Cora Hale (impulsivewolf) wrote in freedomtownic, @ 2018-05-16 19:49:00 |
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There were a lot of places to explore and learn and that is why Cora had decided that staying home was not an option. She wanted to learn every inch of this place. If she had to be stuck here, like everyone else, then she was going to learn as much about it as she could. She had only been walking around for about an hour. The more she explored the more it seemed like she never left Earth. It probably made sense that they tried to make this place seem like home as much as possible. It made the transition a whole lot easier. As she walked along the sidewalk, she dodged one person who hadn’t been paying attention. Too bad the next person smacked right into her before she could get out of the way. “Watch it,” she told the tall, lanky blonde that had ran into her. * Running into people seemed to be a bit of a theme for Newt of late but with an entire city of prospects to explore he wasn’t paying nearly as much attention as he should. The last few days had passed in a blur of new food, new life and new experiences and he relished every single one, as he’d never thought he’d have the chance again. It still blew Newt’s mind. The flare was gone. He was healing, fast, even more so due to the brilliant food. It tasted of life and hope. Things he’d thought were gone for good. So, in the grand scheme of things, bumping into a stranger on the busy street didn’t seem like the worst thing that could happen. “Sorry, I wasn’t concentrating,” Newt said flashing the girl a bright smile. “I’m new here and it’s all so alive,” his mouth worked to express what he had lurking inside, “not like home at all. Sorry,” he said again, realising that he’d not only impeded her travel but taken up her time too. “I’m Newt, by the way,” in case she ever wanted to speak to him again - unlikely, he knew, but it was always possible. * “That much was obvious.” Not like Cora needed to be told what he was and wasn’t doing. Paying attention was definitely the obvious thing that the boy wasn’t doing. “You’re not the only one that is new here.” She was pretty new herself and still having to learn about this place. At least she wasn’t alone. That would have made things worse. She looked the boy over. Tall, skinny, with blonde hair and an accent. He was definitely no threat to Cora. So, she’ll play nice. “I’m Cora,” she said after a beat of silence passed between them. * He had the decency to look a little cowed by her snippiness, but it’d take more than that to take the polish off this wonderful world. Instead of apologising, again, he smiled at hearing she too was new to all of this. “It’s all pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Newt enthused, “I mean, there’s so many new things to do and explore!” It’d take him the rest of his life to see it all – he hoped. Why not grab the world with both hands while he could? “It’s lovely to meet you, Cora,” he replied and then gave her a curious smirk, “don’t suppose you’d be interested in exploring with me?” Newt ventured curiously, “I mean, it’s fun alone, but so much more interesting with two!” * “That would depend on what you think is amazing.” Because right now this all seemed pretty normal to her. Other than the fact that they were on a totally different planet. But the city life, that seemed pretty Earth-like. “Yeah, same.” No one ever said Cora was totally polite. But she didn’t hate the guy so that was a good thing. “Sure. Why not?” Newt seemed far too excited and boyish that it was kind of hard for her to say no and go off on her own. Plus, she was here and knew nobody. Not that ever stopped her before. But it would be nice to know somebody outside of the people from Beacon Hills. “Which way should we go?” * ”Well, the world I’m from is pretty much dead,” Newt said as he looked around at the bustle of city life. “If you saw people you ran because they were either infected or trying to kill you for their own reasons,” so saying hello to a random girl on the street was an experience he was going to enjoy. “I guess you’re world is fairly similar to this?” he said taking a punt. Newt was a little surprised that Cora agreed to come with him but he was also slightly thrilled. The only new people he met either came into the Glade in a box or worked for Wicked, unless you counted The Right Arm who were mostly wiped out back at the camp. “I don’t know, just pick a direction and run,” he suggested with a broad smile, “we’ll find something good, I know it.” * Well, Newt had Cora’s attention now. “What do you mean it’s dead?” she asked, her full attention on Newt and what he had to say now. “That sounds pretty bad.” It also sounded like a bad post apocalyptic show. “You can say that.” At least her lack of enthusiasm and his overabundance of it made sense. This wasn’t new for her, but it was for him. Cora was kind of surprised with herself. She was used to telling people to fuck off. But that was back at home. This wasn’t home. “Okay,” she grabbed Newt by the wrist and started to pull him along as she started to cross the street, “We’re going this way.” She had no idea where it would take them, but that was the whole point of this, right? * He hasn’t expected Cora’s attention to be so quickly caught by tales of life back home but Newt had opened the door to questions simply by mentioning it and it would be pretty rude to shut her out now. “There was a virus – the flare – it ran rampant through the cities,” he explained as his chest twinged with the recent memory of almost falling foul of the thing himself. “Everyone caught it,” Newt said looking at Cora, but his focus on the world back at home as he went on to describe how Wicked began their tests, trials and mazes. When he’d finished he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. “So, in my world there was no future, but here?” Newt’s smile resurfaced as he looked around him, “everything is possible.” And every molecule of his being was ready to experience it. “See, now you’re getting the idea,” he grinned as Cora picked a direction and started to walk. “There are so many cars!” he said still amazed by the amount of people crammed so tightly together. “Alright, you had my story, what’s yours?” Newt asked, wanting to know something about his companion. “What’s a doughnut?” he asked as they passed a shop window. * Cora listened as Newt explained his world. It sounded horrible. The whole thing. She couldn’t help but wonder how he survived it all. He didn’t look like much. She wondered if a slight wind in the air could knock him over because of how small he was. “Your home world sounds horrible.” She continued to walk along the sidewalk, it took a few moments to realize she still had a grip on Newt’s wrist. She finally let go of it. “Yeah, don’t get hit by one, okay? It doesn’t feel that great,” she warned him. “Mine?” She looked away for a moment. Well, he shared his, she could share her’s. “It’s not the greatest either,” she stared before she told Newt about the fire and getting away. Finding a new ‘family’ in South America. And every other thing she had dealt with. She left out the whole werewolf thing. She wasn’t sure how he would react to that and she didn’t want to find out right now. Thank god the doughnuts caught his attention, though. “No doughnuts in hell world, huh? Come on.” She opened the door to the shop and practically pushed the skinny boy inside. * Newt could feel Cora’s appraisal and understood it. Faster, healthier, smarter kids than him had died along the way but, until the end, he’d been lucky. “It wasn’t all bad,” he said eventually, “I had good friends. Have good friends,” he said with a nod, “they… Thomas, Brenda,” and yes, even Teresa, in her way, “saved me. At home they were too late.” Newt looked at the pavement, “I think it broke them a little, but here we get another chance. A real life,” with new friends and things to look forward to. “You were hit by one of those?” he gave Cora a look of astonishment, “how are you alive?” He’d seen the way people moved their vehicles around and it made Jorge and Brenda’s driving look positively tame! “Yes, yours,” Newt’s curious, open face was ready to hear it all, “I showed you mine and all that,” he said with a raised eyebrow. When Cora started to talk he fell silent, just taking in how different things were in her world. He was interested and had more questions than he knew what to do with, but when it came down to it only one really needed to be asked. “What does it feel like, to have a family?” he asked softly. “Is it different to friends?” Newt would never know, but he’d like to. He liked the idea of finding a family of his own too, but then he’d done that already with Thomas and Brenda. “Absolutely no doughnuts in hell-world,” he said deadpan as he followed Cora into the shop. “Oh god, that smells incredible Newt’s stomach rumbled as if to confirm it. “What the hell is it?” * “Are they here with you?” Cora was curious since it did seem like people showed up without family and friends. Thank god she wasn’t one of those people. Not only did she have Derek, but she had Keira as well. “I see.” She didn’t really want to push. She could tell whatever happened at home was bad. The look in his eyes and the sadness that came off of him were clear signs of it. “Yeah, that’s what I get for running across the street without looking.” She did leave the part out about something else chasing her. But, hey, werewolf, she healed quickly and went on her merry way. “You haven’t shown me anything,” she said with a quick little smile. That question was odd. “Well, yes and no. Sometimes friends come and go, but your family will always be there,” unless they’re murdered. “But friends could become family. A lot of people seem to do that. I guess it really isn’t that different,” she said with a shrug. “Sugar and yeast,” she said as she walked past him and towards the display case that was filled with every doughnut ever. “Which one do you want to try first?” * He nodded happily, “they were here when I arrived. Thomas and Brenda, have you met?” Newt asked, quite ready to believe that everyone knew everyone in this world. “Not sure what I’d have done without them, to tell you the truth,” he said with a tight smile. The answer haunted his nightmares still and he wondered if he’d ever sleep again without imagining himself as the start of a Crank invasion of this world. Cora seemed to swerve his question, “you weren’t badly injured?” he pushed slightly. “Those things look they could take down a house!” as if to punctuated the point a yellow cab lurched onto the pavement and honked for them and everyone else to move. “Not sure I like that part of this world,” he muttered under his breath as the danger quickly passed and the cab went on its travels ruining someone else’s day. Newt gave a quick double-take, “…I…I meant I told you…” he froze, feeling the colour rise up his neck and flush his face in a hot wave. “I didn’t mean…that…” he told Cora as coherently as he dared, wondering if she knew how flustered he’d become. Newt was hanging on her words, wanting to know from someone who’d experienced the relationships firsthand. “Some friends are always there too,” some he’d die to protect and vice versa, “but mostly they die.” It was hard to understand ‘family’ when it was the farthest thing from your own experience. “Would you die for your family?” he asked Cora curiously, because that was what it came down to, wasn’t it? There were people you loved, trusted and would die for and then there was everyone else. Was that family? “That’s all it is? Sugar and yeast?” Newt looked into the display case and felt as though he’d died and gone to heaven. “How do you choose just one?” he asked in awe. He gave her hand a gentle tug, “you choose for me? Choose the best one,” he told Cora with a grin, “I trust your judgement,” though he might go in for seconds if it was as good as it smelled. * Cora shook her head. “No, I haven’t met them.” She hadn’t met anyone really. Not until today. “Maybe it’s a good thing they’re here so that you don’t have to find out.” She glanced at newt. “Never said I was badly injured, did I?” All she did was warn that getting hit by a car didn’t feel good. “You’ll get used to it,” she told him. “If not, I guess they’ll be scraping Newt pancake off of the pavement,” she teased. His reaction was the best. She didn’t think he would react that way. She almost wanted to laugh. Instead, she held it back and just grinned as he floundered with his words and turned really red. “Are you sure about that?” She was pushing it, she knew it, but it was fun. “Everyone dies,” she pointed out. “Yes, I would die for them. Wouldn’t you?” She kept her eyes on the doughnuts in the case. They all looked pretty good. “There’s other stuff in it. You’ll like it. Trust me.” She stood up, eyes on Newt. “I have a better idea,” she told him before she went to the counter and started to order two sprinkled, two glazed, and two chocolate frosted twists. * “Well, maybe I’ll introduce you,” Newt suggested with a smile. Thomas was good with other people and Brenda might appreciate having another girl around to talk about whatever it was girls talked about when they weren’t being normal. Cora seemed friendly enough and hadn’t tried to kill him yet, which he always took as a good sign. “I’d say,” Newt said slowly, “it’s a very good thing for the rest of you they were here,” he said trying to shove the imagery away and concentrate on the here and now. He’d wallowed enough already - for a lifetime - he didn’t want to think about the rest. Newt gave her a puzzled shake of his head, “you didn’t, but I don’t see how one of those things couldn’t really hurt you,” he said with concern. She was a squishy meat-person and they were metal monsters. He’d seen how meat faired when pitted against metal and it didn’t go well. “I don’t think I want to be a pancake,” he told Cora with a wince, “so I’d better learn quickly.” “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to embarrass me,” he said with a deeply embarrassed smile, that came out more of a grimace. “Fairly sure…” Newt answered, and suddenly, under Cora’s scrutiny, he wasn’t sure of anything other than the heat in his cheeks and...other areas...oh god, this would be a really bad time! “You’ve lost a lot of people too, haven’t you?” the detachment Cora had used to state the fact crystalised the thought in his mind almost instantly. “Of course I’d die for them,” Newt said as if the thought of doing anything else was an anathema, “back home I did, apparently,” he said with an awkward shrug of his shoulders. Right now, faced with such an array of abundance Newt wasn’t going to argue with Cora. He might attempt to get the recipe at some point, if it was easy. She seemed to have a plan and as the man behind the counter started to open up a box he didn’t seem to find placing so many doughnuts into the box even slightly strange, so Newt had to assume it was normal. “Oh, I trust you,” he said as his mouth watered, “where do we eat them, here?” he looked around but found no obvious place to sit down, “or not.” * “Oh?” Cora questioned with a raised eyebrow. “Why’s that?” Why had they been so lucky that they were here when he arrived? “Does it matter?” she said with a shrug. It wasn’t like she could tell him. Well, she could, but that would probably freak him out. Maybe. She wasn’t sure. She didn’t know him very well. Not yet. “Yeah, you better learn quick.” Cora laughed a small laugh. “I wasn’t trying to do anything. You’re the one who brought up showing things,” she told him, smiling even more. She sighed. “Yeah, most of my family.” She didn’t want to talk about that much anymore. She already told him about the fire. She wanted to move away from the subject. “What happened?” she asked. Cora added a few more doughnuts into the mix and then paid for them with the money she had swiped from Derek’s wallet. “At the park,” she said as she grabbed the box of doughnuts and lead the way out and towards the park so they could fill up on sugary goodness. * He gave a dismissive shake of his head, “it doesn’t matter,” he told Cora, wanting to have a nice day with a stranger in a lovely, lively, city rather than deal with reminders of what this world might have become. For now, anyway. Newt had learned enough in his short life to know when someone didn’t want to talk about something and right now he was curious what Cora wanted to hide from him. Of course, they’d only just met, but there was something off about the way she talked about the accident. Instead of asking he just shook his head mutely in case she decided it was easier to leave him than talk. “Maybe you can teach me the rules to keep me alive,” he said leaping on any excuse to move forward the conversation. “Are you flirting with me?” and yes, he really did have to ask, because whatever was happening right now was new and, yes, interesting. Also embarrassing, but perhaps worth it in the long run? Newt would have to wait and see. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise,” he might not understand what ‘family’ meant, but Newt knew grief when he heard it. Alright, so now Cora had asked him outright there really was no getting away from it. “The flare I told you about?” he said meeting her eyes for a moment before looking back at his feet, “I was infected. I died before Thomas could help me,” he looked up, “but he was quicker here. He stopped…” he felt his voice crack and shook his head, unable to go on. Newt was a little shocked to see quite so much money changing hands in one lump sum after the way they’d been scavenging for food, but if Cora thought this was worth it… he certainly wasn’t about to argue now! “I don’t know why, but I think I’m coming out of this afternoon ahead,” Newt told her as he thanked the man behind the counter and held open the door (more for the doughnuts than the girl, if he was honest). “So, the park. Nice day for it, too,” he said with a smile. * Cora glanced over at Newt when he asked if she were flirting with him. “Do you think I’m flirting with you?” she asked right back. “Of course you didn’t.” How could he realize anything? She had been vague about it all. He knew now, of course. “Yeah…” She looked at him, really looked at him. “If he saved her you here, you shouldn’t dwell on whatever happened before you were brought here.” Plus he if got all sad and emotional, she might have to grab him and shake him or something. “I think you might be right.” She smiled a small smile. Not many people go a smile from her. Newt better appreciate it. A few minutes later and they were at the park, Cora sitting down at bench. She set the box of doughnuts down and then flipped it open. “You should try the glazed first,” she recommended as she grabbed a glazed doughnut and handed it to Newt. Once he took that, she grabbed a chocolate twist for herself. * Newt’s eyebrows shot up at the question, wondering how best to answer Cora. If he was honest, the reason he’d asked was because he had no bloody clue what flirting looked like but it was making him blush enough to qualify. “Well,” he said carefully, “I don’t know. I’ve never been flirted with before,” he admitted honestly. He knew Cora was trying to be kind but it was difficult when he remembered the looks Thomas had given him. “I think not saving me the first time broke him a little,” Newt said quietly, “but I hope that’ll change now I’m here.” There was that playful tone again - was it flirting? Would he ever know for sure? Newt decided it was safest to just smile and close the door after her. When they were settled Cora opened the box of goodies, which immediately had Newt’s undivided attention. The park was lovely (and so was the company) but the doughnuts were an unknown quotient that he couldn’t wait to explore. Almost reverently he took the glazed ring from Cora, the sticky sugar clung immediately to his fingers and Newt licked it off before taking a bite. “I think I know what heaven is about,” he said with a contented sigh. He’d never tasted anything quite so sublime in his life! Newt took another bite, savouring it, “how is it people are able to walk past the shop?” he asked Cora in bemusement, finishing the doughnut faster than he would have liked. If he could have made it last all day he would have! “What’s next?” he asked excitedly, “you’re saving the best till last, aren’t you?” * “You haven’t experienced much, have you?” Cora questioned. Because it sure did sound like it. It was both kind of sad and somehow a little bit cute. She mentally shook her head and took a bite of her doughnut. “Maybe it will change here.” This place was kind of like a second chance for people. Right? She kind of forgot to keep on eating her own doughnut. Watching Newt practically devour his like it was going out of style was almost entertaining. “People are weird,” she replied to his question of how they can just walk past the shop. “I am,” she said with a smile as she picked up the chocolate frosted twisted doughnut and handed it to him. “You always save the sprinkled doughnuts for last.” * “Well, I’ve experienced a lot of people, and robots, trying to kill me,” Newt answered with a slight shrug, “not to mention the Cranks, which we’ve already established are very, very bad,” other than that Cora was fairly correct, he hadn’t experienced much other than life in The Glade. “Well I’d say you’re helping me spread my wings outside my comfort zone,” he told her with a shy smile, “and if you do flirt with me, can you give me a signal? Just so that I know for sure.” Maybe he could set that rule up as a universal truth for all girls and then Thomas might get a clue about Brenda! “I’m not going to argue with you on that score,” Newt answered with a grin, “all the people I’ve met are weird and this whole place is crazy, but walking past this would be wrong!” He licked every bit of the glaze off his fingers and smiled happily as Cora promised the best last. “I’m not sure how you’re going to top this,” he said sucking his final sticky finger, “but I’m incredibly looking forward to you trying.” Newt took the chocolate thing from her hand and gave it a cursory sniff. “Chocolate is one of the best things ever made,” he declared confident in his statement. It was even better than he could have hoped and as he carefully dismantled the doughnut he gave orgasmic grunts of delight and wonder until all that was left were lickable fingers once more. “This might be the best day ever,” he said with a contented sigh. * “Robots?” She asked, eyebrow raised. He had to deal with robots and things called Cranks? That didn’t sound fun at all. “Am I?” She didn’t think much of it. She just agreed to explore with him and made him try doughnuts because everyone had to try a doughnut at least once in their lives. “You don’t give people signs when you flirt. That just isn’t how it works.” “We almost walked past it,” she pointed out. And she would have, too, if Newt hadn’t been so curious about doughnuts. “I’m having fun trying.” She finally finished off her doughnut as Newt started in on his second. “Now I know how to make you happy. Just feed you doughnuts.” * “I didn’t tell you about the robots?” he asked between bites of gooey chocolate, “they patrolled the mazes. Tests, I suppose,” Newt tried not to think too hard about what motivated the adults in their world. Killing their children for the greater good didn’t sit well with him at the best of times, however much Wicked had manipulated them and however scared they’d been. “Cranks - the zombies,” he said to clarify. He flashed Cora a smile and nodded, “you’re definitely helping,” he told her, “it’s nice to have someone here that knows about this world.” Newt was sure the ex-Gladers would have figured most of it out eventually, but faster was always better where information was concerned. He frowned at her opinion on the flirt-signs. Newt had thought that was a really good idea and one that might catch on, if only to help him navigate through the intricacies of the ritual. “So, no signs then, I’m guessing?” he said slightly dejectedly. “But we didn’t,” he pointed out with a happy sigh, “which makes us lucky and normal,” he gave Cora a nod of approval. “I’m glad you’re having fun too,” Newt answered with a shy smirk, “it wouldn’t be fair if I was getting all of it. Fair is good.” Alright, he wasn’t sure if Cora was just teasing him now or not, but Newt decided to push his luck a little further all the same. “I’m sure there are lots of other things you could do to make me happy,” he said and then his brain caught up with how that could be interpreted, “I meant show me around and feed me other things…” Newt said grappling desperately with the wrong-turn he’d taken. * “No,” Cora said with a small shake of her head. She listed as Newt shared more information about his world. It sounded horrible. It was making Beacon Hills seem like a walk in the park. “Your lives seem pretty horrible there.” She smiled a small smile as she grabbed a sprinkle doughnut and took a bite out of it. “I don’t know this world.” She was alien to it just like Newt was. “I only know the Earth-like things.” Anything else that came to this planet, she was clueless. “No, no clues. But here’s a bit of advice. If you think someone is flirting with you, they most likely are.” When Newt started to stumble over his words again, she couldn’t help but smirk. “Oh, I know other ways of making you happy.” She probably shouldn’t speak to him like that, but it was fun watching him stumble and turn bright red. “Finish up, so we can explore some more.” * “Our world is pretty horrible, but our lives weren’t,” Newt answered with a small shrug. “It made us tough but also smart, for the most part, and the friendships we build really mean something,” which didn’t seem to be the case for many of the adults. “The only thing between you and death is often how much your friend cares. So if you’re alive it means you have bloody good friends,” he told Cora. “This planet is quite like your Earth though, isn’t it?” he asked, wondering if he’d mistaken Cora’s worldliness for familiarity. “What isn’t like your world?” Newt asked, honestly curious to know more. He raised an eyebrow and felt himself blushing again, “so, you were flirting…” he said looking her way with an idiot-smirk on his face, “…good to know.” He didn’t need telling twice to dig into the box of doughnuts and Newt couldn’t wait to try the last (and best) of the bunch. He took a moment to look at it and then took a small bite, his grin growing and broadening as he got the full taste of the sugar and such. “You were so right!” he said with his mouth full of the pastry. “This is amazing,” Newt decided to just shut up and chew rather than risk wasting any of it spraying it over his new friend. Newt looked at Cora as if his eyes were about to pop out, “…you mean food, right?” Then he caught up and looked embarrassed, “wait. You were flirting with me, weren’t you? Or just trying to make me feel like an idiot,” which felt about the same from Newt’s perspective. He finished up the last bite of the doughnut and chewed it, springing to his feet and offering Cora a hand up, “let’s go. Can’t wait to see what other surprises you’ve got up your sleeves,” he told her smiling. * “You have some really good friends then.” The fact that he was sitting here talking to her was proof of that. “Well, so far the talking Russian dog wasn’t normal.” If there were other weird things about, she had no idea. That was the whole point of being out here and exploring. She wanted to see how much like home this planet was. Cora didn’t verbally answer Newt’s question about the flirting. Instead, she just flashed him a smile before finishing off her doughnut. “I usually am right about things.” She watched as he practically inhaled the sprinkled doughnut. “You are now addicted to doughnuts. You’re welcome.” Cora stood up, grabbed the box and handed it to Newt. There was still a glazed doughnut left. “You can have it.” She didn’t want it. She had her fill for the day. “I was flirting.” She nodded and started to lead the way out of the park. “Let’s see what else we can find.” * Newt couldn’t help but smile at that, “I really do,” and hopefully Cora was one more to add to the list. She’d never have to face the maze but he could tell he had seen just as much hardship in her short life. “You’ll get to meet them,” he said instinctively, then realise that might sound presumptuous, “if you want to.” “Ahh, the dog,” he nodded knowingly, “who knew there’d be a world where that was normal?” Definitely not Newt! There was that smile again, at one time knowing and promising all rolled up in a ball. It definitely did things to his stomach that even doughnuts couldn’t live up to. “I’ll bear that in mind,” he said with a chuckle. Somewhere a world existed where the girls he met didn’t know everything but Newt doubted he’d ever get invited there. “So long as it’s just the doughnuts,” he said as he helped Cora to her feet. He had a sneaking suspicion he’d be craving more than sugar after this encounter. Newt looked down into the box and he was about to gush his thanks when Cora shut him up in one quick moment. She had been flirting? Well that was… nice to know… and also suddenly awkward, but in a really good way. At that moment, with box in hand and a dumb grin on his face, Cora could have pretty much have led him anywhere! “Yes… lets,” was all he managed to say in response. |