She was surrounded by people. Hundreds and hundreds of people all looking frantic, all shouting and all crowding in front of one area.

I don't really know what's going on.

Clinging even tighter to her mom's hand, they weave through the crowds of angry people - some wearing masks to shield their mouths and noses - and surprisingly they let them pass.

I think it's because my mom has us. Me and my brother.

Her brother's hand is tightly grasped in her mom's other, barely taller than the small girl at seven years old, whilst she's six. Their mom managed to push her way to the front and then they could see what everyone was shouting at.

The guards in front of the metal fence were all wearing full hazmat suits to protect themselves from the Flare. Sniffer dogs barked manically at the crowds, scaring the people enough to keep them back.

The guards beckoned some people from behind the metal fence, where a building - or maybe it was a train - sat. The floodlights glaring at them made it too hard for her eyes to make out.

Her mom stopped them right in front of the gate of the fence, her eyes glistening with tears. She tried to keep her voice from shaking as she said, "Look after your sister." to the small boy.

He nodded once, his lip quivering as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Wanting to reassure him, the girl took his hand.

"Remember, I love you both." The girl heard her mom's voice echoed in my mind. At that time, she didn't know it would be the last thing she ever heard her say. She was too naïve to know.

Then a guard had picked her up from the ground, carrying her away from her mom and causing her hand to fall from her brother's. Trying to fight the guard's grip, she yelled and screamed for her mom, hot tears falling from her eyes.

But it was no use.

~

She's been at WCKD for three years. At first, they ran constant tests on them. It was nonstop. And then for Florence, it slowed down, and WCKD stopped focusing on her so much.

But it didn't for Thomas.

For some reason, completely unknown to them, he was different in some way. WCKD seemed to love him and his friend Teresa, whilst Florence was just left to one side. Thomas and Teresa were kept in another part of the facility, and Florence hadn't even met the other girl yet, she only heard about her from Thomas.

She had tutors that would teach her school work, but she felt like she barely got to see Thomas anymore. She still spoke to him daily, but they were fairly quick conversations and he would breeze over whatever he had been doing with WCKD, not giving her any details.

It felt like she barely knew him anymore.

But really, she knows it's not so bad that WCKD doesn't focus on her. It gave her more time to sneak out of her room to see her friends.

Well, friend.

Newt's room was down the corridor from hers, and she had met him one day when they were both getting taken to their tutors. Their curious eyes met quickly and they shared a brief smile, but the girl knew they would be friends instantly.

She snuck out of her room one day to go and find him, knocking on his door twice. He let her in out of confusion and they introduced themselves to one another, becoming friendly very quickly.

This started happening often; Florence would wait until they had just been checked and confirmed to be in their rooms before darting across the corridor and knocking on Newt's door twice.

One day, Florence was impatient. She had a particularly funny story she wanted to share with the boy about her tutor falling flat on his face, and so left her room before WCKD had checked their corridor.

Halfway down the corridor, she heard footsteps and instantly realised her mistake. Freezing in her path, she knew she didn't have time to get back in her room before they caught her, and she didn't have time to get to Newt's.

Dancing from one foot to another, she began to panic about what to do. There was nothing she could do. But then, a miracle happened.

The room door just beside her swung open and a boy spoke hurriedly, "Get in here!" She immediately took the offer, darting inside, the boy slamming the door shut behind her.

Before she even had a moment to thank him, or even look at him, he had pushed her inside his closet. Just as she was about to protest, she realised why he had done it.

Peering through the small gap, she could see the guard stood in the now open doorway, his arms folded over his chest as he scanned the room. Florence didn't even know what they were looking for, they checked the rooms every day but it's not like there was anyway they could smuggle in contraband.

Although, it was a little hypocritical of her to wonder why they did it when she was now hiding in someone's closet. But that's beside the point.

The guard was satisfied with the unknown boy's room, shutting the door behind him, and Florence heard the boy let out a sigh of relief. She stumbled out of the closet, meeting the eye of a ten year old Asian boy with a smug grin brandished on his face.

"Hey there princess."

Florence's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Did he just call me princess?

"Princess?" She asked, any ideas of thanking him having vanished due to the use of the nickname that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Yeah, you were a damsel in distress, and I saved you." He answered, and Florence rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of it.

"My name's Florence." He merely just chuckled, holding out his hand for her to shake.

"Minho."

And even though he was a little annoying, Florence had made a new friend in Minho.

~

After her brief meeting with Minho, Florence discovered that he was also friends with Newt. Through the new boy, she had made a new set of friends by the names of Gally, Alby, Frypan and Ben.

She introduced them all to Thomas, who finally introduced her and the rest of them to Teresa.

And so they formed a friendship group. Bickering was frequent, but it was never serious arguing, and they had become as close as family. After all, the only people they had were each other.

Quite often, when Florence was on her regular trip to Newt's room, she would stop at Minho's as well to catch up with him. There was something different when it came to Minho, she realised over the years.

Her stomach would flutter whenever she caught sight of him, and he would often drift into her mind whilst she was supposed to be studying with her tutor.

Nevertheless, she never thought anything more of it. Not at first at least.

She wasn't sure when it had changed with Minho, but there was a point where she realised she definitely wanted to kiss him. Like, a lot of the time.

Hanging out with the group would happen often; once WCKD started allowing them all to eat together, and gave them more time to mess around - or recess as WCKD called it - they saw each other a lot more.

Thomas and Teresa weren't around as much as the rest of them, obviously, as WCKD's favourites. They had officially become workers for WCKD, which Florence was a little unsure about, but she didn't bring it up with her brother, choosing instead just to support him.

Florence still made time for her and Newt's chats - after all he was definitely her closest friend - and inside the friendship group they had formed; the girl, Newt, Thomas and Minho had an even smaller group.

And so she felt quite happy; as happy as she could be.

Even at fifteen years old, Florence's friendship dynamics and routinely visits to Newt's room hadn't ceased. In fact, they became even more frequent as the years passed.

"Do you really think that?" Newt asked her yet again, his tone becoming increasingly more whiny as he repeated the question for the hundredth time.

Florence rolled her eyes with a huff and turned to face Newt's anxious figure perched on the end of his bed. She was lying along the length of it, skimming through the book she had to read for a test.

"For the thousandth time, yes, I do." She let a smirk ghost her lips at Newt's worry, especially as it was completely unnecessary.

"But you don't know for sure." He pointed out, and that was the breaking point for Florence.

She threw her book at him playfully, with him narrowly dodging it, and so she leapt up to swat his arm instead.

"For the last time," She hit him again, "Thomas likes you! Okay?"

She settled back in her seat again, her back resting on his wall and her feet dangling over the edge of the bed. He sighed softly and shuffled further back on his bed so he was right beside her.

If anyone were to know if Thomas liked Newt, it would be Florence. She was his sister. He told her about Teresa trying to kiss him one time and how he completely rejected it, and he told her of when he first realised he had a crush on Newt.

And then, Newt told her that he had a crush on Thomas.

So, like the good sister and best friend she is, she told the other one of the reciprocation from their own crush. And, predictably, neither of them believed her.

"Well, Minho likes you." Newt said after a minute's pause, and Florence shifted in her seat. She tucked a bit of hair behind her ear, falling silent out of awkwardness.

And so it had finally got to the point where Newt had reversed Florence's game on herself. Newt knew Minho felt the same way towards her, but his confidence ceased when it came to actually making a move on her. And her confidence with him was almost non-existent.

Newt nudged her foot with his own, a teasing smile on his face now. He nudged it again, gaining a response in which she kicked his, and they were in a small war of trying to hurt each other's feet.

A knock at the door interrupted them.

"Losers! You coming to Alby's room or not?" Minho's voice was muffled through the door but still instantly recognisable. The pair stood up from the bed, Newt's eyebrows raising in amusement at the coincidence.

"Speak of the devil."

She hit him again to make sure he would say nothing of their chat, before opening the door so the three of them could visit - and annoy - Alby.

~

"And so basically I got zero." She let out a sigh of exasperation at the end of explaining her story to Minho. In short, she had failed her test very, very badly.

Minho's eyes widened in amusement, but immediately returned to normal as he caught the glare she had given him. He held his hands up defensively.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. You threw your book at Newt's head, it didn't sound like you did much studying."

She pouted, but she could do nothing to deny it. Her eyes fell to her hands, which were folded in her lap. The two of them were sat on Minho's bed, legs crossed and knees bumping, facing each other.

Florence wasn't sure how they had adopted the position, but she wasn't complaining. The boy she liked was very close to her indeed, and it made her more than a little nervous. Upon seeing the mischievous sparkle in his eye, she felt her chest tighten even more with anxiousness.

"Can I uh- can I try something?" He asked, his voice cracking. Usually, Florence would've laughed at this, but she was far too eager to know what Minho wanted to 'try'. She nodded.

He leant forwards, causing her heart to lurch. Hesitantly, his hands balanced on her knees and his face came closer until they were just a few inches apart. His eyes darted over her face; each of her freckles scattered across her cheekbones and nose, her lips, before settling on her eyes. The mischievous sparkle still evident in his face, and the confidence radiated from him.

"Is this okay?" He murmured to her under his breath, and of course it was.

Florence didn't give an answer in words, but she must have caught some confidence from him, because she surged forwards and connected their lips in a kiss.

Minho was taken aback, and frankly a little annoyed Florence got there first, but kissed back happily, his hands moving to cup her cheeks. The girl placed her hands at the nape of his neck as a feeling of euphoria swept over her.

I may never have kissed anyone before, but I know for a fact that this is what it's supposed to feel like.

Minho's lips felt like heaven, like this was the thing she had been missing her whole life, and she never wanted to stop kissing him. She guessed that he must have felt the same, because he showed no signs of wanting to pull away.

And then, due to the lack of oxygen, she did.

~

So he kissed me.

The thought had been going around in Florence's mind all night. The girl was unable to get a single other thought through her head. It was all just Minho, Minho, Minho.

Should I talk to him? Do I ask him if we're dating now?

Of course, the pair hadn't left it clear as to where they stood after they kissed. In fact, Florence had hopped up from the bed, said, "Well that was fun.", and then left immediately.

I need to talk to him.

Firmly making up her mind, she peered out of the glass window in her door before leaving her room. Tiptoeing across the hall, she knocked twice on Minho's door, feeling her heart thumping in her chest.

But there was no answer.

Leaning up on her toes, she peered into the room, and saw no one.

That's odd. It's past curfew, everyone's supposed to be in bed... If he was going to Alby or somebody else's room, they would've told me.

Florence felt something deep in her stomach that told her something was wrong. There may well have been a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why Minho wasn't there, but then again, she wasn't going to expect it to be the reasonable explanation.

She wandered further down the corridor to Newt's room, and her heart dropped when she saw that his was also empty. Then it hit her.

The Maze Trials.

Thomas had told them all of the Maze Trials - not in a lot of detail at all - but that they were to be sent up to a Maze as a trial for WCKD. He had also told them that none of them would be sent for a few years.

Clearly, he lied.

Florence's panic went into overdrive in that moment. She pulled back from where she was looking in at Newt's room and glanced down either end of the corridor Newt's room led onto.

A distant cry attracted her to the right. Sprinting down the corridor, she began to call out Minho's name, not caring who heard her at that point.

"Princess?" His voice shouted back in confusion and pain, and Florence let out a small sigh of relief. He hadn't gone, yet.

She followed the sound of his voice, reaching the testing part of the facility. She wasn't supposed to be there, but there was no one stopping her at that moment. Her eyes drew to a room with a glass window; which inside had a patient bed that two doctors were attempting to pin Minho down on. 

"Minho!"

Florence turned to the door of the room, slamming her fists on it furiously, attracting the unwanted attention of a few WCKD workers. Immediately, they came forwards to try and pull her away from it.

She ripped herself out of their grip, but now she had two jobs: Trying to get to Minho, and trying to stop the WCKD workers from stopping her.

"Let her go." A voice sounded from behind.

Florence faltered at the sound, her head tilting to see the Dr Ava Paige walking towards her, Thomas and Teresa both hovering just behind her. Her eyes immediately narrowed at her friends, both of whom avoided her stare guiltily.

Ava Paige stopped just in front of her, her eyes not wavering from Florence's now icy glare on her. Florence hated to admit it, but she admired her for not backing down from it.

"Give her a moment with him." She spoke.

At that very moment, she greatly appreciated Ava Paige. She felt her heart pick up, and tears finally began to prick at her eyes as the reality of the situation sank in.

"W-what? Ma'am, we've specifically been ordered-"

"-And now I'm giving you new orders." She interrupted the guard that had begun to explain himself, causing him to back away in fright.

"You have one minute, no longer."

As soon as the words left her lips, she swiped her ID card to unlock the door, and Florence moved in a single moment to open it. As she moved to Minho's side, the doctors stopped attempting to restrain him and left the room to presumably ask Ava what she was doing letting Florence in to see someone being sent up to the Maze.

Minho had flung his arms around her and her face sunk into his chest, asking for him to never let her go. Tightening his grip on her, he let out a chuckle to prevent tears from falling down his face.

"I think I might have to let go at some point." He muttered quietly, and Florence's arms wrapped around his waist in response.

"I don't know why Thomas didn't tell us it was happening." Her voice was muffled by his shirt but he still caught the words.

"Does it matter? There's nothing we can do now." He tried to keep his tone of voice flat, but a hint of frustration was creeping in, impossible for him to hide. He was frustrated because there was nothing they could do.

"Hey. Time's up."

Pulling away from Minho's embrace, Florence didn't let her eyes wander from his. She placed a kiss on his cheek, letting her hand rest there as she took a shaky breath.

"I'm going to find you. I promise."

And although it was a sorrowful moment, a smile came to Minho's lips as he dipped his head towards hers. As their lips met, Florence let the feeling of Minho kissing her take over anything else she was feeling in that moment. Minho pulled away first, amused by her flustered expression.

"I'm a little mad I didn't get to do that more."

The guard that had called to tell them their time was up now moved inside the room, the two doctors following, and began to encourage Florence out of the room. Stubbornly she refused his attempts to get her to leave, but immediately stopped after Minho had given her a simple look of acceptance.

She shut the door after her, resting her forehead on it and squeezing her eyes shut. She knew Thomas and Teresa were still stood behind her but she didn't want to face them right now. They were the last people she wanted to see right now, even though they were probably the last people she had now.

Newt was gone too. Were the other boys as well?

"How many have gone up?" She asked, finally moving from her place by the door. She didn't want to have to watch through the glass and see Minho being sent up to the Maze, however it worked.

"About thirty." Thomas mumbled guiltily, still not able to look Florence in the eyes.

"The others too?" Thomas knew exactly who she was asking about and nodded, already wincing as he knew what her reaction would be.

Her eyes glowered in anger, and her face was red from the pain she felt. She just wished that she had more warning. Both Thomas and Teresa had literally hundreds of opportunities to tell them that the boys were all being sent up to the Maze soon, but instead they kept it from them. So the only thing she could say in that moment was,

"How could you lie to us?"

~

Two years. It had been almost two years since Minho was taken. And Newt, Alby, Gally, Frypan, Ben. If you want to be precise, it had been one year, ten months and twenty nine days.

It had been different since they had all gone. Florence didn't see Thomas and Teresa as much, their jobs were very involved in the Maze Trials and took up most of her time, but at first she really didn't want to see them.

She was angry Thomas had lied to her, that she didn't have the time to really say goodbye to her friends, that she didn't have the time to find out what her relationship with Minho really was.

And then he apologised, and she moved past it. He was her only family, and frankly she knew that there was no point in holding grudges against anyone.

And now, it's Florence's turn to go.

She doesn't know how she can tell, but she knows it is.

Maybe it's the fact the guards keep shooting her odd glances and then looking to each other knowingly, or maybe it's the fact that WCKD have run tests on her four times this week, and hadn't touched her for about three months before that.

Or, maybe it's the fact she's sat in Thomas' room and he just said the words, "It's your turn."

"W-what?"

He nodded gravely, his eyes wide. Teresa looked uneasy, biting her lip and shifting slightly from where she was sat on Thomas' bed. She didn't meet Florence's eye.

"Well..." Florence trailed off.

I have no idea what to say. Does this mean I'm going to see everyone again? 

As if Thomas could read her thoughts, he spoke again.

"You're not going to see the others. They're sending you to Maze B."

Oh.

Thomas's eyes searched for Florence's expression, but she showed no emotion. She was too busy thinking of how she was going to get out of this situation. She didn't have time to process the actual situation because she was too busy wondering,

How do I get myself sent to Maze A?

Teresa looked even more uncomfortable now - as she should. Florence, like all the others, knew that they had both been standing by and watching WCKD do every single thing they do. And they did absolutely nothing to stop it. They even helped.

Florence had no control, no power to do anything to help herself or her friends. But she knew that Thomas and Teresa did, if they wanted.

"I've got to go." Teresa stood up abruptly, interrupting the awkward silence as she shut the door behind her. As soon as Florence was alone with Thomas, she spoke again.

"Thomas you have to help me."

"What?"

"I need to get to Maze A." His eyes widened in shock and realisation, before he shook his head firmly, already making his decision in his mind.

"I can't- I can't do that."

"You have to, Thomas. Are you kidding me? I know you've been watching them send people up, month after month, and you've done nothing about it!"

His eyes darted away from hers guiltily, and he began to fiddle with his bedsheets. He did feel guilty, he wanted to stop it. But Teresa convinced him not to, every single time.

"You need to help me." She spoke firmly, more decisive than he had been, and she knew there was no way he could deny her.

I'm his sister. If he would help anyone, it would be me.

"Fine."

And although she knew he would cave eventually, her eyes still lit up in happiness. She threw her arms around him in an ecstatic hug, to which he reluctantly hugged her back.

I'm being sent up to a Maze, but at least I'll be with my friends. That makes it a little better...

"So you've just got to give me the Swipe and send me to A instead of B." She said simply, although she had no idea if Thomas would be able to do it easily or not.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll get Teresa to cover me." His tone was a little strained with worry, but he sounded hopeful so she took it as a good sign. What could go wrong? By the time WCKD would've found out she was in the wrong Maze, it would be too late.

And really, she's saving the life of the guy who's actually supposed to be going into Maze A that month. He doesn't have to go anywhere.

"Thank you, Thomas. Seriously." She paused to properly thank him. His eyes found hers and she could see he looked genuinely happy for her, and that he genuinely wanted to help. They were family after all.

She didn't know that her memories would be wiped, that Minho's already had been, and that they would meet for the first time ever all over again. But it was official, she was going to be sent up to Maze A.

And, of course, she was.