Her || The Maze Runner

Thirty Four

Float. Catch. Why were they so special? They were too specific to be random, they had to have some sort of importance to be remembered. Mara needed to know the rest of those words, but she felt like she needed to keep it between her and Teresa.

Anything else I need to know? She asked Teresa, maybe there was something else she remembered, maybe her memories were completely intact. Teresa never answered, her mind had wondered beyond Mara.

Mara looked up and saw Chuck coming into sight. She smiled at the young boy who toddled over to her and peered into the small window, down at Thomas. He was carrying a plate of chicken and cup of water; seeing the food reminded Mara that she hadn't eaten yet. Mara stood, joining him to look at Thomas who was sitting the same way Mara had a few minutes before.

"You've got another visitor." She announced, patting Chuck on the back before stepping away from the window to allow Chuck full access. Mara watched Chuck hand Thomas his food through the gap and smiled at the glee in Thomas' face.

They began to talk, and Mara took that as her cue to leave the two of them chatting. She trudged through the bushes and back into the open Glade, heading straight for the kitchen.

"Hey Fry, you got any leftovers?" The boy turned to Mara and rolled his eyes, but a smile stayed on his lips. He gestured to a small pile of chicken to his left, placed on Mara's work station. "Thanks buddy."

Mara walked over to the chicken and picked up the biggest piece, stuffing it into her mouth with no ladylike manners. Frypan chuckled as he continued to wash dishes and cups.

"Good to see you're still your usual self Mara. Guess death doesn't bother some shanks."

"Damn right." She lied through her teeth, trying to forget about her argument with Alby. It didn't really help- their argument kept replaying in her head.

She finished her piece of chicken, as well as a few other pieces, before helping Frypan with the last of the dirty dishes. There were only a few left, but Frypan accepted her help. Mara could tell he was happy to see her since he would never normally have accepted her aid. It was nice to spend a day with her friend in the kitchen and the time flew by, casting her mind away from the problems that accompanied her.

Later on Mara found herself co-chef with Frypan making roast beef and potatoes for dinner, which was served shortly after the Doors' grumbling stopped. Somehow, she had managed to convince Frypan to make cookies and they were beautiful. She had left a note for Thomas telling him about the cookies, there weren't enough for every Glader, but each cook had one and Mara stole a few for her friends.

Spending the day in the kitchen had helped Mara clear her head a little, she had pushed everything to the back of her head, but her problems were still there. They lingered in her head.

Mara joined Minho, who was eating his dinner just after visiting the Map Room. He would drop an interesting fact or point about the Maze through a few bites of his food, and Mara would nod after each one. It seemed rehearsed, even when Thomas joined them- he had finally been released from the Slammer after a full day of being locked up. She slipped Minho a cookie before leaving and his eyes lit up at the sight of it.

"Did you make this? Is it poisonous?" He asked with doubt, eyeing the cookie and holding it up to the light.

"Well I guess you'll just have to eat it to find out." Mara chuckled as she rose from her seat. She had two cookies left- one for Chuck and one for Newt. She wanted to apologise to Newt for snapping at him, but not Alby. If anything, she deserved an apology from him.

"Hope not." Thomas answered, Mara could only just hear him as she walked away. "I've had two."

Chuck was pretty easy to find, sitting in the Homestead while settling down for bed. Mara handed him his cookie as a goodnight snack and stayed with him while he ate it until he finally fell asleep. She pulled his blanket over him and tucked it around his body like a cocoon, his small, frail body seeming at peace.

Lastly, she made her way up into her room. Newt was already there, lying in his bed and staring at the ceiling in deep thought.

Mara smiled at his focused self, sneaking past his bed so not to disturb him. She kicked off her boots and slid them under her bed, not bothering to put them inside her box. She left her hair the way it was; hanging in dirt. The dirt didn't really bother her, she had more important things to worry about than showering. Although she didn't want to look like a greeseball.

"Are you still angry at me?"

The girl turned to Newt, who was completely focused on Mara. She smiled and held out her hand to show off the only cookie she had saved for him. "If I was, would I give you this?"

"I don't bloody know, it could be poisonous." He shrugged.

"Why does everyone think my cookies are that bad?" She sighed, jumping onto Newt's bed and waving the cookie in front of Newt's face. He reached his hand up from under his sheets and grabbed the cookie, breaking it in half and handing one half back to Mara. "I've had one. Well.. Several."

"Eat it." Newt insisted, and Mara eventually took it. "That way if it is poisoned we'll both die."

"Thanks." She pushed her body against the now-sitting boy, munching on the soft edge of delight. The taste sent shivers down her spine, and Newt seemed to think the same thing.

"Now that," He began. "Is one bloody good cookie."

"That's because I made it." Mara chuckled as she pulled his bed sheets over her cold body. She was glad they had made up, Mara definitely didn't want to argue with Newt. He was her closest friend in the Glade, one of the only people she could trust.

Mara watched as Newt finished his cookie and laid back down, snuggling into his warm blanket. She followed him, resting her head on his bare shoulder.

Mara? Are you there?  Teresa's voice rang through her head, snapping her attention. To hide any suspicion from Newt, Mara turned to her side and closed her eyes, their only contact was the arm he had wrapped around her waist.

Yeah, what's up? Did you remember something?  She asked, hoping for another word to have entered her memory. Mara didn't know why these words were so important to her, but she needed to keep track of them. They were definitely important.

Another word. It's on the tip of my tongue but I can't grasp it. Everything I remember is fading except these words, they must be pretty important.

Don't push it. Let it come to you. She told Teresa. The more she pushed to remember, the less likely the word was going to come back. Of course she wanted to know what it was, but they had time to figure it out. I'll talk to you tomorrow Teresa.

Goodnight Mara.