The One - The Maze Runner Fanfiction Thomas

Chapter 7 - The Fall

Thomas's body falls to the ground with a hard thud. Gally stands over him saying, "We've gotta stop meeting like this Greenie."

I internally roll my eyes, walking forward. "Gally, just leave the guy alone. It's his first day."

Gally ignores me, and Thomas gets to his feet. "Calm, calm, calm," Gally warns. He's trying to sound powerful.

Thomas is going in circles, warning nobody to come near him. Gallys attempting to calm him down, when he's really doing none of the sort.

Finally, people start to come over and watch the action. I hear Newts voice in the mix, which is reassuring. "Just calm down, alright?" He says.

Thomas is breathing heavily, "Why don't you guys just tell me what's out there?"

Alby arrives, "We're just trying to protect you."

"For you own good," I add.

"You guys can't just keep me here," Thomas tells everyone.

Alby has his hand in front of him, warning Thomas to calm down. "We can't let you leave."

"Why not?"

Almost as if called upon, the doors begin their nightly close. The seemingly impossible move of two gigantic slabs of metal.

Everyone looks over to them at the sound, including Thomas. Wind blows from the maze, ruffling his brown hair. "What the hell?" I hear him whisper under his breath.

We all just stare at the doors until they shut. Thomas's breath is coming out shakily, and I feel sorry for him. I wish Gally didn't always feel like he needed to be unnecessarily cruel to the new Greenies.

After the moving has stopped, and the doors shut with a loud boom, Gally walks over to Thomas. "Next time, I'm gonna let you leave."

Everyone begins to disperse, leaving just Thomas, Chuck, Newt, and I. I walk over to Newt, "Hey, I can finish up with the tour. You can set up for tonight with Chuck."

Newt looks uncertain, "You sure?"

I nod, smiling.

"Alright," he says. "Come on, Chuck. We've got some work to do." He pats the kid on the back, leading him over to the huts.

I turn to face Thomas, and realize that he had been staring at me. He has a lengthy yet muscular build, seemingly perfectly fit for a runner. But I know things he doesn't. I know what the Maze does to people, how it changes them. I don't want that to happen to anyone not ready for it.

I smile. "Alright, well you're stuck with me now whether you like it or not." I motion with my hands towards the treehouse. "Come on, I'll explain some things to you. You'll need it."

Thomas jogs slightly to catch up to me. "Where are we going?"

"It's my favorite place. You'll see." I chuckle.

After a walk in silence, we make it to the treehouse. I motion for him to climb up first and he obliges. "Be careful up there. Don't want those crazy feet to start going."

Thomas chuckles, continuing to climb up. "Do they seriously think I'm crazy now?" He calls from above.

I start climbing up with ease. I've done this so many times I could close my eyes. My head pops through the top, and I laugh, "Only a little. Don't worry though, people have done much worse things than that when they first arrive."

Thomas is standing by the edge, obviously not paying attention to what I'm saying anymore. He's leaning against the frame. He seems mesmerized by the view of the Glade.

I lift myself off from the ladders opening, and join him by the rail. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I say. The view really never gets old. You can see everything. Every Glader, every animal, every structure, and definitely every wall.

Thomas just nods.

I sigh, "I don't know what Alby has told you, or Chuck. But, we call this place the Glade. Everyone here has a part, and nobody tries to steal someone else's. Just stick to what people are telling you, and don't go along trying to be different. It'll never work." I meet his eyes, smiling, "That's meant to be a little hint, Greenie."

Thomas turns his head, meeting my eyes. I don't know why, but my body feels like it's ignited on fire at the sudden intensity of his gaze. I'm realizing I may never have looked someone completely in the eyes before here. It's surprising, as I've been here for 4 months already.

He smiles, "Thank you, Clara. I appreciate it." He says it with a hint of tease in his voice.

"Anytime. I'm happy to help." I laugh, looking  out beyond the Maze walls, and I remember what led to all of the commotion earlier today. "Why were you asking about being a Runner?"

Thomas sighs, "I don't know, I just felt some kind of gravitation pull towards the walls. I know it sounds stupid, but it's the truth."

I scoff and roll my eyes. Every Greenie who wants to be a runner comes up here saying that, and none of them actually end up succeeding on the task. We've lost too many boys that way. "You don't sound stupid. You sound unoriginal."

Annoyance washes over his face, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, every single Greenie that comes up and wants to be a Runner says the same thing. It's always a 'pull' they feel to the Maze."

Thomas rolls his eyes, obviously getting annoyed. It makes me feel a little bad for what I was saying, but not enough to take it back. The truth is the truth. "Clara, I'm serious. I don't know if those other guys were lying, but I'm definitely not. I swear. I swear that I can feel something."

My heart speeds up slightly in my chest. The sincerity of his words hits me like a wave. He doesn't have a bit of joke or uncertainty in his eyes. He's not lying, I think.

I nod, "I believe you. I'm probably stupid to, but I do." I look back at the Glade, laughing, "I'm not saying it's a good idea for you to be a Runner, but I do believe that you feel the need to be one. I'm telling you right now, it's not a fun place out there. You don't wanna ever step foot outside these walls."

I turn to meet his eyes, and I wish I hadn't. He's staring at me, and he has so many questions in his gaze. "Have you been there?"

Please, I think. Please don't ask about that. I should never have brought this up.

I'm silent for a moment, and Thomas is relentless, "Clara, have you been in the Maze? How do you know that it's not a 'fun place'?" He puts quotation marks around the words that came out of my mouth.

I don't know why I feel the need to close up right now and not allow him to know anything about me. He's going to be stuck here for how ever long it takes to get out, and I should get to know him. He seems nice enough. But, I can't.

I shake my head, "It doesn't matter."

Thomas stares at me with wide eyes, and I take the silence to change the subject. "Actually, we should probably get going to the party. It's almost set up, and the suns going down."

"The party?"

"Yeah, you bet. It's a welcoming party for the new Greenie." I fake a smile, "I'll give you a hint, it's for you."

A/N: SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET OUT! I had a busy few days, but it's finally done!! Also, thank you SO much for 100 reads! It truly means so much to me! If anyone wants to, check out my Steve Harrington Imagines!