Sticks and Stones

Chapter 14: Safe

Rachel giggled like a schoolgirl once more as she sat between her old friends. With Aris on one side and Sonya on the other, while Harriet sat just across from her in their small circle, Rachel could almost pretend that she was back in the Maze.

Sure, there had been a lot wrong with that – a lot of terrifying and devastating things that were wrong – but, at least life had been simpler and their purpose clearer. It had been less than a week for her in the Maze before they escaped, so perhaps that was why she held a few happier memories than the others.

She hadn't been around long enough to feel the weariness of having been trapped in that hell for two years, and some of those they had lost the night she had escaped she hadn't even known that well. Harriet and Sonya had known all of them, however, and it had definitely been harder on them that first night out of the Maze.

But, still, Rachel could tell that they too enjoyed having their friends back and feeling like things were kind of normal as they could relax by the fireplace while they chatted. They started off with the basics, retelling in detail what each side had gone through.

Harriet insisted Rachel and Aris start, so Aris had explained everything that had happened since Thomas and the others had arrived at the WCKD base, recounting their travels with Rachel chiming in. They also explained quietly what had happened to Winston, before going on to how they'd met Brenda and Jorge.

Once Aris had finished, he and Rachel pressed Harriet for details, and the leader briefly recapped what had happened when she'd been taken into the secret lab that WCKD had been hiding from the Maze survivors. The Right Arm had had spies planted in several facilities – where some of them had even managed to aid in getting the facilities shut down – and those spies had helped the Right Arm save the first group of teens who had been taken back to 'Paradise'.

Since then, Harriet and Sonya had stayed on to help the Right Arm in their cause, while always hoping that others from their Maze had survived and escaped. Unfortunately, Rachel and Aris were the first they'd encountered since they'd joined, but as Sonya pointed out at least this meant that they were right to keep the faith.

As they spoke, Rachel wondered what this 'safe haven' that Harriet and the others in the Right Arm were talking about could be like. They discussed it, each of them guessing, and laughing as they started to make more and more ridiculous guesses like imagining a place where all the buildings were made of food that never went bad, or a huge body of water where you could actually paddle in.

It was as the sun was going down, when a call interrupted their jokes.

"Hey, Aris!"

They turned to see Frypan waving at them from where the Group A boys were gathered slightly higher up on the mountain, sitting on a jutting ledge, and Aris waved back while Rachel grinned back at them as dark-skinned boy pulled a cheeky face.

"Hey, guys!" Aris called, and Frypan nodded before turning back to his conversation with the other guys as Aris turned back to the girls.

"Okay, so enough chatter." Harriet began seriously. "Seriously, Rachel, who's the blond?"

Aris snorted while Rachel pursed her lips as she said firmly: "He's called Newt, and he's just a friend I made, along with the other Group A boys."

"Yeah, you looked like 'friends'." Harriet answered sarcastically, making Sonya laugh, and Rachel blushed.

"Seriously, Rach." Sonya added. "He's not stopped looking at you since we found you guys. And don't think I didn't see him holding you earlier when that whole thing with the crank woman happened."

She nodded slightly towards the tent where Brenda was being held, and Rachel muttered: "Her name's Brenda."

"Right, Brenda." Sonya nodded. "And don't try to distract me."