Newt and I weren't exactly friends. 

No. Scratch that. We were down-right enemies. Pure rivals against each other. I don't know what I did to make him hate me. Ever since I entered the Maze, he's been nothing but cold and distant towards me. 

It made me wonder if I had asked him too many questions when I first arrived. He did seem to be a bit miffed when I asked a bunch of questions. But one thing that I did notice, however, was that the moment I asked him about what happened to his ankle, he immediately stiffened and walked away, leaving me in the dust, to go into the Deadheads, which was a closed-in, wooded area. 

I was working in the Med-Jack hut when I was called to give the tour with Alby. My stomach clenched painfully when Newt limped towards Alby and the Greenie. 

"What are you doing here, She-bean?" he snapped. "Didn't I tell you to get back to work earlier?" 

I rolled my eyes. "I have a name, y'know."

"I know, and I don't care."

"I'm here to help Alby out with the tour, if you're wondering."

Newt put on a flash of a smile when he approached Alby and the new Greenie. I did my best to not roll my eyes as I stood a few paces behind him with my arms crossed tightly over my chest. 

"Hey, you alright, Alby?" 

"Green bean? Meet Newt. When I'm not around, he's in charge."

"It was a good thing that you was around, then," Newt answered with a grin that made my stomach flutter again. I pushed down the odd feeling and tried to ignore it. "That was some dash you made there earlier. Y'know, for a second there, I thought that you were going to become a Runner . . . . that is, until you face-planted."

Alby laughed openly. I managed a slight smirk. The Greenie, however, looked fascinated. 

"Runner?" he echoed. "What's a Runner?"

At once, I noticed that the atmosphere between Newt and Alby changed. Newt seemed to have stiffened. Alby became oddly quiet. This reaction caused my eyebrows to furrow in confusion. Luckily, Alby cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention.

"Er — Newt? Go find Chuck for me, will ya?"

"Why can't Melanie do it?" Newt asked. 

"Please. You're the second-in-command. Not me." 

I shoved him a little more roughly than I should have in his shoulder blades, causing me to instantly regret my actions. Even Newt looked a little hurt, but he eventually limped away. Newt's limp wasn't something that I had particularly noticed before. I found myself staring at his slightly-deformed ankle, a sinking feeling in my stomach. 

"Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked, making me look up. I scrunched my eyebrows together, confused. 

"I was going to ask you the same thing. But I don't 100% recognize you. Why?"

The Greenie shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "No reason. I feel like we've known each other before."

I smiled sadly before I shook my head. "No. Sorry, Greenie. You must be mistaking me for someone else."

Alby cleared his throat. "Look, I'm sorry to rush this. You came up a little later than usual, and the sun is about to set. There's a lot to do. We've got something a little special planned tonight. Yeah, you'll see." 

I stayed below the tree hut while the Greenie and Alby examined everything around them. I was watching for Chuck, who had recently been promoted. Chuck was a sweet kid, and he was like the brother that I never had. 

The boy's eyes lit up when he saw me as he approached. I did the same and went out to meet him. I gave the small boy a tight hug, which he returned. 

"Hey, Chuckie boy." I ruffled his hair playfully.

"Hey, Melly. Where's Alby?"

"Up on the tree house. C'mon."

They walked back up towards the tree hut. 

"Hey, Alby!" Chuck called. 

Both Alby and the Greenie looked down to see the chubby boy standing feet below them. 

"Hey, Chuck! Where have you been?" 

Chaos erupted a while later when the Greenie began to approach the Maze. Gally had shoved the Greenie into the ground. I was one of the first to reach the commotion with Newt surprisingly at my heels. 

"Hey! We've gotta stop meeting up like this."

"Get off me!" 

"Alright, calm down!" said Newt. 

"Take it easy," said Gally. "Just relax."

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?!" the Greenie finally burst out. I didn't blame him. 

"Just calm down, alright?" Newt repeated in a firmer voice this time. 

"No! Okay? Why won't you tell me what's out there?" 

"We're just trying to keep you safe, man," I answered. "It's not safe for anybody."

"For your own good," Newt added, making me glare at him in suspicion. He seemed to purposefully ignore my glare. 

"Well, you can't just leave me here!" 

"We sure can, and we sure will," I answered, crossing my arms over my chest. I gave him a 'try me' look with a raised eyebrow.

"Why not, huh?! Why the hell not?!" 

On cue, there was a loud rumble, and the stone Maze doors began to slowly close, signalling the end of the day. Gally shook his head, turning back to the Greenie. 

"Next time, I'm going to let you leave."