Chapter Text
"Or else what?"
"I told you to get off m-" She screamed, but Dave covered her mouth with his free hand.
"Hey! Do not make a sound" He ordered, tightening his grip on her while slowly letting his hand travel down, fully grasping her back.
Lyla froze. She wanted to yell but didn't make a sound and when she tried to free herself, she failed.
"Now. You and I are going to have lots of fun together"
Lyla closed her eyes, almost as if bracing for impact when suddenly, someone yanked Dave away.
She was free, but was it really over?
Minho heard her scream and ran as fast as he could through the woods. "You motherfucker, have some fun with me!" He shouted, throwing a punch that instantly connected with Dave's face. The boy stumbled and fell, and in a second, Minho was on top of him, hitting him over and over.
Lyla started to cry, she tried to stop herself but the tears were stronger and she fell to her knees. Dave screamed for help but it wasn't enough: there was no stopping Minho. A few gladers were woken up by the commotion so soon Gally and Newt arrived too.
"What the shuck happened here?!" Newt exclaimed, rushing despite his limp. Gally didn't waste time on words: he immediately separated Minho and Dave, not to defend the latter, no, he wanted to have a go at it too.
"Did you touch her?" He seethed, grabbing Dave by his shoulders. "Answer me, you bastard!"
"S-She wanted it-" Dave didn't even manage to finish his sentence as Minho and Gally silenced him.
In the meantime, Newt rushed to help Lyla, who was still frozen there crying. "Hey, hey, hey, everything's alright love. You're safe here" He tried to comfort her but the girl's trembling hands showed it didn't work.
"Love, nothing's going to happen. You're safe with us"
Lyla didn't respond, her mind catapulted her into what felt like a dream but quickly revealed itself as a haunting memory.
"You're safe with us" A woman spoke, Lyla remembered her white coat and long brown hair that fell on her arm as she bent to talk to her.
"I'm Mary, I won't let them hurt you" She explained, caressing Lyla's shoulder.
"No, no, I-I don't want to!" The girl cried, trying to free herself from the ties that bound her.
"Proceed with AA" a loud, authoritative voice commanded, it came from a man who wore a suit and looked like he owned the place.
"The assault hallucination? Are you crazy? You'll kill her!" The doctor protested, but the man slapped her across the face.
"Security, escort Mary out, please." He ordered, and two armed men dragged the woman out while Lyla screamed in protest.
She was then injected with a yellowish liquid. Her vision went blank for a second before she woke up in what looked like a pub.
A pub f ull of men.
Lyla sobbed as Newt held her tightly, hoping to bring her some comfort.
"What happened?" He questioned, referring to the way she closed her eyes and began weeping uncontrollably when she opened them again.
"A me-... it was a memory" Lyla managed to utter, her voice strained from the pain.
Newt didn't understand the situation so he hugged her, hoping he'd grasp more details later. Lyla looked up and saw Dave being beaten by Minho and Gally as they screamed at him.
"Don't you dare touch her again! You hear me bitch?!" Minho growled, his threat hanging heavily in the air.
"Guys, it's enough" Newt tried to separate the three guys. "Alby!" The blonde called out, hoping the Gladers would hear him and come.
"What is going on here- WOAH! Minho, Gally, stop it!" The Leader ordered when he arrived and that was enough for Gally to quit hitting Dave, but Minho was firm and he looked unwilling to get off him anytime soon.
"This bastard hasn't had enough!" Minho roared, throwing another punch at the now bleeding boy until he was finally separated by Newt.
Soon enough, everyone in the Glade was awake and reached the group; Ben, Jeff, and Frypan rushed over to the crying girl.
"What the hell happened?!" Jeff asked, concern furrowing his brows as he sat next to her.
"He-He..." Lyla began, but her shaking lips and trembling hands stopped her.
Her cries echoed through the Glade, loud enough to make everyone worried for her.
"Lyla, what happened?" Frypan asked softly, looking into her eyes as he studied her expression. "You can tell us, you're safe with us" He added, reassuring her.
"Dave," The girl replied and that name was enough to make everyone understand.
Ben immediately stood up and got closer to Lyla, his arm resting on the tree over her. "Did he touch you?" Ben inquired gently and the girl nodded, her tears flowing more.
Jeff and Frypan stayed close to comfort her while Ben darted over to Dave, smacking him when the others weren't paying attention, careful not to draw Alby's look.
Meanwhile, Newt was still holding Minho back. Gally had calmed down and was staring at his red knuckles while Alby spoke.
"One night in the pit, then tomorrow we decide" The leader declared and Minho grunted in response. "I know Minho, I'm angry too, but it's far too late now" Alby added and turned around, noticing Ben and Dave fighting. "Hey, hey, hey! Ben stop it!" He shouted and the tall runner halted, staring down at the aching boy on the floor, before spitting right next to his face.
"Okay now, everybody back to your hammocks! Now!" Alby commanded everybody to follow his lead going back to their beds; Minho, Newt, Ben, and he remained to make sure Lyla was feeling better.
She held her head buried in her hands, attempting to conceal her tears when Minho sat down beside her.
"It won't happen again, I promise, I'm going to kill whoever even thinks about it. It's going to be fine Lyla, you're safe with me, this won't happen again, alright?" He murmured, his voice more soothing than ever as he cupped her face gently in his hands.
Newt and Ben observed from a distance, stunned at the way the Asian was handling it; meanwhile, Alby was confronting Dave who was already in the pit.
"What is wrong with you? Don't you remember our rules, Dave? She said no, you can't do whatever you want!" Alby reprimanded. "Your fate will be decided tomorrow at dawn. Until then, try and reflect on what the shuck you've done" He concluded, leaving him isolated as he rejoined the two astonished boys.
When he was sure that Lyla felt better, Minho walked over to Alby, leaving the girl in Newt and Ben's hands.
"Alby I-" The Asian tried to apologize for his earlier act but the boy stopped him.
"Don't worry, I get it man" He replied calmly and Minho nodded. "I do need a favor from you though"
"What?" The runner asked, his brow raised in confusion.e
"Let her sleep in your hut. I don't want her to be outside with the others yet and I'd let her sleep in mine but we aren't close"
"Of course, yeah, it's fine, yes, sure" Minho replied, a tone of excitement in his voice, which got a side-eye from Alby.
Ben and Newt had already left and Lyla stood up, her legs trembling as she made some steps.
Minho rushed over to her, placing his arms on the girl's shoulder to balance her and they talked.
"I'm sorry I-" Lyla began to apologize before the boy next to her cut her off. "Don't even start it, you did nothing wrong, Lyla, it's important to me that you know it"
"I know but still-"
"No. No buts allowed" He reprimanded as they slowly reached the Homestead. "Lyla please listen to me: you didn't do anything wrong, it's not your fault and I promise you, nothing like this is going to happen again".
The boy kept reassuring her until they were near his hut, and that's when he stopped in his tracks to ask the girl a question. "Alby told me to let you sleep in my hut, is it okay with you? Obviously, you won't have to share a bed with me"
Lyla nodded in response. "It's alright, thank you Minho... but wait, where are you going to sleep?"
"Oh. I guess I haven't really thought about it... on the floor" He answered with a little smile, showing her that he was comfortable with it.
"Absolutely not, I won't let you sleep on the ground because of me" The girl replied swiftly as she turned to look into his eyes, which were shining, lost in hers.
"I mean... do we have another choice?"
"We can sleep together" The girl said looking like she was excited, but she was really just trying not to think about what had happened and remain positive despite the situation. Lyla then quickly regained her composure: "As friends, I mean, if that's alright with you and if it-"
"Of course it's alright with me princess" He replied and for a second Minho and Lyla paused: they were staring into each other's longing eyes which were now brighter than ever.
The girl smiled in response and he did too, not the usual grin all the Gladers knew: Minho's lips curled up and his dimples emerged in a way that was special and reserved for Lyla.
They began walking again as their relationship tightened on every step, they finally reached his hut and he held the door for the girl.
"What a gentleman" She commented laughing as she entered the cabin, looking around.
"This room is kind of a mess" She added, trying her hardest not to step on any of the clothes that were left on the ground.
"Oh I'm sorry, a princess like you is used to sleeping in a castle, how unkind of me!" He replied with a small grin as he picked up some socks, trying to tidy up at the last second; Lyla chuckled again and she sat on the bed.
"Hey so umh, I know I've already bothered you a lot, but I don't have a shirt to sleep in and this one it's-" She said, fighting the tears that so urgently wanted to slide off her cheeks as she remembered what happened earlier.
She couldn't do it, she couldn't be the "always happy" girl she thought she was, not right now at least.
Now, Lyla wanted to sob and let every single cry wash out of her tired eyes, she wanted to take off all her dirty clothes and rub the dirt off herself a thousand times, even though she knew well that it still wouldn't take the feeling of his hands on her off.
The girl sobbed, trying to stop, failing as she collapsed on her knees, she felt sorry for herself: she let something like this happen to her again, how could someone be that stupid to go into the woods, alone, at night? She could have not smiled at him so much, she could have wore something else, she could have fought more, she-
No.
Lyla stopped crying, realizing that it wasn't her fault, she didn't ask for it and she didn't want it, what happened didn't make her a different person: she was still that little girl, the always kind one that would take others' pain away, unwilling to be bothered by hers.
Minho brought her back to reality as he immediately sat beside her, holding her head up gently so she wouldn't get hurt.
"Lyla, I'm here with you" He reassured as he slowly caressed her face, moving the hair that was attached to her wet cheek behind her ear.
"You can talk to me" He added, his pupils dilating as he saw her take one look in his eyes and then close hers.
She was going through another memory.
The little girl walked around the grey building that sucked the life and all the colors out of her, she looked 6 or 7 and was stumbling across the doctors, alone in a society that saw her as nothing more than an experiment, she was just a number.
Finally, Lyla reached what looked like a cafeteria, full of young children like her. She sat on her own and looked across the canteen: a kid waved at her, her brother.
Lyla recognized him instantly, they had the same brown hair, the same smile and the same look full of the eager need to change the world.
She didn't go to him, he was inundated by kids that wanted to meet him since was very well known in that place, and she didn't need that attention. Therefore, she sat still, lost in her thoughts before a young boy grabbed her attention.
"Hey, my name is Minho, I saw you here on your own, so if you want, you can talk to me"
The memory ended there, Lyla reopened her eyes after a second.
"I'm sorry, Minho, I'm really sorry" She said, carefully rubbing her eyes, making sure that no tear would be visible.
"No, no Lyla you don't have to be" He reassured her, his mind rambling with thoughts about her safety. "Look, we are going to handle everything together tomorrow, now try to sleep, you deserve it" He advised, handing her one of his old shirts while he turned around, giving her privacy to change.
Lyla thanked him and quickly put his t-shirt on, before she laid on the bed, covering herself with a blanket, the only source of warmth for her now cold soul.
"Goodnight, Miss Green"
"Goodnight Min, thank you for everything" She replied, falling asleep immediately.
Minho, instead, didn't sleep a single second: he sat on the harsh ground of the hut and he never moved his eyes from her figure, he looked at her sleeping peacefully, not in a creepy way, no, he promised himself he wouldn't let anything like that happen to her again, and he was going to keep his promise.
While he laid on the floor, he thought, a lot: he began thinking about how that girl managed to turn a, yet sassy, always grumpy version of him in a loving kind one who would spend a night awake to protect someone he just met. His mind wandered and he began thinking about his late friends, he repetead their names.
Nick, George, Stephen...
That night, Minho cried for the first time. A silent but wrenching sob that tore him apart: he finally aknowledged everything that happened until that moment.