The Glader

Gally Was Right.

 My mouth fell open. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Well, first there's something I have to share," Thomas said, studying his shoes, not meeting anyone else's gaze, "About me and Teresa. There's a reason Gally accused me of so much stuff, and why everyone who's gone through the Changing recognizes me."

He paused, as if for effect, and I wondered if suspense had ever killed anyone.

"Teresa and I are... different," Tommy said finally, "We were part of the Maze Trials from the very beginning- but against our will, I swear it."

My brain wasn't working. My entire train of thought had been reduced to one word; What?!?

Minho called out. "Thomas, what're you talking about?"

"Teresa and I were used by the Creators. If you had your full memories, you'd probably want to kill us. But I had to tell you this myself to show you we can be trusted now. So you'll believe me when I tell you the only way we can get out of here," he took a breath, then said two sentences that turned the world upside down, "Teresa and I helped design the Maze. We helped create the whole thing."

My molasses-slow thought sorted themselves from What?!? into a jumbled mess of Tommy... a Creator? Tommy? As in, our Tommy, the one that ran into the Maze for Alby and the one who had just gotten himself stung for our benefit? Him?

I opened my mouth, and "What's that supposed to mean?" tumbled out. "You're a bloody-sixteen year-old. How could you have created the Maze?"

"We were... smart. And I think it might be part of the Variables. But most importantly, Teresa and I have a... gift that made us very valuable as they designed and built this place."

"Speak!" I yelled out, finally unable to take the suspense, "Spit it out!"

"We're telepathic!" Thomas replied, "We can talk to each other in our freaking heads!"

I blinked a few times. Thomas and Teresa? Telepathic? What? Then again, that explained the way they looked at each other, the weird mental tug-of-war matches that I had witnessed. But still... Telepathy? What?

"But listen to me. They forced us to help. I don't know how or why, but they did. Maybe it was to see if we could gain your trust despite having been a part of them. Maybe we were meant all along to be the ones to reveal how to escape. Whatever the reason, with your Maps, we figured out the code and we need to use it now."

But wait... hadn't he just said there was no exit? So how did the code help?

"It's true, and I'm sorry. But I can tell you this- I'm in the same boat with you now. Teresa and I were sent here just like anyone else, and we can die just as easily. But the Creators have seen enough- it's time for the final test. I guess I needed the Changing to add the final pieces of the puzzle. Anyway, I wanted you to know the truth, to know there's a chance we can do this."

I shook my head. This was not happening. But it was. The Creators had forced Thomas and Teresa into their stupid schemes, killed the Gladers, and taken away our lives, our memories and our names. I looked around at the other Keepers. "The Creators- those shanks did this to us, not Tommy and Teresa. The Creators. And they'll be sorry."