"Here's some soup," Frypan announced as he set the bowl down on the table near her bed. "Still nothing?"

Clint shook his head no and placed two fingers to her neck to check her pulse. Jeff wiped away the sweat beading on his forehead with his shirt and sighed.

"Unless you count her saying the Greenie's name over and over again," Jeff said. "But Newt said that Thomas didn't recognize her."

Thomas? Why am I saying that name? the girl thought as she forced herself to focus and come out of the deep sleep she had been in. Her eyes stayed closed as she thought back to her arrival, trying to recall anything about herself before waking up in the elevator.

Teresa, she thought. But that was the only thing she could remember. A chill ran through her body and she pressed her lips together as she listened to the three male voices talk. She was pretty sure that she hadn't heard any other girls while she was here and it made her heart beat a little faster. I need to get out of here!

Frypan shook his head and gripped the sides of his apron as he stared at her. "Well if you need anything else, let me know."

Now or never, she thought. Her eyes flew open and she pushed herself to a sitting position.

All three boys moved back and stared at her in shock. Frypan did a double take, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Well shuck me," he whispered.

"Get Newt," Clint told Frypan. "Let him know the girl's awake."

Frypan nodded and began running off to find the second-in-command.

"Welcome back Greenie," Jeff said. "You've been out for a day – nothing seems to be wrong with you."

Greenie? Why is he calling me that? Shuck? What are these words? Teresa thought as she eyed each of them suspiciously. Her eyes drifted over to the unconscious male lying in the bed next to hers and she recoiled when she saw the dark spidery veins all over the right side of his body. He was shivering, his breathing shaky, and he moaned in pain occasionally.

What is wrong with him? Teresa thought as she watched him. He looked sick but whatever it was, it looked painful. A terrible thought hit her – were these guys torturing him? None of the two boys had gone to help him when he cried out.

"Can you remember anything?" Clint prompted. "Your name? Where you came from? Anything at all?"

"What's wrong with him?" Teresa said, ignoring Clint.

Jeff sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "It's called The Changing," he began. "Look Greenie I'm not sure I'm the right shank to tell you this…"

The Changing? What happened – how did this happen? Did they do this on purpose?

"…Newt can probably explain this better Greenie," Jeff finished. "Should be here soon."

Teresa took another look at the boy lying next to her and shivered as he shook violently in his bed, lips trembling as he mumbled something incoherent. She spotted the exit and shoved past Jeff as fast as she could. From the corner of her eye she spotted a lanky boy with dirty blonde hair limping towards her and she ran in a diagonal away from him, looking around for a safe place to go. She felt several pairs of eyes on her as she ran, all of them male.

"Who let her out?" a gruff male voice yelled. "How long has she been awake for?"

Teresa spotted a tall wooden structure with multiple levels connected by ladders, the top level surrounded by a sturdy railing. She spotted a tree stump with machetes propped up against it and she grabbed the one closest to her. As she made her way to the structure, she ran by an area with cooking equipment and she quickly snatched a bag of fruit off a table before dashing over to the wooden structure. She tossed the bag of fruit up as high as she could and it landed on the second level of the structure. Along the way, she scooped up a few sticks and rocks before climbing the ladder without looking back, the machete clamped between her teeth.

"Hey!"

"Where you goin' Greenie?"

"Why you runnin' girl?"

Teresa gritted her teeth as she continued to climb up, ignoring all of the voices asking her questions. She heard someone climb up the first ladder and she whirled around and threw a rock at him. He yelped as it struck him on the shoulder and he fell backwards off the ladder. She retrieved the bag of fruit and scurried up the rest of the ladders as fast as she could, tossing some sticks and rocks every now and then to deter any other pursuers from following.

"We just wanna talk Greenie!" Newt called up to her. "Ya remember anything? Anything at all?"

Teresa narrowed her eyes as she pushed the hatch to the top level closed once she made it and she moved closer to the railing, her eyes widening as she took in the sights of this strange place. She pulled the machete out of her mouth and it clattered against the wooden floor of the tall structure. She could see a field of crops, a forest in one corner, smaller crude wooden structures that resembled huts, all of it enclosed within four massive walls, each equipped with a double set of doors. Where the Hell was she?

"Newt it's her fault that things are falling apart," the gruff male voice barked. "She came up and The Box hasn't gone down since. I'll bet you anything that she and that Greenie Thomas are connected in some way."

Thomas, she thought. Who is he and why do they keep mentioning him?

"I say we banish her and Thomas," the gruff male declared as he gestured to the opening behind him. "If none of you are going to do anything about this, then I'll get her down myself!"

Teresa picked up a rock and threw it as hard as she could, following in succession with some sticks and smaller rocks.

"Leave. Me. Alone!" she yelled as she threw them without stopping.

The boys stepped back, trying to dodge the flurry of rocks and sticks raining down. Some ran for pots, pans, and other items they could use to shield themselves.

"What do you want from me?" she demanded as she continued to throw items.

She saw a boy with a buzz cut dodge one of her attacks and he locked his angry eyes on hers as he pointed up at her.

"Hey! Throw one more of those things," he warned.

Teresa picked up a larger rock and aimed it at him, watching as he yelped and stumbled backwards when it connected with his forehead.

Newt pursed his lips as he took cover under a flat tray and murmured, "I don't think she likes us."

She continued throwing items at the boys, reaching for the bag of fruit to use when her supply of rocks and sticks began to run out. She had a plum in hand when another male yelled, "Stop! Stop! Hey, it's me, Thomas!"

She glanced down to see who yelled and spotted a pale boy with medium brown hair holding his hands up in the air.

"Okay," he called up. "I'm, I'm gonna come up there. Okay?"

She moved away from the railing and took a seat near the center support of the structure, clutching the machete tightly in her right hand. While she did want answers from this Thomas guy, she didn't want to let her guard down – for all she knew, he could be siding with the guy who wanted to banish her, or whatever he said.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and she flicked the machete blade out when the hatch door popped open. Thomas backed away, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Whoa! Whoa, easy there," he said.

"Where am I? What is this place?" she demanded as she locked her steely eyes on him. "Why can't I remember anything?"

"It's, it's okay," he said as he closed the hatch door slowly before moving away from the end of her blade. "It happens to all of us, we were just like you. They let you keep your name but that will come back within a day–"

"Teresa," she interrupted him.

"What?" he asked.

"My name," she said. "My name is Teresa."

"Teresa," Thomas repeated. "My name is Thomas. But, you already knew that."

He glanced down at her machete and softly asked if they could talk without it. She searched his eyes for any signs that he was lying and realized that he was telling the truth – like her, he was seeking answers that he hadn't gotten yet. She loosened her grip on the machete and allowed him to take it and put it down near the hatch.

"What's going on up there?" Newt called up. "Is she coming down?"

Thomas rose to his feet and walked over to the railing. He glanced back at Teresa who returned his look with a stony gaze – no way was she coming down until she had answers.

"Yeah uh," Thomas stalled as he looked down at the other Gladers. "Can you guys give us a minute?"

He watched as the Gladers looked at each other with doubt in their eyes before Newt waved all of them away, telling them to get back to whatever they were doing before.

"Are all girls like this?" Frypan mused before he returned to his post at the kitchen.

Thomas took a deep breath before he sat down on the floor of the Lookout, giving Teresa some space.

She looked at him, waiting for him to start talking, "Tell me everything."