Trials Together (Book One): The Maze Runner

Chapter 18

Thomas looked at Rachel and her expression was a mirror for his emotions: shocked confusion. She must certainly have heard Aris the same way that he had heard Teresa, if Thomas ever met the famed Creators his first question would be how this telepathy thing worked, and how was everyone else able to figure it out before he did?

"Come on you two." Sonya snapped Thomas and Rachel out of their silent contemplation. "Newt says that you know their names and they know yours so we'll have you talk to them." It made perfect sense but Thomas wasn't exactly sure he wanted to comply. Maybe if the four of them could sit together and talk without anyone eavesdropping, but he seriously doubted that would happen.

The news seemed to have spread through the Glade like wildfire. Everyone staring at Thomas and Rachel as they followed Newt and Sonya to the Homestead, Alby and Harriet were still discussing supplies and the disappearance of the sun.

"Don't all you shanks have work to do, we know everything's screwed up but it can't all go to klunk just yet." Newt yelled at the crowd that had gathered, it reluctantly dispersed.

They were led up to a room that Thomas hadn't seen yet, on the second floor of the Homestead. Newt pushed the door open and gestured for Thomas and Rachel to go inside.

"We'll be waitin' out here, holler if anythin' weird happens." He instructed.
"Should I start screaming now or later?" Rachel asked with a deadpan look, making both the co-leaders laugh.

"You two aren't half bad," Sonya smiled, "now go figure out what the buggin' hell is going on in this place."

Entering the room the new boy and girl - Aris and Teresa - Thomas had to remind himself, were sat on a pair of chairs, looking confused. Another set of chairs had been placed opposite them, it was blatantly obvious that Thomas and Rachel were expected to find out a lot more than he thought they could.

"Do you know what's going on here?" It was Aris who asked, he was surprisingly calm.

"Not a clue, we only got here a week ago and from what I've seen the whole place has turned upside down in that time." Rachel sat in the seat in front of him, forcing Thomas to face Teresa, it was the most awkward encounter he could remember, but luckily it seemed as if the feeling was mutual for everyone.

"I know we triggered the Ending, and I know the three of you." Teresa looked at them all with her disconcertingly bright eyes. And I know we can do this, but I don't know what any of it means. She added silently.

Thomas considered his own memories, he recognised the Glade, and the Maze. He definitely knew Teresa, or more precisely definitely had known Teresa. With Aris and Rachel it was a flicker, the same feeling but weaker. He also knew that it was the same for Rachel, seemed to be the same for all of them. They were special cases in a lot of ways, and were inadvertently ruining the ordered microcosmic society of the Glade.

"So can you remember anything?" Thomas inquired hopefully, this pair knew more than most and certainly seemed to know him.

"Not really, just a few things, it all faded when we woke up. We just know a few things, what we told you." Aris looked more irritated at the amnesia than anything else.

"That we did this, and that the Maze is a code." Rachel gestured to everything, it was obvious she meant the whole Maze and Glade, Thomas was inexplicably reminded of the word Experiment on the plaque in the Maze.

"I wrote this, on my arm," Teresa pulled up her sleeve, black ink a stark contrast against white skin. WICKED is Good it had been scrawled there by someone in an obvious hurry.

"It was in my mind and I thought I had to remember it. Too bad I don't know what it means." She groaned with frustration.

"You wrote WICKED on your arm, it says WICKED on the beetle blades, and you can make WICKED from the initials of the words on the Maze plaques. World In Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department." Now that Rachel said it it was obvious, Thomas was annoyed with himself for not having figured it out.

"That sounds like WICKED is an organisation, that sent us here and control this place." Thomas voiced his thoughts aloud, a great piece of the puzzle seemed to have come together. But he couldn't understand why they would be described as Good they sent Grievers after kids for goodness' sake.

"And we worked for them." Teresa added, it was a puzzle Thomas could not have solved alone, but understanding that he was intelligent, and working with three others who seemed just as smart, something the Gladers had been unable to decipher in two years was unravelled in minutes.

They looked at each other, struggling to understand this new development. It was all an experiment, all of it, they were lab rats, all of them.

Suddenly there was the sound of shouting out in the hallway.

"Alby, shucking calm down!" Harriet was yelling, it sounded like she had also been running. The door slammed open and Alby stormed in, Harriet was stood with Sonya and Newt, wearing her trademark 'Why do I have to deal with these idiots?' expression.

"What's wrong?" Thomas said it as tentatively as he could manage. Alby strode over to him and grabbed his shirt, pulling him off his chair.

"You idiot, do you know what time it is? The shuck Doors haven't closed."

A/N: I know this chapter is kind of short, you can probably expect the next one by Sunday. Please review if you have any one shot ideas, with what characters and what part of the story.