They Don't Own Me

Chapter 37

Ivy nodded, not really paying attention. James finished restitching her wounds, wrapping them again with medical tape and clean bandages.

"You should only need these for about a week or a little more. Since you got medical attention at WCKD, they were able to treat it extremely well. Everything is clean and there is no infection. I'll have to check those in a few days to make sure they're okay, but you should be fine. You seem to be healing quickly."

"Thank you, James."

The man nodded.

"Would you like to stay in here with him?"

"Can I?"

"Of course. He's your friend; you haven't seen him in days and the last time you saw him, there was a spear in his chest. You need some time to rest and sort through everything. It's a lot to take in. If you want, you can room with him too. That is, if you're comfortable with it. If you're not we can find somewhere else for you to sleep."

"This is fine, James. I'll stay with Gally. After losing my friends, I'm almost afraid to let them go again."

"Stay as long as you'd like. When you're ready, come find us. We're just down the hall; we normally eat around seven."

"I'll come down around then."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm off to find the others, make sure they're all situated."

Ivy nodded. Just as James was able to step out of the old dressing room, Ivy spoke up again.

"James?" she said. The man paused to look at her. "How did you find him? How did you find the Maze?"

"We've been tracking WCKD, trying to locate where their Mazes are. We've been to some of the closer ones, but by the time we get there, the kids are gone. Sometimes, we don't go at all; we get news that WCKD already got their hands on the kids. Being as small of a group as we are, we don't stand a chance against their guards."

"But why look? Why go out and risk your lives for kids you don't know?"

"Two of our friends had younger siblings that were taken from them. When we learned that there were Mazes close by, we came up with plans to possibly recuse the kids. They wanted to find their younger siblings, find out if they were still alive or what happened to them."

"And did you?"

"Not yet. We've had no luck, other than Gally."

When he saw that she was done talking, James slipped out of the room, leaving the girl alone with her friend. Ivy carefully pulled her shirt back on and shifted closer to Gally.

"I'm so sorry, Gally. I wish I had known."

The girl bowed her head, allowing a tear to run down her face.

~

After several hours, Ivy stepped out of the dressing room. She had been sitting with Gally since they had arrived and seeing him in his current state was taking its toll on her. When she checked the time on a nearby clock, she found that it was a little after seven. Recalling James directions, she made her way down the hall. She glanced around her as she walked, taking in the different rooms before she heard voice laughing. She walked a little faster, following the sound.

Ivy eventually came to a door that led to what appeared to be a mix of a dining room and a kitchen. Cooking materials were located in the far corner, along with some food and cans, while there was a fire pit in the middle of the room, chairs and people surrounding it. Ivy couldn't help but think back to the Glade and the bonfires the Gladers used to have.