They Don't Own Me

Chapter 42

Michelle walked out of the tent so she could give Thomas some alone time with Brenda. She wandered around the camp, nodding to Mary when she caught a glimpse of her. She grabbed some dinner from one of the large pots, nodding to the man who had made the warm stew. With a warm meal in her system, she was feeling stronger than she had in a long time.

"Michelle!" The woman looked up to see Vince approaching her. He smiled and gave her a short hug. "Glad to see your all right."

"Did you doubt me, Vince? I don't know if I should be shocked or offended."

The man chuckled.

"I'm assuming you've already met Thomas." She nodded, glancing behind her to see that the boy had just emerged from the tent.

"He sure is something else," she commented, watching him walk over to a small trio of boys.

"You should meet his friends," Vince suggested. "You know, since you don't like anyone else around her, you might find the new kids interesting."

"Now you're just being mean and picking on me, Vince," she said with a chuckle.

"Gotta have something to do to pass the time. You go on now. I'll meet up with you later, all right?

Michelle nodded and started toward Thomas and his friends. Looking around, Michelle could see that people were packing up to move out in the morning. Her heart dropped a little when she remembered that she wouldn't be leaving with them. She shook the thought from her head and put a smile on her face as she grew closer to the boys.

"Michelle, hey," Thomas greeted. "Guys, this is Michelle. I just met her a little while ago. Michelle, this is Frypan, Minho, and Newt. We were in the maze together."

"It's nice to meet you all," she said. "I'm sure you boys have been through h*ll together."

"You have no idea," Minho replied, dropping his head a little. Michelle glanced at the others, seeing that they too seemed to grow a little more sad.

"So, um, I'm going to head over and talk to Teresa," Thomas said, standing up. "I'll talk to you guys in a bit."

The boys said their goodbyes to Thomas as he walked away. Once he disappeared from view, Michelle looked back at the trio in front of her. The three were quiet, their heads down as they seemed to be lost in thought. After another silent moment, Michelle sat down on the ground in front of the boys, crossing her legs underneath her.

"Tell me about her," she said.

"What?" Frypan asked, looking at her in confusion.

"You all lost somebody, I'm assuming recently. Somebody very close to you in some way, shape, or form. I want to know about her."

"How do you know it's a girl?"

"Because judging by the look on their faces here," she pointed at Minho and Newt, "the person you lost was someone you loved. To the two of you, they were more than a friend. So, who was she?"

"Her name was Ivy," Frypan told her after several moments. "She was... like no one I've ever met. She was strong, fearless, kind, funny."

"Stubborn, sassy, protective, encouraging," Newt said.

"But she cared for the safety of others more than she cared for her own," Minho added. "She was shot and wouldn't let us carry her out. She said we would slow her down, that she would cause all of us to get captured."

"She cared for us at our lowest and at our best," Newt added. He paused to look down at his clasped hands. "She was like a sister to me. I can't explain the connection we had, but from the start, I knew it was closer than friendship."