I Know Places [Thomas The Maze Runner]

[24: The Other Girl]

After Dr Crawford finished asking Elle questions and completed her thorough medical examinations, she was told that she seemed to be in good health and could join Mr Janson in a separate room to update him on her situation. Elle resisted the urge to roll her eyes and followed another man to an interview room in another hallway. The rest of Dr Crawford's examination went well, but Elle couldn't shake the feeling she got when the doctor insinuated she could be pregnant. It was an invasive question for an adult stranger to ask a teenage girl, which made Elle weary of Dr Crawford.

When Elle arrived outside the interview room, she saw Mr Janson holding the door open for Thomas. The man had taken off his jacket and behaved more casually than before.

"Elle," Thomas sighed in relief when he spotted her, brushing past Janson and pulling her into a warm hug. Elle pressed her face against his chest and shut her eyes, inhaling sharply. Gently, Thomas cupped the back of her head with one hand and rubbed circles on her back with the other. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Elle confirmed, nodding. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Thomas replied. He lowered his voice, whispering in her ear, "They have cameras in there." Elle's blood felt ice cold at the notion that they were still being surveilled after leaving the Maze. She released him, pressing a kiss to his cheek as they parted, letting him know she had heard him.

"Time to go, Thomas," Janson interrupted their sweet moment. "I've got a couple questions for Elle, but you can go ahead without us."

"I want to wait here for her," Thomas declined, meeting Janson's blank stare. The last thing he wanted was to meet new people and leave Elle in the hands of someone he didn't trust. "I'd feel more comfortable knowing where she is."

"I understand your concern, but Elle has some more testing to do after this," Janson denied. "I'd rather you get some food and meet up with your friends. Elle won't be joining you for a little while."

Elle frowned. "I won't?" she questioned. "But Dr Crawford cleared me, and they have about two litres of my blood to test on."

"It seems that you were particularly dehydrated when you came in, and we wanted to have a Neurologist do a couple tests because of your head wound," Janson explained to her. "Really, I appreciate your concern and desire to stick together but we aren't keeping you apart." He smiled at the two teenagers. "We just want to make sure that Elle is healthy, especially if she has a head injury."

"Okay," Thomas agreed. He could tell it was an uphill battle to fight Janson, and the last thing he wanted was to get on anyone's nerves and make things more difficult for Elle. "I want her to be healthy too."

Janson clapped his hands and nodded. "Wonderful," he exclaimed. "These men will escort you to your friends." Janson pointed at the men who walked Thomas to the interview room. "Elle, why don't you come inside with me?"

Elle reached out to squeeze Thomas's hand before entering the interview room behind Janson. Keeping Thomas's warning in mind, she glanced around the empty room slowly. There was a camera on the wall and what looked like two-way glass. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, wondering if anyone was watching her.

"Please, have a seat," Mr Janson encouraged her. She did so, feeling the cold of the metal chair through her cotton trousers. "Thank you for coming to speak with me, Elle," Janson acknowledged, taking the seat opposite her with an easygoing smile. Elle didn't trust him. She studied how his emotionless eyes remained glued on her and shifted uncomfortably. "I'm hoping Dr Crawford took good care of you? She's one of our best." Elle nodded. "Great. Listen, I was just hoping we could get to the bottom of things right away. How does that sound?"