Hi, dear readers :) I made another one-shot. I just had to make this one; Zera is out somewhere and Newt has to deal with one stubborn person, who doesn't want to go to sleep... :)
The night was falling in the valley. The diurnal animals already went back to their nests to sleep and nocturnal ones were waking up to begin their day. The silence was almost touchable and undisturbed.
"I don't want to sleep yet!" The words were shouted and a fierce stomping followed it. A calm, deeper voice was the next to be heard.
"Everyone needed some sleep and you are not an exception darling."
"But I am not even tired! That's not fair!"
"You played all day in the forest with Daniel. Your brother is sleeping already. Be a good girl...please?"
"But Mother is not sleeping as well! Why she can stay outside after sunset and me not?"
The man, who was slim, tall and had a strawberry blonde hair tiredly caressed his neck. Unfortunately his daughter inherited so much from her mother… It didn't matter if she was the younger, she was the naughty one. Always looked for some adventures, had millions of questions, wanted to know everything and disobeyed most of the rules. Not because she was a bad child. She was just too curious and had less fear in her heart than in the others'.
Her father sighed and limped to her. When she was even smaller she asked him why he walked so funny. And he always answered something different and then they laughed together. She loved to hearing stories and her father's stories were always the bests so he always told a different story what caused his limping exactly.
Newt went down on the knees before the girl and smiled at her.
"Lara, you know your mother is different."
Her eyes opened bigger and he could see himself in those brown irises.
"When I will be big enough can I stay outside too? After dark?"
"Only if you go to sleep before that."
Lara's face darkened a little. She waited for a different answer. "But Daddy..." But as she saw the look on her father's face she gave up. Sometimes Newt let her to do things, but it seemed, sleeping was way too important to the adults. Newt gently picked her up, dressed her in her sleeping clothes and successfully put her into the bed. She was tired after all: putting Lara down to sleep cost much more effort to him. Newt tucked her in when Lara spoke again.
"Could you tell me more about the Maze and you and Mum?"
He looked at her then sat on the edge of her bed.
"I've told you this story a million of times. And you still want to hear it? Soon you can tell it to me." Newt laughed.
"I just love to hear it again and again. Please Daddy! Just one more time! I'm going to sleep after it I promise!"
He gave a wide smile to her.
"All right, be it. So... Where should I begin? When I woke up in the Box?"
"Nooo! When you first met Mommy!"
"Okay Darling... So, one day - which wasn't different from the others before it - we finished the work in the Glade…."
"What was your work?" Lara interrupted. Newt was thinking for a minute or two.
"I was probably in the gardens."
"But you also were the right hand of Alby, right? Like you were the second very important person in the whole Glade, right?" Lara's eyes glistened with excitement while she spoke. To her Newt was one of the most important persons in her life and she always loved to hear how her father was important to the others too. She always looked up on him, because he was so wise and knew so much about things.
"We can say so, I guess, but I never considered myself as a "very important person." But this story will be so long if somebody always interrupts me with questions." he teased which made Lara giggle a little, then continued "Our Runners just came back and dinner started to be served when we heard it: a loud, cracking noise came from the Gates..."
And Newt told her everything. How he and Zera first met, how she hunted for Grievers (Lara definitely loved that part), what he thought after she saved his life in the Maze ("She was awesome, Lara. Strong, brave and beautiful. I fell with her right then and there."), how their friendship started, what he could feel when Zera didn't return from the Maze ("It was awful, really... But I knew she is alive."), how he went after her and brought back her and at the end they end up together. When Newt reached this part Lara was half-asleep. He stopped the storytelling, bent down and kissed his daughter's forehead.
"I'll tell the rest later honey. Sleep well."
He almost reached the door when heard Lara's soft voice.
"Will I be like her when I grow up Dad?"
Newt looked back at her.
"You are already like her sweetie."
Lara smiled at this. "I love you Dad."
"I love you too." He replied then Lara turned on her stomach and let the sleep took over her.
Names, names, names... always the names. I was sure about Daniel - I just love that name - but I wasn't sure about the girl... so I gave her a 'test-name', the first name which popped into my head, and that was Lara. I was like I re-name her later but actually I liked it so much I decided I'll keep it. So I hope it is not disturbing much - we all know a certain game hero with this name. (Yes, I'm playing with the game in these days - again - probably that was the reason why it came to my mind, but it is a really nice name, wanted to keep it.) If I find a better one maybe I'll change it, but until then: Lara it is.