Run With Me ➵ Newt [2]

THREE | attracting attention

"Wait, wait." Minho made a time-out gesture. "You said you saw bodies? What did they looked like?"

"I-" Thomas faltered. "I didn't actually see them, they were covered up with a layer of cloth, but-"

"So you want to investigate covered-up bodies that some random doctors pushed into a random door in the middle of the shucking night." Minho glanced at the rest of us. "Did I hear that right?"

"Look," Thomas said, irritated, "I know what I saw, okay? Trust me, the whole thing seemed really weird. These people are not who they say they are."

"Tommy, drop it for now," Newt said sharply.

"But-"

"I said drop it."

Thomas opened his mouth to argue but I clamped my hand over his mouth - Rat Man had arrived. 

For a moment his eyes lingered on our table for a second longer than the others - my heartbeat quickened, thinking that he had somehow overheard Thomas' words - until he looked away. The room quietened down, and everyone in the room waited eagerly for his words.

"You all know what to do," he said. He held up his folder and opened it. "Andrea."

Just like the previous night, he rattled off names, his two colleagues standing behind him in their uniforms.

"...Bary. Walt. Edgar. Samantha..."

"I wanna know what's through that door," Thomas said, in such a low voice that I almost didn't hear him.

We stared at him.

"Erin." Janson called out.

"No, we've been over this," Newt said, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible. "You said they were covered up, so you don't know what you saw. It could be anything."

"Janice..."

"I know what I saw," Thomas said, looking properly annoyed now. "They were bodies. And Aris said they would bring in a new batch everyday."

"Who the hell's Aris?" Minho asked.

Thomas looked past our shoulders and onto someone behind us. We turned to look - it was the lonely boy with the hoodie. He was for some reason hunched over, the hood completely covering the back of his head. The other boy - the tall one with wavy hair, seemed to notice he and his friend were being watched as he turned around. 

His eyes swept across the room until they landed on my table. He stared at us suspiciously, obviously wondering why we were staring at them like creeps.

"Well." Minho told Thomas sarcastically. "I'm sold."

"... And last but not least David."

Janson snapped his folder shut. Applause broke out. 

"Thank you for your attention," he said, already walking out the room with the chosen kids. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Kay, until we know anything for certain, we should keep our heads down and try not to draw any attention to ourselves, alright?" Newt said in a low voice.

Thomas slapped his hand on the table suddenly and started marching towards the guards, who were standing by the door where the chosen kids were exiting out from.

"What is he doin'?" Newt said, looking alarmed.

"I think he's drawing attention to himself," Frypan answered.

I watched as Thomas scratched the back of his head as he slowed his pace, clearly trying to act casual when the guards jumped in front of him to stop him in his tracks.