lover of mine, thomas tst

002: who's side are you on ?

The scalding hot water felt soothing against Ella's aching body. The temperature of the water quickly liquified the dried blood and dirt left on her skin and she watched as each drop slid down her skin, fell onto the tile beneath her, and then disappeared into the drain. Ella couldn't recall a time she'd ever felt so clean, yet so dirty at the same time.

She felt guilty as she washed away the dirt and grime that she had collected from living in the glade for the past 3 years. She wondered if any of the boys who decided to stay behind were even still alive. She felt relieved though, she wouldn't have to deal with anything like that ever again. Her lips pulled into a small smile as she took a deep breath. A fresh start, she thought.

As she got dressed in new clothes, she soaked in the comfort of them. She'd never worn something so soft and clean. She bunched the top of her light blue shirt and held it up to her nose, inhaling the scent. She could still smell the soap they used to wash it. She let out a small chuckle as she released her shirt and grabbed a hair brush that was left for her.

Before she could report for her health screening , a large male in green cargo pants and a black shirt stepped into the door frame and called her name. The man holstered a gun on his right hip and when her eyes wouldn't move away from it, the man called her name again. "Yes?" She asked. The man only nodded his head at her acknowledgment before turning towards the exit, "Come with me, please."

Ella placed the brush back down on the counter as she looked around, it seemed like it was just her in the bathrooms now. She guessed Teresa had already finished and left for her health screening. Ella took a deep breath before following the man out. He guided her down several hallways until he reached a blank door, as he opened the door and let her inside the room she found a table and two chairs. The man then told her to take a seat before he left and shut the door.

Ella sat alone in the room for ten minutes before the sound of the door opening had her sitting up straight again. Jansen, the man who had briefly introduced himself to the gladers walked in holding a small vanilla file and sat across from her. Something about the man gave Ella the creeps. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but she knew she didn't trust the man. His words from earlier slipped into her mind, "I'm the reason you're all still alive." He really couldn't believe that, could he? He didn't get them out of the maze, they did that themselves.

"Ella, sorry to keep you waiting. Just wanted to get a minute to talk with you in private." When she didn't respond, he continued. "I just have a couple questions for you, won't take long." Ella shifted uncomfortably in her seat as Jansen looked towards her, "What do you know about wicked?" Ella's eyebrows furrowed at the question, her lips pursing as she stared back at the man in front of her.

"You're not in any kind of trouble, we're just trying to better understand." He assured, folding his hand and placing them on the table in front of him. "Understand what?" Jansen sighed before leaning back into his chair, "Look, I can't imagine what you've been through." Ella crossed her arms around herself, her right hand fiddling with her necklace, Jansen tracked the movement. "Wicked sees you kids as just a means for a cure, they don't care about you. But your generation can survive in this world, and is the only hope for humanities continued survival."

"But wicked is not going to stop putting kids like you in these conditions until they find a cure, I don't want to have to rescue more groups like yours Ella. So all I'm asking is if you know anything at all that would help us take wicked down." Ella sat there for a moment, her eyes glued to the table. Everything Jansen said made sense to her, it sounded good, sounded right, but she still didn't feel good about him.