𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋//𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘𝐗𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑

Santa baby, put a chapter under the tree, for me, been an awful good girl

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone and merry holiday to anyone who doesn't celebrate it‼️‼️‼️ <3 Celeste

"I still don't know how you did it!" Thomas lifted the ID card to our dorm's lights like he was checking for validity. He hugged me, lifting me off of the floor. "God I could kiss you right now!"

"Thank you Comrade, but save that enthusiasm  for Teresa." I patted his shoulder when he set me down. Thomas blushed at my suggestion, laughing it off.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure, sure." I snickered, swinging myself onto my bunk. It was good to know that I still had my siren like talents. In a way it made me feel like myself.

"Now," Thomas clutched onto the card triumphantly. "I'm gonna find out what's on the other side of that door."

"That was a bloody stupid thing to do." Newt marched over to me, nostrils flaring. "You could have gotten hurt. That buggin' guard could've hurt you y/n. You've got to understand you're not indestructible!"

"Uh, I literally got shot like three days ago. I think I am fucking indestructible." I sighed, stretching out on my bed. Newt rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"And you." He approached Thomas, fists clenched. "You should not be encouraging them. They already get in enough trouble on their own accord."

"Aw, thanks Newt." I snickered, propping myself up to watch the confrontation.

"Newt they're hiding something." Thomas brushed off Newt's chastising. "Okay, these people are not who they say they are."

"No, Thomas you don't know that." Newt's voice cracked with frustration. "The only thing that we do know is that they helped rescue us from wicked. Y/n is alive because of them." He argued excellent points, wavering my certainty in Thomas. "They gave us new clothes, they gave us food, they gave us a proper bed. Some of us haven't had that in a long time."

"Yeah but-"

"Some of us a lot longer than others." Newt cut Thomas off, closing the conversation.

What he had said gave me a lot to think about. Maybe the body Thomas saw was being operated on because the person had been injured like I had been. Maybe Thomas was just aching to turn the people in the facility into villains so he could play the hero.

A loud clattering came from under Thomas's bed, making me jump in surprise. The cover of a vent was tossed on the concreted floor. Aris slithered behind it, using his elbows to prop himself up.

"Hey Thomas." He said casually.

"Yo what the fuck?!" I cried out, scrambling out of my bed. If Aris came out from the depths of Thomas's bed, who knows what could come underneath mine. "Where- What did you- Where did you come from?! Why would you use the fucking vent?!"

The other boys seemed just as confused as I was. Frypan ducked his head low to peer into the darkness Aris emerged from.

"You got it, didn't you?" Aris asked, craning his head up.

"Who is this kid?!" Minho narrowed his eyes, not hiding his befuddlement.

"I already told you, his name is Aris." I hissed, clumping together with the others.

"Hi y/n." Aris greeted me politely, giving me a little wave.

"Hey." I replied, crossing my arms together. "I though you were a snake or something when you came out from under there."

"Yeah." Thomas displayed the card in the air. "I got it. Let's go." We closed in on Aris and him as he hunkered down, crouching by the edge of his bed. "Alright look, maybe you guys are right. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. But I gotta find out for sure." He slid under the bed's metal frame. "Just cover for me. I'll be back as soon as I can." And with that, he was gone, dragging the vent cover with him.

"Well, that was weird." I blurted, breaking the silence. In Thomas's absence, the group parted into different sections of the room. Being scattered apart felt most comfortable. Newt sulked in a corner, I joined him. "Are you okay?" I questioned, settling in next to him. "You seem all sad."

"What makes you say that?" He grumbled, tossing a bitter look my way.

"Because your making that face. That Newt face. The sad Newt face." I explained, fitting my chin on my palm, leaning towards him.

"Oh." He was quiet for a moment, his brows furrowing and unfurrowing before deciding to speak. "It's just that Thomas really cares about Teresa, a lot. He's been borderline obsessed with her ever since she showed up." Newt gritted his teeth at the thought. "He likes her. He really likes her."

My heart split in half for the blond haired boy. Unrequited love stabbed and sank into the skin, wrapping you with a barbed wire like pain. Newt liked him. Newt liked Thomas, a lot. The worst part was that I couldn't do anything to fix it.

"Come here." I invited him into my arms, winding him into a hug. "It's gonna be okay Newt. He just met her. He's not in love and he likes boys too. He told me so."

"He does?" Newt mumbled, chin on my shoulder.

"Yes, he does. You should-"

CLANG

A vent grate crashed on the floor, sliding across it. A frantic boy wormed his way out of the metal tunnel, crawling on his stomach.

"Thomas!" Minho clamored, closest to the action.

"We gotta go." Thomas muttered madly, flying towards the door. Newt shot up to his feet and I followed suit.

"What's up?!"

"We gotta go right now!" Thomas yelled, pushing past the reaching hands of Newt. His mind set on one thing.

"What's going on?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"What do you mean we gotta go?"

"They're coming." After peering out of the door's window, Thomas darted back to his bed. "Come on, we gotta go." He ripped his sheets off, bunching the material up in his hands. "Come on, they're coming for us!"

Taking the cloth, he headed back for the door, looping it around the handles. As he began to tie a complex knot, I rushed over to him, almost colliding into a wall.

"Aris, what happened?!" Frypan was set on interrogating the skinny boy. "What happened?!"

"What are you talking about?!" I shouted, fear squashing my heart, squeezing every last bit of hope out of it. "Thomas what are you talking about?!" He only mumbled to himself, double knotting and triple knotting. "You were gone for five minutes, what the fuck are you talking about?!"

With one quick strike, I slapped him across his cheek. Thomas stopped. His eyes clouded over in a daze, he turned and looked at me.

"She's still alive." Horror crumbled his features, desperate to continue his method of protection. With nimble fingers, he multitasked, weaving the sheets together.

"Who's she?!" Frypan exclaimed, his voice nearly breaking. "Teresa?!"

"Ava!" Thomas let out a whimpering yell, answering us. "Ava!"

"Ava?" Newt lilted, raising a brow. Thomas grew manic, throwing cloth every which way. "Would you just turn around and talk to us!" The wild brunette flipped around in a frenzy.

"It's wicked!" He roared, letting the sheet fly loose. "It's still wicked. It's always been wicked!" Thomas sprinted to his bed. With a bit of struggle, he peeled his mattress up and pushed it against the door with all his might.

"Thomas!" Newt stuck a hand on the mattress, leaning next to the boy. "What did you see?" Thomas pressed his back against the barricade, finding me with his eyes.

"She wants you y/n." He panted like a sick dog, pointing at me. "Ava wants you."