"You can talk to him, but just for a little while," Newt whispered and squeezed my shoulder. I nodded and jumped down into the Slammer, where Ben was. Still alive and conscious, but weak and different.

"Lizzy, please. Please help me," Ben moaned and spat out a mouthful of blood. It killed me to see him like that, but I couldn't let myself cry. Not again.

"Ben," I frowned and cupped his face in my hands. "Ben."

"I'm sorry," I said after a while. "I always said that I'd protect you, and I failed. Shuck it. I failed miserably."

"It was never your job to protect me," Ben replied.

Ben yanked his head away from me and started to cry. "What have I done, Lizzy? What have I done?" I knelt down in front of him and placed a hand on his cheek. He sobbed harder and hung his head.

"Hey," I whispered and turned his face towards mine. "I'm going to get you out of this, Ben. I promise. You'll get better and you'll be my Ben again and we'll be happy. I know it." I wiped away the tears that had started to fall and kissed his cheek.

"No."

"What?" I almost gasped and my eyes widened.

"No. I think it'll be better if I'm banished, Lizzy. I'm not right in the mind. I'm crazy half of the time. Lizzy, oh my shucking god, I tried to kill you and Thomas! I may have seen Thomas in my dreams, but I never would have killed him. It's not safe for you anymore, if I'm here," Ben finally said, and released a shaky breath.

"No!" I yelled and started to cry. "No! You promised me that we…we…no…"

"Look at me Lizzy," Ben whispered and wrapped a hand around my chin. "I…I…am scared of what lies in the Maze. Trust me. I do. And when they banish me…I will be a different person. Okay? But, I don't want you to stop them. I…I may be scared of the Maze, but I'm more scared of hurting you."

Ben smiled at me and pulled me into his lap, "I will always love you, Lizzy. Don't you ever forget that."

"I love you too," I cried and kissed him. And he held me in his arms as I cried until Newt called for me and took me away from the only boy that I had ever truly loved.

Thomas's POV:

He sighed and started to approach Lizzy, who sat at one of the kitchen tables with a blank expression on her face.

"Hi," he said and sat down across from her. She said nothing but nodded her head a little to inform him that she knew he was there. "Look, Lizzy. I'm really sorry." The girl shook her tangled brown hair out of her face and glanced up at him. He hated to see the girl in pain, Thomas had felt a certain connection to her ever since he'd arrived.

"It's not your fault, Thomas," Lizzy said, her voice hoarse and tired. "It's mine for not being able to protect him."

Thomas sighed, "Lizzy, don't think like that. It's not your fault. Trust me. You can't keep everyone safe, no matter how hard you try."

After a long awkward silence, Lizzy smiled, "Huh, some pep talk." Thomas laughed for what seemed like the first time in a while and smiled.

"You're not so bad, Greenie," she sighed.

"You're not so bad yourself," he replied and grinned. There chat was interrupted by Chuck who was clearly upset.

Lizzy stood up immediately and grasped Chuck's shoulder. It was clear that she cared about the young boy a lot. "Chuck? What is it?" Lizzy asked.

Chuck closed his eyes and sighed, "It's Ben. He's about to be banished." Thomas tensed up as Lizzy started muttering and gasping and shaking her head.

"No!" she screamed and took off running to the Maze doors.

Lizzy's POV:

I took off running to the Maze doors, pushing myself harder and harder to save Ben. They couldn't banish him. I would not allow them to.

"Stop!" I heard Thomas shout as he and Chuck ran after me. I ignored them and barreled through the gathered crowd until Newt plowed into me and tackled me to the ground.

"Get off of me," I snarled and pushed Newt away.

Alby ran up to us and said, "Calm down, Lizzy. You knew that this could happen. So did Ben. I know that you are sad and terrified, but this has got to happen. Ben may be the boy that he used to be, but he is also the boy that was stung by a Griever and attacked YOU and THOMAS."

"No!" I yelled and shoved them away. "Ben!" I cried out when I saw Minho dragging him towards us with a grim expression. "Stop it, Minho!"

"Please, Lizzy! Help me!" Ben cried as Minho pushed him to the floor. Newt started to pull me away, but I yanked my arm away from him.

"Stop it, Lizzy," I heard someone say and saw Thomas next to me.

"You don't know a god damn thing," I growled and started for Ben again. Thomas pulled me back and wrapped his arms around me.

"Lizzy! Help me!" Ben started to sob and spat up blood. I struggled against Thomas, but he was surprisingly strong.

Alby took a step forward and said, "You brought this on yourself, Ben." The leader of the Glade shook his head and ordered for the Keepers to start forward with their long wooden rods that had a t-shape at the end.

I started shaking when Ben pleaded, "Please, Alby. I swear I was just sick in the head from the Changing. I never would've killed them. I just lost my mind for a second. Please, Alby, please." Alby didn't respond; the dark skinned leader only stepped back and frowned.

"NO STOP!" I screeched and started to cry. Thomas muttered a few words but I couldn't even hear them. Ben almost brightened up when he saw me, as if he thought I could save him from some terrible fate.

"Lizzy. I thought you loved me. I though that you'd protect me. You lied to me! You never loved me!" Ben screamed at me, but started to scramble around when the Maze doors started to creak shut and the Keepers closed in.

"No! No! No!" I gasped and tried to pull myself away from Thomas. Somehow, he let go of me and lead me to Newt's comforting arms.

"No," I moaned and rested my head against the blonde boy's chest.

"Sh," Newt whispered and held me to him as I cried.

"Lizzy!" I heard Ben scream and shook my head, burying myself into Newt's shirt. He hugged me and whispered to me that it was going to be alright. When the doors finally slammed shut, with one last bloodcurdling scream from Ben, I finally had stopped crying. Newt carried me to his hammock and told me to rest, but I didn't say anything. I lied there on the hammock, singing a short song that I somehow had remembered.

Teddy bear, Teddy bear,

Touch the ground.

Teddy bear, Teddy bear,

Turn around.

Teddy bear, Teddy bear,

Show your shoe.

Teddy bear, Teddy bear,

That will do.

Teddy bear, Teddy bear,

Run upstairs.

Teddy bear, Teddy bear,

Say your prayers.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear,

Blow out the light.

Teddy bear, Teddy bear,

Say goodnight.