The sun beamed through the concrete window, shedding light on the both of us. Her breath fanned against my neck as I held her tight in an attempt to never let go. The birds chirped from the trees that rustled from the breeze outside, and the soft murmurs of people who had already woken, productiveness keeping their minds at bay.

My fingers ran through her hair this time, occasionally tucking a piece behind her ear. Her arm was wrapped around my waist as usual, holding me close as the smile stayed prominent on her cheeks. We were facing towards each other, our legs tangled like so many times before, the heat providing a warmth that nobody else could fill.

It was a beautiful morning, and while everyone was going on with their lives outside this room, Mae and I stayed entangled beneath the sheets, looking at each other like we were the only things on the planet.

"You have pretty eyes.." She whispered, her hand moving in between us to caress the side of my face, fingers feeling like fire in the best way possible.

My heart exploded, that being something she'd told me before, just never in this circumstance. I grinned, thinking up a quick compliment to say back to her. "You have a pretty face."

Her laughter filled the room, a smile painted on her face as she turned onto her back, craning her neck to the side as she continued to look at me. I stared back, not being able to stop smiling when it came to her. Mae's big brown eyes had a permanent space in my heart, and I knew that I would never forget them as long as I lived.

I should compliment her more. She seems to compliment me more than I deserve to be.

"Stay there." She commanded as she suddenly sat up, and a whine of protest left my tired lips as she turned to the corner of the room. I watched as she walked over to her guitar, the oversized shirt making her look so small. The black socks she was wearing hugged her ankles, and I wondered how she could sleep with those on. Her messy hair met the middle of her back as she brushed it out of her face, bending down to grab the instrument.

She walked herself back to where I was, climbing over the sheets while trying not to hit me with the guitar. I giggled at her action, shifting myself back a few inches to give her more room. Bottom lip tucked underneath her teeth, she made herself comfortable, placing her instrument on her hip while she patted the space between her legs.

Understanding the gesture, I maneuvered so that I was now resting on my stomach, propped up on my elbows between her legs. She kept her smile and shut her eyes for a moment, placing one of her hands on the back of my head gently.

"I'm gonna sing you a song." Her voice was raspy in the morning, something that made a lump form in my own throat from how attractive it already was. It wasn't the typical girl voice—not like Teresa's or Brenda's. Mae's voice was lower than there's, and there was a sexiness that I wasn't expecting when I met her for the first time.

She had been trying to figure out how to play the instrument for a while, but there were times I noticed her get excited over figuring out a chord, or playing a tune without messing up or the sound not going sour. And now, I guess she was going to sing me a song.

I didn't reply, wanting her to start as she strategically placed her fingers on the neck, pressing down on the strings she wanted before her right hand started picking at them, a lovely soft sound starting to echo through the room. I stared into her eyes as she tucked her tongue between her lips in concentration, picking at the guitar before she inhaled, starting to sing.

"Up on my side," She sang, and my heart skipped a beat. "Where it is felt..."

Her voice was soft, going an octave higher than she spoke, and I could tell she was nervous. Impulsively, I lowered one of my arms, now tracing circles on her inner thigh to calm her. She chuckled, her dimple showing on her cheeks.

How did I never notice that she had dimples?

"I pack a little pistol on my pistol belt. I think it might be fear..." I hummed at the lyrics she sang, wondering what went on in her mind. If there was anyone I could be for a day, it would be Mae. Not only to see the way she looked at the world, but to get to know her inner thoughts. Sometimes she could be so unpredictable; acting ways and saying things that were totally contrary to the way she truly felt inside. It made me wonder if she was okay...or if she was just saying she was.

"Of the world and the way it makes you feel afraid," Her sweet smile began to fade, and I knew that she was getting more vulnerable as the moments went by with her picking at the strings of the guitar, trying not to focus on me as I continued to try and comfort her. "Under the skin, against the skull..."

"They put a little chip, so that they know it all. I think I might be scared..." Something in my chest shifted as I furrowed my eyebrows, watching her above me as she sang, and I payed attention to the words she was saying, not being able to help but wonder if they were about how she felt about the world...about the things that have happened to her. "Of the world and the way it makes you feel afraid..."

She had been through so much in the time I've known her. Things that she didn't want to talk about dug their way into her fragile heart, leaving a scar that nobody could fix...that even I couldn't fix. As much as I wished I could, I couldn't heal her from the death of so many friends, her mother. I couldn't heal her from the torture that WICKED put her through when I wasn't there. That was something she would have to figure out herself, but I hoped she knew that I would be beside her with every step she took. No matter how many steps we had to take back, I would be with her for every step forward.

"And I want brimstone, in my garden, I want roses set on fire." She sang, and my heart squeezed, listening to her sing this was breaking my heart. "And I, well, I want the best for me. And I, well, I think I know just what that means... Just what that means."

At those lyrics, I sighed, torn apart that this was how she was really feeling. I could tell that the words were hurting her as well, finally bringing up her emotions from the deepest cracks within her.

"Today I coo. Today I caw. I have a pistol party and I kill 'em all... I think I might be scared." Her voice wavered as she closed her eyes, singing softer now as she tried to contain herself. "Of the man and the men with their hands inside, and the women, oh the women all they do is cry..."

"And I, yeah, well I lose my mind—" She suddenly stopped, freezing her fingers on the guitar strings as they squeaked, and she pushed the instrument to the side. My hand stopped moving on her leg as she looked down and brought her fingers to her teeth. "Sorry."

"For what?" I asked her, my voice coming out as a whisper, matching her tone.

She shrugged, pursing her lips as she looked back down at me, trying to hold back the emotions she just tried so hard to let out. "I dunno."

Despite the sad situation, I found myself smiling, and moving closer to her. With my back now against the concrete wall, I swung my arm around her neck, pulling her body into mine while pressing my lips to the top of her head.

"I liked that song." I told her, bringing her mind off of the war inside her head. "I'm gonna remember it forever."

"Forever?" She teased, tilting her chin up to look at me as I looked down and nodded.

"Forever."

I leaned my head down and began to shower her face with kisses to her cheeks, lips, and nose. Her dimples carved her cheeks while her nose scrunched, a small laugh leaving her lips. I smiled with every kiss, holding the back of her head.

"Newt...stop it." She rasped, and I giggled as well, making sure to give her one last lingering kiss on her forehead before pulling back.

I let my eyes travel over the features of her delicate face and her gentle smile, my thumb tracing her cheekbone. She was so beautiful. Every time I looked at her, it felt as though I was falling in love all over again. It was a feeling I couldn't help.

"Sweet angel..."

"Newt! Hey..."

I snapped back into reality, my stinging eyes blinking fast as I inhaled a sharp breath, head darting around the room as I began to remember where I was.

The WICKED complex, we were in the middle of saving Minho. Alarms rang through my head, and my arms flew up to cover my ears, the temporary bliss I felt from not having a headache was over and replaced with the saw cutting through my brain once again.

"You okay?" Tommy asked me, and I looked up at him, nodding although I was anything but okay. He nodded back, agreeing. "Can you stand?"

I hummed, taking the hand that he offered as leverage to get to my feet. Standing back up, I felt the burning muscle ache in my thighs but it seemed to be manageable when you were as distracted as the two of us were.

"Alright, let's go." He whispered and let go of me, returning his grip to the launcher that he held in his hands. I did the same, rolling my shoulders back as I pinched my eyes shut hard, seeing the plethora of colors behind them before beginning to follow him out of our hiding space in the room.

"And I found what's best for me..." I whispered the words to Mae's song underneath my breath as Tommy looked down both sides of the hallway, checking for any more guards before he stepped out, waving for me to follow as I quietly sung to myself, sanity starting to chip away. "And now I see no tragedy."

Doctors around us were all scrambling about, running around with filed tucked under their arms while the siren continued to blare. I took a big step, moving in front of Thomas, needing to get to Minho as quickly as possible. My feet moved swiftly, head on a swivel as I allowed the paranoia to enter my perception, eyes wandering around the floor.

"Once we get to—" I turned my head toward Tommy, but immediately stopped talking when I realized he wasn't beside me like he was a moment ago. I spun around, my eyes immediately finding his figure as he stared at something down the hall. Taking a step forward, my lips began to part as I saw the woman in white, the lady who had started all of this.

I looked back to Tommy, seeing him rip the gun out of his holster and aim it at her. I wasn't going to stop him, if he shot her now than this would all be over. It's what he came to do in the first place, second on his list next to saving Minho. He raised the weapon in the air, hand only slightly shaking.

Out of the corner of my eye, a figure appeared. My head flew in that direction, and I didn't even think over my actions before I flew forward, tackling my friend to the ground.

"Thomas!" I shouted, bringing us both to the ground and out of the way of the shots that began to fire. He ducked his head, and I turned both of us around, running down another hallway, launchers now raised to stop anyone who tried to hurt us first.

As we turned down another corridor, I felt a very familiar memory of being in the Maze. Turning down the corners, hoping that a threat didn't come my way while I just tried to make it back before the walls shut. There was a very high chance that we were running around in circles here, acting like fools with weapons that attempted to protect us over the inevitable. Thomas started shouting Minho's name while all of the doctors scrambled out of the way, being frightened by our presence.

In all my years of living, I never thought that I would scare someone by walking into a room. It was a powerful feeling, but one that I didn't desire. I didn't like it.

"Minho! Minho!" Thomas called, and we were on the tips of our toes as another guard hurried down the same hallway we were in, beginning to fire their weapon as we pulled the trigger on ours. We shot him down easily, but the second of victory was short-lived; more wards started to run down the same hallway, all having the direct intention to harm us as Thomas and I began to run again.

"Bloody hell!" I yelled as a swarm of them started to gain on us, and Tommy and I now ran backwards, using all of our bullets to try and delay our fate. A shot flew past my head, and I impulsively jumped out of the way to avoid being hit. I pinched my eyes shut, sparks flying in front of me as I ran away, following Thomas as he continued to scream Minho's name, becoming more than desperate now.

Both of us were so helpless, hardly holding on as everything fell apart. He dropped his launcher to the side, his time running out as he grabbed his pistol from his holster, pointing it in the direction of the corner the guards would be coming from in a few short seconds. We had nothing to do. No plan. No way out of this. When we got Minho, where were we going to go? At this point, it didn't matter if we retrieved our friend. If we couldn't get out of this building alive, then we were already dead.

Shouts from my left side caused me to turn in a different direction now as I fired a shot at one of the guards, Thomas taking care of the other. We stood there, frozen in the middle of the hallway as the yells for us started to become louder down the corridor. My head was pounding, sweat dripping from my forehead as well as every other buggin' part of my body. The need to be out of this uniform was overpowering, I had the urge to drop my weapon and rip it off. Burn it in a large pile filled with everything else in this building.

"Here!" One scream from the guard, and Thomas was pulling the trigger as I stepped backwards, keeping watch as his focus was on the people in front.

I was on autopilot as I spun around, paranoia being helpful in some situations. A small whine fell from my lips as I pulled the trigger of my launcher once more, sending another guard to the ground as Thomas ducked his head and pulled me down to slip behind a wall for cover.

A sharp breath left my mouth as I took the strap of my launcher from over my shoulder, leaving the weapon on the ground as I pushed up on my hands to get a peek at the swarm through the window above our heads.

"Shit, I'm almost out." Thomas complained, making me roll my eyes in annoyance for no reason. I fell back down, leaning my head against the cool glass as I took a small break.

I felt so heavy. My head, my arms, legs, everything felt as though it weighed a million pounds as my body pulsed with heat again, head pounding as I pursed my lips together. I was deteriorating faster than I thought I would, all of this action seeming like the climax of the song I listened to only a few hours ago, when everything seemed to be going fine. Now, it felt as though I would become crazy at any moment. It was just a matter of time. Whenever fate decided to take me, I wouldn't have a choice but to follow.

Feeling the need to do something, as I was all out of ammo, I used the last bit of strength in my weakening body to lurch forward, grabbing a bomb from the probably dead guard's pocket. I pulled the grey device out of his grasp, and it lit up, bolts of electricity on the inside. Once I was sure the thing was going to explode, I stood to my feet.

"Get back!" I shouted to Thomas, grabbing his bicep and pushing him behind me before I chucked the bomb in the direction of the soldiers, watching as it rolled across the floor, stopping just at their feet.

They all raised their heads, and it was as though I could see all of their wide eyes as the explosive burst, the ground shaking while electrocuting each of the guards to the point where their bodies fell limp, and I smirked to myself, proud of something I achieved for once.

I felt a hand pat my bicep as I turned, and Thomas nodded in approval at my doing. "Nice..."

We began running backwards, desperate to get out of here now that we had no weapons. Fear stripped me of every sense of dignity I had, and I was practically begging for my life on my hands and knees, contemplating with Death to give us another chance. It had been so generous to us so far.

Another whine left my lips as I tried to catch my breath, throat feeling clogged as I coughed once again, trying not to trip over my feet. "Let's go, let's go."

Thomas grabbed my bicep and turned my body around so that I was now facing forward as we started to run down another short hallway, having no clue where we were going.

"You two, freeze!"

My head shot up, the short lived victory already over as a single guard held up his launcher. Heart dropping through the floor, I clenched my teeth, fighting back a scream. Maybe I should try out some of those moved that Mae was so good at. Try and dropkick this guy in the face? I would do anything to get out of this situation.

"Get down on the ground, now!" He ordered, and I stared at him through my messy hair, lips parted in absolute terror. "I said get—"

One guard, be the death of us? Come on now...

He was suddenly elbowed to the side, and I flinched in reflex, grabbing onto Thomas' uniform as I took a step back, the sudden action causing my heart to leap. But just as quickly as it had stopped, it dropped once again, seeing a familiar face start to push the guard against the wall.

He let out a scream of emotion, grabbing the soldier by the collar and lifting him into the air, throwing him through the window to the left. He let out another monstrous scream, something I should've expected from the boy, but I didn't. Blinking in surprise, my mouth fell open, not believing that I was actually seeing him in front of me.

"Minho..." Thomas muttered, and the name brought me out of my frozen state as we both started running toward the boy in sync, slamming into him with a hug, something finally going as planned tonight.

He pulled us back by our uniforms, looking into my eyes as though he didn't believe this was actually happening. I sent him a warm smile that I couldn't rid from my face, finally being able to touch him brought out the joy that had been shoved so deep within these past few hours.

"Is this real?" He asked, his chest heaving up and down as he tried to catch his breath.

I glanced at Tommy, who just nodded and smiled, it felt good to smile again.

Just as I was about to say a word to him, Minho let out a yelp of fear, grabbing both of our arms as he started to run away. Our smiles fell as we looked over our shoulders, seeing more guards come from around the bend. My head was screaming in frustration, the annoyance of running begin to feed the ache that was already there. But I ran anyway, needing to get away as we followed Thomas again, who probably didn't know where he was going.