A lonely bell chime.

The soft breeze rustling the trees.

A warm feeling on my back.

Peaceful silence.

I was no longer in a leather jacket and dirty clothes that had been through so much. I was in a white tank top with jean shorts that hugged my thighs perfectly. My hair wasn't a ratty mess pulled back into two braids on each side of my head, but instead, brushed through. It blew across my face as I lifted my hand to wipe it off of my nose.

When I caught a glimpse of my palms, I almost fainted. The crescent moon cuts had disappeared, replaced with soft, unscarred skin. Confusion ate at the back of my mind as I looked around, placing my hands back on the earth.

The grass beneath my bare feet was soft...almost like a natural blanket as I stood up, wriggling my toes as though I had never felt it before. Grass blades gently moved with the air, calm like they had no intention of going anywhere else. The base of the tree I had been leaning against barely scratched my hand as I used it as leverage, hoping that I didn't go stumbling down the steep hill that started a few feet from where I had rested.

Not a cloud was in the sky above me. It was blue. Not some, gross musty orange color with traces of dust and grime that came from the destroyed earth underneath. But instead, it seemed healthy like the ground I stood on. I furrowed my brows as I inhaled...my lungs seemed clearer too. With the previous activities in which I had taken part in mind, I reached up to my head.

All sounds were gone. No music. No haunting chuckles. No voices of past friends telling me that their death was my fault. It was just quiet. And yet, I still felt nervous about what was to come.

"Thomas?" I asked into the air as I looked out over the hill. There was nothing but grass for as far as I could see. No trees except for the one I had been leaning against while I was unconscious. All signs of life were gone, and I was alone.

"Brenda?" I tried again, knowing that they weren't here. I turned around on my heel, maybe expecting another surprise to take place. For someone to come out of the blue and take me to WICKED, or maybe something worse. But as I stood on that patch of grass, feeling the comforting rays of sun leak through the branches above me as they heated my skin like a warm blanket, I heard another voice.

Not a haunting one that burned my mind, and destroyed the little confidence I had, but a soft one that reminded me of an angel.

"Mae."

It was a girl's voice. It sounded familiar. I turned my head to the right, only to see a light blue blanket spread across a flat part of the grass. A woman was sitting on it. She had dark hair; like mine. it stopped just before it reached her collarbones, the curl at the end giving her some sort of character. Her eyes were hazel, a soft mix of brown and bright green that made me want to hug her. The woman's skin looked soft. Pure. As did her lips, which curled up into a sweet smile as my eyes met hers.

She was wearing a white vest, with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath. Her jeans were blue, the blanket being a shade lighter. Her hand reached out for me as she motioned to come closer. My heart skipped a beat at the gesture, and I looked around the field once again for any trace of my friends. But they were nowhere to be seen. It was just me and the woman. Alone in a field of peaceful silence.

I took a slow step forward, sucking in a slow breath as the cold grass found its way beneath my toes once again. I don't think I've ever felt it without some kind of shoe on. The nervous feeling in my stomach grew as I put one foot in front of the other, moving towards the blanket and the girl who knew my name. Eventually, I had gotten to the blanket, one more step and I would be standing next to where she sat.

"It's okay." She whispered in a soft voice. Suddenly, all of the nerves in my stomach unraveled, and I let the warm feeling take place. My eyes darted from hers to the open spot on the ground. I bent down and took it without another thought. My knees folded underneath me, and I kept my toes on the grass as I relaxed onto the blanket.

As soon as I did so, the woman's grin turned into a smile that reached her eyes. She let out a breathy laugh, almost like she didn't think I would sit next to her. Her smile made me want to smile. But I kept my lips in a line, so many questions spinning through my mind, but I didn't dare ask any of them until she spoke first. She reached for a piece of hair that had been blown into her face, tucking it behind her ear as she beamed and clasped her hands together in her lap. I raised an eyebrow, every action of hers seeming like I've seen it before.

"Okay." She breathed, tilting her head to the side as her eyes scanned over my face. "Look at you..."

I stayed quiet but didn't hide the water that seemed to accumulate in the corners of my eyes. I didn't know why I was starting to cry. I've never seen this woman in my life. Or maybe I have...I don't know.

My eyes met hers just as a subtle tear fell from her left one, and she smiled once again, wiping it away. "Sorry...you're just so beautiful."

She waved her hand at me, shifting her position so she was now sitting crisscross. "You probably think I'm a crazy lady." She looked at me as I furrowed my brows. "Do you know who I am?"

I blinked slowly, letting a tear escape under my will. "No." I whispered, not finding the strength to use my voice.

The woman's smile disappeared as she bit her bottom lip, dropping her head to look at the space in between us. She nodded, and sniffled...for some reason, I felt a pain in my chest. Like I was guilty of not remembering her.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out as I looked down as well, another overwhelmed tear escaping as I fiddled with my fingers. "I-I'm sorry...I just—" I didn't get the chance to finish before I felt a warm hand on my knee.

My mouth shut immediately as she started to gently caress my warm skin with her thumb. Beneath her hand, my skin was on fire. Tingles erupted all over my body as if I had experienced this feeling before. As quickly as my heart broke, it mended again as soon as she touched me. Her grip wasn't threatening, but comforting. I brought my hand up to my nose, trying to hold back a sniffle as I watched her hand on my knee, the sun was beginning to dry the pure emotion that fell from my eyes.

"Don't be sorry." She whispered, looking into my eyes. "It's not your fault, Mae."

I pursed my lips as another tear fell onto my cheek, and I swallowed the lump in my throat, nodding. "Wh-Who are you though?"

The woman gave me another warm smile, telling me that she knew something that I didn't. "I believe that's a question for another time." She murmured. My eyes darted back up to her face at the sentence, and she slowly removed her hand from my knee.

Shaking my head again, I knew that this might be one of the few times that I had to ask a question...or a few. "I-I have so many questions..." I let out a breathy laugh, wiping another tear from my eye.

The woman gave me a grin that warmed my heart once again. "You've never been one to ask many questions..."

I laughed. "I'm not. Th-This is just kind of freaking me out a bit, I feel obligated to ask at least one."

"Never feel obligated to do something you don't want to." She corrected me. My smile disappeared as I listened to her soft voice. The woman chuckled while shaking her head at me. "You've been through a lot. Haven't you?"

I hesitated before answering, nodding my head. "Yeah. Yeah, we have. Me and my friends. They're all so tired. I mean I can't believe how they must feel, running

constantly—"

"Mae." She said my name again, making my words come to a halt. I licked my lips and began to fiddle with my fingernails as she looked down at me with a knowing smirk. "I asked about you. Not your friends. How do you feel?"

I froze, not exactly knowing what to say. I don't think I've been asked how I felt in a long time. Not since I talked to Newt, which was hours ago. Or maybe it wasn't...I still didn't know where I was. But that didn't matter to me. I felt safe. With this woman, I felt like nothing could hurt me. I only knew this feeling, because it was what I felt with Newt when I was playing with his hair as he laid on my lap. We didn't speak much that afternoon, the night's events still being too fresh in our minds. But as he laid there, I felt like I could conquer the world. And that's how I felt now.

"I-I don't know how I feel." I replied with all honesty. "I mean...I understand that we have to get to safety, and we have to get away from WICKED and all that. But...I'm tired. Really tired. I'm tired of running away from my problems, I'm tired of feeling like something bad is gonna happen all the time. I don't...I don't miss the Glade. I enjoy being free, but lately, it feels like being free is worse than being trapped."

"You miss knowing what was going to happen." She nodded, listening to every word I was saying.

"Yeah." I nodded with her, my voice getting caught in my throat. "And now it feels like I'm completely out of control...I've lost so many of my friends. I'm scared that if I lose another one, everything will just come crashing down and I won't be able to pick up the pieces."

I finished my confession, looking back at the woman with tear-filled eyes. Her head was tilted to the side, staring at me with so much compassion that I wanted to pull her into a hug until I stopped crying. Until I felt like everything was going to be okay.

"Honey." She breathed, the word making my chest burst into flames. "It's okay to not be okay. I know that you know that. You're so strong, Mae. But you're tired. You're so tired of repeating the same things every day. Running, walking from the same people when you have no idea why you're doing it. But you are. You've gotten through it, and you're so strong. You deserve so much, Mae. So much good. We all experience loss, and it's okay to hit rock bottom, baby, because from there, the only way is up."

My jaw clenched as she shifted in her spot on the ground, her hands reaching out to take mine. "You are an angel, Mae. No matter what you think. You are the strongest angel I know. A fighter. You fight for what is right, and for that, I admire you. Life's not going to be easy. But you've already survived so much of it. Happiness is just around the corner. You just have to keep going."

I was unable to swallow the lump in my throat this time, the tears falling with no intention to stop as her words sank in. I nodded, not finding the courage to speak. My bottom lip quivered as the woman smiled at me again, moving her hand up to caress my cheek. I leaned into her touch, that being the only warmth I needed right now. Her comfort filled a place in my heart I didn't know I had, and it felt good. I didn't want to leave.

"You're gonna be okay."

The woman's eyes filled with tears as she moved her hand from my cheek to the back of my head, pulling me into a hug. Her arms wrapped around my upper back as I buried my face into the crook of her neck, letting my tears spill out onto her white vest. My arms stayed by my side as I let her embrace me into something so simple as a hug. But I had no idea they could be this consoling.

I closed my eyes, fully amercing myself in the joy of the action. I took a deep breath, her words ringing through my head like a broken record as I let the air out through my mouth. As I relaxed for the first time since we left the Maze, I felt the corners of my mouth twitch up into a smile.

I felt loved.

My eyes snapped open to a blinding light, and I immediately wished I had kept them closed. The peaceful feeling was gone—replaced with an ache in my head and a burn behind my eyes that made me clamp them shut again.

"Newt!" A voice shouted, feeling like nails hammered into my brain. "She's awake!"

I groaned, bringing my hands up to my eyes. "Whoever the shuck just yelled needs to shut up before I kick them in their ugly face."

Someone laughed. "Maybe you should go back to sleep, slinthead."

At the sound of the familiar nickname, my eyes opened once again, only to be met with the spiky-haired boy I had shared so many laughs with. He raised an eyebrow while shaking his head, a small smirk playing at his lips as he looked down at me. I managed to let a breathy laugh escape me...one of relief. My annoying best friend was above me, sarcastic as ever.

"Why is that sun so shucking bright?" I asked him, moving my arm over my eyes as my head grew a heartbeat once again. As I saw nothing but darkness, I was reminded of the strange dream I had. Everything felt so...real. Like it had happened. The last time I had a dream that vivid was the one Newt spoke to me about. When we had first met. The promise that we made to each other. Maybe I should ask him if he had the same dream.

But my chest felt heavy. And not with a weight of something that I regretted, or something that made me want to dig myself into the deepest hole I could, but one that lifted me. Made me content. At least I think it did.

"Hey..." Another soft voice was heard. One that I would never get sick of hearing. I removed my arm from my eyes and almost jumped for joy when I saw the beautiful British boy blocking the sun from me. The rays created a halo over his head, outlining him like he was a painting. I've always thought that he was sculpted by some sort of higher power before coming down to this hellhole of an earth.

Before I could think over my actions, I reached up and grabbed the sides of his face, slamming his lips into mine. He stiffened in surprise, but when he realized what was happening, he relaxed and placed a gentle hand on my cheek. The one that the woman had touched. His fingers felt like electricity, and I never wanted to let him go. I kissed him like he was the oxygen I was deprived of as I ran away from the zombies and as I sat curled up in the corner of that room, the world caving in on me. I kissed him like he was the thing keeping me going. Like if he were to disappear, he would be taking a part of me with him. He felt like everything I knew I didn't have. The missing part of me that I had been searching for since the moment I started my new life as Mae—the only girl in the Glade.

We parted only for oxygen, and I fell back onto the dirty pillow beneath my head. Newt looked down at me with furrowed eyebrows and newly swollen lips that soon formed a smirk. "What was that for?"

As I laid on that uncomfortable bed, my dark hair fanned out against the sheets like a halo on my head, I felt that burning sensation inside of me fester. It grew and it spread through my whole body as it engulfed every part of me. I stared at him, feeling everything that I've ever felt all at once bubble up inside of me. Like a virus. He was the equivalent of walking on air. Feeling so lost in the sea of overwhelming helplessness that I just wanted to scream at the top of my lungs.

"No reason." I whispered as I shook my head once. Newt cocked an eyebrow in disbelief but decided to leave it when a grunt was heard from behind us. He turned around, bringing the moment to an end as we both were pulled back into reality. I kept my eyes on him as I slowly sat myself up. That's when I got the chance to take everything in.

The first person I saw was Brenda. She was sitting on a couch next to Aris, her bad leg hung over the side as the other one was tucked under her thigh. She looked unsure, scared almost. I turned my head and looked to my right, where Teresa was watching Thomas as his chest rose and fell in a state of unconsciousness, just like I had been moments before. The rest of my friends were gathered around Jorge, who was yelling at Mr. Chubby.

"What the..." I trailed off, scooting myself so that I sat next to Newt, who turned his head toward me as I watched the man throw another punch. "Why is Jorge beating the shit out of him? I mean...he's a complete asshole, but why?"

Newt chuckled as he wrapped an arm around my waist, leaning onto his hand that was planted into the sheets next to my skin. "'S Marcus."

My eyes immediately widened as I looked at him. "Wh-That's Marcus?" He nodded as I rolled my eyes. "I knew the stupid son of a bitch was lying."

I stood up, leaving Newt to sit on the uncomfortable bed as I walked towards Jorge, my head contracting, then releasing as I took a step. I swallowed down the bile that began to rise in my throat as an effect of the hangover I was having.

Just as Jorge was about to connect his fist with Marcus's face again, I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, catching him by surprise. The older man looked at me with confusion but took a step back nonetheless. I gave him a weak smile, silently thanking him for getting us out of that horrid party. He nodded once, and only then did I turn to face Marcus, who was sitting tied to a wooden chair in the middle of a dusty carpet.

"How was the party?" He asked me, sending a creepy smirk my way through his bloody teeth. I matched his energy.

"Was pretty good." I folded my arms. "You might need some more snacks though. I didn't find any food. And you might want to clean your floor, smells like shit."

He chuckled the same chuckle that had been in the back of my mind as I passed out in the corner of the room. The same chuckle that was heard when I saw the faces of the boys that caused me to lose so much sleep...The boy whose blood was on my hands.

I clenched my jaw once again and turned to face anyone who would answer. "Where'd you find Thomas?"

Minho answered. "Passed out on the ground. People were almost stepping on him."

He didn't have to continue. I turned my head back to face Marcus, who had an amused smile on his face. "What can I say? Business is business."

I let one sarcastic giggle leave my mouth before I clenched my fist and took a step forward, punching the man hard in the eye.

Minho began to cackle behind me immediately. "This is why I love you, Mae."

Ignoring him, I placed my left hand near Marcus' shoulder for support, and I continued to let my fist connect with his face, showing no mercy. He grunted every time his head jerked to the side, but I didn't care. I let all of the pent-up anger that I had on this man...blaming him for the traumatic visions I had endured alone. He lied to us and put the three of us in danger after we had run for our lives. All we asked of him was one simple question, and he couldn't even do that.