Bea walked back to her room red eyed from her conversation with Newt. As each day went on she realised she actually didn't know much about him at all. Gently pushing the door, it opened with a creak as she slipped. Harriet was peacefully asleep and by the look of it, so was Sonya and Aris.

Sighing, she began to pack a bag. As quietly as possible, she packed three changes of clothes - not knowing how long she was going to be away for. Rummaging around in the draw of her bedside table, her fingers grazed across a cool piece of metal. Confused, she latched onto it, taking out.

It was the necklace Harriet had found when they were in the basement. Holding it in her hand, her eyes were trained on the emerald, feeling how she felt when she first saw it. She didn't think twice as she unclasped it, putting it on. Harriet wasn't coming but at least she would have a small piece of her with her.

Harriet. How am I going to say goodbye to her. Maybe I shouldn't.

A shuffling from behind her distracted her from her thoughts. Stuffing a few pairs of underwear and socks in her bag, she turned around to see Aris shuffling in her hammock. Frowning, she resumed her actions, putting her hairbrush and deodorant in her backpack that was rapidly increasing in weight.

"No."

Her head snapped to the sight to see Aris shuffling around even more. Pausing, she walked over.

"No. No. Please. Stop."

Her heart clenched in sympathy for the boy. But then she heard this voice of a high pitched girl.

"No. Stop it please."

Sonya's pleading voice filled her ears.

No not her too.

The sound of footsteps padding on the floor echoed behind her. Her eyes flitted back to see Harriet walking over with a concerned expression on her face.

"What's going on?" Harriet asked quietly.

"I think they're both having a nightmare," Bea whispered back. The two shuffled more in their hammocks, their limbs thrashing about in the material.

"No."

"Go away."

"Please, no."

"Just stop."

Bea grabbed onto Aris just in time as he was almost about to topple out of his hammock.

We need to stop this.

"Hey Aris," she said, cupping his face in her hands. The boy just thrashed more and more, desperately fighting against her grasp. At her left, Harriet was doing the same, cupping Sonya's face and speaking to her.

Aris' eyes startled eyes flashed open as he gasped for ever, shuffling around viciously. "Hey, hey. Aris. It's okay. It's me," Bea whispered soothingly. The boy's eyes returned to it's normal size as his breathing rate plateaued.

Bea's eyes flitted across the room to Harriet who stared straight back at her with the same expression. What the hell was WCKD doing them? She looked back to Aris, tracing small patterns on his cheek comfortingly. After a minute or so she stood back, Sonya now peacefully asleep again too.

She then offered Harriet a small smile as she walked back to her own hammock, throwing a random jacket on her filled bag to cover it. Shuffling into her hammock, she switched on an alarm for midnight before attempting to get some rest before her big adventure.

----

Bea woke with a jolt. Her watch vibrated under her pillow signalling it was midnight, Yawning, she strapped it onto her wrist, quietly hopping out of her hammock. She quickly stuffed her feet into her shoes and then slipped on her jacket before swinging her backpack over her shoulder.

Her eyes trailed across Harriet, Sonya and Aris who where all sleeping silently, no sign of any nightmares. She walked towards the door of the room, her eyes lingering on Harriet a little longer than the other two before exiting.

Soft patting noises of her shoes against the floor echoed from the walls as she made her way back to the garage. Reaching it, she pushed the door open with a creak, revealing Newt and Fry having a quiet conversation. Their heads snapped to the entrance of the room at Bea's arrival, both smiling and Newt offering her a small wave.

The stools from their earlier meeting were still there so like the other two, she decided to sit on it.

"Is Thomas definitely not gone yet," she checked nervously.

"One-hundred percent sure," Newt confirmed, reassuring her. She sent him a small nod of appreciation before zoning out. She liked how it was with Newt now. A new norm.

She didn't realise how long she had been zoned out for until she saw Newt waving his hand in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Bea?"

The brunette girl blinked. "Oh-sorry. Did you guys say something."

"Thomas is coming, Newt want's us to get in the truck," Fry urged, practically dragging the girl away from her stool. Stumbling, she made her way into the passenger seat of the truck before shutting the door as the sound of footsteps grew louder in her ears.

Newt switched off the lamp in the room, just as the door creaked further open. She could hear the brunette boy shutting the door before fiddling around with some objects and materials, huffing dramatically.

"Where do you think you're going then?"

Bea glanced out of her peripheral vision as the lamp flickered back on, showing Thomas who looked like a deer caught in headlights. Thomas sighed again, shaking his head slightly.

"Newt..."

"Don't be a twat about it," the blond boy scolded, "I'm already in." He walked over the his stool which was beside Thomas, picking up his bag. "Come on."

He headed towards the truck Bea and Fry were in, Thomas not moving from his spot. "No," he spoke firmly, "Not this time. You need to stay and look over Bea. And look - even if we find Minho there's no guarantee we'll make it back."

Bea scoffed silently at her name coming out of her brother's mouth.

Look over me? What am I, two?

Newt smirked, turning on his heel to face Thomas, "That's why you need all the help you can get." And with that, he swung open the door of the vehicle revealing a pissed-looking Bea and a cheery-looking Frypan, leaning forwards so Thomas could see him.

"You really thought you would leave without your sister," she snapped, although she was more annoyed than angry, "Wow. What a great brother you are."

Newt folded his arms across his chest, a confident look on his face as he leaned against the truck. Thomas scoffed, shaking his head again but this time there was a small smile on his face.

"Well we started this together," Newt said, "May as well end it that way too."

"Okay," Thomas replied softly, "Let's go get him back."

The two boys hopped into the back seats of the vehicle as Bea shut her door. Fry stuck the key into the ignition firing up the old truck. The boy grinned, sharing an exited look with Bea. He placed his hands on the steering wheel, ready to reverse when the door to the garage swung open.

Bea's head snapped to the door and her grin gradually began to fade. Harriet. She swallowed a lump in her throat as her eyes washed over an angry Harriet, dressed in a t-shirt and pajama bottoms.

"Give me a minute," Bea mumbled to the Gladers, not entirely sure they had heard her as she jumped out of the truck.

She grabbed onto Harriet's forearm, steering her into the fairly large storage room which was next to the garage. Switching on the light, she could now see how truly angry her friend was.

"Harri-"

"No," the dark-skinned girl shot back at her, "Save it.

Bea sighed, pleading at Harriet with her eyes, "Please, Harri I-"

"I said no," Harriet repeated icily. The girl huffed acing up and down the room

"I knew it. I'm so stupid to think to think that you wouldn't do this," she breathed out, pointing her finger at Bea, "To think that you wouldn't go to save Minho because he wasn't on the carriage."

"Harri, just listen to me-"

"No you listen to me," Harriet spat, "You could die out there. WCKD are out there. There are so many other bad things that could happen to you out there."

She pressed her lips into a thin line, staring at Bea until her eyes widened at an idea. "I'm coming with you."

"No," Bea rushed out almost immediately, shutting down that option. "You need to stay with Sonya and Aris. They need somebody. They need you. I know Aris is already gonna be pissed that I'm leaving but he would be way angrier if you left too. He needs you. They both do. And especially if they have a repeat of what just happened tonight."

Harriet's angry eye's softened, becoming glossy as she stared back at Bea. "I-I'm sorry," she apologised, her voice slightly cracking with sadness. "I-I just thought if I could convince you to say or-or convince you to let me come then......I don't even know what I was thinking."

"It's okay," Bea replied softly, although become more aware that the Gladers were probably beginning to wonder what was taking her so long.

"So.." Harriet trailed off, "Goodbye then?"

Bea shook her head. "Not goodbye. I am coming back, Harri."

Harriet let out a low exhale, nodding slowly, "Yeah. And-And I guess I'm glad I did this."

"Did what?" Bea frowned.

"Get to say goodb- no. Get to see you before you went."

Bea nodded earnestly, offering Harriet a small smile, "I'm glad I got to see you too." It was only then Bea realised the proximity of her and the other her. Harriet's unsteady breathing skimmed her skin and she could practically hear her heart beating rapidly.

"And I think I would hate myself forever if you died and I never got to do this," Harriet continued, her face gravitating closer to Bea's as her dark hands reached for Bea's tanned ones.

"Say goodbye to me?"

"No this."

Harriet leant forwards closing the gap between them, pressing her lips against Bea's. The brunette girl froze in shock before relaxing as her eyes fluttered shut. The kiss was soft and slow, their lips moving in sync. Bea moved her hand that was holding Harriet's to cup the black-haired girl's face, her thumb resting on her cheek. Harriet wrapped her arms around Bea's waist, locking her fingers and holding them at a respectable height, deepening the kiss. Bea pulled Harriet's face closer, addicted to her warm lips.

She only pulled away from Harriet's lips when she began to feel light-headed. Her lips felt empty with Harriet's on them as she took little gasps for air. Harriet's eye bore into Bea's a small but visible smirk on her face. Bea patted down hair cautiously, although it hadn't been touched, before parting her swollen lips to speak.

We kissed. I. Kissed. Harriet. Now's your chance Bea.

"Say bye to Aris for me."

No don't say that, you dipshit.

Harriet smiled, nodding, as Bea turned on her heel - no matter how much she longed for her lips to be against Harriet's again. The brunette girl exited the room, walking back to the garage where the Gladers were waiting in the car.

Hurriedly, she jumped in, not wanting it to seem like anything abnormal had been happening. She stared straight through the windscreen, not daring to make eye contact with anyone - especially her brother.

"Uh-Are you okay be?" Thomas asked worriedly.

Bea's breathing hitched. "Hu-what, oh-yeah. I'm fine," she answered with a stammer, her eyes trained at the space in front of her.

"Righto then," Fry mumbled, revving the engine.

--

Bea's eyes flickered open to sun the suns rays, shining through the windscreen of the truck. Yawning, she rubbed her eyelids, sitting up straight in her seat. To her left, Frypan was driving. When she was last awake, Fry had swapped with Thomas so he could get some rest, but it had seemed they had swapped back again.

"How long have I been out for?" she asked, feeling re-energised.

"About three hours," Thomas replied from the back, "Once you fell asleep, you were out like a light."

She hummed in acknowledgement, her eyes flickering up to the large sign they were passing under. The metal framing was rusted, and the paint was chipped, reading 'Mandatory Infection Check: 2 Miles Ahead'. Fry revved the engine, zooming under it, Bea's hair whipping herself in the face.

After another five minutes they had reached it.

Fry changed the gears, slowing down as they drove through an empty carpark, some cars wheel-deep in sand and dirt. Bea peered out of her window, not liking the feeling she was getting about this place already.

They then came to a halt outside a blocked off tunnel and one by one they jumped out of the truck. Slamming her door shut, Bea trudged forwards in front of the vehicle, staring apprehensively at the dark tunnel.

"You want us to go in there?" Newt asked Thomas who was walking forwards, staring downwards at the map. The brunette boy looked, looked up at the tunnel, standing beside Newt.

"I dont wanna come across as too negative," Newt continued, "But if I was a crank, that is exactly where I would be."

His tone made it sound like a joke, but Bea's eyes were immediately on the blonde boy. He stared back at the girl, her being the only one who knew his secret.

"I dont think we have much of a choice," Thomas shrugged in response. Newt sighed, as all four of them, glanced perceptively at the tunnel.

Newt spoke up after a few seconds, "Alright. But I get shotgun."

"Sorry Bea."

The brunette girl feigned a hurt expression before grinning and shaking her head as she followed him back inside the truck. Thomas got in the back with his sister and Fry jumped back into the drivers seat.

They began driving through the tunnel, the wheels of the car, sloshing in large puddles of muddy water. Flicking the headlights on, they could now see what was in front of them. Fry drove slowly as the other three flicked on their torches, shining it outside of their windows.

"Well, here we go," Fry mumbled.

"Just take it nice and slow," Newt quipped.

Bea leaned to side, peering between the two front seats. Her heart dropped to her stomach at what she laid her eyes on.

"Woah. Oh my God. Fry stop the truck," she urged quietly, not wanting to be too loud.

Newt was right. They had driven into a tunnel. And the Cranks happened to own it.

authors note:

yayyy woop woop the kiss finally happened. ik ik, I've been starving you all for too long. soz guys <3

anyways hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always don't forget to like and comment.

Love K :) xx