Steel and Stone [The Maze Runner (Scorch Trials) Fanfiction]

Shock

"Alright everybody up!"
Minho's shouting cuts through my sleep, and pulling me back to my real life nightmare. I push myself up from the ground, rubbing the sand from the corners of my eyes. My lips are dry and cracked, and my throat begs for water. Though it is dark, the heat radiates up from the ground, blurring the edge of the horizon.

I pull my water from my backpack, careful to only drink a little. I have no idea how long it will be before we find more, and as bad as I want to drink it all right now, I know it is better to save it. As I put it away, I realize I never returned James' water and food to him. I grab an apple for myself and walk over to where he sits alone at the base of a dead tree, staring towards the two cities.

"Here." I say, handing him his supplies back. "Sorry I didn't give them back yesterday."

"Oh, it's ok." He replies, snapping out of his trance and standing up next to me. "You basically dropped dead."

"Yeah." I chuckle, taking a bite out of my apple. "I was really tired."

He laughs, "I guess so." Then he frowns, "I think you got a sunburn." He says, running his finger along my cheek. His touch makes me uncomfortable, and I pull away, pretending to reach for something in my bag. He either doesn't notice my rejection or doesn't care.

"Ya probably." I answer, leaning nervously against the tree. "Struggles of walking in the desert."

"I wish we didn't have to do this." James says, gesturing to the desert around us.

"Don't we all." I sigh, almost laughing at such an obvious statement.

"I guess." He says vaguely. I turn to look at him, trying to study his expression in the darkness. Who could possibly want to do this? Before I get a chance to ask what he means, he continues speaking. "Do you, uh..." He stutters looking at the ground. "Do you ever remember things? Things from before?"

His question shocks me and for a moment, I wonder which one of my friends told him about my... Gift? All the alarm bells in my mind ring, and I bristle at such a personal question. "Why do you?" I ask carefully.

"Yes." His easy admission shocks me more than his question.

"Wha-" I start, unable to think of anything to say. So I'm not the only one. I knew Teresa and Thomas had remembered things, but they were different, they were special. I manage to clear my throat before speaking again, "what do you remember?"

"I remember you Sky." He says, reaching a tentative hand towards me. I step back, half in shock, and half to keep him from touching me.

"Wha- no- I- we." I stammer unable to think of a proper response. I keep backing up, till he reaches forward catching my arm and pulling me back. He is surprisingly strong, and I consider screaming.

"Calm down." He says laughing as he releases me. His voice drops then, turning from amusement to sad  confusion. "I guess you don't remember it then."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I say, taking one step back just in case. My guard is still very, very much up.

"Obviously." He says, his frown quickly morphing into a smirk. "I know what you're thinking, it wasn't like that." He says, shaking his head.

"Then what was it?"

"I remember you, I remember watching you." He says with a shrug, "I watched you remember something."