Destiny | Gally ~ Newt ~ Minho ~ Thomas

CHAPTER 11

NOT EDITED

231.12.10

It had been over a week since Hayleen was trapped inside the WICKED base. Every day Thomas went to monitor the trials with Teresa, although many times, when the girl did not have to accompany her soulmate, she invited her to the labs due to Hayleen's passion for chemistry.

Aris had been right about Thomas working much longer than he did, so at some point in the day he would always show up with a shy smile at the apartment door and stay with her until her boyfriend arrived. They spent a lot of time in silence just enjoying each other's presence. However, they had also had long conversations about the state of the world and how things were before. She discovered that they had similar attitudes but very different origins; Aris had not been born into a privileged family and WICKED had rescued him from his parents who had been infected at the beginning of the Flare. He was spending so much time with her that Seth had started calling him "uncle Aris".

Hayleen had never had a friend to hang out with. There was only one boy of her age in the compound that lived with her mother and they hadn't interacted much; in fact, the few times they had done it had been awkward and she had thought he was unbearably immature. Therefore, she really valued the growing friendship with the boy. Thomas was her soulmate and she never seems to have enough of him, but she also needed a friend who is not romantically interested in her. The only thing she saw as negative in her relationship with Aris was that her soul mate really trusted him. She had quickly confirmed the presence of a triangle on the nape of her neck due to his short hair, so she knew it was no wonder why they had that confidence; although she believed that her friendship with Aris was sincere, she was also sure that Thomas had asked him to watch over her and take care of her when he was away.

A totally different case was that of Rachel. Occasionally she would visit her with Aris and she had soon discovered that she did not seem to get along with Teresa; every time her name was mentioned the girl couldn't help frowning in distaste. Although Lyn did not see her as long as her groupmate, Rachel had more free time than he did, so they used to meet in different places in the WICKED headquarters while the others worked.

Hayleen had been right to think that she could be an ally; the girl had taken her to her room, which supposedly had no microphones or cameras, the first time they met and told her that she could trust her for whatever she needed and that she would try to help her. She had shown her that she did not have a mark like Teresa and Aris, and she had told her that WICKED had snatched her from her parents when she was little and they killed them.

Hayleen knew that Rachel could have supported WICKED even if she had no brand, but her instincts told her that she could trust her and so far they had never failed her; in fact, they always failed her about her soul mates because her instinct was to kiss them until they were out of breath and she didn't want to do that... but that was a separate issue.

Rachel had quickly become her confidant. The only person with whom she used to talk about her destiny was her mother and even with her it was a subject that she often avoided touching or omitted certain thoughts; she wasn't going to talk about sex with Ladena, it didn't matter what a great relationship they had because it was still uncomfortable. However, she found in the curly-haired girl someone with whom she could talk about everything and who would not judge her; she still avoided talking directly about sex because she was embarrassed, but if the conversation called for it, it was not a big deal to mention something related to it.

Her new friend told her that she had revealed against WICKED and tried to escape when she was younger because she did not support their ideas and did not want to continue being a part of it. She had planned it carefully for almost a year but when she had tried she had finally been caught and as punishment they had sent her girlfriend in the first group to enter into the maze. Since then, she had been doing everything WICKED said to her out of fear of what might happen to her partner if she refused. She told that, at the time she had heard that they had found the soul mate of Thomas, she felt her world was collapsing; the only hope she had that they would not succeed was that this prophecy would not be fulfilled and that, thanks to it, someone could destroy WICKED to the ashes. She had passionately declared that Thomas did not deserve her, that none of her soul mates deserved the happiness that Hayleen would bring them. As time went by, Rachel became even more assertive in her statements; she had once furiously blurted out that Lyn was too good to have to go through all of this and that she hated the idea of ​​her being forced to follow her destiny when she clearly disagreed to go down that path.

They were currently having dinner together in her apartment as they debated about how the world's problems could be solved without fulfilling the prophecy and leaving the world in the hands of her soulmates.

- WICKED does practically nothing to try to prevent the virus from continuing to spread. They only care about some people and protect them in safe areas but let others rot when they could be investing time and resources in it -Rachel complained.

-Teresa seems extremely interested in getting the cure for the Flare but I am sure it is due more to her desire to find a solution to what she sees as a complicated puzzle than to the possibility of saving millions of lives. She trust the prophecy blindly.

-She's a fanatic -the curly-haired girl snarled venomously.

-She always repeats " WICKED is good", of course she's a fanatic, Rachel. Despite that, she's not that bad, but the truth is, I can't really trust her like I do with you. I don't want that future and I can't willingly allow myself to let it happen, and she will try regardless of the consequences to make it come true.

-She has cold blue eyes that seem to be sucking your soul, she's like a dementor -she grumbled with a frown already apparently still lost in her hatred for Teresa.

Hayleen hadn't wanted to ask, because Rachel seemed unhinged when it came to Thomas's best friend, but she was sure that Teresa had had something to do with her failed escape or the punishment that had been imposed on her.

-I can't let it come true -she said again louder, bringing her new friend back into the conversation-. Sometimes I hate myself because a part of me wants it to come true and I feel like I'm a monster as horrible as they are -she added and her voice cracked due to the anguish she felt just thinking about that.

-You're not -Rachel hastened to assure hier, squeezing her hand in support.

-Yes I am. I can't help but love Thomas and I really want him desperately to touch me. The same thing happened to me with Gally. No matter how hard I fought my feelings and my body, I still ended up losing myself inside of them. My morals scream one thing at me but my whole being wants another, what kind of person does loving someone like Thomas make me? –she whispered with the tears falling slowly down her cheeks.

-It's your soul mate. You can't torture yourself for loving him, I don't think it's possible to avoid doing it sadly. In the short time that I have known you and from what we have talked about, I know that you are a beautiful person inside and out. You are the light they need and maybe a part of you wants to give it to them but the part that matters is the one that knows it is not the right thing to do and fights against it until the end, because if you don't do it and let the prophecy come true, who is going to stop them?

-It's just that... it's so unfair that sometimes it seems that my true happiness is tied to them. I suffer because it is not what I want for my future and for my ideals but nobody makes me as happy as Thomas, and I am sure that if I met my other soul mates and spent time with them the same would happen.

-Listen to me, I don't want to hear you saying that again. You are going to be happy without them. It may not be so epic a future where they are not with you and no one will make you feel like Thomas but you are an amazing person who does not need anyone to be happy. You have Seth too, you'll never be alone -she told her firmly.

-I know. I can be happy, I am a strong and independent woman who does not need any man... it is just that a part of me dreams on romance and passion. I want someone who will love me deeply and will be my life partner forever, and I want a big family but I cannot have it, not without renouncing my principles. I could never stop suffering with what they do, but I guess I have read too many books with epic couples and it pains me to accept that I will not be able to have it because that would destroy myself and millions of other people. I feel myself sinking deeper into despair to escape my feelings as time goes by and I'm still trapped here.

-I'll help you escape, I promise. It is more important that you are out of this place and away from them, than anything else.

-Thank you -she whispered and got up from the chair to hug her tightly.