maze to her heart ~ newt¹✓

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟 | saving alby

SAVING ALBY

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While Rae was still locked up in the stall, an aggressive knock shuddered the wooden structure, startling the redhead. "Rae, it's Alby!" said a voice, and judging by the thick British accent, it had to be Newt. Covering her eyes with one hand, Rae took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. She needed to pull herself and act like the leader everyone voted for. After a few seconds, she exited the stall to where the blond boy was standing. It took everything in Rae's power to put on a brave face and act like nothing was wrong.

They both made their way to the medbay where Thomas and the girl were standing next to Alby's cot. Rae couldn't bear to see the state Alby was in as he struggled against the restraints with the black parasite stretched across his chest, slowly spreading its way to his neck.

But before Rae could ask anything, Thomas shoved a small, thin vial into Rae's hand. The metal tube held an unfamiliar light blue liquid. She'd never seen it before as it had never come up with the supplies from the Box. The greenie quickly explained how it was sent up with Teresa, as she was called, and could help Alby, possibly even save him.

Just like Rae, Newt wasn't buying it. "We don't even know what this stuff is. We don't know who sent it. Or why it came up here with you," the blonde countered, pointing at the girl.

Rae had to agree with Newt. "For all we know, this thing could kill him," she added. The next thing she needed was for her second-in-command to die on her when she needed him the most.

"He's already dying. Look at him. How could this possibly make it any worse? Come on, it's worth a try."

"All right. Do it," Rae said, handing the vial back to Thomas. Thomas stood over Alby, but before he could stab the syringe into him, Alby's eyes opened and he grabbed Thomas's shirt, screaming, "You shouldn't be here! You shouldn't be here!" The four of them struggled to pry Alby's hands off of Thomas. Finally, they were able to and Theresa stabbed him with the serum, Alby immediately passing out.

Rea backed away from her friend, who was now in a peaceful state. It felt good to see that he wasn't in pain anymore. "Okay, from now on, someone stays here and watches him around the clock."

The redhead exited the medbay hut and out onto the open field. Looking up, the sky slowly turned to a darker hue of blue as tendrils of pink and orange stretched across. The sun was setting, which meant it was time for Thomas's punishment. The girl hoped that Gally would take care of it, so she headed to the Homestead where she sat on one of the logs.

Minho noticed Rae by herself. He could see that something was bugging her, so as a friend, he decided to sit with her. As he looked at the girl, who was staring at the grass in front of her, he couldn't help but feel sorry. Yes, he knew that if Rae found out that he was pitying her right now, he wouldn't hear the end of it. Minho knew how much Rae hated when people pitied her; it came from having worked so hard to earn the respect of the other Gladers while being the only girl.

After a few moments of silence, Minho decided it was time to say something. "Something wrong?"

The redhead looked up and made eye contact with the runner's brown eyes as she gave a small smile, a half-hearted one. "You think we're going to ever get out of here?" she asked.

Minho shrugged. "I have faith."

Faith.

Such a strong word. A powerful meaning that can bring people together for a common goal. Minho had faith, and Rae had faith at one point, a long time ago, but where had faith gotten them? How much longer until they found a way out, if there even was one? But even though Rae might not have had faith, she still believed they would get out. As weird as it seemed, Rae did believe that the world had other plans for her and the rest of the Gladers - that they weren't put on this earth to die from a fate that they couldn't control. As Rae got tangled in her thoughts, the sun had set until the sky was fully black.

"I think there's something else bothering you besides that," the tan boy observed, never letting his eyes off the girl as she rubbed her hands together.

Rae turned to the slammer, which was a couple of feet away, where Thomas was... and Newt. The blonde boy was talking to the greenie, but all Rae could focus on was the way Newt's lips parted when he spoke, or how he gracefully moved his shaggy blonde hair from one side to the other. But she quickly looked away, Minho lightly chuckling after the fact.

"You think I haven't noticed?" Minho joshed. 

The redhead's cheeks quickly flushed to a pale pink color. "Is it that obvious?"

"To others, not so much. But I can tell." Minho lightly bumped his shoulder against Rae's in a friendly way. The redhead let out a small laugh, something she hadn't done in a while. It felt good to not care for one night - not care about the maze.

"Just don't tell him. We have enough things to worry about like Alby and Teresa."

"Trust me. He might already know."

Rae snorted. "You're such a shuck-face."

~~~