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     𝐌𝐀𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐍 𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐆 with her chin on her knee. Her long hair pinned slightly back as a few strains escaped and framed her thinning face. Hunched over a roaring fire, the blonde listened faintly to Aris, who told the story of how they escaped WICKED for what felt like the hundredth time as Teddy sat on the floor between her leg and Peter sat beside her.

Softly running her hands through the child's shaggy hair she forced a smile whenever her name was brought up in conversation, Sonya and Harriet claiming to not believe lanky Aris could do all the things he did. Teddy continued to correct the story, like always.

She felt the urge to stand, nodding a goodbye to them as she walked over to a different log and dropped down against it.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked. His lips had tugged down into a concerned frown, his bowl of fried pork pushed aside as he watched her expression shift. The older boy was very observant as he flopped down beside her, "You haven't touch your food."

"I'm quite alright, Peter. Thank you," She mutters, eyes unable to stay on the fire as she looked up at a small mountain, where the Gladers sat on a rock and talked among themselves.

Minho told Newt about the tent. She only knew that because of how hard Newt seemed to try and talk to her afterwards. He almost had her cornered if it wasn't for Teddy swooping in and pulling her towards another group without even realizing the tension he cut through — or maybe he did know. Either way, the boy saved her from an awkward 'talk'.

Thomas' eyes kept dropping down to where Mae sat, a frown stretched on his lips as he thought about Minho's words. Replaying what he heard about Gally. He wondered if that's what everyone thought. He hated how confused Mae seemed about him. Everything was laid out for them to be together, right? So what was stopping her from accepting it?

Mae turned her gaze away from the rocks when Minho locked eyes with her, a small anger bubbling in her chest as she looked back at the fire with narrowed eyes. Peter had followed her gaze, and hummed.

"I heard you got into an argument with Minho," Peter says, giving her a look, "Is that what's bothering you?"

Mae frowns, "Does news have to travel fast everywhere? It hardly happened an hour ago." He says nothing, and she sighed, "Yes, it's bothering me.." She admits.

He nods, "Figured as much. I'm sure it will blow over, you two seem pretty close."

"That's the problem," She muttered, "He doesn't like how I've changed. But I feel as though change is necessary out here. I don't want to be some doe-eyed loony for the rest of my life, and if I hadn't changed then I wouldn't be here!" She rants, "They can't have me both ways."

Peter didn't understand, but he nodded like he did, listening to her talk. It seemed to him that Mae didn't get that much, someone to just listen to her without their inputs and set backs.

"I've spent what I know as my whole life pretending that everything around me was fine. That the people I love weren't dropping like flies, that if I just pretended to be happy then maybe I really could be," She explained, "Then without meaning to, I became this beacon of happiness and optimism for these sad boys, and being happy became more of a job than a coping mechanism."

Mae's eyes watered at the memories.

"They've always told me that I needed to grow up and stand up for myself, but now that I am, I'm in the wrong. How is that fair?" She asked, "Minho is upset that changing too fast will push me over the edge. But there's no point in being careful now, is there? It's stand up or die out here, and too many people have died for me to live for me to give up now."

     She sucked in a breath, chuckling away the tears that she quickly wiped away. Peter smiled sadly, reaching his hand over for her to hold. She does, squeezing it tightly.

     "I'm sorry," She muttered, "I didn't mean to rant that way, it's probably the last thing you want to hear—, I just. . .wish things could be different sooner, maybe so many people wouldn't be gone," She finished.

     "You shouldn't think that way," He mutters, "You can't think about what could've happened. You changed for yourself, not them. They can't expect you to be who you were before in a world like this one," He reminds. "I used to be on the same boat. When I thought I lost Ted for good, I got vengeful and reckless. But if it wasn't for me being that way, I would've died from the grief alone."

     Sometimes, when the world around you changes, the best thing to do is change with it.

"The world isn't going to stop and wait for you to change. I can't judge you for whatever you did to get here, and no one should blame you for finally being selfish. If anything, those boys should thank you for holding on as long as you did in that Maze," Peter finished.

Instantly, Mae wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. His arms laid loosely around her waist before hugging back and rubbing her back in a soothing manner. He allowed her to grieve for a moment, not just for the death of the friends she had lost to get here, but the death of her innocence, too.

"No one's ever said that to you before, huh?" He muttered against her ear, "Always doing the comforting but never being comforted."

"I don't know what I'm doing, Peter," She admits, "I'm so lost."

"You're doing your best," He responds, "You brought Ted to me, you saved Brenda, you're helping as best as you can."

"Thank you," She sniffled, pulling away and wiping her tears. Mae smiled, "Teddy is lucky to have you back. He was never going to stop until he found you again."

"He's braver than I am," Peter admits, "Nine years old, and has seen more action than me? I'm kind of jealous. I want to fight against WICKED first hand, they suck." He paused, "He was lucky to have you during all that. I know why he loves you so much."

"Because he likes my accent?" She joked.

He smiled, pulling a locket over his head and opening it up, "It's cause you look my our mom. I couldn't put my finger on it at first but," He hands it to her.

The woman in the photo was fairly young, a teen mother no doubt. Teddy was hardly four in this photo, Peter being thirteen. It looked like a life out of a time paradox where everything seemed happy and sunny. She was blonde, and smiling, and Mae could sense how warm and kind she was just by looking into her eyes.

"She caught the Flare on our way looking for the Right Arm," Peter explained, "Almost a year or so ago. WICKED came into our area and raided it, looking for kids like Ted. When they saw our mom, saw she was infected, they said they were doing us a favor by shooting her in the head," He clenched his jaw, "Ted was right there when it happened. They separated us when they found out I wasn't immune."

"I've never fought harder to keep him," He hesitated, looking down at his hands, "I killed one of the Soldiers. Shoot a man right in his chest with his own gun. It was the worst thing I've ever done," He sighed, taking the locket back, "Anyhow. Ted was a mama's boy at heart, it's no wonder he likes you."

Mae rested her head on his shoulder, "Did we just because best friends through sharing war stories?" She joked.

"More like wicked stories," Peter corrects. They both give a small laugh, "I owe you one for bringing my little brother back to me. So, when you're backed up against a wall, I'll be there. Got it?"

"Got it."

     Mae narrowed her eyes on a mountain top. A glimpse of a girl with long black hair could be seen standing on the edge of a rock. Teresa. The blonde just realized that she hadn't seen her friend since the tent incident, a frown tugging on her face as she stood up.

     "I'll be right back," She tells Peter.

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"𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐋𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓?", Mae wrapped her arms around herself, wind blowing through her long hair as she stood just behind Teresa on the rocks. She frowned when her friend didn't turn around, "It's a bit nippy up here. Teresa?"

     In a slow manner, Teresa turned around to face Mae. Tears swelled in her bright blue eyes, her face pale and sunken as she stared at her with reluctance, "I remember you, Mae."

     The words were so raw on her tongue that Mae found herself stepping closer, concerned.

     "I remember the day I met you," She continued, "You were the first girl I met my age when I got there," She smiled at the memory, "We were best friends. We did everything together."

     Mae smiled fondly, "Then it wasn't as different than it is now, is it?" She says.

     Teresa shook her head, another sob bubbling out of her mouth. She was shaking.

     "Teresa?" Mae cooed, eyes shinning with tears just from seeing her hurt, "Teresa, whatever happened, we can fix it. Just tell me what's wrong, okay? I'm your friend—"

     "You wouldn't be saying that if you knew," Teresa states bitterly, looking angry at herself.

     Mae shook her head, "There's nothing you can say that could make me stop caring about you. Memories or not."

     That seemed to trigger a bitter scoff from Teresa, her jaw clenching, "You don't get it."

     "Then tell me," She says softly, "Tell me and I could help you! We can go to Thomas and—"

     "Thomas?" Teresa repeats, "It always goes back to Thomas. Everything. Even when we were younger, everything changed when he came. You two got closer...you started dating, he made you act so reckless, Mae," She shook her head, "You don't remember how it was. What you were going to do, you had to be stopped—"

     "What are you on about?" Mae firmed, stepping back.

     Teresa closed her eyes, gathering herself, "Janson was going to kill you. You. Ava was too preoccupied, she wasn't focused on the program after losing Dr. James. She wouldn't put you in the experiment! You would've been the perfect piece—"

     "No," Mae shook her head, disgusted by Teresa's words as tears flew from her eyes, "No, stop it. You don't know what you're saying."

     "You were going to leave a letter in the Box during the restock, you were going to tell Newt everything!" She explained, "So. . ." She swallows thickly, "Janson had a plan for you. A group of Scientists who worked under him, they created a memory serum for you, so you didn't have to go through the memory trails like the others. It would've been quick and painless. The only problem was that you were guarded. So, I—"

     "It was you. . ." Mae's face twisted, "You pushed me into that Box. You erased my memories for them," She spat the word with disgust, "Why? Why would you?"

     "Because, Thomas—"

     "Because, Thomas chose me instead of you, is that it?" Mae sobbed, "Some petty childhood crush, you wanted him for yourself or something?"

     "It wasn't because Thomas chose you, it was because you chose him!" She screamed the words out into the air, and Mae froze. Her chest rose and fell with emotion, "I loved you, but you loved him. He was changing you, Mae. You were both going to ruin everything. You both wanted to save them from the Maze, you were going to mess it up. I had to separate you. I had to—"

     "I hate you," Mae concludes, stepping back, "I hate you. I can't even look at you."

     "If you got your memories back, you'd understand," Teresa states, "When they come, you'll get your memories back, and everything will be like it was before. You'll want to find the cure, too! Just like before! For your dad—"

     "When they come?" Mae repeats, "What are you on about?"

     "There are millions of people suffering out there, Mae. Millions of stories just like mine, we can't turn our backs on them," She says firmly, her eyes casting behind Mae, "We can't Thomas. I won't."

Mae turned around quickly, her eyes on Thomas as he slowly made his way toward them, only catching hardly a snip of what Teresa had said. He had come there to check on them, they had been gone too long and the others were worried.

He frowned, "What are you saying...?"

"I'm saying I want you both to understand."

"What do you want us to understand, Teresa?" Mae firmed.

"Why I did it."

Lights appeared behind the teary girl. Bright and blinding. Helicopters. WICKED's machines whirling forward with the intent to kill and take. Mae stepped back in shock, eyes wide to the darkening sky as they drew closer to the compound.

"You didn't..." Mae trailed, "Teresa!"

"Please don't fight them," She begged.

"What have you done?!" Thomas reels back.

"Please don't."

Mae's hands balled into fists, her face heating up in anger, "I'll just fight you instead!" She bellowed, running forward.

Thomas didn't stop her, instead he turned on his feet and ran back down the mountain as fast as he could.

Mae charged forward, slamming her fist into Teresa's face. The girl stumbled back, almost tumbling over the edge if it wasn't for Mae pulling her back by the collar and onto the floor, leaning over her with a bruised hand.

"Mae!" She kicked away.

Mae raised her fist again. She froze when the sound of a falling bomb slammed into the camp, the night sky turning a fiery shade of orange and blinding her. Mae's heart clenched at the screams and cries below, hardly a second passing before another bomb dropped.

Teddy.

"No..." Mae whispered fearfully, not even looking at Teresa as she scrambled up and started running down the mountain top, "No!"

Another bomb dropped down, then another. They didn't stop until everything was on fire. She pushed herself as far as she could go, her eyes finding Thomas who was halfway down the mountain top.

It wasn't until she heard the voice of Janson blare on a speak above, did Mae realize just how screwed they really were.

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