A/N: Hey, sorry about the lack of Wednesday updates,, we both have TONS of coursework, any British people over the age of 15 will know what we mean, but we're are hoping to keep the Sunday updates regular. So this chapter has been planned for some time now and we hope you like it, please follow and review! thanks ~ Emma and Sarah

Flo PoV

Lizzy's trial had replaced my moodiness with worry that had now turned to relief. I wished she would be more careful, her rebellious nature would catch up with her one day, I was sure of it. For now there was nothing to do but talk to her. My anger had subsided I could see that I had been a bit irrational and I would regret not talking to her now.

I saw Lizzy over by the grove. She was most likely setting up for the night and so I grabbed a sleeping bag to join her.

She looked up as I approached her but she didn't say anything. Great. A few awkward moments passed as I started to lay out my sleeping bag.

"Lizzy I'm sorry," I said, finally managing to get it out, "I shouldn't have shouted at you earlier and-"

"It's okay"

"I know but… wait what?"

"It's okay, you think I don't see how often you look at Newt. The guy's an idiot not to have noticed. Seriously you spend your whole day gawking at him and when you're not, he's staring at you. The pair of you are so annoying, it's actually painful,"

I could feel the flush of red spreading to my cheeks. Lizzy wrapped her arm around my neck and pulled me into a playful hug laughing at me.

"It's that obvious?"

"Well no more obvious than, I don't know, the walls collapsing in on each other!"

"Shit. No but seriously I can hardly talk to him normally without blushing, I don't have your confidence,"

"You do realise that it was more of an 'I'm about to die, fuck this shit' than a romantic walk in the woods,"

"Yeah, but…"

"No more excuses dummy, it's about time you admit this to yourself, you're hung up,"

"Bloody am, aren't I?"

"Mm-hmm, and it's not like you can just work with him, because who even knows what he does?"

"Speaking of jobs, I've only got two more days left,"

"What are you leaning towards?"

"Well out of Builders, Track-hoes, Baggers and Blood house, I guess Track-hoes was the lesser of the evils,"

"Wait when did you do Baggers?"

"The day after you were in the Maze,"

"Oh, was it worth missing them?"

"Completely,"

We settled down to sleep, talking and laughing as if it hadn't happened. That's how things had to be in the Glade. Grudges couldn't be held because we knew that any of us could die at any point, if a Griever decided to come past the walls. I guess normal life is the same, you never know how long you've got with someone, but when it's staring you in the face, it's hard to ignore.

Lizzy PoV

Having slept off my anger and annoyance I woke feeling relieved that I had not been thrown out of the glade. I may have been able to survive a night in the maze, but banishment? No.

It was five-thirty and Flo was still sleeping like a rock, the lucky shank. I headed over to the doors and waited for Thomas. I had not had a restful night that night; sleep never came easily to me except after running in the maze but last night I was still on edge.

Thomas came over about ten minutes later as I was terrorising another piece of grass by tearing it right down the middle.

"You okay?" He asked nervously,

"Yeah, fine," My answer came quickly and easily and provoked suspicion in Thomas face. I tried to brush it off, "Well shall we get going then?"

"The doors haven't opened…"

Well shit.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Just shaken up I guess,"

"Hey, it's okay, after that no one will even try to get near you! I'm even slightly scared," He joked wrapping one arm around me and squeezing me in a half-hug.

"I guess,"

"And next time I promise I'll be there,"

I looked up into his eyes and saw that he really meant it, "I don't know why you're blaming yourself for this," My comment caught him off guard,

"What? Well I mean… I just… It's not like I think I could have handled it better, it's just that I feel like I let you down not being there,"

"You can't trail me around everywhere I go," The doors cracked open signalling it was time to go,

"No, during the day that's your job," he winked at me,

"Dickhead," I muttered under my breath,

"Hey I could just run off without you,"

"Like you could lose me,"

"Think you could outrun me then?"

"You bet," I said suddenly taking off into the maze at my full speed,

"Hey that's cheating!" I heard him call from behind me,

I laughed as I ran taking random turns through the maze and when I could no longer see him, I hid in the vines. He stopped just a short distance in front of me and called out my name. I broke free from the vines and tried to run in the opposite direction but his reflexes were faster than I gave him credit for and his arms soon closed around my waist. I mock screamed and we both laughed. He pressed his lips to my head as we stood there, his arms wrapped around me.

"I thought we could go to the griever hole again today, you know work out the height and width,"

"Sounds like a plan, but I think I know the way vaguely from here so no more trailing,"

"Good that,"

When we reached the cliff we spent roughly half an hour just chucking rocks at it and hoping they go in. Some did, some didn't. We didn't know where the edge was until one of my rocks bounced back so hard I had to duck to avoid it.

"What was that? are you okay? Did it hit you?" Thomas was fussing over me when I was clearly okay,

"Thomas, I'm fine. I think I hit the edge of the hole," I chucked another stone where my last had hit but missed dramatically. I heard Thomas laugh next to me.

"Shut up,"

He seamlessly threw a rock and it bounced back at us hitting the exact place I had hit.

"Well now that's just showing off,"

We then tried to throw rocks just above where we had hit but it didn't disappear.
"Try to the right of where you just threw," He did and it vanished. "It's a circle."

"See I have the throwing skills, and you have the brains,"

"Backhanded compliment much?"

"No, we just make a great team," He said planting a kiss on my lips that was well received.

Flo PoV

"Flo... FLO!"

"What! Wha-wha-what's going on?"

"Nothing much, you sleep like a rock don't you," Newt's teasing face looked down on me making me feel self-conscious as I drew my sleeping bag up higher around myself.

"Why did you wake me up? I was having a really good dream about…" shit, "um… never mind,"

"Right… oh and I woke you up early because you're with Frypan today, and that means preparing breakfast."

I looked next to me to find Lizzy's sleeping bag gone,

"Wait what time is it?"

My question was answered by the booming noise of the doors opening. I looked over just in time to see two figures slip through the west doors.

"Breakfast needs to be ready by seven," He said over his shoulder as he walked off to God-knows-where.

The cooks worked on a different schedule to the rest of the Gladers. They started at six (so yeah I was late) and worked till nine then took a two hour break and started to prepare lunch at eleven and worked till three then took another two hour break and worked from five until eight. The best part was you got first picks of the food.

By the end of shift one I was hot sweaty and ready for a break from the small kitchen. I spent my first hour just sitting alone at the edge of the grove picking at a piece of bark.

As I gazed around the Glade I saw it again; halfway up the wall on the North side and mostly covered by ivy. The marks seemed too regular to be just plain weathering and I felt as though I should recognise them somehow.

We still had a good hour left before next shift and it was all I needed.

I jogged across the Glade to the North entrance and looked up. It was much higher than I thought, about twenty feet up and a few paces right of the opening. I quickly looked behind me to check no one was looking and started to scale the wall.

The vines of ivy were thick and strong and easily held my weight. That being said, the Maze walls offered me no grip and I found myself slipping a few times. After a few minutes of hauling myself up the vines, I reached the etching. Making sure my feet were securely planted on the wall (I hadn't come all this way just to stupidly slip and fall) I studied the etchings in front of me.

K.E.D.

What in the world is K.E.D?

I brushed aside the vines to the left and revealed the whole word.

W.I.C.K.E.D.

Memories tried to push to the front of my mind. There were so many I felt as if my head was under attack. I shut my eyes and tried to focus on one but they all stayed just out of reach, like a mental barrier was holding them back, taunting me. I lost my grip on the vines and before I could fully process what was happening I was falling.

Falling. The wind rushing around my head as the ground came up behind me.

I hit the ground, back first, then my head and legs. The wind was forced out of me and I saw black teetering at the edge of my vision. I was aware of someone coming towards me, shouting my name, but the pain was flaring up and I could feel a trickle of blood running down my hairline.

This can't be good.

Someone scooped me up and started jogging, shouting for help. I recognised the voice but in my muddled state I couldn't put a face to him. I tilted my head towards him but before I could focus in on his face the final threads on consciousness snapped and I let myself slip into darkness.

I woke up in a bed with what felt like the world's worst headache and general feeling of being bruised. Everywhere.

"Flo?"

I turned my head to the side and saw a familiar face looking down at me. Newt. He looked worried but there was also something else hidden in his eyes, anger?

"Are you okay? You hit the ground so hard I am sure you have a concussion. Do you want me to get the med-jack?"

"No, I'm fine now, just feeling a bit bruised."

He seemed to relax a bit,

"Do you mind telling me what the bloody hell you were thinking?!"

"Um... I think I saw...something, on the wall so I climbed up to take a closer look. I'm not sure what happened after that."

"That scared me! For a minute there I thought you jumped off on purpose."

"Why would I do that?" I asked suddenly very curious.

"Because... well, because that's what I did when I first came to the Glade."

My confusion must have been evident on my face.

"Back in the beginning, when there were twenty of us, all boys, there were no rules and no order. People were running into the maze and not knowing where they were going. No one who went in made it out, day or night. There aren't very many of us left, the originals. Nick took charge, he had Alby's job, but he died a few days before Thomas and Chuck came up in the box. Anyway, he established the keepers and by this time we had gone through all the supplies and found a few watches allowing us to know when the doors opened and closed. That's when we decided to form the Runners, we would write down our turns and follow them back. I was a Runner in the beginning, before I got my limp. We were still in the first few months and there was still a struggle for power, everyone wanted to be leader. There was no one to explain anything to us, it was all so terrifying not knowing why you were there and having no one to tell you it was normal. I couldn't take it, and I hate myself now for what I did. I was weak and I couldn't handle it like everyone else could. So I tried to kill myself. I climbed up as far as I could manage to in my state; I was so desperate for it all to be over. When I thought I was high enough I jumped." He paused as if forgetting that he was talking to me and fiddling senselessly with the edge of the sheet.

"And somehow survived?" I prompted him,

"Turns out I didn't climb high enough. Alby got to me in time. So when you jumped I... panicked I guess."

I met his eyes and tried to convey what couldn't be said.

He finally added, "I didn't want it to be you."

I had never felt such a strong, compelling sensation before than I had to kiss him right then. I leaned towards him and he met me in the middle. I had been anticipating for this moment longer than I had realised and it wasn't until-

BANG!

"What the hell happened!?"