After a while I head back to my own bed, still puzzling over who I am and who Newt is to me. I spend several hours trying to sleep, before my stomach, which is screaming with hunger, forces me up to go get some water from the bathroom sinks.
"It hurts, doesn't it," Minho says flatly. He's staring into the sink like a haunted, empty man. His eyes are shadowed and his hair unkempt.
"Starving?" I ask. "More than I'd expect."
"Maybe we'll get used to it, and it won't hurt anymore."
"Yeah."
"Hey, Ash?"
"Hmm?" I say, gulping down water and pretending it will stall my hunger.
Minho sighs. "I don't know. I just want you to be okay. You and Newt. Can you at least take turns getting in low moods? Thomas is the only sane one of my best friends right now, and that's very aggravating. Why do you and Newt have to be so synced up?"
I can't help it. The sheer absurdity of his sentence – unless it's just a delirium caused by starvation – has me laughing so hard I can hardly stand. It was such a typical Minho thing to say. Me and Newt, synced up with our bad moods.
One thing, though, sticks in my mind as I go back to lying fitfully in my bunk. I'm one of Minho's best friends. I am a best friend. If only we weren't being controlled by WICKED... it would be a comforting thought. My mind is fuzzy enough from hunger that I pretend there is no WICKED, and that being a best friend can be something I enjoy. I cling to the feeling.
That, and the dreams of food I can't stop having.
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Admit Defeat (TMR fic 2)
FanfictionThe more Ash remembers, the more she pushes people away. Having friends is dangerous. Being close to Newt? Unfathomably risky. She has to choose between those she cares about, or staying safe from WICKED's manipulation. As We Watch the World Burn b...
