‧₊˚✧ ⁝ 𝑪17  ❪ 忘却 ❫ ‧₊˚✧

night 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓𝒔 ...

     ANOTHER FRAGMENTED MEMORY played inside of the girl's mind, painting a vibrant picture of a younger version of herself.

     A sharp wrap echoes against her doorframe which startles her awake. She knows who it is before he even enters her room. A beam of white light spills onto the floor.

     "Ria?" an uncertain voice whispers into the darkness. "Are you awake?"

     She pushes back her duvet, swinging her legs onto the floor. It's cold. "Yes, I'm awake. Hold on a minute."

     He waits patiently as she pads towards him, shielding her eyes from the brightness of his torch. The door closes with a quiet click and they're exposed. The boy grasps her arm as they make their way down the corridor, tiptoeing past each room in silence. They take a left turn, then a right, then stumble down a stairwell. They end up in a hall in the basement, pale light trickling from the ceiling. The boy continues to lead her until they stop outside a door at the end that says: MAINTENANCE.

     "This?" she hisses, a tinge of anxiety lacing her tone.

     "This." he nods, smiling. His hazel eyes seem to sparkle as he pushes open the door, pulling them both inside before switching on the main light. She shields her eyes momentarily, squinting in the opposing brightness. Cleaning rags, mops, equipment and boxes scatter the floor. Once she refocuses her gaze, she notices that three other boys are already seated on chairs.

     "Everyone, meet Ria."

     "Woah. This seriously can't be her." the dark—haired one raises an eyebrow. He's slouched lazily, an arm draped over the back of his chair.

     "Minho! Don't be rude." The boy next to him kicks his leg lightly. He's blonde with warm brown eyes. He offers her a smile. Beside him, a dark—skinned boy nods in agreement. He looks slightly older than the others.

     "Nice to meet you all." she crosses her arms across her chest, cheeks turning warm.

     The blonde boy studies her carefully. "Is it true what Tommy here says, or is he talking crap? Did you really do it?"

     The boys lean forwards in anticipation, eyes wide. She pushes a lock of hair behind her ear, exhaling to calm herself. "Yes ... it's true."

     Nobody speaks for a minute and she shifts uncomfortably. The dark—haired boy breaks the silence, an impressed smirk tugging at his lips. "Well, in that case, welcome to the group."

     Then, after what seemed like a lifetime of haunting darkness, Ria woke up.

     She had no idea where she was. Her head was spinning. She didn't know how long she had been trapped within her dreams. She didn't know anything. She sat up only to have a splitting pain shoot through her head like a bullet. Ria let out a groan of pain as she fell back onto her pillow, her limbs entangled in her bedsheets. Her eyes felt heavy with fatigue.

     "Hey, hey, Ria!"

     A voice that seemed so familiar became apparent to the girl. Someone rushed over to her, sitting down on a stall next to her bed. The person called out some more orders which Ria couldn't decipher.

     "Where am I? What happened?" she whispered hoarsely, sitting up and looking frantically around her. Her breaths were short and ragged escaping her aching lungs.

     "Ria, it's Clint. Do you recognise me?" The girl looked up at the boy. He was familiar. Memories came crawling slowly back to the front of her mind and she gasped.

     "Infirmary. Med—jack." she murmured. The Glade.

     Clint smiled, fracturing the worried expression on his face. "Good, you're not completely lost. Newt'll be happy, I'm sure the shank hasn't slept in days."

     Days. Newt.

     "Newt," Ria whispered, closing her eyes. The image of the sandy blonde boy came to mind. Then, a picture of his terror—stricken face as she stared back at him helplessly. A shuddering slam. Then, she remembered.

     Maze. Grievers. Thomas. Minho.

     Ria felt a cold cylindrical object being pressed gently into her palm and as she looked down she recognised immediately that it was a glass. She lifted it to her lips, drinking down the cool liquid. As soon as it hit the back of her throat, her eyelids fluttered closed in content. It was deliciously refreshing.

     "Take these," he said, handing her two small pills. Ria placed them on her tongue then swallowed with the last of her water. Hopefully they would still the dull pounding in her head.

     "Clint," she said his name slowly, pulling the glass from her lips. He was watching her carefully and his eyes lit up when she spoke.

     "You're coming to, good You've been out for two days. This isn't the first time you've passed out." he chuckled slightly.

     "Thomas and Minho, are they okay?" Ria asked, anxiety clutching at her heart.

     "They're all good. Even worked out where the shuck grievers come from. We might even have a way out! Minho carried you out of the maze, you were out cold. You had a nasty gash on your head and cuts and bruises everywhere." Clint explained. "It was a miracle you all survived a night in the maze."

     Ria slowly processed the Med—Jack's words, lips parted in shock. Before she could reply, another body entered the room. The door swung open with such a force that Ria thought the hinges would break. Her heart almost stopped when she recognised who it was.

     "I'll leave you two alone for a minute. I need to check on Alby, I'll be back later." Clint smiled gently, nodding to Ria who returned the action.

     "Thank you," she rasped. Alby was alive.

     "Ria!" Newt ran towards the girl despite his limp. As soon as he was near enough Ria pulled him into her arms, inhaling his sweet and earthy scent. She clung onto him as if he would slip away from her any minute.

     She felt safe again.

     "I was so scared," Newt murmured into her hair, his voice broken with such profound emotion. He collapsed on the stool next to her, still wrapped in her arms. Ria's heart almost shattered at his words and she hugged him tighter, feeling his warmth wrap around her shaking frame like an invisible blanket of tenderness.

     "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Ria whispered softly. "I just couldn't watch them die."

     "Don't apologise, love. It's okay, what matters now is that you're safe." he paused. "Thank God, you're all safe now."

     "I'm safe," Ria repeated quietly.

     Newt pulled away, swallowing thickly as he studied every inch of Ria's face. He reached out and took her hand gently, intertwining their fingers in a way that was so familiar to the girl now. His tender brown eyes were glazed over with relief and affection and all the previous strain and panic seemed to melt away.

     "I thought I'd never see you again. I wanted to jus—"

     Ria cut him off by pressing her lips to his. Newt's hands soon found her waist as he moved his body closer, weight suddenly on top of her as her arms hooked around his neck. It was nothing like their first kiss; this one was ablaze with a burning flame of longing and intensity. Her fingers brushed against the skin underneath his shirt and Newt broke away from her, a pleasant look of surprise on his face. Before he could reignite their lips, the heavy pounding of footsteps broke them apart. Thomas, followed by Minho, burst into the room just as Newt jumped to his feet.

     Ria stumbled to a stand with the help of Newt and collapsed into their arms, a surge of warmth sweeping over her entire body as she restrained the tears from descending. They hugged her back tightly, comforting the trembling girl.

     "Glad to see you're alive, blondie." Minho quipped, pulling away from the hug. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Just give me a warning if you're going to faint into my arms next time."

     "Only just alive," Ria shot back, smiling despite her tears. "And noted." She turned to Thomas, gratitude shining in her eyes.

     "Thank you, Thomas." she didn't need to explain to the boy what she was grateful for — he understood. Thomas nodded, recognition washing over his features. She felt an odd connection towards him, one she couldn't decipher.

     "We did it together. Now, I think we've finally found a way out, Ria."

     "What, really?" her heart swelled with hope. Thomas nodded, then averted his gaze to Newt who was now stood up.

     "He's right."

     "I can't believe it." Ria breathed.

     However, the conversation was cut short by Minho. "We should really get back to Alby,"

     "Alby? He's okay?" Ria asked, thoughts colliding harshly with the memory of his blood—stained lifeless body. Had he survived? Had they really managed to save him?

     Minho didn't reply, but his eyes darkened ever so slightly. It was discreet but Ria caught it immediately. A small sentiment of anxiety flew to her chest. She shut her eyes and inhaled sharply before following the others out of the door.

━━━━━

      Alby was sat facing away from the small group of Gladers who entered the room. It was dark, strangely dark. A few lanterns glowed with amber flame, softly illuminating the space. Upon entering the room, Ria noticed someone instantaneously.

     Another girl.

     She was beautiful. Glossy raven black hair coupled with pearly white skin. When she turned to Ria, she noticed her eyes. They were strikingly blue, as if the ocean had been captured within them. Something about them tugged harshly at Ria's empty memories, but she was unable to work out where she had seen them.

     When had she even arrived?

     Thomas seemed to notice their awareness of each other. "Uh. Ria, this is Teresa. Teresa this is Ria."

     The girl, Teresa, smiled softly. Her eyes scintillated fetchingly under the dim light. "Hi," Already, it seemed like the girl held an air of confidence and authority to her just by the way she spoke and stood. Ria tried to hide her flinch.

     Ria smiled back, pushing her hair behind her ears, suddenly feeling insignificant. "Hey," she managed. The girl resolved to ask Newt about this new arrival later but she turned her attention back towards Alby. He hadn't moved, it looked as if he hadn't even breathed.

     "Has he said anything?" Minho inquired gravely. Teresa shook her head.

     Newt moved towards the boy, confusion and concern both at once dominating his features. "Alby?" he said, the words escaping his lips in a hushed tone. He lowered himself down to sit beside the boy who didn't even wince in the slightest. He kept his arms crossed over his bare chest protectively, a hard look situated in his crepuscular eyes.

     "Alby, are you alright?" Newt repeated, craning his neck to look at the boy. Alby trembled ever so slightly, his lips quivering as if he was about to break down in tears. Thomas stepped forwards, edging past Ria to crouch in front of the boy.

     "Hey, Alby." he began quietly. Minho and Ria shared a look of bewilderment. "Alby, we might have just found a way out of the maze ... you hear me, we could be getting out of here."

     The leader's body continued to shake almost hauntingly, Ria's chest tightened as Alby shook his head. "We can't ... we can't leave." he stated in a broken, quiet voice. His words sent a chill down Ria's spine.

     The next sentence was worse. "They won't let us."

     "What are you taking about?" Thomas questioned, confused. His eyes were wide with alarm.

     "I remember."

     "What do you remember?" Thomas persisted.

     Alby turned to him, a dark shadow eclipsing his face. "You." he said. Cold and accusing. Thomas recoiled a little, stunned. "You were always their favourite, Thomas. Always."

     Yells of confusion and panic abruptly came from outside the hut, distracting Ria's attention for a few seconds. She noticed Teresa look around, evidently bewildered. Nevertheless, Alby continued to string together his ominous sentences. "How could you do this? Why did you come here?" Tears flowed freely down his face, glistening with emotion. Thomas rose to his feet shakily as the cries of consternation seemed to escalate from the Glade.

     They hurried outside, leaving Alby weeping bitterly, his head falling into his hands as his heavy sobs echoed and rattled inside his chest and reverberated around the room. Ria wanted to ask him so many questions, she didn't understand what he was saying about Thomas. It was terrifying. However, there was no time to worry, bigger problems faced them now.

     The sky was a caliginous shade of black and Gladers yelled in panic, wielding torches that threw scattered silhouettes against the ground as they sprinted in panic. Disorder seemed to rule now.

     "Hey, Winston, what's going on?" Thomas questioned the boy as he passed. Fear drained the colour from his face and he replied in a hurried rush of words. Ria's heart rate sped up and she felt Newt's arm fall around her protectively. A fleeting knife of panic twisted inside of her as Winston spoke.

     "The doors, they aren't closing."

‧₊˚✧ ⁝ 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒂'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆  ❪ 忘却 ❫

          oo. maya give ria a freaking break challenge!!  aside from that, i love newtia with all of my heart ugh. this is where the ✨fun✨ begins tho. i'm on a roll w this book right now so pls keep up the voting and comments the feedback inspires me to keep writing new chapters <3!!