The Restored Girl

Chapter 6: A Toast

RHEA'S POV
I sit on the edge of Newt's bed, thinking of what's next for us. For all of us. We may not come out of this alive. I don't think I'd be able to take it if anyone died during this Mission. Especially Newt, the girls and Minho.

Newt comes up beside me and wraps his arm around me, pressing a light kiss to my temple. Minho's in the shower, so we're alone.

"What's bothering you?" He asks, and I let myself feel the normal peace that comes when I'm around him.

I exhale slowly. "Just what's to come. Destroying WICKED won't be easy."

Newt traces circles on my hand as he says, "We've made it this far, Rhea. We'll make it through."

I nod, not really feeling that calmed, but instead just wanting to drop the topic. "How was training for you?"

Newt makes a face, pulling away a little. "Your cousins are show offs."

"They like having someone to show off to," I say, smiling a little. "We've spent all our lives only showing our capabilities to one another. They like the fact that they're better than you."

Newt rolls his eyes. "Well it's bloody annoying."

I nod thoughtfully. "Would you like me to tell them to keep it down?"

"Will they listen?" Newt asks wryly.

"Not a chance," I say, and Newt laughs.

We sit in silence for a while more, before Newt speaks up again.

"You're different, you know," he says, a small smile playing on his lips.

I turn to him, surprised but concealing it like I've learnt to. "What do you mean?"

Newt shakes his head. "You seem more... relaxed. The most happiest I've seen you."

I exhale slowly, processing his words. It was easier, when I realised that though my dad was dead, though I killed my mother, though I had to endure so much, I still had people. I still had Newt, Group B, Minho, Thomas, Teresa and everyone else. I even had a brother.

It got easier when I realised that I could rely on people. That I could actually ask for help and share my secrets and my true friends wouldn't judge me.

Newt helped me realise that.

Everything wasn't fine-far from it, in fact-but things were getting better.

And at the moment, that was better than nothing.

"I guess we all learned things from all those trials," I say softly.

Minho decides to step out of the shower then, in a black shirt and shorts. He grins at us, towel slung around his neck. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

Newt throws a pillow at his face.

~

I sit beside Aris during lunch. It's a good thing that all the Seniors are too busy doing things to eat lunch with us. Sonya, Harriet and Quill are here, too. So is Maria and June. They were going to be staying at this place, too.

Teresa is helping the seniors test Group C and D, just in case.

The Gladers are at another table, laughing loudly as they eat.

And the rest of the Juniors are training. I excused myself from the training session-much to the Seniors' disapproval-to eat with the girls.

Quill grins, picking up her glass of very plain water. "I propose a toast," she says, meeting all of our eyes. "It's been a while since we've just been... us. The girls from the other Maze, including Aris, of course. Well, anyway, we've been through some tougher times since escaping the Maze, but I'm glad that we're all here together.

"There were times when I really felt like we were going to die, or even just end up leaving one another," Quill takes in a deep breath, glancing at me, "but here we are, right? I'm glad that we all survived, and after this, maybe we'll actually get a chance to mourn all the people we lost. But till then, you girls have been the best companions in the world. And you, Aris."

I smile a little, raising my glass. "To making it through trials together."

"To friendship," Harriet says, bringing her glass up.

"To all our friends that died," Aris says, a sad look passing over his face. I have no doubt that he's thinking of Rachel, and for a moment my own smile slips.

Sonya smiles sadly, "To being strong."

Maria and June both raise their glasses too, and together, we drink down water, as if it were wine.

From across the room, my eye catches Newt's, and he smiles at me.

~

That night, after dinner, I'm called into Aunt Rebecca's office. I enter warily, unsure as to why she wants to see me privately.

I shut the door behind me and walk up to her desk, taking the seat across from her. "Aunt Rebecca," I acknowledge with a nod to her.

My aunt gives me a nod back, not exactly a fan of pleasantries. "Rhea. I want to talk to you about your plan after taking out Janson."

I raise a brow. "You mean how I'm going to dismantle WICKED? Establish a temporary government of sorts to deal with affairs while the world rebuilds?"

Aunt Rebecca purses her lips and nods.

I'm not surprised that she wants to talk about that. The Anderson family has been in a place of power for a long time. Now, I want to dismiss them from their high seats in society-no matter how destroyed society is.

Clearly they're going to have some problems just giving up their places of power to a bunch of teenagers.

In fact, many may have a problem. But I have no doubt that the Juniors and the rest of us will be able to make rational decisions.

We saw firsthand what the decisions of our seniors and mentors did to the world and to us.

"Aunt Rebecca," I say slowly, meeting her blue eyes with my own. I no longer wear my hood, finding no reason to cover up and hide my scars. "The main issue now is destroying WICKED. You already had your attempt at ruling the world. Me and my friends, we're trying to fix it."

I leave the room as my Aunt sits there, speechless.