Subjects Vengeance // The Death Cure [2]

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C H A P T E R  T W E N T Y  T H R E E 
"The things we do to survive, they don't define us."

THE COLD water slowly brushed against Mataya's bare feet and her body shivered. Her wet brunette hair cascade down her back, the water seeping through the light grey fabric of her t-shirt. The wind danced against her skin, goosebumps arising. Her cracked, dry hands ran against the bumpy skin - trying to create some warmth within. 

She shut her eyes from the world, not wanting to take in the surroundings of large ships anymore. To Mataya, they seemed like a broken promise. Something that could be, if everyone's crazy plan would or could. She thought that with a very light hope, and a very light heart. She couldn't listen to anymore promises. She couldn't handle the heartbreak and disappointment that came along with them anymore.  

It had been two months since WICKED and the others had put up a good fight. It had been Two months since WICKED swooped in and took Minho. Two months since Teresa betrayed us all. Most importantly, two months since Teresa betrayed Thomas. 

It hurt Mataya to think about Thomas. It hurt her beyond words to think about how much Thomas truly did love Teresa, and how much his heart stung when he thought of that betrayal. Mataya tried to mask being okay with Thomas' underlying feelings for the other girl. They had that connection, they had the history of the maze. Even if Thomas and Mataya had history also, that didn't mean their connection was anything less or greater than Teresa and Thomas'. 

"Penny for your thoughts?" A voice said from behind her. 

Mataya open her eyes slowly, her hands dropping from her sides as she took in the large ship and all the wreckage behind it. A broken promise. A hope of something that could be, if they could only survive. 

"Ever think about life would be like without the fear of infection?" Mataya asked, turning her back from that big hope. 

Brenda' lips pursed together in a smile. "All the time, babe." 

Mataya felt a warmness from Brenda's voice. The feeling brought her back to the warehouse, Brenda pulling the ratted blanket over Mataya's fragile, over tired body as she coaxed the girl into getting some shut eye. That was a moment in their friendship that intertwined them together - the way Brenda took care of her, despite knowing who her family was. Despite knowing simply nothing about the girl yet. 

She missed those simpler days - even if at that time, they were entirely simple.

"I wish it was easier." Mataya said after a moment of silence. She let out a huff of air and turned to glance at the ship once more. "Believing what's promised. The Safe Haven." It felt foreign on her tongue. A distaste almost. A terrible, terrible feeling. 

"We just can't lose hope, Mat." 

Mataya's lips curled into a smile, "Hope. It's hard to have hope when the world's just crumbling around us." 

Brenda placed a hand on Mataya's shoulder and gave her a weak smile, "We will get him back and then we will get the hell out of here. Then, we will start our lives over again, despite our heartaches and loses. We will be happy, we will live a carefree life, and all of this will be left behind us." She patted her arm once and then dropped it to her side. "I can see it, we can all see it. Maybe you just got to look a bit harder to see it. We are all destined for so much more than this war." 

Mataya didn't have the heart to tell Brenda about her gut wrenching impending doom that came with the thought of the Safe Haven. That tiny voice in the back of her head that's just screaming and screaming to let her know that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't in Mataya's destiny to make it there.