In which we don't know what to make of things

AN: So for those of you wanting confirmation on what certain people remember and what they don't...its very close. Sadly not here just yet due to the way I had to section this. But very close!

Guest reply at the end (sorry, they got way long again thanks to some wonderfully in depth reviews). I am sorry for the fact it makes the chapter seem longer than it is, though.

NOTE: I'm not sure when exactly at the weekend the next one will be up. I'm away for some of it house hunting, but it will be up by Monday at least!

-Notes and Teaser at the end-

The thin branch walls may keep out the rain, but they do nothing against the blaring noise that tells everyone something isn't right.

That sound fills my head and it's only associated with one thing.

Gally and Newt share a look; both of them looking grim, and then Newt moves first, straight up the steps and outside. Gally is on his tail, and then Frypan.

No one can be bothered to keep Thomas on the step at the back for his pseudo trial now. He stands and slowly moves forwards.

I hurry up the steps with Dan and get caught in the door by Thomas, Minho and Chuck, who've all stopped.

"Okay wait, wait, I know that sound," Thomas says, eyes fixed ahead, trying to connect dots.

"The box, it's coming back up," Chuck replies, perplexed.

Minho's expression fixes. "It shouldn't be."

You don't say.

He nudges between the pair of them, running ahead.

Thomas and Chuck don't take long to follow, but by that time I've slipped around them and joined the crowd of boys. We all race across the field, but Newt and Gally have already opened the box and Newt's inside.

"Newt, what do you see?" Frypan asks, as we all gather at the edge, shuffling to be able to peer down.

Newt sounds utterly mystified as he reports back, "It's a girl."

I feel more than a couple of the boys shoot me looks before their attention focuses. With this announcement, I find it's easier for me to nudge my way between them to the edge. Thomas manoeuvres his way to the front just around the other side.

The girl is lying on her side, half curled up at Newt's feet in the otherwise empty cage. She's in a huge, roughly woven shirt, jeans that are back-folded over her calves and old sneakers. Her skin is pale, features striking and her night-black hair pools in a halo of tangles around her head and shoulders.

She isn't moving.

"I think she's dead," Newt says in muted shock, uncertain.

The murmurs start up again.

"Dead?" Dan whispers just to my right. He sounds more confused than anything else.

Why send a dead girl?

"What's in her hand?" Gally asks, nodding once to one of the girl's arms.

I notice for the first time that something is crumpled in her slack grip.

Newt crouches and reaches across to carefully lift a slip of paper away from her. He unfurls it.

"She's the last one…Ever," he looks up at the ring of Gladers peering in. His expression creases. "What the hell does that mean?"

And the girl gasps awake.

She jerks on the cage floor, the breath tearing through her.

Newt launches backward in shock. Frypan throws out his arms on both sides – I'm not sure whether it's to balance himself, or to force back Henry and Zart. Most of the boys recoil away, with only Gally staying staunchly where he is, a flicker of shock showing only in his raised eyebrows.

"Thomas," she gasps. She heaves in a few more frantic breaths – bright blue eyes unfocused, before she sinks back into unconsciousness.

Well.

That's not normal.

Faces all around turn to Thomas. He looks clueless as ever.

I look down.

Newt is standing up, the paper curled loosely in his hand. He looks around, and I think he's trying to spot Minho or one of the Med-Jacks, but he stops when his eyes land on me.

There's a question in them, but this time, I'm not sure what that is.

What do you think? What do we do with her? Is she going to run away and climb a tree? Is she okay? Are you okay?

I can only look back at him a little helplessly and offer a small shrug.

"Still think I'm overreacting?" Gally asks, scowling in Thomas' direction.

Thomas looks just as stunned as everyone else.

But she said his name.

No one has ever come up in the box remembering anything, but this girl knew someone else in the Glade.

Everything's going to change.

No shit.

"Alright," Newt says to dispel Gally's quickly rising agitation and hostility. "Let's get some help here. We'll get her into the Infirmary."

Newt leans down again, gently shaking the girl's shoulder, and when she doesn't respond in the slightest, he cautiously scoops her up.

Jeff, Minho and Frypan all lean down to help lift her out of Newt's arms. One of the Builders steps forward to lift her up in the same bridal carry before starting a trek for the Medi Tent, Clint hurrying along in his wake.

Newt lifts himself out of the Box.

"Okay, everyone back to your jobs for now. Just do what you can; we'll keep you posted."

And it's not the most rousing speech, but the morning so far has rattled everyone and they all obey; turning for their corners of the Glade, talking between themselves.

I catch Jeff's eye, and move around to him. We both fall into step as we jog back towards Homestead.

I leave Jeff and Clint to check over the girl and stop in with Alby as soon as we duck into the Medi Tent.

The veins are starting to rise under his skin; rushing through with the black poison from his sting. The sedation berry mixes are keeping him down, but they're not strong enough to bring him peace. He quakes on the pallet, fraught with tension, with tight bonds holding him in place. A cold sweat has risen on him.

My best guess is that Justin and Ben both went through these tremors before the madness took hold. That, or the sedative paste is suppressing the madness, and this is the result.

Either way you look at it, it doesn't seem too good.

Leader or not – we can't keep him tied up in here forever.

I stay sat with him, using a damp cloth to try bringing him some relief; but mostly just keeping myself occupied and on hand, should Jeff or Clint need it.

But the girl doesn't stir.

Lunch time crawls past and there's still no change, until finally, just when Clint returns from fetching us some food from the Kitchen, Newt, Minho and Thomas duck into the hut.

I just keep one ear on the exchange.

I'm glad Newt says what I'm thinking – that somehow this girl knew a name that wasn't her own…and that's not normal here.

And yet, Thomas says he has no recollection of her.

Everything runs smoothly for months, and then with the appearance of one boy, the pattern starts to break apart. I wouldn't mind so much – we've all wanted to escape – but right now, I don't know if these changes will kill us or set us free.

The note is a problem, too.

We only have female goats, but we could breed rabbits and chickens for meat in the long run. And if we were careful to collect pips and seeds from what we ate from the Gardens, we could keep replanting, too…but it's not the best outlook.

We relied on the Box for more than just food.

What about the medical supplies, tools, kitchen utensils, fresh clothes, bedding and footwear?

"He's right, Newt," Jeff says quietly. "If the Box isn't coming back up, how long do you think we can last?"

"No one's said that," Newt says, though I imagine I can feel uncertainty in his voice. "Let's not jump to any conclusions. We just…" his tone slides into something more solid as he fixes on a plan, "We just wait until she wakes up and see what she knows. Somebody's got to have some answers around here."

It's as good a plan as any, I guess. But in the meantime, there's still the question of Alby, Thomas, and the Box to worry about.

I shuffle on the stool I've been occupying, and through a sliver of the doorway, I can see Thomas lift his head.

He murmurs something and the next second he's turned around and made a beeline for the door.

"Where are you going?" Newt calls after his retreating back, arms folded.

"Back into the Maze." Thomas doesn't stop or look around.

I feel my heart beat hard once.

Not again.

Newt and Minho share the quickest of looks. It takes less than a second for the wordless conversation, in which Minho seems to say 'I've got it'.

He rushes from the hut.

There's a silent beat, before Newt says, softer, "Keep an eye on her, Guys. Just do the best you can. Have either of you seen Eva?"

"Here," I pipe up, not moving from my stool. I'm occupying myself with pressing yet another damp cloth to Alby's forehead.

Newt appears in the doorway.

"How's it going?" I ask.

He rubs the back of his neck, and for a second he looks like the teenager he is – that we all are. "We'll see," he says. "Doug and Dimitri both quit. Neither of them left this morning, not after what happened with Ben and Alby. Gally's telling anyone who'll listen that Thomas is bad news. Everyone's worried, and they should be, but it's still…"

"You're doing better than you think," I say.

I haven't left the hut since the girl was brought in, but I know this anyway. It seems like Newt's spent the last few hours doing rounds to check on everyone, just as Alby usually would.

I tilt my head at him, though; mind running back over the update. There's something not altogether harmonious when Newt mentioned Gally. "Gally still thinks Thomas is a problem," I say. "But you disagree?"

Newt hesitates, arms crossing over his chest again as he leans against the partition wall.

"Like you said," he starts. "He's different. He's motivated and kind of stupidly self-sacrificing. I don't really know what's going on but after last night…I'm good with him."

I smile lightly.

Thomas somehow became a wild card factor that meant Newt's two best friends made it out of a whole night in the Maze. I figured Newt would be willing to let a few things slide, but the acceptance seems more than grudging.

Despite the trouble and rule breaking and general craziness, I don't think it would take much for them to become fast friends.

"And he doesn't know who he is," Newt continues. "Just like the bloody rest of us. So he may as well be one of us anyway."

I nod. I remove the cloth from Alby's head and drop it back in the bucket of water beside the stool.

"I saw him talking to you yesterday," Newt says, into the comfortable silence.

He won't ask what it's about, but this is his way of gauging a reaction.

But I don't really have a reason to keep it from him.

"I think he was frustrated that you couldn't give him a straight answer," I say, shrugging. "So I gave him one."

I can see by the shadow that passes across Newt's expression that he can remember the hollow feeling of waiting yesterday and all through the night. And the hollowing was made worse by not being able to face the truth of it.

I shrug. "That - and he was asking me how I knew things about myself without my memories. He…he suggested that someone might have taught me to use weapons before I came here. Guns, knives – bows."

Newt grabs the subject, frowning as he concentrates on it. "You think he's onto something?"

I slowly slide off the stool and move around Alby's pallet.

"With me – I don't know. It might explain a few things. But in general…yeah. I think he wants out of here, like we all do, and with everything that's started going wrong…I can't help thinking he was put here to make that happen."

Newt looks at me for a long, silent moment. Then he nods once. "Crossed my mind, too." He takes in a breath and stands up straight. "I've had to call another Keeper meeting," he says. "We need to work out some things."

His eyes slide over to Alby, going even darker with conflict.

"If he was anyone else, he'd be banished," I whisper.

It's not an accusation. It's just a statement of fact. Newt swallows and nods.

"And Thomas," he says. He pulls his eyes away and rubs his forehead. "He wants to be a Runner."

So I'm not the only person who saw that reaction when Minho spoke up for him. And something about the way he says it tells me that Newt thinks it's a good idea.

"I know," I say.

Newt's eyes fix on me.

"Would you let him?" he asks. His tone is curious but I know better than to think I could really sway him if he's made up his mind.

I pull in a deep breath. "Yes." But I feel I should explain, so I continue, "He wants to do it, he's fast, and he killed a Griever. Plus, if he's going to go running into the Maze as its closing, how do you think you'd keep him out when it's open?"

A wry smile pulls at Newt's mouth, and I'm a little relieved to see he can still be amused.

"But he broke a fundamental rule; he went in. The system only works because of that and if that's allowed to slide…You don't want any of the younger boys to start thinking its cool and following on."

We definitely didn't want that.

But truths are truths.

"If Dimitri and Doug won't go, and Minho doesn't have a partner, someone needs to. I just hope that he's less reckless during the day." I shake my head. "The last thing we need is another grave in the Deadheads."

…

Thomas is a Runner.

That's the news that's all over the Glade just minutes after the Council Meeting closes up.

A bunch of the boys were hanging around outside while it was going on, so they were the first ones to see Gally go storming out, Frypan after him, trying to talk him down. After that, everyone made their assumptions, but most of them were proved right when Minho and Newt stood outside the tunnel entrance to announce it.

Thomas is a Runner.

After he spends a night in the Pit.

He did break the rules.

…

"Go," Clint says to me, just moments after the three of us have returned to the Medi Tent. "You've been sat in here all day; go for a walk or something."

"And her?" I ask, nodding to the still unconscious girl on one of the pallets. She's not so much as twitched since she was placed there.

Jeff shakes his head. "We'll be fine. We'll watch her. Go on."

So, giving the pair of them a fleeting hug each, I pick up my satchel, swing it over my head and duck out of the hut.

Standing in the warm air as the afternoon drags on, I wonder what exactly I should do. I should probably head up to the Bloodhouse and see if any of the animals want checking over, but as I didn't really break for lunch, I find myself walking to my shared hammock hut instead.

The Hessian sack under my suspended bed completely covers the few items I've collected for myself over the months. I pull out of it the birch bow and flint-tipped arrows. I use the elastic band over my sleeve to hold the fabric down over my forearm – I still need to work on some kind of protection against the bowstring, but this will have to do for now.

Adrenaline courses through my blood as I peek outside.

This is the first time I've taken it outside of the hut during the actual day – rather than very early or very late.

Just a quick run through the woods.

I swing the bow over my back, arrows sticking out of my satchel and run through the trees.

I know the Deadheads very well by now.

I stop between some trees in an area near to the far Wall where I know people almost never go. The only things to be found here are the kinds of berry shrubs that Clint uses for mixing anaesthetic pastes, but neither he nor Jeff will be leaving the Medi Tent for now.

I knock an arrow and tiptoe my way through the entwined roots, finding myself things to target. The arrows fly, one after another, flashing through the air and I follow in their wake, collecting them up when the last one is loosed. Some miss their mark; I'm still learning to wield the bow, to allow for its weaknesses and inaccuracies, but more are landing where I aim each time I try.

I can't have been out too long when I'm distracted by the low murmur of two voices slice through the serene rustling of leaves above me.

I go still, letting the bowstring gently settle back and leaving the arrow in place where I've knocked it again.

I know it's not danger, but I'm curious anyway.

I move around the trees, keeping behind them, but as I get closer, I can see that neither of the two boys is likely to spot me.

Minho leads the way with a single minded focus. He picks his way through the earth and moss without looking where he steps – he doesn't need to. Thomas follows him, getting caught on shrubs, creepers and roots here and there.

Runner's Lodge.

That's the only place I can think of that they might be headed.

I think it's sometimes called the Map Room, and the idea is that most of the boys don't know about it, but almost everyone does. They know it's for Runners, though, and they know better than to enter.

It's a circular hut with a low, splayed roof and tilted walls that's tucked deep into the back of the woods not far from the Wall. I watch the pair of them pick their way past me and off down an overgrown path towards where I know it is.

I pull the arrow from the bow and toss it back in my satchel, the bow going back over my shoulder. It snatches on my loose hair and I have to pull it out to the side.

I really need to work on tying it back somehow, if I'm going to need to use this weapon soon.

But I've procrastinated enough – though I choose to think of it as practicing and following orders; Newt did tell me to work on it. It's time to get back to work.

I jog back through the wood; drop the bow and arrows back beneath my hammock and use the elastic on my wrist to pull my hair back into a ponytail. I've taken to doing that in the last couple of weeks when going up to the Bloodhouse – its hot enough as it is and keeping my hair off my neck helps.

Dan milked the goats earlier, and collected the eggs, so I get started on the other chores – throwing out food, refilling water troughs and raking up the droppings.

I'm just shutting the door of the duck pen – we've only got four of them left – when there's a shout from all the way over at Homestead.

Frankie leans around the back entrance of the Butchery, frowning.

"What was that?"

I shake my head, standing as tall as I can on my toes to try to see anything.

Noise travels in the Glade, but it's not always clear who makes the noise, and you can't see Homestead clearly from the Bloodhouse.

And then a streak of blue runs out into the field like there's a nightmare on its heels. It falters halfway out, which is a familiar response when you first see the Walls, and then changes course for the Lookout Tree.

It's at this point that I realise the streak is a person.

More than that, it's the girl who's been unconscious half the day.

"Tell the others," I call to Frankie, already setting down the rake and running. "The girl's awake."

INFO

1. Something that's starting to come into play here is Newt's dynamic with Thomas. I really loved that in the film. There's more focus on the friendship with Minho, but its still clear that Newt develops a steadfast faith in him. I personally thought that kind of started with Thomas braving the Maze at night, just because the other option was doing nothing, and had he not - Newt would have lost Alby and Minho in a single blow. But Newt is practical, and he doesn't just trust blindly, which is why, although that event helped him start forming opinions, its not until a little later that he seems to really park himself on Thomas' 'side' (though I use that term loosely). Its a little tricky; we're not in Newt's head, so we have to rely on how well Eva knows him and perceives that relationship. But I'm also conscious that I don't want to make light of either relationship. Newt's bond with Thomas is important, but so is the one he has with Eva, and developing one doesn't take from the other. Hopefully this all starts to tie in as we progress.

2. Mainly regarding the conversation Newt and Eva have. I feel like Alby would have talked things over with Newt when making some decisions, especially in the earlier days. With Alby gone, and Newt taking that role, I just feel like Newt would want to talk some things over, too. While I'm sure he'd talk to Fry, Zart and others, Newt is very close to Eva at this point, and its natural for him to discuss things with her, so I feel like he'd take her thoughts on board sometimes, maybe without realising it. Even that said, I still feel like Newt's verdict in the film was very much 'him' which I guess could mean Eva just thinks the same way (I'm really sad there wasn't a way to include that scene; its one of my favourites).

3. Out of curiosity, do you guys find you can easily imagine where scenes take place and see them happening? Do you envision the movie locations, or have they kind of taken on their own life as you read?

Chapter 23 - Teaser

Newt, looking wary, takes one, turning it over between his fingers.

"W.C.K.D," he mutters. "Again."

-To be posted at the weekend-

Right, Guest Reply

Athio: Firstly, do you have an e-mail I can contact you on? You leave some amazing thoughts in your reviews and I always want to reply to all the things you raise, but it quickly gets out of hand. If you're happy to share an e-mail, I'd love to properly answer all your thoughts.

Anyway, in a somewhat abridged answer: Thank you so much for all the in depth reviews. They don't bother me at all; in fact its great to read all your opinions on everything.

1. Eva is just not the kind of person who constantly thinks about her looks, or boys. She's not that kind of person in general, but particularly not in a living situation like the one in the Glade. That whole plot you described – the instant attraction, age of denial and fits of jealousy etc – is a serious problem for me. Not only is jealousy mostly a sign of some insecurity within a person, and therefore instability in the relationship, but there are so many issues with the instant attraction and denial storyline (especially in a place like this). Have you ever heard of Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs? You can google it. But the theory goes that every single human being needs certain needs met before they can begin to attain others. Base needs include water, food, shelter and oxygen. Only when you have those can you worry about security of your health, employment, morals, and so on. And only when you have this can you start to build on friendships, familial relationships and sexual intimacy. That's just the bottom of the triangle, and quite simplified. Not all of it applies strictly, but I do keep it in mind, especially in this story. Eva arrives with no memories, in a state of shock and fear. I have serious doubts that any sane human being can really look past that and go 'oh, he's hot' on reflex when the most basic needs for your immediate survival are uncertain. It's against human psychology. But this is just the start of my issues with some of the overdone romantic plots. I'm not going into them all here.

2. There is a lot of focus on Eva's relationships with the boys. More so than on her relationship with Newt (especially the non-platonic elements of it). Its entirely on purpose. The story was written as a concept of world building and a character driven narrative. Its not a romance. Its about family; lots of dynamics between lots of people. Its about human nature, the good and the bad; how different people deal with the best and worst parts of themselves. It's not a love story. It just so happens that two people in it develop feelings beyond that of a friendship.

3. Anyone in this situation would be forced to mature sooner than they might in a stable home environment. That given, having all the boys as 'girl crazy' just doesn't seem to compute. Maybe they'd be excited at first, but they've all lost their memories, too, and they're just as afraid as Eva, so unless they're total douchebags or have a few screws loose, I think they'd behave a lot more maturely than some people give them credit for.

4. I think I followed you with the bit about Thomas. Effectively, that conversation doesn't come from a place of friendship, but it's mutually rewarding anyway.

5. Eva was never going to run into the Maze. I get a bit frustrated when OCs do that, too, for a few reasons. A big part of Thomas' character is that he's genius and dumb enough to be the first to do it. If an OC does, it doesn't award anything to them, just detracts from him. Inserting an OC into that night just puts a wedge into the pivotal bonds that are formed there, which I don't think its a good thing. (There was more on this, but I'm already going on).

6. I have similar issues with some OCs that aren't well written or developed. Mary Sues are a learning curve, but they should be grown out of and allow you to create someone dimensional. So I'm thrilled you like Eva as a person. As I think you recognised, she's not clingy or easily angered. She's practical, and relearning herself, working out she may not be the same person. I do think she's a little afraid of who she was, as well as being afraid of her situation, but she's emotionally independent and humanly flawed. So I love that you like her.

On your second review - Eva was certainly not worried about making an impression. She was scared and thinking with self preservation alone, but resourceful enough to use what she had around her. Her first observations aren't about looks or personality, really, she takes stock of what she needs to from a purely analytical viewpoint (which is where she underestimates Newt's strength). I am glad that I've managed to write Alby in a way that makes you feel for him. I don't even include him much, when you consider Fry, Zart and so on, but the whole point was to flesh out what you see, and I'm glad that's worked for his character.

For the third review - Everyone in the Glade takes a week or so to find a role that fits them and Eva is no different. As for her coping - as I already said, she is emotionally independent; she doesn't need to lean on anyone for mental support and she prefers to cope alone (as you've seen since, in her grief with Justin and Ben). Why run? The first time she ran from the Box, she felt it was easier to breathe than when she stood still, so it makes sense that she'd try running again if it gives her that piece of freedom and peace from her thoughts and fears. She just isn't someone who falls apart; she uses her fear as a motivator (more on that later). As for who she was before the Swipe...some of those answers will come eventually, but as of right now, she's curious about that, too. She does have a rather odd collection of skills.

And yes, that bit around the fire is where she looks around and really gets that everyone there is just as lost and scared as she is, and she can have a place there. Its a small moment, but important. In conclusion; thanks for all your thoughts, and sorry for the condensing here. If you're happy to talk over e-mails (assuming you don't have an account here), we could try that in future.