Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Sam
"You can call me Mr Janson, please follow me." 'Mr Janson' straightens out his crisp white roll-neck shirt, beginning to guide us through the building. "I run this place, for us it is a sanctuary, safe from the horrors of the outside world." He explains, gesturing to the workers around him, sawing through metal beams.
"Wha-" Thomas begins, but once again is interrupted. We all enter a white corridor, the shiny floor making me feel dirty.
"Save your questions for later, where you can meet the others. But, first, we've got to do something about that smell." He turns to us and smirks, "Men that way," he points to a men's bathroom and then to the ladies bathroom, "ladies and baby that way."
Minho looks over his shoulder as he is pushed into the men's room, with the other Gladers. I slowly push open the ladies bathroom door, suddenly feeling very alone.
I bathe Alex in a bathtub in the corner of the room, the bath only protected with a frail bath curtain.
A small piece of paper, laying on a clothing bench, breaks me from my thoughts;
collect yours and Alex's clothes from locker A3
I dress Alex in a light blue baby grow and loosely strap him to a baby changing bed. Why do they have one here? Are there many people with children? I ask myself, peeling my dirtied glade clothes off and stepping into the shower.
I sigh in happiness as the hot water falls down my bare skin, massaging strawberry shampoo and conditioner into my scalp. I wrap a fluffy white towel around my body and begin to dress myself, keeping an eye on Alex. I tug on the ripped denim shorts and baggy grey t-shirt. I tie up my glade boots and walk over to Alex, picking him up and into my arms.
A female guard meets me outside the bathroom, "We need to run some tests before you meet the others, just to make sure that you and your baby are healthy." She smiles falsely at me, her tight, auburn ponytail pulling on her face. The guard rests her hand on my elbow, taking me into a small medical room.
Bottles of medicine crowd the shelves, their green and blue colours reflecting from the lights and creating an eerie glow. I gulp, eyeing a large needle lying next to a bed. "Lay your baby there," she points to a small cot, "and lay down on the bed, please."
I obey, resting my head on the pillow. "Don't worry, it won't hurt." The guard says, jabbing the needle into my arm. I squeeze my eyes shut, preventing a squeal escaping my chapped lips and scaring Alex. She retracts the needle from my skin, dropping a speck of my blood onto a microscope slide, and inspecting it closely through the microscope. Her eyes widen, the female guards' gaze moving over to me, eyes flicking back to the microscope as quickly as it came. "Can I take some blood from Alex?" The female guard finally speaks up, after awhile of silence.
I nod, reaching for Alex and laying him in my arms. The nurse-guard spreads a numbing cream on Alex's small bicep, taking out a smaller needle and getting a blood sample. Alex remains asleep as the guard runs a couple more tests. "Subject A7, interesting." She mutters under her breath. What is that supposed to mean? "Your baby," The guard clears her throat, once again shattering the silence, "His father goes by the name Minho, congratulations."
I sigh out in relief, expecting to hear bad news, a smile spreading across my face. "Thank you" I croak, my voice raspy.
"That's okay, it's my job. Lets get you to the others then." She smiles, a real smile. Then, leading me through long white corridors, vaguely familiar. "You are the first one with a child, so expect some questions. Anyway, enjoy." The woman pushes open some large doors, revealing hundreds of teenagers, around my age.
"Babe!" Minho shouts, rushing over from a cafeteria table and engulfing me in his arms, kissing my forehead. This earns the attention of the other teenagers, all of their eyes fall to me, silence washing over the area. "C'mon, let's get to the Gladers." Minho whispers in my ear, taking my free hand and leading me to our friends.
"Mind your own bloody business!" Newt yells at the teenagers, as I reach the table. The conversation continues, people looking away and talking to one another.
"What took so long?" Thomas asks as I sit down next to Minho and him, Frypan passing me a plate of food.
"They ran some blood tests, wanted to know if Alex was healthy or not." I shrug, looking at Thomas who now had Alex in his arms. They all nod, concentrating on their food.
"Who's the father?" Newt blurts out, taking me and himself by surprise.
"Uh-" I blush and look down at my food. I look up at Minho and see his gaze almost penetrating into the side of my head.
"Who?" He whispers, hurt evident in his eyes.
"You." I mutter, my eyes reaching his dark brown ones. He smirks, wrapping his arms around my small frame.
"I love you!" Minho kisses my temple.
"Wait. So your telling me, that you guys..." Frypan cocks an eyebrow sassily, "you guys were a thing before the maze?"
I shrug, poking at my mashed potato, "I guess, but I don't really know."
"Good evening everyone. I hope you have enjoyed your meal, it's time for the next 'lucky ones' today." Mr Janson shouts, the cafeteria going quiet. "Louisa." He calls, a group of girls squeal at their friend as she leaves them, walking to the front of the room. "Nicolas... Rose... Archie..."
The list continues, the group of people being taken away into another room. "Why is he alone?" I ask, pointing to a boy sat in the corner, his hood up, poking at his food.
"His name is Aris, he has almost been here for a week. He was in a maze full of girls, lucky asshole!" A teenager intervenes, pushing his brown hair back from his green eyes and sitting at our table, a group of boys following him.
