Newt

Leah stood at the entrance, peering into the Labyrinth. She had been here for several months.

"Hey, holy man!" a rough voice rang out.

She turned around. Gally was approaching with a cheeky grin.

• What are you hanging around for?

• I'm just standing.

Gally walked up and grabbed her arm roughly.

• Let go!

— Are you going to complain to Newt? Or are you going to start crying?

• Let her go.

A voice came from the side. Newt stood a few steps away, clutching the piece of wood. Gally released his fingers.

"Our defender of the weak has arrived. Mind your own business."

“It’s my business,” Newt snapped.

— Did I hit her? No. And if she's playing hard to get...

• Shut up.

• Will you beat me? You're a lame cripple.

Newt lunged. Gally dodged and rushed at him with a snarl. They clashed like animals. Newt was faster, but his bad leg was holding him back. Gally's weight fell on them. They fell in the dust, trading blows. Gally cut Newt's eyebrow, Newt hit him in the jaw.

"Stop it!" Alby shouted. "Are you out of your mind?"

Newt wiped his split lip and looked at Leah, his gaze a mixture of anger, pain, and concern. Alby ordered Gally to get lost.

Leah walked up to Newt.

• How are you?

— It's fine. You shouldn't have gone there. You know what he's like.

— I just stood there!

"When no one is around, you're at your weakest. I don't want you to be there when it goes down."

She knew Newt saw her only as a duty to protect the weak. Friendship, concern—nothing more.

• You shouldn't have fought. I could have handled it.

Newt smiled bitterly.

"He wouldn't have heard you. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to look like I was protecting 'my property.'"

• Go and rest. You're bleeding.

Newt nodded but didn't leave.

"You know, sometimes I think: we're in a cage here. Arguments and fights are just an attempt to prove that we're alive. I don't want you to think I'm just a wild animal."

He turned and limped away. Leah remained standing, watching him go. Warmth, mixed with bitterness, spread through her chest.