Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 63

Grace had fallen asleep the moment she laid down in the hammock. Minho crawled in beside her, moving slowly to get comfortable under her. There was a smile on his face as he thought about his night.

Grace had gone to bed before him. Minho made the mistake of returning to the bonfire. Instantly, he was met with wolf whistles and comments. Truthfully, he didn't care. Nothing could ruin how perfect his night had been.

But as people started going to bed, he decided to join them. Rather than finding a hammock of his own, he crawled into Grace's. He knew she wouldn't mind.

As the night went on. People fell asleep. His friends surrounded him, but Minho couldn't get his mind to shut off. In the darkness, he began to remember. He remembered WICKED—all of the horrible things they did to him. The hallucinations of the Glade and the fear he felt. Night time was always the hardest for him.

Grace felt the body beside her move once again. It had been like that for a while. Minho was restless. He wasn't able to sleep like he used to. Her eyes opened. They were surrounded by darkness. The only light came from the stars and a few lanterns. Minho stared at the ceiling, eyes blinking rapidly as his breathing grew more shallow.

"Minho," she whispered. That immediately got his attention. His eyes fell to her face, barely illuminated in the night sky.

"Hey," his voice was rough. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," she lied. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," he assured her through a quiet lie. "Go back to bed."

Grace moved her body, refusing to sleep. "What's going inside that head of yours?" She raised her hand, combing her fingers gently through his hair. Minho sighed, his eyes fluttering shut. The feeling brought him an odd sense of comfort. There was a moment of silence as they lay together in the hammock. There were snores from others around them, mainly Frypan. He was closest to them. "You're safe now," her voice was gentle. It was calm and beautiful—all of the things Minho had to remind himself of back in WICKED. "You're safe here. WICKED is gone."

"I know." He did know that. Still, it didn't make it any easier.

She sighed, trying to think of something. "Then what's wrong." All she got was silence. "You can talk to me, Minho."

He moved his hand, rubbing her back. "I know," be breathed. "It's just hard." Grace wanted to understand. "They did things to me," he began. "Made me see things." Her heart ached at his words. "Made it seem like I was back in the Glade being chased by Grievers."

"Minho," she whispered sadly. "I'm so sorry."

He blinked a few times, forcing the tears away. He turned to look at her, cupping her jaw. "I don't want to think about it."

Grace could understand that. She hated thinking about all of the bad things that happened. "Think of something else." She continued dragging her finger through his hair. "Something that makes you happy. A memory or something."

A sly smile appeared on his face. "Well, I can think of one thing."

Naively, Grace questioned, "what?" She wanted to know what memory made him happy.

"Well," he spoke lowly. "Last night, I had a pretty good-"

Quickly, she placed a hand over his mouth. "Shut up." Her cheeks darkened. Minho could hardly tell in the light. "Someone might hear you." But everyone was asleep. Nobody was listening. Minho smiled and licked her hand. Her face contorted into one of disgust. "Real mature." She wiped her hand on her pants. Minho shrugged, keeping his eyes on her. Grace stared back at him. "Get some rest, okay?"

"Okay." She moved closer, resting her head in the crook of his neck. Her nose rubbed against his warm skin. Minho closed his eyes. Grace continued to move her fingers until she fell asleep. As always, she was asleep quickly. That was always something Minho found amusing.

Closing his eyes, he listened to Grace. He thought of a memory that made him happiest. How quickly he fell asleep to the thought of her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grace woke to the sound of hammering. It was early. The sun had just risen. Blinking a few times, she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Minho was sleeping soundly. His lips parted slightly. A smile made its way to her face at the sight of him. He looked beautiful in the early morning sunlight.

The blonde looked over the edge of the hammock, eyes finding Thomas. He was carving a name into the rock. There was only one name he would carve.

Teresa

Teresa, the girl who gave her life for Thomas. She betrayed them, but in the end, saved them. Grace noticed that someone else was awake. It was Vince. He was sitting on the steps with a mug and a blanket thrown over his shoulders.

Silently, Grace slipped out of the hammock. It swung, but Minho remained asleep. Sighing in relief, she walked toward Vince. Using the tips of her toes, she approached the man. He didn't notice her, not at first. It wasn't until she sat down that he realized she was there. "Hey," he spoke, setting his mug down. "It's early. What are you doing awake?"

"I could ask you the same question." Grace sat comfortably beside him. Thomas continued to carve into the rock. Vince hummed in agreement. There was a comfortable silence that settled between them. Grace shifted, letting her head rest against his shoulder. "Thank you."

That got his attention. "For what?"

"For waiting. For being there." Grace could think of a million things to thank him for. "For not turning us away that first day." He had every reason to send them away, but he didn't. He listened to Mary, despite the risk.

Vince smiled, tapping her leg. "I should be thanking you, kid." She laughed, shaking her head. Vince was being nice. 

In the distance, Thomas finished carving. He set down the equipment but didn't head back to the hut. Instead, he began walking down the beach. Grace watched him, not feeling the need to chase after him. She knew he needed to be alone right now.

Her eyes traveled to Minho, watching as he slept peacefully in their hammock. His left foot hung over the side, and his right arm held onto the blanket as if it was her. His lips were parted slightly, hair sticking out in different directions. "I think we're going to be really happy here." It was everything they had always wanted.

"Yeah," Vince said. "Me too." The silence returned. Grace's eyes returned to the water, a smile on her face. Paradise was real, and she had found it—here in the Safe Haven and in the company of her friends.

She knew in her heart that everything was going to be okay.