Solo ◇Thomas◇

Spencer sat in a room with a one-way mirror, a simple table, and two chairs facing each other. Across from her sat a man she had come to know over the past week as Charles.

"So, you were in the maze all by yourself?" Charles asked.

"Yes," Spencer muttered.

One thing Spencer had learned was just how much she liked being alone. After three years in the maze by herself, she had realized she didn't enjoy socializing with others.

"And you were there for three years?"

"Yes."

"And you escaped on your own?"

"Yes," she muttered again. Every day, she was brought into these rooms for questioning, and every day, she gave the exact same answers.

"Alright, you may go." Charles stood up and opened the door, allowing her to leave.

As she walked out, she noticed a tall boy standing with Janson. The boy immediately spotted her and offered a small, almost childish smile. Before Spencer could react, Janson guided him into the room, shutting the door behind them.

A guard, who had been waiting outside, fell into step beside her as they walked toward the canteen.

"Try and make some friends today, yeah?" the guard said softly, offering a small smile.

"No thanks," Spencer replied as she walked inside.

Immediately, the loud chatter of teenagers surrounded her, voices overlapping as friends laughed and talked.

Not long after escaping, Spencer had learned she wasn't the only one who had been in a maze. But she was the only one who had been completely alone in hers.

Not wanting any unwanted attention, she pulled the hood of her jacket up, kept her head down, and made her way to the back of the canteen.

Aris was sitting near the end of the table. He had been in a maze filled with girls, but they had all left for the Safe Haven. Spencer didn't know much about him, but she appreciated that he gave her space while still sitting next to her.

When Aris had first met Spencer, he quickly realized she wasn't one for socializing, but that hadn't stopped them from making a plan to escape this place.

A few minutes after Spencer had sat down, she saw the same boy from earlier enter the canteen. His face twisted in shock as he took in the crowded room.

One of his friends ran up to him and dragged him over to a table where a group of boys sat.

Thomas slid into a seat between Newt and Minho as the Gladers listened to another boy describe how they had escaped.

"There was a huge explosion, and these guys came out of nowhere, shooting up the place. It was intense. They pulled us out of the maze and brought us here."

The boy next to him nodded in agreement.

"What about the rest? The ones still in the maze-what happened to them?" Newt asked.

"I don't know. I guess WICKED still has them."

Silence settled over them before Newt spoke again. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long. Just a day or two. But that girl over there-Spencer-she's been here the longest."

The boy nodded toward Spencer, who was absentmindedly picking at her food.

"People say she was in a maze all by herself," another boy added.

"Really?" Newt asked, eyebrows raised.