I Know Places [Thomas The Maze Runner]

[08: The First Glader]

"We can't keep doing this to them," Elle said solemnly, addressing Thomas in a hushed whisper as they observed the boys being tested.

Like most days, Elle wore a long white lab coat and had her hair tied out of her face with a claw clip. When she was eleven and first arrived at WICKED, she was allowed to wear more comfortable clothes in light shades of blue, white, and grey. Now that she had taken on an important role, she had to look professional.

The screen in front of them reflected the boys' vitals, reporting their heart rate and oxygen levels. Elle did her best to write everything down accurately as her hands shook. WICKED was choosing the boys going to the Maze trials by testing their stress responses and mapping out their brain patterns. Every day for the last month, Elle had to oversee the trials. The only problem was that she couldn't keep things professional. Slowly but surely, these boys had become like family to Elle and Thomas. It was unavoidable; they spent all of their time together. Elle had done her best to listen to Ava Paige and keep her feelings out of it, but she couldn't.

There was nothing Elle could have done to stop herself from loving them.

"What choice do we have?" Thomas replied, matching her quiet volume. "This is the only way we know how to find a cure. And we need that cure. Not just for everybody else, but for us; for the people we love. Especially you."

Elle's breath hitched. "You mean Luke," she said knowingly. Her brother was the only reason Elle agreed to come to WICKED in the first place. They promised that they would be able to help him, to cure him. All Elle had to do was go with them, agree to help them find the cure, and take care of Luke as he joined the trials. It wasn't even a question; even though Elle was barely eleven when she made the deal, she wanted to save her brother, no matter what it cost her. "I haven't seen him in years, I don't even know if we can still save him. It could be too late."

"It's not too late. Not for him and definitely not for the others," Thomas reminded her. "You know how important this is. There are thousands of people out there losing someone just like you did. And there are people right here who we need to save, too." He motioned to their friends' faces on the screen.

"I just don't know how much longer I can believe it," Elle argued. Her heart was heavy any time she thought of her brother. "All they say is that WICKED is good, and that the ends justify the means. But I don't know anymore. We haven't seen any results. How much longer can we keep them here?"

Hearing the desperation in her voice, Thomas took her hand and squeezed it. It was their go-to way of comforting each other and always worked. "I don't know, Elle." He sighed, embracing Elle in a tight hug. "I wish I had clear answers to give you. I wish, more than anything, that we could do what we set out to do when we came here." Thomas met Elle's emerald eyes and felt his stomach flutter. "Give it some time. If nothing comes of it, we have another option," he reminded her of their backup plan, the one they created recently.

"Just because we have another option doesn't mean this--" Elle motioned to their friends being tested. "Doesn't hurt. It doesn't guarantee their safety, or ours, either."

Thomas nodded. "I know. But it's all we've got. And unfortunately, that has to be good enough for us."

Elle agreed, stepping out of the hug and biting her bottom lip. "Everything's going to change now," she muttered. "That's what everyone here keeps saying. Soon, the Maze trials will begin, and then there is no turning back. I just don't know if this change is for the better."

Ava Paige, having noticed Elle and Thomas's interaction, made her way over to the pair. "How's it going over here?" she asked, cautiously eyeing the two teenagers. "Is everything all right?"