Thomas

Thomas arrived in the Glade four days after Mia. She already knew where everything was, how to shut Minho up with a single phrase. The boys had gotten used to her. And then this new guy, his eyes frightened, started asking questions no one wanted to answer.

Mia decided: not a word. She simply stopped noticing him. When he approached, she walked away. When he spoke, she looked right through him. One day, he stood in her way—she walked around him like a pole.

Chuck felt sorry for Thomas: "She's not angry, she's ignoring me. That's worse." Thomas sighed.

That evening, Newt and Chuck were repairing the west gate. Thomas trudged over and sat down on a log. Newt asked how he was. "It's terrible. I haven't heard a word from her. She's just empty." Newt chuckled. "She's not the type to give in easily. She's used to not letting anyone get to her. You have to fight for her—with her. Prove you're not just another one who goes off into the Labyrinth and never comes back."

Chuck added, "Afraid of getting attached." Thomas asked how to fight—by force? Newt replied, "Just be there."

The next morning, Thomas tried again: he approached her with a mug of water and quietly asked if she was thirsty. Mia silently took the mug, placed it on the crate, and left. Chuck, watching, sighed: "Newt, your plan is bullshit." Newt chuckled from the roof: "She took the mug. She never even took it before. Progress."

And Mia, turning the corner, stopped and clutched her shirt. The mug stood untouched, but she touched it. More than she'd allowed herself to do in the last three days.