The Scorch Trials - James Dashner [107]
“I happen to know Aris very well,” she said in a tight voice. “Much better than you’re going to like. Not only was he a big part of my life before the Maze, he and I can speak in our minds, just like you and I used to do. Even when I was in the Glade, we communicated all the time. And we knew they’d eventually put us back together.”
Thomas searched for a response. What she’d said was so unexpected he thought it must be a joke. Another trick by WICKED.
She waited, arms folded, as if she enjoyed seeing him struggle to speak.
“You’re lying,” he finally said. “That’s all you do is lie. I don’t understand why, or what’s going on, but—”
“Oh, come on, Tom,” she said. “How could you possibly be so stupid? After all that’s happened to you, how could anything surprise you anymore? Everything about us was part of some ridiculous test. And it’s over. Aris and I are going to do what we were told to do, and life goes on. WICKED’s all that matters now. That’s it.”
“What are you talking about?” He couldn’t have felt any emptier.
Teresa looked past him, over his shoulder. He heard the snap of breaking twigs on the ground, and somehow he held on to his dignity enough to not turn around to see who had snuck up on him.
“Tom,” Teresa said. “Aris is right behind you, and he has a very big knife. Try anything and he’ll slice your neck. You’re coming with us and you’re gonna do exactly what we tell you. Understand?”
Thomas stared at her, hoping the rage he felt inside showed clearly on his face. He’d never felt so angry in his life—what he could remember of it.
“Say hi, Aris,” she said. And then, the worst thing yet—she smiled.
“Hi, Tommy,” the boy said from behind. It was definitely him, just not as friendly as before. “Such a thrill to be with you again.” The point of his knife just touched Thomas’s back.
Thomas remained silent.
“Well,” Teresa said. “At least you’re acting like a grown-up about this. Just keep following me—we’re almost there.”
“Where are we going?” Thomas asked in a steely voice.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” She turned and started walking through the trees again, using her spear like a staff.
Thomas hurried to follow before Aris got the satisfaction of pushing him. The trees got thicker and closer together, and the moonlight flitted away. Darkness pressed in, sucking light and life right out of him.
They reached a cave, the thick copse of trees serving as a tight wall at its entrance. Thomas didn’t have any warning—one minute they were picking their way through prickly branches, the next they were in a tall, narrow hole in the side of the mountain. A dull light source shone from deep inside, a sickly green rectangle that made Teresa look like a zombie when she moved to the side for the other two to enter.
Aris stepped around him, his blade aimed like a gun at Thomas’s chest as he backed to the wall opposite Teresa and leaned against it. Thomas could do nothing but look back and forth between them. Two people who every instinct had told him were his friends. Until now.
“Well, we’re here,” Teresa said, looking at Aris.
He didn’t take his eyes off Thomas. “Yep, we’re here, all right. You’re serious about him talking the others into sparing him? What is he, some kind of superpsychologist?”
“It kind of helped, actually. Made it easier to get him here.” Teresa threw a condescending glance toward Thomas, then crossed the cave to Aris. As Thomas watched, she stood on her toes to kiss Aris on the cheek and grinned. “I’m so glad we’re finally back together.”
Aris smiled. He shot Thomas a look of warning, then risked looking away long enough to tilt his head toward Teresa. And kiss her on the lips.
Thomas tore his eyes away and closed them. Her pleas for him to trust her, her quick whisper to hang in there—it had all been to get him here. To bring him more easily to this point.
So that she could fulfill some evil purpose concocted by WICKED.
“Get it over with,” he finally said, not daring to open his