Leo 41

Thomas shuffles beneath me, but I try to cling on to sleep for any second longer. I can still feel the sun beating against me so I keep my eyes shut. My skin feels tight. Even though I am trying to avoid the day, I can feel it weighing into my skin.

"Don't wake her up," I hear Harriet hiss. I keep my eyes close, assume she is talking about me. Hopefully, Harriet is talking about Teresa, but I don't dare let the hope open my eyes.

"Why?" Thomas asks. He stills next to me.

"We have questions for you, not Leo," Harriet continues. So, she is talking about me.

"What can't she know?" Thomas stumbles on his words. I can hear him leaning in closer to her, straining against the ropes that tie him to the tree. "Have... have you decided not to kill me?"

"Don't be a stick," that's Hilde cutting in. "We'll still get murked if we don't."

"Our Rachel died though, a long time ago. We wanted to see what you would do in our shoes." Harriet's voice is smoother and less accusatory than Hilde's. "Would you kill Rachel for a chance to let all your friends live?"

"He could've been briefed by Dawn or Leo already," Hilde snaps back. "We could just be wasting our time."

Harriet doesn't answer. I don't know what she does. It may be easier to eavesdrop while pretending to be asleep, but it is significantly harder to understand what is going on.

"Sonya suggested asking you," Harriet mutters, quietly. I can't tell if Harriet whispers because Sonya is sicker now than before, or if she is dead. I hope neither. Honestly, I've got nothing against the majority of the girls here. Especially Sonya.

It already sucks enough that Marie died.

"Weigh in then, stick," Hilde sighs. She plants herself against the ground.

Thomas shifts slightly, causing me to move. I try not to show signs of waking though. "Honestly, I wouldn't kill me."

Someone stands up. "Told you this was a waste of time."

"I'm serious," Thomas offers. "Like, this seems like a test by WICKED. What good would come from killing me?"

I can feel my chest tighten. Where is Teresa? She can't be nearby, or else this conversation wouldn't be happening. Most of the people who support us have died or disappeared. Hilde and Harriet never were the biggest fans of Teresa, but those are two of the most cutthroat girls here. They'd do anything to keep everyone alive, including killing Thomas.

"He's just trying to save his own skin," Hilde continues, hissing to Harriet.

"Not entirely," Thomas continues. He jolts underneath me, but I manage to keep my eyes from fluttering. "The trials have all been to measure our reactions to things, right? Like, the Killzone stuff?"

Neither of them answers him, at least not for a beat. I shouldn't jump to Thomas's defence, no matter how much I want to protect him. It'll only draw attention to him. What good will that do me?

"The kid's looking out for his own neck," Harriet sighs.

"He's right though, so the group has a right to hear him out before we axe him," Hilde cuts her off, looking around. She kicks me in the leg, and my body jolts. "Quit pretending to sleep, would you? You look like a load."

I open my eyes to the harsh sun. It is setting and getting closer and closer to night.

"Go give Sonya a pill or whatever," Harriet instructs, glaring at me. "I'll gather everyone together to hear him out."

Hilde grabs my arm, helping me off the ground. I glance back at Thomas, who stares at me silently. I don't have time to reassure him before I am whisked away and dropped with Sonya. Ella is asleep on the ground beside her. Sonya is on her side, fiddling with the girl's hair. Her eyes are crusty, and her skin pale, but she's awake.

I lean over, picking up my bag off the ground, and digging through until my hands grasp the sedative. I take it out of my back, remembering the last time I needed it, and decide to put a vial in my pocket. Once that is done, I grab the antibiotics.

Sonya's looking a lot better, and she should be feeling fine in the next few days. It's good for now that she is awake. While I feel her head for a fever, she let's go of Ella. Her eyes rest on me.

"Hey," Sonya attempts to smile, though she scrunches her forehead at what I assume is a headache.

"Not feeling great then?" I ask, trying to calm down the tension. "You took a nasty hit to your head. Doug'll feel terrible."

I doubt he will.

"It wasn't him," Sonya sniffs. Slowly, she peels herself off the ground, leaning against the wall. Despite all the chaos around us, she is a fighter. No doubt she got so sick; I doubt she would sit down for five minutes. Sonya takes the antibiotics from me, swallowing a pill dry. "I asked Dawn to knock me out, when she wanted to leave. She hit me."

I flutter my eyes a few times. "You just let her go? I don't... thank you."

"It was nothing," she manages, still smiling. "My head feels bloody awful."

When she says that, I tense. She's too familiar. Far too familiar.

"You remind me of Newt," I manage, taking back the pill bottle, and putting it in my bag. "You both talk the same, and you're both second-in-command, right?"

Same smile. Although, Sonya seems to wear hers despite all the chaos around us while Newt struggles. The more I look at them, the more I recognize their skin. Sonya places a hand on mine, and I shrug it away.

"Don't walk anywhere, or really do anything," I instruct. "You're too sick to be moving about."

"I know you are meeting with Thomas," Sonya offers a gentle smile. She lifts her back off the wall and stands up. I move over, grabbing her between my arms. She holds herself up, though she seems to sway back and forth. "Trust me, I'm fine to go over."

Together we walk over to the group forming around Thomas. The crowd parts to let Sonya through. She lets go of me, stumbling on to the ground. She lands just a foot away from Thomas, at Harriet's feet.

Sheil stands stiffly beside me. I haven't anything to say to him. I didn't think we were close, but after a few days alone with someone, you think you could trust them not to kidnap you and hold you hostage. Yet, here we are.

"Just get on with it," Harriet tells Thomas as she helps Sonya off the ground. Now that Teresa is gone, everyone is silent once again. She commands the space unlike anyone I've ever seen. Seemingly, her leadership, though consensus-based, has returned.

"Well, this is obviously another test," Thomas looks around the group, pausing. "How much do you know about WICKED?"

People sort of grumble amongst themselves, but it's Harriet who answers. "They experimented on us, threw us in a Maze, and are searching for a cure."

"Is that it?" Thomas leans forward, glancing around the group.

No one else responds, so Thomas adjusts himself on the tree. I recognize the crinkle in his eyes and quiver in his lip. Time and time again, people have come to kill Thomas. This is the face he makes when his brain is churning cogs that none of the rest of us have.

"So, they keep introducing these Variables, trying to monitor us and our reactions," he studies their faces. I wonder if he knows how little the chance is that they don't kill him. "I think killing me, is just one of those tests. They are probably trying to see if you'll think critically, and not kill me."

"Or, they are trying to see if we are brave enough to kill Group A's leader." Harriet cuts in.

"He's not the leader," Lott grumbles. I glance up at him. His dark eyes meet mine and don't look away.

"That's Minho," Thomas continues. "Trust me. Between getting shot and the building collapse and getting kidnapped, I wasn't around enough to lead. And how would it make you brave? I am completely outnumbered, restrained, and weapon-less. Easiest target on the block."

"So, what's your plan?" Harriet rolls her eyes, kneeling closer to the boy.

"We work together to get to the safe haven," Thomas offers, looking around. "If you don't kill me, Group A will rally behind you. Leo and I can promise that. All their leaders are close to us. You saw how Dawn, Newt, and Minho reacted when we were taken. We matter to them. So, if we tell them to work with you, they will. We'll have a better chance to live together than apart."

"Yeah, sure," Hilde laughs. "They definitely won't harbour any resentment against us for stealing you two sticks."

Thomas gulps. He looks up at me, waiting for me to jump in and help him, but I've got nothing. I don't think Dawn nor Michelle would be willing to work with these girls after what they've done to us, and I don't blame them. No one is the hero here. All of us are just clambering for survival. I can't blame anyone for anything they've done.

Finally, I speak. "You saving our lives is redemption."

No one answers. Harriet turns to Thomas, and I look down to the ground. Good going, Leo. Yeah, no, they definitely can't tell that I just lied to their faces. I'm such an idiot.

"I think if you kill me, you fail," Thomas manages.

"Yeah, we know," Harriet cuts in. "If we are honest, we agree. Some of this stuff ain't making sense."

She stands up, looking around the group.

"Teresa will be back soon," she offers. "We'll go over it then."

"Don't ask her!" Thomas shouts out. "She hates me. I don't even know why, or what I did to her. Honestly."

"Listen, she ain't got no say," Harriet sighs, looking at the rest of the group. "We can handle this."

She pulls back, as does the rest of the crowd. One by one, they leave from around us. Sheil grabs my arm and turns to stare at me.

"I didn't want to take you," he manages, looking me up and down. His eyes are soft. "I just... I didn't want to cause a fight. It didn't matter to me if I was with the boys or the girls."

"It matters to me," I tell him, swallowing. It's hard to look at him and say something so harsh and cruel when his eyes are begging for my forgiveness. However, he still split me in half from the inside out. "My friends are out there. Without me. It's not entirely your fault, but I could've used your help."

Sheil scratches the back of his neck. The smile he usually sports is long gone. There are bags under his eyes, and he carries his arms as if they weigh a thousand pounds. I peer around his shoulder, noticing Lott staring at us. Once he sees me staring, he turns back around, packing his bag like the rest of them.

"I'm sorry," he continues. "Sonya was going to die if we didn't take you."

I gathered that. While I am happy to help Sonya, I don't want to be taken by angry people threatening to take the lives of my friends. If they had asked, I would have gone. That's the thing Group B fails to understand. I am loyal to my friends, but my happiness is not and will never be more important than a life.

"I didn't realize you were with Newt," Sheil mentions. "I would've just suggested that we steal your supplies if that was the case."

I'm not with Newt. I am not entirely sure what we are, anyway. Last I saw him, he told me he loved me. I did the same for him. It's all very confusing though. Especially since I thought he liked boys.

"How is Beth?" I change the subject.

Sheil shrugs, glancing over his shoulder. Beth and Saph are together, packing up. Holding hands. I guess they are happy to have found each other. At least something good came out of this.

"Make up with Lott," I instruct. "He keeps staring at you."

Sheil whips his head around. The drama between Sheil and Lott isn't worth my time, so I leave.

When I turn away, my eyes find Thomas. His face is tight, but he is nervous. I would be too. So, I sit down next to him and cross my legs. Our knees touch, intentionally, because I think he needs the physical contact to know that he isn't alone.

"You think they'll spare me?" he asks.

I try my best not to shrug my shoulders. Lying hasn't seemed to work out that well for me today, but Thomas doesn't need brutality at this moment. "I couldn't tell you that, even if I wanted to. Group B confuses me, but... I think you have good odds."

Thomas nods. He goes quiet, staring up at the sun in the sky. I wait with him, watching the group. Watching people I have come to know rather well whisper about Thomas. Perhaps they will keep him alive. If Teresa has a say, he will die. I know this time, I have no vote.

Whenever it matters, my voice is taken.

"So, you and Newt?" He asks, turning to look at me.

I nod, my face tighter than I had imagined it to be. "Yeah, me and Newt."

Thomas leads his head against my shoulder. "I get it. Teresa may be here, but it feels like she is gone."

I don't have anything to say back, so I just rest with him. He is too nervous to talk. His head shakes, but I find myself much calmer. There is no sense worrying until they've decided to kill him. Instead, I lean and watch the sun disappear in the sky. Waiting.

Teresa gets back. Harriet stands up, as does the rest of the group. I don't bother going over with them, as they approach a cliff to talk to Teresa. Instead, I hold Thomas's hand. He grips on to me so tightly that my fingers become pins and needles. I ignore their whispering, and their gestures, and their glances.

Teresa storms away as dusk falls.

Harriet and the rest of her group returns. She kneels down on the ground, beginning to untie Thomas.

With the three of us pressed into a close space, I stand up. My eyes scan the cliffside for any sign of Teresa. She has already disappeared.

"So, you're not going to kill me?" Thomas asks, shrugging our bodies apart.

"I thought it was obvious" Harriet finally cuts off the last of the ropes and stares at him. "You'll live, stick, and you'll walk with us tonight."

"Teresa sure wants you dead though," Hilde says, her arms crossed.

"Watch your back," Harriet warns.

When I glance back over at them, I watch Thomas rub his arms. They are red from where the rope dug into his skin. With one look from him, I am certain that he and I agree.

We both know that Teresa won't be gone for long.