Homecoming
Page 34
“Your girl’s pretty badass, Wells,” Bellamy said with a weak smile. “Will she be okay?”
“She’ll be fine. She’s far enough out in the woods that they’ll never get to her in time.”
Clarke listened at the door for another moment, then waved at them urgently. “Let’s move.”
They slipped out the door. The coast was clear—everyone in camp was facing the other direction or racing toward the commotion on the far side. Bellamy, Clarke, and Wells hurried around the back of the cabin and, before anyone could notice they were gone, disappeared into the cover of the woods.
CHAPTER 14
Wells
There was no sound except the sharp intake of breath and the crunch of twigs and dried leaves under their feet. Wells, Bellamy, and Clarke had run until their sides cramped, eventually slowing to a walk. Wells glanced over his shoulder to check on Bellamy, whose shoulder was clearly hurting him, although he refused to complain, and who seemed much more anxious about Octavia than he was about his injury.
“You’re sure she doesn’t think I abandoned her?” Bellamy said as he allowed Clarke to help him step over a moss-covered log blocking their path.
“Positive,” Wells said, glad he could provide at least that modicum of comfort. “We told her the plan, and she agreed that it was better for someone to remain at the camp and keep tabs on Rhodes for a while.”
“She would’ve come if it weren’t for the kids,” Clarke chimed in. “She’s the only one who’s looking after them. It’s really amazing, what she’s done.”
Wells watched as pride momentarily chased away the fear in Bellamy’s face. “I always knew she had it in her.”
“Where did Sasha say she’d meet us?” Clarke asked, scanning the trees nervously. Although she and Bellamy had stumbled across Mount Weather once before, Wells knew neither of them were confident about finding it again.
“She’ll find us,” Wells said.
There was a rustling in the tree ahead of them, and a moment later, a figure dropped down from the branches, landing silently on her feet.
“Okay, that was kinda creepy,” Wells said with a grin as Sasha walked toward them. He still hadn’t gotten used to how Sasha managed to blend in with her surroundings. It was almost as if she changed color, like the lizards he’d read about when he was a kid. But she didn’t, of course—it was something about the way she breathed, her stillness. She just became part of the woods.
He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her long dark hair that always smelled like rain and cedar. “Thank you for your help,” he said, cupping his hand under her chin and raising it for a kiss. “That was amazing.”
“Does that mean it worked?” Sasha asked, breaking away to look from Wells to Clarke and Bellamy.
“It worked perfectly,” Wells said.
“So what’s the plan now?” Bellamy asked, clearly in pain. His face was pale, and his breathing had grown ragged.
“I’m taking you all back to Mount Weather with me,” Sasha said. “You can stay there as long as you need.”
“They won’t mind?” Bellamy asked, looking nervously from Clarke to Sasha.
Sasha shook her head. “As long as you’re with me, it’ll be fine,” she assured him.
“We shouldn’t stop for long,” Wells said, his voice strained. “Once they realize you’re missing, they’re going to come after us.”
“Bel, are you okay to keep moving?” Clarke asked gently.
“I’m good,” he said, though he wouldn’t meet Clarke’s eye.
They followed Sasha as she darted, quickly and quietly, through the darkening forest. “So are you all right?” Sasha asked when they were a few meters ahead of Clarke and Bellamy. With the rush to free Bellamy, he and Sasha had barely had time to talk about anything besides the actual logistics.
“I don’t know.” That was the truth. It’d all happened so quickly, he hadn’t had time to process the implications of disobeying Rhodes, of leaving the camp. Wells certainly wasn’t going to stand by and watch Rhodes execute his brother in cold blood. But it was still hard to fathom that they’d been forced to leave their new home behind—the home, the community, that they had built with their bare hands, from nothing.
“It won’t be forever. As soon as your father gets better, he’ll come down on one of the other dropships and everything will be okay.”
“No, it won’t. Sasha, my dad’s in a coma, and there aren’t extra dropships just lying around.” His tone was sharp and bitter, but he didn’t care. This wasn’t a situation he could count on anyone to fix. He’d been an idiot to trust Rhodes. He should’ve acted sooner, before everything spiraled out of control.
Another girl might’ve been hurt—or worse, apologized as if she’d done something wrong. But Sasha just took Wells’s hand and gave it a squeeze. It was deeply unfair. Bellamy had only been trying to save his sister. He hadn’t even been the one to pull the trigger—one of Rhodes’s own precious guards had done that. Besides, it was Wells’s father who had gotten shot, and if Wells didn’t think Bellamy should pay for that, then who was Rhodes to say otherwise?
Actually, Wells smiled grimly, it was Bellamy’s father too. If only Rhodes knew that, he’d probably have an aneurysm. Wells couldn’t deny that the image brought him some pleasure.
“She’ll be fine. She’s far enough out in the woods that they’ll never get to her in time.”
Clarke listened at the door for another moment, then waved at them urgently. “Let’s move.”
They slipped out the door. The coast was clear—everyone in camp was facing the other direction or racing toward the commotion on the far side. Bellamy, Clarke, and Wells hurried around the back of the cabin and, before anyone could notice they were gone, disappeared into the cover of the woods.
CHAPTER 14
Wells
There was no sound except the sharp intake of breath and the crunch of twigs and dried leaves under their feet. Wells, Bellamy, and Clarke had run until their sides cramped, eventually slowing to a walk. Wells glanced over his shoulder to check on Bellamy, whose shoulder was clearly hurting him, although he refused to complain, and who seemed much more anxious about Octavia than he was about his injury.
“You’re sure she doesn’t think I abandoned her?” Bellamy said as he allowed Clarke to help him step over a moss-covered log blocking their path.
“Positive,” Wells said, glad he could provide at least that modicum of comfort. “We told her the plan, and she agreed that it was better for someone to remain at the camp and keep tabs on Rhodes for a while.”
“She would’ve come if it weren’t for the kids,” Clarke chimed in. “She’s the only one who’s looking after them. It’s really amazing, what she’s done.”
Wells watched as pride momentarily chased away the fear in Bellamy’s face. “I always knew she had it in her.”
“Where did Sasha say she’d meet us?” Clarke asked, scanning the trees nervously. Although she and Bellamy had stumbled across Mount Weather once before, Wells knew neither of them were confident about finding it again.
“She’ll find us,” Wells said.
There was a rustling in the tree ahead of them, and a moment later, a figure dropped down from the branches, landing silently on her feet.
“Okay, that was kinda creepy,” Wells said with a grin as Sasha walked toward them. He still hadn’t gotten used to how Sasha managed to blend in with her surroundings. It was almost as if she changed color, like the lizards he’d read about when he was a kid. But she didn’t, of course—it was something about the way she breathed, her stillness. She just became part of the woods.
He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her long dark hair that always smelled like rain and cedar. “Thank you for your help,” he said, cupping his hand under her chin and raising it for a kiss. “That was amazing.”
“Does that mean it worked?” Sasha asked, breaking away to look from Wells to Clarke and Bellamy.
“It worked perfectly,” Wells said.
“So what’s the plan now?” Bellamy asked, clearly in pain. His face was pale, and his breathing had grown ragged.
“I’m taking you all back to Mount Weather with me,” Sasha said. “You can stay there as long as you need.”
“They won’t mind?” Bellamy asked, looking nervously from Clarke to Sasha.
Sasha shook her head. “As long as you’re with me, it’ll be fine,” she assured him.
“We shouldn’t stop for long,” Wells said, his voice strained. “Once they realize you’re missing, they’re going to come after us.”
“Bel, are you okay to keep moving?” Clarke asked gently.
“I’m good,” he said, though he wouldn’t meet Clarke’s eye.
They followed Sasha as she darted, quickly and quietly, through the darkening forest. “So are you all right?” Sasha asked when they were a few meters ahead of Clarke and Bellamy. With the rush to free Bellamy, he and Sasha had barely had time to talk about anything besides the actual logistics.
“I don’t know.” That was the truth. It’d all happened so quickly, he hadn’t had time to process the implications of disobeying Rhodes, of leaving the camp. Wells certainly wasn’t going to stand by and watch Rhodes execute his brother in cold blood. But it was still hard to fathom that they’d been forced to leave their new home behind—the home, the community, that they had built with their bare hands, from nothing.
“It won’t be forever. As soon as your father gets better, he’ll come down on one of the other dropships and everything will be okay.”
“No, it won’t. Sasha, my dad’s in a coma, and there aren’t extra dropships just lying around.” His tone was sharp and bitter, but he didn’t care. This wasn’t a situation he could count on anyone to fix. He’d been an idiot to trust Rhodes. He should’ve acted sooner, before everything spiraled out of control.
Another girl might’ve been hurt—or worse, apologized as if she’d done something wrong. But Sasha just took Wells’s hand and gave it a squeeze. It was deeply unfair. Bellamy had only been trying to save his sister. He hadn’t even been the one to pull the trigger—one of Rhodes’s own precious guards had done that. Besides, it was Wells’s father who had gotten shot, and if Wells didn’t think Bellamy should pay for that, then who was Rhodes to say otherwise?
Actually, Wells smiled grimly, it was Bellamy’s father too. If only Rhodes knew that, he’d probably have an aneurysm. Wells couldn’t deny that the image brought him some pleasure.
