----------------------------

Minho and Thomas are not back yet. I returned to working with the Med-Jacks, and helping anywhere I can.

I feel so awful for how I treated the boys before they left. They're my friends, and they're allowed to look out for me.

Hopefully they'll be back soon, so I can apologize for being such a shuckface. Hopefully they make it back alive, or I'm going to feel even worse.

"Lori, you okay?" I hear someone say in the background. I shake me head, clearing my mind of the morbid thoughts.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine" I say, pulling on a brave face to cover up my fear.

If I can convince others, hopefully I can convince myself, I think to myself.

I realize it was Jeff who was talking to me, as he grins before replying "Sorry, you just seem a bit out of it today."

"Well thank you for your concern. I'm just tired, that's all. I've been having trouble sleeping lately."

I'm pretty sure rarely sleeping, and when you do, never dreaming, could be classed as trouble. Maybe. I don't know, I'm not a real doctor.

"You should try having a warm drink before bed; calm yourself down a bit more than usual."

I thank him, before cleaning up around the Med-Jack station.

The job can be difficult sometimes, watching people in pain, but the outcome is always brings an amazing feeling of warmth inside of me.

The air is thick within the room, forcing it's way in and out of my lungs.

Why did they send me here? Why can't I remember anything? These two questions pound inside my mind like a jack-hammer. But then an overall question surfaces, one which if answered, could solve all my questions.

What is that point of us being here?

I continue to work on the outside, as the questions eat away my insides. Clint and Jeff wont know; if they did, I'd hope by now someone would have told me.

I need to talk to Newt. I need to see Minho and Thomas again. I need to apologize. I need to ask Thomas about what I heard.

I need to do a lot of things, but I don't want to be that person who makes others build their lives around me. I need to help more in the Glade. I want to be a part of this family, because this may be the closest I get to one.

The trick to becoming a part of a group, and staying there, is becoming as indispensable as possible. I need to prove to everyone here, and myself, that I can actually help them, and not just cause catastrophes all the time.

//////////

I had skipped lunch today, preferring to finish my work in the Med-Jack centre instead. When I said I wanted to stay behind, Clint and Jeff looked so shocked; usually I jumped at the opportunity for food.

I still remember the time Xander came at me with that knife. Hell, how could I forget.

Well, those people could erase it from your mind. Then you'd forget.

I scoff at myself, as I continue to make the bed which had been vacated a few minutes ago. I pull the rough sheet up towards the head of the bed, before folding it a little bit at the top, and tucking it in on each side. I then grabbed the pillow off of the chair and placed it at the head with the folded end of the blanket.

As I'm walking out of the room, a thought hits me.

They can take away our memories, right?

So, who says they can't replace them. What if this whole place is just some sort of dream. What if we're not really here.

Maybe if you 'die' here, you return to the real world. If there even is a real world outside of all of this.

I shake my head, losing the dark thoughts among the mess which is my mind.

I feel as if the darkness of the slate grey sky, is reflecting through my emotions. Who knows really, it could be anything.

As I walk through the slowly dying grass of the Glade, I take a look around. Without the sun, we're not going to be able to grow food, keep plants healthy, keep ourselves healthy, keep the animals alive -before Winston and the other Slicers kill them for their meat- and we wont be able to tell when the doors close and open.

The answer to one question finally dawns on me, and I had all the clues the whole time. I know why the sun is missing.

The girls words rush across my vision, as if projected into the Glade

'Tom, I triggered the ending.'

Newt was right. The girl, she's the cause behind the slow destruction of the Glade.

//////////

I sat and pondered the situation for what felt like a long time, whilst I waited for the boys to return from the Maze. At one point, I saw Newt. He looked like he was going to come and talk to me, but changed his mind and turned away.

I was about to follow after him, but thought better of it. If he doesn't want to talk to me at the moment, I'm not going to force him.

As I stand up, deciding to get back from my break, I hear the echoes of footsteps. My neck switches directions, dragging my head around with it, to see Minho and Thomas returning from their run. I can't help the small smile that tugs at the corners of my mouth. They're alive, are the only words I am thinking.

I run up to them, before embracing Minho in a tight hug.

"You're alive, and I'm so glad. I'm sorry I was such a shuckface this morning before you guys left."

He seems shocked at first, before settling and wrapping his arms loosely around me. "It's okay, we're back and we're fine. I promise. Plus, we have some shucking great news, so meet us for a Gathering in ten minutes." As he walks away, I grab hold of his hand.

"Minho, I truly am sorry, but are you really just going to forgive me like that?" I feel as if it was too easy, like I didn't deserve to have my apology accepted so fast.

"Lori, in a place like this, the pressure of a grudge is something too heavy to hold."

I almost laugh, "Wow, Minho, that was deep."

"Slim it shuckface and go and tell Newt we're having a Gathering. Just you, me, him, Thomas, Alby and that's all."

I nod and jog away. I didn't even say, nor acknowlege Thomas. The thought that he might be helping the girl has infected and is starting to rot my mind.

After searching the Homestead, I see Newt working in the gardens.

I call his name, and he turns towards me, an indescribable emotion scrawled across his lovely features.

"Hey, I was just looking for you. Can we talk somewhere? Privately?" His dark brown eyes are set on mine, seriousness basically leaking from them as the quiet words spill from his mouth.

I sigh before replying, "Newt, I really want to talking to you, I do, but something else is going on right now. Can it wait until later?"

Although disappointment is evident across his face, he hides it quickly and nods his head. "What's going on?"

I take a moment to think about the question. I don't know to a full extent what's actually going on, so I just reply with

"Minho has something important to tell us. He's calling a Gathering, so I don't know what's going on yet."

"Okay, well let's go" Newt says, already walking away from me.

The room contains all the people Minho said would be attending. Alby sits in his centre chair once more, and gets all of us to be quiet so that Minho can talk.

"Well, as all you shanks know, me and Thomas here found something out in the Maze. Something big" Minho exclaims with little emotion shown on his face.

"Come on Minho, we don't have all damn day, get on with it" Alby spits out, obviously in a hurry to be somewhere else.

"Okay, Alby, don't klunk your pants" Minho teases. "We were running the Maze, and we found something weird."

Everyone was silent. Minho was eenjoying this too much.

Eventually, Newt rose an eyebrow, and asked him what they found.

Minho took a few minutes to explain their journey in the Maze that day. They spoke of Grievers and passage ways, and the so called 'Cliff'.

After he explained everything, he finished with, "Must lead to where the . . . ya know . . . Grievers live."

Any noise that could have possibly entered the room at that moment, was dead.