A MAZE RUNNER TRILOGY
"And one day someone walks into your life,
a total stranger, and they become so important
to you. And while you're only known them such a short time,
you feel you're loved them for a lifetime."
#1 Ranking for #TheMazeRunner
#1...
IT WAS COLD. Not just brisk, but the kind of cold that stung every patch of exposed skin, and even crept under Madylin's jacket. She wrapped her arms around herself, fingers jammed under her elbows, and made her way up the dusty trail to where Teresa was standing. The wind whipped her braids behind her, the baby hairs around her face sticking to her lips. She sucked in a breath and kept going.
Teresa hadn't moved. She stood on the edge of the cliff, her silhouette rigid against the sky, back to Madylin. At first, Madylin thought she must be frozen with anger, or guilt, or something else ugly. But when she got closer, she could see Teresa's shoulders were shaking with tiny, barely contained sobs.
Madylin stopped a few feet away, breath clouding out in front of her. She wasn't sure what to say, but she tried anyway.
"It's a bit cold out," she said, voice catching. "You'll get sick."
Teresa didn't turn. She didn't do anything except stare at the camp below, knuckles white around her own elbows, holding herself together.
Madylin cleared her throat. "Mary gave me a necklace," she said, reaching under her collar and unclipping the locket. "There's a picture of us in it. When we were kids." She stepped forward, the crunch of her boots loud in the silence. "I thought you'd want to see."
Teresa turned slowly, like she was afraid she'd fall apart if she moved too quickly. Madylin held the locket out, palm open, and waited. For a long moment, Teresa just stared at the picture inside. Then she pressed her hand to her mouth.
"I remember this photo," Teresa said, voice shattering with the words. "I remember you, M." She flicked her eyes up, then looked away, like the sight of Madylin physically hurt her.
Madylin's jaw clenched. She felt the muscle jump in her cheek.
Teresa smiled, but it was all pain. "The day we met, my mom had died the day before. I didn't think I'd ever feel happy again. Then you showed up. You said we had to share everything because we were going to be best friends forever."
Madylin couldn't help it. She laughed, a tiny, brittle thing.
"Your mom and dad... They made me feel like I belonged. I used to pretend they were my family, too." She flicked her gaze up, eyes shining wet. "I didn't want to lose that."
