When The Storm Comes (When We're Older alternative ending)

escape

the moment you've all been waiting for

Mae

The last month of pregnancy sucks.

I leaned back, my head gently hitting the back of my chair as I closed my eyes. Exhaustion plagued me during all hours of the day, my legs even hurt from walking to the bathroom just to pee so frequently.

"Are you okay?" My roommate whispered while leaning closer. "Need to pee again?"

I shook my head and nodded towards our teacher. "I need her to shut up."

I was also more irritable than usual. With the constant pressure on my bladder and random cravings, my attitude has become more prominent than usual to other's dismay. But, because it was my last trimester, I'd hardly get into any trouble for my behavior. They wanted to 'protect the baby from any harm'...

The stress of getting out of here was worse than normal. I couldn't sleep at night—I wasn't sure if that was because of the baby or because of my ever-spinning mind always thinking of ways to escape.

"You're lucky you're pregnant." Ms. Dunn muttered from the front of the classroom, her back turned to me. The class glanced back at me, a few chuckling, a few rolling their eyes. "You won't be immune to punishment and difficulties for much longer."

I scoffed. "Wow, I wonder what it would be like to have a difficult life and endure punishment for my rude behavior..."

My roommate stifled a laugh and covered it up with a cough.

Ms. Dunn rolled her eyes. "Just pay attention, will you?"

"As you wish."

Lessons were normal, I'd stopped taking notes a long time ago after I realized that none of it would help with my escape. It was all nonsense about how WICKED used the brain and how they harvested the immunes to find a cure. My roommate, who I still did not know the name of, always wrote intently, grasping every word Ms. Dunn said and scribbling it into his notebook. I watched him with curiosity as he paid attention.

"Planning on being a WICKED doctor someday?" I asked him.

He shrugged and continued writing notes. "Never know when it might come in handy."

"When you're a doctor for WICKED." I restated slowly and he sighed. "Why else would you want to harvest brain chemicals?"

"To make you shut up." He said and I furrowed my brows.

"Rude."

"You're one to talk."

The remainder of the day went on as normal. I went to the library after classes to search for books to keep my mind distracted. I avoided Claire, who had stopped giving me so much trouble since I punched her, but I made an effort to avoid being in her presence—even that made me upset. I went to the cafeteria after I picked up a book called The Stranger in the Lifeboat, grabbing my newest craving and retiring up to my room before testing.

I opened the door to my room, shutting it before moving to my bed and plopping down on my back. My roommate had a new record playing, one I hadn't heard from him before. It was slow, an acoustic guitar and a melancholy voice echoing through our room while my roommate stared at the ceiling, listening.

"What song is this?" I asked him, taking a bite out of my cinnamon roll.

"Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths." He mumbled, continuing to look at the crown molding.

I hummed as the song ended and my roommate popped himself up on his elbows. He furrowed his brows. "What're you eating?"

I held up my cinnamon roll.