Sanction -Minho-

Epilogue

SEVERAL YEARS LATER

The sun rose on another beautiful day in paradise. The Safe Haven was full of life, as it was every day. The buildings had expanded across the land. The beach was littered with different structures. Homes started on the edge of the forest. They're scattered between the trees.

Gally, who had always been an excellent builder, had dedicated all his time and effort to expanding—creating new buildings for the future. He designed plans and worked relentlessly. Vince worked alongside him, as did Minho and Thomas when they weren't exploring.

As the years went on, more and more buildings were developed. Homes were created. Lives were started. New additions came along. Life expanded in the Safe Haven. More people from outside joined them, but that became less frequent over the years.

They all found a place in the system. Brenda worked in the gardens with Aris and Sonya. Frypan cooked, as expected. Grace and Harriet trained with others to become doctors. Gally was a builder. Thomas and Minho explored when they could but mostly stuck around to build—especially in the last year.

It reminded Grace of the Glade. Everyone had a part. But unlike in the Glade, they had freedom. They were free in the Safe Haven.

It took them a while to get over the events that had transpired, but slowly, one by one, they found the light. The memories of the past no longer haunted them.

The first year, things were the hardest. A lot of work needed to be done, but it got easier over the years. Grace found the work healing. Keeping her mind busy made it easier to forget what happened. She helped Minho work through his trauma. Now, the memories rarely haunted him. Of course, he still had his bad days. Sometimes the nightmares would come, but Grace was always there to comfort him, assuring him that he was safe.

As time progressed, people changed. Grace matured. Vince remained in charge but never lost his protective fatherly nature. She was grateful for that. Relationships formed. Grace spent nearly a year setting Frypan and Harriet up. The two were entirely oblivious to the other's feelings. It got to the point that Minho, who had a few too many drinks, blurted it out. After that, they were rarely seen apart.

Three years in, something happened that Grace had been waiting for. Thomas, who had closed himself off for years, opened up. He found love again. He found it with Brenda. Watching their relationship bloom was the final stage in Grace's healing. She felt as if all of her wounds had finally healed.

By the fifth year, Grace was constantly busy. Life in the Safe Haven grew quickly. People had families. Babies were born. She was needed a lot more, but the work was rewarding. Seeing their group expand made her heart swell with love. She loved being a part of people's journeys to start families.

After each long and tiring day, she would go to her hut and crawl into bed beside the person she loved the most, Minho.

Life carried on. People moved on. The rock that held the carved names of fallen loved ones would serve as a constant reminder of what they lost to gain freedom. They would never forget, but they had to keep going. It was what they would have wanted.

The world around Grace had changed, but her heart remained the same. It was still the same heart that entered the Glade. The same heart that fell in love with Minho on top of the tree hut. Minho was her light in the darkness, her key to happiness. Luckily, he felt the same way about her.

It took a long time to feel safe after what happened. Minho spent years fearing that WICKED, who had burned down, would reemerge and take him away, or worse, take Grace away. Grace was always there to ease his fears but had the same doubts for a while. Eventually, they helped each other. Now, those thoughts rarely occur. WICKED had become a distant memory that Grace only thought about every so often.

After six years, things shifted once again. Everyone got older, maturing into adults. The past was long behind them, and eventually, they took further steps into the future. Although, some things were still unexpected.

Grace thought nothing could surprise her anymore, but she was wrong. After six years in the Safe Haven, her relationship with Minho changed with the addition of one. It was unexpected but entirely pleasant. Minho was ecstatic about the idea of having a child. It was something he had never imagined having. Everyone was thrilled, but the news became better when three days later, Brenda realized she was expecting as well.

Of course, everything between Minho and Thomas was a race. Which would be born first? Who would walk first? Talk first? Grace and Brenda found the entire situation amusing.

After some complications, Grace and Minho welcomed a baby girl five days before Brenda and Thomas welcomed a boy. Grace swore her heart, which was already full of love, grew even bigger when staring into the brown eyes of their little girl, who had a full head of black hair like her father.

Admiring her, there was only one name that suited her. One word that inspired Grace through the years and kept her going. "Hope," she had said.

Minho nodded, a smile on his face. "Hope." Both agreed that hope was what kept them going for years. Hope for the future. Brenda had once said that hope was deadly, that it killed more people than the flare and the scorch combined. At the time, Grace agreed. How wrong she was. Hope kept her alive in the Glade and when Minho was taken. She had hope the entire time.

Brenda and Thomas were more sentimental. When their baby was born, there was only one name that suited the young boy. It was Brenda's suggestion. "Chuck," she had said.

Tears instantly filled Thomas's eyes. He smiled, nodding with the baby tucked securely in his arms. He looked down at the baby and said. "Hi, Chuck." Grace knew then and there that her brother was the happiest he had ever been.

Life in the Safe Haven was even better after that.

Grace had lived so many years in fear. She knew it would be different for the future generation, for her daughter. Hope would never face the same hardships she did, and that was for the better. Her future would be full of happiness, love, and, most importantly, hope.

One day, when she's older, Grace will tell her the truths of the world. She will explain all the good and all the bad that happened. Tell her of the ones they lost along the way, the people she'll never meet. The memories of the past remind them that their freedom came at a cost.

But that day is far away.

Eight years after arriving in the Safe Haven, Grace walks into her house on the edge of the woods. In her arms is a sleeping baby, one that had woken her up in the middle of the night because she was hungry. Gliding through the house, careful not to step on creaky floorboards, she sets the girl in her bed. Grace watched her sleep, as she often does. It's peaceful. On nights like this, she often reflects on her life. Grateful she made it this far. Wondering what she did to deserve something so perfect.

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist, and she sighed in contempt as Minho pressed a soft kiss to her exposed shoulder. They stand there together for a moment, watching the sleeping girl fondly. Hope had recently turned two, and with age, she began to look even more like Minho. Grace didn't mind. Unfortunately, Hope was starting to show signs of having his attitude as well. She knew in the future, that may be a problem.

Eventually, Minho gently pulled her away and into their bedroom. Grace went with him, as she always did. The two crawled under the covers, holding each other like they do every night. It's perfect. The open window allowed the moonlight to creep in. She can see in the distance the waves crashing against the shore.

Minho traced patterns on her skin, eyes on the ceiling as he found himself deep in thought. Grace glanced up at him, her fingers gliding through his thick hair. She nuzzled into him, asking him in the safety of their room what was on his mind.

There's a long pause, a deep moment of reflection going on inside his mind. He looked at her, eyes entirely full of love and adoration.

And when Minho finally spoke, he said, "let's have another."

The only thing Grace could say was, "okay."