CHAPTER 19

                                    

                                          
   I'd made sure Chuck had gotten to bed safely, because most of the other gladers were definitely drunk. It was pretty funny to see the terrible singing and dancing, though. Minho and Ben had finally gotten that conga line going along with the other runners and some of the builders, although it was very messy and not very much like a line. I laughed to myself as I reached the bonfire area, taking in how happy everyone was.
                          
Was this what parties were like before we were sent to the maze? Had I ever been to a party? Or had I had a birthday party for myself? The memory loss still baffled me: I knew what a birthday party was but I didn't know when my own birthday was. 
                          
"You good?" Newt asked, sitting down next to me again. 
                          
"Yeah just... thinking," I told him.
                          
"Well you'd been staring into space for the past few minutes." A smile crept onto my lips.
                          
"Meaning you've been watching me for the past few minutes?" Newt opened his mouth to say something back but quickly closed it, realising it was pointless to argue against. 
                          
A very drunk Minho came sauntering over, saving Newt from this conversation. "You guys have gotta join us!" Minho slurred out, gesturing to the mess of a conga line. We both immediately shook our heads.
                          
"I'm good thanks," I answered, staring in disbelief as Ben tripped over and caused all the boys infront of him to tumble over like a domino effect. Minho shrugged.
                          
"Your loss." He quickly ran back over to the wild pack of boys. Me and Newt slowly turned to look each other, before bursting into laughter. 
                          
"They're like little kids," I said. Newt nodded, considering it, taking a glance in their direction. 
                          
"You've got that right."
                          
I'd survived a whole month here, I thought to myself. 
                          
It had definitely gone quick- let's hope the time to us escaping comes quicker.
                          
"I'm gonna go to bed, night," I told him. I gave him another kiss on the cheek, then got up and started heading towards my hammock in the homestead. 
                          
Chuck was already sound asleep, soft snores sounding from his hammock. I crawled quietly into my own hammock, careful not to wake him from his peaceful slumber.
                          
***
                          
A wall of screens stood ahead of me. To my side sat the boy and the girl. What were the moving images on the screens? As they came into focus, I realised they were live feeds of a place now all too familiar to me. 
                          
The glade. 
                          
We were watching everyone in the glade. 
                          
Some were positioned in corners, others in trees, but then there were the odd ones moving through the grass and along the walls. How were they movin- of course, beetle blades. 
                          
My eyes moved to the live feed of the gardens, focusing straight on Newt. 
                          
"I know you miss him Em," spoke the girl. 
                          
"Yeah." My voice sounded strained with pain and sadness. 
                          
"It won't be long before you're with him, remember?" the boy reminded me.
                          
"Yes, but at what cost?" my voice was beginning to grow louder as I rose out my chair. 
                          
"Promise me that when this is all over you make sure both mine and Newt's swipes are removed. I want to be back with him as soon as possible," I begged. They both nodded.