⫸ Connection: The Maze Runner ⫷
「 Chapter 8: What's Different 」
With Clint and Jeff leading the way, Lia along with Thomas and Minho followed after the two med-jacks. There was a loud commotion near the tree house where almost all the boys crowded around. Lia's face contorted into confusion as they halted next to Chuck who was smiling at the scene.
"Chuck, what's going on?" Thomas asked the curly haired boy who was laughing.
Pointing towards the tree house, he simply said. '"Girls are awesome."
Lia and the rest of the boys watched as rocks came flying from the top of the tree house along with a girl's voice screaming loudly for them to leave her alone. Gladers from below used certain bins and baskets to protect themselves from the shower of rocks.
"Watch your head!"
"We come in peace!"
"Hey throw one more of those things—" A rock had landed on Gally's head before he got to finish his sentence.
Making their way over to the boys, Lia went over towards Newt to find out what happened. She managed to dodge a rock that came flying between he and Thomas. Guess she didn't have a great experience waking up in the Glade.
"I don't think she likes us very much." Newt exclaimed, hiding under Winston's wooden shield.
"What do you want from me?" The voice screamed continuing to throw rocks. Lia knew it wasn't the best idea to put them there.
"Hey we just wanna talk!" Thomas yelled out, hands outstretched to catch her attention while trying to dodge the rocks.
"I'm warning you!" The rocks were being thrown faster, getting harder for some of the boys to dodge it. Lia struggled standing up right to dodge and went under Frypan's shield.
"Whoah" The blonde girl shouted as a rock almost hit her face. "Hey, girl! It's Lia!"
The flying rocks seized along with the girl's screaming. It was silent for a moment, the girls head popping out from the top to look at the blonde girl below her. Lia gulped, biting her lip as they shared eye contact. The rest of the boys simply watched the exchange.
"I'm gonna come up with Thomas, okay?" The girl's head moves out of view and Lia took that as a yes. Thomas gave her a reassuring rub on the shoulder as they began to head towards the tree's ladder.
"Just us." Thomas said to the boys, Gally not liking the idea.
"Lia." Newt called out to her. "Be careful, alright?"
With a nod, she then began climbing the wooden ladder the builders made that circled around the entire tree.
"We're coming up." Lia said aloud as she went up before Thomas. She tried to maintain slow steps as she opened the latch that led to the top. The dark haired girl came to view holding a knife that was facing towards the other girl.
"Holy Shit." Lia mumbled. Her eyes connected with the nameless girl as she held out her hands to show her that she wasn't going to harm her. "Hey, whoa I'm not gonna hurt you. It's just me and Thomas."
The dark girl's eyes were furrowed as she glared at Lia, the knife in her hand continued to point towards her direction as she slowly pulled herself up and moved her body to be squatting on the side for Thomas to come up who was also surprised at the knife being pointed towards him now. "Whoa Whoa Whoa..."
"Easy all right." Thomas mumbled, his hand out as well.
"Where am I? What is this place? Why can't I remember anything?" Lia saw the panic in her eyes as her hand held onto the handle of the knife tighter.
"This-This is all normal. We've all been through this." Thomas tried to explain, nervous about the fact that he could get stabbed at any time including Lia, who tried her best to help out the brunette next to her.
"You'll get your name back in a few days or so unless you're like me and found out—"
"—Teresa." The dark haired girl cut her off, her knife still pointed in between them.
"What?" Lia's chest suddenly felt heavy but couldn't understand why.
"My name." She said, emphasizing. "It's Teresa."
Lia and Thomas exchanged glances once more. "Uh Okay, well I'm Thomas and this is Lia." The girl simply glared, still not dropping the knife in her hand to which Lia noticed that it mostly came from one of Frypan's.
"But you already knew that though I guess, huh?" Thomas said, trying to lighten the mood.
"They said I kept saying your names in my sleep." Teresa told them, pointing the knife from Thomas to Lia. "Who are you?"
"We don't know. We can't remember." Lia answered her as calmly as possible. "Just our names and that's it. Everything else we know, we learned here."
"None of us here can remember anything." Thomas added in. "We all woke up here just like you did."
"Hey, I promise we're..." Thomas's voice trailed off as he moved closer towards Teresa. Lia could only watch in anticipation as the new runner tried to get a hold of the knife still pointed at him. "I'm gonna take this."
"Okay." Lia and Thomas both let out a breath they didn't know they were holding once Teresa loosened her grip on the knife. Lia's lips turning into a straight line trying to show Teresa they were still harmless.
"What's going on up there?" Gally's voice bellowed from below catching all their attentions. Thomas and Lia slowly got up to stand to see the other gladers waiting and watching them patiently.
"Is she coming down?" Newt asked them, hands on his hips.
"Um..." Lia mumbled, turning her eyes towards Teresa who looked up at her expressionless. She was beginning to remember her face. She's seen her in her dreams or now she's guessing they're her memories. She's met her before and Thomas as well, she just couldn't admit it herself for the longest time.
Thomas turned towards the boys and told them "Hey, listen, you guys just give us a second, okay?" and with that, they all dispersed to give the three some privacy despite Gally's obvious face of hesitation. Though some of them stayed close just in case anything bad would happen.
"She's the last one." Teresa read the note she came with. "What does that mean?"
Thomas and Teresa sat on the wooden flooring, legs dangling on the edge. In between them was Lia who had one of her legs propped up and her other resting under it.
"I'm not sure. Ever since you came up, that Box hasn't gone back down." Thomas informed her pointing towards the metal cage.
"It where we get our supplies from every month. Medicine, Food, Clothes, the things needed for everyone here to survive." Lia said, fidgeting with her necklace once again.
"I just think it's got everyone a little worried. Especially Gally." Thomas said, referring to the tall Builder who stood not too far from the tree house watching them with arms crossed.
"He thinks it's my fault." Lia didn't bother to reassure her it wasn't. Gally was an open book when it came to people he disliked.
"Are you sure you don't remember anything else?" Lia asked her instead. She wondered if Teresa's seen her before like she had.
"I remember water feeling like I was drowning. These faces staring at me and this woman's voice saying the same thing over and over."
"Wicked is good." Thomas said. Lia stopped fidgeting once she heard the phrase.
"Ever since I've been here, I've had these dreams. Well, I thought they were dreams." Thomas admitted, he moved back from the edge to look at both girls. "You both were there. Teresa told me that everything was gonna change."
"You told me you had no choice." Thomas turned to the blonde girl who furrowed her brows in concentration. What exactly did she do?
"I get them too. It's not just nightmares." Lia sighed, letting go of her necklace to let it dangle. Her eyes locked with Thomas's brown irises as she explained. "It's what I was supposed to tell you a few days ago before Ben's banishment."
"I've seen you before in my dreams but I wasn't so sure. We were...in some sort of room with computers and I saw how I had photos of a griever in front of me." Lia said. She contemplated whether or not to tell Thomas she's always seen him in her dreams. Unsure of what they were to each other.
She choice against it.
"I've seen you too." The blonde girl told Teresa. "I think we used to be friends."
"What does it mean?" Teresa asked them.
"I don't know." Thomas sighed, looking down at his hands in contemplation. "I just always get pieces."
"And the others don't remember anything?" Teresa turned to Lia who only shook her head. "No."
"I guess we're just different." Lia said, eyes peering over at some of the boys in the distance. She saw Newt and Minho talking, sometimes making quick glances in her direction.
Teresa rummaged something in her jeans, pulling out two long cylindrical tubes. "These were in my pocket when I came up."
Lia and Thomas each took one of the tubes. Lia inspected the blue liquid inside as Thomas traced the engraved letters on the container. "W.C.K.D."
"Wicked is good." Lia stated, glancing at Thomas.
"What if we were sent here for a reason?" Teresa said as she watched how much the two runners in front of her were so close as they locked eyes again. There was something about them that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"Do you think?" Lia asked the brunette boy, tightening her hold on the tube in her hands, realizing they were syringes.
"Alby." Thomas nodded.
Getting off the edge of the tree house, Thomas motioned for the girls to follow him down. He wanted to see whether or not their intuition would be right. Lia smiled softly at the sight of him and his passion to help was beginning to show once more.
"You're involved with him." Teresa commented, eyes on the other girl.
Lia turned her head, surprised at Teresa's words. "With Thomas? No it's not like that."
"I know I've only been here for a few hours but I'm not blind." Teresa began to smile. "I see the way you look at each other. The way you act and just work together."
Lia could only purse her lips, watching as Thomas was halfway down the steps. She knew there was something there between them. Lia was just too stubborn to admit it but now she wasn't so sure if she should keep denying it.
"I don't know why but there's something about you, Lia." Teresa muttered looking into Lia's blue irises, catching her attention."I feel like...you're someone I need to protect."
✜✜✜
That night, they were all back in the Med-jack's hut and the groans of pain coming from Alby was worrying everyone. Lia stood on the side, eyes on the leader of the Glade in sadness. She felt bad he had to endure all this.
"We don't even know what this stuff is." Newt said to Thomas, in his hand was the syringe that they retrieved from Teresa. "We don't know who sent it or why it came up here with you. For all we know, this thing could kill him."
"He's already dying." Lia exclaimed from her spot. Her eyes were still on Alby as she watched him struggle through his constraints. Newt frowned, following her line of sight at how the blue veins popping out of his neck even more.
"How could this possibly make it any worse?" Thomas urged. "Come on, it's worth a try."
"All right." Newt finally caved in. "Do it."
The British blonde handed Thomas the syringe. Lia watched the tall brunette move over to Alby's side, preparing to stab the serum onto his chest. Thomas turned his head, checking to see if Newt and Lia were still sure about what he was about to do. The blonde girl could only purse her lips in anticipation.
"Okay-" The moment Thomas went to hover over Alby, the leader's eyes were wide open. Blue veins around his pupils.
"You shouldn't be here!" Alby yelled, thrashing on the bed as his free hands managed to get a hold of Thomas's shirt. "You shouldn't be here!"
"No!" Newt and the med-jacks tried to get Alby off of Thomas as he kept screaming.
"Watch out!"
"Get the syringe! Let go!" Lia gasped, running over towards them to grab the syringe Thomas dropped once Newt and Jeff managed to hold Alby down. Her hand rose holding onto the syringe and stabbed it onto the stung Glader's chest. With one last exhale, Alby's body relaxed as he dozed off.
"Well, that worked." Jeff mumbled.
"You okay?" Lia asked Thomas, who nodded in response.
Newt kept his eyes on Alby before he made eye contact with everyone else. "Okay, from now on someone stays here and watches him around the clock."
Lia nodded, looking down at Alby's resting state. At least he wasn't yelling out in pain. From behind her, Gally came in staying by the door as he called out to everyone.
"Hey" The Builder kept his eyes on Thomas in an intimidating manner. "Sundown, Greenie. Time to go."
Of course, he'd be the one fetching Thomas. Lia could only scoff at the six footer behind her as Thomas hesitantly made his way over to Gally. He was stopped as soon as he passed Lia, who took a hold of his hand. "I'll see you later, okay?" The pair smiled at each other before Thomas left the room following Gally towards the Slammer.
"Hey, what is your problem with me?" He spoke up, walking next to Gally now who was holding onto a torch.
"Everything started going wrong the minute you showed up." Gally paused, looking at the brunette in the eye. "First Ben, then Alby then Lia and now the girl."
"What started going wrong with Lia?" Thomas furrowed his brows. Lia hadn't changed at all in his opinion.
"I've known her for a year, Greenie." Gally rolled his eyes. "Lia doesn't usually get on board with things easily. At least not anymore but you came along and suddenly she's following you wherever you go."
Thomas couldn't help it but his lips tugged into a smile as he heard what Gally said. He then turned serious just as they reached the front of the pit. "Gally, you know we can't stay here forever, right?"
The six footer didn't reply. Only glaring at the shorter boy as he opened the wooden door. Thomas sighed, jumping in the dark makeshift prison. Knowing he wouldn't get through to Gally anytime soon.
Soon, he was left in the pit. Alone in the dark for a few hours. His head shot up, hearing the rustling of the grass from outside.
"Who's there?" Thomas called out.
"It's just us." Chuck appeared along with Lia who was holding onto a lit mason jar that helped them see each other.
"Sorry, guys." Thomas mumbled, eyes on Lia as she gave him a shy smile.
"What are you doing here?" He asked the blonde girl, happy to see her again.
"Chuck and I figured you were hungry." Lia told him, setting the fire in between her and Chuck as they sat down in front of Thomas. The girl knew his punishment was for him not to have food but she could care less about that.
"Here." Unwrapping the the tie to the cloth that covered the dinner Chuck and Lia sneaked out from the Kitchen, Chuck handed the new runner Frypan's famous bread. "You'll run better on a full stomach."
"Mmm..." Thomas moaned in delight at the taste of food in his mouth. He was beginning to get hungry. He hasn't slept for a while either.
"Thanks, guys." His statement was muffled as he was chewing his food. Lia chuckled softly, adjusting herself to lean against the door of the Slammer. She saw that the piece of wood Chuck had been working on had become a different shape now and so did Thomas.
"You finished it?" Lia asked the pudgy boy. "Let me see."
Chuck turned the wooden figure in his hands to show the older teens. Thomas leaned forward onto the door of the pit to get a closer look and said. "Wow, that came out pretty damn good."
"It looks great, Chuckie." Lia gave him a smile.
"What's that for?" Thomas questioned, looking between the figure and the twelve year old.
"It's for my parents." Chuck answered, looking over the creation he made. Lia felt a pang in her chest.
"You remember your parents?"
"No." He sighed sadly. "I mean, I know I must have them and wherever they are, I'm sure they miss me...but I can't miss them because I don't remember them."
"You can still miss them, Chuck. Even if it's just the feeling of what it's like to have them." Lia told him, rubbing his back. She didn't know if her parents were still alive either or even knew she was stuck there. Are they even out there? Are they looking for her or were they the ones that left her there?
"What do you think you're gonna find out there tomorrow?" Chuck asked, changing the subject.
"I don't know but if there's a way out, Chuck." Thomas said, shifting his gaze towards the blonde. Who he found was twirling the silver disk on her necklace around as she listened. "Me, Lia and Minho are gonna find it."
A look of contemplation washed over Chuck's face before he held the figurine out for Thomas to take. "Here."
"Chuck, why would you give this to me?" Thomas asked, holding the figurine in his hands.
"I can't remember them anyway but maybe if you find a way out, you can give it to them for me." The little boy shrugged.
"Chuck..." Lia said softly, her eyes becoming glassy. She felt bad for him. Usually Chuck was always jolly and hopeful.
"I'll let you get some sleep." Chuck announced, turning towards the blonde girl. "You coming, Lia?"
Lia took a second to think, glancing at Thomas before quickly shaking her head. "I'll stay a little bit longer."
Thomas saw the sadness in her eyes as she watched Chuck leave them. Cradling the wooden object in his hands he called out before Chuck could get too far."Hey, Chuck. Come here. Put out your hand."
Following his instructions, Chuck held out his hand only for Thomas to give back the figurine he made. "I want you to give that to them yourself. We're gonna get out of here. All of us. I promise."
"Yeah." Lia smiled at the two feeling a weird fluttery feeling. It felt weird.
Chuck smiled before standing up once more. "All right."
"Good night." He bid them goodbye.
"Good night, buddy." Thomas replied. Now he was more motivated to get back in the maze.
"He respects you, you know." Lia stated, watching Chuck as his figure began to disappear once he entered the Homestead. Turning her head back to look inside the pit, Thomas already had his eyes on her. He couldn't help it. She was beautiful in the firelight. The pair looked away for a second, blushing due to each other's heavy gaze.
"Thanks for keeping his hopes up." She told him, adjusting herself to be face to face with the brunette. Her hand went to her necklace once again as she smiled sadly. "It's hard being that young and being put into a place like this. He deserves so much more."
"Hey..." Thomas whispered softly, reaching his hand out through the wooden bars and held her free hand. "You do the best you can. I'm sure he's grateful to have you around."
Thomas rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand as the girl sighed. "Thank you, Thomas."
"Have you ever had dreams of us?" She suddenly asked, stopping her fingers from twirling her necklace. It had taken her a while to realize it but maybe she was connected to Thomas. The feelings she had been feeling from the moment she saw him was far from just being different.
"Because I always had." Lia admitted, feeling Thomas stop caressing her hand yet kept holding her as she gained his full attention now. Maybe she's seen visions of them like he did. Oh how he wished she did. "I remember us being together all the time. You'd sit across from me or we'd be in some sort of room. I saw us being happy together."
The girl then shook her head, laughing at herself softly. "Shit that must've sounded weird. I'm sorry, I better let you sleep."
As she began to get up and curse herself for being so awkward. Thomas reached further to grab her wrist. Stopping her from going anywhere. His eyes were focused as he stared into her wide ones.
"I do." He said. "I just wasn't sure if you did either but I think we were close."
It was more than being close.
"I just wish I could remember." He muttered, loosening his grip on her wrist.
"Me too." Lia said, smiling sadly.
⚖
⫸ Connection: The Maze Runner ⫷
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