Katherine wakes up feeling surprisingly refreshed. Newt's arms are still wrapped around her waist, his warmth enveloping her in a comforting cocoon. A smile touches her lips as she relaxes deeper into the pillow. Then, like a lightning bolt, a name strikes her mind: Thomas.

“Newt! Wake up!” She shakes him gently before jumping off the bed, her heart racing with the sudden urgency of the moment. “Newt!”

“I'm up!” Newt groans, squinting against the bright light that splinters through the window, his hair tousled and disheveled from sleep.

They join the others at the maze entrance, the familiar rumble of the doors echoing ominously as they creak open. The ground shakes beneath their feet, vibrating with the tension of the moment. As the massive doors finally part, Katherine’s heart drops. An empty hallway stretches before them, and a wave of despair crashes over her.

“No, no…” Her eyes fill with tears, the hope she clung to shattering like glass. Newt feels her tension and wraps his arm around her, a silent promise of support.

“I told you, Chuck. They’re not coming back,” Zart says, his words cutting through the air like a knife, directed at Chuck, who stares into the maze, his expression full of longing.

Katherine cringes at Zart’s callousness, a frown pulling at her lips. “You don’t know that,” she whispers, though her voice is shaky, the fear gnawing at her insides.

Newt’s gaze hardens as he glares at Zart, then turns to Katherine, his expression softening. “Let’s go,” he urges gently.

For a brief moment, despair creeps in, stealing away her hopes of seeing her brother again. But then, as if the universe answers her silent prayers, Zart's words are interrupted by a sudden commotion. Everyone turns their gaze toward the maze.

“Look!” Chuck shouts, excitement bubbling in his voice.

Katherine’s heart leaps as she spots Thomas and Minho trudging back toward the entrance, Alby slumped between them, unconscious. Relief floods through her, the weight of fear lifting just a little.

“Thomas!” she cries, her voice piercing through the chaos as she rushes forward. Chuck follows suit, his face lighting up with joy.

“Yeah! Yes!” Chuck beams, his small frame bouncing with glee.

As they lay Alby down gently, Katherine’s heart races. She wraps her arms around Thomas in a tight embrace, feeling the warmth and safety radiating from him. “Never do that again!” she scolds lightly, though her relief is palpable.

“It’s good to see you too,” Thomas chuckles, his smile genuine as he pulls her close.

“What happened out there?” Frypan’s voice cuts through their reunion, pulling them back to reality.

Thomas glances at Minho, the weight of the night’s events settling back into his expression. “We saw a Griever,” he admits, his voice low.

Katherine’s heart skips. “You saw one?”

“Yeah, I saw one,” Thomas confirms, his face weary, shadows of exhaustion underlining his eyes.

“He didn’t just see it,” Minho interjects, his tone firm. “He killed it.”

A silence falls over the group, disbelief washing over their faces. Newt’s expression shifts, a mixture of admiration and concern flickering across his features.

The tension in the meeting room crackles as Gally stands at the forefront, turning to the selected Gladers, including Katherine and Chuck, along with the keepers on the bench. He’s adamant, his voice carrying the weight of authority. “Things are changing. There's no denying that. First, Ben gets stung in broad daylight. Then Alby. And now our Greenie here has taken it upon himself to go into the maze, which is a clear violation of our rules.”

“Yeah, but he saved Alby's life,” Frypan counters, a hint of defiance in his tone.

“Did he?” Gally’s expression is ice cold, fury simmering just beneath the surface. “For three years, we’ve coexisted with these things. Now you’re saying he’s killed one? Who knows what that could mean for us.”

Katherine stifles a yawn, the noise cutting through the tension like a knife. She’s bored, visibly unimpressed by the heated debate. “Sorry. Not a fan of meetings—especially when it’s just people arguing over pointless things.”

Laughter erupts among the Gladers, and Newt bites his cheek, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he fights to contain it. He glances at Katherine, his eyes glinting with pride. She has a knack for breaking the tension, and he appreciates it.

Thomas matches her gaze, the smug look on his face mirroring her own amusement. Gally’s expression darkens, a glare directed at Katherine that could wither flowers.

“What do you suggest we do?” Newt interjects, calm and collected, though Katherine senses the frustration simmering beneath his composed exterior.

Gally folds his arms, his serious demeanor returning. “He has to be punished.”

A roar of protest erupts from the Gladers, their voices rising in unison against Gally’s suggestion.

“Come on!”

“He killed a Griever!”

“Minho,” Newt calls out, and the room quiets, all eyes turning to the runner. “You were there with him. What do you think?”

Minho’s gaze is steady as he addresses the room. “In all the time we’ve been here, no one has ever killed a Griever. When I turned tail and ran…” He gestures toward Thomas. “This shank stayed behind to help Alby. I don’t know if he’s brave or stupid, but whatever it is, we need more of it.”

Katherine leans back in her seat, a grin spreading across her face as Minho continues, “I say we make him a runner.”

Gasps ripple through the room, and the Gladers erupt into chatter. “A runner? What?”

“Interesting,” Katherine muses, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Minho, let’s not jump the gun,” Frypan warns.

“Thomas! Thomas! Thomas!” Chuck chants, his enthusiasm infectious.

Katherine is about to echo Chuck’s support when Gally interrupts again, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “If you want to throw the newbie a parade, that’s fine. But if there’s one thing I know about the maze…”

Before Gally can finish, a loud, prolonged horn blasts through the air, cutting off the argument and sending everyone bolting outside. Katherine glances around in confusion, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she follows the crowd.

The Box rises, Gladers racing toward it, their eyes wide with a mix of excitement and dread. “What’s happening?” Katherine calls out to Aidan, a fellow Glader, who runs alongside her.

“The Box. It’s coming back up. It shouldn’t be,” he replies, pointing toward Gally, who is staring dead at Katherine. “Shuck it. He does not like you, girl.”

“The feeling is mutual,” she mutters under her breath, irritation flashing in her eyes.

“What you did to him, that’s gold,” Aidan chuckles, but Katherine’s attention is already shifting back to the Box.

A boy standing nearby, a friend of Gally’s, turns around, annoyance etched on his face. “Would you shut it?” he snaps at Aidan, who tenses.

“Or what, Joe?” Katherine retorts, glaring back.

“Thank you,” Aidan murmurs, and together they push their way to the front, standing right over the Box.

“I don’t get the big deal…” Katherine frowns, glancing at Aidan.

“It’s never come twice in a week,” he explains. “Never.”

The ground vibrates as the Box rises, the high-pitched screech sending a shiver down Katherine’s spine. Newt steps forward, everyone surging for a better view. This time, it’s not supplies—only a small figure, curled up.

“It’s another girl,” someone calls out.

Katherine leans in, heart racing as she tries to catch a glimpse. The girl is thin but not too small, her hair tar-black, and her skin is pale as pearls. Then it hits her—she’s the girl from her nightmare.

“No way,” Katherine whispers to herself, locking eyes with Thomas across the shaft doors. He wears the same confused expression, a shared understanding passing between them as twins.

With a sudden jerk, Newt pushes himself upright, his face scrunched in confusion. He breathes heavily, looking around. “I think she’s dead.”

“What’s in her hand?” Gally points, his interest piqued by the wadded paper clutched in the girl’s fingers.

With trembling hands, Newt pulls her fingers apart, unfolding the note. Five words scrawl across the page in thick black letters: “She’s the last one… ever. What the hell does that mean?”

Katherine’s heart sinks, a heavy weight settling in her chest. The gravity of the situation hangs in the air, thick with uncertainty. She glances at Newt, feeling a rush of concern for the new girl and the implications of those words.

Suddenly, the girl sucks in a huge breath, her blue eyes snapping open, wide and frightened as they scan the crowd surrounding her.

Newt stumbles back, his expression shifting from concern to shock as the other Gladers cry out in surprise, stepping away.

Katherine remains rooted in place, her gaze locked on the girl, frozen in fear. Her mind races with questions, each one more frantic than the last.

The girl’s burning blue eyes dart around, panic evident in her breaths. Then, her gaze rolls back, and she collapses again, unconscious, a single name escaping her lips, hollow and haunting: “Thomas…”

Silence blankets the Gladers, all eyes on Thomas, who stands there, tension radiating from him.

“Do you still think I’m overreacting?” Gally finally speaks, breaking the stillness.

Newt stands there, his jaw tight. He crumples the note in his fist, the veins in his hand bulging as he squeezes.

Katherine's heart sinks at the sight of him. She senses the weight of the moment pressing down, especially on Thomas. His expression is distant, as if he’s trying to recall something from a life before the Glade.

“Med-jacks!” Newt calls, his voice rising above the tension.

Clint and Jeff push through the crowd, Clint kneeling beside the girl to check her pulse. He leans in, listening closely for her heartbeat.

“She seems fine,” Clint finally says, standing up to face Newt. “Breathing okay, normal heartbeat. She’s just unconscious. Jeff, let’s take her to the Homestead.”

Jeff steps forward, grabbing her arms while Clint takes hold of her feet.

“On the count of three,” Jeff instructs, his tall frame looking almost comical bent over. “One… two… three!”

They lift her with a quick jerk, almost tossing her into the air. She’s lighter than they expected.

“Hey, be careful!” Katherine yells, a protective instinct flaring up inside her.

Newt leans in for one last look at the girl’s face before they carry her off. “Put her next to Alby’s room, and keep a watch on her day and night. Nothing happens without me knowing it. I don’t care if she talks in her sleep or takes a klunk—you come tell me.”

“Yeah,” Jeff mutters, and he and Clint shuffle off, the girl’s body bouncing slightly in their grip. The crowd begins to murmur, theories bubbling up as the Gladers disperse.

Katherine turns to see Thomas watching it all, deep in contemplation, the weight of the unknown hanging heavy between them.

She soon finds herself sitting beside the girl’s bed, watching as Jeff conducts a further examination.

The door creaks open, and Newt, Minho, and Thomas enter, all eyes drawn to the girl lying motionless on the bed.

“Jeff, what’s going on?” Newt asks, a note of urgency in his voice.

“What's the matter with her? Why won’t she wake up?” Newt presses again, the concern etched on his face.

“Hey man, I got my job the same way you did,” Jeff replies, shrugging off the question.

Newt turns to Thomas, an intensity in his gaze. “Do you recognize her?”

Thomas meets Katherine’s eyes for a fleeting moment before shaking his head. “No.”

“Really? Because she seemed to recognize you,” Newt says, suspicion creeping into his tone as he looks between the twins.

“What about the note?” Katherine chimes in, her heart racing with unease.

“We’ll worry about the note later,” Newt insists, his voice strained as he tries to keep control.

“I think you should worry about it now,” Thomas counters, his determination growing. Minho nods in agreement, his expression mirroring Thomas's intensity.

“We’ve got enough to deal with at the moment,” Newt replies, though the fear flickering in his eyes betrays his calm exterior.

“Exactly,” Jeff adds. “If the Box isn’t coming back up, how long do you think we can last?”

“No one said that. Let’s not jump to any conclusions,” Newt’s jaw clenches tightly, anxiety radiating from him. “We’ll just wait until she wakes up and see what she knows. Somebody has to have answers around here.”

“Okay,” Thomas says, suddenly turning to leave.

“Where are you going?” Newt calls after him, concern coloring his voice.

“Back into the maze,” Thomas replies, determination firm in his tone as he jogs out of the room.

Katherine rises from her seat, racing after him. She catches up just outside, her heart pounding as she sees him moving toward the maze.

“Hey! Hey, Thomas!” she yells, her voice echoing in the empty corridor. He stops and turns to face her, curiosity in his eyes.

“What?”

“That girl—”

“I know,” he cuts her off, urgency in his voice.

“What is she doing here?” Katherine’s questions spill out, frustration and concern lacing her words.

Thomas shrugs, his gaze distant. “I don’t know.”

“Why is everything so messed up in this hell?” Katherine groans, her mind racing as Minho joins them.

“Thomas! What is this with you? A death wish? You just got out, and now you want back in?”

“Newt said that no one has ever seen a Griever and lived to tell about it, right? Now we have one,” Thomas explains, his eyes alight with the thrill of discovery. “You’re telling me you’re not even a little bit curious?”

“Not really, no,” Minho replies, his expression unreadable. “So, what’s the plan? You’re going to go out and dissect that thing all by yourself?”

“I will if I have to,” Thomas insists, a fire igniting in him. “Have the other runners left yet?”

“The other runners quit this morning,” Minho says, gesturing at the group nearby, who are eating lunch together. “After Alby got stung, they’re not in any hurry to get back out there. Why are you?”

“I think it’s time we find out what we’re really up against,” Thomas states with determination.

“He’s right. This might be our last chance to figure out how to get out of this place,” Katherine says, her voice unwavering as she stands beside her brother, a fierce protector at his side.

“Alright. But you’re not going back out there alone,” Minho insists, looking around to ensure they’re not overheard. “Meet me in the woods in half an hour.”

“You too, Kat,” Minho adds, his tone firm but his eyes softer, acknowledging their bond.

“You don’t have to ask,” Katherine replies, saluting him with a grin before Minho departs.

“You can’t go into the maze. It’s against the rules.” Thomas comments with a look of concern.

“Do you really think I’m following their stupid rules? Nah,” she scoffs dramatically, a mischievous spark in her eyes. “I’m following your lead, whether you like it or not. I’m your twin sis, and it’s my job to protect you.”

Thomas’s lips curve into a smile, gratitude flooding his expression. “Why do you have to be the cooler twin?”

“It’s a trade secret,” she whispers, her smugness infectious. “Gotta say, she looks better than in the dreams.”

Thomas nods in agreement, and they both burst into laughter, the sound a balm against the tension, just like they always do.