Echoes ~ (Book Two of The Elite Series)

Chapter 2

Emma had wanted to stay in that nice, warm shower forever.
It was as if she was trying to scrub away the painful memories, along with the blood and grime caked into her skin.

However, when she did eventually reemerge, she was dressed in a long sleeved gray v-neck, pale gray denim pants, fresh socks (fresh socks!) and almost new-looking lace up boots.
Emma wasn't sure if she actually remembered a time, even from all the years she spent in the glade, that she felt so clean.

Her dark hair was still somewhat damp as she sat in a chair, being checked out in what appeared to be an infirmary.
Doing a mental head count, Emma didn't allow herself to relax until she made sure everyone was there.

Winston, Fry, Jack, Thomas, Teresa, Newt, Minho.
Counting herself, that made seven gladers who had been able to escape the maze, and her heart gave a pang for the ones who didn't make it.
Chuck, most of all.

Even though she had managed to wash off the dried blood, Emma wasn't sure she'd ever be able to forget the sensation of it on her skin.

"Okay miss," a doctor spoke, breaking her out of her depressing thoughts.

He had wrapped a cloth strap around her bicep, a black cord attached to it, which was then attached to a little device he had her wrap her fingers through, that had a grip for her hands.
"Okay now,  I want you to pull down on that, grip it as tight as you can."

Concentrating she did so, and around seven seconds later, the object cracked as the top part of it broke in three pieces.
"Oh, I'm sorry...."

"That's fine." the doctor brushed away her apology, but he looked a little startled, briskly walking away, writing down notes.

They did various tests, gave her some shots, and then sent her out along with the other gladers, minus Thomas.
"Where's Thomas?"

"He'll be along shortly," one of the men escorting them replied briskly.
"But for now you've been cleared to join everyone else in the cafeteria."

Well fer rude...

Emma felt a hand slip into her own, the gesture hidden by their friends around them and the uneven lighting in the hall.
"Doing alright love?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, though her temples were throbbing a bit. Blinking, it went away.

Finally they were ushered in through wide sweeping metal doors, and all of them stopped in shock, eyes wide as the group took in the scene before them.
Kids. Dozens. Maybe fifty, sixty or more all sitting at tables. Eating, chatting, laughing.

"What in the shuck?!" Minho spoke for them all.
He turned.
"What is this place?"

The guard to their left gave an unimpressed look, as though he'd been asked the same question several times over.
Which, Emma concluded, he probably had.

"You think you lot were the only ones WICKED had taken?"

The gladers were directed to a line where they recieved trays of food, and silver cups of water.
Although the group had only eaten maybe an hour or so previous, Emma was not surprised to find herself still hungry.
(Though the cornbread did leave something to be desired)

Invited to join a table nearby, introductions were made, then they began swapping stories with the other's seated at the table.

Gideon and Caleb, had been part of a different maze, with Caleb was currently in the process of relaying their groups escape, and subsequent rescue.

But Emma wasn't really listening, part of her mind drawn elsewhere.
Her left shoulder seemed to be tensing rather uncomfortably, and she absently rubbed it, only half paying attention to the conversation.