A/N: Sorry, I am a few days late with uploading (maybe a week). I started school last Wednesday and BOY has it been busy! I have already had three projects assigned to me and so that was chaotic (and unnecessary ugh). Junior year is gonna be tough, especially with an AP Psychology class and Spanish 3, but I am doing well so far, and looking forward to it. Let the college hunting begin! Sadly. I feel like I am growing up way too fast!
IT'S STORMING OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW AND IT IS DELIGHTFUL.
Don't worry guys, I will keep updating this. I saw some reviews where people were saying they wished I would come back to writing it or hoping I would finish it. I have just begun this story and won't give up that easily, guys! Lol!
The Newby will definitely start spiking in this chapter, from here on out!
Thank you to my beta reader: XoDixonXo (go check out her story!), and to my cover art illustrator: Hayden, FlanChanVon (deviantART)!
I present to you, chapter 4! Title inspiration from one of my favorite Beatles songs, I Want To Hold Your Hand!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of James Dashner's from The Maze Runner series, I only own Ruby. Everything else belongs to him and his AMAZING work.
Chapter 4: I Want To Hold Your Hand
Nervously, Ruby peered into the hut. There was one chair in the center and torches lined the walls of the circular building. Around the chair in the center were many other chairs, and the Keepers each took one seat.
Gally sent her a comforting smile, visibly brightening at the sight of the girl. She smiled back and immediately went to the middle.
"So, I hear you have an idea?" Alby said as he turned to face her.
Ruby nodded, "And I'm willing to share if you're willing to hear me out, completely, and no questions until the end," she said, hoping Alby would get a little taste of his own medicine.
The boy huffed and sat back in his seat, the rest of the boys staring at her intently. Ruby took a seat and gingerly folded he hands.
"Deal, Greenie," Alby muttered.
Ruby nodded her thanks and began, "So, you say one boy comes up in the Box once a month, right? Well, have you ever tried waiting for the doors to close, wait for the Box to descend completely, and then sending a boy down?"
"How-"
"Not until the end, Minho!"
Minho grumbled something in-audible and sat back.
"Anyways, I say we pry open the doors, tie together some of the strongest vines off the walls and send someone down. A really long rope repelling someone all the way to the bottom. What's the worst that could happen?" Ruby paused to evaluate the current facial expressions of the Keepers—they seemed interested enough, "It'll work."
Alby nodded thoughtfully, "Those vines aren't trustworthy-"
"Already tested it, we just need to pick the strongest ones."
Minho stood, "Well, what if we reach the bottom? What then?"
Ruby smiled, "Then I guess we can all get down somehow!"
"This sounds like a good plan, Alby, I say we consider." Gally said as he smiled at Ruby, and then turned to their leader.
"It sounds like a disaster," someone said to Ruby's left; she eyed the boy skeptically as he frowned.
Alby scowled in thought, rubbing his chin and staring Ruby down.
"And say it doesn't work, have any other ideas?"
Ruby shook her head, "Not at the moment, but I'll be thinking of more, don't you worry,"
There was silence, the Keepers whispering amongst each other. Finally Alby stood and raised his hands for silence.
"Let's make this quick and easy. Raise your hand if you're against the idea,"
Only two boys raised their hands, including the disagreeing boy from earlier; the other five boys laughed at their victory.
"That's it then, Ruby, you're going to help with the rope, and letting down the volunteer." He turned to the group, "Next month, ladies, write it down."
The meeting ended and the boys stood and stretched, discussing the meeting amongst themselves and heading back outside. The torches were diffused, and the hut fell into darkness. Ruby was the last to leave; pleased with the reaction she had gotten at the Gathering.
"Greenie!" Gally called from in front of her, she smiled and jogged to him.
"How did I do, overall?"
"Great, Alby doesn't normally consider other's ideas like that." Gally smiled at her, "Newt couldn't even ask him a question tonight."
Ruby went wide eyed, she had completely forgotten about his meeting!
"Where did Newt get sorted into?"
"He's a Runner, poor guy. He says he wants to do it, and he looks ready for it," Gally said as he skeptically frowned.
Ruby nodded and knew what he meant, "But he really doesn't want to, does he?"
"Not at all, you can just tell."
It was odd that they both had the same analogy on Newt, and Ruby took it as a sign of them becoming good friends. Gally offered to walk her to the Homestead and make sure Reid and his gang didn't bother her.
When she settled down on her mattress and listened to the grinding of the walls closing, she actually fell asleep faster than she had the night before.
"HELP!"
The shrieks of the girl carried throughout the entire Glade as she repeatedly called out in her sleep for someone to save her. When Alby finally came to the reality that the cries weren't in his dreams, he grabbed Newt and Minho, rushing into Homestead.
Ruby was sobbing, hyperventilating, and screaming. Her hands had flown to her ears the second the boys came into the hallway, her eyes squeezed shut.
The same dream was attacking her in sleep, except this time she saw the faces of the few friends she had in the Glade, bloodied and dying before her as they reached for her hands, pulling her down.
"Ruby!" Minho cried out as he grabbed her shoulders, that was when the convulsing and punching began. Knocking Minho down as she scrambled away from him, she ran into Newt's legs, knocking him down as well. Alby called for help from some of the boys sleeping inside, and soon they had three boys holding her down as she cried and the violent outburst calmed.
For an hour, Newt and Alby held her hands as she cried.
"Where's the house?" She kept asking.
No one would respond, and she continued crying. When her head finally fell back onto Minho's shoulder, the other three boys that had come to the rescue left quickly, wanting some sleep of their own.
"If she keeps having nightmares like this, we're gonna need to someone sleeping at the end of the hall every night until she outgrows it." Alby said as they laid the girl back down.
"Gally seems to be pretty protective of her, he'd do it probably," Minho suggested.
Newt cleared his throat, "And if I could do it, I would too,"
Alby nodded, "You and Gally are gonna need to switch off then, figure that out on your own and let me know."
Newt nodded and turned to look at the now peacefully sleeping girl, smiling to himself at the thought of her being able to sleep like that every night.
Ruby woke up two hours later as the walls to the Maze opened, sighing as she remembered her humiliating night. She hated waking the boys up with her screams, and she didn't want them to think they had to come to her rescue each time.
Walking out of Homestead, she could see boys heading to the dining area already, and her stomach growled in response.
As she made her way over, once again she ran into Newt, who caught her before she could fall.
"Sorry!" She exclaimed as he held her in his arm.
Newt smirked, "You just can't go one bloody minute without-"
"Newt! Come on!" Minho cried out to him, closing a door in the wall behind him.
Newt sighed, "Our good morning is cut short, due to that slinthead,"
Ruby rolled her eyes, "Where're you going?"
Newt looked away, his eyes flittering around the ground, "Training in the Maze today."
Ruby nodded, "Good luck," she whispered.
Newt nodded, his arms uncoiling from around her waist, his fingers gliding along her back gently. Before Ruby could say anything else, he was jogging to meet Minho. She turned, her stare following the two as they headed to the wall opening.
Then, they were gone.
"You like him, don't you?" A small voice said from behind.
Ruby turned and met the gaze of a small blonde-headed boy, "Who?"
"Newt!"
It took a moment for her to process what she was just asked; she immediately shook her head, "Not at all."
She didn't! Honestly, she didn't.
The small boy skeptically eyed her, "Whatever you say, Greenie."
From a younger boy, it was weird to be called that by him, as if he were superior to her.
"What's your name?" She asked him.
"Ben, I'm a builder," he replied nonchalantly as they began to walk to the dining area.
The boy had to be at least twelve, or thirteen, and he was building?
"I'm-"
"Ruby, we all know,"
She huffed and turned away, being the only girl did have its downsides. Soon the smaller boy was at her side again, trudging along with her to the dining area.
"Ruby!" Gally called from a table, he smiled at Ben and her.
Ruby smiled and grabbed a plate of food with Ben, and sat next to Gally. Ben took a seat across from them and began to scarf down his food. It was when he looked up and quirked a brow at the two that he abruptly stopped eating.
Ruby caught his gaze, "What?"
Ben shook his head, "Nothing, just got a funny lookin' face is all,"
Ruby glared at him, "Shut up and eat your food, pip-squeak-"
"Come on, he's just kidding Ruby,"
Gally had his hand on her arm, giving her a warning stare. The girl glared back at him, dying to stand and grab Ben by his shirt collar. Some of the nearby tables were staring at them, waiting for a fight. Ruby lowered her head a little and shoved Gally's hand off of her arm, staring at her food.
"It was a joke," Ben said quietly as he stood and walked away.
Ruby sighed, "This place sucks."
"Good that," Gally responded, "It'll suck even more if you let any of the guys get to you like that."
"Well he didn't look like he was kidding."
"But he said he was. Don't let your temper-"
"I don't have a shuck temper, okay?"
Gally rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say, Greenie."
Ruby slammed her fork down and stood, leaving her plate and food on the table. Gally tried calling out to her, but to no avail.
"Ruby!" Frypan called as she passed him.
"What?"
"Why don't you come on by the kitchen after breakfast? I've got a table back there and you can be alone if you want,"
Ruby felt the anger die down and she lightly smiled, "Thanks, Frypan."
"When do you start Keeper trials?" Frypan asked.
Ruby passed him another plate as she stood next to him at the sink, "I have no clue, Alby hasn't told me."
"Well when you do don't come back here," Frypan said as he scrubbed at the plate.
"Why?"
"I like doing this on my own, like it's the one place I fit around here, ya know?" Frypan turned to her and smiled.
Ruby smiled back, "That's nice, knowing where you belong around here."
She turned away and frowned, handing him a cup. Frypan wearily gazed at her, trying to determine what she was thinking.
"You know, little Ben didn't mean what he said earlier. He's just a shuck-headed kid who doesn't know what he's saying."
"Thanks,"
Frypan frowned, "I mean it. Have you looked in a mirror?"
Ruby shot him a puzzled look, "What?"
"Your face ain't funny lookin'. Take a look for yourself in the bathhouse mirror sometime." Frypan smiled and turned to go back to the dishes as Ruby just stood there.
It dawned on her that she had no clue what she looked like.
Had she even gone into the bathhouse?
No, not yet she hadn't.
"I didn't think about mirrors," Ruby commented.
Frypan chuckled, "Well at least that means you don't spend your time thinking about yourself."
Ruby smiled, "We all know you do!"
The boy rolled his eyes and flicked some water in her eyes, "I think we've had a nice time, so I'm now going to ask you to please leave my kitchen and find something better to do."
Ruby mock cried, then patted his shoulder, "Thanks, I needed to just get away for a while."
Frypan nodded, "We all need to sometimes,"
Ruby was headed toward the bathhouse when Alby stopped her, a piece of paper in his hand.
"I'm gonna start Keeper trials on you today, Greenie."
"Oh, great," Ruby replied in a monotone voice.
Alby huffed, "Can't you just keep your mouth shut? Head on over to Gally, I'll have you start with the builders,"
That's just shucking great.
Ruby plastered on the best smile she could muster and nodded, following behind the tall boy to the piles of wooden planks by the west wall. A few boys were scattered around it, looking over papers and picking up tools and nails. Gally peered over the pile as the two walked up and smiled wearily.
"Gally, you got Greenie today!" Alby's voice boomed.
"Good that," Gally responded as he wiped his dusty hands off on his pants.
Alby nodded to them and left. Ruby still wanted to hurt that boy, her and Gally had just gone at it slightly, a little earlier.
This was going to be awkward.
"Ever build anything before?"
"Well if I could remember anything before now I could tell you if I really had or not, so I'll just say 'no'."
Gally scoffed with a smirk, "I'll tell you what I tell all my builders. I don't want any complaining or moaning about how much you hurt or how heavy something is, find someone to help, find me, or take a two minute break. Also, I really don't like back talk that much, I don't appreciate it done to me and I don't like hearing it being done to others, so please, if you have nothing nice to say-"
"Don't say anything at all, I know." Ruby finished for him, nodding her head. Gally was probably referring to her earlier outburst on Ben, warning her to keep a cool head.
Gally sighed, "Well you completely ignored what I just said, but I'll let you get away with that. Just this once,"
There was a slight twinkle in his eye, and Ruby decided to shut up today, just for Gally.
Actually, after her talk with Frypan, she decided to shut up a lot more in general. She couldn't have a reputation building; she had to lay low for now.
Ruby was going to blend in with the rest of them and go with the flow.
"I'll have you start with the hammers, you'll be assigned to Finn and Zak," Gally instructed, handing her a small box of nails and a hammer, "Follow them as they place the board along the edge of the house. It's simple; just hammer one nail at the end of the board."
Ruby nodded, "And where are Finn and Zak?"
Gally pointed to two very tall boys at the end of the board pile. They were quietly talking amongst themselves, not bothering to acknowledge anyone else around them. Ruby headed over and waved as she approached, "I'm paired with you guys today, I guess?"
The two boys looked at one other, silently exchanging odd looks.
"I'm Zak," the taller boy said, he had pain skin and auburn, shortly cut hair. He smiled lightly at Ruby and gestured to his friend, "This is Finn."
Finn just waved at Ruby, but didn't say a word. She noticed he was terribly skinny, but had toned arms and shoulders, probably from lifting and building all day. Without another word, the two boys picked up one board and set off toward the nearest side of the soon-to-be-greenhouse. Patiently, Ruby trailed after them, hammering nail after nail into the ends of the boards.
They boarded up all the edges of the house, and began their second layer. Ruby was barely sweating, and her hands were itching for something else to do. She fidgeted with her hands, often dozing off into her own thoughts.
When Gally shouted at her from the progressing interior of the greenhouse, she jumped a little, frowning at his glare.
And back to work she went.
It went on like this for another two hours, walking and hammering repeatedly.
"Do you want to switch spots?" Zak asked before they grabbed another board.
Ruby smiled, "I would like to, but if you don't want to I understand."
"You look miserable, we can switch spots for a while," Zak smirked and patted her shoulder, and then he took the hammer and nails from her hands and gestured for Finn and Ruby to pick up the next board.
Well holding boards in place wasn't any better, even though she felt like she was getting more done, it was still boring.
Another hour passed, and they had a set wall going around the greenhouse, reaching up about halfway up the house.
Finn and Ruby held the board up for Zak, starting a new round of boards around the house.
There was a clicking noise and some whirs from behind Ruby. It sounded distant and far away, but she definitely heard it.
She turned to look behind her and found her gaze staring into the deep corridors of the Maze. They were near the entrance to the west doors.
The noise didn't come back, so she turned and went back to work.
Another round of boards later and she was back at the same side again. Just as she and Finn lifted the board for Zak; someone let loose a cry.
"Griever!"
The boys around them scattered and ran away from the greenhouse, crying out for Gally and Alby. Cries emitted from the boys and terrified screams, whatever this thing was, was truly terrifying them.
Zak hastily moved past her, bumping her rather harshly. The heavy board she was holding slipped from her grasp and crashed onto the top of her foot. Letting out a pained cry, she pushed the board off and hopped away with the other boys.
There was the clicking noise and the whirs again, but this time they were closer. Ruby turned to look over her shoulder, and caught a glimpse of something moving between the corridors closer to them.
"Come on!" Gally yelled at her, wrapping his arm around her back and helping her move faster. They reached Alby about halfway to the Homestead, the boy was in confusion.
"Where is it?"
"By the west doors!"
Ruby shook her head, "What is it?"
"A griever!" Ben cried out, suddenly beside her.
Now Ruby turned to look back at the west doors where she had just been, and crawling out from behind a Maze wall was the most terrifying creature she had ever seen.
It mucked across the ground, the creature's slimy body making disgusting, sloppy-sounding noises as it moved. Protruding from its gooey skin were spikes an arms, even a light sat on top of the creatures head.
It let out a moan, and Ruby's knees buckled at the sound, the moaning and the sound of the machinery on the creature combined were even more terrifying.
It was unlike anything she had ever heard.
Gally hoisted her up into his hold, "Just don't look, come on!"
They hobbled back to the Homestead as fast as they could; Gally set Ruby down on her mattress once they were inside. The girl was shaking and shuddering, terrified.
"What was that thing?" She choked out.
"A griever," he paused, "That's what's out in the Maze, Ruby. That's why you can't go in there alone. Ever."
"What do they do to you?" She asked, eyes widening in fear.
Gally sighed, "They sting you, and there's nothing we can do if you happen to get stung."
Ruby swallowed, "You die?"
Gally lowered his head, "Slowly, painfully, and into craziness. It's happened twice before."
Ruby sighed, still absolutely terrified from the sight of the griever, "Can it get in?"
"I don't know, we've never had one that close to the doors before. It's weird," Gally looked behind him, "I'm gonna go help Alby, okay?"
Ruby nodded and leaned back, pulling her sheet over her shoulders and shutting her eyes. Her foot throbbed now, and it hurt to wiggle her toes.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the image of the griever out of her head. She laid there for an hour, waiting for someone to come get her.
When no one did, she finally got up and walked outside, a little hobble in her stride. It was chaotic outside, the boys were huddled in groups talking and running around. Alby was with the Keepers, discussing seriously with them. When Ruby approached them they dispersed and went out into the groups of boys.
Alby and Gally met up with her.
"Is it gone?" She asked worriedly.
"Yeah, shuck thing left about thirty minutes ago. Just sort of rolled around the doors for a while," Alby said as he shook his head.
"Then it just left, like that! Didn't do anything else," Gally finished, thinking to himself again.
Ruby sighed in relief, relaxing a bit.
"I just hope the Runners get back soon." Alby said as he looked to Gally, the other boy nodded in agreement and sighed.
"The greenhouse building progress has been temporarily put on hold until we think it's safe to go near the west doors again! No one is allowed near those doors, that is our number one rule right now. No one, and if I catch one of you shuck-faces near it, you'll be sorry." Alby announced to the Glade. He had called a community Gathering with all the boys.
It was getting dark now, and some of the boys began to happily jump up and down at the sight of pairs of runners arriving back. They watched as they headed into a room on the side of the wall and slammed the door, one by one entering from the east doors.
"At least it's on the completely opposite side," Ruby whispered to Gally.
Her heart leapt when she saw two figures enter from the darkness of the Maze, Minho and Newt. They too disappeared into the room, the sound of the door shutting echoed across the Glade.
Alby counted off every Runner that came back, and they had a full count. No one was missing.
It was much darker out now, and no one had gone to dinner when Frypan announced it. To be honest, they had lost their appetites to the chaos earlier.
The runners finally emerged from the room, exhausted and hungry. Ruby peeled her way through the groups of boys in an attempt to meet Newt by the door to the dining area, but he beat her to it and disappeared into the small building, rubbing his shoulder and stiffly walking.
Maybe he had gotten hurt after all? Or was he just sore from running all day?
Why do I care anyways?
Speaking of soreness, Ruby peeled off her sneaker, revealing a now bruising foot. It was swollen, and had the slightest tinge of purple to it. The bruise covered most of her first three toes, and up a little higher onto the top of her foot.
And it shucking hurt.
Like hell.
Ruby shook her head and decided to sit on the porch of Homestead; it was beginning to become her favorite spot to rest.
The tension was still in the air, faintly, as well as fear.
Would the griever come back? Why didn't it come all the way in?
When she heard the trudging of footsteps approaching her, she stood up quickly to let whoever it was pass. She caught the gaze of a very worried and pained Newt, and she grabbed his arm.
"You're hurt, aren't you?"
Newt shook his head, "It's nothing I can't handle,"
Her eyes glazed over a bit at his harsh tone, "Let me at least clean it off,"
Surprisingly he gave in, turning to her and walking to the bathhouse. It was a dimly lit room with a few stalls and a shower, hardly anyone used it.
Newt headed to a sink and pulled up a stool, waiting for Ruby to get to work.
Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw someone appear next to her. But when she turned to look, she caught sight of another girl.
That's me?
Reaching up and touching her round face, she ran her fingers over the many freckles scattered on her cheeks and nose. Her hair was messily layered and thick, and her bangs seemed unevenly cut. She leaned a little closer, just to see her eye color.
Green.
Ruby was actually pleased with her nose shape; it was rounded and gave her a girlish look against her rugged clothes and hair.
Her hair was a light brown color, and the lone red strand of hair draped over her shoulder, it stuck out noticeably against her light orange sweater, which contrasted with her pale skin.
"It's weird, seeing yourself for the first time. It's the only thing that's familiar," Newt said quietly, interrupting her from her daydream.
Ruby nodded, "You're right, it does feel familiar."
He smiled at her, "Done starin' at yourself, birdie?"
Ruby chuckled, looked back in the mirror one last time, and then turned to her friend.
"Where are you hurt?"
Newt groaned a little and looked away, then proceeded to gently lift his shirt up. Heart pounding, Ruby watched as he lifted it over his right shoulder. A large gash stretched across the back of his shoulder, oozing with blood and some clear liquid.
"What on earth did you do, Newt?" She gasped as she slowly dabbed the cloth over his gaping wound.
He hissed at the coolness and stinging sensation all over his back, "After three hours of running in bloody circles, you get a little tired. I caught my foot on a vine and tripped, my blade came loose from my back strap."
Ruby shook her head, "Well no more back strap for you then."
Newt chuckled, "Thank you, mother!"
The girl lightly slapped his arm, her fingertips burning as they made contact with his lightly toned muscles. For a few more minutes they sat in silence, Ruby running the cloth under water repeatedly and dabbing at his wound.
Her eyes wandered as well, along his well-toned back and shoulder blades.
He's got some muscle, I'll give him that.
She smiled to herself and ran her finger close to his gash, wiping away small dribbles of blood. Newt shivered against her touch, looking straight ahead at the wall.
"Are you okay?"
It took Ruby a minute to realize he was talking to her.
"What do you mean?"
He peered over his shoulder at her, "I mean after today, Alby told us about the griever by the west doors." He paused, "Gally said you and two other boys were closest to them,"
Ruby nodded, "I'm fine,"
The image of the griever flashed in her mind, the huge creature wallowing around and moaning, and she shuddered.
Newt looked at her concernedly, "They're terrifying, aren't they?"
Ruby nodded, "Completely," she whispered, rubbing her forehead against her shoulder.
When Newt's hand covered the top of hers on his shoulder, she froze and looked back to him.
His eyes twinkled a bit, in fear.
"I'm scared of 'em too,"
She laughed a little to herself and then turned back to him, "You don't think they'll come in the Glade, do you? During the day?"
Honestly, Newt didn't know. If they had come that close to the doors, who knew how far they would actually venture inside?
"No, I don't think so," he lied, just to comfort her. The scared look in her eyes and the frown on her face made him sad for her. She didn't deserve to feel frightened in her home, her new home.
No one did, really.
Relief washed over her face and she smiled, "Good,"
Newt ran his thumb in a circle over her knuckles and turned back around. She hit a sensitive spot on the wound, causing him to yelp and squeeze her hand. She turned her hand so it fit into his, and she wrapped her small fingers around his hand, squeezing back.
"Sorry!"
"Shuck, would you hurry?"
Ruby scoffed with a smirk, "Say please,"
"Please, Ruby," he said as he squeezed her had even harder.
She ran the cloth over the wound one more time, then stood and ran her hand through his hair, "All done, wimp."
Newt slowly pulled his shirt back over himself and stood, turning back slightly to look at her, "Thanks," he paused and peered down at her foot, "And you should take care of that bruise yourself, too,"
When he turned to face her, then stepped closer, Ruby looked behind him and sucked in a sharp breath, hoping no one would walk in.
He took her hand and squeezed it, "Everything'll be alright, birdie."
Ruby looked up at him, "I hope you're right."
Newt smiled, then let go of her hand, and left. Once the door shut, she let out a shaky breath and turned to place both hands on the sides of the sink. She shook her head, "Not him, not anyone, please,"
What she meant by that was her feelings. She didn't want to push her boundaries she had set for herself, only friends.
Nothing more.
Unfortunately, her feelings for Newt were only escalating by the day. Every time she saw him, her feelings would spike and she couldn't stop it.
She loved it but she absolutely hated it.
Looking back at her reflection, she sighed, why would he like a girl like her anyways? She was scared of everything, had nightmares every night, didn't know anything, and she probably smelled.
Ruby took in her shabby appearance, and began to wander what her own parents looked like. Did she look like her dad, or her mom? Or her siblings?
Before the blurry faces in her forgotten memories made their way into her mind, she stormed from the mirror and left.
FINALLY getting the Newby on a roll! I am really hoping to step up my writing in the romance area, I always felt like I've been awkward when writing it.
Man your guys' reviews are awesome, and they keep coming in! Thank you all, love you!
-Mrs. Frodo Baggins
Kendall