Rose led Trace to her house. It was the third along on the left. Rose explained on the way that the town was an old mining village. Abandoned about a hundred years ago, but her grandparents had moved there upon hearing the settlement was being used as a small community for those who just wanted to escape the city.
Trace thought that was weird. If you wanted to escape the city, just go start your own farm, or live on an island somewhere. Don't move a few miles away from the city and inhabit an old mining town. That's just weird.
Rose opened the front door and stepped inside, humming a little to herself. Trace smiled; it was nice to have company that wasn't Frightening Dwight. It was even nicer to have company that promised her food.
"Down here," Rose announced, leading them to the basement. Trace didn't quite know what she'd expected, but it wasn't what she saw.
Rose flicked the lights on. Lights. On. Electricity. The contents of the room made Trace blink once and rub her eyes, just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.
Nope. Definitely there.
Lettuce, growing in plant boxes. Green peppers. Beans. Strawberries. It was all right there, growing in a shucking basement.
"What the hell?" Trace wondered, using one of movie Thomas' signature lines for effect.
"Grandpoppy grew them," Rose explained. "Before the Flares. Before I was even born. He taught me how to take care of them and grow even more. Now it's my job."
Trace was still getting over the fact that there was enough food to fill a hundred stomachs, sitting right before her eyes. She looked at Rose.
"Help yourself," Rose smiled. "I'm getting sick of them."
Trace practically dived into the nearest box and ate a whole lettuce. A whole lettuce. Then she ate a pepper, followed by a handful of strawberries. She decided she'd better stop after that.
But that wasn't where the food ended.
"I have the cake," Rose announced. Trace turned around to see the girl leaning into an open freezer. An actual freezer. "It's frozen. I was saving it for a special occasion, and I think that's now."
She pulled out a chocolate gateau. Yes, a chocolate gateau. As in chocolate. Real chocolate. A chocolate cake. With actual, real-life chocolate that Trace was maybe, possibly, probably, definitely going to eat.
Miracles really do happen.
"No way," Trace murmured.
"Yes way," Rose giggled. "C'mon, it'll thaw out super quickly if we set it on the front porch. Benefits of the Scorch."
"Benefits of a Scorch porch," Trace agreed.
Rose laughed. "That was a good rhyme!"
Trace really, really liked Rose. She was somehow so sweet but so strong at the same time; Trace couldn't possibly imagine living out in the Scorch by herself at ten years old.
Then again, maybe that's exactly what she did. It wasn't like she remembered what she was doing at that age.
The cake thawed out in half-an-hour, and by that point the icing had begun to melt.
"Cake time!" Rose announced, upon checking on it for the fourth time in the last minute. A girl after Trace's own heart. At that moment, Rose took it upon herself to start singing:
"Happy Birthday to you,
'Cause you've probably missed a few,
Happy Birthday dear Ava
YOU ARE READING
Subject A250: The Flame (COMPLETED)
Fanfiction--Book two in the Subject A250 series-- She took the Grievers down. She survived the maze. She knows the story is far from over. So, how will she fare in the Scorch?
