[The hypnotic music that the chapter talks about, above ^, if you're curious and want to listen to it as you read.]

[Word count: 2,336]

| chapter - twenty-three |

\ stranger things /

"Are you sure this is the place?" Thomas was weary.

There were so many people around, Avery found it bizarre. She had grown so used to the world population being dead, for the most part. It was hard to sense much with the crowd around, and so, her hand remained in his.

"You here for the party?" Avery jolted at the feminine voice coming up from behind them, as all teens made way for her to go through.

"Uh," Brenda wasn't too keen. "No. We're looking for Marcus. This is the place, isn't it?"

Another voice, but a male, arrives, "This is my place."

Marcus? Nova countered.

They stepped closer to this voice, as Thomas asked, "Are you Marcus."

"Marcus doesn't live here anymore." His thistle particles told Avery that he was grinning, getting her to believe he was lying through his teeth.

I'm calling it now, he's totally Marcus.

"Do you know where we can find him?" Brenda seemed to take the bait, though.

"Sure, sure." He gave a quick nod. "He's over in Zone B."

All the while the girl that had asked them about 'the party' was lurking around them and touching their shoulders. Avery felt very uncomfortable, so did Nova.

"It's where they burn the bodies." That just made them even more uncomfortable.

Marcus had his eyes on Avery, noticing her colorless eyes, "Little girlfriend?" He asked. "Surprised she's survived for so long." His plastered grin was tight.

"She's, my friend." Thomas corrected.

"And he's her guide dog." Brenda added.

Thomas gave her a glance but decided to ignore the catcall. They were getting off track, "Okay, look, has anyone else been by here." He stepped forward, only to bring the girl with him. "Looking for him? A group of kids around our age? They had a girl with them. Dark hair."

"You know what..." Marcus rubbed at his head and looked back to him. "I think they might be inside. Here." He proceeds to pull out a bottle of mysterious liquid inside and brought it out to Thomas. "Drink this."

"What is it?" Thomas wasn't sure.

"The price of admission." Marcus put it simply. But when Thomas didn't do anything with it, the man got frustrated, "Drink it!" Causing Avery to jolt again.

Within a second Brenda had swiped the glass and chugged a quarter of it. She slipped it into Avery's hand, and with after a moment of hesitation, the girl downed some as well. Only to cough and gag like her ex-friend.

Marcus gave a giggle and grin, "Your turn." He pointed to Thomas. The boy did so and had the same effect as the two girls next to him.

Marcus seemed very satisfied, as he rounded behind them and held both Brenda and Thomas' shoulders. Avery's back touching right at his chest as she squirmed a little bit.

"All right," He sneered. "You three, join the party." He shoves them through the curtain.

Loud music was heard and just like at Jorge's warehouse, Avery kind of grooved to it. Mostly because she missed listening to tunes.

"Maybe we should split up," Brenda suggested. "See if we can kind find the others."

When Thomas didn't answer, she grabbed his shoulder, "Hey," He looked to her. "Don't drink anything else."

He nodded as she left.

Avery was unsure as her grip tightened in his hand, and he noticed, looking down at her. "Don't worry." He assures her, he tightened his hold as well and looked forward again. "I won't let you out of my sight."

After a small pause, "I promise."

Avery hoped he'd keep it. She thought outside was bad, in there was even worse. She couldn't sense anything at all, too many vibrations going on at once.

She had a sense of deja vu... something about an eight-legged mechanical monster? Multiplied into a few hundred in a small area?

It was hard to pinpoint exactly what was coming to mind.

And yet, another glass flying off of the barrier to add to Nova's wildly growing collection.

***

Avery could've sworn she felt her brain vibrating in her skull, she felt both of their hands slipping apart for a moment, only for her to come back to the surface for a moment to reach and clench her hand back onto his before she loses him and her way.

Only to soon learn it was the wrong hand, "Ugh," A feminine voice shuttered, tugging away as the hand left Avery's. "Freak!"

The girl jolted away, "Sorry!" She felt bad.

She ran into another body, "Watch it!" They shoved the girl.

And she landed into another, "Can't you see?! Watch where you're going!"

"F*cking cripple!"

Avery sputtered out a series of 'I'm sorry's' and 'my fault's' as she was shoved around like some ragdoll with no feelings.

"Thomas?" She hollered out, needing help.

"Thomas!" She wailed.

"Thomas!"

He wouldn't come. He had abandoned her. She felt alone.

Though, she knew he wasn't at fault. It was that mystery liquid messing with their heads. She knew this was a bad idea.

Everything echoed, she was shoved around some more. Until she slammed to the ground with a grunt of pain. But, at the same time, she felt nothing. She was numb. The world was spinning. Rapid colors flourished through her view, like a raging ocean of emotions.

The ocean of colors flowed through the party around her, like a tsunami. All of them dancing and colliding into one another. It was confusing and impossible.

She held her head on both sides, unable to register all of it at once.

She forced herself onto her feet and grabbed a wall, felt around.

This is useless. I feel sick.

Until finally, she runs into someone, and they yell in her face. She was so high it was almost like she saw it physically for a second.

Avery yelped and fell onto the floor again, fearful and vulnerable.

Marcus' ghastly laugh shot into her skull, "What's wrong, Paige? Are you scared?" It felt weird that he seemed to know her last name.

Marcus knew exactly who she was, almost everyone did, minus Jacob because he was alone. But Avery was a fool to think that she'd be hidden within Group A.

Marcus then added, "You don't have to be." With a coo to his tone, almost in mockery. "Face it; We've seen stranger things."

His grin was wicked.

***

Marcus and Avery, both hand-in-hand, sway through the party, to the hypnotic music that made her high mind buzz even further than before.

"Let go, Avery Paige." Marcus suggested. "Just let it happen. Let go. It's going to be alright."

"Let go."

She was sure Nova was speaking in her head, but she had not a clue of what she was saying. She was too far gone, in too deep. The Gladers voice was like the sound of a bee's flapping wings.

It then dawned on the Albino girl that he was right. Marcus was right. They had seen stranger things. So many things in this world, exists, even though they shouldn't because they're usually told in stories that held a deeper meaning.

She was part of written history, just like everyone else around her. Everyone knew who Avery Paige was, it was no secret. They could dogpile her right now, much like what Jacob had experienced back in that tunnel, because of how angry they are towards her mother. And yet, they do not.

This taught her these people are a**holes, yes, but they also have humanity. They were proving this to be true, to her, right now. And just like that, she went from feeling abandoned and scared; To feeling safe and sound, and home.

Marcus was right. They had seen stranger things. They were all Cranks in this party, every single one. And that was okay. Immunity doesn't exist in their minds. And Avery began to understand it. It made perfect sense.

Avery Paige was going to die just like everyone else. Whether it be tomorrow, or in fifty years. The place and time did not matter. What mattered was that it was going to happen, one way or another. Nobody was immune to death, no matter how much they deny that fact.

And thus, she accepted that. In fact, she smiled on about it. It was a weirdly comforting fact, because at least she wasn't going to be alone on what is normally a horrifying subject.

Marcus could tell that she was beginning to understand it now, and that satisfied him immensely. His grin grew even tighter.

And so, Avery listened to him. She let go and allowed herself to ride out this high and enjoy every second of it.

Marcus' hands loosen as they part ways, as she now had made her way onto the mirrored dance floor, in the mosh-pit of other strangers.

Visions of flashbacks ran through her mind, ones that not even Nova had a clue of. Avery had no idea they existed, and it was all thanks to her mother being overly obsessed with swiping their memories whenever pointless mistakes were made.

She was eight years old, when her Albinism had taken more effect on her eyesight and by the middle of that year, even after a few minor surgeries, she lost it entirely. Which confirmed that she wasn't actually born blind, she was just born unlucky.

And that's okay. Being born unlucky was okay.

But she was six years old, when she met two of her best friends. Cassie and then a boy with blonde hair and a British accent. Newt. She shouldn't be surprised that her mother would try to erase these valuable memories, but she was.

She remembered other friends before the Outbreak devastated the planet. One with Dwarfism. One with Vitiligo. One with Waardenburg Syndrome. One with Autism and Tourette Syndrome. One with Dissociative Identity Disorder. And so much more.

Avery Paige was astonished to remember that her life was great before the world ended and they were all brutally torn apart and murdered, she had a group of amazing friends who were just as normal as herself. She was even more surprised to realize that her mother was very happy and accepting of her and all of her closest friends.

So, what happened? That's what she wanted to know, the most.

Was Ava Paige really the Villain of the story? Or was it actually someone else who is taking advantage of the situation for their selfish gains?

All of these questions that Avery had were paused when she saw another flashback, another boy had emerged through the party, but he wasn't really there like the rest.

He had the particles of violet electricity; it was like he was glowing. He was undoubtedly familiar to the girl; she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Until finally, a name had run through her mind, "Miles?" Avery stood there, on the mirror stage with everyone else, in shock. She knew his name, but how?

 This boy, Miles, a core memory of a human being. She knew him. She wracked through her mind, trying to figure out WHY and HOW she knew him.

She couldn't understand it, until he finally disappeared into nothing just like all the rest of her memories.

And it was like her question was instantly answered, the second she glanced down at her feet, which reflected off the mirrored ground around them. Finally, she was able to sense her own particles for the first time ever, from what she could remember.

Only to be stunned at seeing that her own particles were also a violet electricity, and glowing. Just like Miles.

The amount of shock this put onto Avery's shoulders was catastrophic, she didn't understand why her mother would do this. Keep all of this from her, or why. She couldn't tell whether her mother was the bad guy or vigorously misunderstood.

The liquid hit her harder that it did before, and she had a euphoric feeling. Avery climbed down to all fours, not even caring if she was the center of attention right now, getting tensive stares. It didn't matter anymore.

She was hyperventilating whilst also feeling like she was resurrected as the second coming of Christ, despite her continuing to not be Religious. But from what she remembers of her past before all of it went to hell, she's heard a few of them describe this feeling as exactly that event.

It was like she was reborn into a new shell of a person; she didn't know what to think or believe anymore. She slumped onto the side of her hip, one hand on the mirrored flooring keeping her on her balance, as the other held her dead eyes, rubbing at her temples at the same time.

It was all so much, so fast, in one sitting. She wanted this to stop, she just wanted to relax and regroup. She wanted to go home, wherever that was anymore.

She began to feel faint as the music became louder, everything was harder to bear. She was exhausted and her high was finally dying down, slowly turning into something that is sober.

Her fingertips tingled, everything in her body buzzed and flipped upside down as if she were floating. It was all so strange. She felt a glass barrier in her mind shatter, entirely. The pressure of it holding finally came to an end, everything flowed perfectly, just as it should have from day one.

Until finally, as she was about to be fully submerged into the black abyss of no return, a familiar voice sounded.

Just like it always had, throughout this whole journey. She'll never get tired of it. Ever.

"Nova."

-------

Here's chapter twenty-three! :)

What was your favorite part of this chapter?

Let's pretend I didn't just NOT update for months. I'm so sorry, lmao. I have many other books, I also got vaccinated in February, and I had a LOT of family problems.

BUT, we're here now. And I also want to focus on this book again, I REALLY want to finish this book in 2022. So we can get to book 3, and then book 4. Because it's about to get CRAZY crazy in book 3, lmaoooo.

Either way, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter despite it taking so long to be published, again, my bad. Forgive me. I hope it was worth the wait though.

Fun fact: All of her group of friends that are listed, are the friends that I had growing up. I AM part of that group. The one with autism, Tourette's and DID is referred to me. :)

xoxo <3