The room around me was full of electronics, a code red alert flashing in every corner. My hand was clasping onto another, I looked at the boy next to me, he was scared, not for himself though, he was scared for me. We hid behind a cupboard, hoping no W.C.K.D guards would find us.

"Thomas they're going to put me in the maze," I whispered, a tear fell and now gliding down my cheek.

He turned to face me, his hand cupping my face as his thumb brushed away my tear.

"I won't let them take you okay?" He reassured, his eyes became a glassy barrier.
I nodded.

Footsteps came rushing through the doors until guards came out of every end, we ran to every place we could until we were surrounded.

"Taylor needs to come with us Thomas, there's no point in trying to help her." A guard spoke loudly, his voice slightly muffled under his mask.

Not just me but Thomas too had water of sadness coming down his face.

As the guards came closer, Thomas stood in front of me, his hands still connected with mine.

"Thomas," I said, taking a deep breath.

He turned around to look at me, his face soaked. I rested my hands on his face before wiping his tears. His face sank into my hand.

"I have to go" I whispered, more tears wanted to come out but I sucked them in, I needed to be brave.

"No," Thomas choked out, "Please don't."

"I love you Tommy"

My eyes shot open, a brown wood ceiling was the first thing I saw before turning my head. A snoring Minho sat on a chair next to me. I took in my surroundings, I was back in my cabin.

Suddenly, my mind went blank. I then remembered the dream I had, no, it felt so real, it was a memory. My eye's widened, was that the reason why I thought Thomas was so familiar? Because we knew each other before the Maze. Why was I able to remember that though? Then my thoughts lead to something else, Thomas had said that I was in his dream also.

What brought me back from my thinking was loud snores. Before I woke my best friend up I looked down at my leg, it was cleaned and patched up. When I moved it, it didn't hurt anymore, as if it was good as new. I opened the bandage and the sight was not pretty, it still wasn't healed and blood was still there just scabbed up a little.

"Minho" I said but no luck, he was still asleep, "Minho!" I tried again but louder, still not waking up. I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him with a bit of force. He jolted awake, a pillow right in front of him which made him confused until he realised I was awake.

"Thank god your awake, thought you might've died somewhere in that shuck brain of yours" Minho sarcastically put.

I laughed a little.

"How long was I out for?" I asked.

"A day" Minho answered, his head lowered in sadness before returning back to look at me, "for some reason that new greenie was worried about you."

I bit onto my lip, I couldn't stop thinking about the memory I re-lived inside my head.

"What's wrong?" The runner in front of me questioned.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Huh," Minho spoke.

"What?"

"Your a terrible liar" He said.

We sat there in silence for a few minutes until I couldn't take it any longer and told him everything about my memory I had discovered, somehow I couldn't keep anything from him.

"So what your telling me is that before the Maze you and Thomas were what? Lovey dovey?" Minho spoke.

"Yes Minho, we were 'lovey dovey'" I replied, using his words at the end.

"Wait but that was just before you got put into the maze, how come three years later he shows up here?" Minho questioned.

"I don't know." I shrugged, "Can you, um, not tell anyone about my memory?"

"Your secret is safe me with shank" Minho smiled.

Soon, my mind raced towards Ben and how he attacked me and Thomas and that he was stung, "Is Ben still alive?"

"Yeah," Minho sighed, "we're banishing him tonight."

We haven't banished someone in over a year, it was all new to the gladers who came up after that, it was sad that we all had to witness it and it was sad that it wasn't Ben's fault that he was out of his mind and about to get executed, it was a Grievers.

"Want me to braid your hair?" Minho asked, a grin appearing on his lips.

I nodded with a smile before he began braiding my brunette hair.

————

Finishing up, I stood, my legs felt a bit wobbly since I had't used them in a day before straightening myself up and walking out of my cabin with Min.

The only thing that I was feeling right now was hunger, so I headed straight to Frypan's kitchen. It was lunch time anyway so I was able to get some food.

Walking up to it, Frypan's smile widened before he told all the boys to step back, letting me be in the front of the line.

"Thanks" I nodded to the boy who was supposed to be at the front before turning all my attention towards the cook.

"Good to see you up," Fry said.

"Good to be up" I replied.

He handed me a ham sandwich then thanked him, I wolfed down the sandwich quickly as I left, no longer hungry. I saw Chuck and Thomas speaking in the distance and decided to join them. I also needed to know what Thomas' memory was about.

"Hey guys," I greeted, Chuck looked at me before playfully punching my arm, "hey what was that for!"

"You scared me!" He said.

"Well I'll make sure not to do it again" I smiled. My gaze fell towards the other boy that was here, my stomach twisted in a good way, butterflies floated in my stomach when I met his eyes.

"Chuck can you give me and Thomas a moment?" I asked, Chuck looked back and fourth at us then nodded, a slight smirk washed through his face before he headed off, he had a dirty head.

"Hey-" But before I could say anymore, arms were engulfed around me, his arms. One wrapped around me while the other brushed through my hair.

"You frightened the shuck out of me," Thomas muttered.

"I see that your catching the gladers language along just well" I joked, a soft smile appearing across his lips as he pulled away.

"Um...I need to speak to you" I spoke, Thomas' smile dropped as if he knew it was going to be something to worry about or something that would be bad. All he did was nod.

----

By the deadheads was a treehouse me and Gally built once out of boredom, I was surprised it was still there after years and years.

I climbed up it, Thomas not far behind. He leant against the wood with his arms folded, I sat on the floor, resting my leg.

"You said you had a dream- memory and that I was in it, what was it about?" I asked.

He cleared his throat before sitting beside me, so close that our body's were touching. My cheeks blushed red but I looked down then back up when I could feel it fading away.

"Well, we were hiding from some people, and we were scared, terrified even, we knew that you were going to be put into the maze." He said.

I nodded, his memory was the same as mine.

"And you told me you loved me...I never said it back"

I turned to look at him, his eyes full of sorrow and regret. Thomas' head tilted up then towards me.

"Why didn't I try and fight those guards off? I could've protected you and maybe you might not be here, instead living a life out there." He questioned.

I intwined my fingers into his, "Tommy you did protect me, I just knew the only outcome of it and that was I'd have to end up here at some point."

I gave a soft smile, soon he returned it.

Silence surrounded us, not awkward, but peaceful silence. My head pondered into the distance, looking at the whole of the glade. I could feel Thomas' eyes still on me which made me turn back to him.

"Have I ever told you that your really pretty?" He asked, I chuckled a little.

"Not that I can remember,"

"Well you are." He spoke.

Our faces were now only inches away, his eyes flickered down to me then my lips. I could feel my cheeks blushing once more but I couldn't be bothered to hide it this time. His fingers brushed away my hair that was in front of my face and tucked it behind my ear. Our eyes once more gazed into each other, I felt safe with him.

"What ya shanks doing up there?" I heard someone shout, Minho.

Breaking our trance with each other, we didn't move, we still stayed in the same position.

"Nothing!" I yelled back, peaking my head over the wooden barriers that held up this tree house, "What do you want Min?"

"The banishing is about to start." Minho replied, not really shouting this time.

I nodded, sadness glooming over my face. I turned back to Thomas, "Whats wrong?" He asked, now standing up.

"Ben's going to be put into the maze."

----
four completed
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