The Former Partner (Aris X Reader)

Chapter 18

Aris woke up to a searing headache. A voice kept on calling for him in his head. It took him a while to register that it was Rachel who was calling him.

Rachel?

Aris you're alive! He heard the relief in her voice. Where are you?

I'm at the treehouse.

You need to come out. Harriet has called a meeting.

Aris sat down and ran his hands through his ruffled hair. Dread filled his stomach at the prospect of getting out of the treehouse and seeing the Vale. He wondered what the Vale looked like after the massacre the other night. He wiped off the dust from his clothes and left the treehouse.

When he got down, he saw that there was a crowd of girls. It was less than it usually was and they all had tired postures. He walked towards them and saw Rachel who waved at him and beckoned him to come faster.

"What's going on?" Aris asked when was by Rachel's side.

"Harriet's talking about leaving the Vale."

"It's stupid," a Valer commented. "We just lost a lost of Valers last night and now we're leaving?"

"Yes!" Harriet said. "Look at the walls, they're not closing! Who wants to bet that the same thing will happen tonight?"

"What's the difference?" A different Valer asked. Aris could hear the exhaustion and sadness in her voice. "We die here, we die there.

"At least we have a chance to live if we leave," Sonya spoke up.

Harriet nodded, glad for the support Sonya is giving her. "Listen, before (Y/N) disappeared," the mention of (Y/N) got everyone to be quiet, "she was able to find an escape. Sonya and I saw it and we can lead you there."

Harriet looked around the remaining Valers and saw that they still weren't convinced. They all had skeptical looks on their faces.

"Guys we have a chance to escape and you're not taking it. Do it for the ones who can't escape."

Harriet saw a few Valers get misty eyed at the last sentence. She herself was getting emotional. She missed (Y/N) and many other Valers.

"All of us wanted to escape but we lost so many throughout the years. Now the time that we've all been waiting for has come. Do you think the others would want us to stay? No. They'd want us to take the chance that they couldn't take."

Harriet looked at the Valers who were now silent and solemn. She didn't mean to make them sad but she had to do something to get them to move.

"If you're coming then get some rest and get your rations from Annie. We're leaving at noon," she finally said. "With or without you. 

- 

Sonya and Harriet were at the West Maze Doors, waiting for noon to come. Harriet was staring at the small crowd of Valers who were coming with them. She saw among them were Annie, Rachel, and Aris who were giving rations to the Valers. 

Harriet looked at her watch and saw that only three minutes were left until noon. She looked at the small crowd and felt her heart ache. She couldn't believe that only few would come with them. There were fifty Valers before the attack of the Grievers, now there were only twenty-seven left. Yet the Valers standing in front of her were no more than ten. 

Two minutes.

Harriet turned to Sonya who was staring at the Maze. Sonya was biting her fingernails, a nasty habit that Harriet and (Y/N) have been trying to knock out of her. Harriet smacked Sonya's hand away from her mouth earning her a glare from the other girl. 

"You don't have to be nervous," she told her. "I mean, we've done this before right?"

"Yeah," Sonya agreed, "but this is different. We're never coming back."

Harriet turned around once again and saw that two people were added to the group but that was it. She saw the other Valers staring at them from a distance. 

One minute.

"You want to take one last look at the Vale? It has been our home for two years."

"I don't think I can," Sonya said.

"I never knew this day would come, I always thought (Y/N) would be here."

Sonya was shocked with (Y/N) being mentioned. Hearing her name, she felt a sadness surge through her. "Who knows, maybe she's out there and we'll see her on the way out."

Harriet's watch rang and it showed that it was already noon. Harriet felt disappointed with the lack of Valers but she can only get what she sees.  

"Wherever she is, let's make her proud."

A/N: I know my uploads are getting annoyingly long. But I'm trying to finish this book this month. I'm planning and hoping that it won't reach 2020. 

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