fragmentary → scorch trials | newt

chapter fifteen

Bertha was an old car, dust settled on every surface and the once-blue paint was worn out into a dry grey paint job. 

They went past miles of dry and barren earth, it was a change from the mountains of sand in the scorch. Though, Elodie couldn't see their final destination. 

Bertha was full of people squished in the five-seater car, Thomas and Newt sat at the front with Jorge driving, Luke, Elodie, Minho and Teresa squished in the other seats with Frypan and Aris in the spacious back-trunk behind. The car was pushed closer to breaking with the overcapacity and old engine that ticked annoyingly. It was mostly silent, a few quiet conversations in the air.

It was the first time Elodie was in a modern day car, she felt as though she had been in one before but could not quite remember the driver or other passengers with her and it began to nag at her memory and bothered her as they drove.

"Hey." Luke snapped Elodie out of her deep thought, "We haven't spoken about the Jack, Mel and Link thing."

"Oh." Elodie wished Luke hadn't brought it up, she didn't want to discuss it.

"Are you ok?" Luke asked his sister, "About losing them?"

A sick feeling churned Elodie's stomach as she thought of Link's last words, an image of his desperate eyes as he took his last breath and his last thought was of her.

"I never fully took in the fact they were still there, it felt like a dream, but we're back to wondering if they're still out there or even alive." Elodie pushed her tears back, she felt as if she had to stay strong.

"What about the Link thing?"

"How do you know about that?" She was astonished her brother knew about it.

"Mel told me." 

"Who's Link?" Newt turned his head back to Elodie and Luke's conversation, he was listening to their conversation.

"Oh." Elodie didn't know how to introduce him. "He was one of my friends in the Glade" 

"Friends?" Newt asked.

"They were really close before the attack, he died." Luke looked at me, wondering if he could tell Newt the rest of our history. Newt saw our exchange, puzzled but thankfully left it alone.

More stretches of dry earth passed by, Elodie was deep in daydream as she thought about the clear..

****

Everyone sat around the large dining hall table, all the smaller tables had been pushed together so everyone could sit at one table. The hall buzzed with excitement, everyone excited for the feast that they waited so long for. 

Elodie sat beside Luke and Alex, Link across from her. They all shared stories and chattered mindlessly while the smell of  a Pork dinner lingered and made everyone's mouths water. They were all celebrating some form of thanksgiving, though they couldn't quite remember why it was so important.

Link and Elodie kept exchanging glances throughout the dinner, making sure to keep their attractions subtle and not 'obvious' as her twin brother and best friend sat right next to them. But they were oblivious to their romantic tension. 

After the delicious dinner, the two quietly made their way to a tree on the outskirts of the Clear. Elodie's stomach erupted with butterflies.

"Hey.." Link's voice said quietly from behind. She turned around and smiled. He slowly made his way to her.

"I've been waiting for this all dinner..."  She was cut off by his sudden kiss that she didn't mind at all. 

Nothing else in her mind mattered in that moment, the world melted away. She would never realise what was to come in the next few days.

****

"Elodie! Wake up!" She woke up to the sound of Newt's urgent voice. Elodie looks outside of the window and realises that they've stopped, she recognised the sound of gunshots firing and immediately gets up.

"Get out of the car!" Luke opens the door and she gets on to the road, there are abandoned cars in piles scattered throughout. Elodie covered her ears as the sound brought back unpleasant memories. 

Then three figures stood in the middle of the road conversing, she recognised Aris' limp body and two girls. They hugged and a familiar feeling fled through her body. She stood up, Newt and the others shouting for her to get down.

"Sonya, Harriet?"