All the Nori feels! Gosh, I don't know how to feel right now! Anyway, just wanted to thank you all again, you are all fabulous!

Book Question: Do you think Lori will remember what happened in the Maze?

Normal Question: I saw Mockingjay Part 2, and it was sooo good! So, if you've seen it, let me know what you thought!

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Lori returned the kiss, urged on by the need to remember something. To remember him.

Unfortunately, nothing happened. No flashback, no blackouts, no nothing. She pulls away slowly, laying her forehead against his.
"Nothing happened," she chokes out, holding back tears.

Newt sits back so that he can look her in the eyes. "What do you mean that 'nothing happened'? What did you want to happen?"

"I just- I was hoping that if I kissed you, I might remember what WICKED made me forget; but it didn't trigger anything."

"Oh. Well, maybe when we get to the Safe Haven, you can ask them to get your memories back," Newt suggests, taking her hand in his.

Lori smiled weakly, as the truth is illuminated within her mind. The truth about why she couldn't remember the rest of what happened within the Maze.
She realized that she's not ready to. Not yet. Because she knows that if she does, she may not forgive herself for what she did in the Maze.

They sit together as the sun rises upon the Scorch. The boys wake one by one, and the two decide to go check on Thomas.

"Sleep well, Tommy?" Newt asks. "How's that shoulder?"

Thomas sits up, rubbing his eyes, before looking over to the two. "Feels really good, actually - aches a little, but not much. Hard to believe I was hurtin' so bad before."

Newt scans the group of Gladers, then back to Thomas. "Feels like we haven't talked much since leaving the bloody dorm. Not much time to sit around and sip tea, I guess."

Thomas looks over to Lori, but she quickly avoids eye contact, feeling ashamed for kissing Newt so soon after she had been in Thomas' arms. But she knew, deep down, that he had stronger feeling for both Teresa and Brenda, and she didn't want to get any deeper into that mess.

"Yeah," The dark haired boy mutters, looking away from Lori. "I don't see how WICKED can be good."

"What do you mean?" Lori questions.

"Remember what Teresa had written on her arm when she first woke up? Or did you guys even know about that? It said 'WICKED is good'. I'm just finding that hard to believe." The sarcasm in the boy's voice was palpable.

Newt gave an uncertain smile, "Well, they just saved your buggin' life."

"Yeah, they're real saints."

Whilst the three were talking, Brenda began to stir nearby, yawning loudly. "Morning. Or evening. Whatever."

Lori chuckles at the girl, "Just another day alive." Brenda nods, shooting her a small smile in return.

She doesn't seem all that bad, Lori thinks to herself.

Thomas looks between his three friends, "I'm assuming you guys had time to get to know each other? If not, Brenda this is Newt and Lori. Newt and Lori, Brenda."

"Yeah, we know already." Newt stuck his hand out, shaking Brenda's hand mockingly. "But thanks again for making sure this bloody sissy didn't get his butt killed while you two were out partying."

Brenda gave the smallest of smiles, and Lori felt bad, because it doesn't seem like a happy smile. "Partying. Yeah. I especially loved the part where we had people trying to cut our noses off." She looks partially embarrassed, yet still sad, "Guess it wont be long before I'm one of you psychos."

Thomas looks unsure of where to go next. "You're probably not that much farther along than us. Remember that - "

"Yeah, I know," Brenda cuts in. "You guys are gonna take me to the magical cure. I know." Brenda gets up and walks away from the three, not looking back.

They all sit in silence, before Newt leans in towards Thomas, "She your new girlfriend? I'm telling Teresa." With a laugh to himself, Newt gets up and walk away.

Thomas looks up to Lori, but she does not do the same, just walks away before either of them can say anything.

/\/\/\/\/\

As soon as the sun set on the horizon and the moon made its way towards its peak, the Gladers and the rest began to venture. The heat was beginning to cool, but it was still so hot. They all felt it making them sweat.

They mountains grow closer with each step, their rocky formations becoming more defined. They seem so close, yet the length of sparse landscape would disagree.

Lori walks alongside her friends, taking small sips of water from her canteen.

"Been thinkin'," Newt says.

She turns to him with a smirk, "Don't hurt yourself."
The boy gives her a small shove with a chuckle.

Thomas shakes his head at the two. "About what?"

Newt focuses his concentration back on the conversation. "WICKED. Ya know, they broke their own bloody rules with you."

"How's that?"

Lori's eyebrows crease. "He's right. They said there were no rules. Said we had a certain amount of time to get to the safe haven, and that was all. But, there were no rules."

The blonde nods in agreement. "People dying left and right, then they come down in a buggin' monster flying thing and save your butt. Doesn't make sense." He takes a moment, before continuing. "Not that I'm complaining - I'm glad you're alive and all."

"Gee, thanks," Thomas mutters.

"And then there were all those signs in the city. Weird."

Tommy turns to look at Newt, "What, you jealous or something?"

Lori and Newt laugh slightly. She looks over to Thomas, to see that he does not seem as amused.

The blonde shakes his head, "No, you shank. Just dying to know what's really going on around here. What this is really all about."

"Good luck with that." Lori takes another sip of her water.

"Yeah," Thomas nods in agreement. "The lady said only a few of us were good enough to be Candidates. And she did say I was the best Candidate, and they didn't want me dying from something they hadn't planned. But I don't know what it all means. Has something to do with all that klunk about the killzone patterns."

Lori's eyes narrow in confusion. "'Something they hadn't planned'? Does that mean that they have what's going to kill you planned already?"

They walk in silence, before Newt beaks it. "Not worth bustin' our brains about, I guess. What's gonna happen'll happen."

The walk remained quiet from then on outward. The breeze had picked up as the sun still sinks into the depth's of the sky. Sand was being blown constantly, pricking at Lori's exposed legs; and the heat was finally becoming bearable.

Lori's legs are tired, but she doesn't stop. She can't, because as the mountains grow closer, the hope that they'll make it to the safe haven increases. They're going to make it, and they're all going to be fine.

But something kept bugging her. Every time she looks over, Aris is looking at them all, but weirdly. Like he has something planned, or something like that.

What that is, she has no idea.

At least, not yet.

/\/\/\/\/\

The night came and went, and they had travelled far enough, that they would probably reach the foot of the mountains within a couple of hours. The sun was beginning to rise, giving the Scorch an eerie glow.

Aris walks along side Lori, looking at her every few minutes. His hair swayed with every movement, his shadow changing with each turn to the side.
"Lori?"

Said girl took a deep breath. She wasn't entirely sure whether she wanted to talk, because she didn't want to have the same conversation as they had had before. It wasn't something that she enjoyed dwelling over, let alone having to converse about it.

"How long do you think until we reach the Safe Haven?"

Lori couldn't help but feel a bit shocked. She had expected a question about their heritage; usually that is all he asks her about, ever since they met.
"Uh, I'm not sure. Maybe a couple of days, I think."

She runs a hand through her hair, before pulling it into a ponytail, and tying it up. The sun had nearly reached it's peak, and the heat was beginning to take its toll upon her body temperature.

He nods his head, keeping his eyes trained on the ground below him. "I just can't help but feel, like we might not make it there. And if we do, who's to say that WICKED won't go against their word?"

She takes a moment to consider what he is saying. What if he's right? She never trusted WICKED, not one bit; but she always thought that they would keep their end of this deal. After all, this is their Trials, so there has to be some outcome which benefits the Gladers. Right?

"I guess we just have to believe, that this time, something good will come out of these Trials. We don't want to lose anyone else, like in the Maze."
Her mind flickered to Chuck, and remembering how she had been told that he didn't make it out. All she wanted, was for the young boy to see his family once more, and now, he wont even receive that. What makes the others more worthy, than a small, innocent boy?

Aris seemed to go quiet also, his brow furrowing in thought.

"Are you okay?" Lori inquires.

He nods solemnly, "Yeah, it's just - I lost someone too. Back in the Maze. The meant a lot to me."

"Aris, I'm so sorry. I could never imagine what that feels like."

"It's fine. And consider yourself lucky. It's like something eating away at you; the thought that you can never hold them like you used to, or share the rest of your life with them."

Lori smiled, happy at the thought that her brother had someone to care for him back in the Maze.
That feeling he described though; had she felt that with Newt?
"What was her name?"

A small smile crosses Aris' face, as he thinks about the brunette who he shared memories with. "Rachel. She was my best friend back in the Maze. No one else trusted me, they thought that since I was different, I was trouble for them. I guess they were right. I got them out, but there were so many casualties. Including Rachel."

"We're going to make it through this," she attempts to reassure, her voice shaking on every word.

She knows that the chance of losing another friend is high, and she doesn't want to get her own hopes up, but where will they get without any hope? They need to believe in something, and if that something is a little white lie they tell themselves each morning, then hopefully that will be enough.

They continue to walk, when in the distance, a figure seemed to appear. Lori stops in her tracks among with the rest of their group, watching the person grow closer with every step. The shape began to take form, and Lori realized it was a girl.

As she grows closer, Lori also notices she's holding something. In her hand, she grasps what looks to be a hand crafted spear, with a lethal-looking blade latched onto the end.

Lori had a feeling, but she wasn't sure until the girl came closer.
When she did, Lori's eye slid to Thomas, before falling back to the girl.

Mumbles of conversation broke out amongst their group, but all Lori could manage to say, was the girl's name.

"Teresa."