“Should we eat?” Glass asked weakly, desperate to change the subject.
Luke placed the two plates on the table with a clink. “Dinner is served.”
There was laughably little protein paste, but Glass noticed that Luke had given her a far larger serving. The upside to the meager portions was that they allowed Glass to admire the scenes painted on the plates—one depicted a couple in front of the Eiffel Tower, while the other showed the same couple walking a dog in a park. Luke didn’t know the story behind the relics, but Glass liked to imagine that a real couple had bought the plates on their honeymoon, and then brought them up to the Colony as keepsakes.
“Is it strange to dress up to eat protein paste?” Luke asked as he scooped some up with his spoon.
“I don’t think so. For a while, Wells was obsessed with this book about a famous boat crash. Apparently, everyone put on their best clothes and then listened to music while the ship was going down.”
Glass was proud to know this little fact about Earth history, but instead of looking impressed, Luke winced. “You should’ve stayed on Phoenix,” he said softly. “Coming here was like boarding a sinking ship.” Although Walden and Arcadia had been abandoned by the Council—left to die as their oxygen supplies dwindled—Phoenix, the central ship, still had oxygen reserves. Glass had fled the safety of her home ship to come be with Luke on Walden.
“Do you think Camille made it across?” Luke asked as he used his spoon to trace a pattern in the protein paste.
Glass suppressed a wince of her own. When she’d arrived on Walden, Luke’s ex-girlfriend Camille had demanded Glass show her how she’d snuck from ship to ship. And when Glass had hesitated, knowing that the guards would likely shoot a Waldenite trespassing on Phoenix now that the skybridge had been closed, Camille had whispered the most terrifying threat Glass could imagine: If Glass didn’t help her, Camille would tell Luke about Carter. Glass had no idea how the other girl discovered her secret, but she hadn’t wasted time trying to find out as she hurried Camille to the secret air vent that connected Walden to Phoenix.
“I hope so,” Glass said in answer to Luke’s question, turning away to avoid meeting his eye.
“It’s not too late for you,” Luke said carefully. He had begged Glass to return with Camille, but she refused. “You could climb through the vent and—”
Glass’s spoon fell from her hand onto her plate. “No,” she said, a little more sharply than she’d meant. “We talked about this.”
Luke sighed. “Okay, how about this?” He took a breath to speak, but then he caught Glass’s eye and let out a sputtering laugh.
“What?” Glass asked. “What’s so funny?”
“You were scowling at me.”
Glass sat up straighter. “Well, I’m upset. I’m not sure why you find it so amusing.”
“Because I’m sure it was the exact expression you used to make when you were a little kid and didn’t get your way.”
“Luke, come on. I’m trying to be serious.”
“So am I,” he said, rising from his chair. “Come here.” He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “What if you go across through the vent and just look around? If it doesn’t seem like the guards are patrolling Phoenix, you can come back and let me know.”
Glass paused for a moment to scan Luke’s face, trying to make sure he meant what he said. That it wasn’t a ploy to get her to retreat to the safety of Phoenix and then shut the air vent for good, so she couldn’t come back. “And then you’ll go over with me?”
Luke nodded. “If there aren’t guards near where the vent lets out, we can try to make it back to your flat without being spotted. And then…” His voice trailed off.
Glass took his other hand and gave it a squeeze. They both knew sneaking onto Phoenix would only buy them a little more time. The Colony was breaking apart, and even Phoenix would lose oxygen eventually.
After a long moment, Luke broke the silence. “They might start sending people on the dropships.”
“What? Before they know whether or not it’s safe?” Glass shouldn’t have been surprised. The Colony had lost contact with the hundred Confined teens who’d been sent down to Earth to test the radiation levels. Ninety-nine teens, actually, since Glass was supposed to be one of them but had escaped the dropship and snuck back onto the Colony. Her heart ached as she thought about Wells, who’d also been on the mission. He had always dreamed of going to Earth—Glass remembered how he’d made them play gladiator in the gravity gym when he was going through his Roman phase, or how she’d pretended to be a man-eating gorilla when they’d played jungle explorer behind his father’s office.
She hoped he was still alive, that he wasn’t being attacked by man-eating gorillas—or worse, dying slowly from radiation. She hoped that they’d made it to the ground at all.
“They don’t have any other options,” Luke said flatly. His eyes searched hers. “You should’ve stayed on that dropship when you had the chance.”
“Yes, well, it turns out I’d left something pretty important behind.”
Luke reached out and ran his finger along the chain of the locket he’d given her on their anniversary. “Of course. You can’t go to Earth without your jewelry.”
Glass swatted him playfully on the shoulder. “You know what I’m talking about.”
Luke laughed. “I can’t wait to see you scowl at me on Earth.”
“Is that the only thing you’re looking forward to?”
“No.” Luke’s hand moved to the back of her head as he lowered his face toward hers and kissed her gently. “I’m looking forward to a lot more than that.”
CHAPTER 4
Wells
There was no way of keeping track of time at night, so Wells had to guess when it was time to change shifts. From the ache in his joints, he’d been patrolling the clearing for at least four hours. But when he went to fetch Eric, he found the Arcadian curled up next to Felix with such a peaceful look on his face, he couldn’t stomach the thought of disturbing them.
With a silent groan, Wells stretched his arms over his head and switched the spear from one hand to the other. The weapon was a joke. The arrow that had killed Asher had been shot with deadly accuracy. If the Earthborns returned and took aim at Wells, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Wells?” a girl called out.
He spun around, blinking in the darkness. “Priya? Is that you?”
“No…” There was a note of hurt in the girl’s voice. “It’s me. Kendall.”
“Sorry,” Wells said. “What’s up? Everything okay?”
“Oh, yes, everything’s fine!” she said, suddenly cheery. Way too cheery for the middle of the night. Luckily, it was too dark for her to see Wells cringe. “I just figured you could use some company.”
The last thing Wells wanted right now was to make small talk. “I’m okay. I’m about to trade off with Eric,” he lied. Even without seeing Kendall’s face, he could sense disappointment radiating out from her. “Now go back to bed before someone steals your spot.”
With a barely audible sigh, Kendall turned and traipsed back toward the cabin. When he heard the door close behind her, Wells returned his focus to the tree line. He was so tired, he had to use all his strength to keep his increasingly heavy eyelids from drooping.
Sometime later—it could have been minutes, it could have been another hour—a figure emerged from the shadows. Wells blinked, expecting it to disappear, but it only grew larger. He snapped to attention, raised the spear, and opened his mouth to shout a warning—but then the shape came into focus, and the words died on his lips.
Bellamy. He was lurching toward him, a limp figure in his trembling arms. For one brief moment, Wells thought it was Octavia—but even in the dark, there was no mistaking the rumpled, reddish-blond hair. He would know her anywhere.
Wells broke into a run and reached them just as Bellamy fell to his knees. His face was bright red and his breath came in ragged gasps, but he held on to Clarke long enough to pass her into Wells’s outstretched arms. “She… she…” Bellamy wheezed, pressing his hand to the grass to steady himself as he struggled to speak. “She was bitten. By a snake.”
Luke placed the two plates on the table with a clink. “Dinner is served.”
There was laughably little protein paste, but Glass noticed that Luke had given her a far larger serving. The upside to the meager portions was that they allowed Glass to admire the scenes painted on the plates—one depicted a couple in front of the Eiffel Tower, while the other showed the same couple walking a dog in a park. Luke didn’t know the story behind the relics, but Glass liked to imagine that a real couple had bought the plates on their honeymoon, and then brought them up to the Colony as keepsakes.
“Is it strange to dress up to eat protein paste?” Luke asked as he scooped some up with his spoon.
“I don’t think so. For a while, Wells was obsessed with this book about a famous boat crash. Apparently, everyone put on their best clothes and then listened to music while the ship was going down.”
Glass was proud to know this little fact about Earth history, but instead of looking impressed, Luke winced. “You should’ve stayed on Phoenix,” he said softly. “Coming here was like boarding a sinking ship.” Although Walden and Arcadia had been abandoned by the Council—left to die as their oxygen supplies dwindled—Phoenix, the central ship, still had oxygen reserves. Glass had fled the safety of her home ship to come be with Luke on Walden.
“Do you think Camille made it across?” Luke asked as he used his spoon to trace a pattern in the protein paste.
Glass suppressed a wince of her own. When she’d arrived on Walden, Luke’s ex-girlfriend Camille had demanded Glass show her how she’d snuck from ship to ship. And when Glass had hesitated, knowing that the guards would likely shoot a Waldenite trespassing on Phoenix now that the skybridge had been closed, Camille had whispered the most terrifying threat Glass could imagine: If Glass didn’t help her, Camille would tell Luke about Carter. Glass had no idea how the other girl discovered her secret, but she hadn’t wasted time trying to find out as she hurried Camille to the secret air vent that connected Walden to Phoenix.
“I hope so,” Glass said in answer to Luke’s question, turning away to avoid meeting his eye.
“It’s not too late for you,” Luke said carefully. He had begged Glass to return with Camille, but she refused. “You could climb through the vent and—”
Glass’s spoon fell from her hand onto her plate. “No,” she said, a little more sharply than she’d meant. “We talked about this.”
Luke sighed. “Okay, how about this?” He took a breath to speak, but then he caught Glass’s eye and let out a sputtering laugh.
“What?” Glass asked. “What’s so funny?”
“You were scowling at me.”
Glass sat up straighter. “Well, I’m upset. I’m not sure why you find it so amusing.”
“Because I’m sure it was the exact expression you used to make when you were a little kid and didn’t get your way.”
“Luke, come on. I’m trying to be serious.”
“So am I,” he said, rising from his chair. “Come here.” He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “What if you go across through the vent and just look around? If it doesn’t seem like the guards are patrolling Phoenix, you can come back and let me know.”
Glass paused for a moment to scan Luke’s face, trying to make sure he meant what he said. That it wasn’t a ploy to get her to retreat to the safety of Phoenix and then shut the air vent for good, so she couldn’t come back. “And then you’ll go over with me?”
Luke nodded. “If there aren’t guards near where the vent lets out, we can try to make it back to your flat without being spotted. And then…” His voice trailed off.
Glass took his other hand and gave it a squeeze. They both knew sneaking onto Phoenix would only buy them a little more time. The Colony was breaking apart, and even Phoenix would lose oxygen eventually.
After a long moment, Luke broke the silence. “They might start sending people on the dropships.”
“What? Before they know whether or not it’s safe?” Glass shouldn’t have been surprised. The Colony had lost contact with the hundred Confined teens who’d been sent down to Earth to test the radiation levels. Ninety-nine teens, actually, since Glass was supposed to be one of them but had escaped the dropship and snuck back onto the Colony. Her heart ached as she thought about Wells, who’d also been on the mission. He had always dreamed of going to Earth—Glass remembered how he’d made them play gladiator in the gravity gym when he was going through his Roman phase, or how she’d pretended to be a man-eating gorilla when they’d played jungle explorer behind his father’s office.
She hoped he was still alive, that he wasn’t being attacked by man-eating gorillas—or worse, dying slowly from radiation. She hoped that they’d made it to the ground at all.
“They don’t have any other options,” Luke said flatly. His eyes searched hers. “You should’ve stayed on that dropship when you had the chance.”
“Yes, well, it turns out I’d left something pretty important behind.”
Luke reached out and ran his finger along the chain of the locket he’d given her on their anniversary. “Of course. You can’t go to Earth without your jewelry.”
Glass swatted him playfully on the shoulder. “You know what I’m talking about.”
Luke laughed. “I can’t wait to see you scowl at me on Earth.”
“Is that the only thing you’re looking forward to?”
“No.” Luke’s hand moved to the back of her head as he lowered his face toward hers and kissed her gently. “I’m looking forward to a lot more than that.”
CHAPTER 4
Wells
There was no way of keeping track of time at night, so Wells had to guess when it was time to change shifts. From the ache in his joints, he’d been patrolling the clearing for at least four hours. But when he went to fetch Eric, he found the Arcadian curled up next to Felix with such a peaceful look on his face, he couldn’t stomach the thought of disturbing them.
With a silent groan, Wells stretched his arms over his head and switched the spear from one hand to the other. The weapon was a joke. The arrow that had killed Asher had been shot with deadly accuracy. If the Earthborns returned and took aim at Wells, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Wells?” a girl called out.
He spun around, blinking in the darkness. “Priya? Is that you?”
“No…” There was a note of hurt in the girl’s voice. “It’s me. Kendall.”
“Sorry,” Wells said. “What’s up? Everything okay?”
“Oh, yes, everything’s fine!” she said, suddenly cheery. Way too cheery for the middle of the night. Luckily, it was too dark for her to see Wells cringe. “I just figured you could use some company.”
The last thing Wells wanted right now was to make small talk. “I’m okay. I’m about to trade off with Eric,” he lied. Even without seeing Kendall’s face, he could sense disappointment radiating out from her. “Now go back to bed before someone steals your spot.”
With a barely audible sigh, Kendall turned and traipsed back toward the cabin. When he heard the door close behind her, Wells returned his focus to the tree line. He was so tired, he had to use all his strength to keep his increasingly heavy eyelids from drooping.
Sometime later—it could have been minutes, it could have been another hour—a figure emerged from the shadows. Wells blinked, expecting it to disappear, but it only grew larger. He snapped to attention, raised the spear, and opened his mouth to shout a warning—but then the shape came into focus, and the words died on his lips.
Bellamy. He was lurching toward him, a limp figure in his trembling arms. For one brief moment, Wells thought it was Octavia—but even in the dark, there was no mistaking the rumpled, reddish-blond hair. He would know her anywhere.
Wells broke into a run and reached them just as Bellamy fell to his knees. His face was bright red and his breath came in ragged gasps, but he held on to Clarke long enough to pass her into Wells’s outstretched arms. “She… she…” Bellamy wheezed, pressing his hand to the grass to steady himself as he struggled to speak. “She was bitten. By a snake.”
