Subject of the Flame | Maze Runner [2]

ONE

[ ELECTRA ]

❧

Despite the tiniest fragment of hope that her life was finally allowed to be different, Electra woke up to the sobering sound of vigorous knocking at her door.

Claudia's voice was muffled by the heavy metal door, but Electra still loathed how cheerily she spoke, "Good morning girls! It's time to get up!"

Electra pulled her blankets off before swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. Teresa was already up and stretching in front of her. Electra slouched over and ran her hands through her hair as Teresa went over to try to open the door.

Unlike last night, the door was unlocked. Electra questioned if it had even been locked in the first place. Regardless, the door swung open to reveal Claudia's bright smile.

"Hi girls! Exciting day ahead! We just need to do a couple of tests before you can meet up with the boys and the Group B girls! Now come along."

Electra wondered how the woman in front of her could be so happy considering the impending apocalypse. Regardless, Electra groaned as she reached down to her feet to find her knife where she'd left it. Her heart dropped into her chest when all her fingers grazed was the cold metal floor. She fell onto her knees to look under her bed. It was gone.

"Electra. Is everything alright, dear?"

"You took it. Where did you take it?" Electra asked, standing up and sending a glare over at Claudia.

The woman's smile only grew as she innocently tilted her head, "What are you talking about?"

Electra started making her way over to Claudia, but Teresa jumped in her way. Electra switched her glare from Claudia to Teresa, and the girl slowly shook her head.

Careful. As if Electra had telepathy, she could immediately understand what Teresa was trying to tell her. They didn't know these people. They didn't know their true intentions, or what they were capable of.

However, Electra still couldn't shake off the anger. Somebody had come into their room when they were sleeping and they'd stolen the one thing she kept from the Maze. Electra pictured her knife melting in a fire, and her fingers bent into fists.

Teresa let out a small sigh, before speaking in the most polite voice Electra ever heard, "So sorry, Claudia. Electra has nightmares a lot. Really vivid ones too. She's just a bit confused."

Electra scrunched her face at Teresa's comment, but noticed Claudia's eyebrows bending with pity, "Oh, that must be awful! Electra, why didn't you say something? We could've given you something to help."

Teresa sent Electra a quick look, before Electra blinked a few times, "Don't worry about it."

Claudia's pity only grew, but regardless she beckoned the two girls to follow her into the hallway, "Come now, girls. Let's get you two fixed up."

Teresa gently nudged Electra forward, and the two girls followed the woman into the dusty hallway. With every opening and divergence in the walls, Electra peered down, looking for any signs of the rest of the Gladers. Last night, Claudia had said she would see Minho again at breakfast. That had to be soon, right?

After a few dizzying twists and turns down empty hallways, Claudia swiped her card in the keypad before it turned green and the door swooshed open. Unlike the utter grayness of the hallways, this room had blue-painted walls, and various people in white lab coats confidently strode around the room, all tending to their various tasks. However, when Electra and Teresa entered the room, quite a few of them stopped what they were doing to look up at them.