They Don't Own Me

Chapter 35

Ivy nodded and sat down in the pilot's seat; Isaac moved to stand behind her. He told her what the buttons on the dashboard in front of her did and which ones were the most important. He went over how to start a Berg when it was on the ground, promising to teach her how to lift off at some point. He also explained which screens and dials were used for what jobs. Isaac showed her how to properly pilot the Berg, giving her tips on how to control it.

When he was sure that she was ready, he turned off the autopilot, giving Ivy full control of the Berg. Ivy kept her hands steady on the controls and made sure to keep her eyes on the view in front of her. Isaac gave her several more tips, sitting down in one of the chairs next to her. He kept the chair positioned so it was at an angle, giving him a perfect view of both the Scorch before them, of Ivy and the controls, and of the interior of the Berg.

The two sat in silence, Ivy enjoying the view before her and the feeling of flying a ship, and Isaac enjoying the fact that he had a break. Ivy's eyes scanned over the dashboard, looking at the buttons and mentally reciting their functions. Her gaze dropped to the controls and she caught sight of the dark, dried blood on her shirt. Her smiled dropped and she rolled back her shoulders, trying to push the guilt she was feeling away. But after several moments, she sighed and glanced at Isaac.

"I'm sorry," Ivy said quietly. He titled his head a little, letting Ivy know that he was paying attention. "About Chris."

"He did what he had to," Isaac replied after a moment.

"That doesn't change the fact that he was your friend."

Isaac bowed his head, looking at his clasped hands.

"How are you feeling?" he eventually asked. "I didn't ask before."

"I tore some stitches when we escaped but there's nothing we can really do about that at the moment. I'm not in any pain and the bleeding has stopped, so I'm doing all right." Another silence fell over the two, only a little more comfortable than before. Ivy thought back to Nicole, smiling slightly when she remembered that her friend was fast asleep. A sudden thought came to her, causing the girl to glance back toward Isaac. "Are you two together?"

"What?"

"You and Nicole. You two seem really close. I was wondering if you two were together."

Isaac chuckled ever so slightly before shaking his head.

"No, we're not."

"But you like her?"

The man looked at Ivy before his eyes flickered to Nicole. A small smile spread across his face and he nodded.

"I do," he replied.

Ivy smiled.

"You should tell her, you know. With us on the run from WCKD and with everything going on, you need to tell her. Trust me when I say that."

Isaac looked at her again when he heard the sad tone in her voice.

"Are you speaking from experience?" he wondered.

"In a way. I had been with a boy back in my Maze for several years. I only wished that we got to do more together and I got to tell him how much I loved him. He had been there for me in every trail we faced."

"When did you first realize you loved him?" Ivy chuckled at the question. "Okay, now you have to tell. That laugh means that it was either something stupid, or something you found sweet."

"Minho probably doesn't even know about this story, in all honesty. We were sleeping one night and I had woken up because I heard Grievers in the Maze. As I was trying to fall back asleep, Minho started moving around and before I knew it, his arms were around my waist and he was practically lying on top of me. I couldn't move so I just accepted defeat and tried to go back to sleep. I was almost asleep when I heard Minho mumble, but I couldn't understand him. So I asked him repeat what he said. Surprisingly, he answered and said, 'Don't take my cookies, they're not yours. Ivy made those for me, go get your own, shuckface.' My heart just kind of melted and all I could think about was how much I loved him and his adorkableness.