Her || The Maze Runner

Twenty Nine

Voices. Mara could hear voices. But wasn't she supposed to be dead? Or was this death? Her eyes were closed, but she couldn't open them no matter how much she struggled. She gave up, focusing on the voices surrounding her instead.

"I know you disagree but-"

"No, Janson." A recognisable woman's voice spoke sharply. She knew it was her mother. But was she really there, or was Mara just hearing things? "Mara was never meant to go in there, why we're doing this for her I don't know. She deserves what comes to her."

"She's a strong candidate, Paige. She could be our final candidate. You saw how she reacted before and yet she survived-" A man was talking with a nasal voice, possibly Janson.

"I know what happened, and yes I know it never happened before-"

"Then let her go back and take part in the trials." He interrupted her. As the man spoke a rushing pain rumbled in Mara's stomach. Was that her wound, or was she just really hungry? Mara couldn't tell, so she turned her attention back to the voices. "Help us save her and send her back. You know its your call."

"Fine. Do it. She's not my child anymore. Just make sure she doesn't remember this conversation, if she can hear us, she mustn't remember." The woman said in a huff, the sound of her heels scraped across the floor, fading away.

"We can't make any promises." A young girl told her, and the heels stopped. Paige had probably turned to the girl speaking. "If we try, she might remember other things, she might remember this. Theres no way of telling what she will remember if we mess with her memories again."

"Just, do what you must." The woman sighed. "As long as what she remembers is a small memory and is not going to ruin this project, then you do what you must."

The voices stopped, but now Mara could see. She was sitting in a white bed in an empty room. There was a metal door opposite her, but it was soon thrown open. A familiar blond-haired boy a few years younger than the age he was now slipped inside the room and quietly shut the door behind him.

"Newt? What are you doing here?! If you get caught-" Mara began, but she wasn't personally saying the words. It was a memory.

"I know, you're mum will probably murder me but who cares? You were ill and I needed to see you love. I'm not going to let my princess die because of that damn illness." He told her, walking over to her bed and sitting down near her. He wore a worried look on his face.

"I'm not going to die Newt."

"But they checked you and you came up positive." Newt said, but a slight hint of relief shone in his eyes.

"Yeah, and they checked again this morning and it was gone. Maybe it was just a false alarm." Mara shrugged it off. Whatever illness she had, it couldn't have just disappeared. Could it? That didn't happen over night.

"Do you really believe that?" Newt asked skeptically. "They've scanned you plenty of times and its varied. You told me yourself you felt a change."

"Well I guess I didn't." She told him, leaning closer to the boy and taking his hands in hers.

"But-"

"I'm fine Newt." Mara smiled, pulling Newt closer to her. They were face to face, Newt cracked a smile and let his argumentative side go.

"If you insist. I brought you something." Newt pulled backwards and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small wrapper encasing something inside it. Mara couldn't tell what it was, but it was in the shape of a rectangle. The package was purple with white text layered on top, but it had been cut off by the way the object was wrapped.

"And what's that?" She asked, and Newt opened the paper up. A small row of milk chocolate lay in Newt's hands.

"Nicked a bit of chocolate from Janson's desk for you. Won't go any harm without it." He smirked, taking a piece of chocolate and feeding it to Mara. The strong chocolate taste was beautiful, something she hadn't tasted in a long time.

"Oh, Newt. What would I do without your thieving self?" Mara chuckled through a mouthful of chocolate. Newt popped a square of chocolate into his own mouth before replying.

"Sit around all day sulking and trying t' get out of this bloody place?"

"Sounds about right." Mara laughed, finishing the last of the glorious sweet inside of her mouth. She pulled him into her, whispering into the boy's ear. "I love you Newtie, even if you do get a bit cranky sometimes. No pun intended."

"I love you too, even if you turn out the same as me or not." Mara's smile broadened as Newt leaned closer to her, placing a warm and gentle kiss on her lips. His lips were soft and sparked an unexplainable happiness inside Mara. When their lips touched, Mara knew she had missed Newt's kiss. She couldn't remember their relationship, but she knew it had been special. It had been her piece of Heaven among the Hell she lived in.

Their lips parted and Mara smiled, but something caught her attention. Newt seemed different, he seemed upset. "What's wrong?"

"They're sending me into the Maze tonight. Meant to be gettin' the memory wipe in a few hours." Newt replied with a solemn and sad tone. That was when she realised what came next. Mara had already seen the next few hours. "I won't know you, M. But that doesn't mean I won't miss you. Because I will. I'll miss everything about you. Your smile, your eyes, the way you kiss me. Everything."

"Me too. You'll forget, you won't go through any pain." Mara comforted him with a beaming smile. She understood why she had done it- she wanted Newt to be happy, not worrying about herself or anything else. "Stop thinking about it, just let it happen. Go, Newt. Otherwise they'll know you're not in your room."

"But-"

"Go Newt. The longer you stay here, the more upset you'll become. Just pretend you're not saying a final goodbye. It's just goodbye for now." Mara told him, but she could feel the tears trickling down her face, matching Newt's sobs.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow Mara." Newt bit his lip to hold back a mangled sob. Then he leaned forward, cupping Mara's face with his gentle hands and lifting her chin. Their foreheads were pressed against each other. Mara stared into his dark brown eyes, losing herself in the person she longed to be with again. She longed to escape the dreams and kiss the real Newt, to see him again and tell him she loved him.

Newt closed the gap between their lips, allowing them to touch with a delicate but firm grip. Their breathing matched, their lips synchronised in fluid movement. The kiss was quick, but it lingered on Mara's lips as she watched Newt rush out of the room with one last look of sadness.

"He told you then." A boy said, closing the room's door behind him, mere seconds after Newt had disappeared. He was taller than Newt, with dark shaggy brown hair. His hands were hidden by the pockets of his jeans which his green top covered. The boy had a strong jawline and light brown eyes filled with sorrow. "How you doing?"

"How do you think Andy?" Mara replied. The realisation hit her- this was her definitely brother.

"Mum said you can leave this room soon. Are you going to go watch Newt..." Andy slowed his speech, Mara knew what he was going to say and she knew the answer. She was going to watch them wipe his memory.

"Yeah, I am. Don't tell him. Tommy, Rachel, Teresa or Aris neither. Don't tell anyone." Mara begged him.

"I promise I won't. Trust me."

"I do trust you Andy, you're about the only person I can trust." Mara told her brother, and he flashed a sympathetic smile. He was leaning against the door with his feet crossed beneath him. "I can't believe we can't go into the Maze. It would be better than this place."

"You're not thinking straight." Andy rolled his eyes. "Get some rest sleepyhead, you need it."

The boy walked over to Mara and laid her down, pulling the cotton sheets over her small body. He placed a brotherly kiss on her forehead and urged for her to close her eyes. She did as he told, listening to the sound of his footsteps as he left the room.