stuck with him - newt tmr

The boys stare, overwhelmed, as they take in the view in front of them, dozens of kids their age chatting loudly to one another, all looking relaxed, calm, happy. It was strange seeing these people being able to chatter amongst themselves without feeling the need of staying on edge. They all radiated the perception that they felt safe. "Where'd all this people.. come from?" Minho mutters, scanning the place questioningly.

"You guys the new arrivals?" The boys hear from the side to see a guy fixing himself a tray of food, his head craning over his shoulder to take a look at them. As he finishes piling food on his plate, he fully turns himself to face the group, an amused look on his face. "I get it. It's a lot to take in. We've all been there. But it's kinda cool, once you hear everyone's stories of how they escaped from the maze."

"Wait- there were other mazes?" Newt replies. Frypan's jaw slowly drops in realisation of this ground-breaking revelation. But before anyone could respond any further, a sound of a commotion catches their attention. They all turn their heads, looking at a group of girls crowding around a table, more specifically, a person. They were too far away to overhear their conversation, but by the look of the boy sitting on the other side of the table, slightly mortified, it was safe to assume that it wasn't a friendly interaction.

"Another cat fight?" A voice joins behind them, a friend of Warren's. The two snicker. Newt turns back to face the boys, already having lost interest. He sees Warren nod. "Follow us. We'll catch you up. And we wanna hear how you guys escaped your maze." Warren and his friend start to head to their table as Minho side-eyes Newt, eyebrows raised in amusement. "This place is weird."

As the boys slowly make their way to the seating area, they were able to hear snippets of the conversation that many are trying to pry their ears in.

"How cute, are we interrupting a date?" The group leader asks mockingly, her posse giggling behind her. "Hope it works out, I fear not many would be fond of a reject like you." Newt doesn't hear a response, but in the corner of his eye he sees a girl emerge out of the crowding group and heading straight for the exit. Newt and his friends watched her stalk off, ignoring the jeers from the group. To be fair, she looked unbothered–bored, even. She kept her eyes forward, but for a moment she turned her head, and caught the stares of the boys. Newt felt like she slowed her pace for just a fraction of a second as she gave them a rather disinterested look, but she did not break her stare, not until the group leader opened her mouth again.

"You gonna wet your bed again tonight?" The girls laughed obnoxiously. She didn't stop her strides, despite the cafeteria reducing to a hush. Heads turned; ears pricked. "Are you going to dream about Kie?" 

Newt didn't know who Kie was, but he could feel the tension gripping the room as soon as that name left the girl's mouth. Clearly, many other people did too. Everyone tensed as they felt the shift in the girl's demeanour, as if a switch had been flipped inside her. 

She stopped right in her tracks. She was still staring at the guys, but her eyes were not focuses on them. They were preoccupied with an intense fury–you could see the fire in her them. Her breaths became heavier, more irrepressible. And the blonde boy watched as she slowly turned around. Walked towards the girl. And punched her in the face.

~~~~~~

Flickers of shadows and the reflection of the acute flames danced on her face, hues of yellow and orange illuminating the starry sky. The crackles of the firepit lulled the girls to a peaceful slumber - all but one. Her mind refused to let Maria rest, as her thoughts ricocheted around in her head like a pressurised can. It was nauseating.