ACT II SCENE XLIX
HERACLEIDAE
EVERYTHING WAS A BLINDING WHITE; the fluorescent lights shining above them were a striking contrast to the inky dark sky outside. David led them down a long corridor that was lined with identical metal doors, before entering a large observation deck. The entire side of the room on their left was made of glass, the turbulent weather outside still raging with insolence.
Guards in black uniforms lined the walls but they made a show of keeping their stances relaxed and grips on their guns loose. A few attendants stepped up to greet them, all wearing the same white uniform that the ones in the dormitory had worn at the beginning of the Trial. It seemed like years had passed since then, instead of just a fortnight ago. Everything felt surreal and out of place.
"I'm gonna have a shower," Cassandra announced and Teresa nodded willingly. The rest of the girls followed as an attendant guided them towards the bathroom.
About eight stalls were lined in front of them and there was a stack of fluffy white towels with fresh clothes waiting on the counter. Cassandra headed towards the wide mirror that covered the opposite wall above the row of square sinks. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting but it wasn't the girl that stared back at her in the reflection.
Her gaze instantly went to the pale thin line running horizontal across her throat. She guessed the scar would have been inevitable, a stark reminder of her brush with death.
There was a large purplish bruise along her left cheekbone, cuts embellishing almost every inch of her skin. Her bottom lip was split, dark circles underneath her eyes. The worst part was her hair, matted with blood and grime. She started to peel the wet shirt from her body, stripping down to her underwear before stepping into a stall. After taking the rest of her clothes off and the bandage on her inner thigh, she turned the knob on the shower.
Cassandra traced the faint line of stitches that had probably dissolved into her skin, she guessed, from the looks of it. The bandage had kept it mostly clean so it seemed normal for the most part. She allowed herself to relax under the warm stream of water, sighing in a brief moment of respite before scrubbing herself down.
She didn't want to think about how she had managed to survive so long without bathing. The act of washing away the cake of desert dust was cathartic and a small part of her wanted to stay in there forever. Eventually, she turned the knob shut and wrapped a towel around her body. Teresa exited her stall at the same time as Cassandra, the both of them getting changed into identical new attire behind a screen in the corner. It was all white. Surprise, surprise.
"I kinda hate this," Cassandra commented, scrunching her nose at her now revitalised reflection. She rubbed vigorously at her hair to dry it, noticing the uneven strands at the back of her head. Best cut of her life, she snorted inwardly at Frypan's handiwork.
"Me too," Teresa responded, her blue gaze glancing at her from the mirror. "None of this feels right."
"Like when they brought us to that dorm after the Maze," Sonya said, as she stepped over to them with a brush in hand.
"That's exactly what I thought," Cassandra told her. "I don't believe a thing they say. I can't. Not after everything we've been through."
"Some more than others," Teresa added quietly.
"At least we're safe from monsters now," the other blonde girl shrugged. Cassandra looked at her curiously and she seemed to notice. "I'm Eve, by the way."
"Cassandra," she smirked back at the girl.
"And I'm starving," Harriet said. "Let's see what food they have waiting for us."
They exited the bathroom, leaving the rest of the girls to finish their ministrations before catching up with them. Cassandra combed through her damp hair as she walked alongside Teresa. Eventually, they came across the boys' bathroom on the way back to the observation deck. Archie greeted her as he stepped through the door.
"Minho and the others went on ahead," he said. "I think I smell bacon. Gotta dash!"
With that, he raced his way towards the direction of the food. She shook her head at his back, taking her time to chat with the girls. It felt nice to be in different company, or people of the same gender, to be exact. As close as she was to the boys, it was a completely different experience. Sonya and Harriet were full of smiles as they joked about things that she could actually relate to.
"Hey, Cassie!" Minho called when he saw her walk up to the buffet table.
There were a few chairs and tables strewn about the deck, but most of the Gladers had opted to hover around the table as they ate. Minho stepped up to her with a plate piled high with an assortment of food. She eyed it with astonished disbelief.
"Are you sure you can finish all that?" she asked.
"No, that's why you're helping me," he said before pulling her away.
He seized the handle of the first door they reached in the adjoining corridor and pushed it open. There was a decent sized cabin inside with a desk, wardrobe and bed the only pieces of furniture to decorate it. A round window was opposite the door, displaying the azure sky outside and wisps of white clouds trailing past the moving ship.
Cassandra darted over and pressed her face against it, looking out at the view. She hadn't remembered what it was like to be so high in the air and she marvelled at the wide-open sea below, glistening and glimmering like iridescence. The sea foam sparkled, dancing flamboyantly under the glorious canvas of the setting sun.
Minho had settled himself on the bed, placing the plate of food on the bedside table. He held his hand out to her, beckoning with a wide smile, and she crawled across the bed towards him.
"So," he started as she settled in his lap. "Do you know how to fly a Berg?"
She laughed at him, picking up a muffin and shoving it into her mouth. It tasted of blueberries, wistfully reminding her of the Glade.
"I was thinking if all of us got our hands on a weapon, we could probably take on all those shuckfaces out there," he told her. "Maybe we could keep Jorge to fly this shuck thing. Bring us to a nice island or somewhere."
"Except that they could probably track the Berg down and come after us," she pointed.
"Can they really do that?" he looked at her with wide eyes.
Cassandra grinned despite herself, leaning over and pressing her lips against his. She could taste chocolate on his tongue.
"Minho," her blasé tone belying the solemnity of her words. "As much as I would love to fly off into the sunset with you, I don't think it's gonna happen anytime soon."
He smiled sadly at her, caressing her cheek gently as his thumb traced the edges of her lower lip. Drawing nearer, he leaned his forehead against hers and she could feel his soft breath against her skin as he sighed. Minho kissed her sweetly, tenderly, a divine testament to everything that they had been through together.
Cassandra pressed her lips almost drunkenly across the line of his jaw as he trailed kisses along her neck, fingers tangled in each other's hair. He gently pushed her down onto the bed and met her lips with amorous pleasure. She wrapped her arms around his middle, drawing him closer so she could feel his warmth encasing her.
"Love you, Cassie," he mumbled drowsily, burying her face in the nape of her neck.
"Love you too, Minho."
Her eyes started to droop, exhaustion starting to weigh heavily on her consciousness. A yawn escaped Minho's mouth as he snuggled beside her, his nose tickling her collarbone. She wondered briefly about what was going to happen to them now, a nagging premonition plaguing her thoughts.
Cassandra listened to Minho's soft breaths, his chest rising and falling in an even rhythm.
She fell asleep instantly, everything else melting into a sweet oblivion.
