"Okay, so when we get to the Griever hole—"

"Ninja star." I corrected Newt, making Minho stifle a laugh.

He rolled his eyes and turned back to Chuck, telling him the plan, "Ninja star... You're gonna open it up with the key Thomas has. Got it?"

"What if there's a Griever?" Chuck asked us, swinging his legs in the air. He was too short to touch the ground from the stool he was sitting on in the weapons room.

I shrugged, handing him two spears, "Then we fight it off. We're going into the Griever den, Chuckie...you can't expect there not to be any Grievers."

"Well, I was just hoping that we would get lucky."

I turned around and gave him a disbelieving smirk, "Because we seem to have all the luck in the world..."

The little boy shrugged, holding his left arm out for Minho to drape a bag of supplies over, "You're right," Minho let go of the bag, almost sending Chuck to fall off of the stool, "Jesus, Minho. What'd you put in here?"

"Stuff we need," The Runner replied shortly. I rolled my eyes and turned back around to where Newt was looking for something in one of the boxes Minho had brought back from the map room. He had his eyebrows furrowed in frustration, and his arm was almost swallowed by the box.

I smirked at him, "What are you looking for?"

"My old satchel," He replied, sticking his head into the box, "I can't find it."

"Well," I replied tightening his satchel around my chest, "I hope you find what you're looking for..."

All of us were in a surprisingly good mood. Of course, we were nervous for the action ahead. But what we really cared about was getting out of these four walls. And now that Thomas, Minho, and I were about to lead the way to it, there was nothing but pure anticipation flowing through our veins. I think Newt and Minho were the most excited though. After being squished within these four walls for two years, they deserved to get out more than probably any of us. I know that they would both disagree with that and say that we all deserved to get out and to go home—wherever that was—but if they didn't make it out then I think this whole thing would just be somewhat of a waste.

"Mae," Minho called my name. I snapped out of my thoughts and turned my head towards him, "You're the best with spears."

I nodded and took the wooden stick out of his hand and placed it in the back of my satchel. I grabbed Newt's machete that he always had, and I quickly wrapped it around his shoulders, making him look back at me. He sent me a warm excited smile, and I sent one back, patting his shoulder in reassurance. When I turned back around, Minho and Chuck were watching us with annoying smiles on their faces.

I rolled my eyes and groaned, "Newt...they're doing it again."

"What?" Minho threw his hands up in defense, "We were just admiring the cute couple. You should be thankful. If it wasn't for me, you guys probably wouldn't be together. Am I right, Chuck?"

"Yep," Chuck agreed, popping the 'p'. I looked back at Newt, who was trying to hold back a smirk.

"Maybe you're just jealous that you don't have a girlfriend, Minho," I breathed, bending down to grab some knives from another box. Chuck and Newt both laughed and pointed at Minho, who was now scowling at me. I winked at the boy, knowing that I was the only one who could really get under his skin, "Now go get me some water. Need to stay hydrated..."

The boy rolled his eyes and sighed with annoyance, "Do you need anything else, madam?" He tried to sound like he was mocking me, but I just played along.

"Maybe an apple," I joked as he stepped over a bag of supplies, "Get one for yourself while you're out there, Min. I'm thinkin' ya need to bulk up a bit..."

Newt let out a loud cackle, something I had never heard from him since the day I told him that Gally had the eyebrows of Satan. He dropped the extra spears he was holding, and he clutched his stomach like it was aching. I loved making Newt laugh. Ever since I first heard it a month ago, it seemed like something he didn't do often. Even Minho told me that Newt's been laughing a lot more. Which is something I pride myself on. He inhaled sharply and let out another string of cackles, making me beam and look over to Minho, who was staring at the boy.

He looked back over to me, no longer in annoyance, but in what seemed like appreciation. He grinned and shook his head, turning back around to head towards the kitchen.

Newt's laughter eventually died down, and we helped Chuck place all of the bags of supplies on his back—this took about five minutes. They kept falling off, and he kept complaining that it was too much for his little body to carry. I told him to shut it and deal with it. In the end, we got him to carry three spears, a couple blankets, extra weapons, and other stuff Minho just shoved into the bags. Probably some of his hair-gel.

"Okay," I breathed, placing my hands on my hips and looking at Chuck, who was staring at me with a deadpanned expression, "You okay, buddy?"

"Don't call me buddy," He murmured, making Newt snigger.

I shrugged, "Whatever you say, Chuckie. You're doing great. Maybe I should—"

"Guys!" Minho rammed into the door, almost toppling over himself. All of our heads turned to him, our hearts suddenly starting to race. He nodded, "Let's go. It's time."

I looked back at Newt, who was shooing Chuck out of the room. The little boy jogged out of the Homestead and over to the East walls, trying to not be too suspicious to anyone else. Just as I was about to walk out to follow him, I felt a strong grip on my arm. I whipped around, and before I realized it, my lips smashed into Newts.

Shocked, it took me a little while to relax. I inhaled sharply, like all the breath was stolen from my lungs. That's how it always felt when I was with Newt. When I finally realized that I was kissing him for the second time, I relaxed and placed my hands on the back of his neck, letting my fingers run through his sandy blonde hair. We were flying again. Floating out of the room, not even existing on the same earth as everyone else. We were in our own little world. One where we had a dog named Lucy, and where we were far away from whatever hardships we had to endure in the future. All that existed was me and him, and it was like we didn't even care about anything else in the world. The kiss was full of passion. Full of the unknown and all of the words we were too nervous to speak to each other. Somehow by connecting our lips, we suddenly understood each other in a way where we didn't even have to say a thing.

Our lips parted, and I had to do a double take for a few seconds. I wasn't able to open my eyes just yet—my lips tingled with the reminisce of his on mine. Before I could stop from doing so, the corners of my mouth twitched upwards into a smile, and I opened my eyes. Newt was staring at me with a small grin, the corners of his mouth lifted into a proud smile.

"Wh..." I cleared my throat before speaking, "What was that for?"

The boy innocently shrugged, "Just a little something before we fight off a whole bunch of bloody Grievers."

I breathed a laugh, "Well...that certainly was something," I looked back into his eyes, "You know we're gonna be okay, right?"

He nodded, "I know you'll be fine. You're a badass," I looked down, feeling my cheeks heat up with the compliment, "It's just my buggin' leg I'm worried about."

We both looked down at his bad leg. He was resting all of his weight on his right leg right now, bringing his limp one up into the air like he was showing it off. I looked back up at him and pat my left leg as well, "We're twins, remember? If you go down, I go down with you."

He smiled and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead, "We're both gonna be okay, right? I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know," I nodded, "And the same goes for you, Newt. You need someone to take care of you as well..."

Before he could respond, Minho popped his head into the door again, "Are you guys chickening out?"

Newt and I both shook our heads.

"Then hurry the shuck up, slintheads!" He whisper-shouted at both of us. He disappeared again, and I looked back at the boy in front of me. I inhaled a breath through my nose, loud enough for him to follow my actions, and we both let it out through out mouths together. I nodded towards him again, pressing my forehead towards his.

"We'll be okay, you know?"

He nodded, but I could see in his eyes that he was just as nervous as the rest of us. I patted the side of his head gently and stepped away from his hands that had found their way to my waist during our heated kiss. I suddenly wished that I could stay with Newt forever. That we could just live a happy life somewhere in the world. Be safe without having to worry about Creators, or memory loss, or Grievers. We would be happy together. Maybe it's selfish, and maybe I'm jumping the gun, or being a little crazy. Maybe I'm blinded by whatever feelings I have for him. Despite all of that, I just wanted him to be safe. If I could send him somewhere where that was assured, then I would. But I don't think this world will ever be safe. We were obviously put in here for a reason—for testing purposes or not. Whatever it was, it has to mean that the world isn't in the right place.

Maybe it never was, and we were all living a lie.

Either way, none of that mattered right now. All that we needed to focus on was getting out of this Maze, and making sure we didn't die in the process.

I picked up my satchel and swung it over my chest, hoping that Newt wouldn't notice it was his and try to steal it. I swung the spear over my shoulder and tied my hair back from it's fallen out ponytail. When I was all ready, I looked back at Newt, who was staring at me with a smirk.

"What?" I asked him with a grin.

He just shook his head and stepped forward, grabbing my hand, "Nothing..."

We both made our way out of the Homestead and to the East doors, where there were two poles stuck into the ground. Gally and his friends were all standing by it, and in the distance, I could see a couple of other boys dragging Thomas and Teresa along. I clenched my jaw and decided it was no time for jokes.

I let go of Newt's hand and took a couple steps in front of him, stopping when I was shortly behind Minho. I shifted my weight to my right leg and crossed my arms over my chest. Newt walked ahead a few steps, stopping when he was ahead of Minho and I. We watched as the two boys carried Thomas onto the patch of grass and literally dropped him face first into the dirt. I flinched, wondering how he managed to stay still and "unconscious" while being shoved so hard. Some long haired boy was holding Teresa's wrists behind her back, preventing her from moving around too much.

Gally stood over Thomas' body, shaking his head, "This is such a waste..."

From the corner of my eye, I could see Frypan start to come up. We had told him the plan, and he said that he was in one-hundred percent. I didn't look towards him like I usually would, but instead, I just bit my lip and kept my eyes on the brooding boy that stood over Thomas.

"Gally..." Winston started, making all heads turn to him. Gally looked up, his eyes taking a little longer to move from Thomas. Winston shrugged, almost forcing the words out of his mouth, "It doesn't feel right, man."

"Yeah," Jeff continued, "What if Thomas is right? Maybe he can lead us home..."

I looked at Newt as he watched Frypan move forward by the boys. I clenched my jaw and looked at the ground, keeping my mouth shut while listening to Gally try to convince the rest of us to stay with him.

"We are home," The boy didn't budge his mindset as he walked towards Winston and Jeff, "Okay? I don't wanna have to cross any more names off of that wall."

He looked terrified.

"You really think banishing us is gonna solve everything?" Teresa asked Gally, making heads turn towards her now. Minho, Newt, and I just observed the conversation, waiting for whatever signal Thomas had told us to watch for.

Gally shook his head, "No. But this isn't a banishing," He sighed, dropping his hands and looking Teresa right in the eyes, "It's an offering."

"What?" She asked. I watched as she was being tied up by one of the boys onto the giant pole, "Gally, what are you doing?"

"You really think I'm gonna let Thomas back in the Maze after what he's done?" He yelled at Teresa. I took a step forward and slowly moved my arm around my satchel to loosen the spear from my pack. When I was done, I stood back to my normal position and crossed my arms as if nothing had happened.

"Look around you!" He motioned towards the rest of the area, "Look at our Glade!"

Instead of looking at the rest of the Glade, I looked around at all the boys. Some of them looked angry, other just looked downright guilty and frightened. One boy was holding his arm to his chest, and another one was looking at the ground. I wondered what all of them were thinking right now, were they going along with Gally? Did they want to get out of here as much as we did? Or were they just standing around like a child who was getting yelled at by their parent? It's sure what they looked like. My eyes found Newt's, and he nodded at me. I licked my lips and saw Chuck, who was just arriving, holding all of the sacks that we told him to. He must've been hiding in the cornfield.

Smart boy.

"This is the only way," Gally murmurs as if he was speaking to himself, "When the Grievers get what they came here for, everything goes back to the way it was..."

"Are you listening to this?" Teresa protested, "Why are you all just standing there? He's crazy!"

That's about the smartest thing I've heard her say yet, I thought to myself. as I watched her try to turn herself around. Gally pointed towards her, "You shut up."

"Are you listening to this?" She yelled back, ignoring the boy, "If you stay here, the Grievers are going to come back. They're gonna keep coming back until you're all dead!"

"Shut up!" Gally screamed at her again, frantically pointing to Thomas like he was gonna run away at any second, "Tie him up!"

Just as the two minions moved to pick Thomas up, he elbowed them in the stomach. Newt and Minho grabbed the weapons from their backs, and I did the same, hitting the few Gladers that tried to come near me. I grunted and swung my spear around, avoiding hitting anyone in the head. In the end, I knocked out about five Gladers, then I moved towards Gally, who was advancing towards Thomas. I placed the sharp part of my spear against his shoulder blade, and he immediately froze. I slowly walked around him, tilting my head and giving him a knowing look.

Frypan cut the ropes off of Teresa, and Minho and Newt moved behind Thomas as Chuck ran over with the weapons in his hands. I slowly moved my way around Gally, keeping my eyes locked on his and my spear pointed towards his head.

He threw his arms up in the air in defeat, "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Thomas held his spear pointed towards the boy, "You don't have to come with us, but we are leaving. Anyone else who wants to come, now's your last chance!" He yelled to the rest of the boys in the Glade.

"Don't listen to him, he's just trying to scare you," Gally tried to defend.

"No, I'm not trying to scare you...you're already scared," Thomas argued, "Alright? I'm scared. But I'd rather risk my life out there then spend the rest of it in here..."

Thomas shook his head, his voice quivering, "We don't belong here...Okay? This place isn't our home. We were put here. We were trapped here..."

Gally looked at the other boys, as if contemplating his decision as Thomas kept trying to persuade everyone else, "At least out there we have a choice. We can make it outta here. I know that..."

Suddenly, as Gally opened his mouth to speak again, Winston started moving forwards, stopping when he was behind Teresa. As if they were waiting for someone to make the move. the other boys started walking towards us, crossing the threshold of grass and onto the concrete. They were choosing to be brave. In the end, we gained about half of Gally's men. The other half staying behind in fear of the unknown. I don't blame them. If the Glade was all I knew for two years, I would probably want to stay here too. But that wasn't the case. I wanted to get out, and I wanted to stay with my friends. I wanted to fight whoever these creators were, and I wanted to do it without living with the fear that I could've made it out of the Glade with everyone else.

I watched as Gally stared at all of us. his eyes stopped on me, and I gave him a pleading look, not wanting to leave someone who was once my friend behind, "Gally, it's over," I dropped my spear and held it by my side, giving him a gentle look, "Just come with us."

He looked up at me and swallowed, almost like he was going through every short memory we had with each other. But just like I thought, he shook his head and took a step back, letting his pride win, "Good luck against the Grievers."

My heart dropped to my feet in defeat, and I sighed. I clenched my fists together hard while I heard the rest of the footsteps behind me pick up. I felt something cold trickle down my thumb once again, and then I felt someone's hand touch my arm. I looked back and saw Newt, who was standing in front of Minho. I took one last look at Gally before turning around and running into the Maze with everyone else, feeling guilt and fear envelop my thoughts.

But I ran with them, needing to feel freedom more than anything else right now.