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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌 𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐃 shut behind Madelyn. She couldn't believe how quickly her day had turned around into a complete nightmare. She turned the handle to the shower and sunk down to the floor. As she watched the dirty water mixed with blood trickle down the drain, she couldn't help a few tears prickle in her eyes. She had held herself together ever since she'd been in the Glade but it was proving harder and harder every moment. Her vision became blurry as she willed herself not to blink, knowing that if she did she wouldn't be able to stop crying.
But eventually comes a time where you just have to stop. Stop holding things in, stop worrying about what others will think. There comes a time in everyone's life where there is pain beyond anything ever imagined. And that's exactly how Madelyn felt as huddled her legs on the shower floor. She wished she could just disappear, run away from these four walls that had enclosed her. She closed her eyes and for the first time she willingly let tears crawl down her face.
The image of Ben's haunted eyes pushed its way back into her mind. Almost like it was permanently engraved in there, never to be erased again. She couldn't help but think it was her fault he got banished. He didn't deserve it, no matter how badly he'd hurt her. He was just an innocent boy like everyone else and now he was going to die out there, knowing his own friends were the ones who sent him to his terrible fate. Deep down Madelyn knew that Ben was only one of her many problems but it didn't stop the hurt she was feeling. She wished she didn't feel so deeply. It would be easier that way.
She let out a shaky breath and opened her mouth but no sound came out. Her body rocked with every sob. Anger, stress, sadness, guilt all of it was coming out now. All the things she'd held in the past few days, her wall just came crashing down like it never existed. A hole tore in her heart as she held her head in her hands and sobbed.
Eventually Madelyn calmed down and found the strength to stand up. When she creaked the bathroom door open the first thing she noticed was that it was now almost completely dark. She wasn't sure how long she'd been in there but it must have been at least an hour. The only light that remained was from a few torches hung up on poles around the Homestead.
She began to sneak past the hammocks and bags of sleeping boys quietly, carefully making sure to watch her step. She then creeped up the stairs into the narrow hallway, trying to push away the pure sadness and guilt that gnawed at her insides. She made sure to step over the floorboards that creaked, not wanting to gain any attention to herself. Finally she pushed the door open to Newt's room. She expected him to be fast asleep by now but instead he was sitting upright on his bed looking right at her.
"Hey." He breathed out a laugh at her startled expression.
Madelyn quickly wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her hoodie. "Hi." She muttered, refusing to look him in the eye.
