Before the world collapsed, she said to him: hi are you still sleeping Thomas moved on the bed, feeling the darkness surrounding him, pressing down on him, like the air suddenly freezing.He was terrified at first, and his eyes opened wide, imagining himself back in that cage again—that terrible elevator of cold metal that had transported him to glades and mazes.But there was a faint light there, and then blobs of shadow slowly emerged from the vast room.Double bunk beds, cupboards, soft breathing and snoring of sleeping boys. He was filled with comfort that he was now safe, rescued, and sent to this dormitory.There will be no more worry, no more sorrow, and no more death.

Tom? There was a voice in his head, a girl's voice.The ears cannot hear, and the eyes cannot see.But he could still hear it, though he could never explain to anyone how. Exhaling deeply, he lay back on the pillow, his sharp nerves relaxed from the flash of fear just now.He organizes the language with his own thoughts and speaks to that voice. Teresa?What time is it? No idea, she replied, but I couldn't sleep.I may have slept for like an hour, it may have been longer, and I wish you were awake for my company. Thomas tried to hold back a smile, embarrassed even if it wasn't possible to be seen.I don't have much choice in this matter, do I?

It can be hard to sleep when someone is talking directly in your head. Whoa, whoa, then, go back to sleep. No, I'm fine.He stared at the bottom of the bunk above his head - dark, fuzzy and featureless in the shadows - as Minho lay on it snoring sounding like this guy It looks like a lot of phlegm is stuck in the throat.what are you thinking about? what are you thinking about?Somehow, there was a cynical edge to her words, I keep seeing Griever.Their disgusting skin and swollen bodies, with their metal limbs and spikes.Those things are disgusting, Tom.What can we do to get those things out of our minds?

Thomas knew what she was thinking, the images never left - those horrible events in the maze would be nightmares that the Gladeers would never get rid of for the rest of their lives.He thinks that most, if not all, of them will have serious psychological problems, and some may even go completely insane. Most importantly, there was still a picture in Thomas's memory, which burned his nerves intensely like a brand branded with a hot iron.His friend Chuck was stabbed in the chest and died bleeding in his arms. Thomas knew he would never forget that image, but what he told Teresa was this: it will pass, it will just take a little while, and it will be fine.

Your mind is full of those memories.she says. I know.How ridiculous that he should enjoy hearing her say something like that to himself, as if her sarcasm meant things would get better.You are a fool.he said to himself.Then he hoped that she hadn't heard his thought. I hate it when they separate me from you guys.she says. Thomas understood why they did it, she was the only girl, and the rest of the Gladeers were adolescent boys—a bunch of shinkers they couldn't trust.I guess they are protecting you. Yes, I guess so.Sadness seeped into his head with her words, clinging together like syrup.But it sucks to be alone after everything we've been through.

Her voice sounded so sad that he almost got up and went to her, but he knew a better way.Where the hell have they taken you?he asks. Just on the other side of the normal big room where we ate last night.It was a small room with several bunk beds.I'm pretty sure they locked the door when they left. Get it, I told you they wanted to protect you.Then he quickly added, not that you need protection, I bet at least half of these guys are no match for you. only half? Well, three out of four, including me. A long silence ensued, and though Thomas didn't know why, he could feel her there.He could feel her, the feeling that even though he couldn't see Minho, he knew his friend was lying a few feet above him, and it wasn't because of the purring.When someone is close to you, you just feel it.

Although he remembered everything that had happened in the previous few weeks, Thomas felt amazingly peaceful, and soon sleep overwhelmed him again.Darkness had descended on his world, and she was there, next to him in so many different ways, almost... next to him. In that state he could not feel the passage of time.Half lethargic, half happy to feel her there, and to know that they had been rescued from that horrible place, that they were safe, that he and Teresa could get to know each other again, that life could be good. Blissful sleep, hazy darkness, warm smells.A natural light that floats almost everything.

The world seems to slowly fade away, and everything becomes numb and sweet.Somehow the darkness had a comforting effect, and he slipped into dreamland. He's still very young, maybe four years old?five years old?Lying in a cot, the blanket covered his chin. A woman sat beside him, her hands folded in her lap.She had long brown hair and a face that was just beginning to show the signs of age. There was sadness in her eyes, and even though she tried to hide it with a smile, he knew her sadness. He wanted to say something, to ask her a question, but he couldn't.He wasn't really there, just watching from somewhere he didn't know where.She began to speak, a voice so sweet and so angry at the same time that it made him uneasy.

"I don't know why they picked you, but I know for sure that they picked you, you've always been a little different. Never forget that, never forget how..." Her voice cracked, Tears streamed down her face, "Never forget how much I love you." The kid answered, but it wasn't really Thomas who was speaking.Even if that kid is him.None of this makes sense at all. "Are you going crazy like the guys on TV, Mom? Like... Dad?" The woman reached out and ran her fingers through his hair.woman?No, he couldn't call her that.This is his mother, his... mother.

"You don't have to worry about that, honey," she said, "you won't see that kind of thing here." Her smile was gone. The dream faded away too quickly, and soon fell into darkness, leaving Thomas a void, nothing left but his thoughts.Did he see another memory crawling up from the depths of his forgotten memory?Did he really meet his mother?There must be something wrong with his father's madness.Thomas felt a deep pain, the pain gnawed at his heart, and he tried to sink deeper into oblivion. Then—he did not know how long—Teresa spoke to him again. Tom, something is wrong.