centre | newtmas au

5

newt:
Newt walks between Frypan and Thomas down the hall, following Janson and Ms Paige, none of them saying a word.
They reach the door of Ms Paige's office, the sound of their footsteps transitioning into silence.
Janson pushes open the door and holds it out for them to pass through. Newt doesn't hold eye contact with the man, he has a gut feeling he's going to be seeing him a lot in the near future, unfortunately.

There are 8 chairs grouped together in front of the Principals desk, one for Janson sits facing the others.
Newt sits close to his friends and as far from Janson as possible. He leans back into his chair, running his hands through his hair nervously, unsure of what will come next.
"Boys." Ms Paige says, sitting down behind her desk, clasping her hands in front of her.
"You will be helping thousands of people in simply becoming subjects of WCKD. I know, all of you are respectable and noble boys, and although the prospect of this mission may scare you, you are willing to work with WCKD, am I correct?"
A few boys nod.
"What happens if we aren't comfortable with working for WCKD?" Thomas asks, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Ah. That is an obstacle we didn't imagine crossing, but Thomas, we will never make you do anything against your will." Janson adds, receiving a nod from Ms Paige.
"Yeah right." Winston mutters under his breath.
"Are you all in?" Ms Paige asks, scanning the group with her eyes.

There are a collection of nods and a few answers of yes. Everyone agrees, some more easily persuaded than others. One boy, Chuck, the youngest of the group, is shaking in his seat, but nods nonetheless.
"Fantastic. You will be alerted when WCKD require you, but for a while, we hope, you will return to your usual." Janson says, clapping his hands together suddenly, making Newt jolt slightly.
"You may go back to your dorms, or to the library, etcetera. You know the drill." Ms Paige says, with a smile.
"Except Thomas, we need to speak with him alone for a minute." Janson adds with a glance to Ms Paige.
Newt stands but leans to Thomas and whispers, "I'll be waiting outside." 
Thomas nods and turns to watch Newt as he leaves.

thomas:
"Thomas, it's nice to finally meet you." Janson says, smirking,
"Finally?" Thomas enquires, frowning.
"You have been a subject of attention for some time. We saw your results to the injection..."
Thomas bites down on his lip. Do they know about the fake faint?
Janson peers at him from the side of his eyes. "Yeah, we know you faked passing out. It's completely understandable, you were scared. Moving on."
Thomas exhales. "Why am I here?"
"Well, after seeing your results, we realised how you, singlehandedly could change everything. No one that we have tested yet, and believe me, that's a lot of people, no one has had no reaction, like you did."
Thomas' breath catches in his throat.
"We believe you could the core source of the cure. We aren't even remotely close to coming to a discovery, but you're our best shot. We need you." Janson says, his face a mask of sincerity.

Thomas mulls over the mans words in his head, his heartbeat quickening slightly. So he was a freak, all along. He can't help but think about Newt now. He remembers how Newt reassured him that he wasn't alone, and he wasn't a freak. He's suddenly overwhelmed by how appreciative he is of Newt, and how much the tables have turned since only a few days ago. He snaps out of his somewhat emotional daze and speaks.

"If there is a promise I will help others, how could I disagree."

"Thank you." Ms Paige breathes through gritted teeth, with a quick smile at Thomas.

"Perfect. You will be an asset to WCKD, Thomas." Janson says, with a smug look on his face. "We'll let you resume your usual schedule for now. But we'll require your assistance before we require your friends."

"How long before?" Thomas asks, slightly anxious he'll be alone.

"Only 2 weeks or so, not to worry." 

Thomas relaxes, although he's used to his solitude now.

"Ah." Janson says, suddenly. "Teresa."

Thomas frowns, he had never heard that name before, and it sparks nothing in him. 

"I was slightly incorrect in saying you were the only person who had no reaction. Teresa was orphaned, so, many years ago we took her in and she's been assisting us with our research ever since she understood what WCKD stood for. "

"Will we be together?" Thomas asks, a slight shake in his voice, he hasn't talked to a young girl ever.

"You will be seeing each other frequently yes, but not immediately. She is your age, very intelligent, and extremely motivated when it comes to finding a cure. She will stop at nothing to fix our world, if the outbreaks become larger and more dangerous, she's ready. " Janson says, a small hint of pride, but Thomas suspects he has not care for the girl herself, just her brain.

"Cool." Thomas says, instantly regretting it and wanting to jump into a deep bottomless hole. He sounds so dumb.

Janson laughs. "You may go now, Thomas. Thank you." Ms Paige says, walking behind Thomas to the door, and pushing it open for him.

He steps out into the empty hallway, and turns left towards his room.

3 months later, late night.

"Tommy, that's bloody stupid."

"Newt, it doesn't concern you."

"Well it will, if you come back to me, crying."

Thomas rolls his eyes.

"Don't play that card. I'm leaving to WCKD in less than a week, now is not the time." 

"Whether its the bloody time or not, you are suggesting sneaking into a  huge meeting about WCKD, out of curiosity, they'll kill you Tommy."

"It's not as dramatic as you make it. It'll be fine, I'll be fine."

Newt shakes his head, pulling his bed covers over his legs. 

"If you make it out alive, I don't want to hear it. I'm tired of you right now, Tommy. Don't bother telling me anything, I told you. I don't care."

Thomas is taken aback. That stung, probably more than Newt intended but nevertheless Thomas is hurt by the spite in Newt's voice. 

"You're so full of shit sometimes, you know?" Thomas says, biting back.

Newt sighs, switching of his light and pulling his duvet up over his torso and over his head. Thomas switches off his light also, but he just sits on top of his bed in silence.

He needs to know what WCKD have planned for him, he's impatient, and the thought of going to WCKD alone makes him feel nauseous, he's got so used to constant company these past few months, loneliness is a foreign feeling. 

He lays his head down on his pillow and decides he's tired, physically yes, but also mentally. He's done with Newt's shit, and he makes a note to himself, to leave Newt alone. 

He hugs his arms close to his chest, and falls into a dreamless, tense sleep.

srry i feel bad newt and thomas had an argument but its part of my plan hehe. part 5!!! wee woo, hope whoever reading is enjoying, let me know if u noticed any typos etc. or any parts i can improve / questions u have u know. luv u!!!!