Thomas was insane, no doubt about it. When he'd come crashing into Riley and Minho, whilst killing a Griever in the process? Riley couldn't help but wonder if he was even human.
But for some reason unbeknownst to her, that didn't seem to scare her. Maybe it should have. But that didn't seem to be the case when she let him guide her arm back around his shoulders after he caught his breath.
She'd been watching him ever since he arrived and the usual anxiety newcomers caused her wasn't nearly as severe with him as it was with others.
Which was surprising considering everything seemed to worry her after Maia.
But here this boy was, knocking down her barriers one by one and she barely even noticed.
Riley was lost in thought as they made it back to where they had left Alby. Minho nudging her with his shoulder when he noticed the distant look on her face. The blonde blinking quickly before moving her gaze to the boy who gave her a questioning look.
But the two didn't have to say a thing for him to understand. How could he not? He too was a bit shaken up after what they'd just witnessed and been through. At least that's what he assumed had been the cause of her distant look.
Riley knew better though, eyes flickering to the boy, whose arm was wrapped firmly around her waist. His fingers brushing against the exposed skin just above her hipbone where her shirt had ridden up, as the three moved through the maze.
A million questions swirling through her head.
✸
When they finally got Alby down from the wall, the boys carried him back to where they should've been yesterday, while Riley limped after them.
And when they made it to the doors, the yelling and cheering from the gladers on the other side brought a relieved smile onto Riley's face. Chuck quick to pull Riley into a hug when she reached the group of boys.
The blonde laughing breathlessly as she messed up his curls. A sense of relief washing over her, knowing she was back in the glade.
Meanwhile Newt quickly inspected her arm, the gauze was almost completely bled through and it was obvious she'd grown paler than when he had last seen her yesterday.
"I got him, I got him, I got him." Frypan and the others said as they helped lay Alby down. Everyone focused on their unannounced leader.
Everyone except one. Thomas.
He had let his gaze wander back to Riley who had grown to look woozy. His brows furrowing together in a worried manner when he noticed.
"Riley needs to get to the Med-Jacks." Thomas quickly pointed out as he watched her clumsily sit down. A quiet groan slipping past her lips. Her eyes shutting for a few seconds as she tried to get her surroundings to stop spinning. The adrenaline long gone from her system now.
"I'm fine." She muttered in protest, not wanting people to worry, but Newt quickly intervened and forced her to go.
Everyone else watching them as they parted from the group, disappearing from their sight and behind some trees and when they were almost fully gone. They all turned to drown Minho and Thomas with questions. Any worry surrounding Riley quickly laid to rest as they all knew she was in safe hands with Newt.
Yet Thomas couldn't help but let his gaze linger after her. However he didn't get to watch her leave for very long as the boys around him practically pleaded for his attention to return to them as they hurled questions at him.
"What happened out there?"
"How did you guys make it out?"
"You saw a Griever?" Chuck spoke up, after finding peace in knowing Riley was safely being transported by Newt.
"Yeah, I saw one." Thomas told the boy with a faint smile.
"He didn't just see it. He killed it." Minho corrected him, everyone growing quiet as their eyes darted towards Thomas. Shock evident on all of their faces as silence washed over them like a thick fog.
✸
When Riley gained consciousness again, Frypan stumbled into her as she was leaving the Med-Jack hut. The boy quick to inform her about the meeting Gally had called. And so with a simple nod she followed the boy to where the meeting was happening.
When the two arrived, the others were already talking. Riley didn't pay much attention to what was said though. She was too focused on Thomas who had been placed in front of everyone.
What was this? Some sort of trial?
"First, Ben gets stung in broad daylight. And then Alby." Gally continued after a moment of silence had occurred, one that was caused by Riley's late appearance.
"And now our Greenie, here, has taken it upon himself to go into the maze. Which is a clear violation of our rules here." Gally continued.
"Yeah... but he saved Alby's life." Frypan pointed out.
"Did he?" Gally questioned before turning to look to the crowd once more.
"For 3 years, we have coexisted with these things. And now, you've killed one of them. Who knows what that could mean for us."
"What do you suggest we do?" Newt asked the boy as he leaned against one of the support beams.
"He has to be punished." Gally shrugged as if it was obvious.
Immediate chattering and protests filled the air while Riley let her gaze flicker back to Thomas, her brows furrowed in a confused and concerned matter. But Thomas didn't seem to notice her looking at him.
"Minho. You were there with him. What do you think?" Gally asked, turning to Minho.
"I think..." He paused as he looked to the boy in question. "in all the time we've been here... no one has ever killed a Griever before. When I turned tail and ran this dumb shank stayed behind to help Alby." He paused as he looked back to Gally and Newt.
"Look, I don't know if he's brave or stupid. But whatever it is, we need more of it." He paused before turning to Thomas again.
"I say we make him a runner." Thomas lifted his head in surprise, his curious gaze landing on Minho.
"A runner? What? Minho, let's not jump the gun, here." Frypan sputtered out. Only for Riley to shake her head at him before whispering, "Minho's right." Frypan growing quiet as he watched her in surprise, usually she would've agreed with anything that got new greenie's locked up, so you'd imagine his surprise when she hadn't.
"Thomas! Thomas! Thomas!" Chuck quickly began chanting, only when no one joined in, his chanting died down as quick as it had begun.
"If you want to throw the newbie a parade, that's fine. Go ahead. But if there is one thing I know about the maze it is that you do not-" Gally was cut off by a loud blaring noise, Riley's eyes widening as she recognized that sound almost immediately.
People quickly hurried outside to see what was happening and for once, Riley followed.
"Okay, wait. I know that sound." Thomas quickly said as he paused beside Chuck outside the hut. Gladers running past him while he had stopped in his tracks.
"The Box. It's coming back up." Chuck told him quickly before they continued to hurry after the crowd of people.
When they caught up to them, they found everyone already settled around where Thomas had arrived just a few days ago.
Riley stood behind Gally who opened up the box, and she watched as Newt jumped down into it. While Riley tried to see who was in there, only for her blood to run cold when she realized what was in the box.
"It's a girl." Newt breathed out in surprise, his eyes darting towards Riley's, who's eyes had widened at the sight of the unconscious girl.
The blonde inhaled a sharp and sudden breath of air, something that almost sounded painful as her eyes watered, trying to push back any thoughts surrounding Maia that had crawled to the surface.
"No way."
"A girl?"
"I think she's dead." Newt breathed out in disbelief from within the box.
Questions were thrown left and right while Riley turned to Gally. "Help me get into the box." She breathed out, trying her best to keep her voice firm and stable.
The boy was quick to give her a skeptic look, eyeing her arm that was still wrapped in gauze. "I'll be fine, Gally." She quickly added, realizing he was eyeing her arm with a wary look.
And the stubborn look on her face seemed to make him cave as he with a sigh eventually agreed. Gently holding onto her uninjured arm before slowly lowering her into the box.
When her feet hit the bottom of the box she quickly hurried over to the girl, dropping to her knees beside her as she searched for a pulse.
Desperately wanting there to be one and when she felt the faint beating of one against her fingers, a breath of relief slipped past her lips. "She's alive." She announced, the chattering growing quiet as they let her words sink in.
"What's in her hand?" One of the boys from above suddenly asked. Newt turning to look at the girl as he kneeled beside Riley, slowly opening the girl's hand, surprised to find a paper note in her palm.
"She's the last one..." he paused for a second as he looked up at the boys huddled around, "ever."
Another pause followed as his gaze flickered between the note and the boys above. "What the hell does that mean?"
But no one had time to respond nor react as the girl suddenly jolted up, revealing a pair of wide blue eyes as she gasped for air, almost knocking her head into Riley's who had managed to jump back in time, merely dodging the girl's head bumping into her own.
"Thomas..." The newcomer breathed out between heavy breaths, quick to lose consciousness again as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.
Riley's eyes darted up to the jet haired boy who had emerged from the crowd, his eyes seemed glued to the new girl below. Surprise and shock written all over his face.
Riley didn't utter a word as she ripped her gaze from the boy, instead she cautiously moved back to the girl, feeling for a pulse once more while she heard Gally mutter, "Do you still think I'm overreacting?"
✸
Riley hadn't left the girl's side since she came up in the box, she couldn't shake the image of Maia out of her head either. She felt so overwhelmed as she continuously helped out the med jacks, any excuse to make sure the new girl wasn't hurt.
Riley couldn't bare anymore blood on her hands.
But staying with Jeff and Clint meant also having to watch over Alby and his state only seemed to worsen, so much so that they had to restrain him to one of the beds.
Riley was wetting a cloth to rest on the girl's head when Thomas, Newt and Minho came waltzing in to the hut.
"Jeff. What's going on?" Newt questioned the boy who was sat monitoring the newest addition to the glade. Riley moving back over to the girl, excusing herself as she moved in between Thomas and Minho, laying the wet cloth on the girl's forehead, hoping to cool her down.
"What's the matter with her? Why won't she wake up?" Newt continued to ask as Riley took a seat at the foot of the girl's bed.
"Hey, man, I got my job the same way you did." Jeff replied as he stood up, clearly just as confused as everyone else was.
Thomas' gaze curiously flickered to the dark haired girl, eyes furrowed as he tried to understand why she had said his name. All though deep down he had an idea, but how come Riley hadn't recognized him then? Did she not have those dreams? Did the new girl have those dreams?
His eyes moved to Riley as he thought, studying her as she sat with her hands folded in her lap, her attention focused on Newt and Jeff.
"Well, do you recognize her?" Newt suddenly asked, pulling the boy from his thoughts as he looked up to meet the blonde's questioning gaze. Shaking his head once, "no."
Riley watched him quietly, not believing a word out of his mouth.
"Really? Because she seemed to recognize you." Newt pressured him, also not buying it.
"What about the note?" Thomas asked, dismissing his question as he tried to change the subject, Riley silently raising a brow at the boy.
"Yeah. We'll worry about the note later." Newt replied, but Thomas seemed persistent. "I think you should worry about it now."
"We've got enough to deal with at the moment." Newt replied, hands crossed across his chest.
"He's right, Newt." Jeff chimed in. "If the box isn't coming back up, how long do you think we can last?"
"No one said that." Newt argued, "Let's not jump to any conclusions. We'll just..." He paused. "We'll just wait until she wakes up and see what she knows."
Riley scoffed, "Do you really think she'd remember anything?" Newt looked to the blonde, noticing her uneasy demeanor. "She remembered him." He pointed out, nudging his head in the direction of Thomas and Riley grew quiet. They knew absolutely nothing and it was making her anxious.
"Somebody's gotta have some answers around here." Newt sighed out and as if on cue Thomas perked up. "Okay." He muttered before beginning to exit the hut.
"And where are you going?" Newt called out after him.
"Back into the Maze." Minho turned to the group, a sigh slipping past his lips before he followed the boy. Riley mumbling a "good luck" as she watched the two leave the hut.
✸ KAT'S CORNER. . .
— i've been really motivated lately, like i've written and edited so much and i have so many ideas
— (edited, April 8th, 2024) been listening to dominic fike on repeat again lately 😁