(NOTE: CHAPTERS ARE CURRENTLY BEING EDITED)
In which Teresa wasn't the first girl to come up in the box...
*This is a NewtxOC fanfic*
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Emma wakes up in a dark box, starting her new life with only memories of her name and a boy named Thomas...
the g...
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Are you still a mind reader?
A natural scene-stealer
I've heard great things, Peter
But life was always easier on you
Then it was on me
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Being in the midst of a storm means bracing yourself for every brutal gust, the weight of rain that soaks you to the bone, and the uncertainty of when it might end. You cling to any sign of a break in the clouds, a glimmer of hope that promises respite, even for a moment. But sometimes, when that glimmer comes, it's not what you expected. It arrives with consequences you hadn't imagined, changing everything you thought you knew. The relief is tinged with something else, something colder, unfamiliar...
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That's exactly how Emma felt as she stood in the doorway, watching Alby. He was awake, finally, his figure hunched over at the edge of the bed, arms wrapped tightly around himself. The sight should have relieved her after the long hours of worry and exhaustion. But something about the way he sat there, silent and withdrawn, filled her with a kind of dread instead.
This wasn't the Alby she was used to seeing. He looked smaller somehow, his usual strength overshadowed by what had happened to him inside that maze. The Alby she saw now wasn't the same as the one she remembered. His eyes held a distant, haunted look like he was staring into a place they couldn't follow. She was glad, so relieved, he was awake, but everything felt different now like the storm had passed only to reveal a landscape she no longer recognized.
Despite his new appearance, at least he was back with them, no longer trapped in that unreachable place, but the strength he once carried seemed fractured, and it left her feeling unsteady.
The room felt thick with tension, everyone on edge as they watched Alby, hoping for a sign that he was truly back with them.
Minho stood beside Emma, his usual confident demeanor replaced by a rare look of uncertainty. His eyes were wide, hands clenched into tight fists as he watched Alby in silence, torn between reaching out or just staying back.
Teresa leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, her expression unreadable, though her gaze shifted from Alby to the others. She didn't know Alby well enough to fully understand the weight of the moment, but she could feel its significance, sensing that everything happening here mattered deeply to those around her.
Thomas stood near Clint, hands tucked into his pockets as if he didn't quite know what to do with them, his expression a careful mix of relief and worry. He was glad the serum had worked, at least to some degree; Alby looked better than he had a day ago, and the immediate danger seemingly passed.
But it was clear the serum's effects were complex, leaving Thomas uneasy about what it had really done to him. Alby was here, breathing and alert, but he was also pale, gaunt, a fragile shell of the strong leader Thomas had known striding around the Glade, commanding their respect.
Jeff's words hung in the air. "He hasn't said anything other than Thomas's name since he woke up."
The silence that followed carried a weight they all felt deeply. it wasn't like Alby to be so quiet and withdrawn. It was unsettling to witness his usually demanding self, barking orders, suddenly become the quietest in the room.
Newt took a slow, measured step forward, eyes locked on Alby's blank expression. It was like he was approaching a wild animal, not wanting to make any sudden movements. He raised a hand, gesturing for Minho and Emma to stay back, and they obeyed, stepping aside.
Minho hovered by Clint, his foot tapping anxiously, while Emma leaned back against the doorframe beside Teresa, her arms wrapped around herself. She could feel Teresa's curious gaze on her, but she couldn't look away from Alby.
Newt finally reached the edge of the bed and carefully lowered himself onto it, sitting beside Alby without getting too close. He took a breath, trying to find the right words that might bring their friend back to them. But all he could think of was how fragile Alby looked. As if he might shatter if he pressed too hard.
"Alby, are you alright?" Newt asked, his voice barely holding back the worry. He kept his tone gentle, trying to keep things calm, but the concern was unmistakable. His eyes searched Alby's face for any sign that his friend could hear him, that he was still there with them.
But Alby didn't answer.
Instead, he rocked back and forth on the edge of the bed, his body trembling as if he were fighting something unseen. His breaths came in quick, shallow gasps, and tears welled up in his eyes, slipping down his cheeks. His gaze was fixed solely on Thomas, wide and filled with something that looked like a mix of fear and desperation.
"Alby, it's me, Newt," he said again, trying to keep his voice steady, but panic was beginning to creep into his words. He glanced back at Thomas, who was watching Alby with a growing sense of dread, his hands clenched at his sides.
Alby's eyes didn't focus on Newt, still lost somewhere in that distant space, but his breathing seemed to quicken slightly, a sign that he was listening, even if he couldn't respond.
Newt tried to keep his voice steady, but his anxiety crept in, making his hands shake slightly. He wanted to reach out, to touch Alby's shoulder, but he kept his hands clenched together, afraid of pushing too far.
"You're safe, alright? You're home," he whispered.
Thomas took a deep breath, the tension in the room pressing in on him from all sides. He glanced at Newt, who looked back at him with a mix of uncertainty and then took a small step closer to Alby.
"We... we think we found a way out, Alby," Thomas said slowly, trying to keep his voice steady as if he could will the words to be true. "A new passage. A door in the Maze."
Alby's rocking slowed slightly, and he finally looked up at Thomas, his tear-streaked face twisted with pain and something darker. For a moment, Thomas thought he saw a flicker of hope, but it was quickly replaced by a look so bleak, it made his stomach twist.
"There is no way out," Alby rasped, his voice rough and strained. He stared directly into Thomas's eyes as if trying to make him understand something he couldn't quite put into words. "No way out of this place... no way out of what they've done to us."
