teenage wasteland ;; the maze runner

2.2

florence and teresa had obviously been led to a different bathroom. showers lined the wall, lights overhead, and the whole bathroom had clearly been built for far more people than, well, two. but, even so, florence had no complaints.

she and teresa hadn't exchanged much more than a word or two, both far too exhausted to even try and make conversation. plus, once florence felt the hot water on her skin, she nearly cried she was so happy.

sure, they had showers in the glade, but they weren't... good showers. they were cold, crappy, and the stalls were made of wood. whenever she did find a moment to shower, she made it as quick as possible. it never was easy being to only girl with different anatomy in a glade full of boys.

for once, or at least since she could remember, she could truly wash herself down.

florence didn't ever want to leave, not even when her fingers turned pruny, not even when the steam seemed to cloud the entire bathroom. teresa was a few stalls away, and based on the way that she hadn't yet turned off her shower, she seemed to agree.

florence ran soap through her hair at least five times, convinced that nothing could fully rid her of the dirt that'd been building on her scalp over the past few years.

on top of that, she seemed to have become best friends with whatever scrubbing ball was hung on the tiled wall. it was purple and froofy, and once she put some soap on it, it became a big mess of bubbles. she nearly giggled at the sight, and once she started to scrub with it, she felt herself ascend.

florence was sure she was rubbing herself raw, but she couldn't help it. she washed down every inch of her body that she could possibly reach, in between each toe, under each nail, behind her ears, on her neck. she sighed in pure happiness as she watched the soap swirl down the drain beneath her feet.

once she felt as though she was as clean as she could possibly be, skin a bright red with the combination of hot water and her scrubbing, florence finally turned the shower off. immediately, she was consumed by a stunning stillness to the atmosphere. a sort of... calm.

she sighed, teresa's distant shower still causing a small echo in the empty bathroom, and she quickly reached to grab the two towels she'd hung out her stall.

florence smiled at the feeling of the cotton between her fingers, the cloth soft and fluffy. she pressed her face into it first, inhaling the fresh smell, and she laughed. how silly, she thought, that the one thing that truly makes me happy after everything is a stupid shower.

even so, she didn't let herself feel guilty about it. she would enjoy this shower as much as she could, because she deserved it. after everything, she deserved a bit of self-assured peace.

so, given that declaration, florence held onto her smile while she dried herself off. the towel slowly lost its fluff and became a bit heavier with the weight of the water, but she didn't mind. she wrapped her hair with the other towel, plopping it all on her head.

finally, florence walked out of the stall, dressed in a towel across her body, sort of like a stupid looking dress, and a towel as a hat. she laughed when she saw herself in the mirror.

and then, she stopped laughing.

she crept closer to the mirror, the glass fogged over with steam. she quickly wiped a hand over it, allowing her to see her face in detail. she took another step, now leaning over the sinks to truly see herself.

she swallowed, brows furrowing as she looked at herself. all those years in the glade, and, sure, she'd seen herself in the reflection of the lake or in some sort of glass, but never had she really seen herself.