Error | The Maze Runner / Newt ? ?

{1.8}

I was looking at myself. I appeared different than I had in the mirror before- a bit younger, well-cared for, and clean to the point where it was almost unsettling. My hair ended just below shoulder length and the waves were slightly amiss as if I had run my fingers through the strands too much. How old was I? Fourteen?

"Tell me what's going on," I demanded the object in my head. I could sense its presence like it had a physical body and was standing right beside me. It was strange, knowing that something else was looking at my memories with me.

"TRY TO CHANGE IT," it responded after a pause. "CHANGE IT."

Change it? What did it—

I blinked, sucking in a short intake of breath when I realized I had moved. I felt myself beginning to lose a grip on what was going on. Information was slipping through my fingertips faster than I could grab it back. When I looked down at my hands, I noticed they were smoother and lacked the cuts and calluses from the Glade and Scorch. Somehow, I had merged back into my past body.

"THAT IS ALL. YOU HAVE SUCCEEDED."

What was that voice? My present and past brain battled for dominance inside the body, creating a splitting pain in my head that was so intense my knees started to buckle. Everything I knew about the events in the Glade was gone. My younger mind had won.

The door opened, revealing Thomas. He was a few years younger as well, raven hair cut short and flat against his forehead. He was dressed in a lab coat that he immediately discarded as soon as the door shut behind him. The coat fell to the floor in a white heap, revealing a white long-sleeve and matching dress pants.

"Tell me they're okay," I begged, twiddling my thumbs that I hadn't realized I had been playing with before. The burst of relief upon seeing my brother was immediate. I hadn't been sure if he was going to slip away or not. "You haven't told me anything in a month."

"They're — uh, they're fine," he replied shortly, scratching the back of his neck and avoiding my gaze. "We sent Garret up today, so that should be fun."

I shook my head at my brother. He was lying straight to my face as if I couldn't read him as well as I read a book. The realization sent a stab of hurt through me. He never used to lie to me, not since we were taken here by our mother years ago.

"Tell me the truth." Worry was building up inside of me until I felt like I would burst. "Come on. Please. I — I need to know he's okay."

Thomas returned his gaze to mine and stepped forward upon noticing the tears gathering in my eyes. He was cautious, which was strange. Caution was one thing we never used around one another. He could burst into tears at any second and I wouldn't hesitate before comforting him.

"I'm not supposed to say anything—"

"Since when have you ever played by the rules?" I demanded louder than I should have, causing him to flinch and step backward. Emotions were churning my gut; I felt like I was going to be sick. First Teresa, and now Thomas. I couldn't handle another person lying to me. "I'm your sister. Aren't I more important than whack-jobs in a lab?"

He didn't respond, and that felt like someone had shoved me off a cliff. I was falling, sick with concern and now my twin brother was turning into one of those stone-faced scientists. Soon he'd be pricking, poking at people and running tests to push them to their limits with no emotion on his part. He'd be doing that to me when the time came. He'd be the face staring at me through the tank as I drowned.