“Sorry,” Graham said to Wells, shrugging. Wells could hear the smug grin in his voice. “I hate going back on my word.” Graham tossed his spear to Wells, who caught it in one hand. “I’ll take a shift tomorrow night, if we’re not all dead by then.”
Lila gave an exaggerated shudder. “Graham,” she chastised. “You shouldn’t talk like that!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Graham said, wrapping his arm around her. “Or else I’ll make sure your last night on Earth is the best of your life.” Lila giggled, and Wells fought the urge to roll his eyes.
“Maybe you should both sleep outside,” Eric said as he emerged from the shadows. “That way, the rest of us might have a chance of getting some rest.”
Graham scoffed. “Don’t pretend like I didn’t see Felix sneaking away from your bedroll this morning, Eric. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a hypocrite.”
A hint of a rare smile flickered across Eric’s face. “Yes, but you didn’t hear us.”
“Come on,” Lila said, dragging Graham forward. “Let’s go before Tamsin gives our bed away.”
“Do you want me to take this shift with you?” Eric offered, looking at Wells.
Wells shook his head. “It’s okay. Priya’s already out checking the perimeter.”
“Do you think they’ll be back?” Eric asked, lowering his voice.
Wells glanced over his shoulder, searching for any eavesdroppers in the darkness, then nodded. “It was more than a warning. It was a show of force. Whoever they are, they want us to know that they aren’t happy we’re here.”
“No. Clearly they’re not,” Eric said, turning to look across the clearing where Asher was buried. With a sigh, he said good night to Wells and headed toward the clump of makeshift cots, which Felix and some of the others had clustered around the empty fire pit out of habit.
Wells hoisted the spear over his shoulder and turned around to find Priya. He’d only taken a few steps when his shoulder bumped into something, and a yelp rang out in the darkness.
“Are you okay?” Wells asked, stretching out a steadying hand.
“I’m fine,” a girl said shakily. It was Molly.
“Where are you sleeping tonight? I’ll help you find your bed.”
“Outside. There was no more room in the cabins.” Her voice was small.
Wells was overcome with an urge to grab Graham and Lila and toss them in the stream. “Are you warm enough?” he asked. “I can get you a blanket.” He’d steal it off Graham’s body if need be.
“I’m okay. It’s pretty warm tonight, isn’t it?”
Wells surveyed her quizzically. The temperature had dropped considerably since the sun set. He reached out and placed the back of his hand against Molly’s forehead. Her skin was warm to the touch. “Are you sure you’re feeling all right?”
“Maybe a little dizzy,” she admitted. Wells pressed his lips together. They’d lost a lot of their supplies in the fire, which meant that rations had decreased significantly. “Here,” he said, reaching into his pocket for the protein packet he hadn’t had time to finish. “Eat this.”
She shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m not hungry,” she said weakly.
After making her promise to let him know if she wasn’t feeling better tomorrow, Wells set off to find Priya. They’d saved most of the medicine, but what good would it be without the one person who knew how to use it? He wondered how far Clarke and Bellamy had traveled by now, and whether they’d found any sign of Octavia. A bolt of fear cut through his exhaustion as he thought about the dangers facing Clarke in the forest. She and Bellamy had left before the attack. They had no idea that there were people out there, Earthborns who communicated through deadly arrows.
He sighed as he tilted his head back toward the sky, sending out a silent prayer for the girl he’d risked countless lives to protect. The girl whose eyes had blazed with hatred when she’d told him she never wanted to see him again.
CHAPTER 2
Clarke
They’d been walking for two days, pausing only for an hour or two at a time to rest. The backs of Clarke’s legs burned, but Bellamy showed no signs of stopping. Clarke didn’t care—in fact, she welcomed the pain. The more she thought about her hamstrings, the less she thought about the ache in her chest, and the friend she hadn’t been able to save.
She took a deep breath. Even if she’d been blindfolded, she’d be able to tell that the sun had set. The air was heavy with the scent of the white blossoms that only unfurled at night, making the trees look like they’d dressed for dinner. Clarke wished she knew what sort of evolutionary advantage the strange flowers provided. Maybe they attracted a type of nocturnal insect? Their distinct perfume bordered on overwhelming in the spots where the trees grew close together, but Clarke preferred them to the orderly rows of apple trees she and Bellamy had seen earlier. Her neck prickled as she recalled the evenly spaced trunks, like straight-backed guards standing in formation.
Bellamy was walking a few meters ahead of her. He had gone quiet, just as he did on his hunting expeditions. But this time, he wasn’t tracking a rabbit or stalking a deer. He was looking for his sister.
It had been almost a whole day since they’d seen the last set of footprints, and the unspoken truth thickened the silence until Clarke could feel it pressing against her chest.
They’d lost Octavia’s trail.
Bellamy paused at the top of the hill, and Clarke stopped next to him. They were standing on the edge of a ridge. Just a few meters ahead, the ground sloped sharply down to a glimmering body of water. The moon above was huge and bright, while a second moon trembled just below, reflected on the surface.
“It’s beautiful,” Bellamy said without looking at her, but there was an edge to his voice.
Clarke placed a hand on Bellamy’s arm. He flinched but didn’t pull away. “I bet Octavia thought so too. Should we go down and see if there’s any sign…” Clarke trailed off. Octavia hadn’t gone for an impromptu stroll through the woods. Neither of them would say it aloud, but Octavia’s sudden disappearance, the way her footprints suggested she was dragged—she had been taken.
But by whom? Clarke thought of the apple trees again, and shuddered.
Bellamy took a few steps forward. “It looks a little less steep over here,” he said, reaching out to grab her hand. “Come on.”
They didn’t speak as they made their way down the slope. When Clarke slipped on a patch of slick mud, Bellamy tightened his hold and helped her regain her balance. But the moment they reached level ground, he let go and jogged toward the water, examining the bank for footprints.
Clarke hung back, staring at the lake as wonder swept away the exhaustion that had settled in her limbs. The surface was as smooth as glass, and the reflection of the moon looked like one of the gems she’d seen occasionally at the Exchange, locked up in a transparent case.
When Bellamy turned around, his expression was weary, almost defeated. “We should probably rest,” he said. “There’s no point in wandering through the dark without a trail.”
Nodding, Clarke let her pack slide to the ground, then raised her arms into the air and stretched. She was tired and sweaty, and there was a days-old layer of ash on her skin that she was desperate to wash off.
She walked slowly toward the lake, crouching down at the edge and skimming her fingertips across the surface. When they’d first arrived on Earth, she’d been diligent about purifying any water they used to drink or bathe, in case it was contaminated with radioactive bacteria. But she was running out of iodine drops, and after watching a fire kill her best friend while her ex-boyfriend restrained her, a little lake water seemed like the least of her problems.
Clarke exhaled deeply and closed her eyes, letting her tension dissipate with her breath into the night air.
She rose to her feet and turned to look at Bellamy. He stood perfectly still, staring across the lake with an intensity that made Clarke shiver. Her first instinct was to slip away and give him his space. But then another impulse took over, and a mischievous smile slinked across her face.