Chapter 15

The next day was a day I would never be able to forget. Everything started going wrong the second I woke up from the sleep that had dragged me down only seconds after my breakdown got the best of me.

As I slowly stood from where I had crumpled to the floor during the night every muscle in my body seemed to ache against the movement. I stretched out all of my aching muscles at the same time someone approached the doorway to the slammer for my release. I was surprised to see Gally pushing the key into the lock and letting me out of the cramped room but was grateful nonetheless, not that I showed it though.

I felt completely empty as the previous day's events swirled in my head once again, a constant message that told me I hadn't seen Newt. Gally walked me towards the homestead and up the creaking stairs until I was in the gathering room, every chair apart from two already filled. I didn't need to look around the room to know where I was expected to sit so I walked to the middle of the room and sat with my shoulders slumped and my eyes staring at my shoes, already knowing every pair of eyes was on me in the moment.

"Alright shanks lets get this over with." Alby's voice filled the silent room

I didn't look up from my shoes as Alby explained why the gathering was being held, to me it was already obvious.

"Yesterday Davis over there was purposely harmed by the hand of Skylar and he seems to be unaware of any reasons there might be for such behaviour."

At the mention of Davis I looked up and sitting directly opposite to me on the other side of the room, Davis sat smirking next to Gally and Frypan who both looked uninterested and uncomfortable.

"You got anything to say?" Alby addressed me

I averted my eyes over to Alby and looked him straight in the eye before I shook my head no. I was prepared to be banished for my actions without a fight if Newt was dead. He was one of my soul purposes of living.

I was casting my eyes downwards again when something next to Alby caught my attention. It was remarkable that I hadn't noticed it before but somehow, as I was filled with all my self-despair I hadn't seen the blonde haired boy sitting next to Alby in his usual seat. He had a few scratches on his face but other than that he looked good as anything, as if he hadn't been missing for a day without telling me.

As soon as I caught his eye I stood from the rickety chair I had been sat in, letting it fly backwards and hit the floor with a loud thud as I marched towards Newt and leapt into his lap, attacking him in a hug. His arms wrapped around me quickly and steadied me before I sent us both toppling off of his chair.

"Where were you!?" I whispered, only slightly aware of the other gladers in the room

I barely gave him a chance to reply before I smashed my lips to his and kissed him with as much passion as I could muster. The room was silent as Newt and I kissed in front of every keeper in the glade but I was still barely aware there was anyone else in the room, all of my attention was devoted to Newt and as I broke away from him and stared into his chocolate brown eyes I felt myself not only drain from all depression thoughts but fill with a huge amount of hope that everything would be okay.

"Skylar! Kiss your boyfriend on your own time." Frypan scolded

I realised with a sickening dread that all of the gladers still didn't know what had happened the night before so they didn't know what Davis had said and said he would do to Newt. As I looked into the eyes of every keeper in the room - ignoring Davis' presence completely - I realised they all thought of me as a guilty subject, meaning they all knew I would need to be punished.

Without another word I climbed off of Newt's lap and walked to the chair in the middle of the room and avoiding every boys brutal stare as I did so. I sat with my back straight and my face devoid of all emotion, looking straight ahead of me and into the cold eyes of Davis while he sat and stared at Newt with a scowl on his face.

"We need an explanation Skylar." Alby ordered with no emotion in his voice or on his face.

I looked Davis dead in the eye and realised how much I despised the boy. I never wanted to see his face again but in the moment it was my neck on the line, not his so I would need to defend myself to the best of my ability.

"Yesterday afternoon Davis came to the homestead with a minor cut on his hand that I was treating and he told me to stop worrying about Newt since he was missing because 'I didn't suit it' and I don't know what happened but I just couldn't deal with his sh!t so I tackled the slinthead to the floor. I punched and kicked him multiple times and he told me that Newt was dead. Told me that he was dead, and the grivers got to him before he could." I said

The room was silent and Davis stared at me with a smirk on his face still but I ignored him and stared straight at Alby as I waited to see how he would react.

"You said Davis did nothing to cause you to attack him?" he broke the silence after a while

"He started touching me while I cleaned his cut and made me too uncomfortable." I threw Davis a glare that held all of my hatred towards him with one look.

Newt seemed bothered by this information and shifted in his seat as he also glared at Davis from across the room. He looked like he wanted to say something but Alby wouldn't let anyone get a word in as I was interrogated in front of the other boys.

"Keep your panties on brown eyes I didn't do anything to her." Davis spat across the room at Newt

Everyone stared at the boy who sat in the corner while he continued to smirk in my direction. Newt started standing up from his seat but Minho pushed him back down and shot him a warning look as he removed his hand from Newt's chest where he had pushed him down. Alby glared across the room at Davis and I could see Minho, Newt, Frypan and Clint doing the same thing and hope started filtering into my negative thoughts as I realized that some of the boys might be on my side.

"Did you threaten to kill Newt?" Alby ordered at Davis

Davis didn't say anything to Alby and barely registered he was being talked to as he stood from his seat and walked towards me. From the corner of my eye I saw Newt visibly tense while I stayed calm and watched as Davis took slow steps towards me.

"You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be with him. Your going to ruin this place." he started muttering as the space between him and me started getting smaller.

I didn't react too much at this and stayed calm as the deranged boy continued taking slow steps towards me.

"Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad." He started chanting

I stayed still. It was only when Davis was inches away from me that I finally decided to move. I swiftly turned out of the chair so that it was in front of me and half of the Keepers where behind me.

"Stop Davis." I said calmly while his advances towards me continued

"Really bad. Really bad. Really bad. Really bad." He started chanting

The boys in the room where all standing up now, watching the encounter that was happening but not moving to do anything about it.

"Must be stopped. Must be stopped. Must be stopped." The last three words he shouted making the room echo at the noise.

I had no time to properly react as he dived forwards and wrapped his hands around my throat. I tried to pry his hands off of my neck as we both fell backwards, I fell onto my back while he fell on top of me without any injuries. I was fighting for air as his grip on my neck tightened and black spots started appearing in my vision quickly while a buzzing started in my ears. I could faintly hear people yelling and felt lots of hands grabbing onto me and pulling me back at the hands on my throat where removed and I was able to breath again.

I gasped and coughed frantically filling my lungs with oxygen again while some of the boys took Davis to the slammer and the others stayed in the room and watched over me. After I assured everyone I was okay I sat back in the chair in the middle of the room and waited to here about my punishment.

"The rest of the day in the slammer and you can be released when the doors close." Alby said

I nodded my head and walked with Gally and Newt to the slammar and thankfully into a separate room that Davis who I could hear shouting from inside one of the closed doors. As Gallu turned the key in the lock to secure me in the room for a few hours, Newt sat in front of the gate and stared down at me.

"Where were you?" I asked him as soon as Gally left

"I - cant tell you." He said with a sigh

I glared up at him through the bars of the prison while he stared at the mud.

"Don't give me that klunk Newt. You tell me right now where the hell you were because I was stressing out about you for a whole huffing day and I deserve to know the reason for your huffing absence!"

He stood up from where he sat and looked down at me in the small room "I'll see you later." he said

"Newt! Get back here you slinthead! Don't you dare leave me here without an answer! Newt!" I was shouting at him to come back but he ignored me and walked away. I was left with no answers for hours while I listened to Davis' constant screaming from the room next to my own.