Disclaimer:

Fun fact: sometimes I type "Aris" as "Aria" and laugh because that's Lucy and it's like a full circle.

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Julia was waiting outside for me when I emerged from the steam-filled bathroom. She was leaning against the wall to the right of the door, inspecting her nails boredly. She straightened lazily when she saw me.

"Finally," she sighed in an annoyed tone. "You took forever. I was starting to wonder if you died or something."

I rolled my eyes and didn't respond. I thought I had deserved a nice, long shower after all I had been through. My skin was partially raw from me scrubbing it so profusely. They'd let me take one before I was locked in that room, but I felt airier than before. Maybe it was because I knew I was at least a little bit safer now.

"C'mon." Julia started walking without bothering to wait for me to catch up. "Let's go see your friends."

My heart leaped so violently in my chest that I thought it may have bruised my ribs. I hurried to catch up with her long strides, looking up at her hopefully. "You - you mean I get to see them now?"

"Unless you want to wait," she replied tauntingly.

I scoffed and shook my head. Would she ever stop giving me sarcastic responses? "God, no."

"This is the part where I tell you stuff," Julia began in a tone full of dread. She waved her hand. "Blah, blah, blah, but it's my job. All you guys went through different tests for Phase Three. I think your brother was stuck in a room for a shitload of time, but I'm not sure. Maybe that was the blondie. Anyway, Janson was supposed to have the killzone patterns mapped out by the end of Phase Two, but that didn't happen, and they had to scramble to think of something else. But they're still not done, so they decided to throw you all together again."

I squinted. "When you say 'they'--"

"I mean the scientists." Julia waved her hand again. "The doctors. Smart ones. Not people like me who come from Engineering, or Maseo from Weaponry."

Maseo from Weaponry. How fitting.

We didn't talk for the rest of the walk, which only took three more minutes. She stopped in front of a white door and stood in front of it aggravatingly. Her top lip curled up in a smirk that suggested she was doing it just to annoy me.

"Oh my God, move--" I went to push her out of the way, but she leaned on the door at the last second, which caused it to open and me to stumble through. My feet clumsily fought to keep me upright before I fell onto the floor.

"Nice entrance, you sha-- whoa, what's with the hair?"

My head jerked upward at Minho's voice but my heart pounded upon noticing that practically all eyes were on me. Sonya. Frypan. Flo. Aris. All of them were sitting in rows of chairs that were all facing the door I had come through. It seemed like we were in a type of small auditorium. And it was mostly silent, especially after Minho's question.

"Um," I replied, searching for an answer. "I cut it?"

I felt like Thomas when he said, "He shot me." I looked around for him, only for my heart to sink when I realized he wasn't there. Maybe he was taking a really long shower like I had.

"You don't say." Minho was right in front of me, though I wasn't sure when he had gotten up. I blinked stupidly at him. "Oh, come on. I won't bite."

Minho and I had never hugged before, but he still wrapped his arms around me like we had. I felt like I was going to be crushed in the muscles in his arms and chest as I hugged him back unsurely. He usually never displayed physical affection toward me or anyone, for that matter.

"We thought you might be dead," Frypan informed me, clapping his hand on my back when Minho released me and pushed me into the room. "It's real nice to see you alive."

I had forgotten about that. To them, I disappeared with Group B and never returned. Teresa wouldn't have told them I was taken to W.I.C.K.E.D, and since it was unplanned, Brenda and Jorge probably hadn't known. Teresa...

A different hand grabbed my own before I could respond to Frypan. For a second, I was spun around and then embraced so tightly I thought I'd lose oxygen. I knew it was Newt without even having to see his face. I could tell by the frame of his body and how familiar his hugs were. Neither of us said a word- we didn't have to. My chest was swelling with an almost cruel amount of relief and joy that made tears prick at my eyes.

Newt pulled away but still held me close, sliding his hands under my chin. His hair was a bit shorter as well, face cleaner than I'd ever seen it. His dark eyes searched mine and seemed to dim from whatever it was he saw.

"You're different," he deadpanned quietly.

"It's the hair," I replied with a shrug.

"No..." A pause as he trailed off, still searching my eyes and face. "It's something else. But the hair's cool. I like it."

Newt tugged at the ends of it before tucking it behind my left ear, where the hearing aid was. His eyebrows scrunched together at the sight of it. He gently tilted my head to get a better look.

"Alright, I'm good with hugging, but why the shuck are you looking into her ear?" Minho questioned loudly. Newt stood up straight and glared at him.

"She's different," he replied, spinning me around so I faced the others. His hands stayed on my shoulders to steady me in case I fell. "Look. Can't you tell?"

I swallowed uneasily as fifteen different eyes stared me down. It was quiet again for a seemingly long moment, which made the atmosphere all the more awkward for me.

Frypan shook his head with a perplexed expression. "I don't see anything."

"She looks the exact same, Newt."

"Yeah. 'Cept her new 'do, of course."

"No, wait," Minho said as he squinted so hard his eyes were practically shut. Then he cracked a smile and returned his face to normal. "Nah, just kidding. You look good as ever, Dylan. Stop freakin' her out."

Newt grumbled something that sounded like, "Thomas."

Then the door opened, and my brother appeared like Newt had somehow summoned him. Thomas looked almost exactly the same as he had when I saw him last. His damp hair was plastered over his forehead, body slightly bouncing in anticipation. The sunburn that had previously turned his face red had faded into a slight tan. His eyes swept over the Gladers before finally resting on me, shoulders visibly slumping in one big sigh of relief.

"Well, I've been shucked and gone to heaven," Minho bellowed. "It's Thomas!"

He was followed by a chorus of cheers that made a smile appear on Thomas' face. Barely a second later, he breezed right past the Keeper and seized my shoulders.

"You stupid shank," he teased with that dumb grin still plastered on his face.

"You're the idiot," slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself. I wrapped my arms around his torso - I had seemed to hug a lot of people in just a few minutes - but the weight that had been on my shoulders lifted immediately. Thomas' arms locked around my back like they always did. His chin rested on top of my head. I closed my eyes, relishing in how healthy he appeared.

"Well, at least you didn't bloody roll over and die, Tommy," Newt said as we pulled away. He seemed to be searching for the right opportunity to ask him about me, but Minho prevented that by speaking once again.

"The mighty Gladers, back together again. Good to see you alive, shuckface- I've imagined you dead in about a hundred different ways. I bet you cried every night, missing me."

"Yeah." Thomas wasn't listening, but his smile was fading fast and I didn't know why. My palms started to sweat anxiously when I noticed he was studying my face similarly to how Newt had. His eyebrows were drawn slightly together in concentration. And then, once he realized I had caught his weird stare, he said, "Nice hair," before turning around and shaking his head.

"Do I really look that different?" I asked Newt as he stepped beside me.

He shrugged. "Yes and no. I guess you'd really have to know you in order to tell. You just look slightly changed since I saw you last."

"Yeah, well, I bet I looked downright amazing in Sonya's arms like a princess covered in sand," I responded sarcastically. Newt's confused gaze caused me to take half a step back. "What?"

"What are you talking about?" he questioned suspiciously.

"What are you talking about?"

"You were - never mind." Newt pressed his fingers to his temples and rubbed them as if he had a headache. "Just...I swear you were in--"

"Everybody take a seat," Janson called to everyone in the room. I hadn't even noticed his arrival, but maybe he had taken Thomas there like Julia did for me. "We've got a few things to cover before we remove the Swipe."

I froze. So did nearly everyone else. Remove the Swipe? That made no sense- why would Ava want me to remember so desperately if she was just going to give everyone their memories back as well?

Janson smiled in amusement at our reactions as he stepped up on the tiny stage. He folded his hands on the podium. "That's right, ladies and gents. You're about to get all your memories back. Every last one of them."

Newt put his hand on the small of my back and urged me into a random seat. I noticed we were sitting by Frypan and...Flo. The girl flashed me a smile that felt more like barred teeth; she was obviously still not fond of me.

Janson cleared his throat and continued. "As you were informed in your one-on-ones, the Trials as you've known them are over. Once your memories are restored, I think you'll believe me and we can move on. You've all been briefed on the Flare and the reasons for the Trials. We are extremely close to completing our blueprint of the killzone. The things we need – to further refine what we have - will be better served by your full cooperation and unaltered minds. So, congratulations."

"I ought to come up there and break your shuck nose," Minho threatened furiously. "I'm sick of you acting like everything is peachy – like more than half of our friends didn't die."

Garret. Max. Chuck. Harvey. Jeff. Clint. Zart. Alby. Winston. Theo. All had perished at the hands of W.I.C.K.E.D. And Janson didn't even seem to care, which was what fueled me with anger. I didn't think I'd ever come to terms with them- people who murdered children because they were expendable. Because they didn't qualify for their precious cure.

"I'd love to see that rat nose smashed," Newt growled in agreement. The pure loathing in his voice caused me to wonder what had happened to him in the time we had spent apart. Unlike he had for me, I didn't notice any changes in his outward appearance, but maybe it was what he hid on the inside that was different.

Janson rolled his eyes, unfazed by the outbursts. "First of all, each of you has been warned of the consequences should you try to harm me." Funny, I hadn't. "And rest assured, you're all still being watched. Second, I'm sorry for those you've lost – but in the end it will have been worth it. What concerns me, though, is that it seems that nothing I say is going to wake you people up to the stakes here. We're talking about the survival of the human race."

How could he expect us to believe him after all of the lies they'd fed us? Everything was a lie from the moment we'd shown up at W.I.C.K.E.D's doorstep one way or another. And we accepted them like children getting candy.

"Let's all just slim it," Thomas suggested calmly. "Let's hear him out."

"Why should we trust you people to ...What was it called? The Swipe?" Frypan spoke up despite what Thomas had said. "After everything you've done to us, to our friends – you want to remove the Swipe? I don't think so. I'd rather stay stupid about my past, thank you very kindly."

"W.I.C.K.E.D is good," Teresa blurted absentmindedly.

"What?" Frypan asked. I, along with everyone else, turned to look at her curiously.

Teresa looked much better than I'd ever seen her- with her black hair neatly brushed, face with only a few scrapes but otherwise clean, and her clothes without a smudge. Her bright blue eyes darted around at the faces staring at her.

"W.I.C.K.E.D is good," she repeated louder that time. "Of all the things I could've written on my arm when I first woke up from my coma, I chose those three words. I keep thinking about it, and there has to be a reason for that. I say we just shut up and do what the man says. We can only understand this with our memories back."

"I agree!" Aris shouted much louder than necessary.

The room broke into arguments, making me sigh and bring a hand to my head. I closed my eyes to think. What would it be like to have my memories back in the blink of an eye? To remember everything that had ever happened to me without the frustrating gaps?

The question from before kept running through my mind. Why? Why was I special if they were going to give everyone their memories back so easily? What made me different once they had them?

"Silence!" Janson roared as he pounded his fist on the podium for more effect. The room lapsed into a reluctance silence again. "Look, no one's going to blame you for the mistrust you feel. You've been pushed to your physical limits, watched people die, experienced terror in its purest form. But I promise you, when all is said and done, none of you will look back--"

"What if we don't want to?" Frypan demanded. "What if we don't want our memories back?"

Janson sighed. "Is it because you really have no interest in remembering, or is it because you don't trust us?"

"Oh, I can imagine why we wouldn't trust you," the Cook snapped in reply.

"Don't you realize by now that if we wanted to do something to harm you, we just do it? If you don't want to remove the Swipe, don't do it. You can stand by and watch the others." My eyes followed him as he walked toward the door, his hand resting on it as he spoke his last few words. "You really want to spend the rest of your lives having no memories of your parents? Your family and friends? You really want to lose the chance to hold onto at least a few good memories you may have had before this all began? Fine with me. But you might never have this opportunity again."

Just like that, he left. And everyone seemed to turn to me.

"Well?" Newt prodded. "Is it worth it?"

I thought back to the memories I had. Some were good, yes, but others were too horrible for me to want to believe. Silently, I listed the things Janson had said. Both of my parents had turned into Cranks, and just knowing that they were dead hurt like a knife to the heart. Who would take care of Thomas and I if we ever left W.I.C.K.E.D? And thinking about our Dad was enough to give me nightmares.

My family and friends... I had no friends before W.I.C.K.E.D. My mother and father were all I had. Most of the memories were teetering on the 'bad' end of the scale.

"No," I replied faintly, then strengthened my voice. "No, it's not. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but mine and Thomas' childhood was pretty rough. If I could force the memories out, I think I would."

"But how much do you actually remember?" Flo asked in a snarky tone.

"I know enough," I responded, looking up to meet her dark eyes. "And W.I.C.K.E.D wanted me to remember. Why, I don't know. But that thing inside of my head... What they did—" I tensed at the image of Nick that flashed in my mind. "They're horrible. They'll stop at nothing to get what they want. Janson said they wouldn't hurt us, but didn't they do that already?"

Flo scoffed and turned away. Minho clapped and shouted, "Amen! Okay everybody, think about this real hard so you don't screw it up."

That caused everyone to start talking. Thomas waved Newt and I over frantically. With a sigh, I stood and weaved through the rows of chairs toward a seat closer to his.

"—even if I did trust those shanks, why would I want to remember?" Minho was saying to Thomas when we sat. "Look at what it did to Ben and Alby."

Newt nodded, his eyes showing a pit of sorrow at the mention of his friend. "We need to make a bloody move soon. And when we do, I'm going to knock a few heads to make myself feel better."

"Particularly Julia's," I muttered.

"Julia?" Minho asked a little too loudly. "That crazy chick who let those Cranks loose on us? Who's the reason Theo--"

He stopped, so I nodded with my muscles tensed up. "Yeah. She works here. And so does Maseo."

"It's nice and dandy you had a reunion with your favorite people," Thomas cut in, "but we should focus. We can't screw this up; we need to look for our best chance."

We stood up as a group and walked toward the door, with a knot of nerves unable to leave my stomach.

gif is dylan talking to julia

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this is the first time dylan and newt have seen each other in over a month wow

questions:

-do you hate julia or janson more?

-what do you think is different about dylan's appearance (besides her hair)?

-are you ready for the news that'll be revealed next chapter?

-will dylan get the swipe removed?

guys i'm so excited for this book you have no idea!!

-kristyn