Disclaimer:

I do not own The Maze Runner, but I do own this particular fanfic, and I would like to thank you for the immense amount of support you guys have given me. If it wasn't for you, this wouldn't have been possible. Thank you and I love you all!

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The slam of the gas pedal shook me awake. I jumped and blinked, rubbing my tired eyes in order to see. My head was resting against Newt's shoulder, his head on top of mine. We had both fallen asleep during some point in the two-hour ride.

My neck ached from the awkward position and I reached my hands above my head to stretch. We were barely given enough time to get ourselves together before we Gladers were ushered off the bus. The vehicle had parked in a muddy lot outside of a seemingly normal building with rows of windows on the sides. The storm was gone, and the sun now shined down on us with intense heat as we trudged inside.

There was an open area just inside the entrance, almost like a foyer. One of the people led us down a long, brightly lit hallway. I couldn't help but notice the frilly curtains that adorned the windows.

It was like a rainbow had been smeared through the place. The walls were sunshine yellow, blankets red, and curtains light green. It was a stark contrast to the dull darkness of the Glade- one that I was not about to disagree with. The pop of color lifted my spirits slightly.

Minho said it best upon our arrival: "I've been shucked and gone to heaven."

A small staff was in charge of us that consisted of nine smiling men and women dressed in black pants and white shirts. No lab coats. No sleek buns or clipboards. No W.I.C.K.E.D.

We were assigned beds. Actual, fluffy, soft beds instead of the lumpy ones we had in the Homestead. Clothes and bathroom necessities were passed out, and then dinner was served- pizza. It was the best thing I'd ever had, save the grease that coated my fingers. I carelessly wiped them on my pants. Most people were silent, but I could tell that we were all content with what we were given. Smiling was also a plus.

After eating, we washed up and were allowed to sit around. I plopped on a sofa next to Minho, who was patting his full stomach like it was a drum.

"Step one of the sleepover process complete," I said to him. A flicker of remembrance crossed his face before he grinned hugely and an overexcited, dramatic squeal came from his lips.

"You're right!" he exclaimed, reaching over and grabbing both of my hands in his. "Now we really can be sleepover buddies! We'll paint each other nails, play Truth or Dare, and talk about the cutest guy in the..uh...this place!"

His repetition of the suggestions he had said before dampened my mood. A wave of nostalgia washed over me as my own smile shook. "It's you, Minho."

Soon after that, no one argued that it was time for sleep. That short nap on the bus did nothing to replenish my energy at all, and my eyelids felt heavy like they were filled with sand.

Teresa and I were pushed into a separate room too quickly to even say goodbye. Thomas' mouth fell slightly open as the staff members took us away, and Theo pouted. I was ushered along before I could see Newt or Minho.

Our room was across the hall and a little way before the others'. A woman with coppery-red hair turned the knob and pushed the heavy door open. A light clicked on.

The room was very sparse. A single bunk was placed against the far wall. A purple, plush rug laid on the tile floor in the center. The walls were painted a beautiful blue, the exact same color of the sky on a clear day. I noticed a door at the very back that was probably for the bathroom. The staff left almost immediately after reminding us to get some sleep, to which both of us scoffed.

"I call top bunk!" I yelled, rushing to the thin metal ladder before Teresa could protest.

She laughed. "Okay, but you'll need some pajamas first. Here." She rummaged through a drawer before producing a pair of red flannel pants and a grey long-sleeved shirt, then threw them at me. I caught them with one hand and jumped onto the floor.

"Do you think we're actually safe now?" I questioned as we changed. It really didn't matter to me that I was right in front of Teresa- we had seen worse things.

Teresa shrugged in response. "Dunno. It's kinda strange, though. How well they set this all up."

I nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I see what you mean." I paused after slipping a new pair of socks on. "You can communicate with Thomas in your head, right?"

"Yeah," she replied, brow slightly wrinkled in puzzlement. She looked slightly wary of what I was going to ask her to say.

I smiled wryly and started to climb the ladder again. "Tell him he's an idiot. But goodnight and I love him, and not to stay up too late or I'll kick his butt."

Teresa blinked. A second passed before she smiled. "He says that you're the bigger idiot, he loves you too, and that Minho keeps yelling at him to shut the light off anyway."

"Good."

I flopped into the bed, which felt like air. The mattress was soft and fluffy, mint green covers and white sheets impossibly warm. I felt cozier than I had in a long time as I buried myself in them.

I was asleep within minutes, letting the comfort of my bed and the soft silence lull me to oblivion.

The night was as still as it always was. No sound penetrated the ringing silence, not a snore or sigh came from my lips as I slept. A single pillow cradled my head. The crisp sheets were pulled way too tightly over the small bed, but that was the way they had to constantly be kept. They had always loved order. Everything was about order. Without it, the organization wouldn't exist.

Ever so quietly, so low on the sound scale that I wouldn't have caught it if I wasn't so used to clean silence at night, the door slightly unlatched. My eyes popped open and I immediately shot up in my bed.

The door never opened at this time- not in the almost nine years that I had been there. My heart beat into overdrive when I saw a figure slip inside my room. The thoughts that plagued my brain were horrible; I couldn't help myself from thinking of the worst. Did something happen to Newt? To Minho? Had the experiment failed? Was I going to be separated from them forever?

I reached over to the nightstand and swiftly pulled the little string connected to the tiny lamp, causing a dim light to come to life. It revealed Teresa creeping toward my bed. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, my body relaxing. "T, what the hell are you doing?"

Teresa was clad in her sleeping garments- a white shirt, white sweatpants, and no shoes on her pale feet. Her black hair hung around her eerily serious face, ice blue eyes widened to the max.

She violently shushed me. "You have to be very quiet. Listen to me. It's vital that you do."

An uneasy feeling started to blossom in the pit of my stomach and my eyebrows creased. "You're scaring me. What's this about?"

"There's...something Thomas and I haven't told you," she began slowly, carefully, pronouncing every word like she was afraid I'd punch her then and there. "We were constantly reminded not to tell you. But I can't take it anymore- it's not right!"

My heart resumed its erratic beating. I pushed myself up so I was standing, the tile flooring sending shivers up my spine at how cold it was. "I'm listening..."

Teresa gently took hold of my wrist and gave a tug, signaling she wanted me to follow her. She smoothly leaped to the door with a soundless landing. I followed suit and soon the door was open again. The dark, freakishly unlit hallway faced us like a bottomless void. It was almost daring us to step into it, to be consumed by the blackness.

We silently walked on our toes out into the corridor. My hand didn't leave the handle of the door, letting my fingers linger like it was the only thing keeping me from plunging into the black. They stayed there until the door shut with a soft click. Teresa looked both ways before suddenly darting down the hall, close to disappearing from my sight with how quickly she moved.

"Teresa!" I hissed, sprinting after her. My bare feet slapped the floor and sent stings up to my brain. Whatever exhaustion I had felt before was gone; I felt more alert and awake now than ever. My senses were heightened. My eyes seemed to see everything at once. The dark didn't seem so haunting anymore.

She paused for a millisecond to press a finger to her lips. Her hair blew behind her as she ran, turning and twisting down corridors and past countless rooms. We finally reached the one she was looking for and started to slow down. My eyes went wide when I saw the heavy metal door that strayed a bit from the others. I recognized it almost immediately.

Teresa stopped and pulled out an I.D badge. Instantly, my hand slapped hers away as it neared the scanner. "Are you stupid? You'll be in the system!"

A smirk formed on her face, suddenly more determined than afraid. "No, I won't." She held up the front of the badge for me to see. It wasn't her picture— instead, it was an older, bigger man with graying hair and an awkwardly long nose. "Horace Gleeson will. I grabbed it during a meeting today. You know, about Thomas going up tomorrow."

I caught her mistake as soon as it fell from her lips. "Thomas and I. Thomas and I are going up tomorrow."

She winced and averted her gaze. "Not exactly." When I opened my mouth in outrage, she covered it with her free hand. "Shh! For now, let's just get inside where we're safe. I'll explain later."

Teresa swiped the card through the scanner in one fluent motion. A second later, the door beeped and a faint click informed us that it was now unlocked. She pushed it open and hurried inside. I quickly followed and the door closed behind me almost automatically.

Using a keypad full of numbers to the left of the door, Teresa punched a code in furiously. When she stepped back, the light went red and the word LOCKDOWN appeared in bold letters across the small screen.

"Now nobody can get inside until I reset the door," she explained, almost running to a table with clothes stacked on it. She held them up to me and ordered, "Change. Now."

Not even thinking twice about it, I grabbed the clothes and started to undress, putting the new ones on. I eyed the small circular bulb above our heads uneasily. "What about the cameras?"

She waved her hand in dismissal, almost scoffing. "Too easy. I just edited the date and made it replay an old tape from last night."

The clothes she had handed me were undoubtedly Glader clothing. The shirt was a dark blue color of soft cotton material, the sleeves ending just below my elbows. It was accompanied by flexible grey jeans and black combat boots. I felt ready to march into there at that very second.

"Come here," Teresa commanded, waving a hand toward herself. "Let me braid your hair."

I obediently did as she told me to, standing just in front of her. Her nimble fingers brushed out my hair and thus got caught in several snarls. She began to separate my hair into three sections and expertly plaited it down my back.

As she began to tie it off, I asked, "What's this all about, T?"

She paused, fingers still twisting the hair tie. "It's a lot to explain. I can't do it now- you'll freak out."

Again, that feeling of terror washed inside of me and overtook all the other emotions. They receded back into the ruthless waves of fear. My hands grew clammy. "Ter—"

"Not now," she repeated sternly. "Trust me."

I sighed but obeyed anyway, letting her lead me to a table with several needles and syringes. They were aligned perfectly on a silver tray. A bottle of disinfectant and several cotton balls rested on the side.

"That's—" I started to say, but Teresa cut me off again.

"I know what it is," she sighed, grabbing the disinfectant and wetting a cotton ball with it. Her hands were completely steady as she cleaned off the spot just inside of my elbow. The liquid was cold on my skin. "Like I said, trust me."

At that same moment, she injected the needle into my arm. I let out a hiss at the slight sting it brought about as it inserted into the skin. She took her time pressing down on the syringe, letting the faint green liquid slowly mix into my bloodstream.

I gulped. Suddenly it was hard to swallow. "W-Why now?"

Instead of answering, Teresa set down the syringe and took my wrist again. She guided me to the entrance of the Box, which was open and ready for Thomas in the morning. The dark cage seemed to taunt me.

"I'll make up excuses tomorrow," she explained as she eased me down onto the cold metal. "I'll say you couldn't bear watching him leave and had to stay in your room."

"Why?" I asked again, pleading for an answer. I could feel the effects of the serum circulating in my veins. It slowly pulled down my eyelids until I could hardly hold them open anymore. My brain started to turn to mush. Thoughts and feelings all blended together in a confusing mass of questions, bringing on a headache.

As Teresa pushed me to a far corner of the Box that could hardly be seen, she mumbled a few things that my nearly unconscious self could barely register. Once they did, I was already too fatigued to make sense out of what she was saying.

I closed my eyes and the Swipe put me to sleep.

--

I shot up into a sitting position, gasping for breath and trying to let my swarming thoughts process. I blinked and let the powerful surge of information settle in. It was like I had been hit by something forceful and intense. All the packaged memories sunk into my brain, which I urged to process faster.

And once it registered, I nearly toppled off my bed and over the railing.

I didn't belong. No wonder I had felt so out of place in the Glade- I wasn't supposed to be there. Teresa had risked everything in order to keep Thomas and I together, knowing that was the best option. She went against W.I.C.K.E.D for one reason and one reason only.

I was supposed to be in Group B.

END OF BOOK ONE.

(BOOK 2 IS NOW UP)

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holy schist, guys. it felt so relieving to write that last sentence. it's the end! finally! after almost fifty chapters, this book is finally finished.

THE SEQUEL IS UP! it's called error

i'll see you there xo

-kristyn