maze to her heart ~ newt¹✓

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟 | another girl

ANOTHER GIRL

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The next morning, Chuck woke up before the doors could open and stood in front of them. At around 6:00 am (time was hard to tell in the Glade), the doors cracked open, so the other Gladers coming to take a look. Chuck was hopeful that the three of them would survive. Newt, on the other hand, who was standing next to Chuck, wanted to believe that they were alive, but he had to be realistic. Last night, he wasn't able to fall asleep. The thought of Rae not making it back haunted him.

"I told you, Chuck. They're not coming back. Let's go," Newt said to the young boy and began walking away, but stopped when he heard what Chuck said.

"You're just going to give up on Rae?" Newt turned around slowly. Truth was, he didn't want to admit to himself that she was dead. He couldn't look Chuck in the eye, but he decided to wait with him.

Chuck squinted into the maze until something caught his eye: movement. "Yeah!" Chuck yelled once he saw Rae and Minho carrying Alby and Thomas walking upfront.

Rae could feel her legs shutting down, but she had to continue on. They were so close. Finally, they got to the Glade and set Alby down gently as Jeff rushed to examine him.

Rae kneeled on the ground, panting and exhausted, as she brushed her hands on her pants to get rid of the dirt. As she stood up, Rae made eye contact with Newt. At first, it seemed to her that Newt was angry, but his face loosened up and he wrapped his arms around her. Rae was shocked by the gesture initially, but it felt good to be in his arms.

Before the hug could progress, Rae pulled away, clearing her throat.

"You saw a Griever?" asked Chuck to the three of them.

"Yeah, I saw one," replied Thomas.

"He didn't just see it. He killed it," said Minho. Everyone was happy at that moment, except for one person. Rae turned to Gally, who had his arms crossed.

"Something wrong, Gally?" Rae asked the tall boy.

He looked up and made eye contact with the redhead's green eyes. "Yeah, I'd like to call a meeting."

Rae raised her eyebrows, surprised by what he said. Gally was a follower, not someone who would talk in front of the crowd. But Rae wasn't a dictator of any sorts and she welcomed the Gladers' opinions. "Alright. Everybody, go to the Homestead."

The Gathering was held in the Homestead with all the Gladers. Rae leaned against the side of the wall in the front of the room, Newt standing next to her, the other keepers also standing in the front of the room, as Gally took the floor to face the non Keepers.

"Things are changing. There's no denying that. First, Ben gets stung in broad daylight. And then Alby. And now our Greenie, here, has taken it upon himself to go into the maze. Which is a clear violation of our rules here."

"But so did Rae," voiced one of the Gladers. Rae looked into the sea of boys to try to pick out the one who said it. 

She wasn't mad. Whoever said it was right. Rae knew she had to be punished for her actions, but Newt came to her defense, saying, "She was a runner before. She knows the maze." Murmurs went around as people nodded their heads. Rae turned to Newt and gave him a small smile, grateful to have someone on her side.

"Rae doesn't deserve to be punished. She ran after Thomas because of what he pulled. He wouldn't have put Rae's life in danger if he didn't run into the maze." Rae was shocked by what Gally said. Sure, she and Gally had an amicable relationship, acquaintances if you will, but he wasn't the person to be going around defending her.

"But Thomas did save Alby's life," added Frypan.

"Did he? For 3 years, we have coexisted with these things. And now, you've killed one of them," said Gally, pointing to Thomas after his last sentence. "Who knows what that could mean for us."

"What do you suggest we do?" Newt asked.

"He has to be punished."

The Gladers start protesting, some coming to Thomas's defense and others agreeing with Gally.

Rae silenced them before they could get too loud. "Minho. What do you think?"

"I think... in all the time we've been here, no one has ever killed a Griever before. When I turned tail and ran, this dumb shank stayed behind to help Alby. Look, I don't know if he's brave or stupid. But whatever it is, we need more of it. I say we make him a runner." Rae glanced at Minho and nodded at him slightly. Good thing she and him were thinking of the same thing. Clearly, that was the only choice. Thomas tried the other jobs and he wasn't good that them. And he definitely had the running capabilities to be a runner.

The Gladers, once again, threw a ruckus, Chuck even chanting Thomas's name.

Gally had enough of everyone siding with Thomas. "If you want to throw the newbie a parade, that's fine. Go ahead. But if there is one thing I know about the maze... it is that you do not-"

Gally got caught off by an alarm, an all too familiar alarm. Rae stood up straight, listening closely. Everyone ran outside. She knew that sound; it could only mean one thing. The gears by the box were rotating as Gally was the first to reach it.

"The Box. It's coming back up," Chuck told Thomas. Although Thomas wasn't in the Glade for long, he figured that the box wasn't supposed to come back up by now. 

Gally and Rae both waited for the metal doors to slide before opening the hatch. Rae jumped inside, landing softly against the metal crate. She inspected the new person, but then backed away a little when she noticed long jet black hair which framed a pale freckled face with rosy cheeks.

"Rae, what do you see?" asked Newt from above.

The redhead looked up. "It's another girl." Rae crouched down and poked the girl with her foot. No movement. "I think she's dead."

"What's in her hand?" Gally asked this time. Rae slowly pulled a crumpled note from the girl's hand and unfolded it.

"'She's the last one... ever.' What the hell does that mean?"

Suddenly, the girl sat up, gasping for air, which startled Rae a bit. Her bright blue eyes drilled onto Thomas. "Thomas..." she croaked, panting before she went back to being unconscious. Everyone looked at Thomas with confusion. How does she remember Thomas?

"Do you still think I'm overreacting?"

"Let's get her out," Rae said. Three Gladers helped to haul the girl's body from the Box. Before Rae climbed out, she surveyed the box for anything else. So far, it was just the girl in there and that note. Things were about to change.

~~~