Solo ◇Thomas◇

CH.01

The boys nodded.

The first boy then gestured toward Aris. "That kid's been here the second longest-almost a week. His maze was full of girls."

"Really?" Minho chimed in.

"Some guys have all the luck," another boy muttered.

Before anyone could respond, Janson entered the canteen, a clipboard in hand, flanked by two guards.

"Good evening, gentlemen. Ladies," he greeted smoothly. "You all know how this works. If you hear your name called, please rise in an orderly fashion and join my colleagues behind me. They will escort you to the Eastern Wing. Your new lives are about to begin."

Scattered applause filled the room. The Gladers, Aris, and Spencer remained silent, though no one seemed to notice.

As the applause died down, the room filled with anticipation.

"Connor," Janson called.

A boy behind the Gladers stood up, high-fiving his friend before making his way to the front.

"Evelyn."

A girl smiled as she stood, exchanging goodbyes with those around her.

"Justin, Peter, Allison, Squiggy."

Laughter rippled through the teens at the unusual name.

"Alright, settle down," Janson said, smiling slightly. "Franklin. Abigail."

A line of teens formed behind Janson, flanked by guards at the front and back.

Janson closed his clipboard, prompting a collective groan from the remaining teens.

"Now, now," he said with a smirk. "Don't get discouraged. If I could take more, I would. There's always tomorrow. Your time will come. Eat up."

As applause erupted once more, Minho and Thomas stretched their necks, trying to see where the chosen teens were going.

"Where are they going?" Minho asked, nodding toward the departing group.

The first boy from before shrugged. "Far from here." He turned back to face them. "Lucky bastards."

The second boy nodded. "Some kind of farm. A safe space. They can only take a few people at a time."

Through a large window, Thomas suddenly spotted nurses passing by-with Teresa in the middle of them.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

He stood up abruptly, heading toward the window.

"Hey, Teresa!"

Aris pulled down his hood to get a better look at what Thomas was doing. He nudged Spencer, earning a glare from her, before pointing toward Thomas.

"Teresa!" Thomas shouted again.

She turned, her eyes meeting his for a split second before she disappeared behind a wall.

Two guards immediately stepped in front of Thomas, blocking his path.

"Where are they taking her?" he demanded.

"They just have to run a few more tests," one of the guards said, offering a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. They'll be done with her soon."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine."

Thomas hesitated, glancing between the hallway and the guard before reluctantly backing off.

Aris turned to Spencer. "I think he can help."

Spencer shrugged. "As long as we get out of here, I don't care."

☆◇●○●◇☆

The guard swung open the door, allowing the gladers, standing in a single file, to enter the bunk room. Frypan stepped in first, followed closely by Minho, their eyes immediately landing on the rows of bunk beds.

"Ooh, I got the top bunk!" they both exclaimed, rushing toward one of the beds. Minho grabbed the pole supporting the bunk and hoisted himself up. "Ah, too slow!"

Winston was already lying on the bottom bunk of one of the beds. "I could get used to this," he muttered, settling in comfortably.

Thomas and Newt strolled in more slowly, taking in their surroundings. "Yeah, not bad," Thomas said as he turned toward the door, now locked by the guards.

Newt scanned the room again, but Thomas's voice brought him back to the present. "Hey, what do you think those guys wanted with Teresa?"

"If there's one thing I know about that girl, it's that she can handle herself," Newt replied, his tone tinged with irritation. He was tired of hearing Thomas mention Teresa, knowing full well she'd be fine.

Just then, the door swung open again, drawing the attention of the five boys. The same girl from the canteen entered-the one they had learned was called Spencer.

She stepped inside, took a quick glance at the boys, and turned to leave, but the guard slammed the door shut before she could escape.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered under her breath.

Spencer spun around to face the boys, eyeing each of them carefully. She only recognized one- the boy from the integration room. Without a word, she walked past the bunks and the two standing boys, her footsteps echoing as she made her way to the furthest bed. Climbing up to the top bunk, she settled in without a word.

A heavy silence fell over the room, broken only when Newt spoke up. "Don't worry about it," he said, giving Thomas a reassuring pat on the shoulder before heading up to the top bunk.

Thomas glanced at the locked door, doubt creeping into his thoughts, but he finally settled into the bed beneath Newt, trying to push the questions from his mind.