control ⇢ the maze runner / thomas [1] ✓

Prologue

"For people like us, the world is the game board,
and nations are pawns."

The Day Before
WICKED Compound
7:30 PM

The only sound that could be heard was Ruby's rapid breath as she slowed her steps from a sprint to a slow jog and eventually to a normal pace. She couldn't give anyone a reason to think she was up to something suspicious — which she technically wasn't depending on how you looked at it. She nodded politely to the armed guards she passed, the same ones she'd known since she arrived, and quietly slipped into the room where Thomas was waiting, welcoming his warm embrace. Her breath still shuddered, even as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

His calloused hands raked through her hair, rough fingers dancing across the soft skin of her neck before he gently cupped her cheek. He always held her softly, as if she were made of porcelain. As if she would just shatter into a million pieces in his arms.

For what seemed like a long time, they just stood there — wrapped in each other's embrace and breathing each other in. They were used to it being this way — that's how it had to be when you were keeping your relationship a secret. Little did they know, Dr. Paige had caught on to their little secret long ago. The blonde woman had just figured she'd let them be, it might come in handy later on.

People like Dr. Paige only cared about self preservation, and how things could be helpful to them.

Ruby felt like she needed to submit Thomas's musky scent to memory. If this were going to be possibly the last time she ever saw him, she wanted to remember him like this forever.

With a sharp intake of breath, Thomas pulled back to look into his lover's gentle and loving hazel eyes. "I love you", he said softly, watching the way the corners of her lips quirked up into a small grin that disappeared as quietly as it came.

"I love you too", Ruby responded, furrowing her brows. "Please, don't go." The small mixed girl honestly didn't know what she would do if she lost him — she just couldn't lose him. She couldn't. She had lost so much already.

"I can't keep watching our friends die, Ruby", Thomas said slowly, like he was talking to a disappointed child, "I have to do something. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." But, even as he said the words, he himself didn't entirely believe them. Anything could go wrong in the Maze.

"But, Thomas-"

"God, you're perfect." He gently brushed his thumb across her bottom lip, an action that was more habit than anything. God only knew how badly he wanted to kiss her, but he knew that if he did he would chicken out. Ruby's kisses always made Thomas weak at the knees, they were so passionate and full of love. "Too good for me, too good to be good for me in fact..."

"Be safe", Ruby said, choosing to not let her boyfriend distract her. He had always been good at that, distracting her from whatever was on her mind. No matter what it was, Thomas could distract Ruby from anything. He was much smarter than people gave him credit for.

"I always am", he said before taking a step back and heading towards the door. "I have to go say goodbye to Teresa." The words made Ruby's gut wrench and she bit her lip harshly, looking away in case a lone tear slipped. It did. She didn't really know why she disliked Teresa so, the girl was nice enough, but Ruby felt threatened by her. Teresa and Thomas were close, they'd known each other far longer. And maybe, one day in the future, they would be friends when she could lock her little green monster in its cage.

"I don't want you to go", she whispered under her breath. Why couldn't he figure out a way to protect their friends without putting himself in danger?

"I know", was the only thing he said. Then Ruby was left in the room alone, quiet tears rolling down her cheeks and splattering against the ground.

Two Weeks Later - Present Day
WICKED Compound
8:00 am

"I want to send Ruby into the Maze", Dr. Ava Paige said blankly, staring at the desk before her.

The man quickly looked over at her with a raised brow, as if to say "are you an idiot?" Honestly, he thought she was in that moment. "That's a bad idea, she'll ruin everything."

"Thomas is at his best when she's there. Not only that, but she refuses to work now that he's gone. I have no room around here for dead weight. And, if this doesn't work, we'll just dispose of her", Dr. Paige responded simply, "Now go handle it."

He sighed, but went to grab the girl anyway, bringing along a few extra guards because he knew Ruby would put up a fight — she always did. She had been giving him grief since she first arrived, always smarting off at the mouth and being hard headed.

When the man entered the room, Ruby said not a word. She was staring at one of the monitors, at Thomas. "It's time to go, Ruby." Just as he predicted, Ruby did fight. She screamed, she kicked, and she clawed but in the end she went along like everyone else — doomed to an irrevocable fate.

FEBRUARY 28, 2018
EDITED SEPTEMBER 27, 2019