The Girl, The Guy, and The Tests: A Newt Love Story

Chapter 36

TERESA

I woke up in a strange place. I was on a cot and one boy looked over, and his eyes went wide for a second. He tapped the other boys shoulder, and the boy turned around.

The brown-haired boy spoke, "Hi. Welcome to the Glade. I'm Clint." He tried to touch me, and I smacked Clint and kicked the other boy in the groin, then climbed out of the window and into this big open space filled many boys. They all looked up at me and stared. I started running towards where I felt I needed to go. As I was running, I remembered a boy named Tom, who meant special to me. 

I found myself at a tree in front of a boy, who I realized was Tom. He was hiding behind a blanket, and he didn't realize I was there. I spoke up, "Forgetting about you was the worst part."

He put his hands up to his ears, but then he looked up at me and studied me. I remembered what he looked like, so I didn't bother studying him. It shocked me that he didn't say anything, "Tom, do you really not remember me?" I asked.

"You mean... you remember me?" He squeaked the last word. 

Honestly, I didn't really know if I really remembered him. It felt like I did, but I said, "Yes. No. Maybe." I threw my arms up annoyed, "I remember remembering." I plopped down next to him, but he didn't say anything. I pulled my knees up to my chest, and wrapped my arms around them. I was so confused, "Feelings. Emotions. Like I have all these shelves in my head, labeled for memories and faces, but they're empty. As if everything before this is just on the other side of a white curtain. Including you."

"But how do you know me?" He asked. This boy must the kind who asks a million questions. We talked for a little bit, and I showed him how we could do telepathy. I showed him the words, that I wrote on my forearm when I woke up, that said, 'WICKED is good.'

A couple minutes later, a group of boys came over. One of them was the guy I kicked in the groin, then two guys that they called each other, Newt and Alby. Alby started screaming at Tom, and then they all got quiet after he said, "The walls, you shuck. The doors. They didn't close tonight."

Tom just sat there speechless, and Alby yelled to two guys that he wanted them to throw me into the slammer. I didn't really care. I mean they were all freaking out that they didn't have any protection, but in there I bet I would. Two guys came and picked me up by under my armpits and carried me to this little pit looking thing with thick bamboo bars. They threw me in and left while everyone else was freaking out.