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The sun started to set, and even as Bellamy picked up his pace, he knew he’d never make it to the mountain before dark. It’d be better to find a place to camp and then set out again in the morning. It was foolish—and dangerous—to explore unfamiliar terrain at night, especially once he crossed into Earthborn territory.
In the distance, he heard the faint sound of running water. Bellamy followed it and found himself on the bank of a small stream. It was so narrow, the trees on either side met in some places, creating an arch of green and yellow leaves.
Bellamy removed his water canister, knelt down, and dipped it into the stream. He shivered slightly as the cold water rushed over his hand. If he were uncomfortable now, what would happen when winter came? There hadn’t been any cold weather gear among their supplies. Either they had burned in the crash landing of the dropship, or more likely, the Council hadn’t expected the hundred to survive long enough to need it.
Bellamy sat back on the bank, wondering whether it was worth it to use one of the purifying tablets, when he was startled by a flash of movement. As he turned, his eyes settled on a small, reddish, long-haired animal perched on the bank, reaching its snout into the water. Sensing Bellamy’s presence, it whipped its head around to look at him.
It had white fur around its large dark eyes, and oversize ears that twitched back and forth as it surveyed Bellamy. Drops of water clung to its long whiskers, and despite the animal’s intense expression, it looked more like a little kid with protein paste all over his face than a predator. Bellamy smiled. He’d seen a few different species of animals in the woods, but none that seemed to communicate so plainly. Before he thought better of it, he reached out his hand. “Hey there,” he said.
The creature’s black nose twitched on the end of its reddish snout, shaking the water droplets from its whiskers. Bellamy expected it to turn and dash away, but to his surprise, it took a few tentative steps forward, its bushy red tail swishing from side to side. “Hey,” Bellamy said again. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” He was pretty sure it was a fox.
The fox sniffed the air again, then trotted forward and gave Bellamy’s hand a tentative nudge. Bellamy grinned as its damp nose and wet whiskers brushed his skin.
“Bellamy?”
He wheeled around at the sound of his name, sending the fox scampering away. Clarke was standing a few meters away with a pack on her shoulder and an expression of surprise on her face. “Oh,” she said as her gaze followed the fleeing fox. “I didn’t mean to scare him.”
“Are you following me?” Bellamy snapped, rising to his feet. He couldn’t believe she had found him here, just when he was finally putting some distance between himself and camp. When he was finally getting away. “Never mind.” He shook his head. “I don’t even want to know.”
“I wasn’t following you,” she said quietly, taking a step forward. “I’m going to find the Earthborns.”
Bellamy stared at her, momentarily stunned. “Why?” he asked finally.
She paused. There’d been a time when he’d thought he’d been able to read Clarke’s thoughts, to see past the defenses she put up. But he realized now it was all in his head. He’d wanted so badly to have someone on Earth he could trust, to have someone, after Lilly, who he could actually love, but he didn’t know the least bit about her.
“I… I think my parents were in the first group of Colonists. I need to find out what happened to them.”
Bellamy stared at her. He certainly hadn’t expected her to say that. But he forced himself to stifle his curiosity. There was no way he was letting Clarke drag him into any more of her insanity.
“Sasha told me how to get to where she lives. She said it’s less than a day’s walk from here.”
“Well then, you’d better get moving,” Bellamy snapped.
He started collecting wood. Without saying a word to Clarke, he arranged the kindling in a pile, grabbed a match from his pack, and lit a small fire. Let her be the one to leave first.
When he finally looked up, he saw that Clarke was still standing in the same spot. The firelight reflecting in her eyes made her look younger, and more innocent. Underneath his anger, he felt a pang of affection—not for the girl standing in front of him, but for the girl she’d pretended to be. Was that Clarke really in there somewhere? The Clarke who could look so gravely serious one moment and then burst into laughter the next? The girl who found everything on Earth miraculous, and kissed him as if he were the most incredible find of all?
“You look creepy standing there. Either come down or get going,” he said gruffly.
Clarke edged toward the fire, dropped her pack, and slowly lowered herself to the ground. A cold wind swept through the trees, and she brought her knees up to her chest and shivered. Just a few days ago, he would’ve wrapped his arms around her, but now, they hung like twin weights against his sides. He wasn’t sure he wanted her to stay. But he didn’t tell her to leave either.
They spent the next hour watching the dancing flames in silence, listening to the sound of the cracking twigs and the wind echoing above them.
CHAPTER 20
Glass
It was far worse than any nightmare. Even in Glass’s darkest moments, she’d never have imagined trying to shove past her neighbors—the people she had grown up with—in an attempt to secure a spot on the dropship before they did. She passed one of her old tutors, struggling to drag a large bag down the crowded corridor. “Leave it!” Glass had yelled at her as she hurried past. But her words were lost amid the frenzy of shouts, footsteps, and sobs.
Up ahead, Cora’s father stood in the middle of the corridor, looking desperately from side to side as he scanned the surging crowd for his wife and daughter. He called their names while blinking rapidly, evidently trying to message them on his cornea slip. But his efforts were in vain. The network had shut down, rendering everyone’s devices useless.
By the time they had made it down the stairs and into the corridor that led to the launch deck, it was so crowded that they almost couldn’t move. Luke did his best to push his way through the people closest to the wall, pulling Glass and Sonja steadily behind him. Glass winced as she knocked against a man clutching something in his arms. He was holding it so carefully, she assumed it was a child, but as she hurried past she realized it was a violin. She wondered if he was an actual musician or just a music lover who thought to grab the relic from its preservation chamber, the one thing he apparently couldn’t leave behind.
Many of the other people in the crowd weren’t from Phoenix—not that it mattered anymore. They were no longer Phoenicians, Waldenites, or Arcadians. They were all just desperate, terrified people doing everything in their power to get off the doomed ship.
Until recently, the thought of the Colony failing had concerned Glass about as much as the prospect of the sun exploding—something she knew would eventually happen, but far after her time. She remembered when she was seven, the year her tutorial group had studied the inner workings of the ship. A member of the engineering corps had led them down to the engine room and proudly displayed a complex ventilation system and series of airlocks. All the machines and generators had looked so solid and shiny and invincible, like they would last forever. What had happened between then and now?
A shout echoed from the other end of the corridor, prompting cheers to ripple down the hall. “Someone must’ve managed to open the door to the launch deck,” Luke said softly.
“Do you think it was the Vice Chancellor?” Glass asked. It wasn’t clear who was in charge, or who the remaining guards were taking their orders from. The few guards still in uniform had abandoned their posts, joining the sea of bodies to fight their way toward the dropships. The terror in the air was palpable.
The crowd pushed forward suddenly and Sonja stumbled, crying out as her ankle twisted underneath her. “Oh no,” she said as she took a lurching step forward, her eyes filling with pain and panic.
“Luke.” Glass pulled on his sleeve to get his attention. “I think my mom is hurt!”
“I’m fine,” Sonja insisted through clenched teeth. “Just keep moving. I’ll catch up.”
