Okay, some recovery and fluff and such here. Nothing much. Aiming for a short chapter. So, ya know, the usual. I am so happy with the results of this story! Thnx for reading!
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to wolfmoon10 for favoriting my story. And thank you Kagome Echizen Fan for following my story.
Reviews:
Lovely Unicorn: I think you liked the chapter…I can't exactly tell! I'm sorry. Anyway, I'll try to update soon! And yeah hedgehogs are totally adorable. If I had one I would name it hedgie.
Sydney: I'm glad you liked it! I do like your idea, but I am gonna make here have some severe injuries. And I kind of compromised, like I had her wake up when the guys carried her to the Homestead. I hope you like it anyway! Thanks for the support!
Serena: actually, I thought that last chapter was supposed to be like chill, but it didn't end up that way. Ha. Imagine that. I'm sorry, but I am not spoiling it for you! (as much as I want to tell you who he was) I'm like super happy that you like this! I am trying not to let all of this go to my head! I actually had to ask my dad how many feet a person could fall without dying. I made it as intense as possible! And yeah, I think I'm gonna have Syd be recovering for a little while. And yeah newt=3 :) I will add the quotes again!
My eyelids flutter open, as pain begins to flood in. Everything aches, my fingers and toes are numb. I cry out in agony, from the ache seeping into my broken body.
The fall. The maze. The boy.
It all comes rushing back to me, like an enormous wave. I try to stand up, but my hope dwindles as I realize that I can barely lift a finger, much less stand up. I feel trapped, like I was in the maze, but this time, I'm trapped in my own body. It is so frustrating.
Without warning, I feel my shattered self being lifted gently from the ground. I groan from the discomfort of all my injuries.
"Careful. She's awake." Muted whispers reach my ears, and I whimper quietly. I can only guess that the boys are taking me to the big building, or the Homestead, as they call it. A hazy form, possibly Newt, mutters assurances in my ear. His words do nothing to console me. The immunity to pain that I had experienced in the maze has vanished, replaced by pure torture. But more than that, the maze did something much worse to me. Much worse than physical injuries. It made me feel crazy. Slightly insane. The gruesome images from the maze replay themselves continually, filling my mind with horrific thoughts. I don't feel the same, like I lost something out there. All I really want is to be left alone somewhere.
I am laid down on a homemade cot, amid a sea of cotton sheets. Instantly, the Med-jacks set to work on reviving my worn out body. I am sure I have several broken bones.
"Hey, Syd. Hang in there. You did it. You did it." I recognize Minho's voice. It's lacking its usual sarcastic, flippant air. He's usually so feisty and snarky, but now, his voice is brimming with worry.
My thoughts drift to the boy that I left behind in the maze. I can't get him out of my mind. It's like he's a part of me now. I will never be able to repay the debt that I owe him for saving my life in that death trap. His death weighs heavy on my heart, a liability that I may never lose.
"Syd, you escaped. I knew you could. You'll be fine now. I promise." Minho's voice draws me back to reality again.
"You promise?" I spit weakly back at him. I am surprised by how much bitterness my voice holds. "That's preposterous. I almost DIED out there. I almost didn't come back. I may never be the same. Don't you get it? I should be dead…" His eyes widen at my words. I guess he was expecting me to be meek and mild if I got back, not hostile. I squeeze my eyes shut. I do not want to see their concerned faces or their worried looks. I don't want to watch them as they realize that I have changed, and may never be okay. Someone puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I want to shove the hand off of me. But there's something about receiving kindness from another person that allows me to just leave it there while I slip into another deep sleep.
There's a boy sitting crisscrossed in front of me. His eyes are ocean blue and full of mirth. He's laughing. His happiness is contagious, and soon we are both laying stretched out on the ground, breathless with laughter.
I feel as though I'm witnessing a memory in the form of a dream. As if on cue, the scene changes to another time and place.
It's the same blond boy standing by my side. We are older now. And perhaps it's this new perspective that makes me realize who I'm looking at. It's the boy from the maze. HERE. In my dream.
This time, we aren't smiling. In fact, the whole mood of the situation feels depressed. He turns his eyes to me and I gaze right back, into those big oceans of blue.
"Sydney…" His voice drags my name into a whisper. We look at each other with teary eyes.
The part of me that's still awake aches for myself and this boy. I feel as though I'm experiencing this memory all over again, but I still have so many pieces of the puzzle pieces missing. I still can't remember who this boy is, but now know that when I met him in the maze, it wasn't my first encounter with him. In the dream, I am about to respond to him, use his name, but I feel the dream slipping away as someone pulls me into unwanted consciousness.
I wake up back in the same cot, glaring furiously around the room. I was about to witness myself saying his name. I see Minho looking at me from the edge of the cot. In the corner, Newt waits patiently, and Alby stands outside the door with arms crossed.
"Minho!" I shout angrily, and he backs up. "Why did you wake me up? I was…" I trail off, realizing that I can't explain my anger rationally. "I…I mean…sorry." I shake my head and relent.
He still appears confused and somewhat hurt, but smiles anyway. "You have a right to be cranky, I guess. Grievers took it out of ya, huh, shank?"
"I do not want to talk about it," I say stiffly. His smile fades, but he gets the message.
"I just came in to check on you after your rough night."
I don't answer. I am wary of trusting him. He let them send me to the maze. A friend should never do that. And he must have known how hard it would be for me. But he let them send me in anyway.
"Syd, what's wrong? You're okay now," Minho says.
"I don't know if I'll ever be the same." I grip his arm and he glances down at my tight grip, but returns his eyes to me. "It was scary out there. You-you let me go." My eyes widen and my voice tightens. "Will I ever feel okay again?"
Minho gently pulls my fingers from his arm and puts his hand on my leg. "Syd, you have to believe me. I didn't want you to go in there. I didn't sleep at all while you were gone. I was worried about you. But now you have to listen." As he says this, he glances back at Alby and Newt, who have stayed silent this whole time. They nod, and he continues. "Sydney, you will never have to go back in that maze. You made it through once, and now you get to stay here. With everyone else in the Glade. I promise. I'm so sorry." He means it. I can tell. His brown eyes show nothing but genuine concern.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Okay." I pause; I feel as though something has been changed in my mind. It has been confirmed that the maze is nowhere in my future. I made it out alive, I'm free, safe, and one person cares. It's a start. "Okay." I say again. It's a new start. Will memories from the maze continue to haunt me? Yes. Will I still have trust issues with everyone, including Minho? Yes. But do I have a chance at making the best of my life in this glade? I believe the answer is yes.
Okay, so I think I'm going to start making chapters a little but shorter, so I can write faster, so I can update more often. This chapter was hard to write for some reason. I felt like I was making Syd too wimpy, then too angry, and ugh she just wasn't cooperating with me! So I hope it is still okay. And also, I read somewhere that when British peeps use the word bloody, it's as bad as the f word, so I won't be using that anymore. *sheepish innocent smile* also, before it's too late to add one, what do you guys think of a love triangle? I wasn't planning on one, but I thought it might be fun to write… on the other hand, I don't want to cheapen my story. So, thoughts? Love you guys!
Quote of the day:
"No shell over here, baby. Just slows me down" –The fat slug (Mub?) (Epic)