Chapter 36:
Avery stared at Thomas in shock. They couldn't be brother and sister. That's just crazy, but then again he did just go through the changing. So he was probably telling the truth.
"What?" she asked him, wanting to make sure she heard right.
"We are brother and sister." he repeated. She heard right.
"How?" she turned to look out the window.
"I don't know but I will explain later." Thomas never got to finish because Newt came in.
"Thomas you don't even look sick." He said to him. Thomas laughed.
"I feel a little queasy, but I'm fine. I thought it would have been worse than that." Newt shook his head. He looked angry but happy at the same time.
"What you did was half brave and half bloody stupid. Seems like you're good at doing that." He paused. "I now know why you did it. What came back? Anything that might help us?" Newt's questions came puring out.
"We need to have a Gathering, before I start forgetting." Thomas told him, sitting down. Newt moved to sit next to him, Avery stayed by the window.
"Yeah, Chuck told me. We'll have one. But why? Did you figure something out?" still with the questions.
"It's a test, Newt. The whole thing is a test."
"Like an experiment?"
Thomas shook his head,"No, you don't get it. They're weeding us out. Seeing who will give up and who will keep fighting. The are throwing tests, variables, at us. Testing our ability to hope and fight. Sending Teresa here and shutting everything down was only the last part. Sending Avery here to see how boys would cope with having another person here of different gender. To see if they would treat her like a leader like Alby, repect her opinion or like some weak girl. And now there's one more thing. Another analysis. Now it's time for the last test. To escape."
Newt looked at Thomas, confusion written clear on his face. "What do you mean? You know of a way out of here?"
"Yeah, call a Gathering. Now."
An hour later Thomas was standing in a room with all the Keeper surrounding him. They hadn't let Teresa or even Avery in. After everything that everything happened with Teresa and Avery, they still trusted them, they just weren't sure.
"Alright Greenie." Alby said. He looked much better as he sat in front of Thomas. He sat next the Newt. Thomas looked around the circle, two chairs were empty. Gally and Zart. "Forgot about the beat-around-the-bush klunk. Start." His instructions were clear. Thomas still felt a little uneasy from the Changing, but he forced himself to stand up and start talking.
"It's a long story, We don't have time to go through it all, but I will tell you most of it. When going through the Changing, I saw flahses of images, millions of them, like a slide show in fast forward. A lot came back to me, but only some of it's clear enough to tell you about it. Some stuff has faded or is fading."he paused glancing around the room to see who was listening. Everyone's ear and eyes were on him. "But I remember enough. The Creators are testing us. The Maze was never meant to be solved. It's all been a trial. They want the winners, or survivors, to do something important." Thomas stopped talking, he didn't know what order he should tell them.
"What?" Newt asked him.
"Hold on, let me start that over." Thomas rubbed his eyes. "We were all taken when we were really young. I don't remember how any of us were taken or why, I just got glimpses and feelings that things really bad just happened in the world. The Creators, they stole us, and I am pretty sure they didn't think twice about doing it. Somehow they figured out that we have above average intelligence. That's why they chose us." Thomas stopped talking to breathe. "I can't remember anything about my family or my old life. But after we were taken, we spent the next few years learning in special schools, living somewhat normal lives, until they were finally about to finace and build the Maze. All of our names, are just nicknames. They aren't our really names. Like Alby for Albret Einstein, Newt for Isaac Newton, and me Thomas, as in Edison." Thomas looked at Alby, who looked like he had just seen a ghost.
"Our names aren't even real?" Thomas nodded.
"As far as I can tell, we'll probably never know what they are."
"What are talking about?" Frypan spoke up, for the first time, since the meeting started. "That we were rasied by scientists?"
"Yes,"Thomas said. Supposedly we're really smart and they're studying every move we make, analyzing us. No wonder we have so many beetle blades running around here. Plus some of us have had things...altered in our brains." Thomas said thinking back to Avery.
Avery was outside the Gathering room, sitting on the ground with Teresa.
"What do you think will happen. Do you think that we will be able to escape?" Teresa asked her.
"I don't know. But I really hope so. For all of our sakes." Avery said, looking at the sky. "I really hope so."