THE HEARTS » TMR [1]

04. Run

Another clap of thunder erupted from the heavens shortly after Chuck said that. Margaret looked up to see droplets of water falling onto her face. It began to rain in the Glade.

     "C'mon! Newt is gathering everyone in the—um—shucking woods," Chuck said before sprinting off toward the hammocks. Margaret found it amusing to see the little chubby kid run away.

     She became aware of Thomas's gaze upon her. "We better go." Margaret returned his gaze and nodded. Suddenly, the thought of her being discovered in the woods by Thomas vanished, as if it didn't even mattered anymore. She followed Thomas into the trees, where all the hammocks were hung. All of the boys were gathered together. Some were laying in hammocks, while others stood against the trees, watching the raindrops fall. Margaret noticed the boys staring at her from behind as she walked by. She heard whispers, whistles, and flirtatious remarks from a few of them. Margaret ignored them and continued to follow Thomas. She turned to her left and saw Gally give her that deadly glare.

     "Ignore him." Margaret looked to her left to see Newt standing in front of her with his arms crossed. "Not many girls would come into the bloody Glade. C'mon." Margaret gave Gally a quick glance before sauntering away with Newt and Thomas in front of her. Looking over Thomas' shoulder, she noticed Chuck sitting alone on the ground. Margaret smiled and decided to join the little pudgy kid.

     "Whatcha doing, Chuck?" Margaret asked.

     Chuck raised his head, his little brown curls bouncing off his forehead. "Just making a little toy, I guess."

     "Well it looks good so far," Margaret said. The little object in his hand was close to being finished from what Margaret could see. She wasn't lying. It was a pretty good toy. Looking at it made her think back to her past of having a toy herself. Of her playing with it. But she couldn't recall any of it, her memories. It made her feel dejected. Not remembering herself as a child back then, playing with her own little toys or with her parents. Margaret felt a tear fall down her cheek and quickly wiped it away with her sleeve without Chuck noticing.

     "Thanks," Chuck said. He tried to hide his rosy cheeks from Margaret, and she found that to be the most adorable thing in the Glade. She was glad she had met him.

❦

The rain was pelting down all over the place. Mud was formed as soon as the raindrops hit the earth's surface. There were puddles in various locations, and Margaret was relieved she wasn't near any of them. She felt raindrops fall onto her head and travel down the strands of her hair. Everyone around Margaret, including Chuck, began to worry about the boys who remained in the Maze. Especially Thomas. Margaret looked at Thomas to see he was leaning against the tree, nervously tapping his finger against the bark.

     "They should be back by now," Thomas said. He looked at Newt with an agitated expression. "What happens if they don't make it?"

     Newt, who appeared to look nonchalant, said, "They're gonna make it."

     Thomas walked up to Newt. "Yeah? And what happens if they don't?"

     Newt looked at Thomas. "They're gonna make it." Newt sounded so sure when he said that, but Margaret knew that that was a lie.

     Thomas returned Margaret's glance before walking away. Margaret couldn't help but follow him. She stood up and told Chuck she had to leave and apologized for leaving him alone. He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at her. Margaret shook her head, knowing exactly what he meant by that, and followed Thomas. She could hear more boys' whispers and whistles, but it didn't bother her. All she could think about was Thomas, how he was feeling at the moment.