Chapter 10: Back Again
Thomas was completely taken aback.
First, he thought Minho had been homesick and mistook that person as Aris. But now, he was slowly recognizing a hint of amber, waves of fairness, and those mythic green eyes. It was definitely Aris. Thomas blinked his eyes furiously but the three were stilling standing there, unchanged.
Hell, it really was him. And Sonya, and Harriet.
"Oh my god, you're all alright," Harriet exclaimed.
"Define 'alright'." Frypan jokingly uttered and they all laughed, brightening this awkward atmosphere a little.
The members of the Group B were wearing the same as him - plain navy shirt and military black jeans. Their hair was neat and trimmed, tangles and knots gone, replaced with silky bangs of blond and black.
The crimson puffy bruises Aris had when Thomas rescued him were all gone. His lips were rosy again, and his speckled freckles were no longer hidden beneath the dirt and dust.
They look happy, Thomas thought. Maybe the nurses brainwashed them?
Oh, stop being so sarcastic. The other himself snapped.
"So how did you guys end up here? You were all at the port with Vince." Brenda questioned demandingly, raising her eyebrows.
Sonya, whose sleek blonde hair had fallen onto her shoulders, snickered sheepishly, seeming to be very pleased with their reunion. "Well, the next morning you guys left, us three were the first to find out. So we stole a truck, and when we were halfway to the Last City, these people-" She pointed at Rebbecca, who smiled back, "took us here. They told us they could take us to the Safe Haven, and rescue you guys, too."
"I guess we're shucked rebellious children, after all," Frypan remarked, and Thomas laughed, knowing what he was referring to. Brenda laughed too - they both had stolen a truck each, and abandoned them without even caring about it. A nice friendly gift for the Cranks.
"And how do you know if these people aren't lying?" Thomas inquired, still doubtful.
"Well, they saved us from the cranks out there, and they have some WICKD scientists as hostages," Aris explained briefly, and quickly added when Thomas shot him an unconvinced look, "Also, most of all, they never run any kinds of tests on us. Now that is a proof, right?"
Aris wasn't lying, Thomas could tell. This kid was trustworthy, since he shared major information with them at the Scorch, and saved his life more than million times. Most importantly he was a former member of the Group B, whom he had suffered as much as Thomas. He and Aris shared numerous similarities, and he believed Aris would never turn him down.
"You know where they're keeping Newt at?" Gally, for the first time, opened his mouth, and everyone turned their attention to that familiar low voice. But the voice was calm and innocent instead of old menacing tone. His seagull eyebrows raised when he felt everyone's eyes on him.
"Oh, you must be Gally. I heard a lot about you, you were some elite soldier there." Rebbecca commented pleasantly, and that compliment seemed to have no effect on Gally. He just shrugged and repeated the question louder.
"I was talking to Aris," Gally pointed out, and that didn't irritate the head nurse at all since he smiled again and took step back.
Aris scratched his nose, not looking so sure. He glimpsed at Rebbecca, then quickly looking away, fingers fidgeting. The young boy was hiding something, but he lifted his head grimly as if to announce something. As his hair shifted Thomas noticed his ears were flushed bright red.
"I saw his nameplate." He finally declared. "It said Newt like I just told you. It was locked and I could hear...him, so I decided it would be wise to stay away."
"What do you mean you could hear 'him'?" Thomas demanded, his voice escalating by the mention of his friend's name. Everything was getting on his nerves now. If there was one thing Thomas desperately wanted to know was Newt's safety. Was Newt even here?
Aris hesitated again and sighed heavily. His looked directly at Thomas, his eyes full of determination. Thomas widened his eyes to indicate him to start speaking. "You know, screaming, crying, and all that you can hear from a crank."
His heart dropped. Now he wished he hadn't heard those words. Sonya and Harriet patted Aris on the back, mouthing 'that was the right thing to do'. Thomas felt himself double over, his vision swarming with black dots and lines. The serum Brenda had injected into him, didn't work. Newt was a crank again. He couldn't believe it. His heart, still sinking into deep sorrow, wrenched with guilt and anger and resignation and-
"Newt is alright."
"What?"
Rebbecca repeated her sentence, smiling. "Newt is alright."
"What- How- how come?" Minho, his hand fisted into a tight ball, stuttered, fazed by a sudden rush of news. "Aris just said-"
"All he said is true. But an old truth. We were able to secure a few serum and injected one of them into your friend. He is still unstable and fully past Gone, but his normal symptoms are returning, so we're good to expect positive results."
That was the most wonderful sentence he had heard in his life. He straightened up and squeezed Minho's shoulder and Minho grinned. His stomach still ached with guilt and concern but his friend was going to be alive, alive with him and Minho.
"Alright. So I guess I owe you a thank-you." Thomas muttered, eyeing Rebbecca. She just smiled and gestured at the assistants charismatically. His friends seemed to have admitted and relaxed in their beds, and even Minho let out a joyful chuckle and settled himself in those blankets.
"We made it," Minho whispered in relief as he fell back onto his bed and shuffled to find a comfortable position, leaning a little to Thomas. Thomas grinned, squeezing the Asian's shoulder then letting go.
"Well done, shank."
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To Be Continued on Feb 26