Only Human // Thomas (The Maze Runner)

The Glade

[Changing Ariella's look slightly.]

She opened her eyes to a loud grinding sound. Her eyes adjusted to the eerie red light. She was in an elevator. She didn't remember anything. Her life, her family, and worse, her name. Suddenly, the elevator jolted to a stop. She had to grab something to keep steady. Heavy doors opened and as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights, she saw a bunch of people looking down. No, not just people. Boys. Lots of boys. No wait; all boys.

"What is it?" One boy asked.

"It's a girl." Another boy with an English accent said.

"A girl?"

"Is she hot?"

"What does she look like?"

"Shut up, you slinthead!"

A couple guys helped her out of the elevator.

As soon as she was out of the elevator, she made a run for it. She almost got to the big stone wall, or whatever it was, before a brown-haired hazel-eyed boy stopped her.

Some of the other boys came running over. Another blond boy, buffer than English dude, frowned. "Where do you think you're going, slinthead? The Maze is forbidden to all but the Runners."

She frowned. "Slinthead? Runners? The Maze? Where in the hell am I and why can't I remember anything?!"

English dude came up to her. "The memory loss happens to everyone."

A buff black guy nodded. "You'll get your memory back in a couple of days. That's the only thing they give us. The name's Alby, by the way. That's Newt, and the brown-haired guy next to you is Thomas."

Thomas. She imagined his name would sound nice if she were to speak it aloud.

She turned back to Thomas. "What is this place?"

Alby offered her a small smile. "Welcome to the Glade, greenie."

Thomas grabbed her hand and said, "Come on. I want to show you something."

He led her to the top of a wooden structure. She instantly buried herself into his arms. Thomas frowned. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "I think I'm afraid of heights."

Thomas nodded and brought her down. He studied her a moment. There was something about her that he knew he liked. He couldn't quite wrap his finger around it, but he figured she was important to him. She made him feel happy inside, like she was his whole world, and he didn't know why.

He studied the girl. "Do you remember anything? Your family? Your life? Your name?"

She closed her eyes tightly. She heard a voice say, "I love you, Ariella. I'll see you soon, Ari."

Her eyes shot open. "My name is Ariella. But someone called me Ari."

Thomas's lips curled into a smile. "Ari. It suits you. Can I call you that?"

Ariella tilted her head as she stared up at the boy. For some reason, the nickname felt right coming from him. "Yes."