After The Trials

Chapter 7

This forest is not as wealthy as the other one, but it's darker. There are more trees so, in case we need to run away from someone, we can easily lose our track here. My wound was making everything harder. Limping consumes a lot of energy, so I got tired after only a few hours of walking. But I can't let that stop me, I can't be a burden to my friends. Apparently, my promise didn't last long. The world started spinning and I almost fainted from fatigue.

"Ok, that's it. We have to set the camp as soon as possible." Thomas demanded while putting my arm over his shoulder so I won't fall.

"Where and with what? If we continue to walk half an hour to north, we will find a river and maybe that will be a better spot, but here among those dried trees is useless. I know Tessa can't handle it much more, but we all need food and water. This is not a place to find them." Isaac replied.

"Can you resist another 30 minutes?" Thomas asks me. The only thing I can do is nod. I want to save my powers. "Fine." he sighs and we continue our road. 

Isaac was right, the forest gets wealthier with every step taken. After a few minutes that seemed like eternity, I hear the sound of flowing water. Everyone is visibly happier and I almost forgot about my tiredness. We find a small glade next to the river and decide to set the camp there.

"One problem." Minzy complained. "We have nothing. We don't have where to take ivy from to tie us around the trees, we don't have anything to start a fire with, we don't have weapons to hunt or tools for anything else."

"We don't need to sleep in the trees, this place is safe. I don't know how that Crank got there, but he was the only one. The only animals here are squirrels and rats, we have nothing to be afraid of." Isaac chuckled. Can he not smile for like a second? "I heard that, Tessa." he replies by widening his smile even more just to annoy me, recieving an eye roll from me.

"And don't worry about food, I know which mushrooms and plants are edible. And a fire can be made without matches." Thomas tried to ignore my little conversation with Isaac. "Alright, so me and Isaac will go to get some berries, you girls can relax."

A few minutes after Thomas and Isaac left, Minzy decided to confess something while washing my wound. "Sorry for how I treated you all these years, Tessa."

"Everyone is doing it, I'm kind of used to it." I shrug, looking at the dark sky above us.

"Which is not normal. I promise I'll make sure the others treat you the way you deserve to be treated when we'll go back to the Safe Haven." she plucks her lips, letting out an embarrassed smile. "I guess I just wanted to be like the others. I mean, I don't even have a real reason to bully you."

"Let me think. I'm a nerd, I spend all my days with someone that everyone considers a lunatic, I don't have any friends my age, almost all the gladers hated Teresa. Should I continue?"

"None of these are things to joke about. You're a genius, you were the only one that was there for Thomas when no one else would, you have too elevated conversations, not just gossips and boys and it's not your fault you remembered them of Teresa. Most of us are just jealous, actually." I give her a questioning look and she continues. "I just said the reasons a few seconds ago, don't tell me you didn't pay attention."

"No, I did. But I don't understand envy. Why would you want something that others have and you don't? Everyone is a different individual, no one can get the same gifts. For example, you got Minho's and Sonya's features and they're the definition of perfection. Yes, I have a good memory and remember everything Thomas tells me, but you work better under pressure. I know how the brain works and you know how the mind works. We're both gifted, but we have different paths. That's why I wouldn't be able to do this alone and neither would you. No one is perfect or closer to perfection than someone else."

"Your years as Thomas' psychologist really left a mark on you and it shows." Minzy laughs.

The boys come back with some plants, a rabbit and sticks. "Great news, Tessa. Isaac caught a rabbit and we found yarrow." Thomas sees I don't understand what he's talking about and explains the last part. "These flowers are good for cuts, but I guess they work on bites too."

"So you want me to be a lab rat and see if it does its effect?" I ask him more like a joke. He doesn't answer, just comes closer and sits down next to me, squashing the flowers and putting them under the bandage. "Thanks." I purred as I felt the refreshing sensation of the flowers.

Isaac was starting the fire and Minzy was flaying the animal with a small dagger Isaac had. I wish he'd have told us earlier, but it wouldn't have actually been so helpful. The ozone layer hasn't fully healed, so the nights are still very cold and the warmth of a fire was just what I needed. We ate berries and a half cooked rabbit, but it felt like the best dinner I've ever had.

I fell asleep close to the fire in a fetal position, trying to preserve the heat of my body as good as I can. I was right, it's freezing cold. I did prepare clothes for this, but I left them with the Cranks as the rest of the things. My lips began to crack and I know it won't take long for my fingers to become crimson. Isaac took off his jacket and handed it to me. "But you need it too." I muttered since my throat was hurting too bad to make any other sound. Instead of replying, he shrugs and goes back to sleep. The jacket was still warm and, since it was too big for me, I could cuddle better in it. Normally I'd think about how cute his gesture was, but I know he reads my mind.

I wake up and my first thought is that I travelled while I was asleep, since the weather was way hotter than last night. The others were already eating breakfast and I could see Thomas smirking at me. At first I didn't understand why, but then I remembered about Isaac's jacked. "Shut up." I hissed at him in a sleepy voice as Minzy handed me some berries.

"I didn't say anything." he joked, trying to not smile even wider if possible.

"Isaac is not the only one that can read your mind so be careful."

"Is that a threat?" he continued to tease me. I really can't win with this guy, he's acting like a 5 year old. I can't believe he was once chosen as the best candidate.

I clean the bite one more time and put the cloth back on. It's a bit infected, but I won't have to amputate it. It will be a little hard to walk the whole way to Denver, but if I get used to it, the limp will be barely noticeable. I'll be a professional limper. We follow the course of the river to north so we can always take a break and drink water. Also, it's a good reference point and we won't get lost. Again, it's too quiet. Not even birds are chirping, thing that makes my anxiety go up. I have an unpleasant experience with silence and I don't want to go through the same thing again.

The next days followed the same pattern. We woke up, walked the whole day, hunted, ate, slept and repeated. My leg didn't seem to heal, but it didn't get worse either, so it's fine by me. Also, I found out Minzy was just trying to fit in with the other kids because no one would talk to her about psychology. It's interesting, we're both passionate by the brain, just different parts. We crafted spears with Isaac's bagger and learned how to use them. Mine has two thorns, one for each edge to make it better for combat. As I'm half of the nights on watch, I had time to learn how to fight with it.

When I started losing hope that we'll ever get to Denver, I see some ruins before us. "Thomas, is that the city you were talking about?" I shout at him from a higher rock. I was walking in front of them, I always walk in front of people. I feel like I'm the one leading them and I like the responsibility of being in charge.

He ran to me, excited about the possibility that we finally arrived in Denver. "That's not even a city, Tessa." he sassed. "What is it, though?"

Isaac catches us up and his face fades in a relieved smile. "It's a military base. Maybe some Bergs still work." he thinks about it for a moment. "But I don't know if there are any Cranks."

"We only have one way to find out." I reply and get up, preparing mentally for the pain that was about to grasp my leg in a few minutes.

"Did I ever tell you how much you remind me of Brenda?"

"You didn't seem to like it very much. If you did, you'd be my father now." I joked and started walking, leaving Thomas agape.