published : february 15, 2023

Y/N POV

1 week later...

My eyes opened suddenly after seeing nothingness for what felt like eternity. They adjusted to the light as I noticed I was in a small wooden room. I was laid on a quite comfortable mattress. 

I sat up from my sleeping position, looking down at my torso. I was wrapped in bandages and was in new clothing. A white mid length sleeved shirt fit me perfectly, along with tan cargos. 

I stood up, making sure to catch my balance. Where was I?

I swung the door open looking out. A small breeze hitting my face. The world around me was peaceful, chatter was heard, but mostly the shore hitting the land. 

It was beautiful. Like a dream. I did a full circle, looking at all of the different things beside me. As I turned my head to the right a little, I was able to see a group of people, all tending to different things. There were large drapes of fabric as well. 

I walked closer to the little village, my eyes rendering in to the distance. People stood up from their tasks as they stared at me as I walked by. Vince and I made eye contact as he gave me a smile. 

Further down, I noticed Minho sitting with a blond headed boy who had his back turned to me. I smiled at the sight of Minho, one of my closest friends were okay. He seemed to have realized someone was staring at him as he looked up from a stock of corn that he was shucking.

His eyes widened as they met mine, making him stand up from his spot and drop the corn.

"Y/N!" Minho said as he ran over to me, engulfing me in a large hug.

The blond turned his head towards me, our eyes meeting.

"Newt." I breathed as my eyes softened. Minho let go of me, giving me space.

"Y/N" Newt said aloud, walking over to me slowly.

"Am I dreaming?" I asked as I held his hand in mine to make sure he was real.

"No, no you're not" He said as he let out a laugh.

"Newt!" I shouted as I hugged him tightly. "Oh my god, I thought I lost you" I said as my head was burrowed into his shoulder.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Love" He replied.

More people made their way around us. I looked into Newt's eyes. They were filled with emotion and weren't lifeless.

"Y/N..." Newt whispered quietly.

"Yeah?" I asked.

He didn't even respond. Instead, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Newt's body came closer to mine, making my heart and mind race. Our body was inches apart until there was no space between us. Our lips were pushed against each other lightly, both of excited for this moment. A moment we've been waiting for, possibly for forever. I pulled away slowly, looking straight into his eyes.

"I thought I had loved you too late" I said to him.

"I thought you didn't love me at all" Newt laughed.

I kissed him again, this time with more passion as he held my waist and I held the back of his neck. 

"Woo! That's my boy!" I heard Minho shout from behind me, making Newt and I laugh, breaking out kiss.

I turned to face Minho who stood with Brenda and Thomas, looking like a proud dad.

"Oh shut up Minho" Newt said as he threw a rock from the floor at the boy. Minho dodged it with ease.

- - - -

Everyone sat around a large campfire that we had set up. The group sat together, including Teresa who talked to Thomas.

"We have come a long way together!" Vince said aloud. "So many have sacrificed. So much to make this place possible. Your friends. Your family! So here's to the ones that couldn't join us tonight" Vince said as he held up a cup.

We all followed his lead, holding up our own cups and mugs.

"Here's to the friends we lost. This place is for you. It's for all of us. But this, this is for them" he said as he pointed to a thick piece of stone. 

"So in your own time... In your own way, come make your peace"

Vince held a knife in his hand as he stabbed it into a piece of wood, leaving the knife for us to take when we felt ready to write the names of loved ones.

"And welcome to the Safe Haven!" 

All of us cheered from the top of our lungs. We were free. We were away from Wicked. Away from the Flare.

I held onto Newt's hand beside me as we exchanged smiles. 

"Oh you must be freezing" Newt said as he pulled off his jacket that he wore in the Cranks tunnel and basically all throughout the Scorch.

"Thank you" I said happily. "C'mon! let's go write!" I yelled as I began pulling him with me. 

The stone was lit brightly by the fire as I watched people engrave the names of their loved ones. All of the names were different and unique.

I held the knife in my hand, thinking long and hard about who to put down. Instantly, I thought of Winston. The boy who risked his life so we could live. 

I stepped backwards to admire the writing before being pulled away by Newt.

"I didn't want to give you this, but I think you should have it. So you know how I feel" Newt said as he gave me folded up pieces of paper.

I watched as he joined the rest of his friends around the campfire, all of them joking around and playing with each other. It reminded me of the Glade, except we were free. We didn't have to worry about Grievers or the doors closing. Instead, there were no Grievers, and the doors we had now, were open, leaving us free to the world.

I slowly opened the folded pieces of paper, admiring the beauty that Newt had written. How neat and elegant his handwriting was. 

Dear Y/N, 

This is the first letter I can remember writing. Of course I don't remember writing any before the maze, but even if it's not my first, it's most likely to be one of my last. 

I want you to know that I'm not scared. Well not of dying anyways, it's more of forgetting. Forgetting myself. And forgetting you. I don't want to forget our memories we've had together or the memories I've made with the others. That's what scares me.

So, every night I've been thinking back to the nights in the Glade. Where I thought we were safe from the Grievers. Or our first night in the Scorch, when I held you close to my body, afraid to death that if I didn't hold onto you, a Crank would come and steal you from my grasp. When I think of you, all of these memories just come flooding back to me.

The small things, like the way the sun used to hit the Glade at the perfect moment, right before it hit the walls and I remember running through the maze with Minho, like we weren't even stuck in a maze. 

And I remember you. I remember the first day you came into the box, just a scared little Greenie. You held me at knife point. But from that very moment where you ran into the maze after Thomas, I knew that I cared for you, but not the way I cared for every other boy in the Glade. I stayed up all night, waiting and praying that you would return without being hurt.Til this day, Y/N, I still care about you, but even more now. We all care about you. 

If I had to do it all again, I would, and I wouldn't change a thing. My hope for you is that when you're looking back, years from now, you'll be able to say the same thing. 

The future is in your hands now, Y/N, and I know that you will find a way to make things right, you always have. Take care of everyone for me, but most importantly take care of yourself. You deserve to be happy, to feel loved.

I wish I could've said this sooner, but I've realized how I felt about you. I've liked you since the minute you woke up in that cot. You'll always hold a special place in my heart.

Thank you Y/N, thank you for being my first love.

Goodbye Y/N,

Newt

A/N : hey! I MESSED UP MY EVERYDAY STREAK WITH POSTING. but i hope you all enjoyed this chapter. thank you for all the reads!!!