CHAPTER SIXTEEN
( WARN )

     THE LIGHT FROM THE HUGE fire flickers in front of me, captivating my attention. I just couldn't take my eyes off of it. Why? Well- it felt like the first time that I had ever saw a fire.

After convincing Newt and Minho that I could attend the bonfire, they had left me with Thomas and Chuck, while they were off collecting fire wood. Chuck had been talking my ear off. Thomas, on the other hand, didn't say anything as he sat next to me.

" . . . just what I had thought. So, anyway, what happened today?" Chuck tugs on my sleeve. I glance down at the child, who had grown taller in the past few days. How? I have no idea.

"I don't know, to be honest." I answer, glancing back to the fire. I pull my fluffy blanket closer to my chest, and shiver a bit. "I just wasn't paying attention, and it just sorta happened . . . "

"We were all scared," Chuck sighs. "Especially Newt and Tommy. Tommy over there was freaking out when Alby wouldn't let him go."

My eyes dart to Thomas, who ignores my stare and Chuck's comment.

"Why couldn't he go?"

"Alby said that he didn't trust Thomas to go into the woods. That this could be some kind of a trick. I was forced to stay back here, too, and so were Nik, Garret, and Gally. Newt didn't listen to Alby when he demanded that Newt stay too. Alby was guessing the worst."

"What was the worst?" I question, my eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Griever sting," Chuck murmers under his breath. "He didn't want 'em to see you like that, me either. That, and he figured that if you had done something with the Creators, he would've had to take care of you, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah," I nod. "I do."

I move over, closer to Thomas, and lay my head on his shoulder. I wrap my good arm around his, and cuddle up to him. "I'm sorry about today. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I would've gone," He sighs. "I should've been there for you. Alby just . . . "

"No." I state. "It's not your fault. I understand. Don't beat yourself up over it, Thomas."

"Still," He shakes his head. "I feel guilty. If I hadn't ignored you, if we hadn't ignored you . . . you would still be okay."

"A broken arm is all I got," I shrug. "It could be worse."

"You're forgetting the sprained ankle, and your almost broken nose," He scoffs. "You can't play it off as if it's nothing."

"It is nothing," I roll my eyes. "You over-react to everything. It's in the past. Let's just forget about it, okay?"

"What were you going to tell me this morning?" He asks, finally looking down at me. I'm glad that he changed the subject, although the topic of his choice is hard for me to explain. I don't want to explain.

"It's complicated," I shove it aside. "It's stupid anyway. Not something that you'd enjoy."

"I wanna know," He tilts his head slightly to the side.

"Maybe another time," I smile weakly, eyeing Minho and Newt as they toss the last pieces of wood into the fire. "But for now, you can only guess. I'll see ya later, Tommy."

I stand from my spot, and hobble over to Nik and Garret, where they chat and laugh wildly. "Hey, whores!" I greet them with a grin. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, nothing," Nik smirks as I sit on his lap. "Just your future here."

"You little hoes," I glare playfully. "And what kind of future is that gonna be?"

"One with Newt or Thomas," Garret winks. "Don't worry, Gracie. We won't tell anyone about your secret love triangle."

"Love triangle?" I scrunch up my nose, leaning into Nik's chest. "I don't love anyone. Only me, myself, and I in this 'love triangle.' Besides, how do you guys know I'm going to have a future here?"

"Gracie, why wouldn't you have a future here?" Garret furrows his eyebrows.

"What with Alby hating me, and most of the Gladers agreeing with him, I have the feeling that I don't have much time left here . . . "

"You can't be serious," Nik snorts. "As if we'd let anyone close enough to ruin anything for you. I'm even suspicious of Thomas. He doesn't seem like such a friend."

"Thomas is someone I trust," I shrug. "I feel a connection towards him."

"Could that have anything to do with your love for him?" Garret teases, poking my side.

"I may be injured, but I can still bite your fucking finger off," I growl, shoving him away.

"Feeling better?" A new voice asks.

My neck snaps upwards, my face immediately lighting up. "Newt!" I hop off of Nik's lap, and hug Newt with my good arm. "Are you guys finished already?"

"Yep," He replies in a heavy British accent. "You talk to Tommy? He seems pretty upset."

"I already did," I shrug, looking over his shoulder at Thomas and Chuck. "I don't know what's up with him today."

"I could take a guess." Newt says, a sigh leaving his lips.

I pull back from him, raising an eyebrow. "And what guess is that?" I ask. "What do you think is wrong with Thomas?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, love," He smiles, brushing my cheek with his thumb. "Now lets go find a seat."

I push it aside, and follow Newt to a log, where Minho, Alby, and Gally sit. I lie my head down on Newt's lap, and throw my legs over Minho. I pull my blanket closer to me, and stare up at the night sky.

Hoots and laughs fill the air, coming from the Gladers across from us. I ignore all of them, keeping my mind in a peaceful state. And in the heat of the moment, a flicker crosses the sky.

It's not a star flicker. It's a light flicker, one that would come from a flashlight. But this light had to have been bigger, if only a tad.

My eyelashes flutter as I blink wildly.

Was that really there? Or was I just imagining it?

I stare harder at the spot where the light appeared, hoping to see it again. The seconds pass by, and yet nothing happens. The stars don't move, and neither does the moon.

That was me.

I stiffen at the familiar voice. Teresa? Yep. It was definitely her.

Aren't you going to say hello? She questions. Well, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I only wanted to warn you.

Warn me about what? I snap. And apology not accepted. I have a broken arm, and a sprained ankle. I fell out of a fucking TREE, and all I get is a 'sorry'?

Grace, please. I don't have time to explain. She says hurriedly. Watch out, okay? I know what's going to happen- and it's not pretty. Don't trust anyone, got it?

What? You already told me! What does that mean?

Just stay away from the woods, she says in a rush. Please listen, Grace. Please. Don't go into the woods anymore. They're dangerous.

Fuck you. I grit my teeth. I can't trust you, either. How do I know you aren't lying? Maybe YOU'RE the bad guy here. I'll prove that you're wrong.

And just like that, I cut off our connection. I grin to myself, thanking my lucky stars that she was gone, and so was her voice.

Don't go into the woods?

Pshh. Bitch, please. I'll go wherever I want to go, whenever I want to go. She's the creeper in this picture, the only thing that scares me. The woods are my place- where I go to get away from everything.

And I'm definitely not going to let her ruin that for me.

"Newt?" I ask, sitting up from my position.

"Yes?" He looks down at me. I suck in a sharp breath, staring into his eyes.

His features are sharp, the fire glaring on his skin. You can see the reflection of the moonlight in his bright eyes.

I hesitate for a moment, then shake my head, and place a soft kiss on his cheek. "Nevermind."

A smile forms on his lips, and he eyes me carefully. "You're really something, Grace."

"And you're something, too, New,." I grin back.

I then lay my head on his shoulder, and close my eyes. Sleep tugs on my eyelids as I move closer to Newt, and close my eyes. I drift off, but not before hearing Teresa's voice echo through my mind.

I've warned you. Now it's up to you to decide your fate.

_______