THE HEARTS » TMR [1]

14. Control

Margaret scoffed, hurling a pebble she'd picked up from the ground against the concrete wall. She'd never been in the Slammer before, and she was already on the verge of losing her mind; she just wanted to get out of there. The place was like a deathtrap. It was a large block of rough-cut concrete with a door made primarily of large bamboo sticks. Not only that, but the stench of manure was overpowering, nearly causing Margaret to vomit.

     Fortunately, she wasn't alone. Thomas, who was still completely knocked out, and Teresa were also placed in the Slammer with Margaret by Gally himself. Everyone had been silent since then, not bothering to say anything because they knew it wouldn't even lighten the mood.

     C'mon, Thomas, Margaret thought, looking at Thomas sleeping. Please wake up. We need you right now. All of us.

     It stayed like that until late at night. Margaret and Teresa were surprised by Newt, Minho, and Chuck's pleasant greetings and food they had stolen from Frypan's kitchen. Gally, of course, had told all the boys in the Glade that they were not to give Margaret and Teresa any food so they could starve, but Newt, Minho, and Chuck defied him. The girls were extremely grateful to the three of them.

     "Thanks, guys," Teresa said with a weak smile.

     "It was Chucky's idea," Newt said, tussling Chuck's brown curly hair.

     Margaret chuckled at Chuck's annoyed expression after Newt made his hair even messier than it was before.

     "Is he still sleeping?" Minho asked, nodding his head at Thomas, who was resting on Teresa's lap.

     Margaret merely nodded. "He'll probably be able to wake up tomorrow morning."

     "Good," Minho said, "because I can't handle being with Mr. McAngryFace anymore."

     Everyone, including Margaret, burst out laughing. She hadn't felt. . . well, okay in a long time. Margaret felt okay right now, despite the fact that she wasn't in the best situation where she could smile or laugh. She just wished Thomas would be as well after regaining his memories because something told her it wouldn't be pretty.

It was early morning, and everyone was waiting for Thomas to awaken. It had taken him a few moments to open his eyes and see the light.

     "Hey," Teresa said quietly, smiling down at him. "Are you okay?"

     Thomas slowly rose from her lap and examined every detail of his surroundings, realizing he was now in the Slammer with Margaret and Teresa.

     "What the hell were you thinking?" Chuck said, taking everyone by surprise because he was the first to bring up the incident.

     Margaret was the next to go. "Thomas, this is the second time you've done something stupid. You've nearly scared the hell out of all of us." Thomas gave her the longest look she had ever seen. But there was something off about the way he looked at her. He wasn't giving her the same look he'd given her every time they spoke. Just by looking into his brown eyes, she could tell something had changed. 

     "What happened?" he asked, confused.

     "Gally's taking control," Newt said. "He said we had a choice. Either join him or get banished at sundown with you."

     Thomas let out a sigh. "And the others agreed to that?"

     Teresa lowered her gaze to her hands. "Gally has everyone convinced that you're the reason that all of this had happened."