Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
+++
THE BUS STOPPED IN FRONT OF A MUDDY PARKING LOT THAT SURROUNDED A NONDESCRIPT BUILDING WITH SEVERAL ROWS OF WINDOWS. The men in uniform shuffled all of the Gladers off of the bus and through the front door so quickly, Samson barely had any time to decipher what was going on.
They were led into a huge dormitory with a series of bunk beds lined up along the walls. The room was full of colour. The walls were painted yellow, and the blankets were a bright red colour. Samson was mesmerized by the change of scenery. The Glade had never been as welcoming and vibrant as the room he stood in now. It almost felt too good to be true.
But his friends thought otherwise. They all jumped into a bunk after only a minute of taking it all in. "Well, I've been shucked and gone to heaven!" Minho laughed as he hopped up on the first top bunk, beating Frypan to it. He grinned down at him. "Too slow," he teased.
"Hey," Newt whispered. He rested a hand on Samson's shoulder and he flipped around to face him. In his other hand, Newt had his backpack. Samson had completely forgotten about it on the bus. Not that he'd had anything important inside, just his water canister and some snacks. Still, Newt hadn't forgotten. He'd grabbed it for him. Samson took the backpack from him, smiling brightly.
The other boys all got settled into their own beds. Teresa, Thomas, Newt, and Samson sat on the two sofas in the middle of the room awkwardly. Newt let go of his hand when they'd stepped into the room, and kept a reasonable distance from him when they sat down. It was as if what happened on the bus had never happened, but Samson didn't mind. It had happened, and it had been something shared between just the two of them. Samson could tell Newt was a little embarrassed, and was probably anxious about what the other boys would think. He understood. He didn't exactly want their romance on display for everyone either.
The men in uniform left them with a smaller staff of women who were also dressed in bright colours, all of them smiling and speaking in high-pitched tones. They brought a table into the dorm and passed out pizza. All of the Gladers jumped down from their beds to grab as many pieces as they could. Samson was eager to try some. After eating the same five meals for the last four months, pizza sounded amazing. He couldn't even remember the taste of it from his life before the Maze.
It immediately became his new favourite food. He must've had three or four slides, and he didn't care one bit what anyone thought. Everyone stayed quiet for the most part, but there were plenty of smiles going around the table. Samson felt like he was finally able to breathe. His friends were safe and happy. Well, most of them.
His heart ached for all of the friends he'd lost. It always would. Clark, Gally, Alby, and Nick, all deserved to be at the table trying pizza with their friends. Although he was smiling, he couldn't stop thinking about Clark. Every once in a while, he would glance over at Leo across the table. He knew he was thinking the same thing he was.
