[ chapter 09. the changing ]

DAWN

Minho's voice was calling my name but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I heard someone cry out in pain and realised after a second it was me. Another flash of blinding pain went through my shoulder and I couldn't help it. I screamed, my throat raw. 

Minho's voice melted to a low whisper. I catched a few words though. "Stay awake." But why? The whole world was spinning now and I felt my stomach shrink. Hands lifted me up and I let out another groan. Blurred colours flashed passed my eyes.

Why couldn't I just sink into unconsciousness?

Flashes of green, gray and low voices in the background blurred into one mess in my head. It wasn't until I heard a girl screaming that I realised we must be back in the Glade. I tried to focuse on something around me, anything, but all that happened was another wave of nausea washing over me. I opened my mouth, tried to talk but that had been a bad idea. All my food of the previous day came out as I almost choked in my own vomit. I heard someone curse.

More voices, more pain. "What happened?" "-to the Homestead." "Hold on." 

I wanted to talk, tell them I would be fine but my body refused to work. I felt hands lifting me up and the world around me started spinning once again. Someone took my hand and whispered something in my ear. I didn't understand. Voices were yelling, I was put down on something soft, another wave of nausea, more throwing up. Suddenly all the blurred colours faded away, nothing but darkness surounding me. I was able to capture one more thing before I lost all track of time. "Please don't leave me."

I blinked a few times and frowned then. I was standing in the middle of a white room, walls stretching as far as I could see. People were talking but I couldn't hear what they were saying. Out of the corner of my eyes I noticed movement and I turned to look at it. A little girl with brown reddish hair ran into the arms of another girl with dark brown, almost black hair. I frowned as I tried to recgnose them. A name popped up in my head. Lisa.

Suddenly everything became a blur I blinked confused and when I opened my eyes the scenery had changed. I was looking at a boy and a girl, sitting on a bed in a dark room. The boy had blond, almost gold, hair. The girl was playing with it, twisting her fingers around his hair, letting fall down into place before picking it up again. 

"You can't leave me here. I wouldn't survive without you, you know that right?" The girl spoke.

My stomach tightened upon recognising my own voice.

"You know I don't have a choice, Dawn. Wicked wants me to be in the first group that goes up there."

This time the shock was bigger. I knew that voice, all too well. It was Newt.

"But why you? Why not someone else!" The other version of me cried out. 

Newt reached for her hands to try and calm her down, but she jumped off the bed they had been sitting on. "I hate them! All of them! They promised us we would be safe. They promised to help us find a cure and now they're gonna put us in a Maze. How is that going to help us find a cure?''

Newt stood up as well and took her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Listen, Dawn. I'd go through hell to be with you again."

Slowly a smile appeared on her face. On my face...

"Me too,"  she whispered.

Newt smiled as well and gave her a kiss on her forehead. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug.

Slowly the two faded away and when I blinked the sight had changed again. I was standing before a screen, a huge screen. It displayed several smaller screens which all showed different things. The entire Glade was visible on the screen. Boys were walking around, talking, working or eating. It looked almost peaceful.

"Well done, you have successfully brought them all up there. We're truly making progress thanks to you. Both of you," a woman spoke behind me. She put her hand on my shoulder before walking away. 

I looked at my right, staring into Lisa her eyes. 

"What have we done?" Lisa whispered, sadness clouding her eyes. 

All I did was shaking my head.

Slowly the vision faded and a new one came. This time I was in a dark room, it looked like broom closet. A little boy sat facing me, his big brown eyes scared but determined at the same time. A wave of shock hit me when I realised I was looking at a younger version of Thomas. 

"You know we have to do something right?" He said, his voice quiet.

I nodded, firmly. "I heard Lisa talking to Hans yesterday, the devices they build, to analyse everyone, aren't working as they had expected they would. The experiment is being extended, they are now counting on two years instead of one. And you can bet your pretty little head there will be more violence and more death." 

Thomas chewed on his lip. "Then let's put the plan in motion, we can't allow more of our friends to die."

I took a paper out of my pocket. "It took me while but I found the adress of the Right Arm, all the information they need to attack Wicked is in this envelope." 

Thomas his eyes started glowing with a fierce determination. "Let's do it."

The vision changed once again. I was standing in the control room, staring at the same screens as before. I was studying the Glade, watching the boys follow their every day routine, still convinced they were going to find a way out. It had almost been two years and I felt the younger version of me had lost hope. Even with Thomas in there things weren't going well. 

Suddenly the door was thrown open and I turned around. Lisa was standing in the door opening, breathing heavily and panic drawn all over her features.

"What's going on?" I asked. 

She took my hand without answering and pulled me out of the room. She started running and I had no other choice but to follow her. "Lisa, you're scaring me." 

"I have no time to explain," she replied.

I stopped running and jerked my arm free. "Explain," I hissed. It was clear she was mad at Lisa, and I felt like she was mad because Lisa had been working with Wicked this whole time. 

"Listen," The pretty girl started explaining. "It's not what you think." She took a deep breath. "Nothing is what you think." 

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Then what is it?" 

Lisa looked around, haunted, then back at me. "I know you have been giving the Right Arm information on Wicked." 

I unfolded my arms, leaning forwards. "How?" I gasped at her.

"Because," She looked around, her expression everything but at ease. "I've been working with them as well."

The other me shook her head. "No, impossible."

"You have to believe me. Did you really think I was going to stand by and watch them kill our friends? Of course not!" 

"But I thought-" "You thought wrong."

Sudden footsteps and shouts came from behind them. Lisa looked over her shoulder, the haunted look back and worse than before.

"What's going on?" I asked. 

"They found out about me, working the with the Right Arm I mean."

I felt the sharp sting of fear going through the younger me. 

"We have to go. Now," Lisa said and started running again. 

This time I didn't protest and followed her. "But the exit is the other way!" I yelled at her.

"That's 'cause we're not going there," Lisa shouted over her shoulder.

And suddenly I understood her plan. We ran through hallways, down stairs and through doors. All the while the shouts of the guards were right behind them. We made our way to the basement where an elevator was waiting for us. 

Lisa gestured for me to climb inside. "It's about to go up one last time," she panted.

I threw a glare at it. "That means-" 

"Yeah, but don't worry she's already asleep." 

I nodded and climbed inside. 

The guards bursted through the doors, just as the elevator started moving upwards.

I yelled and grabbed Lisa her hand, lifting her inside. The guards tried to shoot at us, but it was too late. We were inside and we both knew there was no way they were going to stop the elevator. 

"So what do we do now?" I asked, still breating heavily. 

"We get everyone out and to the Right Arm's safe house. We're going to free our friends. How does that sound?" Lisa asked. 

I smirked at her but before I could answer I saw her eyes go wide and then my vision became black. This time nothing returned. A deep dark void was surrounding me.

Suddenly a voice began to sing. A female voice. It sounded magical almost hypnotizing. The voice was familiar but I couldn't place it, and it frustrated me. The sound grew louder and I covered my ears. But it didn't stop. It grew louder, so loud it was hurting my ears and echoed through my head. So loud until I couldn't stand it anymore. I screamed.