The First Gladers; Into the Scorch

Chapter 2: Separated

 You never want this shower to end. Yet, the longer you stand under the water, the colder it gets. Eventually, you shut off the tap, grab your towel and leave the stall. On a bench in front of you a fresh set of clothes are folded neatly waiting for you.

"You were in there so long I thought you might've drowned." Theresa jokes from the corner of the locker room as she dries her hair.

You chuckle, "Yeah. It's been too long since I've had a decent shower."

Theresa nods her head thoughtfully.

"How long were you in there, the Maze I mean?" She asks suddenly.

"A little over two years." You pause, your gaze falling to the ground. "I was one of the first. It was me Alby and four others. I'm the last of the six."

Theresa nods solemnly, "I'm sorry."

You shake your head, plastering a smile on your face.

"It's alright. We're safe now."

Theresa nods, glancing away from you.

As the two of you finish getting dressed, you leave together and follow a guard to a small cafeteria. There, you find the boys waiting impatiently for you and Theresa. You take your seat between Newt and Minho as Janson starts to talk.

His explanation closely follows what Ava Paige told you, yet Janson provides a glimmer of hope. His organization fights against Wicked, saving kids from their lives as lab rats. Tomorrow he and the soldiers are going to take you to a "safe house" where you can start your normal life.

A wave of shock and excitement passes through you and your friends as for the first time in forever, you have hope, real hope for a better future.

You find your gaze drifting slowly toward Newt as thoughts of a normal life begin to fill your head. To your surprise his eyes are on you and once again the world around you quiets to a hush. The cheers and whoops of excitement become whispers as he smiles at you, nodding his head. You can see it in his eyes. He has hope. You've never seen that in him before. For the first time in his life, his eyes have that sparkling glimmer of hope.

You open your mouth to say something, but are rudely interrupted by Janson clearing his throat. You break your gaze away from Newt to once again focus on Janson.

"Right then." Janson says, "It's about time you kids got a proper nights sleep. Girls on the right, boys on the left."

Immediately the guards are by your side, shoving you in the direction of your room, away from the boys.

"Wait you mean we're not together!?" Thomas exclaims as the guards force Theresa away from him.

Just like that, fear creeps back into your mind as the door is slammed in your face.

 You stare at the dull grey door in shock. Everything happened so quickly. They shoved you into the room, forcing you away from the boys. Why? They've been so nice and so hospitable up to this point.

You glance to the side at Theresa, who looks just as confused as you feel. Awkwardly, you reach out to grab the doorknob, hesitating before attempting to turn it.

"Locked." You mumble.

"From the outside?" Theresa asks, bewildered.

"Seems like it." You say with a sigh as you continue to jiggle the handle.

After another minute of playing with the doorknob, you finally give up, turning around to inspect the room. It's nothing spectacular, but it's a thousand times better than what you had in the Glade. The walls are painted a dull grey with no windows. In the center of the room lies a single bunkbed covered with a single grey sheet along with a single pillow. In the corner of the room is a door leading to a small bathroom with no shower.

"I call top bunk." You call out sarcastically, although Theresa doesn't seem to get the joke.

"Sure. I prefer the other anyway." She shrugs.

You nod awkwardly as you climb up to the top, laying back and relaxing into the surprisingly soft mattress. Maybe these people aren't so bad. They're probably just trying to protect you. Although you can't help but wonder what's going on with the boys. You find yourself missing them, all of them. This is the first time you've really been away from them in 2 years. All of this is so strange. You feel at peace, yet there is always a slight prickle going down your spine, warning you of danger. You're probably paranoid. Anyone who has gone through what you have would be.

Your thoughts as interrupted as Theresa stands up to talk to you.

"You like Newt right? Like more than friends?" She asks.

Your whole body heats up as your eyes grow wide.

"What!?" You say a little too loud. You clear your throat, "Uhm, what makes you say that?"

"It's obvious." She responds. "I see the way you look at him. He looks at you the same way, you know."

Thoughts fly through your head, yet not a word comes out of your mouth. You have no idea what to say. Is it really that obvious? Does everyone know?

"What's it like?" Theresa asks, "To like someone like that?"

Once again you're at a loss for words. So you say the only thing that comes to mind.

"It's strange. You know you lived life just fine before you met them, but now that you know them you can't imagine living without them. And the mere thought of living without them scares the clunk out of you."

Theresa nods, "I think I like Thomas." 

But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8