Someone to Stay

Something's Off

"I might've been. I'm not anymore." I say. Quintin gives me a pleading look. "There's someone else." I confess.

"I thought..." his voice trails off. Tears fill his eyes. I feel bad. It's not my fault though. I can't remember. I don't even know if I want to remember.

"Quintin the person I was before the maze doesn't exist." I quote Newt. "I'm sorry."

There's a moment of silence.

Finally I decide to ask about the lockers. "Why's my name on this," I point.

Quintin looks at it and sighs. "It's yours. Open it."

Curiosity gets the best of me and I quickly open the locker. Inside it has one thing, a black bracelet.

"You'd never take that off." Quintin adds. "You said it was your charm of hope."

My eyes look at the other locker and notice that above mine is one labeled.

Subject A-5
Newt

Without permission I open it. Inside, I find a guitar pick. No way. Newt played guitar. He was a musician. Minho was right! Under it is a note. It reads:

Sonya is my sister. I'll try my best to find this paper after they wipe my memory to remember her.

This was incredible! It was so clever of my boyfriend to write something like this. Why couldn't I have done that?

Quintin is still staring at the ground so I shove the belongings into my pocket. At last, realization fills me.

"Quintin why do you guys have this?"

"Hm?" He looks up, meeting my eyes.

"Wasn't WICKED the ones who put us in the maze?" I put one and one together.

"Yeah," he answers.

"So then why do you have these things we left before the maze?"

Quintins eyes go wide, realizing he gave themselves away. He looks down at his watch avoiding my glance. "Would you look at the time we better get you back for testing." He carefully shoves me out of the room.

"Wait why aren't you answering me?" I ask, terrified now of what could happen to us, noting that we're in the arms of the enemies.

"You shouldn't worry about this." He pushes me into the room I was in earlier, locking the door behind me.

Somethings not right.

******

I tried not to give any hint of suspicion to anyone because who knows what they would do to us. The more people know, the more danger we're in.

At dinner time, the guards escorted me to the cafeteria.

I found Newt and my friends right away. "Newt!" I sat next to him, putting my tray down and embraced the blond boy.

"YN you're back!" He pulled away to peck my cheek softly.

"Not while we eat guys," I could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Hi Minho," i grin. "Hi boys," I wave at my fellow gladers. They all say hey back. Everyone looked fine and happy except for Thomas. "Thomas what's wrong?" I ask.

"I think there's something going on here," he replies, just as Janson reads the daily list of lucky winners.

"You don't know that, Tommy," Newt tells his friends, "let's just not draw any attention to ourselves."

"Good idea," i hook my arm around Newts. He gives me a thankful grin.

At that moment, Thomas stands and begins to follow the kids who were called through the guarded door.

"What's he doing?" Minho asks.

"Drawing attention to himself," Frypan sighs. I hold in a giggle.

At this point Thomas is trying to get past the armed guards which is getting him nowhere, obviously. The entire cafeteria is staring once Minho, Newt, Fry, Winston, and I go help our friend.

"Calm down!" We hold Thomas back.

"Thomas," Janson approaches us. "I thought we could trust one another." Thomas glares at ratman. "Take them to their room." With that, the guards push us back into our room.

"What the bloody hell Tommy?!" Newt scolds him for not listening. "I told you to lay low. You're gonna get us in trouble."

"Somethings off about this place." Thomas shoots back.

"All they've done is help us. They've given us a proper bed, clothes, food, shelter. Some of us haven't had that in a long time," Newt tells Thomas.

"Yeah bu-"

"Some of us a lot longer than others." Newt adds. I take in a deep breath.

All of a sudden, Janson comes in. "I need the girl."

"What? No you're not taking her." Newt argues.

"I wasn't asking," Ratman spits. A guard walks into our room and yanks me by the arm.

"Ow!" I yell as he roughly grabs me. "I can walk just fine by myself!"

"Let her go!" Newt shouts.

"She'll be back soon," Ratman shoves me out the door and away from my friends.

He takes me to a lab, the doctor quickly shoves a needle into my arm as I try and fight back.

Everything goes black.

Newt's POV:

"Nice going Tommy they took YN!" I yell at my friend.

"I'm sorry okay!" Thomas tries to explain. "I had to get through."

"You really thought they were gonna let you?" Minho scoffs.

"Nope," Thomas pulls out one of the key cards.

A vent shoots out from under the beds, startling us.

"Did you get it?" The stranger asks.

"Tommy what's going on?" I ask, he ignores me.

"Who is this kid?" Minho questions.

"This is Aris. Guys cover for me. I need to do something. It could prove my conclusions about this place." Thomas slides under the bed behind Aris leaving the rest of us confused.

****