Chapter 1: A Perilous Feeling

Thomas' eyes slice open as he leans upwards, a mass of tears flowing out of them and onto his shirtless torso, mixing with the sweat that covers him. His breathing is heavy, his heart thumping against his chest so hard he feels like he's going to break a rib. Of course, it isn't hot, he had another nightmare; they were normally a rare occurrence but over the months of being at Paradise, they've become more and more frequent, to the point where Thomas placed himself in a tent away from everyone else. He was keeping people awake, everyone's 'Fearless Leader' was keeping everyone awake due to pathetic, somewhat pointless nightmares; Thomas couldn't allow that to continue, not only because of his title but because he wants privacy. He thought it would be, at least, tolerable, moving on from the horrors that took place at WCKD's Final Battle, all the losses, the pain, but instead, it's haunted him ever since. His breathing slowly dolls down, but he doesn't have the comfort to go back to sleep, so instead, he puts on warm clothes and heads outside his tent, going to the one place he knows he'll have privacy; The Cliffs.

It didn't take Thomas long to reach the Cliffs, once a runner, always a runner, that's what Minho loves to say, and it's true; Thomas has been unable to let the runner part of him go, which isn't necessarily bad, someone has to scout the island for resources, as well as threats. Everyone has duties in Paradise, everyone is given tasks by Jorge, Vince or Thomas himself, and anyone who is caught not doing their duties is given more, as well as have to eat last. Thomas thought that was harsh at first but came to eventually, how else are they going to make sure people do what they have to do? Thomas stares at the horizon, seeing the small spark of light that will eventually become a sunrise, and a warm feeling in his heart. It's the coldest it's been since they've arrived at the island, especially at the cliffs, but it happens to be one the only places that Thomas feels comfortable, so he deals with it. He just wishes-
"Up here again, huh?" Brenda sighs, looking down at Thomas with a tiny smile on her face before sitting down. "If you needed company, you could have just asked, ya shank."
"You've been hanging out with Frypan and Ninho too much," Thomas scoffs, smiling a little, even though he doesn't really want to. "Besides, I didn't want to wake you."
"You know you've never bothered me, Thomas," Brenda sighs again. "Actually, I take that back; when you told me to leave you behind when we were at WCKD's, that pissed me off a little."
"I'm glad you didn't leave me behind, I thought I was ready to die, but when I bleeding out, I realised I still had so many things I wanted to do," Thomas explains, looking at Brenda's eyes. "Thank you, Brenda, I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Well, I know you would probably be sitting here by yourself if I wasn't here," she giggles, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Is it cold or is it just me?"
"It's cold," he looks at her, opening his jacket before placing his arm around her. "Come here."
Without questioning the moment, Thomas watches Brenda as she snuggles closer to him, allowing him to close his oversized jacket around her, making both himself and her even warmer than he expected. "I'm glad you're here with me, Brenda."
"Me too, Thomas, me too."

It's mid-morning and everyone is together eating breakfast; Minho, Frypan, Thomas, Gally and Brenda all sit at a table together; Jorge and Vince are elsewhere.
"God damn, Fry, you really gave us a treat today! What meat is this?!" Minho asks, taking a bite of something with the consistency of beef jerky.
"I got Miles and Johnathan to fetch us some meat, and- well- they showed up with a dozen snakes," Frypan whispers, causing Minho and Thomas to drop the snake jerky onto their plate before looking at him. Brenda and Gally aren't bothered by it, they just continue to bite at the jerky, a tiny smirk appearing on Brenda's face.
"It's shucking what?!" Minho asks, wiping his mouth with his shirt.
"You want me to spell it out for you, shank?" Frypan snarls, taking a bite of his jerky, growling at Minho. "You were liking it before I told you what it was, so stop shucking bitching and eat it. That goes for you too, Thomas."
"Did I say anything?" Thomas asks.
"You were bitching in your head."
"I didn't say anything," Thomas chuckles, the smile on his face making Brenda smile more; she's glad to see the smile she missed so much. "It does taste pretty good, Minho, you're allowed to admit it."
"You could be eating rabbit as an alternative, Minho," Gally adds, laughing a little. "You can't protect your little pet forever, what if one of us has- a craving for a rabbit."
"No! You touch Silas and I'll-" Minho bites back, making Gally, Frypan, Thomas and Brenda laugh more, nearly distracting everyone else from their breakfast. "That was louder than expected."
"I'm not going to eat your rabbit, Minho! Relax," Gally reassures.
"Alright, shut up and eat your breakfast before we catch everyone's attention," Brenda smiles, looking at Thomas with her dark eyes. "That means you too, mister."
"Yes, ma'am."