Her || The Maze Runner

Thirty Three

"Newt!" Mara screamed, hoping he would hear her. Why was the girl awake? She kept screaming, grabbing and nipping at Mara's skin. "Teresa." Mara whispered, trying to calm the fighting girl down but it wasn't helping, she just kept screaming the same thing over and over, telling her to run.

She could hear Gladers' footsteps thumping up the stairs like a pack of elephants, drawing nearer and nearer their room. All she could do was glance at the door in worry and wait, but that slight weakness overthrew her. The girl was strong, fighting for freedom of Mara's grasp. How had she awoken? Why was it she had woken when Mara was the only one in the room? Why was it always Mara? She was always the reason for everything.

"What's wrong?" Newt asked, throwing the door open and running to Mara's side. Alby followed, as well as Clint and another Med-jack known as Jeff.

"The girl! She's aw-" She stopped, everything had stopped. Mara looked down at the girl who was now sound asleep. What? That's all that ran through her head. She was asleep again, why was she asleep again? "She was awake. I swear she was awake!"

"Shhh love, I believe you." Newt said, studying the girl as her chest fell and rose in breath. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, but Mara shook him off. A look of hurt crossed his face and she immediately regretted it, but she didn't feel like holding him. She didn't want to be cradled or sympathized with. It seemed that's all anyone ever did.

"What did she say?" Alby asked, pushing Mara away from the girl and seating her  on his bed. "She say anything important?"

"She told me to run, something about the ending." Mara replied, trying her best to look at the girl again but Alby kept pushing her away. As she told him what the girl had said, she began to think it was true. Maybe she should run, get away from everything and let the Grievers get her. Yet she still wanted to help the Gladers, to keep the promise she gave to herself. But what if she was just getting in the way? Running seemed like the best option.

"Just you?" Newt narrowed his brows, standing at Alby's side. "She only told you to run? Wonder what that's about."

"Yeah, just me. And I don't know why so don't ask." She sighed. Mara quietly whispered to herself, not expecting anyone to hear her. Surely they would be more focused on the girl. "Why?" 

"I can't answer that for you shank. None of us can. How about you just get settled back in the kitchen and prepare yourself for your big day tomorrow?" Alby patted Mara on the back then turned back to the girl.

"Big day?" She rubbed her eyes and looked over at Newt, who opened his mouth as if to speak.

"Shuck Runner training shank, you forget?" Alby interrupted Newt, facing Mara and rolling his eyes. What was his problem? Hadn't he realised Mara had been a little preoccupied to think about her Runner training?

"No need to snap at me Alby, you should be a bit kinder to someone who helped you survive out in the maze." She huffed.

"And how'd you do that? Get yourself killed?" Mara's eyes snapped to Alby. Did he actually say that? Anger flared inside Mara like an ignition, how could he be so inconsiderate? Alby knew Mara had died, he knew it had been upsetting. Maybe it was the Changing, but Mara's rage was too high to push his comment aside.

She stormed forward and pushed him back slightly. "How's 'bout you shut the shuck up slinthead! I ran the bloody things away from your stupid body but if I knew you were going to act like this about it-"

"Mara stop." Newt pulled her backwards, forcing her to look him in his glittering but dominant eyes. 

"How is it suddenly my fault? I thought you were on my side Newt." She tugged away from Newt's grasp, strutting away from them and towards the open door. Just for effect, she slammed the door shut behind her and ran down the stairs. Alby had started the argument, so why was it Mara's fault?

Mara let out a yell of frustration, not caring about the many spying eyes pinned to her as she made her way across the Glade, strutting towards the Slammer. She didn't even try to hold back her anger, she didn't know why she was going towards Thomas. He seemed like her only hope, other than Minho and Chuck. But Chuck was nowhere to be seen and Minho was in the Maze.

"Teresa woke and freaked out before going back to sleep." She bluntly told the boy who clang to the wall and stood, rushing over to the small window between them.

"What? What did she say? Or did she mind speak to you again? I didn't hear anything." 

"Shut it Tommy, can't get a word in to tell you." Mara scoffed and the boy fell quiet. They stood there for a few seconds.

"Well?"

"She told me to run." Mara told him, sliding down the wall with the window above her. Thomas couldn't see her, and she couldn't see him. She didn't want him to watch as a stray tear trickled down her cheek, she didn't want him to see her sadness. "What should I do Tommy? Should I run?"

"We'll figure something out." He comforted her, his voice slightly distant and soft from the wall blocking their contact. "We'll... figure something out." 

Mara brushed her finger along her cheek and wiped away her tear. What was she going to do? So much had happened because of her, and nothing she had caused had been good. It had just led to death and destruction and chaos.

Speak to me she thought, trying to connect to the girl. If Teresa could do it, maybe she and Thomas could too. All she wanted was for an explanation. Why did the girl want her to run? It couldn't be a good sign, it only had to be something bad. Everything regarding Mara was bad, it always had been for as much as she could remember, probably in her unknown memories too. 

Maybe there was a time when she was completely happy, a time when she could laugh and not worry about someone being ripped apart by a Griever, or worrying about the Box not sending up any supplies. 

Come on she tried again, Speak to me! Say something! No answer. Mara tilted her head back and looked up at the sky through the gap between the Slammer and the Homestead. She was secluded and in private, even if Thomas was only a wall away from her. 

I'm here Mara. I don't know how I can do this, but you can too. I heard you. Loud and clear.

Mara sat upright, she could feel the smile across her face. It had worked, she had heard her. Maybe Teresa could tell her everything, maybe she hadn't had her mind erased. But where would she begin? There was too much to ask.

Teresa? That's your name. You were in my dreams. Do you remember?  Mara asked, hoping she would say yes.

That's right. Sorry, I don't remember. But I've been remembering these words one by one, there's only two I can remember right now, but I know there's more. They're running in my mind over and over.

Words? What if the word 'float' had something to do with it? What if those words meant something and they needed them? Mara hadn't told anyone about the word, what was the point in telling the Gladers about something that made no sense?

Tell me the words. Mara demanded. She waited a few minutes for a reply, staring into the sky as if it would give her the answers she wanted. Teresa's face was etched into her mind, every feature stood out. Teresa? Come on, answer me!

I told you one. Teresa eventually replied. The second is catch.