"Meraya!" Newt hissed. "That was supposed to wait until the tour." Meraya could tell Newt was mad but she couldn't care less.
"Oh he was gonna find out sooner or later, what's the difference." Newt sat back, a frown etched into his face.
"What's the maze?" Thomas asked, this time specifically asking Meraya, but Newt interrupted.
"You'll find out tomorrow." Newt said, sending a pointed look to Meraya, who only rolled her eyes.
Dinner finished up rather uneventfully and everyone went their own ways. Meraya went towards the edge of the Deadheads, while Newt went to set up for the bonfire they threw for each new greenie. Thomas had disappeared with Chuck and Meraya finally got her well-loved, but rarely found alone time. She looked up towards the clear night sky, the stars shining brilliantly. Something about the glade had always felt so artificial. Meraya always had an intense desire to just bolt out into the maze and escape, but rules were rules and if she wanted to survive, she was better off following them.
Meraya sighed, glancing over at the growing fire. The boys were already getting roudy and it hadn't been more than ten minutes. Gally must have made that drink again. No one really knew what was in it, other than Gally himself of course, but boy was it strong. Meraya let a soft smile form as she watched the boys of the glade sing and dance. They had started up their little shoving game. They swore to her it was much more complex than that but, in reality, it was a shoving match. Meraya watched from a few yards away as Thomas was thrown in. She could tell by his face something was making him angry. Meraya winced as Gally shoved him a little too hard and Thomas knocked his head hard. He lay there for a few seconds, immobile and worry began to set in. Meraya made a move to get up, but Thomas scrambled to his feet.
"Thomas!" he shouted, a smile breaking out. "My name is Thomas!"
The crowd cheered, chanting his name. The smile on Thomas' face was infectious and Meraya found herself smiling too. She settled back down, watching the boys. Thomas wandered off with Newt and Meraya was, once again, alone with her thoughts.
The bonfire was beginning to die down and Thomas felt sleep begin to pull at him. Newt had long since left and Thomas figured it was time to call it a day too. He stood, stretching his limbs and left the warmth of the dying bonfire. As he made his way towards the sleeping area, he spotted a familiar figure by the trees, curious, Thomas walked over. As he got closer he saw it was Meraya. He found himself thankful for this opportunity, maybe they could figure out this weird connection they had.
"Hey." Thomas breathed, standing a few feet away.
"Hey." Meraya answered back. She was slightly surprised that he had come over, but offered the spot next to her for him to join. "How was the bonfire?"
"It was fun, I remembered my name." Thomas said with a smile. Meraya smiled back, nudging him softly with her elbow.
"Yeah I heard, Thomas." Something about the way his name sounded on her lips made him want to hear it again.
"So…." Thomas trailed off, looking up at the sky.
"How do we know each other?" Meraya finished offering a half smile. "I wish I knew." She sighed. Thomas looked at her, feeling the same sort of frustration at not knowing that she felt. It was quiet between the two for a while.
"You feel like home." Meraya whispered absentmindedly.
Thomas looked at her sharply, not sure he had heard her clearly. Meraya looked at Thomas straight on, in the eyes. "I don't know what it is about you, but you're going to change things around here…." Thomas bit his lip worried, what did that mean? "And I'm not sure if that's good or bad just yet." Thomas was stunned to silence as this girl that he had just met, seemed to surprise him each second. Meraya sighed and stood. "You should get to sleep, it's late and that tour is torturously early. Goodnight Thomas." With that, Meraya headed back to the Homestead for the night, leaving Thomas to his thoughts.
Thomas watched her leave, confusion pervading his every thought. There was something about her he couldn't place. She was important to him, that much he was sure about, the strange rush of joy and relief he'd felt when seeing her explained that much, but why she was important to him, he had no idea. Thomas's attention turned to the walls. Just after dinner he had watched them close. Thomas will never forget the claustrophobia that had originally choked him, making him dizzy. It was an awe-inspiring site, but so final is almost terrified him. His eyes scanned the old rocks, covered in ivy and moss. That night, Thomas made a promise to himself. He would get them out of there, if not for himself, then for Meraya.
Thomas was awoken by a hand covering his mouth and a soft whisper of "shhhh." Thomas' first instinct was to panic as his eyes darted around the dim light of morning to find who was holding him down. "Shuck greenie, it's just me." Hearing the familiar accent calmed Thomas immediately. Feeling the change, Newt removed his hand and helped Thomas off the ground.
"Time for the tour!'' Newt said. The tour was much like the one given to Meraya, although she definitely didn't ask as many questions. Newt first showed Thomas the deadheads, since Newt found him by the trees. "This is where we bury the dead." Newt explained, just as somber as ever. He was one of the first, so he remembered everyone to come through and laid to rest. It still hurt.
Next on the list was the Homestead and by the time Newt was to the Gardens, the sun was beginning to rise. Thomas's attention was pulled away from the tour as four boys went sprinting into the maze. "Who're they?" Thomas asked, not even paying the slightest attention to what Newt had been saying. Newt followed his gaze and frowned.
"Get it out of that shuck brain of yours greenie. No one goes into the maze, not less you're a runner." Newt explained.
"Well how to I get to be one?" Thomas asked. Newt had begun walking away and Thomas had to jog to catch up.
"You don't just join. You gotta be picked, and that ain't gonna happen." Newt sighed hoping Thomas would drop it. Of course, he didn't.
"Well why not?" Thomas shot back. Newt stopped in his tracks turning around with an angry face. "Because greenie, you can't just go off into the maze alright. There are things out there, dangerous and only the fastest of us go out….not everyone comes back." Thomas was silent, something Newt was grateful for, and they continued their tour. Finally at the end, Newt showed Thomas the same window he had shown Meraya. However, there was one difference. Instead of deterring Thomas from wanting to be a runner, it only reinforced it.
The day passed by rather quickly and Meraya found herself eating dinner with Newt, Chuck and Thomas. There was a somber feeling to the dining hall. Newt kept glancing at the maze walls. Meraya would follow his gaze every so often and many of the other gladers seemed just as antsy and unnverved. That morning, Alby had gone into the maze with Minho, the Keeper of the runners. Meraya wasn't sure why, but neither had come back. They finished dinner and the gladers began to surround the wall, one by one, after they finished eating.
Meraya sat on the ground, legs crossed as Newt bounced from foot to foot on her left. Thomas was on her right, wringing his hands. She was slightly surprised at his amount of worry for two boys he barely knew. Chuck stood behind her, gripping her shoulder in his hand. Hours passed and there was no sign of them. Now, it was just Newt, Chuck, Thomas and Meraya. They were the only ones who had held out. Newt sighed and shook his head, giving up. "They're not coming back." The sadness in his voice tore through Meraya as she and Thomas watched Newt limp away. She glanced at Thomas, seeing his own distress at the situation.
"They're here!" Chuck's voice echoed around the glade. Everyone's head snapped towards the entrance. Minho had just turned the corner, Alby's slumped figure hanging from Minho's shoulder. A crowd had formed in front of the entrance, shouting encouragement for Minho to make it. Alby slipped from Minho's grasp and thudded to the ground. Minho grabbed Alby's arm and began to drag his body. The doors let out a deep click, unhinging from their hold. They were running out of time.
Go. Meraya heard a voice in her mind. Go out there. It was Thomas.
Minho grunted in fear and frustration as the large doors began to slide shut. Panic rose in the gladers voices. No one had ever survived the ngiht out there. If they were trapped, they were dead.
GO! MOVE! Meraya felt her body step forward, but she stopped herself. She looked at Thomas but his eyes were trained on Minho and Alby. HELP THEM! And then Meraya realized they weren't her thoughts, they were his. She saw how his body tensed and she knew, Meraya knew her was going out there.
"Thomas!" but her voice was drowned out in the screaming. The doors were inching closer and closer by the second.
Run! Thomas lurched forward into the maze between the closing doors, Meraya just behind him. The doors pressed in on their bodies, forcing them to scuttle sideways.
Thomas! Fear shot through Meraya as the doors pressed tightly on her body. Thomas stumbled out of the doors, yanking hard on Meraya's arm. She stumbled forward as the doors locked shut for the night with a heavy thud. Final.
"What did you just do?" Meraya whispered, snatching her arm back, terror filling every part of her. They were stuck in the maze for the whole night.