Hey everyone! Here's the second chapter of Gone. Hope you like it!
As I sat close to the Maze walls, I rummaged through my bag. Inside were several shirts, shorts, leggings, some jeans, underwear, and thankfully several bras. Folding all the clothes neatly and placing them to the side, I reached down and found two brushes, a toothbrush, small circular mirror, a pair of shoes, and menstrual pills. Whoopee. I had just stuffed everything back into my bag, when I saw Newt running towards me.
"Hey," I waved and stood up.
"Well, I talked to Alby, and he agrees that you shouldn't be sleeping with the other shanks. So, I'll guess we could either build you a place to stay or you could..um..you could stay with one of the Keepers in their room," Newt shrugged and scratched the back of his head.
I could feel myself blushing a little but ignored it. "No, it's fine. I don't want you guys to have to build a whole new place for me."
"I get it! It's just, what if more girls start showing up?" Newt questioned, glancing at me.
"Then, I guess we'll have to build a new place for us them. But if it's just me, I don't mind sleeping with a bunch of shanks," I grinned and slung my bag over my shoulder. He grinned and nodded.
"So, what do we do now?" I asked, after a very awkward silence.
Newt shrugged and said, "We can eat, I guess, and then after that, I could show you around the rest of the Glade and get you settled in. Oh, and there's a bonfire after dinner to welcome you."
"Okay! I could seriously use some food though," I laughed.
"Not a problem, Lizzy," Newt smiled. "Follow me."
After an amazing dinner from a very friendly Frypan, Newt showed me around the Glade. The buildings were all made by Gally, Keeper of the Builders, and the rest of his crew. Zart smiled at me when we arrived at the Gardens but continued to pick tomatoes and place them in a large basket. I didn't even flinch when Winston grinned wickedly with a knife in his hand and a rabbit in the other at the Bloodhouse.
"Wow Greenie," Newt said. "You didn't even wince or run away screaming, like the rest of our Greenies." I shrug and follow Newt to the Homestead. It's not the neatest building I've ever seen, even though I can't really remember seeing any fancy ass building, but I'm surprise that Gally and the other Builders had managed to even build something like it.
"How did you guys do it? How did you do it, Newt?" I questioned, staring at him.
"We weren't always like this, Lizzy. There was a time where everything was just complete chaos. It was bloody terrible," Newt said, sadly. He sighed and stared at his shoes. Without even thinking, I reached for him and gave him a tight hug. His body froze, but slowly brought his arms around me and hugged me back. I pulled myself away and smiled.
"Come on. Let's go get you settled in," Newt smiled and led me into the Homestead. As we walked, he glanced at me and said, "I know this is going to be weird for you, but I guess you'll have to be rooming with me. I mean, you...I mean...um...you'll have your own hammock in stuff. It's just we'll be in the same room." He blushed and looked down, almost like he was ashamed.
"Newt, seriously. Breath. You're not asking me to marry you. It's fine," I laughed lightly at Newt's bashfulness and pushed him lightly.
He finally grinned and said, "Okay. Okay. We're cool." After we had gotten my hammock up and I had taken a short, but wonderful, shower, I followed Newt to the bonfire. After a short debate, I had decided to wear black leggings, a black tank top, and black combat boots. Well, don't I sound cheery. As we walked, I heard a loud grinding sound and saw the two walls of the maze closing.
"What the fuck?" I looked at Newt.
"Every night the Maze doors close, and every morning they open," he sighed, glancing at the Maze and then turning back towards me. Every single time I mentioned the Maze, he seemed uncomfortable. No...he seemed depressed.
"Why? Why not keep the doors open all the time? Unless...Newt, are the Creators keeping us locked in or something out?" I questioned, leaning towards Newt with a serious expression.
"Grievers," he spat out.
"What?" I asked.
"Look, I don't mean to be an ass, but can we not talk about this right now? Let's go celebrate!" he said with a thin smile. I wanted to know what Grievers were, but I knew that if I questioned Newt any more, he would not be happy. And a happy Newt seemed way better than a crabby one.
"Who are they?" I point at a group of boys drinking and laughing at each other, changing the subject.
"Those are the Runners. They look for a way out," I nodded and cheered up as I saw Ben stand up and walked towards us.
"Hey, she-bean," Ben laughed. His hair was a little messed up, and I could a smell a little bit of alcohol, but otherwise, he seemed fine.
"Don't make me slap you," I said and stuck my tongue out at him.
"Ouch. So hurtful," he gasped and pretended like he was hurt. I smirked and punched him in the shoulder.
"Come on, you should meet the rest of the runners," Ben smiled and pulled me towards the crowd of boys. "Everybody, this is Lizzy." Several nodded, but several came up to me and introduced themselves.
"Hi, I'm Bill," a friendly boy smiled and sat back down. They were all okay until one of them slung his arm around my shoulders.
"Hey, hon. My name's Lyndon," he breathed into my face and winked at me.
Before I could throw up, I quickly spat out," Get off of me before I snap your arm in half, asshole."
"Oh, feisty! I like feisty," Lyndon laughed. But it wasn't like Newt's, easy, kind laugh. It was the kind of laugh that belonged to a crazy murderer. As Ben started to walked towards me, worry in his eyes, I grabbed Lyndon's arm, flipped him over my shoulder and said, "Come near me again, and I'll break every bone in your damn body." Several boys had shocked expressions, but most of them just laughed.
"Come on, Lizzy. We should go somewhere else," I heard a voice behind me and turned to see Newt glaring at Lyndon.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt him. He just wouldn't get off of me," I spat and followed Newt to the fire.
"It's okay. I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop it," Newt sighed.
"It's not your fault, Newt. Besides, I can take care of myself," I shrugged and smiled. He nodded and plopped down next to the fire. Just as I was about to jump up and go join the fight circle, led by Gally, Ben ran up to me.
"Hey, Lizzy! I'm sorry about Ben, but wow! How did you manage to beat him up!" Ben laughed and stumbled.
"Um, you okay, Ben? You seem a little drunk," I laughed and pushed him back towards the other runners. Pulling Newt towards the fight circle, we saw Gally skillfully push a small boy out of the ring.
"Any other shanks wanna fight me," he said boastfully and smirked. "Or are you all too weak." Asshole. I sighed and stomped forward before Newt could stop me.
"Yeah, sure. I'll fight you," I almost shouted and stepped into the ring.
"Wait, Lizzy," Newt started and tugged at my arm. "This isn't a good idea."
"I need for everyone in this Glade to know that I'm not weak. This is the way to do it," I said and glanced back at Gally, who was smirking and talking to a couple of boys.
"I just don't want to see you get hurt, Lizzy."
"I'll be fine. Like I said before, I can take care of myself," I replied and shrugged Newt off.
"Well, well, well. Looks like our she-bean thinks she can fight," Gally grinned as most of the Gladers circled around us.
"Stop talking, Gally, so I can beat the shit out of you. Or are you scared of a girl?" I replied and crossed my arms. He glared at me and rushed forward. I spun out of the way and kicked him in the back, sending him flying into the dirt. However, he wasn't fazed. Growling, he got back up and charged me again. Gally only had his strength. That was it. I dodged him again and pushed him to the floor. He tried to kick my legs, but I jumped out of the way.
"Wow, Gally. I knew you were bad, but I didn't know you were this bad," I smirked, jumping up and down on the balls of my feet. He jumped up and barreled towards me again. This time, I didn't move out of the way. Instead, I dug my heels into the floor and slammed my hands into his chest. He gave a slight gasp but continued to move towards me. Flipping backwards and out of the way, he landed on his ass again. At one last attempt, he grabbed my arm but I managed to flip him over me.
"Okay, that's enough," Newt shouted and pulled me out of the circle.
"Come on, Newt. Let the girl have some fun," Minho called, causing the rest of the guys to laugh.
"Slim it," Alby roared, quieting down the crowd. "Let's call it a night, everyone." There were mumbles and a few groans, but everyone obeyed Alby and dispersed.
"Let's go to bed, "Newt yawned and pulled me towards the Homestead.
I was running down a white hallway, my white knee-length dress flapping behind me. My feet brought me to a closed door at the end of the hallway.
"Shit," I muttered. With one final shove, the door gave way. I screamed as I saw Newt on an operating table, surrounded by three doctors.
"Get the hell away from him!" I screamed again and kicked one of them. Punching and kicking and slashing my way through, I managed to knock out all three and get to Newt. Yanking out all the plugs connected to his face, he gasps and sits up.
"Lizzy? Why are you here?" he gathered me into a hug as I cried.
"I won't let them do this to you, Newt! I can't! I won't!" I screeched as he stroked my hair. He pulled me into his lap and kissed the top of my head. Wiping away my tears, Newt said, "I have to do this. You know I have to."
"No! I won't accept that! You'll forget me! You'll..," I said in between sobs. "You'll forget us."
"Oh, Lizzy," he sighed softly and cupped my face.
"Newt, I'm not going into the Maze. They won't let me no matter how hard I try! Newt!" I sobbed.
"Shh, Lizzy. It's going to be fine. I'll find my way back to you. I promise," Newt whispered and then kissed me. He held me against him until I was ripped away.
"No! No! No! Stop!" I screamed, slamming my fist into one of the guard's face. He yelped but continued to pull me away. I slammed my foot against a guard's and managed to shove him off me. But it was no use. The last thing I saw was Newt crying and saying that he loved me. I didn't get to say it back.
I woke up with tears streaming down my face and Newt at my side with his arms wrapped around me.
"Shh, it's okay now. You're okay, Lizzy. Just breathe," Newt sat and wiped away some of my tears. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"No," I said. "No. I'm fine. It was just a dream." But as Newt left my side and climbed back into his hammock, I knew it. I just had a memory.
"Hey! Wake up she-bean," I heard a voice say. I groaned and sat up, rubbing my eyes. I saw Ben standing nervously next to my hammock.
"What the shuck do you want?" I yawned and slipped on my boots. Newt was still asleep, but I was pretty sure if we kept talking, he would wake up. And I did not want to face him after last night.
"I want to show you something," Ben said. "Meet me by the Gardens in ten minutes."
"How am I supposed to know the damn time?" I muttered but scooped up some clothes. Newt was asleep, but I doubted he wanted to wake up to me stripping. After marching to the bathroom, changing into a soft white shirt, soft black leggings, a blue jacket, and boots, I met Ben in the Gardens.
"You're late, she-bean," he grinned.
"I thought I said to stop calling me that. It's Lizzy," I replied and glared at him.
"Don't glare so much. You look a lot cuter when you smile," he smiled sheepishly. I blushed but didn't say anything.
"Come on," I said after a long, very awkward silence. "What did you want to show me?"
"Oh," he blushed and said, "I thought you might want to watch the doors open and see me and the other Runners off. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have woken you up." He sighed and frowned.
"No, seriously. Ben. Stop, it's okay. Besides, I don't mind being woken up," I smiled. We stood side-by-side as the doors slowly groaned and opened.
"Damn," I muttered. Ben just laughed.
"Come on," Ben said, leading me towards the other three runners gathered at the entrance. "You should say hi to Minho. He's a nice person, even if he's a bit of a shuck-faced drama queen." I laughed.
"Hey, Minho," I said and gave a little wave.
The Asian boy nodded and said, "So, I hear that you and Newt are roomies." He grinned and raised his eyebrows at me.
"And?" I questioned and raised my eyebrows back at him. He just laughed and continued to talk to Ben. I glared at Lyndon, who was talking to Bill.
"Hello, Lizzy," Lyndon said and winked at me.
Bill sighed and shook his head, "Leave her alone, Lyndon. She's clearly not interested."
I shot Bill a smile and said, "You know, Lyndon. I thought after last time when I beat you up, you'd get that I don't give a fuck about you, shuckface."
"Wow," Lyndon said and winked at me again. Luckily, Ben came to his rescue since I was about to beat the klunk out of Lyndon.
"Um, Lizzy. We gotta head out now, so I'll see you later." Ben said and pulled me away from Lyndon.
I sighed and looked at him, "Yeah, okay. Be careful though."
"Always am," he smiled and ran into the Maze.
Thanks for reading the second chapter! I hope you liked it. If you don't mind, please review and tell me what you think. Would you rather have Lizzy with Ben or Newt? Or neither? Or who else? Let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks! I'll try to update soon.