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passed, and Thomas felt the long day finally catch up to him, the leaded edge of sleep crossing over his mind. But—like a fist had shoved it in his brain and let go—a thought popped into his head. One that he didn’t expect, and he wasn’t sure from where it came.
    Suddenly, the Glade, the walls, the Maze—it all seemed … familiar. Comfortable. A warmth of calmness spread through his chest, and for the first time since he’d found himself there, he didn’t feel like the Glade was the worst place in the universe. He stilled, felt his eyes widen, his breathing stop for a long moment.
What just happened?
he thought.
What changed?
Ironically, the feeling that things would be okay made him slightly uneasy.
    Not quite understanding how, he knew what he needed to do. He didn’t get it. The feeling—the epiphany—was a strange one, foreign and familiar at the same time. But it felt … right.
    “I want to be one of those guys that goes out there,” he said aloud, not knowing if Chuck was still awake. “Inside the Maze.”
    “Huh?” was the response from Chuck. Thomas could hear a tinge of annoyance in his voice.
    “Runners,” Thomas said, wishing he knew where this was coming from. “Whatever they’re doing out there, I want in.”
    “You don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Chuck grumbled, and rolled over. “Go to sleep.”
    Thomas felt a new surge of confidence, even though he truly
didn’t
know what he was talking about. “I want to be a Runner.”
    Chuck turned back and got up on his elbow. “You can forget that little thought right now.”
    Thomas wondered at Chuck’s reaction, but pressed on. “Don’t try to—”
    “Thomas. Newbie. My new friend. Forget it.”
    “I’ll tell Alby tomorrow.”
A Runner
, Thomas thought.
I don’t even know what that
means.
Have I gone completely insane?
    Chuck lay down with a laugh. “You’re a piece of klunk. Go to sleep.”
    But Thomas couldn’t quit. “Something out there—it feels familiar.”
    “Go … to … sleep.”
    Then it hit Thomas—he felt like several pieces of a puzzle had been put together. He didn’t know what the ultimate picture would be, but his next words almost felt like they were coming from someone else. “Chuck, I … I think I’ve
been
here before.”
    He heard his friend sit up, heard the intake of breath. But Thomas rolled over and refused to say another word, worried he’d mess up this new sense of being encouraged, eradicate the reassuring calm that filled his heart.
    Sleep came much more easily than he’d expected.

CHAPTER 6
    Someone shook Thomas awake. His eyes snapped open to see a too-close face staring down at him, everything around them still shadowed by the darkness of early morning. He opened his mouth to speak but a cold hand clamped down on it, gripping it shut. Panic flared until he saw who it was.
    “Shh, Greenie. Don’t wanna be wakin’ Chuckie, now, do we?”
    It was Newt—the guy who seemed to be second in command; the air reeked of his morning breath.
    Though Thomas was surprised, any alarm melted away immediately. He couldn’t help being curious, wondering what this boy wanted with him. Thomas nodded, doing his best to say yes with his eyes, until Newt finally took his hand away, then leaned back on his heels.
    “Come on, Greenie,” the tall boy whispered as he stood. He reached down and helped Thomas to his feet—he was so strong it felt like he could rip Thomas’s arm off. “Supposed to show ya somethin’ before the wake-up.”
    Any lingering haze of sleep had already vanished from Thomas’s mind. “Okay,” he said simply, ready to follow. He knew he should hold
some
suspicion, having no reason to trust anyone yet, but the curiosity won out. He quickly leaned over and slipped on his shoes. “Where are we going?”
    “Just follow me. And stay close.”
    They snuck their way through the tightly strewn pack of sleepingbodies, Thomas almost tripping several times. He stepped on