitting at the ground.

Alby's reaction still hurt. But what did I think? Of course he would react like that. He was our leader, he wouldn't go easy on me just because I had been here longer than the others. My hands found a small patch of grass and I started pulling at some of the straws.

I don't know how long I sat there. It might have been minutes, it could have been hours. The sun had disappeared from the sky, making the temperature drop fast. I rose to my feet and started to walk towards the hammocks.

Before I could reach the opening, I could see Alby. He was walking in a circle, Gally sitting in his hammock. They appeared to be talking and by the looks of it, it wasn't a calm conversation. Alby's hand went out from his sides and he started to wave them. He only does that when he is really upset. In all my time at the Glade, I had only seen him this upset once.

That time the Box hade come up as usual, but it had been empty. We were running low on supplies, so it hit us hard. Alby had shouted up at the sky, down into the Box and out into the maze in rage. I had distanced myself that time, letting Alby release the anger he needed to.

This time was different. I knew I was the source of Alby's rage, I was the reason he was angry. I could see how Gally tried to talk to Alby, but he seemed to be shut down at every try. As Alby continued to walk around, Gally's eyes found mine. He held my gaze for a moment before slowly shaking his head. I nodded and headed back into the forest.

I decided to exit the trees from the other way. This way I got to the gardening area. I headed over to the lettuce I had planted a while ago. It had grown quite a bit, but the earth felt so dry. I decided to head over to the water station and fill up a can with water. As I filled the can, I looked over to the hammocks again. Alby was still waving with his arms, this time towards Minho. Gally seemed to have given up, only sitting in his hammock and listening.

My eyes searched for Newt, wondering where he could be. I spotted him sitting alone by the newly built kitchen. His head was turned towards the hammocks, Alby's voice low but loud enough. Newt's head turned towards the gardens and to me. I quickly got the can and headed over to the plants, I didn't know if I wanted to talk to him or not.

As I watered the plants, I could feel a presence behind me. "You don't have to feel bad, you know?" Newt's hand placed itself on my shoulder. I shrugged it off and continued watering, now moving onto the potatoes. "Em, it's not your fault" Newt said, this time placing both of his hands on my shoulders. I shrugged again, but Newt wouldn't budge. "It's not your fault". He turned me so that I faced him, but I couldn't look him in the eyes. "Look at me" He said, my eyes still down on the ground. "Em, look at me" Newt's voice softened and my eyes rose to meet his. "It's not your fault" He said.

"I know you feel bad about what happened, but it could've happened to anyone. Minho could have been late. If I or Gally, or even Alby went into that maze, we could have been late as well" Newt's hands squeezed my shoulders. "Whatever you think, it's not your fault". I let my defens fall down and hugged him. Newt was quick to return my embrace, holding me close. I needed this, and he knew it.

I don't know how long we stood in the embrace, I only knew that I didn't want to let go. As I was standing in Newt's arms, it suddenly hit what I would've missed if I had been seconds later to the Glade. The worry the others would feel, Minho having to return into the maze in search for me, or rather my body.

I could feel a few tears escaping from my eyes. I adjusted my head so that my eyes would dry on Newt's shirt. Hopefully he wouldn't notice, the last thing I wanted was to appear weak in front of the guys. I wasn't as strong as them and I knew they felt a need to protect me. If Newt would notice my tears, he would never see me as an equal. I needed to be strong.

I pulled away from the embrace and smiled at Newt. He smiled back at me, and for a moment I could see his eyes lingering at my lips. His gaze returned to my eyes, holding mine. His eyes flickered down to my lips again and I could feel my cheeks getting a strong shade of red. Fortunately for me, darkness had now spread over the Glade.

Newt's breath seemed to quicken a bit and I could feel him leaning in towards me. I didn't know what to do, so I closed my eyes. "Newt! Em! There you are!" Gally's voice rang through the silence as Newt and I quickly parted. Gally reached us, illuminating us with a torch. "I found them!" He shouted back towards the hammocks, Minho and Alby answering in the distance. "We've been looking for you guys, where were you?". Newt looked over at me. "Just doing some gardening" He said as he took Gally's torch and walked towards his hammock.

I looked after him, my mind still wandering. Had he been trying to kiss me? A hand in front of my eyes snapped me out if my thoughts. "You okay Em? You seem out of it" Gally said, letting his hand fall down to his side. I looked at him, unsure of what to do. Everything today was to much. The maze, the map, Alby, Newt. My mind started to spin and I grabbed my head with both of my hands. "Em?" Gally's voice sounded so far away.

I don't know what happened, but I felt Gally's hands around me and my feet left the ground. Gally looked down at me, my body gently swaying. "Try to get some rest" He whispered. I closed my eyes and let my hands fall, one hand laying over my chest and one swaying with Gally's movements.

I could see the dim light of the torches through my eyelids and hear the distant voices. "What happened?" Minho's voice sounded clear to my left. "Long day, she's exhausted" Gally answered and I could feel how he placed me inside my hammock. "She didn't faint, right?" Minho's voice rose higher and I could see his worried face in front of me.

"No" Gally said, "she just seemed so tired, like she didn't even notice I was in front of her. She didn't react when I lifted her of the ground". I could feel a blanket being placed over my body, a hand tucking away a piece of my hair. "It's been a long day for all of us. Get some sleep, we have a lot to do tomorrow" Alby spoke for the first time in a while.

I could feel the guys moving away from my hammock. "Night" Gally's voice sounded after a while, only grunts answered him. I still hadn't moved since he'd carried me here. It was as if I didn't have control over my body. Minho's snores pierced the silence and soon Gally joined in. As my eyes remained closed, I tried to get some sleep.