Clara was speaking to Archie when Minho approached her.

"Hey, Clara, can I talk to you? Alone?"Minho asked her.

"Yeah, um, sure,"she said. "I'll be back in a second,"she told Archie, then followed Minho.

Once her and Minho were alone, he said,"I'm sorry for not making you a Runner, Clara."

"It's fine, Minho. Running is not for me - I'm definitely not fit, and I-"

"It wasn't because you're unfit,"Minho interrupted.

Clara was shocked. She was certain that that was why she wasn't chosen as Runner. "Then why?"she asked.

"After what happened to Newt, out there - I don't think you could handle being a Runner. Not yet, anyway,"Minho explained. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be,"she replied, and hugged him. Maybe what she need was a good hug - it made her feel better about everything that had been happening lately.

"Clara! Minho!" Clara and Minho stopped hugging as soon as they heard Archie yell their names and run up to them.

"What's wrong?"she asked him, confused.

"It's Newt,"Archie told them.

"What about Newt?"Minho asked him.

"He's awake."

❀✿❀

Clara felt herself burst into a sprint, as if the only thing that mattered was getting to Newt.

She could feel herself starting to get tired, and started to pant, but didn't slow down or stop.

She saw Alby, Nick and Clint all standing outside of his room as soon as she got there.

"Clara, you don't want to go in there,"Nick warned her.

"Yes, I do."

"Clara, you really don't-"Nick tried to persuade her.

"I do,"she repeated, firmer than the last time.

"Okat, fine, but don't say I didn't warn you,"he replied.

Clara looked down, bit her lip, then started to open the door.

"Newt? It's me," She opened the door fully, and took a step inside the room.

"GO AWAY!"

"Newt, it's me,"she replied.

"I KNOW IT'S YOU, CLARA, GODDAMMIT! NOW GET THE HELL AWAY!" He was angry, you could tell - He screamed out the harsh words, his voice hoarse.

Not giving up, she tried again. "Newt, it's okay."

"IT'S NOT! NOTHING IS OKAY! NOTHING!" Newt stopped for a moment. "Just go away, please."

She didn't need to be told again.

❀✿❀

Clara sat alone in her bedroom - the only place in which it was quiet.

She guessed that she was supposed to be at the Med-House, doing her job, but after what happened with her and Newt, nobody really expected her to go.

She thought about the memory from the previous night - she really had killed somebody. But she hadn't seemed sorry about it, she had looked proud of herself.

How was she supposed to live with herself knowing she had killed someone? She didn't know, but she'd have to get over it eventually - something told her in a place like this she would have to be prepared to kill.

She heard somebody running up the stairs to her room, and saw Alby, the dark skinned boy with short-cropped hair that helped Clara with Newt in the Maze.

"We holding a Gathering. You must be there,"he told Clara.

"Alright,"she said. "I'll be there in a second."

❀✿❀

The 10 Keepers and Nick filled the available seats in the council room, the rest of the Gladers who were invited had to sit squashed up against each other on the floor.

"As you all know, Newt is awake,"Nick started off. "We need someone to go talk to him. I know it's unusual that most of you are here, but this is very important. Now, each of the Keepers are going to suggest who they think should be the one to talk to him. Frypan?"

"I think it should be Clara, she's the shank who saw him do it, she was the last one with him before he jumped."

Nick wrote down Frypan's suggestion.
"Zart, what do you think?"

"I think it should be Alby, he's the closet to Newt, after all,"Zart said.

The Gathering carries on like this - all the Keepers suggested something, and Nick wrote it down.

The Keepers finished giving their suggestions, and everyone started to grow impatient as they waited for Nick to tell them who was going to talk to Newt.

"And the lucky shank is-"Nick said, then waited, almost as if for dramatic effect.

"Clara."

❀✿❀

"Are you sure you can do this?"Nick asked her as they walked to the Med-house.

"I'm positive,"she replied, but she was shaking inside.

"Okay,"he smiled warmly at her, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be fine.

Clara took a deep breath before she opened the door and stepped in the room.

Newt wasn't talking this time. He was quietly sitting on his bed, staring at nowhere in particular, his skin pale and his eyes red.

Clara didn't say anything either, just went and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry,"she said after a while, breaking the silence.

"For what?"he replied, sounding distant.

"For everything, I guess,"she told him.

" 's not your fault,"he said. "It's just, every night, I thought about how the Glade would be better off without me."

"Don't say that,"she said, and looked at him.

"Maybe I shoulda tried harder and just have died right there, right then."

"Newt, you may not know this, but I need you. Minho needs you. Alby needs you. We all do, we all do."

He smiled weakly, almost as if it was fake. But at least he was smiling. "Thanks."

"I didn't do anything worthy of your thanks,"she replied.

"Don't talk bullshit, you did,"Newt replied. "Thanks for being here for me no matter what."

❀✿❀

AUTHOR'S NOTE

OHHH MY GOOOOD Thomas is gonna come to the Glade soon, I'm super excited 😍

Also, I just wanted to let you guys know that next chapter I'm gonna be skipping the time until two weeks before Thomas arrives in the Glade, so I hope you guys are okay with that😊

NOTE : This chapter isn't edited because I really wanted to get it out for you guys to read, so I'm sorry if it sucks😂

Thank you so much for reading, I appreciate all of you guys so much❤

( 2023 update – this is so cringe but i'm keeping this in for the laughs )