Hello, my lovely Gladers,
This story is my take on what if Newt had an older sister?
I have ignored the whole Fever Code book. I read the story, edited this to fit the smaller details within the prequel, and then threw the book out a window (metaphorically.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Melissa
WARNING!
WARNING!
WARNING: Trigger warnings. Suicide implied. Violence. Character death and spoilers for TDC and TFC. You are warned.
A Sister's Struggle
My name was Melissa Newton. Or at least that's the name I respond to quickest.
My life changed the day WICKED took me and my brother away.
They promised we'd be safe. They promised to find a cure.
I learned my lesson the hard way.
WICKED is most definitely not good.
...
I was eight when my little brother was born. He had been a small little bugger. But he'd captured my heart from the moment I saw him.
Our family survived the roughest two years of our lives when the sun flares destroyed the earth.
Then the Flare came.
WICKED arrived in our lives not long after.
I last saw my brother right before the start of Phase One: the Maze Trials.
Right before we were separated for the last time.
Right before he forgot me.
Melissa Newton ran down the halls. Looking over her shoulder, she heard the sound of boots running after her. She gave a last burst of energy and lost them shortly.
She ran into a kid with blonde hair and familiar eyes. "Newt! Listen to me.."
He looked at his sister oddly. "What's wrong Mel? I heard sirens and they're looking for you..."
Melissa stared him in the eyes, brown eyes he shared with her. "Newt, you have to promise me something. Promise me you'll remember." Rumors of a memory wipe for the Trials were going through WICKED' s headquarters. "Promise that you'll survive. I can't lose you. Not after everything..." He was all she had left. After their parents died she'd vowed to protect him. Now she couldn't. Not after what she'd done.
Newt put an arm on her shoulder. He looked down at his sister who seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Mel, I will survive. You'll survive too." He couldn't imagine a world without his older sister.
Melissa shook her head, "no, I'm not sure they'll let me live after what I've done."
Newt's eyes hardened at the thought of his sister being killed. She was his last living relative. She was all he had left in the world. "What did you do?"
Melissa looked over her shoulder, "you'll find out soon enough." Newt looked around as sirens could be heard again. Melissa turned around too and heard the familiar stomping of boots. She gripped her brother's shoulders. "When they send you into the Maze remember me."
Newt nodded as he wiped a lone tear from her face. "I could never forget my sister."
She gave a watery smile. "I know." She knew he would never voluntarily forget her. But WICKED was unpredictable.
She looked around again and brought her voice down to a whisper. "When the time comes, I want you to remember that you're immune. You're immune and you will survive." It was imperative that he remembered. Even if that was all he remembered.
Newt nodded as men with guns came around the corner. His sister didn't try to run.
Melissa hugged her brother tightly, pressing something into his hand. Whispering in his ear she told him, "remember, WICKED is most definitely not good." Before he could respond she was torn from his arms. The men grabbed his sister, preventing her from getting away. She looked back at him, giving him a sad smile, before turning around and being lead away.
Newt looked down into his hand. She'd given him the silver M pendant she gotten on her 13th birthday from their parents. The last birthday she'd had with her family. She never went anywhere without it.
Newt put it on, knowing it would probably be the only reminder he had of his sister.
...
That was the last Newt ever saw of his sister. She had betrayed WICKED and they had punished her. Newt held onto the hope that she was still alive.
Two days later he was sent into the Maze.
There he attempted to kill himself.
There he found Minho and Thomas.
There he escaped
That led to the Scorch and untimely the supposed cure.
Newt didn't remember his sister. He didn't remember her words to him. He had the Flare, they told him.
He had been deceived and experimented on.
He slowly lost his mind.
Finally, he begged for death. Forgetting his sister, his life, and his promise. Thomas was forced to deliver his one wish.
Still, that silver M hung on his neck. His only connection to the life he forgot.
They promised me he'd be safe.
They promised I could help him.
"Come in, Melissa." Chancellor Kevin Anderson was a jolly sort of man. He was a mystery to anyone not high ranking. Oddly enough she'd had plenty of conversations with him even though she wasn't very high ranking.
Melissa shut the door behind her after she was called in. They'd changed her name the first week they arrived. She was Melissa. And from what she could gather her brother's name was Newt, though it seemed he'd been very stubborn about it.
"Now Melissa, I have something very important to discuss with you. Seeing as you'll turn eighteen tomorrow it seems only prudent we ask your permission."
Eighteen. Wow. Her brother would be nine already.
"You are aware that most people here are immune to the Flare, correct?"
Melissa nodded. She knew exactly where this conversation was heading. "Yes, chancellor."
"Good, good. Now, as you are aware your brother is in the unfortunate percentile of those not immune. You, on the other hand, are immune. This leaves us with a rather peculiar challenge."
"Sir," Melissa started. She did like the chancellor but he tended to blabber. "With all due respect, what does this have to do with me?"
The Chancellor started. "Oh yes, excuse the old brain. Anyway, our scientists have just developed a procedure that almost guarantees your brother's immunity by eighty-five percent. It has been tested and the results are promising."
Melissa felt hope well up inside her. Her brother might have a chance. "So you've found a cure?" She asked hopefully.
"No, not a cure." The Chancellor shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately this is not the cure we are searching for. The procedure can only work if the participants are blood relatives. You see, we will basically be giving your brother some of your blood, infusing your natural immunity into his bloodstream. We have noticed that since you are related the body doesn't immediately reject the foreign blood. We hope to convince the white blood cells to reproduce the natural immunity found in your blood."
Melissa frowned. "What's the catch?" WICKED always had a catch.
The chancellor hesitated. "Well, you see, the surgery is not guaranteed to work. And there have been some side effects for the donor but nothing seems to harm the recipient."
Melissa didn't need to hesitate to give her answer. "You have my permission to perform this surgery."
The Chancellor smiled. "Are you prepared for the risks?" He wanted her absolutely certain of her decision.
Melissa nodded, she was sure, surer than anything she'd ever done. "I'd do anything for my brother. He's all I have left."
The Chancellor got up and shook her hand. "Thank you. This could be a major medical breakthrough. Now, as a reward, there is someone waiting for you in the cafeteria. You are allowed until the end of the hour to speak to your brother."
Melissa didn't even care that Chancellor Anderson had been so sure of her answer he'd brought her brother up to meet her. All she cared about was the fact that she'd be seeing her brother for the first time in four years.
I tried to protect him.
In the end, I failed.
Melissa Newton frowned at the note in hand. Chancellor Anderson wished to speak with her. In the past years, their casual chats had ceased to exist. He only ever called her up to ask about the subjects she greeted when they were brought to WICKED. Melissa shrugged and began to walk toward the chancellor's office.
"Come in."
Chancellor Kevin Anderson gestured for the young woman to enter. He was an aging man who'd seen better days. "I've wanted to talk to you, Melissa. I presume you know about the Maze Trials. Phase One is the grand scheme of things."
Melissa nodded. She'd had to have lived under a rock to not know about the Maze Trials. Everyone who worked for WICKED knew about them. Perhaps the only ones who didn't know the true extent of the Trials were the children. They were blissfully unaware of the giant cavern right below their feet.
"Then you are aware that we require all of the subjects to participate in these trials once they have been perfected."
Melissa bit her lip. She knew where this was heading and she didn't like it one bit.
"Your brother, Newt was it, was brought to us as a control subject. He is susceptible to contacting the Flare. And with recent events, it seems the safest choice to send him up with the first group."
"Chancellor, what do you require of me?"
"As his legal guardian, something you became once you passed the age of 18, you are the only one who can give us permission." WICKED liked to think they were giving you a choice. In the end, it didn't matter. WICKED always won. But Melissa wasn't letting them do so without a fight.
Melissa shook her head at the Chancellor. Giving her permission was a death sentence for her brother. "I can't give you my permission. I've heard enough rumors to know that these Trials are anything but safe. Giant walls with monsters in the depths of the unsolvable Maze. I can't risk my brother's safety."
Chancellor Anderson frowned as he folded his hands. "I can understand that Melissa but think about the others. All those who suffer. Your brother could help cure them. We already cured him. You owe us. Remember, WICKED is Good."
Melissa grimaced and shook her head stubbornly. "No. If WICKED were so great you would never have needed to kill my mother. You wouldn't have needed me or my brother because you'd already had a cure." She finished mockingly. "I've said what I mean and you will not get my permission."
Chancellor Anderson dismissed her, "we do have ways to do this with or without your permission. You have three days to change your mind. Regardless of your stance, your brother will enter the Maze Trials. His survival will rest on your shoulders."
Melissa realized when she'd been dismissed. She stomped down the hall from the office. How dare he! If she gave her permission there was a large chance of her brother dying. She couldn't let that happen. She wasn't agreeing to any of it.
Her parents, bless their souls, had made her promise to always protect her brother. She couldn't help her father when he'd caught the disease and she couldn't prevent the soldier from shooting her mother but she could prevent WICKED from taking her brother.
The results of the surgery had been positive looking. And the world was finally recovering from the solar flares. Life was looking better than it had in years.
Melissa wasn't deaf. She'd heard the mere whispers of a resistance. It was small, barely existing, but it was there. There was hope. Maybe if she could contact them she could help her brother.
She had three days.
Things didn't work out the way I'd hoped.
I'm lucky to be alive.
They promised he'd be safe if I played by their rules.
They lied.
Melissa Newton stared at Chancellor Dr. Ava Paige in confusion. "You've done what now?" Melissa couldn't believe her ears.
"I've created a Safe Haven for the Immune. A place the Flare hasn't reached. You are to go with them. Jorge and Brenda know the plan." The Chancellor said. "Perhaps this will give you the time you need." The Chancellor glanced down at the liquid she was to inject the young woman with. "This will not cure you."
Melissa nodded grimly. "I know. But I need to find my brother. I can feel the Flare. I've had headaches since the outbreak back when Tommy and Teresa still hadn't gone into the Maze. I know the signs. It's a miracle that I've lasted this long." Melissa still wasn't sure how she'd lasted the past few years. A normal crank would have lost their mind already but not her.
"You know my theories." Ava Paige said stiffly, injecting the liquid.
Melissa winced. "I do. But now is not the time to discuss such things. What is your plan again?"
Ava Paige looked at Melissa. "The Immunes are our only hope. There is no cure. No matter what Director Janson wants to think. We must save who we can."
Melissa's didn't respond. She knew the consequences of WICKED's Trials. So many kids had died. So many innocents. And most of them were immune. The ones that weren't immune were safer in the Maze.
Phase One: the Maze Trials, while unethical, protected those that were not immune from contacting the Flare. They were in a safe and contained landscape, well away from the Flare and any Crank who might eat them.
"I know you hate us. You have every right. But right now I need you to help me. Help them escape. Go with them for all I care. But help me."
Melissa did hate WICKED. They were the ones to kill her mother. It was their disease that killed her father. It was the same disease that would slowly kill her. WICKED was responsible for taking away everything Melissa held dear. They'd kept her and her brother apart. They'd sent her brother into the Maze. And yet, Melissa was going to help them.
"I'll do it."
"Thank you. I know you have no obligation to help me, not after what I put you through, but thank you."
Ava Paige was right. After everything she'd been subjected to, Melissa wasn't obligated to help WICKED. They were the ones that experimented on her and tested her. They were the ones who'd blackmailed her as they experimented on her brother. She couldn't do a thing to prevent the lengths WICKED was willing to go to. Not after the last time.
No. Melissa Newton was lucky to be alive. Her brother was spared any punishment due to being her one weakness. She'd do anything to protect him; even if it meant doing nothing as WICKED experimented on him. His sufferings would have been tenfold if she'd gone against orders. He wouldn't have made it to the end of Phase One if she'd placed one foot out of line.
...
Melissa was just leaving the lab when she spotted someone running down the hall at her. He stopped once he spotted her, assuming a defensive position. Melissa's eyes widened when she recognized the teen. She'd recognize those eyes anywhere.
"Tommy?"
The teen flinched at the name. The woman at the end of the hall had blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and brown eyes he'd last seen begging for death.
He blinked at her before suspicion overcame his features. "Who are you and how do you know me?" He growled.
Melissa gently put her hands up. Ava Paige had told her a little about what the boys had been through. Ava Paige had also told her what Janson was planning to do to Thomas. "I'm Melissa. I work for WICKED." Thomas still looked wary of her. "I was one of those who greeted the children in the beginning. I remember you." She told him softly. He'd been one of the most stubborn children they'd had. She'd been sent to help Thomas adjust to WICKED after his mother gave him up. From what she'd experienced, Thomas even gave her brother a run for his money with the fight he put up when he'd had his name changed. "Once the Trials began I was relocated."
This didn't seem to affect Thomas. "Do you know where the Immunes are?" He snarked. He didn't seem too interested in her answer though; almost like he already knew the answer to his question.
Melissa nodded her head, trying I appear non-threatening. "Janson sent them up to your former maze. I don't know what they—"
Thomas cut her off. "Who's side are you on?"
Melissa didn't hesitate to answer. "Your side."
Thomas didn't seem to believe her too much but when she didn't try to stop him he let her come along. She recognized the door they stopped at. She'd seen Ava Paige enter there more times than she could count. Not to mention the number of times Melissa herself wished she could go in just to watch her brother.
That door led to the old viewing room. The room where WICKED observed their subjects. It was also the room that led to the old Maze.
Thomas had gone in to check it out. He returned and eyed her for a moment. "I'm trusting you right now. I have to find my friends so we can get the Immunes out. I need you to stay here. I'll be back with help." Thomas didn't know why but he felt like he knew this woman. Maybe it was her resemblance to his friend or the fact something in his gut believed her but for some reason, Thomas did trust her.
Melissa nodded. "I won't move." If she wanted to help she'd have to gain their trust. Following what they told her, even if they were just teenagers and she was the adult, was just how she'd prove her loyalty.
...
It felt like hours before Thomas came back. Trailing behind him were three boys: Minho, Gally, and Aris if memory served right; a man who she knew as Jorge; and three girls: Teresa, Harriet, and Brenda who she also knew.
Questions flew immediately but they were answered before Thomas could open his mouth.
"Melissa?"
Melissa turned to Brenda with a smile. They knew each other but they were never great friends. Melissa secretly envied the younger girl; Brenda was able to actually interact with the groups. Even if she had to live on the outskirts of a Crank infested city for years before Phase Two.
"Hello Brenda, Jorge."
Jorge grinned at her; she was just about his height, a trait she and her brother got from their father. He'd known her since being introduced to WICKED for Phase Two. She worked closely with his to get an idea of what they would deal with during Phase Two. He'd listened to her as she struggled with the burden of protecting her brother by going against everything she believed in. He'd allowed her to use him as a confident, helping her when he could. "Hermana, what are your doing here? Here for your brother, yeah?"
Melissa nodded determinedly. "Always."
Minho interrupted the semi-reunion. "Alright, we have to hurry. I'd love to interrogate you but we don't have the time. Vince is gonna blow this place up if we don't get our shuck butts moving." He looked her over before glancing at Brenda and Jorge. "If Brenda and Jorge say you're alright, okay. But we'll be watching. One wrong step..." He warned as Thomas began to enter the door leading to the Maze.
Melissa nodded with a gulp. Who knew a boy eight years her junior could be so intimidating.
Thomas led the way. The halls were almost pitch black due to the power outage. There was just enough light to see in front of you. Just as they turned a corner they were jumped. Melissa could hear the sounds of a fight right before she felt something collide with the side of her face. She fell before she even knew what hit her.
Aris pulled her up as Teresa and Harriet teamed up against the guy who'd attacked. With a nod to Aris Melissa tried to help the girls. She'd never fought a real battle in her life so she just hoped she was helping. In the end, she managed to accidentally trip the guy after he was pushed back by a hit from Harriet.
Melissa watched as the man got up slowly and fled, followed closely by another guard. She leaned heavily against a wall and waited for her heart to stop racing.
...
Soon they made it to a room that contained weird black pods. Those who'd been in the Maze gave them wary glances but Melissa didn't dare ask what they contained. They insisted she go first up the ladder they'd found. She didn't argue.
Melissa came up to the sight of enormous stone walls that seemed to reach all the way up to the grey sky. Melissa was smart enough to realize that the technology was off so it probably wasn't as impressive as it once was. Melissa pushed herself into the nearby ledge and used two boards to walk across the gap between the exit and the Maze floor.
Minho came up behind her. "Bit different seeing it up close, isn't it? Much bigger than those shuck beetle blades." He snarked. Minho was just waiting for her to prove her true colors.
Melissa shrugged, turning in a circle to catch the size of the place. "I wouldn't know. I didn't observe the Maze Trials. WICKED thought I'd be a liability. They didn't want me interfering with the brain patterns."
Gally came up as she finished her explanation. "If you didn't watch us then what did you do?"
"I was originally assigned to watch over any new children coming in. I'd try to help the kids get used to WICKED and other things. I quite enjoyed that." She paused a moment to think about her past. She'd loved her first job. She saw her brother a bit more; a glimpse here and there rather than sneaking a look into a room. "But once kids stopped coming in I was reassigned. They sent me wherever I was needed. During the planning for Phase Two, I worked with those in the Scorch. But mostly I worked with numbers and equations. All the numerical information taken from the Trials and tests before them. I was one of the few looking for a cure." She told them bitterly. "Course, there is no cure and WICKED kept up their Trials in a last-ditch effort to find one."
As Harriet and Aris came up Minho asked another question. "Why didn't you observe us? You seemed pretty interested." He inquired, curious and suspicious at the same time.
Melissa noticed all eyes on her, waiting for an answer. She took a breath before answering. "My brother was part of the Trials. WICKED didn't believe it was safe for me to take any part in them. They thought I'd mess up their precious Trials. They were right." She gave a humorless laugh. "Chancellor Paige finally got the right idea. She created a Safe Haven for you lot. It should have been created long ago." Melissa smiled slightly thinking of what the world could have been like if there'd been a Safe Haven years ago. "The Flare took longer to act up in a child and if taken away quickly enough the child wouldn't contact it. We could have saved so many lives if we'd just helped those who hadn't yet caught the disease." Melissa finished passionately. She blushed when they each gave her a look of admiration. Even from the newly arrived Jorge and Brenda.
Melissa was spared any more questions when Teresa and Thomas finally came up. Minho started leading the group toward the Glade.
Melissa became even more awed at the fact that these kids had survived the Maze. It looked impossible. And frightening. Melissa didn't want to imagine the Maze in its hay day. It must have been a living nightmare filled with horrid creatures. Yet, Melissa couldn't shake the feelings of hope the Maze gave off. It almost seemed to falsely say that there was a way out.
...
When they reached the entrance to the Glade the group was surprised at the sheer number of people held inside the grassy area. There must have been hundreds of people, Immunes of all ages.
It took a bit but Thomas and his friends soon had the Immunes organized so they could escape. They had just organized everyone when the Maze started to collapse. The Right Arm had begun the attack.
The Right Arm had always been a symbol of hope for Melissa. They'd been her one hope when she tried to run. And now she was running from them. Not how she imagined it.
Thomas led them through the Maze, getting everyone back to the entrance.
For the first time in years, Melissa felt something akin to hope. Of course, it was plagued with the deep-rooted feeling of dread when she still didn't find her brother.
Paradise was great.
I continued to search for my brother.
New Immunes came through every day.
But a secret plagued one of us.
Melissa Newton wiped the sweat from her forehead. They'd been here for a full year. They'd set up a council, a small community with jobs and farms, and even a small graveyard to honor the fallen. Melissa couldn't bring herself to spend much time in the graveyard, afraid of the names she would see.
Paradise was great. There was plenty of land ready for farming, an ocean, and even mountains. She didn't even know where the chancellor had found the place but it truly was paradise.
There was just one thing missing; her brother.
Melissa had looked everywhere. She checked every person and asked anyone who'd been in the Maze Trials.
New arrivals came each day. Brenda told her that a few of their members had stayed behind. Word was that a cure had been found but finding people who weren't too far past the Gone was proving to be a challenging task. Still, her brother never came through the portal. She held out hope though, working hard to be able to show him the world they had only dreamed about when they were younger.
Finally, Thomas came forward. His brown eyes were haunted with heavy bags under his eyes. Even after a year he still couldn't get a good night's sleep.
"Hey, Tommy, What's buggin' you?" Melissa was always aware of the flinch Thomas gave whenever she called him Tommy. From her guess, he'd been close to Newt. She just waited until he came to her.
Thomas shuffled, running a hand through his brown hair. "Can...can we talk?" His voice cracked. He looked like he wanted to sink into the ground. Thomas didn't look her in the eyes, staring at the ground.
Melissa grunted, sticking the shovel in the ground. "I wondered when you'd come around. I didn't wanna bug you. Not after everything that's happened." She wiped he forehead again and grabbed a nearby towel. "C'mon, we can talk in my hut."
Thomas trailed after her silently; similar to a prisoner walking to his death. He followed her into the single room hut. Everyone lived in a hut. Most had single room huts that housed two people. They didn't have a need for a kitchen since there was a communal eating area and bathrooms were outside.
"So, how'd you know my brother?" Melissa asked calmly, sitting in a chair and motioned for him to sit in the second one. No use in scaring Thomas off, not when he finally came to her.
Thomas sat down heavily, staring at his hands. "Newt. He was your brother. Wasn't he?" Thomas knew deep down he'd connected the dots from the moment he met her. Melissa had the same brown eyes as her brother. He'd never forget those eyes.
Melissa nodded tightly. Over the past year, it'd gotten out that she'd had a brother named Newt. No one knew anything though. Minho quietly told her he'd left them to stay at the Crank Palace once he'd started to lash out. After that, it was a mystery. Melissa wept that night. WICKED had lied to her; Newt hadn't been safe.
"I first met Newt in the Maze..." Thomas went on to talk about their friendship, how Newt has been one of the few to believe in him from the very beginning. He told her about the journey through the Scorch and finally stopped just before he came to their escape from WICKED.
Melissa smiled a sad sort of smile, blinking away tears. "He told me about you once. I'd gotten to spend one hour with my brother four years after being apart. I was too old to be involved as a subject for the Trials. I greeted all the children WICKED brought in. WICKED separated the girls from the boys. My brother told me of this boy he'd met on a nighttime exploration with his friends. This boy he met was different, hidden away from all the others. Newt didn't know why you were separated but I'm sure he found out eventually. You and Teresa were allowed to join with Group A as the Maze Trials were perfected. But he liked you anyway, even if you were different. Even when he was nine he wanted to be your friend."
Thomas closed his eyes, putting his head in his hands. Melissa watched as Thomas struggled with himself. Finally, his brown eyes caught her own. "Was he immune?"
Melissa opened her mouth to respond before closing it. To be honest she didn't know anymore. The surgery should have worked but if what Minho said was true then Newt had caught the Flare. "I don't know." She whispered brokenly. "There was an experiment. One to give him my blood in hopes that his immune system might produce some natural immunity. Being blood-related gave him a better chance of it working. WICKED promised me he'd be safe."
Thomas avoided her gaze. When he next spoke his voice was hollow, devoid of any emotion. "When we were released from our rooms after getting back to WICKED they put us all in a room. They told us who was immune and who wasn't. Newt wasn't."
Melissa closed her eyes. She felt the beating of her heart. She felt her head begin to hurt in a way that wasn't good. Melissa knew what the signs were and she was surprised she lasted this long. The Bliss didn't usually last this long. She'd confide in Brenda that it was time. Brenda was the only one who knew.
"How?" It was the only question left. How did her brother die? Thomas wouldn't be here if he didn't know anything. Melissa knew her brother was dead. She knew it in her very soul that the boy she worked so hard to protect was gone. She'd failed.
"Me." Thomas whispered.
"Tell me." Melissa demanded. She had to know.
Thomas' eyes teared up. He didn't bother wiping them. "He'd given me a note not long after he first lashed out at us. I didn't read it until too late. We found him at the Crank Palace. He didn't want to leave with us. He especially hated me. He thought I'd read his note and decided not to do as he asked."
Thomas took a shuddering breath. He'd never told anyone this before. If he didn't do it now he'd never finish. Thomas plowed ahead. "I found him later as I road to WICKED. He was a mess. There was a crazed look in his eyes. But at times there was some clarity. Like he knew who I was. I tried to help him. I pleaded with him to come with me, WICKED would surely help. Newt refused. We fought until he noticed the gun in my hand."
Thomas' voice hitched. "He wanted me to do it. He wanted me to help him. Said he'd kill me if I didn't do it." Thomas stopped to take a shuddering breath. "I didn't have a choice. He was one of my best friends and I couldn't let him suffer."
When he finished both Thomas and Melissa had tears running down their faces.
My brother was dead.
I never saw him again.
I could feel my mind slipping.
My brother's fate finally revealed.
Melissa Newton disappeared for the next month. Thomas feared for her, afraid she'd done something because of what he'd told her. He'd finally gotten the guts to tell Minho as well. After a week of silence and one huge beat down Minho had calmed down enough to be friends with him again.
Minho was the one who dragged Thomas to Brenda. Minho knew Thomas was worried, he was too if Minho was being truthful. Melissa had become a part of their family. Melissa was very similar to her brother. She had this ability to keep people together even in the worst times. She'd been a great help when the first problem arose after entering Paradise. And from there she'd been a dedicated member of the community. She'd been the Glue just like her little brother.
"Brenda! Open up!" Minho banged on the door to Brenda's hut.
Jorge opened the door. "Brenda's not here." He told them with sadness in his eyes.
Minho felt fear roll around his stomach. "Where is she?"
Jorge opened his mouth to respond but shut it just as quickly. He took a long look at the boys. "Why do you want Brenda, chico?" He asked guardedly.
Thomas found that odd. They'd all become good friends over the past year. He couldn't think of any reason for Jorge to keep secrets. "We want to find Melissa. She's been gone for a month and we're worried."
Jorge's eyes misted over, mourning clouding his features. "Mel has her reasons for disappearing."
Minho always forgot that Jorge had known Melissa. They'd worked together for years. "Where is she?" Minho knew that Jorge was keeping something from them. The time for secrets was over.
Jorge sighed as he began to lead the boys away from the hut. Brenda had trusted him with the one secret that could destroy the community they'd worked so hard to build. And now he had to share it with two more. Melissa wouldn't last much longer. It'd be better if her friends were with her.
"Mel is sick. Has been for a while." Jorge ran a hand over his face. "It's no normal disease. And there's no cure." Jorge didn't look at them as he'd led them away. Thomas vaguely realized the older man was directing them toward a small path on the edge of the woods. "Brenda helped me build this when Mel first realized what was happening. She wanted a safe place for her to go before it was too late."
Jorge led the boys down the path toward a deeper part of the woods with a single hut. "We must be quiet. Some days aren't good." Jorge knocked and Brenda opened the door.
Brenda gave the boys a sad smile. "Let me tell Mel." She disappeared inside the hut. Jorge gave them another look before following her, shutting the door. Minho and Thomas stood outside the door.
Minho broke the silence. "I thought she was immune?" Minho prayed it wasn't the Flare but that was the only logical conclusion.
Thomas was just as confused as Minho. "I...I assumed she was." He stuttered.
Minho didn't have a chance to respond before Brenda reopened the door. "Mel wants to talk to you." They didn't miss the tears in her eyes.
Thomas and Minho shared a look before going inside.
...
The first thing Thomas noticed was how sickly Melissa looked. Her once shiny blonde hair was lank and stick like. Her skin was pale and sickly and she had heavy bags under her eyes. The gauntness of her oval-shaped face caused her dull brown eyes to pop. In all, she looked like death.
Melissa sent them a weak smile. Brenda helped prop her up on the bed. "Hello, boys. I'm sorry we have to meet like this." She was stopped from speaking anymore by a series of harsh coughs. "So my secret's out." The veins in her neck bulging as she coughed.
Thomas stared at his friend. Yes, he considered her a friend. Over the course of the year, he and Minho had gotten to know the girl who'd been their friend's older sister. She was a vivacious and passionate woman. She explained to them more about WICKED, having worked for them since her early teens. Also, she was one of the few who had their memories of before the Flare. Thomas devoured any stories she told, trying to understand why WICKED did what they did. Jorge and Brenda spoke of their life too but they hadn't stayed in the WICKED compound for long before going off to live in the Scorch for Phase Two.
"I thought you were immune."
"I am."
"Then why do you have the Flare?" The dark veins were a telltale sign of the Flare. Thomas wanted to scream and shout. It wasn't fair. First Newt now his sister. The two people in the world who only ever wanted to be together with their family; torn apart by a disease.
Melissa tried to push herself into a sitting position but her weak state didn't allow it. She flopped back onto the small stack of pillows on the bed. "I told you about the experiment. The one to protect Newt."
Thomas nodded along with Minho. Thomas had told Minho about it when he'd confessed to killing Newt. It only fueled their hatred toward WICKED.
"Chancellor Anderson warned that there'd be side effects. Ones they couldn't predict. It seems that the experiment weakened my immune system enough for me to catch the Flare."
Minho frowned at his friend. Jorge had mentioned something about her being sick for a while. "How long have you known?"
Melissa chuckled. Minho had always been perceptive. "Since before you were sent up to the Maze Tommy. There was a breakout. The signs were slow to take effect but by Phase Two I knew. Chancellor Ava Paige gave me the Bliss which gave me time. I was surprised it took this long for it to wear off. Last month the symptoms began again when..."
Thomas finished her sentence. "When I told you about Newt." He whispered. Melissa nodded sadly.
Melissa opened her mouth to speak again when another series of harsh coughs wracked her frail body. She laid back down, shivering and whimpering like a child. The dark veins standing out against her pale skin.
"Okay, it's time you leave. Mel needs rest." Brenda sent everyone out silently telling Jorge to explain what wasn't said. She'd take care of Melissa.
...
Minho was the first to speak once they'd been kicked out of the hut. "Why have things changed now that she knows about Newt? How can that affect anything? Medically speaking." He didn't want to sound insensitive. He knew better than anyone what a brother's death could feel like, even if he hadn't been related to Newt.
Jorge ran a hand through his hair. "That's where it gets complicated, hermano. You see, Brenda and I think it was a mental battle. Mel's told us that she'd never really experienced any signs of emotional outbursts. She'd taken the Bliss only to avoid the headaches and fevers that came with the disease." Jorge paused to collect his thoughts. "The Flare attacks the brain, thriving off of mental usage. She'd used her brain just as much as you guys have. That itself should have killed her. But it didn't. The Bliss helped but ultimately that should have only bought her a few weeks. Mel fought the Flare with her mind if that makes any sense."
Jorge paused to make sure the boys were following. He glanced at Thomas before continuing. "And when she discovered her brother's fate it broke whatever was holding the virus back. Mel's pushed herself to her limits all in the vain hope that he'd be able to see it. She's always held out hope that Newt lived. He was immune and he should have lived but WICKED can't be trusted."
Thomas kicked a rock on the ground in frustration. "Aris says there's a cure now. Why can't Melissa take that?"
Jorge gave him a sad sort of grin. "Her condition is unique. Statically, Mel shouldn't have survived this long. Newt either. We believe the experiment worked to a degree. They have been able to fight off the disease's effects longer than anyone I've seen."
Thomas scowled as he processed the information. "You didn't really answer the question."
Jorge chuckled. "Nothing gets past you does it, hermano. But you're right. We could try giving her the cure. But do you really believe Mel wants that?"
Thomas didn't want to believe what he was hearing.
Minho spoke the truth first. "She wants to die." It wasn't a question.
Jorge didn't look at them. "Newt was her sole reason for living. She nearly died when he jumped off those Maze walls. I've never seen anyone so dedicated to their family." Jorge cast a glance back at the hut. All had been silent. "Mel has come to terms with her illness. She's accepted her fate and only regrets not helping you guys more. Some days are good and some days are worst then others. Her mind is slowly slipping. She doesn't want the cure. She just wants to see her brother again."
The boys had created a marker for all their fallen friends.
When we first entered Paradise I couldn't bear to go to the graves.
Now it was the last thing I had to do.
Melissa Newton stared at the ceiling in a daze. She could feel her mind slipping. Her memories fading. Her world darkening.
The silence was the worst thing about it. At times she'd have a sudden urge for silence and lose herself in her thoughts; often screaming into her mind. During those times she wanted her friends yet hated their pitying looks. She both wanted and didn't want company.
The past weeks had been tough on the four people who knew about her condition. They'd kept her disease a secret not wanting it to cause panic.
Thomas and Minho had been by as often as they could. Melissa loved to regale them with stories of her brother when she was well enough. She tried to tell them everything about her experiences before she left them. No one wanted to think about what was coming.
Melissa pushed herself off the bed. Today was the day. She knew it.
A hidden strength lent her the power to leave her bed and walk.
There was a spark in her eyes. One long forgotten.
For the first time in months, she could think straight. And she was going to make the best of it. Before she left the world, she had to do one more thing
...
Minho was very surprised when Brenda asked if he could meet her. She rarely left Melissa's side these days. His confusion increased when he met Melissa Newton instead of Brenda at the clearing.
Melissa looked different. Her now stringy blonde hair was let loose and flying in the wind. Her painfully thin figure no longer looked desolate. The veins stark against her pale complexion didn't look daunting. Instead, there seemed to be a glow around her. The biggest difference was her eyes. Those sparkling brown eyes were full of life. She smiled when she saw Minho.
He was going to miss her smiles. They were so bright they seemed to light up even the darkest room.
"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Minho knew she'd barely been able to lift her head these past few weeks, let alone stand without assistance.
Melissa's chuckled. She felt perfectly fine. Something whispered to her, giving her strength to walk around without assistance. "My life is nearing its end. I shan't see the light of morning. But I couldn't leave this world without once seeing his grave."
Minho didn't even question her. He knew why she wanted to see Newt's grave.
"Walk with me?" Minho couldn't deny her that. He'd grown a soft spot for Melissa over the year he got know her.
They walked in silence.
Finally, Minho spoke. "Do you regret it? What you're going to do. I know you've planned for it and I know why."
Melissa looked straight ahead. Minho almost didn't think she'd answer. But she did. "No. It's better than losing my mind. I can feel the memories slipping away. I couldn't bear it if I couldn't remember anything."
"But we have a cure. You could save yourself." Minho couldn't comprehend why she would want to die when she could easily take the cure.
Melissa looked at him. "I guess you think I'm selfish. You've been through more than me and you haven't given up. But I'm not strong like you guys. I can't—" she stopped herself.
Minho waited to see if she would continue before speaking. "Mel, you are one of the strongest people I've ever known. I don't know if I could've gone through what you had to when you worked for WICKED."
Melissa gave Minho's hand a brief squeeze before letting go. "Thank you, Minho."
Minho just nodded. He knew she wasn't just thanking him for his words. No. Melissa Newton was thanking him for being there for her and for her brother. She was thanking him for being a friend.
They continued to walk in silence. Finally, they reached the graveyard. Minho directed Melissa to the marker they had for Newt.
Melissa was the one to break the silence. She stared at her brother's grave, trying not to break down. "My family was my life. My father died from the Flare and WICKED killed my mother. Then they took my brother." She paused for a moment. Minho could hear her voice waver. "The last thing my mother said to me was to protect my brother." A sob escaped her. "Newt was my life. He was the one thing that kept me going. I knew I had to help find a cure for him. When I failed to escape WICKED with my brother, they sent him into the Maze and forced me to do as they asked."
Melissa angrily wiped her tears away. "I hate them. I hate bloody WICKED! I hate them!" She shouted to the wind.
"They took...everything from me." She sobbed, giving in to her tears. She fell to her knees, touching the grave marker gently. "And I couldn't protect him." Melissa cried brokenly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeated over and over to the grave.
Minho let her cry. She was finally grieving. "Mel," He began softly. "Newt didn't forget you. At least not entirely." Minho felt his heart break when she looked at him with her brown eyes so much like her brother's. "Newt came up wearing a chain with an M shaped pendant hanging on it. He was the only one to have such a thing. He told me that something about the necklace reminded him of someone. Someone special. Someone he loved dearly. Newt never took off that necklace."
Melissa sniffled. "Really?" She tried to get up from the ground.
Minho nodded, helping her from her kneeling position. He was the only one to know why Newt never parted with that necklace. "I'd never lie to you."
Melissa's breathing began to quicken as she stood. "I...I.."
Minho helped steady Melissa as she started to fall. "I think we need to get you back to Brenda."
Melissa nodded weakly. "Yeah. I guess that's best."
...
Minho carried her back to her hut. Melissa kept talking even as she felt herself weakening. "This has brought me the closure I've needed. I always hoped Newt might've remembered me but once it got out that your memories were wiped I felt myself cling to an impossible dream."
Minho glanced down at the sick woman he carried. "He wouldn't want you to do this. Not when we have a cure." Minho knew she'd decided already but he couldn't help but feel like he was failing Newt by letting his sister die.
"Minho, I've spent years searching for a cure." Melissa knew Minho needed to hear this. "There wasn't one to be found. I've looked at every equation and every piece of research WICKED got from the Trials. I don't believe there is a cure."
Brenda met them as Minho got closer to Melissa's hut. "Why are you telling me this?"
Melissa smiled at him as Brenda helped her stand. "So you don't have any doubts. I don't believe in the cure. And I don't want to live as a crank and forget everything precious to me. There's nothing to save me. And if I believe that then you can't feel guilty when I'm gone." She paused. "I wanted you to know why I did it."
That's how it ended for me. I didn't want them to see me go crazy.
At least I could see him again. And our parents.
With that in mind, I greeted Death as an old friend...
Melissa Newton drew her last breath later that night.
Brenda called Minho and Thomas back to the hut. Melissa wanted a short goodbye, to thank each boy for what they'd done for her and her brother.
Brenda tried to subtly wipe away a tear when Melissa finally showed a spark of the person she used to be. Minho had taken one look at the sparkle in her eye, similar to the spark of life he'd seen once before in her brother's eyes before he left the small hut to compose himself. He didn't know how he'd survive when she was gone. She'd grown on him. The world wouldn't be as bright when she was gone.
Brenda had helped her prepare for everything. She'd known what was to happen. Melissa's smile toward the younger girl spoke untold volumes of her gratitude toward Brenda.
Jorge gave Melissa a big hug, trying to convey how much he'd tried to take care of her over the years. Melissa told him with her eyes that she knew.
...
Minho gazed at her sadly. "Is this really what you want?" He needed to be sure.
Melissa grabbed his hand, squeezing gently. "It's all I've ever wanted."
Minho chuckled wetly. "Tell that shank of a brother I say hi." Melissa nodded, smiling at her friend.
Minho looked at her once more before leaving. "I'll miss you."
Melissa closed her eyes before looking at the person who'd been there for her and her brother. He was a true friend. "I'll miss you too."
...
She stopped Thomas before he left. "Tommy," he looked back, a haunted look returning to his brown eyes. "I forgive you."
Thomas had to fight hard not to break down in tears right then. He'd wanted to hear those words for so long. Maybe he could finally start healing.
Melissa shot him one last smile before laying down. Thomas stopped at the doorway. "You know," he started. "I don't think every truly forgot about you. I remember a necklace I'd seen him wearing."
"I know."
"Minho could probably tell you more but he wore it that day."
Melissa's eyes filled with tears. She didn't care that her voice cracked when she spoke. "Thank you...Tommy." For everything.
No drawn out goodbyes.
Nothing.
Just death.
Melissa Newton was given a proper burial next to the marker for Newt. Even if they didn't have a body for them, all of their fallen friends had headstones.
Thomas and Minho felt it appropriate for the two siblings, who had been through hell and back, were put together in death.
...
Minho stared sadly at the aging grave.
Melissa Newton
Beloved friend and daughter
Sister to the Last
Even after all these years it still hurt.
She had been a helping force in creating a new community. She had literally worked her butt off.
All for him, Newt; her brother. All in the vain hope that he would come and see it.
She had held them together. So much like her brother before her.
And now, they were finally together.
After all the suffering she had finally made it home.
Minho placed a small rose on the grave.
His young son walked up to him. Minho picked up his son and walked from the graveyard.
He gave one last fleeting look to the grave.
He knew in his heart that she'd want them to be happy.
That she had wanted to go...That she had greeted Death as an old friend.
I've had this plot in my head for a while. It first formed when the sneak peek of the Fever Code came out. I asked myself what would happen if Newt had an older sister? One who worked for WICKED and loved him more than life itself?
And thus my story was born.
It went through a lot of editing. Many plots were thrown out until you have what is written here.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Later Gladers...