Good morning, loves. I hope you all are having a wonderful Sunday, my favorite day of the week - as promised, here is the update! Speaking of favorites, I think this is my favorite chapter so far. Scratch that, this is 100% my favorite chapter of the book, and the end bit is one of my favorite things I've ever written. Needless to say, I'm very, very excited/nervous to hear what you all think about it. This chapter really allowed me to dive into the characters, so you'll see a little bit more from them emotionally here, which has been one of my favorite parts about writing this story.

The Ink Spiller; Thank you so, so much for your splendid words. I'm glad someone likes that pairing, as I'm also a fan. Maybe not so much romantically, but you can't deny that they play off of each other very well. I'm also very flattered with the Rick Riordan assessment. Hopefully you continue to read and enjoy :)

buckybearbuchanan; Thank you so much for the lovely compliment, I hope you enjoy this update as well and find it equally as enthralling :)

browiess27; And here it is! Hope you like it :)

Descending; Let me just start by saying I was so excited about your review that I snapchatted pictures of it to my friends. That being said, I always appreciate and welcome questions! I'm going to leave your actual questions written in so if anyone else had similar ones, they could look to these also :)

1. Why do almost all Maze Runner fan fictions when talking about lowering someone into the box mention someone getting sliced in half? Did I miss something in the books?

It was something that was mentioned in the book, but we didn't get to actually witness the event. The gladers had constructed a kind of memorial to the deceased boy, from what I can remember, as a sort of warning to those who were contemplating escaping through the box hole.

2. Was there any significance with the book that was sent up? Like does it mean something? Symbolize something?

1984 has always been one of my favorite books, and I thought it would be cool if I could find a way to include it! However, there is some symbolism behind it. The two words share some similar dystopian themes, which is ironic because Charly initially wanted the book as a kind of mental escape. However, it parallels the reality of the world that exists outside of the maze trials, and so quite honestly, she wouldn't be escaping at all. How cruel are the creators?

3. Has Charly or will Charly carve her name into the wall? I'm basically asking did I miss this in the chapters? Or are you just not going to include it because it doesn't seem that important?

I'm trying base the accuracy of TOGT on what I remember from the book and, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the wall where the name carving takes place only exists in the movie!

4. Is Charly wearing boys clothing? Or did they send some stuff up?

Charly is wearing girls' clothing - black leggings, olive green jumper, black boots. As for why, I cannot disclose that information just yet :)

5. Did Charly ever look at Newts wound again? Or did she totally forget?

Newt's wound has been on the back burner with all of the events that have happened recently, but it won't be forgotten!

6. Does Gally remember trying to kill Charly?

No he does not! That little period was just a lapse in the changing, which I like to think the gladers wouldn't remember too much of. It wasn't a conscious action.

7. Last but not least, what do you listen to when you write? Or did you already say?

I always listen to soundtrack music while I write, everything from Love Actually to Game of Thrones, Series of Unfortunate Events to Lost. It's my favorite! If you all want, I can leave the specific pieces I listen to at the ends of the chapters, it would be pretty awesome to read the stories to them. Honestly, music adds such an emotional backing to a piece of writing that you can't convey with words.

Lastly, I would love to read something you've written! PM me some of the books you've written from and I'll reply with what I'm interested in; I can't wait :) Thank you so, SO much for this lovely review, and I hope that you enjoy the rest of TOGT :)

Zstar1; Nothing would make me happier than sharing an internet puppy with you. But yes, she is a bit like Thomas with her stubbornness, isn't she? Although normally I think she is much more internalized with her feelings and actions than he is. I never read the Percy Jackson series nor saw the books, but I heard how upset fans of the book were with the movie. I can only imagine the horror. But at least you got to look at Logan Lerman's face for 120 minutes, right? Hope you enjoy this next chapter, thanks for reviewing :)

yiannieee; That's awesome, thank you so much! That's how I get when I read something I'm hooked on too, I have to do it all in one go if it's out there :) Thank you so much, hope you enjoy this one :)

Sam0728; And you will be able to find out a couple lines down :) Hope you enjoy the update!

yiannieee; Ahh thank you so much! Hope you enjoy as you keep reading :)

julesjumper; Thank you in both regards, hope this chapter is one you enjoy as well :)

ToWriteForLove; I like them as well! I feel like it provides writers with a little more leeway as well, seeing as they don't have to abide by Thomas' storyline. Newtly loves you too, as do I, and I hope you keep reading :)

DoveLuxe; Thank you so much, update is here! :)

DancerOfDanger; Impulsive and stubborn Charly does as impulsive and stubborn Charly wants when it comes to taking care of people and seeing that they're okay - an admirable trait most of the time, but not always the most practical or logical. I really liked the dynamic of her and Gally, and I definitely think it's important to capture all the relationships present as opposed to just the one between the two love interests. It means a lot, so I thank you! :)

And now we continue with the cliffhanger...

Shouts and bellows were drowned out as adrenaline flooded through her body, the thud of her footsteps on the grass shifting to boots pounding against pavement. All she could focus on was the figure at the end of of the stretch of corridor, now dragging himself across the ground. She closer she got, the better she could see his horribly disfigured knee.

Charly was ten feet away from the boy before she felt a fist grab hold of her shirt and yank her backwards, knocking her to the ground.

"No!" she shrieked, her voice breaking as she whipped her head around. There Newt stood, both fists clamped around her arm, dragging her back towards the doors. Fully enraged, his eyes were filled with such animosity that she was surprised he didn't lash out at her right then and there. Charly kicked, clawing at the ground with her one free hand in a futile effort to reach the boy, who now had given up on screaming. His eyes were almost vacant as his last hope of survival was dragged slowly away.

Charly thrashed against Newt's grip, fighting her way up to her feet only to be grabbed roughly around the waist and thrown over his shoulder. It was over. She stopped resisting, Finn at the end of the corridor becoming smaller and smaller with every step.

She could feel the ground tremble as the doors began to close, but within seconds she and Newt had collapsed onto the patchy grass of the Glade. Charly didn't dare turn around. She couldn't bear to watch Finn anymore. She stared at the ground, panting as the doors slid thunderously together, leaving the Glade in a sickening silence that seemed to last hours. No one moved.

"We could have saved him," Charly spoke softly, her voice distant and empty. Newt got to his feet and she slowly raised her head, glaring at him with…well, she didn't know what. Mistrust, a vile fury, horror, or some combination of the three.

"We could have saved him! He was right there!" she screamed, voice breaking, but Newt just stared back at her. The gladers had all averted their eyes, some staring at the ground while some shutting them tightly. Though she addressed the group, Charly's eyes were focused on the blonde boy before her, and if looks could kill, he would've had a dagger lodged in his chest. Or seven. Her eyes bore into Newt's, whose remained stone cold.

"We did what we could," spat Newt, his eyes cold and still venomously angry. His words were forced through gritted teeth, clearly attempting to mask the extent of his fury. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alby take half a step forward, arms tensed and fists clenched by his sides.

"No you didn't," Charly said, her voice now dangerously low. "You stood there and watched him die." She stood, turning to look at the gladers who still refused to look her in the eye, her voice rising once again, desperately searching for some sort of reaction that showed they still possessed an ounce of compassion. "You let this happen, all of you!"

"No, we were being smart!" Newt had began to shout, matching Charly's tone. "What the hell were you thinking, greenie? What if a shuck griever was around the corner? You don't know what the hell is in there."

"But he was-"

"You don't know what the hell is in there!" Newt yelled, some of the gladers wincing as he advanced towards Charly. It was fear that now flickered behind his eyes, deeply-rooted and almost concerned.

"It's not worth getting yourself killed," he finished firmly. Charly didn't let herself falter.

"But there wasn't a griever there, was there?! It was just Finn. Finn, who was part of this family, your own brother."

"You don't understand. It's never safe in there, not during the day, not during the night. You broke a rule."

"To save a life! Why is that fact so hard to get past?!"

"Because even though you ran off into there for Finn, you left all of us back here. We would have lost two people, not just one. Your recklessness and inflated ego wouldn't have only cost you your own life, it would have cost us part of ours as well." His words stung.

Newt paused, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"You. Never set another foot in that maze again, do you hear me?"

"Don't tell me what to do," Charly seethed. Newt stepped closer to her, his voice now a venomous whisper.

"Do you know what you did to me when you tore off into that bloody thing?" His eyes lowered into hers as he bit his bottom lip, shaking his head. "How was I supposed to let you go?"

His voice broke as he spoke the last words, sadness creeping into his sparkling eyes. Charly felt as though her heart had been ripped straight from her chest, leaving a gaping cavern of emptiness deep within her. She clenched her jaw as tears began to well up in her eyes, forcing herself to not break her stare.

"I can't be a concern to you. Not here, not now. You know that. It can't happen." She spoke slowly, each word like a sword to her gut, digging deep into her. Newt's resulting expression was the thing that pushed it to the hilt.

"I can't bear..you in there, I can't…" But he fumbled with the words, knitting his brows together in distress. He pursed his lips together, searching for something within his mind, only to turn swiftly on his heel and stalked off, pushing surrounding gladers aside.

Alby yelled into the silence, dismissing the group with curt orders. She could see him walking towards her slowly, but didn't care to look up.

"It's the slammer for you tonight. No gathering needed."

Charly did not protest as Gally walked over and took her roughly by the wrists, directing her over to the slammer. She had seen it only a few times before; a tiny hut sunken into the ground, surrounded by concrete walls aside from one face, which spouted iron bars that stretched up to the thatched roof. Charly wanted to mouth off, to try and declare just how unfair this situation was, but she couldn't. She had nothing left to say and no desire to speak out, nor did she think she could get mad at Gally. Not after everything he'd been through.

She rethought her decision, however, as he wordlessly opened the gate and gestured for her to get in, unceremoniously slamming the metal behind her. Charly looked up at him wide-eyed, but he simply fastened the padlock wearing the same emotionally vacant expression.

"Gally.." she started, looking up to him, concerned.

"When you're here, you listen to Alby," he stated, shoving the keys back into his pocket. "I'll be back in the morning. Night, greenie." It was the moment that he walked away without a second glance that Charly truly felt abandoned. She backed into the rock surrounding her cell, sliding down the jagged surface until she came to rest on the floor or cool, damp earth.

The sky had quickly darkened into the starless night sky. The lamps surrounding the Homestead, while normally exuding warmth and comfort, now cast a strange and unfamiliar glow. The shadows of the cell bars stripped across her face and danced unsettlingly along the back wall. If being trapped in the Glade was not limiting enough, being trapped within the Glade was suffocating. She thought back to the animals in their enclosure.

Trapped. Trapped in her cell, trapped in the glade, trapped in this still unfamiliar body surrounded by unfamiliar people and faced with unfamiliar obstacles. She yearned for something she knew…anything. The worn leather cover of 1984 flashed across her memory and brought tears to her eyes. She didn't stifle them, leaving clean tracks across her face matted with dirt. It was only when she heard muffled footsteps approaching that she hastily wiped them away.

It was Minho. His face, although she expected it to match that of Alby's and Newt's, was friendly as it lit up in the dim glow of the lone hanging lantern. She made a half-hearted attempt to return the grin before pulling her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly and bringing her chin to rest on her forearms. Minho leaned up casually against the bars of the cell.

"I appreciate what you did back there, in the maze," he said after a few moments of silence, and Charly looked up at him, stunned. "I know there are rules and all, we need them, but…I know how it feels." He slumped to the ground, the glow illuminating his face flickering as the flame burned.

"I'm their keeper. I know what it's like more than anyone to lose people. Shuck, I spend all day with those bloody shanks, they're like my brothers. And we've lost four." His gaze fell to the ground. "It doesn't get easier. If anything, gets harder. And in the real world, maybe things could be different. But this isn't the real world. This is how things have to be."

Charly fiddled with the one remaining sleeve of her jumper as Minho looked up and met her gaze once again. "I'm sorry," she said softly, trying to put as much sincerity in the two words as she possibly could. Minho nodded in thanks.

"I was stupid out there." She shook her head as Newt's words invaded her mind. "It was too risky, he was right, I just...he needed help, I felt like I had to."

"You were brave out there, you know. Buggin' insane, but brave. If you weren't already a shucking good med-jack I'd have made you a runner right then and there, but I think a couple of people would have my head if I did." He smiled and, through her tear-stained cheeks, Charly did as well.

"Well, I can think of one." Her smile was short-lived, grabbing a handful of loose dirt and sifting it through her fingers. She couldn't erase the look in Newt's eyes from her memory; the way they seemed to pierce right through her skin, the way his jaw was clenched and tensed arms trembled with rage, fists balled together. The way she had felt so safe in those arms the night before, those hands stroking her hair and embracing her own.

"He cares about you, you know." Minho's cool voice interrupted her thoughts. "A lot."

"Yeah?" Charly scoffed with a laugh, her tone bitter. "You were there with us about an hour ago, right?"

"You don't understa-"

"Minho, please don't tell me that, I -"

"Charly," he insisted, clutching one of the bars with his fist. "Please, trust me when I say that the guy has been through a lot. It was a point where we weren't sure whether he cared about a shuck thing." He paused.

"Not so sure that's the case anymore."

"Charly smiled, feeling a comforting warmth fill her entire chest. Minho chuckled at her reddening cheeks before getting to his feet with a sigh.

"I know that boy like the back of my hand, trust me on that. Something's up, and we know something's up with you too." Charly sighed and ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

"We're fighting for our lives right here. There's no time for romance."

"Hey, never said what you two had was romantic," he shrugged, walking backwards towards the Homestead. "But I never said it wasn't love. Night, greenie."

"Charly felt a pang in her chest. Not because the statement had caused her pain, but because she had never heard someone sum up her chaotic feelings as well as Minho had just done. The words she had been searching for internally for so long now seemed so clear, so obvious.

Charly only had a handful of knowledge from her past life. She could list off animals, had a competent vocabulary, and figured that if there were a bike near, she would know exactly how to ride it. She knew what she thought love was supposed to be. Love was giggling and kissing and fondue dates and stargazing, parading around with your significant other proudly on your arm. It was intimate moments made blatant and memories painted in perfect brushstrokes. And Charly suddenly knew that was all wrong.

Because Newt had reached into her and torn her open from the inside out and made her more vulnerable than she ever feared she would be. He had got inside her, smacked her awake, tore down her walls and forced her to grow and change and learn. He was the mirror that allowed her to look at herself in a different light, who by loving her gave her strength and through loving him gave her courage. She was enthralled by the way he crinkled his eyes when he smiled and the way he refused to let her leave the bed this morning. And she knew he was far from perfect, that she was as well, and that together they were perhaps further than they each were respectively. She knew that she couldn't imagine being so wonderfully imperfect with anyone else.

She knew that was what love was. She knew that she loved Newt.

What a horribly inconvenient time to fall so dismally, so despairingly, so absolutely in love.

That chapter was a bit of an emotional roller coaster. I would be lying if I said I didn't cry once or twice in the process of writing it. I'm not going to say much here; I don't think there's much I could say without taking away from that ending. Look back on Tuesday or Wednesday for the next update.

As always, please follow and review - I love hearing how you guys feel about TOGT as the storyline progresses. Love you all.

Chapter Soundtrack

Two Swords, Ramin Djawadi ( watch?v=AViJIXo5Kbg)

Moving On, Varèse Sarabande ( watch?v=J5wOHIi7xCU)

*My reviewer "Descending" had some amazing questions that they wanted answered in their last review, and I have left them up there in the review section if you skimmed over that. They were pretty great, so if you have questions of your own or simply want to know more, I would absolutely recommend scrolling up and taking a look!