~Sara~

With Thomas, Minho, Rachel, and Lizzy's help, every Glader and every girl that experienced the Maze, the Scorch, and the death road that followed after that, was gathered together at the beach.

They had just returned from burying Teresa's body in the new deadheads.

The beach was about a kilometer or two away, and it became the perfect spot for Sara's idea to take place. News of it reached everyone in the place, and they also gathered together with their own families and friends.

Everyone was waiting to hear what Sara had to say. Newt, Minho, Rachel, and Thomas remained next to her, and she set Newt's satchel on the floor to later share with them what Rebecca had given Newt to hold.

Sara cleared her throat. "Thank you all for coming. Uh... I know we've all been through a lot, but we finally made it. And I just wanted to meet you all here, because we have a lot to talk about. And... well, I think this is the perfect way to inaugurate this place." She turned to Newt and he gave her an encouraging smile.

She returned it before taking a deep breath and continuing. "If it weren't for your help, we wouldn't be here. But we also owe a lot of that to the ones that couldn't join us here today. I wanted to talk about them, what they did, so if you guys allow me, I can talk for awhile about some of them, and then whoever has a few words of their own, please, go right ahead." As she was speaking, Sara could see the nods, and when she finished her sentence, everyone started clapping.

"Here's to the ones we lost, the friends who sacrificed their lives so that we could step foot in the Safe Haven," said Sara, a solemn look taking place on her face. "I think it's proper they get recognized. This is a special ceremony to honor them, because they'll never be forgotten. Their story lives on with us—we are the ones responsible for carrying their legacy."

Everyone started cheering and clapping, and a few of them had tears in their eyes. It'd truly been a tough, painful journey. It seemed like they'd been through a lifetime together, yet it had only been a little over a year that Sara first went into the Maze, and most of that year was spent in the Glade; only a few months marked the trajectory of survival after their escape from the Maze.

"I'd first like to talk about my parents," Sara continued, her voice getting wobbly. "As most of you already know, I retained my memories. My parents died so that I could live. In my first thirteen years of life, they taught me how to be strong and inspired me to keep going," she added, her voice cracking. Newt rubbed her back, soothing her. "My aunt Anne and my cousin Margaret were the sweetest people ever and were two of the most unfortunate victims of abuse and cruelty. And as if that weren't enough, Maggie survived only to grow up to lose herself. Her childhood and teen years were stolen from her. And she still sacrificed herself so that me and my friends could cross the flat trans unharmed."

"And lastly, Rebecca—or as I always call her—Becca," she continued. "She deserved all my respect. Being the daughter of two people with the highest role in WICKED, she was destined to continue their work. And while she was forced to do things she hated, she stood her ground for what was right. I don't understand how she took me in without knowing me, and sacrificed almost everything for me, just because she felt like it. I learned so much with that woman. And the whole plan to save you guys started with her. We wouldn't have done it without her." Sara began to cry, and she immediately tried to wipe away her tears. "And she gave her own life so that we could be here—I... I could spend hours talking about what she did, and I still wouldn't be finished."

Sara grabbed the bag from the floor, and she pulled out the notebook that Rebecca wrote, showing it to everybody. "She even found the true cure. Truth is, my DNA can help cure the Flare, and Becca left this research with us because she knew we would continue on with her work. This is her legacy, the work of her life. A few of you still need the cure, and Brenda and Jorge will help with that. I thank them because without them, we wouldn't be here either. This book will get studied, and before you know it, I promise everyone in this place will be entirely cured." The cheering went wild as soon as she said so. Many of them had no idea, and Sara felt overjoyed that something good would finally come out of all of this. "If you guys see Newt standing here all safe and healthy, it's because of her," she said, almost shouting over the noise.

Newt, Chuck, and Jorge added on to Rebecca's homage, making sure no one would ever forget who she was and what she did. The whole world would always remember who the great Rebecca Paige-Anderson was.

Newt was next, and his words were causing more people to cry. He always had that special power in his voice. "I only remember first opening my eyes in the Box. I know I must've known some of you before that." He faced Sara, smiling. "And if it weren't for you all, I wouldn't be here today. Alby was the first person I met after losing my memory. He was an exemplary leader, with character, determination. He was both tough and soft when he had to be. He taught me how to lead and how to create unity. Remembering what lay beyond the Maze walls broke him, but he still encouraged us not to give up. He sacrificed himself for Tommy and for our little guy Chuck. I also thank every Glader and every girl present here. You guys are buggin' fighters, and you've managed to overcome every obstacle in your way. I know we're supposed to talk about those we've lost, but I think you all deserve gratitude because any of you would've done the same in their place."

Sara smiled; her face soaked in tears. She felt so proud of him, and she couldn't wait to have a turn to express her thoughts about what she read the night before. It was a surprise she was saving for later.

Newt suddenly remembered another thing. "I want to talk about someone that Sara and I met when we were traveling with Becca on the berg. When we met Vince. Even though he turned us in, he played a major role in saving our lives," he said, and Sara was surprised he was trying to talk about Vince. That man was a traitor. But then again, Newt had a giant heart; a beautiful soul.

"But he's not the person I want to talk about," Newt continued. "Vince protected a young boy named Jarrod. He was very ill; another victim of WICKED's abuse, because he had the cure in his DNA just like Sara. He was dying right in front of us, and yet he was happy. He'd suffered his whole life, but he was happy. He greeted us cheerfully, joked around, and had an impressive perspective on life. I didn't want to share this with anyone else before, but I tried to kill myself in the Maze about a year ago. I was the complete opposite of Jarrod. But I have a family with you guys—with my sweet Sara, and I finally learned the importance of my life. And Jarrod was one of many people who taught me to appreciate what I have in life. I can be happy by choice for the first time ever. Jarrod died shortly after we met him but gave me a great lesson."

Sara walked up to him and hugged him. Everyone cheered as he embraced her tightly and kissed her head. They both were certainly forever grateful to have met Jarrod; Newt was right.

Many other Gladers and girls had their turn, each throwing gratitude at each other, and at friends they'd lost. Brenda and Thomas dedicated their turn to Teresa, and so did Aris, although he didn't say much. And finally, Minho's turn arrived, which made Sara a bit nervous.

He cleared his throat and squinted up at the sky. "I never thought I'd see so much klunk in my short seventeen years of life," he began, and there were a few laughs in the crowd. "Don't laugh, you shuck-faces, I'm serious. Don't take this personal, but I don't wanna talk about all the dead people 'cause being repetitive is not my thing. Anyway, I wanna thank all my friends—except for one shank in particular. For all you amateurs, I'm talking about Aris 'cause he's a loser," he said, and Aris rolled his eyes at him, but Sara could see a faint smile begin to form. 

"But getting real now, I want to thank Rachel," he continued, and everyone was surprised except for those who already knew about the two. "She made this whole mess kinda fun, and none of you are cool enough to win an argument against me, except for her. So, thanks," he told her, and she grinned. "And to finish this whole thing off, I wanna thank the power couple. Again, for all you slintheads who don't know who I'm talking about, it's Newt and Sara, got it? Good that." Sara and Newt broke out in laughter, and people in the crowd were either laughing or shaking their heads—or both.

Minho wasn't finished yet, however. "These two are the strongest people I know. And the nicest ones. Maybe Sara can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but I promise she's nice when she feels like it." Sara rolled her eyes and Newt frowned playfully. "These shanks have been through hell and back, but not even the end of the world can tear those two apart."

Newt and Sara shared a look and they went over to hug Minho. Sara was crying tears of happiness. Minho always knew how to lift the mood, and he'd been the most supportive friend ever, all jokes aside.

"That was sweet, Minho. Thanks, shuck-face," said Sara.

"Are we done with the speeches?" he whispered to her, a mischievous look forming on his face. "I'm kinda getting uncomfortable."

Deliberately ignoring him, Sara turned to the group again. "Thank you all for listening, and for sharing. This is really special to us. Now, I just wanted to end this by publicly recognizing two special people here among us. This is something we wouldn't have known if it weren't for Becca once again."

Newt tilted his head with confusion, but then he watched as Sara pulled out the same folder from the night before.

"What's that?" asked Thomas.

"These are WICKED's records of Phase Three. You all were exceptionally resistant, and I recognize your courage in all of this cruelty," said Sara. "But I want to recognize two of you in particular, for showing an immense amount of kindness and courage. I was impressed, my jaw literally dropped to the floor once I read these two files. I want to start off talking about Minho."

Minho had stopped smiling, as if the memory of something morbid had invaded his thoughts. Everyone gasped, anxiously anticipating what Sara was about to say. Trying to muster up the courage, Sara tried to summarize everything as best as she could.

"Janson took Minho in for questioning one day," she began.

"Sara, no," said Minho firmly, and she saw that he was really affected by the memory of it all. But she had to say it. Everyone had to know.

"He was told to answer a single question, and that would be his final test," she continued. "A few names were written on the board, including Newt, Thomas, Teresa, Aris, Rachel, Frypan, and Sara." Her forehead creased, preparing to reveal the rest. "He was told that one of those names would be chosen as a final candidate, and that if he could choose one of those names, he could save someone from being a candidate. Minho was so angry. He didn't like having the choice to save only one person, while the rest could get their brain dissected."

Sara turned to Newt, and she saw that he was feeling deep sorrow for his friend, and it was because he understood the horrors of the final test. Yet he had no idea what Minho's test was; no one ever talked about what they saw, so they only knew their own story.

And Sara was willing to go through with this. Her next words were shocking, and she had to mentally prepare to talk. "Minho was physically assaulted several times during this interrogation," she said, a pained expression on her face. "But even after every single one of those times they were hurting him, Minho didn't fail to repeat the same thing over and over again: 'All. I choose them all.' And his test was done." And Sara couldn't take it anymore and burst into tears as she looked at Minho. He had a somber look, and he looked a bit embarrassed.

And Newt was stunned, as was everyone else. He stared at his friend with admiration.

But Sara wasn't finished, and she kept going in the middle of her tears. "They wanted to break you using what they knew was your forte—your physical strength. But let me tell you, Minho..." Her voice was decisive; determined. "You tolerated the pain, and you shut them up with your response. It sucks to get betrayed, I know, and you knew Aris and Teresa were among the names. But before you saved yourself or anyone else in particular, you decided that none of them would have to be sacrificed. None of them. Minho, you're incredible, and I'm sure everyone in here appreciates what you did." Minho looked so surprised as everyone started cheering louder than before, and it was all dedicated just for him.

Newt went up to him, patted him on the shoulder, and then he gave him a giant hug. "Mate, you're worth millions," he said, and Minho laughed softly, unable to believe what was happening.

Thomas also joined them. "You never cease to surprise me. Thank you, Minho."

"Anyone would've done that. All WICKED ever did was trick us, so there wasn't any other answer I could've given them," said Minho as the three of them let go.

Rachel jumped into Minho's arms next, grinning widely. "If I hadn't told you how amazing you are, let this be the first time out of many from now on." Minho's eyes lit up, and right there, in front of everyone, the two of them kissed, making everyone cheer again.

Minho then set Rachel down on her feet again. "And who's the other person you wanted to talk about?" he asked, already trying to divert the attention from himself.

Sara cleared her throat again, smiling widely as she prepared for the next recognition. "Some of you might think I'm biased, and maybe you're right—" The crowd began to tease her amongst themselves, and Sara had to pause after trying to stifle a laugh. "But the next person I want to recognize is Newt."

When she turned to him, he was shocked, and he too, also had a worried look on his face. It had to be difficult to remember something that once caused so much pain, but he needed to take a look at what he gained.

"Your final test was, in my opinion, a distorted parallel to Minho's test. This wasn't anything having to do with physical pain, because they knew you already handled it. They tried to mess with your mental strength, and I'll never forgive them for that," she said, becoming furious.

Minho also looked angered, and he shook his head. It was difficult enough what Minho dealt with, during Newt's fragile state of mind in the Glade, and it was just so evil for WICKED to add on to what Newt was already struggling with.

Sara took another huge gulp of air. "Same list of people was shown to him, and plenty of other names were added of people who could never be considered friends. He was lied to—they showed him several fake versions of his past, and they tried to instill the purest hatred inside of him by doing that. They showed him everything the people on the list had done to him, to me, or any of his friends. And his test consisted of choosing one person to blame for everything. They would give him the chance to take revenge against that person himself, and anyone else he thought deserved to be punished. They took advantage of the sadness he'd always carried with him, and the Flare, because he was already infected by the time he started Phase Three." Sara simply couldn't stop crying, getting angry because she never imagined this had ever happened to him. It was just so heartbreaking.

Nonetheless, she smiled at him once her eyes fell on him. "And Newt outdid himself. They threatened him into thinking that someone had to pay. And what he did..." her voice cracked as she shook her head, "...he offered himself as long as no one else got hurt, no matter what they'd done. He had the chance to avenge all the horrors he lived; it was all handed to him on a silver platter. And he chose to save them instead. He never wanted the group to break apart—he's always been the reason everyone stuck together instead."

The crowd once again burst with cheers and hoots. Many of them were moved to tears once again. He received warm congratulations from Thomas, Minho, and Rachel, and Sara herself went up to him and hugged him.

"Love, you didn't have to do this," he said, tears forming in his eyes as he saw her expression.

"I did," Sara whispered. "You're wonderful, and you're the most precious gift life has ever given to me. I love you." She pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes. He gently cupped her cheeks and gave her a kiss.

"What about you?" he said out loud. "If we listed everything, we would never finish. You saved me, and you're gonna save more people from that bloody virus. And you endured so much, even knowing what the past had done to you. Nothing speaks heroism louder than that, love." 

Sara also received her share of gratitude, but she didn't feel like she deserved it like the others. She never faced Phase Three, and she hadn't known what true pain really meant if she didn't go through it. Not to mention, Rebecca was the woman behind the scenes.

There was a moment of silence as Sara took the files and walked over to the small fire they had put up at the start of the reunion. Once she threw the papers into the fire, everyone started cheering as the whole thing burned to ashes.

After the cheering died down, however, Sara only had a few more words to say. "I just wanted to share that with all of you to let you know I'm beyond privileged and grateful to have such amazing people in my life. It is an honor to be your friend," she told Minho, and then she looked at Newt, "and an honor to be your girlfriend, my sweet love." She then raised her arms, giving the whole ceremony a satisfying catharsis. "And thank you all!"

It was perfect. A demonstration of gratitude to those that couldn't be there, and those that fought against wind and sea to survive until they made it through. To those heroes that became heroes on the go, and never to think only about themselves.

The crowd began to disperse soon after.