CHAPTER ELEVEN
"THANKS J." ANDIE GAVE JEFF A SMILE as he finished helping bandage up her knee, with some added aloe vera they often used to mend wounds. He didn't say anything, but gave her a smile as he squeezed her shoulder, trailing off after.
The girl looked off into the distance as she mindlessly played with her pocket knife. Intrusive thoughts inflicted her brain, draining her emotional energy. She had no idea what to make of everything that had happened recently, only that's she was sick and tired of living in stupefaction.
She seemed lost in thought to those around, yet she was hyper aware of her surroundings. She heard Chuck's shallow breaths as he sat down beside her, his feet shuffling underneath him, and his bum brushing the bark on the wooden log as he repositioned himself.
She felt his gaze on the side of her face, but didn't bother turning. Soon his eyes fell upon the knife she held a tight grip on, the blade poking the ligneous stump. His eyebrows furrowed, and he took a sharp intake of breath when the blade impaled the wood.
The suddenness made her head snap his way, eyebrows furrowing at his startled expression. "You okay, little guy?" She let out a chuckle as she placed the knife in her holster.
"Do you trust him?" She didn't have to ask who he was speaking off, his eyes having trailed towards the pit where Thomas and Teresa lie.
She sighed, her humor quickly fading. She heard the steps of others approaching but didn't mind one bit speaking her opinion.
"No," she shook her head. "I don't trust him." She saw the disappointment that clouded his face, her throat tightening at the sight. "But,"
His head snapped up at the single word, anticipating her next. She turned her body towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder as her eye met his.
"I do trust that he wants to get out of here. And I want nothing more...So, I'll put my differences aside, for now." The boy smiled, and Andie instantly relaxed.
When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked up, seeing Newt towering over them. "Hey,"
The boy smiled, seeming to have heard what she had said to the youngest boy. He was happy, maybe even proud that she decided against contradicting the situation like she often did.
He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a silver chain, dangling it in front of the girl's face. She brightened instantly as she grabbed it, examining it between her palm.
"You fixed it." It wasn't a question, he had. The clasp was no longer broken. "Thanks, you're an angel." She pinched his thigh in a friendly gesture, the boy snickering before pointing over his shoulder.
"We're heading off now, you joining?" The girl looked towards the pit unsure. She might make more trouble then good, but then again she wanted to know what Thomas remembered.
"Yeah, sure." Chuck grinned at her as he stood, following closely behind Newt and Minho who then appeared. Before the youngest could get to far however, Andie grabbed a lose hold on his wrist, making him turn.
She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, she glanced down at the silver jewelry between her hand and thought on her decision for merely a second before handing it over to the boy.
Chuck stared down at the necklace in confusion, glancing then over his shoulder at Newt and Minho who had now stopped, looking to them as if they held the answers.
"I need you to take care of it for me. Can you do that?" The poor boy stood still, speechless at the action. He knew it was the only thing she had from her past, something the girl held very dear, yet she wanted to give it to him.
Noticing the shock and surprise on his face, Andie stood, racking a hand through his curls as she snickered. "Keep it safe, will you?"
Chuck didn't get to answer before she took off, passing the two others who stood a few measly feet away, broad smiles on their faces.
"Finally" Andie muttered as Thomas' eyes opened. Waiting for him to wake felt like hours had passed, in reality only being a few minutes of their time.
Teresa smiled down at the now awake boy on her lap, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to clear his mind. "Hey, you okay?"
"What the hell where you thinking?" Chuck interrupted, clearly unpleased.
"Yeah, I'd like to know that myself." Andie piped in, her tone bored and her eyes narrowed as she looked pointedly at Thomas through the pit door.
Both Greenies turned at her voice, the boy sitting up as he searched his brain for the last occurring events, all while wondering what he was doing back in the pit.
"What happened?"
The question was broad, but Newt summed it down to what was most important and relevant.
"Gally's taken control. He said we had a choice. Either join him, or get banished at sundown with you."
Thomas noticeably winced at the information, not wanting this for himself or anyone. "And the others agreed to that?"
"Gally has everyone convinced you're the reason all this is happening?" Andie met eyes with Teresa when she stole a glance her way, looking as if she was unsure how Andie felt.
The two had shared little to no words these past few days, the possibility difficult admits the catastrophe that took place. Therefor, Andie hadn't gotten a chance to form an opinion on the girl, having only the slight weariness—that was always there to begin with—to go on.
Andie looked away from the girl and instead towards Thomas who was shifting nervously in place. He clearly wanted to speak, just unsure how to.
"Spit it out, greenie." The girl grumbled unhappily.
Thomas sighed, "Gally's been right so far."
Those hovering above the pit shared glanced while Teresa looked to Thomas in question. "What are you talking about?" Minho was the one to ask.
Andie found herself leaning closer towards the caged doors, desperately wanting to hear every little word that left Thomas' lips.
"This place. It's not what we thought it was." Thomas tilted his head back to look at all of their faces as he spoke. "It's not a prison, it's a test."
No one else uttered a word as he spoke, too caught up in trying to grasp and comprehend what he was saying.
"It all started when we were kids. They'd give us these challenges. They were experimenting on us...And then people started disappearing. Every month, one after the other, like clock work."
Thomas met eyes with Andie—and as she held his stare—she got the sense that he wasn't saying something. She didn't however pry, waiting instead for him to further explain.
"Sent them up into the maze." Newt murmured what everyone was surely making sense of.
"Yeah," Thomas nodded. "But not all of us."
Andie's head tilted to the side, "What do you mean?"
"I'm one of them," Everyone seemed to be drawn closer at the information, looking as if they hadn't put the pieces quite together.
"The people who put you here, I worked with them." He elaborated. "I- I watched you guys for years. The entire time you've been here... I- I was on the other side of it."
He then turned to Teresa who looked torn, shredding her self image even more as he spoke again. "So were you."
"What?" He voice broke.
"Teresa, we did this to them." His voice was barely over a whisper, sounding as if he was in pain as he admitted to his crime.
Teresa shook her head in incredulity. She didn't want to believe she could ever do such a thing. "No, that can't be true."
"It is. I saw it."
A tear leaked from the girl's eye, shaking her head once again, now in confusion. "Why would they send us up here if we were with them?"
"It doesn't matter." Thomas' neck went a slack as he looked down in shame.
Everyone looked to Andie when she sighed heavily, scratching her head in indifference. They looked to her for her input, waiting patiently.
Her shoulders fell as she slapped her hands to her thighs, contemplating if she was making the right choice. Yes, she didn't trust Thomas. But, she didn't trust the way Gally was handling things either, leaving her to gamble with her decision.
It was either, staying in the glade under the builders rules. Or, finding a way out through the maze beside Thomas.
With another sigh, she spoke, surprising both herself and said boy. "It doesn't really matter. The people we were before the maze, they don't even exist anymore. Those creators took care of that."
Newt nodded, "What's does matter, is who we are now. And what we do right now. You went into the maze and you found a way out-"
"Yeah, but if I hadn't, Alby would still be alive."
Andie's heart throbbed painfully at the reminder, feeling however and inch better when she felt a hand brush her own. She smiled appreciatively at Chuck, pulling her hand up to the back of his neck and squeezing lightly—as if to say a silent thank you.
"Maybe he would," Thomas was stunned at the new side of the girl he was seeing, watching as she raised her shoulders only for them to drop.
"I know Alby would want us to finish what we started. And there is no way in hell I'm gonna have his death be for nothing."
She got a wave of determination when she remembered the last words he had spoken. You can get out. I believe in you.
"I think it's about time we get the hell out of here."
Juniper speaking!
AHHH, don't hate me for not
updating these past few days!
School is constantly on my ass,
and I'm also packing for a
vay-kay I have next week!
I think I'll be able to finish
this book either today, and if
so, I'll post the rest as an
apology. If not, it'll be
finished tomorrow and I can
finally start book two!!
ALSO, there's a few things
to unpack from this chapter,
like Thomas not telling that
Andie also worked with wicked.
We'll understand more why in
book two.
And also, we are seeing some
development on Andie's side,
which I hope you guys like🙏🏼
Other then that, thank you for
taking the time to read! 🫀🤍