Everywhere, Everything ◆ Thomas ◆ TMR

017 - Make The Choice

She tried not to find the view of Thomas, sitting in the slammer all alone with a pout on his lips, amusing, but no matter how much she tried hold it, she couldn't help her smile. The day had been quiet; the most normal, mundane day they'd had since he arrived, and it was conveniently the very day he was locked away.

"Hungry?" She asked, holding up a plate of food.

Thomas' head snapped up. Exhaling in relief, he smiled. "Starving."

He dived in immediately when she handed it to him through the bars in the doors. She made a sound of disgust, making him pause and look up with his big puppy eyes. He slowed down significantly, actually tasting the food he was consuming before swallowing.

"How are things?" He asked, then took another bite. Gently.

"Boring," she shrugged. "Funny how there's no trouble when you're locked away."

Thomas made a dissatisfied scrunch of his nose, continuing to eat in silence. He kept glancing up, like he wanted to say something, but psyched himself out every time. Finally, he sighed and paused his eating.

"The girl, Theresa," he said, and Ari nodded – she still very much preferred Snow White and was sad to see the nickname die so quickly after they'd found out her name. Thomas had remembered it, and she tried to bat away the sickening feeling that settled in her stomach because of it. It wasn't working. "What if we all knew each other? Before."

Ari sighed deeply, contemplating him for a long moment. "I think we did."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she repeated. "She knows you, I know you, you know us both, right? And I think I know her."

"This is fucked up," Thomas groaned, putting his plate away as he leaned back against the wall behind him. "I don't understand anything. And then there's the thing with Ben and now Alby, saying they've seen us and that – that..."

He trailed off but didn't need to finish the sentence. She felt the exact same way, the deep aching confusion that made her head pound and kept her mind awake at night when she was supposed to sleep. She nibbled on her lip.

"I really want my memory back," she confessed. "I'm so tired of not knowing anything, of constantly questioning myself. But I'm terrified of who I was before."

Thomas swallowed, his eyes searching hers. "Yeah, I feel the same way."

"Everyone is saying that we worked for the creators, and Newt just keeps telling me not to think about it, because it doesn't matter anymore, but I just... Can't let it go. I mean, what is if was bad?"

"I think," Thomas started carefully, toying with his hands as he looked at the ground. The wheels in his mind were clearly spinning. "Good or evil isn't how you're born, it's just something you are. It's a choice you make. So, I guess we just... Have to make the choice."

"Make the choice?" She almost laughed, but he was right, wasn't he? What was she doing, spending every still moment questioning her morality when she could simply choose to be better?

"Make the choice," he nodded, looking up at her again. He shrugged, a little giddiness crossing his face, like he liked the sound of it too. "Make the choice."

"Make the choice," she agreed again, her voice cracking from the excitement waking up her body, a glee finding itself a home in her stomach and fighting itself out through a laugh. Her chest vibrated with something she couldn't describe, a warmth spreading all the way to her fingertips.

"Make the choice."

"Make the choice."

"Make the choice."