Newt POV

It had been over a week. One awful, terrible week. And she hadn't moved. And neither had I. Because it should've been over by now. She should've been awake by now. At the very least, she should be moving. Not that any part of me wanted her to be screaming and thrashing like she was before, but now...Sam was as still as a corpse.

I watched her. Just in case. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed. She looked peaceful, though I doubted she was. It was worrying me. What if she stayed like this forever? I might never see her smile again.

I wish I had told her how much I loved her. I had the time to do it, the opportunities to do it and I hadn't said it. I was a coward. Selfishly, I think I had thought that maybe if I waited long enough to say it to her...maybe she'd be able to say it back. And just one word...it would've meant everything. But now I might never get the chance.

I could hear Nick talking to the Greenie as they passed by the Med tent. Jared, I think his name was.

"We've got four rules here." Nick started. "Follow them and you're good to go. Break one, and you'll find out just how bad the consequences can be. One, do your part. Everyone has a job, you do yours."

I've been with Sam so much I've been practically useless. I saw them stop in front of the tent, surveying the Glade. They didn't see me sitting inside. Nick, maybe, but he didn't say anything. He went on with his speech.

"Two, never harm another Glader. We've got order here. We don't want no shank throwing everything around."

In a near fit and looking for someone to blame, I had punched Minho square in the jaw. It was satisfying for about two seconds until I was almost dragged behind bars. I'd preached about order and I'd gone and punched Minho for putting Sam in danger. He hadn't truly deserved it, I'm sure, but it'd felt good to hear something crack. Even if that something was my hand. Bloody Runner's got a thick skull. I'd almost gotten thrown in the Slammer, but I squeezed out of it. I wanted to be here when she woke up. Which should've been days ago. The last boy that got stung only lasted four days. Counting today, Sam's been under for ten.

"Three, never go into the Maze. If it's not your job, it's a death sentence." Nick said.

I could've sworn I'd almost convinced Nick to let me go in to help but by then it was too late.

"Four...we've got someone in the Med tents. Sam. Touch Sam...in fact, go near Sam without asking Newt or one of the MedJacks...and you're done. Banished."

"Geez. What's wrong with him?" Jared asked. "Some kinda disease?" I tensed, praying Nick wouldn't tell him the truth. God knows, I didn't want the Greenie getting any ideas. There was a pause.

"I...we don't know." Nick replied. "But you better hope it never happens to you." I breathed a sigh of relief. For now, the real Sam would stay a secret. For now. Until we knew why she wasn't awake yet. But that was the final push.

Nick had avoided the truth because we didn't know how long she'd last.

CHANGING FLASHBACK

Sam POV

I sat at a table in a library, staring at the book in front of me. To be honest, it wasn't a real library. It looked like a room where someone had just made to store all of their books, but there were a few tables set up and it was quiet. Away from testing zones. It was just me and a few others. Adults with suits or lab coats. I focused on the page I was meant to be reading.

Random errors are characteristics subjects bring with them to the study. They threaten internal validity because identifying and controlling random errors is not always possible.

"Sam." A voice whispered. I looked around, but didn't see anyone else and went back to my reading.

Systematic errors are mistakes made by the researcher. Random and systematic errors should be anticipated and accounted for before the experiment is run

"Sam." The voice repeated. I glanced up again. Newt was sitting a table away. He grinned and waved at me. Confused, I waved back.

GH-i he spelled. I grinned. I had no idea what had happened before, but it he didn't seem like he was upset anymore. It felt good to think I'd made a new friend.

H-i I repeated. I-s hi

I signed hello, which is essentially a salute.

Hello he repeated. I gave him a thumbs up. He took a deep breath, like he was preparing to say a long sentence.

L-e-a-r-n-e-d...a-l-p-h-a-f-e-t he signed, watching his hands in concentration while he did so. He looked at me for approval. I smiled. Close enough. To be fair, f and b were a bit similar. He had probably only learned the alphabet, so I spelled my words slowly and carefully repeated the signs.

G-o-o-d. I nodded. Good.

Good. He repeated the gesture.

A-l-s-o-l-e-a-r-n...my name is n-e-w-t he added. I grinned.

I...k-n-o-w. I responded. I know.

I know.

Suddenly, his watch beeped. He looked down at it and frowned. Looking back at me, he gestured towards the door and stood. I motioned for him to stop, then got up and pulled his notebook from my bag. He nodded.

"Thanks." He signed. I grinned. He pursed his lips.

"Look, I...I'm sorry about the other day," Newt said quietly. "I just...freaked out. For reasons that I...I don't know how to explain it to you. At least, not here." He managed, shooting a furtive glance at the men in lab coats. I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion. It had been kind of a weird thing to run off like that. But it seemed personal and I wasn't going to press him on it. Not when this was only the second time I'd actually talked to him. Well, listened, I suppose.

"It's fine." I said. He might not have been able to read lips, I couldn't tell. But I think my expression was enough. He smiled. Then his watch went off again, louder. One of the scientists turned to look at him.

"Sorry." He muttered, then headed towards the door. He waved, and I waved back. Again. Newt left the library. Seeing no other option, I went back to my reading.

Necessary conditions for casualty: Relationship condition: Variables A