Something Clouded
It was true: Hope was tired. There were bags starting to form underneath her eyes, her mind was all over the place, and Hope's whole body simply felt… tired. Nevertheless, did that mean Hope wanted to go to sleep? No. No, it did not, since she was starting to detest sleeping. Those dreams of hers were starting to be way too realistic-feeling and nightmarish. Of course, Hope knew that sleep was a human need. She knew that her body would shut down without it, but… But still, after what had happened between her and Newt, Hope was overly cautious.
Therefore, instead of taking a rest, Hope decided to take a shower. She got herself some new clothes from her mysterious backpack and then walked over to the showers - Hugo at her side. Everyone was still eating away at breakfast, so Hope didn't think she had much to worry about. Placing down her new clothes outside of the shower, Hope took a step inside the wooden box and moved the rag acting as the shower curtain to enclose herself in. She then slowly started stripping away her dirty clothes from her sweaty body, feeling the chill air on her naked skin.
However, the moment that Hope looked down to take off her cargo pants, she noticed something. Something on… both of her arms. Last time she had taken a shower, it was at night when darkness surrounded her. Back then, Hope hadn't felt comfortable enough taking a shower with everyone around, so she'd just opted to wait until everyone was asleep. But now, Hope saw what she had missed during that first shower.
"W-What the…?" Hope couldn't stop herself from exclaiming in shock. "What is this?"
From the edges of her wrists, to the creases of her elbows, was a straight scar located on either of Hope's under-arms. Whatever would have caused them to be there, would have had to cut very deep and would have been very painful. Hope tried to wrap her head around what that would be, but nothing came to mind other than…
"I'm sorry."
That woman's voice again.
"I-I don't…" Hope shook her head fearfully. "I don't under-"
"Cleaning time!"
"WAH!"
"AHHH!" Chuck screamed after hearing Hope's shout, both of them taking a stunned step back. However, when the boy's young eyes noticed the lack of shirt on Hope, his face went fully red and he immediately shut the shower curtain in front of him. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know you were in there!"
"I-I-It's fine!" Hope terribly stuttered. More so, despite Chuck being unable to see her and there being a bra still on her, Hope's arms were still covering up her chest area. Oh, and her face was as red as Chuck's. "I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you I-I was in here!"
"N-No, it's totally my fault!" Chuck spluttered and then slowly started backing away. "But, um, I'm gonna go and wait to clean until you're done! S-Sorry again!"
Instead of answering, Hope could only stand there in embarrassment and astonishment. Honestly, she had no idea what just happened nor did she really want to know. With Chuck's awkward appearance and her painful-looking scars, Hope merely wanted this shower to end. So, picking up the bar of soap and readying her water bucket, Hope started her second shower in the Glade.
"I think our little shank saw somethin' she shouldn't have," Newt teased.
"C'mon, Chuck!" Frypan pestered with a bright smile. "Spit it out!"
"Must be pretty bad if he's acting like this," Gally sighed understandingly. "Still, tell us what happened."
"Guys, please…" On another hand, Alby tried to protect Chuck. "Lay off the poor kid, a'right?"
Off in the distance where Hope was showering, three older boys were surrounding a much younger one. They all stood outside of the kitchen, each of them with curious looks on their faces except for… Chuck. Chuck, whose forehead was being hit against the wooden kitchen with embarrassed vigor. He seriously hadn't meant to catch Hope in the middle of showering! It'd just happened! And yeah, Hope didn't seem very mad at him for it, but that didn't make Chuck feel any better! Not in the embarrassed, guilty part of his heart!
"Ugh…!" Chuck let out a sudden groan of disapproval. "I. Hate. Myself!"
"Man, you've been hittin' your head against my kitchen for too long," Frypan argued. "Just tell us what happened - it can't be that bad."
"But it is!" Chuck argued right back. "I did something that isn't okay! Very not okay!"
Gally raised an eyebrow. "Did you hurt someone?"
"No."
"Did you," Gally shrugged, "hurt someone's feelings?"
"...No."
"Did you break any rules?" Gally also asked, making Chuck let out another groan.
"W-Well, I… I-I didn't break any Glade rules, but I feel like… I broke a rule."
"What kind of rule?" It was Newt's turn to ask the questions. "One that isn't that bad or… one that's really bad?"
"Really," Chuck banged his forehead, "really," banged again, "really," banged once more, "BAD!"
"Ah, Chuck, come on. It can't be that bad," Alby tried to console. "Just tell us what it is, and we can help you. No judgments here."
"Eh," Gally crossed his arms, "maybe a little."
Chuck couldn't do it: no matter how much those boys tried, he couldn't spit out the truth. Something about seeing a girl half-naked felt so wrong to him, even if he'd barely seen anything in the point-two-seconds that he looked. Furthermore, it was Hope. Hope, who was one of the nicest people Chuck had ever met! He never wanted to invade her privacy like that! For all he knew, this could have been Chuck's worst moment. So, please, someone tell him that that was all just a bad dr-
"Chuck…!" But then, all of a sudden, he heard her voice. "Chuck, hey!"
"Ohhh, no, no, no," Chuck grumbled as he very slowly inched his head toward the voice. "I don't know if… I can… do…"
Chuck trailed off, however, after his eyes met the girl in question. Those eyes widened in awe and wonderment, while his jaw dropped as well. Though, Chuck wasn't the only one who had this reaction: the other three boys did, too. At that moment, all the four saw… was her. And what they realized, at that same moment, was how much of a girl Hope truly was. For the first time, Hope's curly, dark brown hair wasn't in a ponytail; that hair cascaded down her flannel-covered back, in which ends of hair could almost could touch the top of her jean shorts; and her blue eye and brown eye looked even more uniquely stunning hiding underneath the tips of her bangs. Plus, it wasn't that the boys hadn't noticed any of those things before, but… But, still, the abrupt change in looks after two weeks made them have to admit that…
Hope was a pretty girl. Some could even say beautiful. Once she had run up to them and stood beside them, they saw how out-of-place Hope looked. Not in a excluding way, but in a more factual way. Hope was unlike any person that had come up that box - looks, personality, and all. Hence, the question as to why those people would send Hope up swirled around their minds again. What was a kind, good-looking girl doing in such a dirty, bad-looking place?
Nonetheless, Hope was a very good-looking girl, particularly to those five boys all ogling the innocent girl to death. But, well, that was also why her protective best friend needed to intervene.
"Ruff…!" Hugo barked, causing each of the boys to instantly snap out of their staring fits. Still, the dog sat down while almost rolling his eyes. "Grrr…"
On the other hand, Hope had just finished washing her hair and body in the shower. And after combing through her hair, letting it dry as well, she quickly went to go find Chuck. The awkward situation was still baffling her, so she wanted to make sure that awkwardness wouldn't continue. Thus, upon seeing Chuck by the kitchen, Hope ran directly over to him.
"Chuck, I'm really sorry about before," she apologized, stepping closer to him. "I should've heard you coming, and because I didn't, I kinda created a mess. It won't happen again, I swear."
"N-No, Hope, I'm sorry for not hearing you," Chuck apologized right back. "I shouldn't have… I-I shouldn't have, um…"
"Holy shit…" Gally scoffed once Chuck had trailed off. "The kid's face is as red as those strawberries."
"Seriously, what happened?" Frypan asked again, prompting Newt to look straight at Hope.
"Are you at least gonna tell us?"
"I, uh…" Hope stammered. "I-I don't know if-"
"Guys, if they don't wanna share, then respect that," Alby interjected in an authoritative tone. "And you all have things to do, correct? I think you should get started on 'em."
"Aw, man!" Frypan huffed. "You're no fun, Alby!"
"Actually, Alby, Frypan, I wanted to ask you about our jobs," Hope acknowledged, raising her hand slightly. "Could I… Well, if it wouldn't be too much work for Frypan, I would like to… work with… Chuck for the day."
Silence.
Confusion.
Shock.
Silence.
Confusion.
Shock.
Silence.
Confusion.
Shock.
Silence.
Confusion.
"Say what?!" each of the boys shouted simultaneously, making Hope take an immediate step back.
"W-What…?! Is that wrong of me to ask?!"
"A little bit, yes!" Newt said with a bewildered expression. "Hope, trust me, that isn't something you wanna be asking."
"Yeah! Bein' a Slopper is gross and… just ew!" Frypan exclaimed. "Plus, you have a perfectly nice job in the kitchen!"
"I-I know that! Trust me, I appreciate my job!" Hope hastily asserted and then took a deep breath. "Look, it's not that I want to switch jobs. Or that I want to be a Slopper. I simply want to do something for Chuck and help him out. I-It could be a fun learning experience, too."
"Trust me, Greenie," Gally clicked his tongue, "you won't learn anything bein' a Slopper."
"And that's okay - it's fine," Hope stated. "Regardless, I want to help Chuck."
"B-But… But why?" Chuck finally spoke up, his brown eyes staring up into Hope's. "There's no reason for you to."
"There is," Hope argued while a kind smile adored her face. "I just wanna spend the day with you, Chuck. I've been wanting to for some time now, and I think it'll be fun." Hope then tensed. "O-Only if it's okay with you, Alby, and Frypan, though."
Once more, the four boys stared at the girl with surprise in their eyes. They didn't know the sudden reason for her request, while Hope knew all too well the reason why. Ever since her first day in the Glade, Chuck's smile was always there; despite the prison he was trapped in, and the job he had within that prison, Hope was always graced with his smile. It made her feel warm inside because of how compassionate and strong the boy was. It inspired Hope every day. Moreover, after what had happened between them a dozen minutes before, Hope believed it was time to repay Chuck for that inspiration.
She wanted to live a day in his shoes.
"…I think it'd be fine," Alby said when no one else would. "If she really wants it, and if she's workin', then I don't see a problem. Fry?"
"I mean, I got other helping-hands," Frypan remarked, but then let out a long sigh. "Still, you better come back to me. I won't let you go, Hope."
Hope giggled. "I got it, boss."
"You are literally the weirdest shank here…" Gally muttered, his one eyebrow raised. "I don't get you at all."
"Me neither," Newt mumbled as well, but only to himself. "I don't get her."
"Well, let's get-a-movin', Chuck!"
"W-Woah!"
Hope grabbed Chuck by his wrist and started pulling him away, Hugo following along behind them. As the two ran, three pairs of eyes watched them disappear behind the kitchen, all of them with different expressions on their faces. One was amused, one was exasperated, and the last one… was Newt.
Newt, who couldn't get Hope out of his head.
Thomas looked down at his screen, unable to keep his eyes away from a certain girl. After a half-month of being there, the girl showed no signs of distraught or fear. All she ever did was smile. It confused Thomas greatly as to how well she adapted to the Maze, and it even piqued his curiosity. So much so that he always seemed to gravitate toward the new girl, pointing his camera right at her. Of course, Thomas understood the creepiness and the strangeness of his actions. But… But still, why wasn't there a single tear? Why wasn't there a cry for help yet? Why hadn't she at least tried to run into the Maze yet?
Teresa, who sat across from Thomas, always saw the curiosity and wonder in his eyes. She, too, was confused by the sudden girl, but tried not to question anything in spite of her job. Nonetheless, Teresa sometimes sneaked a glance over at her boss: Ava Paige. On that day, the older woman was standing in front of a large screen that overlooked the entire Glade, her nicely-clothed back facing everyone. And although Teresa couldn't see Ava's face, she could tell that the woman was deep in thought. Likewise, her hands were clasped together behind her back, so Teresa could see them shaking slightly. This wasn't the first time Teresa noticed this, though. It had all started when that girl had entered the Maze.
It was unexpected, to say the least. Thomas nor Teresa had ever seen the girl before, so when she was brought in to be Swiped, it was a shock to both of them. The dog was more than a shocker, too. Ava didn't explain anything to the two: just brushed it off and pushed them away. For Thomas and Teresa, Hope was a puzzle. She was something that they wanted to understand. Who was she? Where did she come from? Why had Ava Paige become so… uneasy since her arrival? Why had they become so uneasy?
There was so much mystery surrounding the girl and her dog. In every setting, on every side, Hope had become the center of mystery and Hugo had become the side dish. What was her true purpose? And whose side… was she truly on?
A/N: Lucy2703x, something romantic between Hope and Newt will eventually happen. However, the reason that the story's genre isn't marked as "Romance" is because romance isn't a main part of this story. It's more about forming friendships and the Maze Runner's actual genre of "Science Fiction." But again, don't worry: there will be romance. ;+)
Also, how did Thomas and Teresa get here? (O_O)