The Tributes from the Maze (Newt/OC)

His Memories

Newt drew in a sharp breath as he bolted upright. He was drenched in sweat and struggled to steady his deep, uneven breathing. That doctor was right, Newt thought, it wasn't a pleasant experience. But it had worked. They had come back to him like dreams, his memories. He knew he didn't have all of them, but when he focused really hard, he was able to put together some of the larger pieces of the puzzle that was his past. He remembered that his family. He remembered when WICKED came to take his sister and how he begged to go with her.

He remembered Ariadne, how he was the only one who would call her either by her full name or by Ari. Everyone else just called her Aria. He remembered how they first met. They were eight or so. He had just been taken in by WICKED and Chancellor Paige had been speaking to him whilst she was getting him ready for his first few tests. That was when he saw her. They may only have been eight but Ari was the most poised and collected eight-year-old he had ever met. He could almost hear the way her shoes had clicked against the marble floors even now.

Newt sat patiently in the cold chair as the older blonde doctor turned to fill out some papers on the bench. That was when a young girl who seemed to be around his age walked in with her back straight and head held high. Newt watched as she wordlessly took his arm in her warm hands, tightening a strap around his bicep. He assumed she was looking for his veins, like the other doctors had done since he arrived at WICKED. He watched the brunette girl as she tapped from his wrist to his elbow. She was very pretty. Maybe they could play together later? Maybe they could be friends. Newt hadn't had friends in a long time.

"Hi," he said to her in a voice that came out a lot squeakier than he'd wanted it to.

"Hey," She glanced up at him with her hazel eyes and smiled.

He guessed that she had found a sufficient vein for the doctor because she cleaned the area with an antiseptic wipe and moved through the curtains to the next patient. Newt strained his neck as he watched her go, wondering when he would see her again. Maybe he could ask her if she wanted to play.

Newt did see her again, but she was always busy running after the blonde doctor, helping wherever she could. He hadn't spoken to her any further than their exchange of 'hello', but for some reason, he couldn't get her off his mind. After a few months of seeing her around the facility and at meals Newt and the other children had been put in an advanced schooling system. He had hoped to have her in his classes but the first few weeks of school had passed and she wasn't anywhere to be seen. Then halfway through a school day, Ariadne knocked on the door.

There was a soft knock against the door that sent the students' heads turning to the back of the classroom. Minho took this as a chance to pass a scrunched up note back to Newt in the row behind him. Newt took the paper and opened it up to find a comical drawing of their teacher, barely able to contain his laughter. When he looked up at Minho to congratulate his skills he noticed his Korean friend's gaze was directed at the doorway.

"Dude, look!" Minho whisper-shouted. Newt twisted in his seat to see the brunette girl stepping into the room. His eyes widened in recognition as she handed a sheet of paper to the only adult in the room.

"My mother has requested for me to be given lessons with the other children," she said in a small voice as she fidgeted. She must have been nervous around all the kids starring her.

"Very well, Miss Paige. You can take your seat over there, next to Newton." The old woman gestured and returned to the front of the room, resuming their lesson on problem-solving.

The slim girl was quite tall for her age and walked with an air of confidence about her, refusing to let the starring bother her. She slipped into the chair beside him and he held his hand out for her to shake.