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Thoainst the wall as the other Gladers and Aris came out of the sroup as one by one, each person noticed the ain felt a nu surprised at anything

"You’re right," Minho said to Newt "We were in there with the door closed for, what, twenty minutes? No way anyone could’ve moved all those bodies that quickly Plus, this place is locked fro rid of the smell," Thoht sh a huff "But take a look around They’re gone So whatever you think, souing about it―or even talking about it So the dead bodies were gone They’d seen stranger stuff

"Hey," Winston said "Those crazy people quit screaht back on his feet, listened Silence "I thought we just couldn’t hear theht―they stopped"

Soon everyone was running for the larger dorm room on the far side of the common area Thomas followed, intensely curious to look out the s and see the world outside Before, with the Cranks screaainst the iron bars, he’d been too horrified to get a good view

"No way!" Minho yelled from up ahead, then, without further explanation, disappeared inside the room

As Thomas moved in that direction, he noticed that every boy hesitated a second, wide-eyed at the threshold of the door, then went ahead and entered the dorm He waited as each Glader and then Aris funneled their way inside, then followed

He felt the same shock he’d sensed from the other boys As a whole, the room looked much like it had when they’d walked out of it earlier But there was one monumental difference: at each ithout exception, a red brick wall had been erected just outside the iron bars, coht in the roo

"Even if they were quick with those bodies," Newt said, "I’m pretty sure they didn’t have ti on here?"

Thomas watched as Minho walked over to one of the s and reached through the bars, pressing his hand against the red bricks "Solid," he said, then slapped at it

"It doesn’t even look fresh," Thoet a feel Hard and cool "The mortar’s dry Somehow they’ve tricked us, that’s all"

"Tricked us?" Frypan asked "How?"

Tho desperately that he could talk to Teresa "I don’t know Reh an invisible hole Who knohat these people can do"

The next half hour passed in a haze Tho the brick walls, looking for signs of anything else that had changed Several things had, each one just as strange as the next All the beds in the Gladers’ dory clothes they’d all worn before changing into the pajaed, though the difference was subtle and soreed that they’d been moved at all Either way, each one had been stocked with fresh clothes and shoes, and new digital watches for each boy

But the biggest change of all―discovered by Minho―was the sign outside the roones, Group A, Subject A1, The Betrayer, it now said:

Aris Jones, Group B, Subject B1

The Partner

Everyone observed the new plaque, then wandered away, but Tho in front of it, unable to remove his eyes To Thomas it felt like the new label made it official―Teresa had been taken from him, replaced by Aris None of it made sense, and none of it mattered anymore He went back to the boys’ dorht―or at least, the one he thought he’d slept on―and lay down, putting the pillow over his head, as if that would o away

What had happened to her? What had happened to them? Where were they? What were they supposed to do? And the tattoos

Turning his head to the side, then his whole body, he squeezed his eyes shut and folded his ars up until he lay in the fetal position Then, deter until he heard back frohts

Teresa? A pause Teresa? A longer pause Teresa! He shouted itwith the effort Teresa! Where are you? Please answerto contact me? Ter―

Get out of my head!

The words exploded inside his ely audible within his skull that he felt lances of pain behind his eyes and in his ears He sat up in bed, then stood It was her It was definitely her

Teresa? He pressed the first two fingers of both hands against his teet out of my shuck head!

Thoain on the bed His eyes were closed as he concentrated Teresa, what are you talking about? It’s me Thomas Where are you?

Shut up! It was her, he had no doubt, but her er Just shut up! I don’t knoho you are! Leave an, co?

She paused before answering, as if collecting her thoughts, and when she finally spoke again, Tho calm in her

Leave me alone, or I’ll hunt you down and cut your throat I swear it

And then she was gone Despite her warning, he tried calling for her again, but the sa returned, her presence having vanished

Thoh his body He quickly buried his head in the pillow again and cried for the first time since Chuck had been killed But the words fro up in his ly, no one bothered hi His stifled sobs finally faded into an occasional hitched breath, and eventually he fell asleep Once again, he dreamed

He’s a little older this tiht hovers above his head like lasses keep peeking at hi the brilliance that shines down He can see their eyes but nothing else Their mouths and noses are covered by e and yet, as before, observing as an outsider But he feels the boy’s fear

People are talking, voices muted and dull Some are men, some are women, but he can’t tell which is which or who is who