"Well isn't this a happy reunion." A voice called out from behind them, breaking the startled silence that had spread amongst the four. Minho jogged his way over to the group his hair standing on end. His face covered in a layer of soot and grime. It looked like the three boys had all had a rough night. It had been impossible for her to ignore the terrifying sounds of the Grievers outside the Slammer walls. Being inside the enclosed concrete walls did little to ease Sadie's worries. In fact it had made everything seem worse, she couldn't run she wouldn't have had enough space to come up with a plan or escape. But she'd have to reminisce about that later because Sadie's head was too busy swimming in confusion. The maps are gone? How can they be gone, who would burn the map room? But more importantly who would stay out at night and burn the map room? "Nice to see you Sadie, but shouldn't the other one be locked up?"
"Give it a rest, she's out and she is staying out." Thomas growled crossing his arms stubbornly.
"We don't even know her. How can we trust her?" Minho pointed out while Teresa's expression soured, but Sadie wasn't really paying attention. She was too busy watching a trail of smoke slink into the gray sky.
"Oh c'mon Minho, we can trust her!"
"He has a point Tommy."
"She practically admitted to shucking everything up Thomas, we should just throw her back in the Slammer while we have the chance.
"Why don't you-"
"Or-" Sadie interjected her temper flaring at the bickering trio, "Why don't you all shut up so we can focus on the real problem." The boys instantly quieted down and turned towards her. She pointed in the direction of the Map Room, right where the trail of smoke led. "What's going on Minho? What happened to the Map Room?" Minho and Newt shared a look, Minho looked confused and slightly disapproving while Newt shrugged apologetically and nodded. "You know, if I wanted to watch two people speak telepathically I'd just stare at Thomas and Teresa for an hour. Shucking spill it already." Minho sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly, it looked like he hadn't gotten enough sleep in awhile. But Sadie couldn't muster it up in herself to feel sympathetic for him, they were all just as tired and she was still fed up with the secrets the two had obviously been keeping.
"Well since your boyfriend hasn't already told you, the Map room was set on fire. Someone went out in the middle of the night and knocked Alby out, hit his head against a table and torched the whole freaking building. Winston noticed and some shanks put it out, but all the trunks are gone." Thomas stepped forward his face grim and his jaw clenched.
"But some of the Runners must remember at least some of the maps right. We need them. We've been looking at them all wrong." He quickly explained their theory to Minho Sadie and Teresa filling in their own thoughts on the code along the way. Minho's face grew more thoughtful as they ran through their idea. "But if I'm right, it won't work without the maps." Newt ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, like Thomas and Sadie were still being left out on an obvious joke.
"The maps aren't destroyed Tommy. They're safe, every last one of 'em." Sadie had to do a double take at Newt's words; it seemed to good to be true.
"Wait. What?" Thomas asked his brow furrowed in confusion.
"We hid them." Minho explained in exasperation. "Alby gave us a warning so we stashed them all in the weapons room and put some decoys in their place." Sadie was so relieved she felt like singing, which would have been awful. She wasn't sure how, but she knew for a fact that she was a terrible singer.
"Then what the shuck are we waiting for?" Sadie grabbed onto Newt's hand and took off in the direction of Homestead, Minho, Thomas, and Teresa running after them as she led the way to the weapons room.
Sadie opened the door like she always did. By kicking it open. And Newt and Minho led the rest inside the dank and creepy storage room. Knives and other unfriendly looking weapons glinted in the dim light as they made their way towards the back of the room. Newt helped Minho tug the hidden closet open and drag the boxes full of maps out. They scraped against the floor with an awful fingernails on a chalkboard screech, but to Newt they sounded like angels singing. He couldn't believe it, all this time they'd been comparing them all wrong, if Thomas was right, and Newt had the growing suspicion that he was, then they'd finally done it. After all his time spent in the Maze, after jumping off the bloody wall, after all he'd been through, they were finally going to find a way out. And he'd make sure that Sadie was by his side for the whole thing.
Thomas pulled some Section Two maps into his lap and mumbled out their theories again. Minho listened with an intense interest as he helped Sadie and Newt sort through the piles of maps, trying to re-organize them into sections again. The other girl stood awkwardly over Newt's shoulder her eyes focused on Thomas as she wrung her hands nervously.
"Well, come on then, we ain't gonna bite. Grab a pile and help Tommy out… Teresa." Newt offered waving the girl over trying his best to look semi-friendly and approving.
"Thank you Newt." Sadie whispered next to him, her hand reaching out to give his a quick squeeze before going back to sorting through a box. Newt still didn't trust the girl, he was still suspicious about her all the way down into his gut. But Sadie trusts her, and that has to mean something.
"Wax paper." Thomas blurted out, his arms shooting up to hold two overlapping maps up against the light leaking into the dingy weapons room from the doorway.
"What?" Minho asked scooting closer to Thomas to peer up at the two maps in confusion.
"Just trust me we need wax paper, scissors, and black markers, and lots of them."
Once the supplies had been gathered, much to Frypan's annoyment, Thomas had Minho cut out rectangles of wax paper while Newt, Sadie, and Teresa gathered the first ten maps from each section.
"This better be shucking good Thomas, I don't want to have gone through this 'arts and crafts' klunk for nothing." Minho warned as he tried to cut the wax paper with a large knife. Newt saw Sadie grab what looked like her combat boot and toss it at his head with a resounding thud. "Ow! Damnit Sadie what was that for?"
"Oh quit your whining and woman up Minho, we've got work to do." Newt chuckled to himself as Minho muttered obscenities towards Sadie under his breath while he sliced through the wax paper with more vigor. Once they had cut twenty or so pieces Tommy instructed them all to trace each map over the wax paper.
"And be sure to write all the information at the top."
They set to work, all of them hustling against the clock while also trying to keep their map outlines neat and correct. After they had gone through two boxes Newt's fingers were aching and he was starting to question whether or not the plan would actually work. But after looking up from what felt like his hundredth map he saw Sadie pouring over her work feverishly. Her eyes shinning in anticipation as her brow crinkled ever so slightly and her lips pursed in concentration. This is going to work. Newt reminded himself as he returned to his maps. It has to.
"For shucks sake Thomas is this enough?" Sadie finally asked her fingers felt numb and stiff as she set down her black marker and pushed the maps away in distaste. Looking at the maps for so long had started to make her dizzy and irritable. Even more so than usual anyways.
"Yeah, that should do it." Thomas mumbled rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. "Can you guys sort them into piles by the most recent days, Sections one through eight starting here?" The Gladers nodded and sorted through the piles anxiously. Sadie could feel her heart thudding against her chest as she handed the maps for day one to Thomas. Please let this work. She pleaded moving over to stand next to Thomas to watch as the lines overlapped into what look like a grid.
And there it was, clear as day. A giant F made up of intersecting and overlapping lines took shape on the papers. And Sadie felt her face break into a smile as everyone released the breath they couldn't remember holding in the first place.
"Quick, do more." Teresa urged her hands flying towards the piles of maps as they all began to stack different days together and find new words spelled out in the pages.
An, F, L, O, A, and T were quickly revealed. Then as they moved on to even more maps the letters C, A, T, C, and H where uncovered much to Sadie's and Thomas's delight.
"Float and catch?" Newt mused as they all hovered over the newly formed letters. "We have to keep going, get through all of 'em."
"Maybe you guys do but we," Minho interjected, motioning to Thomas, Sadie, and himself. "Can't the Maze doors are open and we need to go running. Stay out overnight if we have to." Everyone's head snapped up in shock and they all glowered at Minho.
"You can't be serious man. You said it yourself the pattern repeats itself and besides doing this, figuring out the code is way more important!" Thomas objected gesturing towards the piles of maps.
"That is such bullshit Thomas. Running in the Maze has never been more important. We need to get out there and see if something's changed, check out the Griever Hole and stay out over night." Thomas still didn't seem convinced but Sadie could see it from Minho's point of view, and if she had to trace one more freaking map Sadie swore she would scream.
"I'll gather up some other trustworthy Gladers to help us out on the project while you three go out." Newt added.
"I'll stay and help too." Teresa said her eyes meeting Sadie's with a serious and determined gleam.
"Good that, lets get our asses in gear and go then." Sadie sighed in relief and nodded wrapping her arms around Newt's neck as she pulled him into a deep kiss. She felt him smile against her lips as his hand cupped her chin.
"Stay safe love." He mumbled, as she pulled away, a hint of worry in his voice.
"Don't worry I will." Sadie responded trying to give him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I mean come on it is me we're talking about." Newt smiled and ruffled her hair.
"Good that."
"Oh and Newt?" Sadie mumbled turning to look back at him as she made her way towards the door. "I- I lo- I mean… I'll see you in the morning." She muttered stumbling over her words in embarrassment before turning to go and jog off after Minho and Thomas.
The trio packed their bags to the bursting point with supplies. There was no telling how long they'd be out there or when they'd get back. Sadie was surprised by the number of Runners that had shown up to go out into the Maze with them, even non- Runners had volunteered to help, even little Chuck had bravely stated that he'd run if they needed him to. It was enough to make Sadie feel a sudden rush of warmth for all of the Gladers. Sure she didn't know all of them personally, and no doubt a few of them probably still didn't trust her, but like she had told Chuck, they were all a family, they were all connected.
Sadie flashed back to the dreams she'd had of her and those girls. In the dreams she was almost always with the two named Sonya and Harriet or pestering the tall girl she called Amy. Were we like this? Like a family? Sadie wondered as they all geared up together, each boy shaking hands with or even hugging their fellow Gladers as they prepared to enter the Maze for what very well may be their last time.
Well hello there my lovely readers. Im sorry I havent written in god I dont even know how long. I made a list of excuses some including the fact that I didn't have time, someone borrowed *cough* stole *cough* my TMR copy, and school is kind of kicking my but, blah blah blah. But anyways i'm back now and Im going to try and at least get a chapter out to you guys ONCE A WEEK. I'll write it on my forehead if I have to! Anyways thank you for reading and sticking with Sadie and Newt, if you have any questions/ comments or anything nice to say (because it's always nice to hear) please feel free to comment, or not whatever.
Thank you and sorry it took me so shucking long, anyways I'll see you guys (metaphorically) next week.