Unintentional Subject - Book 1 In The Jessie Series

Chapter 54: Make it Stop

I woke up with a groan. My head was pounding and my stomach was twisting. I held my head as I slowly rolled out of bed. I heard Minho's sleepy morning voice chuckle at me.

"You good babe?"

I just flipped him off, because talking made my head hurt. He rolled over onto his stomach watching me with sleepy eyes.

"Told you." He yawned.

"Shower." I muttered.

"I'll see ya later, it's still shucken early."

I just gave him a thumbs up and staggered to the showers. It helped. The water on my head helped sooth the pounding, and letting my stomach empty itself also helped. My jaw was tender, Teresa had a good right hook. My leg also looked a whole lot better. There was bruising now around the three wounds, but that healing numbing cream was fantastic. Wish we had that in our maze. We had the bare minimum of medical supplies and we had the harder maze, guess girls are built different, we're tougher.

With a groan I turned the water off and pulled on one of Minho's hoodies, and pulled the hood up.

The Glade was still quiet and peaceful, everyone was still sleeping, the remnants of the bonfire still left out for clean up. The damp grass and cool morning air felt good. I closed my eyes and took a big inhale and slowly let it out.

"Coffee." I muttered to myself. Turning towards the kitchen I slowly made my way through the shadows. I stopped at the end of the shadow and frowned. Chuck was sitting at a table with his back towards me. He was slouched over something I cocked my head frowning, and slowly and cautiously stepped into the area.

"Baby Shank? Is everything okay?" I asked quietly, and I slid onto the bench beside him and bumped his shoulder with mine. He just shook his head, his curls bouncing. He slowly pulled the teddy bear from his lap under the table.

I took a closer look at his face, even in my hungover state I could see he didn't sleep much last night, and he was up crying.

He sniffed and looked away, "I'm kinda messed up. Like...it's weird to feel sad and homesick, but I have no idea what it is you wish you could go back to, ya know?"

I just hummed, placing my elbows on the table and placed my chin in my hand. I didn't say anything, but just listened to the child beside me.

"All I know is I don't want to be here. I want to go back to my family. Whatever's there, whatever I was taken from. I wanna remember...." He said it so fast, rushing the words out like he was ashamed of himself.

I was a little surprised, I'd never heard Chuck say something so deep, so true and so sad.

"Yeah, Chuck, I know what you mean..." I said quietly. "It's been three years and I'd love to get out."

"I used to cry. Every night." He whispered, looked down and then glanced up at me. His big innocent child doe eyes filled with bleak sadness, and unshed tears again.

The cold inside me shifted. It didn't feel so sharp and empty. It felt like something was shifting. I hesitated but eventually took his chubby hand in mine and held it tight.

"Why didn't you come to me?"

He shrugged. Then he sighed and deflated.

"I didn't want to be a shuck baby who needs like...their mama."

"Can I tell you something?" I asked, I was looking straight ahead, but I could feel his eyes on me now. "It's a secret."

He nodded his head.

"I've cried and I go see Minho. Or Newt or Winston... because I trust them."

"What?" He gasped, "you've cried? And needed someone?"