Newt
It had been exactly three months since Casydi disappeared into the maze. We hadn't heard from her, so we had pretty much thought she was gone for good.
Minho and I ran through the doors to the maze, just in time for them to close behind us. I ran my hands through my hair in annoyance.
"Still no sign of Casydi?" Nick's voice from behind me pulled me out of my daze of remembering her. I turned around to see the dark circles under his eyes, the tired look over his face and the way he carried himself. This was how it was for many weeks after every outing in the maze. I simply shook my head in dismay and watched as he sighed in despair.
"We'll find her Nick, we promise," Minho spoke his mind as he made his way towards our leader.
"We're not going to give up searching for her Nick," I vowed as I looked him dead in the eye. There was something about Casydi that made her so important. She was important to all of us, no matter what she had done.
I turned away from Nick and was about to walk to the runner's hut, when he spoke from behind me.
"Do you really think she's still out there Newt? Do you seriously think she could still be alive?" He asked as he looked at me. I looked him in the eyes and saw just how broken he was from Casydi's disappearance.
"Nick, she's been in there for three months. She's probably a lot further in then we've ever been before. We're still mapping the maze. We'll find her, don't you worry." I replied as I laid a gentle, yet comforting hand on his shoulder. He had feelings for her that much was clear, which meant that I had to step back no matter what I felt for her.
It's true. I had feelings for Casydi. She was absolutely incredible. Her bleach blonde hair was long and wavy, yet she always had it in a braid or ponytail. Her sapphire blue eyes were close to the colour of the sky when it was nearing twilight. She was amazing. Her disappearance had affected everyone in different ways. But I was not going to stop until I found her. No matter what.
I heard the familiar creaks of the maze behind me and felt the cold wind that whipped through the doors. The ground beneath my feet started to rumble as the doors started to close on all four sides of the maze.
"Minho," I began as I caught up to my fellow runner. "Do you really think Casydi is still alive out there?" I asked as I rubbed the back of my neck in nervousness and a desperate attempt to look carefree.
"I do," he replied honestly as he looked over his shoulder to where Nick stood at the doors to the maze, desperately wishing for the girl to come back. "I believe she's so far in that we don't even know where she is as of yet, but I do know that we will find her," he finished as we both made our way toward the Runner's Hut.
I looked back over my shoulder at the doors to the maze and could only wish that we would find Casydi before something else did.
The next morning was hell. No one in the Glade was the same. We all missed the little spitfire that was Casydi, the Nightingale.
"Newt, please tell me you're going to find her today," Frypan's voice sounded dead and absolutely unattached from the world.
"We're definitely gonna try Fry, I promised Nick I wouldn't stop looking for her," I replied as I took the plate he offered me. But to be honest, I wasn't hungry, not even close. I had to deal with the fact that Nick was in love with her and my feelings for Casydi had to remain buried for a very long time.
"Morning Newt!" The newest Glader, Jesse, was way too chipper this early in the morning. I didn't even know why he was awake at this time of morning anyway.
"Jesse," I greeted bitterly. Nobody really liked him. There was a list of reasons. The main one? He thought we should give up looking for Casydi.
"Are you pumped for today?" He asked as he sat down next to me after he received his breakfast from a begrudged Frypan.
"Pumped?" I was very confused, there was no doubt about that. He was up early, he was talking to me and he was pumped about something. That's when it hit me. If he wasn't beside me, I would have literally hit my head against the table.
"I'm going to be trialling as a runner today!" He cried with a gigantic smile on his face.
"No offense Jesse, but it is way too early for you to be this happy and if you haven't noticed, the maze is not a place for newbie's right now, not when we're looking for-"
"For Casydi, I know. But this is the last thing I have to trial before being given something to do! I need to do it Newt, Alby's orders," he interrupted as he shovelled his eggs into his mouth. You had no idea how much I wanted to slam his head in to the table to shut him up.
It had taken us so long to come this close to finding Casydi, to finding an unknown part of the Glade and it had to be ruined by this shank. I stood up from the table and Jesse looked at me with an outraged look on his face.
"You're going to skip on breakfast?" He asked with a very upset tone to his voice.
"We don't have time for breakfast shank," I replied with annoyance as I signalled to Minho that it was time to start our day. We both turned around and walked straight out of the kitchens with Jesse trailing slightly behind to saviour his breakfast.
"Good luck today boys. Don't get distracted, don't get lost and don't get split up. Bring our girl home," Alby instructed with his underlying tone of authority. Since Casydi's disappearance, Alby had to take most of Nick's duties around the Glade.
I laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes.
"We will," I whispered as I raised my hand over my shoulder and into the air as an indication for us to be going. Minho strapped his machete to his back and finished tying the rope of his water pack to his runner chest plate. "Let's move out!" I cried out into the almost deserted Glade. The doors opened with a crack and we were off.
The maze had twists and turns and the Runner's knew exactly where to go and what movements to make. However, it was my job to make sure we all stuck together, including the annoying ones.
Minho, Jesse, Ben and I twisted this way and that way, to try and find the one place that eluded us. The safe haven, we called it. I had a feeling that, that was where Casydi had taken refuge from the shenanigans that were the maze.
We rounded a corner thinking we were going to find ourselves face to face with this so called safe haven, Casydi's hiding place. But instead was the most revolting thing I had ever laid eyes on.
The creature looked biomechanical. It had a body sort of like a spider, with eight mechanical legs that creaked and whirred when the creature moved. It had slime dripping from what I'm pretty sure was its mouth and spikes, shears and rods sticking out from every angle.
"Stop," I whispered as the other boys wanted to turn around and run. Of course, I didn't blame them. I had no idea what this thing was and I had no idea what we had to do to avoid being its appetiser, entrée, main course and dessert.
The creature stared at us for a few minutes before letting out an all might screech that could have made our ears bleed. I covered my ears as I hoped to deafen the sound of the infernal cry, but I didn't close my eyes and I was glad I didn't.
I saw a flash of blonde wisp past and I heard a sharp zing of a machete being unsheathed from its holder. The next thing I know, the machete was lodged straight through the creatures head and with a loud screech of protest vanished from our sight. There was some sort of bird call throughout the air, but if that had to do with what just happened, then tickle me pink and call me a canary.
I turned slightly to look at the person who saved us and to be honest I could have died from what I saw.
"Casydi?" I asked as I straightened up from my crouched posture. The girl in question just looked at me with a smile before she launched at me with her arms out wide. I caught her easily and spun her around in a circle. I set her down on her feet gently before I hugged her tighter to my chest. I pulled away only to look straight into her eyes.
"Don't you ever do that again! Don't you ever run away! Do you have any idea what the Glade has gone through without you being there! Nick is shattered! So-" I caught myself before I really told Casydi the real reason why I was out here searching for her.
She looked down at her feet, her blue eyes dim with sadness and anger.
"I'm sorry Newt, but my powers were unstable, I had to get out of there. For everyone's sake," she finished as she looked at me. Minho laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and she spun around with a smile. She jumped into his awaiting arms and gave him a hug that was enough to make any one person jealous.
"We should get you back to the Glade, I know a couple of people who are dying to see you," Minho smiled as he wrapped his whole arm around her shoulders. Casydi laughed as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
"I'm not going back to the Glade you guys, I'm staying out here until I learn how to fully control my powers. Nothing you say will get me to change my mind," she finished before she pulled away from Minho's embrace.
"Why not? Did you not see that thing you just killed!?" Ben finally spoke up as he was practically riveted to the spot.
"I know," she began as she looked over her shoulder to make sure the creature was really gone. "I call them Grievers. They roam the maze at night and then return to their nest in the morning. I have still yet to find where they go during the day. Just another reason why I will not be returning with you," Casydi's voice was completely serious and I knew there was nothing we could in the voice of reason to get her to return to the Glade.
"Caz, you're going to be very mad at me, but just know that it's for your own good," I replied as I swung my arms down around her waist, picked her up and threw her over my shoulder.
"Newt! Put me down!" Casydi screeched as she kicked her arms and legs out around her.
"Sorry Cassie, let's go boys!" I cried out as I nodded my head in the direction back to the Glade. We had to get back before Casydi used her Nightingale powers on us. We'd be pretty much screwed if she used her powers on us.
"That's Casydi? You never mentioned she was hot!" Jesse's voice echoed through the Glade as we ran through the tall, ivy covered walls.
"Whoever said that, just know I am going to kick your ass when we get back!" Casydi's voice called out over my shoulder and it took everything in mew not to burst out into laughter.
It wasn't long before we got back to the Glade. We all came to a slow stop on the dirty ground of the Glade. I set Casydi down on her feet only for a sharp stinging kind of pain on my cheek and my head was to the left.
"Oh!" Minho and Ben jumped in both shock and anticipation for what was going to happen next. They both started to laugh and high-fived each other.
"Dude, you just got burned!" Jesse yelled as he started to cackle at the sight before him.
"Newt whatever your last name is, don't you ever do that again!" Casydi cried as she pointed a long, slender finger in my face.
"Sorry Cassie, but that's what we had to do to get you back here. You need to talk to Nick and Alby about what we all just saw out there!" I cried as I got all up in her face. She was the one that had broken Nick, she was the one who made Alby stand up and she was the one who broke my heart. It was now or never.
I raised my fingers up to my mouth and let out a sharp whistle.
"Hey boys, look who we found!" I called out into the near empty glade. Next thing I knew, we were surrounded by the boys.
"Casydi!" Alby cried out as he picked the said girl up off of the ground and spun her around in a circle. He put her back down on the ground and gently punched her arm.
"Don't you ever run off again! I don't think Nick or Newt can handle it!" He cried just as I was indicating for him to shut his mouth. Casydi turned her head around to look at me and I just dropped my arms in time, otherwise I would have made a very big fool of myself.
"Oh really?" She asked as she turned her attention back to Alby and all the other boys. Gally and his followers now surrounded her giving her pats on the back and one armed hugs.
"Alby," I called out for the second-in-command and motioned him to come over towards me. He stealthily made his way towards me and raised his eyebrows in question. "Where's Nick?" I asked as my eyes scanned for our leader across the Glade which was quickly filling up with the other Gladers.
"He's all locked up in the Leader's Room in the Homestead and refuses to come out. Even when we heard you were back with Casydi," he replied as he also scanned the Glade for our absent leader.
A screech that ran out across the Glade was enough to make anyone freeze in fear. That cry was awfully familiar. I turned around to see three Grievers making their way towards the Glade.
Casydi spun around mid-conversation with Jeff and you could practically see the fear in her eyes. She darted towards me and wrapped her arms around mine.
"Get everyone out of here now!" She yelled desperately as she grabbed her bow from behind her back, an arrow from her quiver and notched it on the string. She turned her attention to the three bio-mechanical creatures.
She drew back the string and let the arrow fly towards the first Griever, while everyone was running around like a bunch of headless chooks.
"Everyone, half of you to the Council Hall, the rest to the Homestead, Alby tell Nick, Minho you're with me!" I barked out orders and then ripped my machete off of my back. I aimed carefully and then threw it at the nearest Griever. It missed completely, my aim wasn't exactly the best. But what shocked me the most was the look that Casydi then gave me.
"Newt! What did I say!? Get out of here and leave this to me! I will not have you get hurt because of these things! Not when I can protect you!" She yelled as she notched another arrow and aimed at the other Griever which I missed.
"I'm not going to step back and let you protect me! I'm not an invalid!" I shouted at her with outrage as I dodged a flying spear from Minho as he desperately tried to rid the Glade of these creatures.
"I'm not saying you are! I just need you to get out of here! You are not trained to go up against the Grievers!" She yelled back as she dodged one of the Grievers, long and deadly tail. "GET OUT!" She yelled as she grabbed another arrow from her quiver. She jumped to the left in order to get away from the Grievers sharp to the point pincer, but accidentally dropped her bow in the path of the Grievers leg.
A loud shatter was heard through the battle in front of us and Casydi looked like she was in pain. She gripped a hand to her stomach and I swear I saw a tear slip from her eye.
"Casydi?!" I cried out as I dodged the Grievers tail once again.
"I'm fine!" She cried out as she did a series of flips toward the machete which lie unforgotten on the ground of the Glade. She picked it up, then spun around to face the Griever also releasing the cutting tool.
She threw the machete which such an aim that it didn't even colour me surprised. The tool sliced through the creature with precise accuracy and it vanished into this air, which left the machete lying on the ground in its place.
There was on Griever left now and it knew it was outnumbered and going to be killed by either Casydi, Minho or myself.
Casydi darted toward the machete and just made it before the Griever turned his individual attention to the girl.
"Newt, get out of here!" She yelled but there was only one tiny complication. "Argh!" Casydi's cry was heard throughout the entire Glade. The Griever's tail protruded from Casydi's back and she dropped to the floor. Casydi had just enough strength in her to turn around and throw the machete at the creature before it vanished into thin air. The same call that I heard earlier echoed over the Glade.
I ran over to Casydi's limp body and lifted the back of her shirt to see a blue wound with green and purple veins splitting off in every direction.
"What do we do?" Minho asked as he crouched down next to us as the boys started to file back into the Glade as they realised that the danger had passed.
"I don't know Minho. I don't know,"