LIMERENCE ﹐ the maze runner.

30

"Clara!"Thomas shouted, and busted into a sprint towards the Deadheads. "Clara! Clara!"

"Thomas!"Thomas could hear Clara shout to him from the woods, and he pushed himself to run faster.

What the hell was happening to her?

"Tom!"Clara called. "Thomas!" And then he could see her sprint out of the Deadheads, and straight into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her thin body, and felt her clutch his jacket in her fists.

"A Griever, Tom,"Clara breathed out. "A Griever. I think it's gone now."

Relieved, Thomas pulled her into a tight hug, and Clara buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Clara!"the two had Archie scream, who was running up to them, followed by the other Gladers.

"I'm fine!"Clara shouted to the rest of the Gladers. "I'm fine!"

"Clara, what happened?"Archie asked her as he stopped running. "The full story."

Clara took a deep breath, and when all the Gladers were near enough to hear her, she told them,"I was in the Deadheads, and I heard this somewhat ghostly voice saying the same thing, over and over and over again. WICKED is good. I tried to follow it - see where it was coming from. And then I saw this Griever, running out of the Maze, and then it saw me and stopped, and ran back."

"Okay, that's it,"Alby said angrily, and pointed to the new girl, Teresa. "I want her locked up. Now. Billy! Jackson! Put her in the Slammer, and ignore every word that comes out of her shuck mouth."

"No!"Clara called out. "C'mon, Alby. This is a little irrational, don't you think? I mean, for fuck's sake, you haven't even let her explain what she knows." She paused, then continued. "And I mean, yes, the walls aren't closing, but how the fuck is that her fault?"

"How could it not be, Clara?"Newt said. "She bloody admitted it herself."

Breathing heavily, Clara looked over at Teresa and shook her head numbly. "No, I don't believe that,"she whispered.

"Just be glad Thomas ain't going with her,"Alby said, and glared at both Teresa and Thomas before leaving.

Billy and Jackson came forward and grabbed Teresa by both arms, and started escorting her away.

"No!"Clara screamed, but everyone just ignored her.

"Stay with her,"Newt said to Billy and Jackson. "I don't care what happens, no one's gonna touch this girl. Swear your lives in it."

The two guards nodded, then walked away, Teresa in tow and willingly going with them.

"No! No, no no no!"Clara said.

Come and see me, she said in their minds.

Clara looked up at Thomas, waiting for his response to Teresa.

I will. At least you'll be safe in there.

She didn't respond.

Teresa?

Nothing.

❀✿❀

The next half an hour were an eruption of mass confusion and chaos.

Though there had been no discernible change in the light since the sun and the blue sky hadn't appeared that morning, it still felt like a darkness spread over The Glade. Newt and Alby gathered the Keepers and put them in charge of making assignments and their groups inside the Homestead within the hour.