Subject of the Flame | Maze Runner [2]

FIVE

[ ELECTRA ]

❧

Electra could somehow tell the knocking on her door the next morning was Claudia instead of Dr. Crawford. The sense of peppiness, along with the lightness of the knocks, made Electra groan and turn in her bed to face the wall. As the metal door swung open Electra covered her head with her pillow.

She'd barely gotten any sleep the night before due to her exploring in the vents but after three years in the Maze, she was used to living on only a couple of hours of sleep. Somehow, Claudia's cheerfulness sucked all the energy out of her.

"Electra, dear, it's time to get up!" Claudia swiftly pulled the pillow away from Electra, setting it down on Teresa's bed behind her.

Electra covered her face with her arms and reluctantly sat up in her bed, "Where's Dr. Crawford?"

Claudia waited to answer until Electra met her in the hall, "Busy with tests."

Electra questioned the vagueness of her answer as she followed the woman down a couple of corridors. She rolled her eyes at the tiny spring in Claudia's step. Thankfully, the woman soon stopped in front of a familiar door. Electra recognized it as the showers from her first night.

"Some of the girls are finishing up in there." As Claudia spoke, one of the Group B girls opened the door, flinching as her eyes rested on Electra. Claudia didn't seem to notice. "Miyoko, my dear. The cafeteria is down the hall. Two rights, then a left."

Miyoko gave Claudia the smallest of nods before turning and briskly walking in the direction Claudia had mentioned. Were they letting the girl find the cafeteria on her own? Would they let her as well? Electra could finally sneak away and explore at ground level.

As if Claudia could read her thoughts, she stated, "I will be here waiting for you. Ten minutes."

A frown fell onto Electra's face, but she was glad to get away from Claudia. She pushed open the door, blinking through the steam. Only a couple of the Group B girls were still in the bathroom, and when she entered both of them gave her a pointed look before turning back to their respective mirrors.

Laying under the farthest mirror was a pile of supplies identical to her first night. She used the towel to wipe the steam off the mirror, and her eyes narrowed at who she saw.

It was definitely her. She had the same curls and the same eyes as when she looked in the mirror after her first shower. But somehow, she just seemed idle. It had only been a couple of days since escaping the Maze, but the memories were escaping her fast. It was scary. Far scarier than actually being in the Maze. Electra wondered if someday the memories would be nothing but fleeting pictures of her past life. In only a couple of days her history of being, as Chuck called her, the Griever-fighting badass seemed impossible.

One of the Group B girls, who had damp blonde hair, cast Electra one more look before turning to her friend and whispering something Electra couldn't catch. She wondered if the Group B girls were afraid of her, just like boys from her Maze were. On top of that, she also thought about whether Aris had already told them about Electra's true purpose in the Maze. Even if he hadn't, Electra reckoned the boy was going to at breakfast this morning, considering how shocked he was when she'd told him.

Before she could wonder any further, the two girls left the room, leaving Electra alone. She felt a rush of relief, finally having the room to herself.

Electra had refused to even consider the bucket in her room last night, so after using the toilet she took the clean clothes, towel, and products off the counter and jumped into the shower. Her hair was still relatively clean, so she didn't feel the need to wash it. Instead, she focused on her body, again taking extra time for her scabbed and healing wounds. They were less sore and red than the day before, so whatever Dr. Crawford had put on them must've been working.