Dreams

"LEAVE. ME. ALONE!"

"Take cover, y'all! Take cover!"

"Watch out!"

"Hey, stop it!"

"We come in peace!"

"Haha!" Beside Hope, Chuck laughed merrily. "This girl's amazing!"

"U-Um," while Hope stuttered, "you could… say that."

After Hope had calmed herself down, she followed her ears to where she heard shouting and screaming. The shouting was coming from the boys, while the screaming was coming from the girl; similarly, the boys were standing on the ground, while the girl was hiding atop the Watch Tower and… throwing rocks at them. Hope ran up to stand beside the smiling Chuck, who only continued laughing once she got there, and Hope continued to look completely shocked at what she was witnessing. She had to notice how different this new girl was to her in regards to their initial reaction to the Glade. Though, the main thing that Hope was worrying about were the Gladers' heads. Some of them were holding some sort of protective covering over their heads, but… others weren't so lucky.

"Hey! Throw one more of those things, and I'll-" Poor Gally had a rock strike his head before he could finish. "Ow!"

And poor Newt could only chuckle. "I don't think she likes us very much!"

"Look, hey, we just wanna talk!" Even Thomas tried to calm the situation down. "We just wanna-!"

"I'm warning you!" the girl threatened, throwing yet another rock down. "Go away!"

"Even though this is hilarious as heck, I'm glad that this wasn't you on your first day," Minho, who had also been standing beside Hope, commented with a smirk. "This girl's crazy."

"I-I don't think that 'crazy' is the right word," Hope gulped. "I think… she's just scared."

"...Hey, it's Thomas! It's Thomas!" All of a sudden, Thomas pulled the Thomas-card. And when he did, an even more surprising thing happened: the rocks stopped falling. Furthermore, everyone could see the girl peek her head over the side of the tower, a fearful look in her eyes. "I-I'm gonna come up, okay?!" The girl didn't respond to that, and merely moved her head away from the edge. Still, it wasn't a no, so Thomas took it as a yes. "Okay… Just me."

Upon hearing that final sentence, Gally gave Thomas a weird look, but Thomas just ignored it and walked toward the tower. Everyone watched as the Greenie started climbing up the ladders, some of them with confused expressions and others with amused smiles. Either way, it was a total mystery as to how those two knew each other, and it was even weirder how a girl that didn't even know her own name knew somebody else's. So, once again, Hope had to wonder what was truly going on here. She had to wonder why this was happening to them.

"Woah, woah, woah!" In another setting, Thomas had finally reached the top of the Watch Tower. However, instead of being met with only a girl, he was met with a girl with a blade in her hand. "O-Okay, just… Easy, alright?"

The girl didn't put the blade down. Not even an inch. "Where am I? What is this place? …And why can't I remember anything?!"

"Th-This is all normal, okay?" Thomas quickly stated. "We've all been through this. Now, your name will come back to you in a couple of days. I-It's the one thing that-"

"Teresa," the girl unexpectedly said, causing Thomas' eyes to widen.

"What… did you say?"

"My name," the girl hissed. "It's Teresa."

"Then, um… Teresa, I'm Thomas," Thomas said, a blade still pointed at him. "But you… you already knew that, though, huh?"

Teresa glanced away for a split second. "They said I kept saying your name in my sleep. Who are you?"

"...I don't know," Thomas said after simply shaking his head for a few moments. "I-I can't remember. None of us here can remember anything. We all woke up here just like you did, so I… I promise…" Thomas then carefully lifted his hand toward the blade. "I'm gonna take this, okay? I'm not gonna hurt you." Luckily, Thomas was able to take the blade from Teresa. But then, upon seeing the worry still swirling in her eyes, Thomas thought up something that might help. "Hey, there's… there's another girl here. I-If you'd feel better with her up here too, I could get her for you."

"Another… girl?" Teresa blinked in surprise, making Thomas nod right away.

"Yeah. Yeah, she's… she's really nice. I think you'd like her."

"...What's going on up there?!" Just then, Gally's voice shot through the air. The sound made Thomas stand up from where he'd been kneeling, walk over to the edge of the tower, and look down at everyone.

"She comin' down?!" Newt also asked.

"Um…" Thomas looked back at Teresa, and Teresa looked back up at Thomas. Then, when the boy saw her give him the smallest of nods, Thomas turned his head back toward the ground. And off to his right, his eyes met another girl's. "Hey, Hope! Can you come up here?!"

"R-Really?!" Hope shouted back. "You sure?!"

"Yeah!" Thomas nodded. "She's okay with it!"

"Okay…" Hope sighed before showing Chuck and Minho a smile. "Well, c'ya later."

"Good luck," Chuck and Mingo said in unison, while Hope walked past them and toward the Tower. And exactly like Thomas, all eyes were on her as she climbed up, but she didn't look at any of them. The only person that Hope looked at was the girl, who looked straight into her eyes the second that Hope reached the top.

"H-Hello there," Hope greeted, deliberately sitting beside Thomas. "Are you doing okay?"

"Not really…" Teresa replied. "My head hurts."

"Yeah, I think that that's probably normal," Hope said with a compassionate smile. "My name's Hope. Do you remember your name yet?"

"...Teresa."

"Ah, a wonderful name. It's nice to meet you, Teresa."

"Are there… any other girls?"

"Nope. It's just you and me now."

"When did you get here?"

"A month before Thomas," Hope remarked as she smiled over at said boy. "I also have a dog named Hugo. I know that he'd love to meet you."

After that, Teresa simply stared at the smiling girl named Hope. And while Hope was sitting next to Thomas, Teresa had to notice how… oddly alike they looked. It would've been hard to tell from far away, but those two had some similar features that Teresa couldn't seem to shake from her mind. More so, the mystery as to why she knew Thomas' name still baffled her. And the mystery as to why her fear had decreased ever since Hope got there… made Teresa feel even more confused. What's going on? Teresa kept questioning herself. What in the world is going on? But right as her thoughts were starting to get jumbled again…

"Hey, it's okay." Teresa heard Hope's voice… and a hand rest on her own. "We'll talk to you more after you've settled down. And, until then, we'll wait for you. Take all the time you need."

In response, Teresa merely nodded.

Once Teresa had fully calmed down, the group of three moved to the side of the tower. With each of their legs dangling over the edge, Thomas and Hope sitting on either side of Teresa, they watched as the new girl stared at the piece of paper in her hands. "'She's the last one'... What does that mean?"

"We're not sure," Thomas muttered. "But ever since you came up, that Box hasn't gone back down. I think it's just got everyone a little worried… Especially Gally."

"...He thinks it's my fault," Teresa said, prompting Hope to shake her head.

"No, he just gets like this when he's worried. And if he's blaming anyone, it's himself. He wants to figure out what to do, but… he can't."

"And what are you going to do?" Teresa asked the girl. "What's gonna happen?"

"That, my friend, I do not know," Hope sighed, yet was giving Teresa a friendly smile. "I don't think any of us do."

"Are you sure you don't remember anything else?" Thomas then questioned. "Anything at all?"

"...I remember water - feeling like I was drowning," Teresa said as she glanced downward. "These faces were staring at me… And this woman's voice," Hope's eyes widened, "saying the same thing over and over."

Thomas nodded. "W.I.C.K.E.D is good."

"W-Wait, wait, wait." Unlike Thomas, Hope wasn't getting it. "When did this happen?"

"Ever since I got here. From day one, I've been having these dreams," Thomas stated, causing Hope's eyes to grow even larger. "Well, I thought they were dreams… But you…" Thomas stared into Teresa's eyes. "You were there. You were there, and you told me that everything was gonna change."

"What does it mean…?" Teresa asked, while Hope was still completely flabbergasted.

"I don't know. I just always get pieces," Thomas said and then finally noticed Hope's face. The shock on her face made his own expression immediately worried as well. "Hope…? Do you… have dreams, too?"

"Y-You say… You say you hear a woman, right?" Hope inquired, prompting Teresa and Thomas to nod in response. "W-Well, I… Since the first day I got here, I've been hearing this woman too. But she doesn't say… that to me."

Teresa's eyes turned curious. "Then what does she say?"

"She says things that… I can't see," Hope started explaining while she gazed across the Glade. "I don't see pictures or flashes. I just hear her. And she's not mean to me. She's quite nice, actually, but she… she talks to me like… we were once close. Like she knew me extremely well." But then, Hope's uneasy expression turned sad. "Though, the woman… the woman isn't the only voice I hear."

"Who else," Thomas tilted his head, "do you hear?"

"...A girl," Hope uttered in a pained tone. "And let's just say that… she's not as nice to me. I hear their voices almost every night, but they don't say anything that would help us. It just makes everything more confusing."

"And the others," Teresa said, looking between Thomas and Hope. "They don't remember anything?"

"No," Thomas huffed. "So why are we different?"

Not a single one of them had an answer to that question. Despite their very eye-opening conversation, there was still not a single question answered. They were still in the dark and trapped within a maze filled with monsters. Moreover, the threat of the Box never coming up again made matters even worse. They needed those questions answered, because if not, the worst of the worst could happen. And then there was Alby, who was nearly dead and about to be banished into the Maze. Nevertheless, maybe Teresa had a solution to one of those problems.

"These were in my pocket when I came up," Teresa suddenly acknowledged after taking out two things from out of her pocket. She handed one to Hope, and the other to Thomas, so the two teenagers inspected the objects at the same time. They were long metal tubs filled with what looked like blue liquid, and they even had the sigil 'W.I.C.K.E.D' embedded into them.

"'W.I.C.K.E.D is good,'" Thomas and Hope murmured at the same time. They each looked up from the tubs to stare into one another's eyes, an understanding within them.

"What if we were sent up here for a reason?" Teresa then questioned the two, making Thomas' eyes widen like saucers.

"Alby."

"We don't even know what this stuff is," Newt argued the moment that he had heard Thomas' suggestion. The three newbies had run into the Infirmary, where they were met with the two Medjacks and Newt. Of course, there was also Alby, who was still writhing in pain. "We don't know who sent it, or why it came up here with you." Newt motioned straight to Teresa. "I mean, for all we know, this thing could kill him."

"He's already dying," Thomas and Hope argued at the exact same time. This abrupt act made the two of them glance toward each other in surprise, while Teresa and Newt glanced between either of them. Even Jeff and Clint looked at them weirdly. Regardless, Thomas shook his head and continued on. "J-Just look at him. How could this possibly make it any worse?"

"I-I think it's worth a try, Newt," Hope remarked after seeing Newt show Alby a sad look. "You know I don't wanna hurt him more, but… there must be more answers than just death and banishment."

"...Alright." Newt ultimately gave in, handing the tube back to Thomas. "Do it."

Thomas instantly took it back into his own hands before walking over to Alby. Then, once the boy was leaning over him, everyone gathered around as well. Hope and Newt stood next to one another, Teresa stood on the opposite side of Thomas, while Jeff and Clint stared anxiously at the scene. However, the moment that Thomas was ready to put the needle in, something very unexpected happened.

"Ruff!" Hugo, who'd silently been sitting off to the side, barked angrily when the moment happened. "Ruff, ruff!"

"You shouldn't be here!" Alby awoke from his slumber and grabbed onto Thomas' shirt, causing the boy to lose his footing. This made Thomas unable to free himself from Alby's tight grip, and yet the thing that scared Thomas the most, was the complete anger in Alby's pitch-black eyes. "You shouldn't be here! NO!"

"G-Get the syringe!" Thomas shouted while everyone grabbed onto either him or Alby, trying to disconnect the other from the other. "Hurry!"

Pop!Teresa stabbed Alby's chest with the needle, causing it to pop and release all of its blue liquid into the teenager. Because of this, Alby let go of Thomas, his body relaxing. Therefore, Thomas was able to stand back up and take a breather. Everyone else in the room, too. Furthermore, once Newt looked over Thomas to make sure he was alright, the second-in-command gave a command.

"Okay, from now on, someone stays here and watches him around the clock!"

"Y-Yeah," Hope gulped, still processing what just happened, "I think that'd be best."

"...Hey." All of a sudden, a familiar voice cut-through the tension and… replaced it with even more tension. They all turned toward the Infirmary's door to see Gally standing there. "Sundown, you two. Time to go."

Thomas did look slightly disappointed, but he also knew that he couldn't win against Gally. However, before he actually walked out, Thomas glanced toward the person in the same boat as him, who was standing beside Newt with a smile on her face.

"I'll be okay," Hope whispered to Newt, knowing exactly what those worried eyes of his were thinking. "At least you'll be able to sleep in your own bed, right?

Newt huffed. "That doesn't make me feel better."

"It's okay. After all, it's what I deserve," Hope whispered and then started backing up. Then, once Hope was standing beside Thomas, she showed him a smile as well. "Ready to go, Pit-buddy?"

"Pfft," Thomas managed to snicker. "Sure."

Hence, Thomas and Hope walked out of the Infirmary, Gally following right behind them. But little did the two of them know… how intense their night would truly be.

With a fiery torch in hand, Gally led Hope and Thomas to their final destination for the night: the Pit. It was completely dark by then, so as Hope walked, she stared up at the night sky. Sadly, it was a little hard to see the stars in spite of Gally's torch, but Hope was okay with that. All that mattered was if she could see the luminescent moon, which shone yellow and white on that cool night. Hope took a deep breath in, still trying her best to calm down after everything that had happened on that day. Her surviving a death-maze, Newt's kiss, Teresa's arrival, Newt's pain, Hope's shared dreams with Thomas and Teresa, and even what happened just now with Alby. It had been a crazy day, and Hope was extremely tired. She was so tired that not even a cold, hard dirt bed could keep her awake for very much longer.

However, when Hope smiled down at Hugo after he'd given her hand a friendly lick, the tranquil mood was taken… by Thomas' voice.

"Hey, what is your problem with me?" Thomas asked the Keeper walking beside him. "What did I do to you?"

"Everything started going wrong the minute you showed up," Gally answered with a slight edge to his tone. "First Ben, then Alby… and now the girl." The group of four then stopped in front of the Pit, yet Gally continued on. "Everybody saw she recognized you, and I'm betting you know who she is."

After that being said, Gally leaned over and opened up the Pit's wooden door. But unlike Thomas, who scoffed and jumped down into it, Hope stayed back for a second. With her body facing the Pit, her head turned toward Gally, Hope showed Gally a sympathetic look. "You okay…?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Gally asked, prompting Hope to take a deep breath.

"I'm not your enemy, Gally."

"I know."

"And I'm not angry with you."

"...I know."

"Do you?" Hope whispered in a gloomy tone. "Because, I'm sorry, but I don't think you do."

"It doesn't matter," Gally sighed. "Just get into the-"

"I cherish you as much as I did back then," Hope interjected, and she could see Gally's eyes widen slightly in response. "And I still have those flowers you gave me. Whatever you say, or whatever you do, I will never throw those flowers away."

With that, Hope jumped down into the Pit, followed by Hugo. Thomas was giving her a weird look the entire way down, but Hope ignored his confused stare and simply sat down beside him; Hugo laid down beside her, resting his head on her leg, and she started petting his head. Though, not surprisingly, Thomas wasn't done with Gally just yet. So, while Gally was locking the Pit's door shut, Thomas walked right up to that same door to show the boy a serious look. "You… You know we can't stay here forever, right?"

But Gally just glanced over at Thomas, not giving him a single word of response. Likewise, once he had finished with the tying, Gally stood up, grabbed his torch, and walked off into the night. Upon seeing this, Thomas let out a loud sigh while he backed up into the wall, sliding his back down it once he reached it. Then, the boy tried to look over at Hope, but couldn't really see her since there wasn't a single ounce of light surrounding the Pit. That didn't stop Thomas from being his curious-self, however.

"Why do you care so much about him?" Thomas muttered. "He's a prick to you too, y'know."

"Why should that matter?" Hope's gentle voice danced through the darkness. "Being a prick, not being a prick… Why should I dislike someover over that?"

"Because you don't deserve that," Thomas protested, and although no one could see him, there was confusion in his eyes. "He's a bully: someone that should have his terrible attitude shot right back at him."

"Would that… make you feel better?"

"What?"

"Would it make you feel better to be a bully back to him?"

"A bully like him deserves to be bullied back, so… I guess, yeah."

"So it's true that it'd make you feel better, but what about Gally?"

"What about him?"

"What about his feelings?" Hope suggested, hitting the back of her head against the wall behind her. "Thomas, why are you trying so hard to get out of here?"

Thomas shrugged. "Because we don't belong here."

"Well, for some, this is the only place that they have ever belonged," Hope countered, causing Thomas' eyes to widen in the blackness. "This is the only place that some of them have ever called home. It's sad, I know, but it's also the truth. And now, you're trying to take that home away. Imagine someone trying to take your home away, Thomas. Wouldn't you be angry? Resentful? Untrusting? Wouldn't you dislike this person so much that… you'd start 'bullying' them for it?" Thomas didn't respond. All he did was stare into the dark abyss in front of him. This gave Hope the opportunity to say one last thing. "So, instead of bullying the bully, maybe you should try to understand why they're being a bully. Maybe, just maybe, you don't have to become a bully yourself."

It may have been pitch-black, but at that moment, a light connected the two teenagers. It wasn't the brightest of lights, but it was there. The light carried a strange yet familiar feeling between the two, making them each unable to say another word. It was a light that had been long blown out - taken too soon. But now it was back again, and it was stronger than ever before. Once more, Thomas felt connected to Hope, while Hope felt connected to Thomas. In some strange, mysterious way, Hope's uncharacteristic, honest argument… had made the two grow closer together.

Rustle… But just then, a sudden rustling noise was heard moving toward the Pit. This caused the silent air to turn worried, especially when Thomas and Hope noticed an orange light coming toward them as well.

"W-Who's there?" Thomas asked, prompting a certain boy to peek his bead into the Pit.

"It's just me."

"Oh…" Thomas sighed in relief. "Sorry, Chuck."

"What'd you got there, buddy?" Hope questioned as well, moving her body to sit in front of the door. Though, when she got a better look at his materials, her eyes widened. "I-Is that…"

"Here," Chuck said as he handed the two a thing of bread. "You'll run better on a full stomach."

Thomas immediately took the bread, while Hope slowly took it. And as the boy started eating away at it, Hope stared down at the food sadly.

"Thanks, Chuck," Thomas said and then noticed Hope's frozen body. "Hope? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing." Hope shook her head. "It's just that I'm not even gonna be running, so… I feel like it's unfair."

"Wait, what?" Chuck and Thomas remarked at the same time. "You're not running?"

"Sorry, Thomas, but being a Runner isn't for me," Hope acknowledged with a small smile. "I like being a Cook, and I like spending my day here. Plus, you and Minho won't need me. You're the perfect duo for the job."

Thomas huffed, but nodded nonetheless. "Whatever you want, but you better still eat. I'm not eating another bite until you do."

"Th-That's…" Just like Thomas, Hope had to huff upon hearing his words, but also nodded nevertheless. She opened up her cloth filled with bread, took a bite out of the soft food, and then gave Chuck a grateful smile. "You're the best, Chuck. Thank you."

In response, Chuck merely smiled back. But as Hope started eating her food, and after Thomas had given a piece of his food to Hugo, the Greenie looked up to find… Chuck staring forlornly down at his hand. But from where he sat, Thomas couldn't actually see what the boy was staring at. "Hey," so Thomas just had to ask, "what's that?"

"...This," Chuck answered, moving his hand to place his trinket through one of the wooden bars. This gave Hope and Thomas a perfect view of what they both knew was his wooden man: the thing Chuck had been working on for the past few weeks. Both of the older teenagers smiled.

"Wow, that came out pretty dang well," Thomas stated, causing Hope to nod in agreement.

"Definitely. I remember when I first saw it as just a piece of wood. This is awesome."

"What's it for, though?" Thomas furthered. "For fun or… or somethin' else?"

"...It's for my parents," Chuck said after a short pause, making Hope and Thomas share a stunned look.

"You remember your parents?" the two muttered at the same time.

"No," Chuck said with a shake of his head. "I mean, I know I must have them. And wherever they are, I'm sure they miss me, but… I can't miss them, because I don't remember them." Chuck then moved his head to stare toward the Maze's closed entrance. "What do you think you're gonna find out there tomorrow?"

"Uh, I…" Thomas shrugged. "I don't know. But if there's a way out, Chuck, me and Minho are gonna find it."

Hope gazed over toward Thomas, while Chuck gazed down at his wooden man. But then, Chuck's eyes found Thomas again, and Hope's eyes found Chuck, who handed his little man out to Thomas. "Here."

"Chuck…" Despite his confusion, Thomas took the trinket from the boy. "Chuck, why would you give this to me?"

"I can't remember them anyway," Chuck murmured in the most depressing tone Hope had ever heard come out of his mouth. "B-But maybe… maybe if you find a way out, you can give it to them for me."

"...Say what?" At that moment, Hope felt an anger rise within her. An anger that she had never felt before. But merely hearing Chuck's hopeless words made Hope practically lose it. "Ch-Chuck, you can't be serious. Did you really just say that?"

"Hope, you know it's true," Chuck argued. "I'm not fast or brave - I'm not even sma-"

"Chuck, I would rather d-" However, Hope cut herself off before saying such a thing. So, instead, she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Chuck. I hope you know that I'd rather eat a fist-full of dirt before I'd let anything happen to you. And if you're not getting out of here, then I'm not getting out of here. No way."

"I agree with her, so just take this back," Thomas added, taking Chuck's hand in his own, placing the wooden man into Chuck's smaller one, and then keeping their hands locked together. "We're gonna get outta here, Chuck. All of us. I promise, okay?"

Instead of responding with words, Chuck simply shook his head and stood up. With his wooden man back in his own hand, Hope could see tears lining the poor boy's eyes. But Hope didn't say anything about it, allowing Chuck to walk away and collect his thoughts. Furthermore, once Thomas and Hope each let out a simultaneous sigh, they hit their backs against the wall behind them and sat down; similarly, Hugo laid down in between them, snuggling himself between either of their legs.

"I can barely stay awake…" Hope breathed. "It's probably 'cause I haven't been able to sleep in the past twenty-four hours, though."

"Probably," Thomas said with a smile. "But yeah, you should get some sleep. I'll be quiet now."

"And you… should get some sleep, too," Hope commented lethargically. "You have a very big day… tomorrow. You can't be… sleeping on… the job. Minho might… murder you."

"Pfft, thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Though, I think that-" Thomas' words got caught in his stomach, though, the second he felt a weight fall onto his shoulder. And Thomas knew that the weight could've been only one thing, but it still shocked him when he actually saw it. Hope had fallen asleep, so her head… had also fallen onto his shoulder. "H-Hope…?"

The only reply that Thomas got was Hope's even breathing, and for some reason, the sound made him take a deep breath in as well. He turned his head away from her, hit it against the wall behind him, and stared up at the Pit's ceiling. But as he continued to hear Hope's peaceful breathing, he abruptly remembered… something she had said to him.

"Maybe… there's something broken in me."

No, maybe there was something broken in him, because for the life of him… Thomas still couldn't understand what Hope had meant by that.