Déjà Vu 1 - Remembering | TMR

[0.1]-Finching Grievers

But, as one does, I got cocky and tumbled down on the unforgiving ground. I couldn't even manage a simple ow. The whirr, click emitting from the monster trailing my footsteps informed me that it did not tumble as well. I pushed myself up with everything in me screaming to stay down and picked up the pace.

I was not having a sleepover with this thing. Sorry, I think my invite got lost in the mail.

I could finally see the Doors in the distance, and I was on what the other Runners called "The Hallway to Heaven." It was a long hallway that seemed to stretch on forever, until you made it home, or Heaven as they called it. I never really called it that but running down the thing, I couldn't help but think that the name was fitting.

The Doors had never seemed so close. I heard yells, but I assumed that the girls were pointing out the giant monster following me. I breathed out a huge sigh. The Griever wouldn't follow me out into the Glen while it was still daylight outside.

I couldn't have told you what happened next. That's when I passed out.

|~^_^~|

Lights. Bright lights.

"Don't lose-"

"Patch her up."

"What happened?"

"Griever-"

"Get Thomas and Teresa-"

"-Swipe?"

"-wasted potential."

Voices. Swirling.

I'm trying to gather my bearings, but all I can see is black. What happened?

My eyes are closed, and it's taking everything in me to open them. When I finally succeed, one thing becomes apparent.

This place isn't the Glen.

"She's awake."

"More anesthesia!"

More air flows through the mask, and I'm blacking out again.

|~^_^~|

"Lauren!"

The voice jerks me awake. As I look around, I realize that I'm still not in the Glen.

Where am I?

Everywhere I look, I see white. My brain is working overtime, attempting to make sense of all this. That's when I remembered the Griever. I patted myself down, trying to see if I'm hurt. But it seems like this place took care of me. I'm not sure to be happy or scared.

I pinch my arm, trying to wake up from this obvious nightmare. But this seems to be my new reality. I'm not fond of it.

A door on my right opens and a woman walks in with a smile on her face. It looks out of place. Doesn't she know that this is a nightmare? How long have I been out? A headache starts forming from all of my unanswered questions.

"Ah, you're up." She pushes in a cart, food on top of it.

I'm immediately sitting up, the tantalizing smell of food putting me on high alert. She hands me the food, and I dig in, regardless of all my questions. I'm not one to turn down food.

"I'm glad to see your appetite didn't change in the Maze." The woman remarks.

I swallow. "Excuse me, ma'am. Who are you exactly?"

Her smile grows wider. "I'm Doctor Ava Paige. I work at WICKED. Where you're at right now."

The name triggers some memories. They're right at the base of my brain, and it's bugging me to no end that I can't reach them. It's like an itch on my brain, uncomfortable and annoying. 

"Nice to meet you, Ava."

Ava smiles. "Do you remember anything from before waking up?"

I take another bite out of my food. It's not completely bad. Just bland. "I remember the Griever, being almost about to escape, then it's just black."

"Nothing else?" She prods.

It's odd that she's pressed for questions, can't they pull up the footage from the beetle blades? I file the information away for a different time. 

"No. I have a question. Why didn't the Griever kill me in the Maze? Why bring me back here?" I gesture to the whiteness all around me, adding to the growing headache. The only color in this room is Ava's too red lips and my blonde hair.

Ava's smile falters. "The Griever was supposed to kill you, you guessed that right, but then one of our Psyches realized that your brain was much too valuable. So we brought you back here and you've healed for the past four days. We have very big plans for you."

I ignored the "very big plans" they have for me. It's nothing I'm not used to. I have to figure out why Ava's pressing me for information. 

"Did my friends," I start. "Did the rest of them try to fight and get me back? Away from the Griever?" My mind remembers Terra, and I want to curl into a ball of shame for not keeping my promise. I have to go back.

Ava smiles sadly. "I'm very sorry, but no one seemed to have noticed your disappearance."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
oh, snap.

Well, this book has been seeing a lot of change. First the cover, then the entirety of the inside, but I highly doubt that it's going to see any more of it. I'm finally writing something I'm very happy with, and I am going to resist the urge to change it any more.

Edit: 8/3/21-okay, *puts up hands* but this is for the wattys 

I hope you enjoy it!!