CHAPTER FIVE
• tell me something funny •

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THOMAS WRAPPED HIS arms around her body, cradling her head into his chest to limit the amount of impact. The two collapsed onto the floor: tired and weak-the sound of the walls smashing together from behind them. He laid there on the ground with her, their bodies in a fetal position, her small breaths tickling the edge of his chin which he hung over her shoulder. His heavy pants were becoming steadier, and his eyes had opened back up to look at the girl in his arms. She wasn't conscious, but at least was breathing. He decided that was good enough for now. Breathing was good-breathing meant she was alive.

He laid there with her until the rest of the gladers came and circled around them. Thomas released his grip on her waist, moving it to her back so that he could sit her up. However her body disobeyed, and she ended up flopping straight in his lap, her head laying on his chest.

The second time he attempted to lift her up he had help. Minho and Max had rushed over and were helping him lift the girl up around their shoulders. Thomas propped her up against him as he carefully exchanged Evony to the runners. His hand stayed stabilized on her back the entire time, not wanting to risk her falling.

Both of the other boys hoisted an arm around each of her shoulders, then began walking towards the med hut. Thomas started to follow behind them, but was stopped by an unexpected force that drove him to the ground. Face first into the dirt, he scrambled to get a look at who had pushed him.

He didn't have a chance at first, as the person gripped his shirt, yanking him up to his feet the moment he turned around. Stumbling around off balance, Thomas pushed his arms out to rid himself of the figure's hold. Once he got away, he backed up and finally saw who had initiated the action.

Aaron

Of course it was Aaron-who else who has shown such aggressiveness towards him. Thomas clenched his teeth, using everything in him to not throw a rude remark back at the boy.

The raven head charged up to him, his arm locked back and next thing Thomas knew his knuckles made contact with the left side of his face. He stumbled once more, but this time caught his balance much quicker. "What the hell was that for?" The brunete snapped, bringing his hand up to his jaw to caress the skin that was probably starting to bruise.

"I don't know what you were thinking, Tobias." Aaron said, laughing mockingly. "Did you really think you would get away with playing the hero card?"

Thomas' eyes squinted in confusion at his words. "I didn't play any hero cards." He countered, "I saved her life because it didn't look like anybody else had the guts to do it."

Aaron took a handful of the greenies blue shirt into a death grip. He stared down at the boy expecting a response of fear, or even an apology. Neither came. "You didn't do shit."

Thomas stayed relaxed under his gaze. He wasn't affected by his piercing stare or force-not when he knew he was right. "Oh really? Maybe next time I'll take some pointers from you and just let her die." He snarked. The builder froze for a split second, and that was all Thomas needed for him to crash his shoulder into the boys and push past him towards the med hut.

Once he spotted the group of gladers standing outside the tiny hut, he sprinted over the grassland to meet them. The first person that noticed him was Newt, and that was because he was heading the opposite direction. He stopped him before he got close enough to peer through the opening of the room.

"You can't see her." The blonde said bluntly. Thomas shook his head is disagreement at the terms. He tried to peek over the boy's shoulder but was rendered unsuccessful since he was much shorter than the other.

Two hands were then placed on his shoulders, pushing him back down so he stood flat footed. Newt's face held a solemn expression, "I'm sorry, Tommy. Alby's orders. Nobody except the keepers are allowed to see her."

"That's stupid.." he muttered under his breath.

Newt sighed, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "Look-I get it. You rescued her and you want to make sure she's okay-"

"Is she okay?"

Newt nodded slowly, almost like he wasn't completely confident in his answer. He took a quick look back at the hut in the distance behind them. "She'll be okay. Clint said that there was a lot of blood loss and that's why she passed out. But for the injuries in general-nothing internally was damaged."

Thomas felt like he could finally breathe again. He felt like a weight that had been on his chest was lifted. The clouds had cleared, everything fuzzy came into focus. All because Evony was okay. He did it. He saved her.

Holy shit, he saved someone's life.

A smile crept onto his face at the thought, and he saw Newt's eyebrows crinkle as if he was trying to determine what Thomas had suddenly become so smiley about. The brunete saw this but didn't acknowledge it. He was in his own world at the moment-cherishing the small amount of joy that had been given to him.

Maybe now the gladers would start to view him as someone of importance, and not just a piece of chopped liver. He had been told that greenies usually got treated that way, but that only led him to ask how long it stayed like that. Everyone had been new at some point, so it wasn't like he should be kicked to the side much longer.

"Thomas," Newt snapped his fingers. Thomas' brain focused back onto the world around him, his past thoughts clearing out of his head. He saw his blonde acquaintance standing with a frown on his face and that's when he realized he must've been daydreaming.

The brunete blinked, "I'm here, yeah."

Newt ran a hand through his hair and looked down onto Thomas shaking his head slightly. "You're an interesting one, that's for sure." He chuckled, "now go get washed up and I'll come get you when you're allowed to see her."

Thomas had forgotten for a moment that he was covered in blood-specifically Evonys blood. Glancing down at his drenched blue shirt, he pulled the sticky material away from his chest. If he was covered in that much of the substance then he couldn't even begin to fathom how she looked. He remembered seeing the blood seeping out through the hole in her shirt. He remembered the stained red hands that had been wrapped around his neck.

He had only arrived after the incident, so it was still a mystery of what happened to cause such a mess. Obviously something had either shot or stabbed her, he knew that much, but Thomas couldn't think of what else it would be. He only knew about grievers-that was about the extent of his knowledge.

When he looked back up Newt was gone. Thomas spotted him walking in the distance towards the garden. His eyes then trailed back to the hut that was no more than twenty feet away from him. All he wanted to do was to go make sure she was okay, but he couldn't. He couldn't because she was second in command-a runner, the only girl-and he was just the greenie.

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Had Evony imagined death before? Yes. Several times actually. She used to imagine death in the worst ways possible. Head bashed, throat ripped out, blood everyone kind of died. It was during the first few weeks of the glade that she mostly envisioned this, back when she was clueless to what her new life would be.

That's why when she woke up and saw black: she knew she wasn't dead.

It was a weird sensation at first. Her eyes were shut, leaving her to stare at blank darkness, but she could hear everything going on around her. That was if muffled voices counted. Even though she mostly heard buzzing, echoes of footsteps and conversation managed to slip into her ear. Through static the familiar waves pushed through and instantly comforted her. Once she concentrated hard enough she distinguished the two voices-Newt and Alby-who were saying something about deciding a punishment.

Who had a punishment? Was it for her?

Evony tried to think back to earlier, earlier when she went into the maze. She remembered finding something new and being excited about it. She remembered the sharp blade puncturing her shoulder along with the ones on the ground that stabbed her feet. Then there was a gap of time that she couldn't process. The next mental image she could picture was her gripping onto somebody's waist, and a voice telling her that she was going home. Everything clicked into place. The voice, the punishment, why she was blacked out.

Thomas. That stupid dumbass ran into the maze to save her.

Heroic? Yes. Idiotic? Even more, yes.

She needed to wake up. She needed to thank him for what he did, but her body wouldn't allow it. As if she was paralyzed she laid there helpless, trying with everything in her to move just an inch. In the end there was nothing she could do, so she accepted defeat and waited for the moment when she became fully conscious.

Turns out she didn't have to wait long, as only minutes later did she sit up gasping for breath. Evonys hands rose to her throat while she choked out dry painful coughs, her whole body aching just at the one action alone. The boys that were currently in the hut-Newt, Minho, Winston and Fry-all rushed over to her at the first sign of noise. They placed their hands on her back gently to help her lower herself back onto the bed before backing up to give her some room. Evony glanced past them to the back of the hut, searching for the dumbass who she desperately wanted to speak with; however, the boy was nowhere to be seen, so she laid her head back down onto the bed.

What once were smiles, dipped into frowns on the keeper's faces, but she was too tired and unaware to realize it. Each one of them knew who she had been hoping to see, and they felt bad that he wasn't allowed to be there when she woke up. Minho was the first to speak, him walking up and grabbing her hand in a tight hold. "You scared us, Evy. We all thought you might have died for a second." Heads nodded from around the room; they all seemed to be slowly inching closer to her bed.

Evony didn't respond but instead turned her head to face the entrance to the hut. Her voice was shallow as her mind jumped to the worst conclusions. "Why isn't he here? Did he not want-"

Newt cut her off, rounding the other side of her bed and kneeling down. "Alby wont let him, but trust me that boy definitely wants to see you." He assured her. She nodded lazily in response, shutting her eyes again. It was so peaceful when it was black, there was nothing that could hurt her, no maze to further terrorize her life.

A hand slipped into hers, the warmth contrasting against her cold skin. It spread through her body like a wildfire, bringing life to her other limbs. Suddenly she was able to focus on the voices around her, and could make out solid figures standing in front of her. Her eyes scanned the room again, landing on the door like they did before.

"When can I see him?" She asked, redirecting her gaze onto the only blonde in the room. If anybody had a say in a matter like this it would be him. "And Chuck," she added quickly, "I want to see Chuck."

Newt peered over to Minho who nodded his head in approval. He sighed as he squeezed her hand and then released it. "Perhaps we can sneak them in, right guys?" She saw the nods of approval throughout the group. Evony smiled and shut her eyes for the third time. She couldn't help it-the blood loss must be making her tired.

Everyone but Minho then left to get the two individuals. While they did so, the two friends didn't speak a word to each other. They didn't need to-their company could be expressed through just their presences. She always said that she never liked to pick favorites, but he was without a doubt her best friend. They had clicked from the moment they came up the box, and ever since then the two told each other almost everything.

Almost.

It was barely a few minutes when the door of the hut swung open and Evony looked up from where she was lying to see two heads appear a couple feet from her bed. One was the blonde she had seen only moments ago. The other was the brunete she had forced her friend to go get. Her and Thomas made eye contact from across the room, and instantaneously she felt her body flood with a strange form of comfort. She welcomed it, but at the same time remained questionable about where it came from so suddenly.

Newt walked to the other side of the room and placed a hand on Minho's back, pushing him out of the hut. "Well, there's Tommy boy for you. Minho and I will be going now." He said in a commanding tone, directed more at the boy than herself. The asian wriggled himself out of the grip and gave a cocky solute as he exited the room. Rolling his eyes, the blonde followed behind him and left with a wave, shutting the door on his way out. Evony had wanted to ask where Chuck was, but she figured that if he wasn't there it was because he was probably busy. So that left just her and greenie.

The greenie who was currently rubbing the back of his neck anxiously as he paced around thinking of what to say.

Evony chuckled at the sight, "Hey, pretty boy."

Her words redirected his attention onto her and he rushed over to the side of her bed; he stopped himself before he got too close and ended up taking a step back. His face scrunched once he realized he had not answered her. "Sorry, I don't really know what to say."

She laughed again at his awkwardness. "You could start with, how are you?" She offered gently.

Thomas stopped walking and sighed, bringing a hand up to his head to rub the side of it. "I'm sorry, I've never...or if I have I don't remember, doing anything like this." His hand then gestured out to her, "How- how are you feeling?"

"Oh, like shit." Evony professed. She found her answer funny and was attempting to hold in a smile; Thomas' face though dropped into a prominent frown. He stared at her grudgingly for a few seconds then twisted around and searched the room. She was confused about what he was looking for until he found a wooden stool and pulled it up next to the bed so that he could sit on it.

The two continued to sit in silence until Evony turned her head and spoke to him. "Come here."

Thomas glanced back and forth twice before pointing at himself, "Me?"

"No, the other you. Yes, you." She nodded her head, "Come here."

He did as she said, getting off his stool and kneeling down so that he was only a couple feet away from her. Once again she told him to come closer and she was pleased when he did as she asked. Now he was about a foot away; Evony figured that was a close enough distance. Through the mushy feeling of her body, she launched her arm out towards his face. However her hand did not land where she wanted it too, and instead managed to just barely graze the tip of his chin before falling limp by her side.

Thomas's own hand flew up to his face where her skin had made contact. Her eyes met his widened ones. "Did you just try to smack me?" He asked, but even though there was an accusing tone to his voice a smile still seeped into his lips.

"That was for being an idiot." Evony's gaze fell to the arm that was hanging half off the bed. "My hand is numb." She blubbered slowly. She began to experiment by lifting up her arm and watching as her hand drooped down on its own. Thomas also studied this action, but then broke away his eye to look around for what may have been the cause. A small white tube laid at the edge of her bed. He picked it up and read the writing out loud.

"Used for numbing, only apply small amounts at a time." He read, flipping it over. "Property of WCKD."

"That's beautiful," Evony replied sarcastically. "Now help me sit up."

Thomas stood frantically when he saw how she had already started to raise herself up from her current position. His hands hovered behind her back as she made her transition from lying to sitting upright, her feet resting on the floor and her hands by her side. Only once he knew that she would be okay did he allow himself to take a seat next to her. Although he did subconsciously keep an arm behind her just in case she got light-headed.

Evony and Thomas sat next to each other on the bed in silence. Why was it always silent? She wanted to talk to him-she really did, but everytime she went to find the words her tongue tied up in a suffocating knot. For some reason she felt the need to please the boy. Why?-she wasn't sure, but it was as if she was scared that one wrong word would send him away.

What also scared her was how much she didn't want that to happen.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Thomas whispered from next to her. She knew what he was suggesting so she shook her head, dipping it down to look at the floor.

"Okay, we don't have to talk about it then." He affirmed. She felt his eyes on her as he turned towards her direction. Evony stared back at him waiting for the next words to come out of his mouth. When they did come-they ended up being the exact opposite of what she'd been expecting. "Tell me something funny." He prodded, a smile ghosting his lips.

She squinted her eyes at him for a second, not sure what he was trying to do. If this was his way to get her mind off things then honestly she had to admit it was pretty smart. Humor always seemed to make things better.

It didn't even take a second for her to think up an answer. "I think Minho and Ben are secretly dating." Evony cringed, "and that they are having sex in the maze."

Thomas' mouth opened and closed like a fish, him unsure of what to say back to that. She knew he was probably expecting her to either stay quiet or offer back a short quip of a response. What she gave him...was neither of those. She chortled at his reaction, which led him to laugh as well.

"Not that I'm shocked, but the maze? You really think so?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I was mostly joking, but now that I think about it, maybe. I mean Minho did leave me so he could run with Ben today."

"That's gross."

"I agree." Evony nodded. They both stayed quiet for a couple seconds when suddenly a memory from the previous hours popped into her head. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since she had woken. Something about what he had said in the maze sounded so familiar-so right. She wondered if he had even meant to call her that.

"Hey, Thomas," she paused, unsure of how she should ask. "Did you mean to call-"

"Hi, guys!"

Both teens whipped their heads over to the sound of the young voice. The boy, Chuck, barreled through the makeshift door, almost tripping over his feet. Thomas immediately stood up to make room for him in case he wanted to sit next to the girl. Evony, even though disappointed that she hadn't been able to ask her question, was still excited to see one of her best friends, so a grin appeared onto her face.

"Chuck! Hey, how are you?" She exclaimed. The little boy came over to her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Evony buried her head in his shoulder, seeing that was the only action she could do at the moment.

"How am I? I should be asking how you are." He countered. "Are you okay? Does it hurt? Did you see a griever? Did-"

"Chuck, Im okay." Evony insisted. She looked over to where Thomas was standing in the corner of the room, rumaginging around the medical supplies noisily. He picked up a pair of scissors but ended up fumbling them and staring wide eyed as they dropped to the floor. She sighed, "I wouldn't be if it wasn't for him."

Thomas picked up the metal object, "Oh yeah, uh- it was no problem."

Chuck bounced on his feet, coming up to the older boy. "No problem? You saved her life!" He then took him into a hug. She saw the startled expression on the greenie's face as he was embraced by the boy, but it almost immediately settled into a small smile. Her heart warmed with seeing the two clasped together; she beamed from where she was sitting.

"Oh wait," Chuck said as he pulled away. He frowned and itched the top of his head, "Alby and the keepers wanted to see Thomas in the meeting room."

The brunete shot her a glare of fear, picking up by the way the curly haired boy spoke that he was about to be put in a troublesome situation. Evony shifted her gaze between the two before settling on the older one. "Okay, let's go." She went to push herself off the bed but failed from the numbness in her left hand.

Thomas ran to her side, his hands staying a couple inches away from her waist. "They only need me. you can stay and rest." He offered. She just shook her head knowingly. "They're deciding your punishment," She maintained, "If i'm not there, who knows what they'll do to you."

Neither could miss the fear in his eyes. "What could they do to me?"

"Bad stuff," Chuck joined in with a very bland explanation, "very, very bad stuff."

Seeming in defeat for information from the younger boy, the brunete faced her with an eager look. She wanted to tell him-she did, she felt that she owed him that much. However she wasn't sure if he needed to know about the banishments that early on into his time in the glade.

"Let's just go," Evony gestured to both boys with a nod of her head, "Help me stand, please."

Like the gentlemen they were, both boys put a hand around her waist and helped her lift herself off the bed. From there she stood wearingly on her two feet, leaning slightly into the taller boy for support. The three then made their way towards the hut situated on the other side of the glade.

The hut where Thomas' fate would be decided.

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MAE's FUN NOTES
the way I have no clue
as to what happened in
those 4000 words even
tho I've read it 3 times 💀
anyway the next chapter
was supposed to be apart
of this chapter but it got to
long so yeah

also 100 followers?
Guys I'm cool but I'm not
that awesome BUT THX
SO SO MUCH