Homecoming

by Kass Morgan

  Wells stepped forward. He felt hundreds of eyes on his back. “Where are you coming from?” he asked.

  “Our dropship landed miles from here, way beyond the far side of the lake. We spent some time getting our bearings and recovering from our injuries. Then it took us several days to get to you. We followed the smoke from your campfires.”

  “How many of you are there?”

  “We lost a few. But we started out as one hundred and fifteen.”

  Wells cast his gaze over the large group assembled behind her. Still more people emerged from the woods.

  “Were you the last ship to launch from the Colony?”

  The woman nodded.

  Wells felt a question forming on his lips, but he wasn’t sure he had the courage to ask it. He wasn’t sure he really wanted the answer.

  “My father—” he began.

  The woman’s expression softened. She knew who he was—and who he was asking about. “I’m sorry,” she said, her soft words still landing like a punch in the gut. She hesitated, as if unsure how much to share. “He was still in a coma when we launched. There were no more dropships available. The oxygen supply was essentially gone, and the ship—well, the ship was… it was breaking apart. There were five or six hours left, at most.”

  A silent scream of grief and guilt surged up in Wells, but he held it in. If he let himself feel the full weight of his loss at once, he would surely break into pieces. His whole body began to shake. The image of his father slowly suffocating made Wells gasp for air, as if the Earthborn’s hands were still wrapped around his neck.

  Wells staggered and almost lost his balance, then felt someone at his side, steadying him. It was Bellamy.

  “Wells,” Bellamy said. “I’m so sorry, man.” His face was full of sympathy and something else… pain?

  Wells nodded. In his own grief, he had forgotten that Bellamy had lost his father too—lost him before he ever even met him. In fact, every single Colonist on the planet had lost someone—lots of people. All the family, neighbors, and friends they’d left behind had already perished, destined to sleep forever in a giant, silent ship orbiting Earth. The Colony had turned into a tomb.

  “It’s a shame you never got to know him,” Wells said, fighting to keep his voice even. Although he’d tried to prepare for the worst, he’d never been quite able to accept the fact that he’d never see his father step off a dropship, his face a mixture of surprise and delight as he saw the wonders of Earth, and how much his son had accomplished. He’d never join Wells around the campfire, listening to the happy chatter, and tell Wells that he was proud of him.

  A curious look came over Bellamy, and he smiled. “You know what, though? I think I kind of did get to know him.”

  “What are you talking about?” Wells asked, racking his brain for a memory of when his father would’ve been able to spend real time with Bellamy.

  “From what I’ve heard, he was incredibly smart, hard working, and deeply committed to helping others… kind of like someone else I know.”

  Wells stared at him for a moment, then sighed. “If you’re talking about me, you’ve got the wrong idea. I’m nothing like my father.”

  “That’s not what Clarke told me. She said that you have all your father’s best qualities—his strength, his honor—but that you have your mother’s kindness and humor.” Bellamy paused and looked thoughtful. “I’ve never heard you say anything funny, of course, but I figured I’d take Clarke’s word for it.”

  To his surprise, Wells let out a small laugh before Bellamy’s face grew serious again. “Listen, I know you’ve suffered in ways I can’t really understand. No one should have to go through anything like this. But you’re not alone, okay? Not only do you have a hundred people who think you’re a hero, maybe more than that actually, but whatever, we’ll count later. What I mean is that you don’t just have friends, you have a family. I’m proud to have you as a brother.”

  Bellamy was right. The pain of losing Sasha and his father and countless friends on the battlefield today would never go away, but Earth was still his home, where he belonged. The sorrow in his heart seemed to lift a little as he and Bellamy hugged and slapped each other on the back.

  Earth was where his family lived.

  CHAPTER 28

  Bellamy

  Bellamy paused in front of the door to the hospital cabin. Apparently, the Vice Chancellor wanted to talk to him, but Bellamy wasn’t exactly in the mood for a chat. He was exhausted from the previous day’s battle and its grisly aftermath. He and Wells had already buried several Earthborns, then set about collecting the blood-stained weapons they’d left behind. The camp would be having a burial ceremony for the Colonists and kids who had died in the attacks, later that day. Thank god, Octavia was okay, but not all of the hundred had been so lucky.

  Yet despite the terrifying attack and the devastating losses of several of their people, the mood in the camp was still brighter than it’d been when Bellamy, Wells, and Clarke had been marched in two nights earlier. People were laughing again, and the new Colonists were asking the hundred for help and advice, no longer wary of angering Rhodes.

  Part of Bellamy wanted to turn around and find Octavia, who’d organized a game of hide-and-seek for the younger kids. It was hard to let her out of his sight after everything they’d just gone through. But, after a moment, his curiosity got the better of him, and he stepped inside.

  The cabin was full of injured Colonists and kids, but Clarke’s usual efficiency and rapport with her patients kept the mood from being too grim. Thankfully, it seemed that most of her patients were going to make quick recoveries.

  Bellamy walked toward the back where a long white sheet had been nailed into the ceiling and hung down to the floor like a curtain, giving the Vice Chancellor a tiny bit of privacy. In his head, he ran through everything Rhodes could possibly say to him, planning his response. If the man so much as threatened him or Octavia, there was no telling what he’d do to him. He didn’t care if he was injured and helpless in a hospital bed.

  Bellamy nodded at the guard positioned in front of the divider, then stepped around and stared at the man lying in the bed behind it.

  Rhodes looked diminished. It wasn’t just his exhausted body or the bandages encasing most of his arms and torso. It was something in his face. He didn’t just look beaten—he looked broken.

  Rhodes propped himself up on one elbow with some effort. Bellamy briefly considered reaching out to help but then thought better of it. He’d done enough for this creep already.

  “Hello, Bellamy.”

  “How are you feeling?” Bellamy asked, more out of habit than from any actual concern. That’s generally what you said when facing a dude covered in bandages.

  “Clarke and Dr. Lahiri say that I’ll make a full recovery.”

  “Great,” Bellamy said, shifting his weight from side to side. This was ridiculous. What the hell was he doing here?

  “I asked you to come because I wanted to thank you.”

  “Forget about it,” Bellamy said with a shrug. He had saved Rhodes’s life for himself, not because he thought this particular power-hungry madman deserved to live. He didn’t particularly fancy a long heart-to-heart.

  Rhodes paused and contemplated the empty space over Bellamy’s shoulder for a long moment.

  “I was reluctant to accept the idea that the original hundred—yourself included—knew more about living on Earth than I did. After all, I had been planning for this journey my entire life, and you”—Rhodes fixed Bellamy with a hard stare—“were nothing more than a bunch of juvenile delinquents. You were stupid enough to get yourselves into trouble on the Colony, so why should I assume you were smart enough to survive down here?”

  Bellamy flinched and balled his hands into fists, but kept his expression neutral. He heard Clarke’s and Wells’s voices in his head, imploring him to stay calm, no matter what Rhodes had to say.

  “But you were,” Rhodes went on. “You not only survive
d on Earth, you thrived. And it has come to my attention that surviving on Earth is hard enough.” He glanced down at his many wounds. “To really live, well, that requires something more than intelligence. That requires will.”

  Bellamy stared at the Vice Chancellor, wondering if he’d heard correctly. Had Rhodes just praised him and the rest of the hundred? Perhaps his head injuries were worse than Clarke had realized.

  He could tell that Rhodes was waiting for him to say something.

  “I’m glad you see it that way,” Bellamy said slowly, praying that Clarke would come in to check in on her patient. Or anyone, really. He didn’t want to be alone with the Vice Chancellor for another second.

  “I hereby pardon you for the crime of kidnapping and the involuntary murder of Chancellor Jaha.”

  Bellamy tried to keep the scorn out of his face as he nodded. “Thank you,” Bellamy said. He’d sort of just assumed that was the case, given the fact that he’d saved Rhodes’s life.

  As if reading his thoughts, Rhodes continued. “That’s not all. Effective immediately, I’m instating a new Advisory Council. Wells was right. The Gaia Doctrine has no place on Earth. We need a new system, a better one. I’m going to suggest that we nominate people this evening. Perhaps…” He grimaced as a new wave of pain washed over him. “Perhaps that’s something you would consider being a part of?”

  Bellamy blinked a few times, trying to process what he had just heard. If he wasn’t mistaken, and he hadn’t accidentally eaten a hallucinogenic berry out in the woods, then Vice Chancellor Rhodes, the most corrupt leader the Colony had ever known, had just pardoned him and suggested he get into politics.

  Bellamy couldn’t help it: He laughed out loud.

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  Bellamy couldn’t wait to go tell Octavia so they could laugh about it. Unless she didn’t think it was funny. Maybe O would actually want him on the Council. Hell, crazier things had happened over the past few weeks. Why couldn’t Bellamy try his hand at running things for a while? There was just one person he needed to check with first.

  With a smile and a nod, he turned and went to find Clarke.

  CHAPTER 29

  Glass

  Every muscle in Glass’s body felt like it was on fire. Her shoulders were rubbed raw from the rope. Her calves and thighs vibrated with exhaustion and threatened to give out any second.

  When she saw the corner of a wooden building peeking out through the trees, she let out a loud sob of relief. They had actually made it back to camp. Luke had stirred once or twice on their journey from the abandoned cabin. She’d stopped a few times to give him water and make sure he was still alive, anxiously holding her breath each time.

  Glass stumbled through the trees and into the clearing. It was as she feared—the sounds of gunshots and the smoke that had stained the sky early this morning must have been coming from here. The entire camp looked like a war zone. Broken spears, bullet casings, ripped clothing, and pools of blood littered the ground. Some of the cabins were totally destroyed. Others looked as if someone had tried to set them on fire. Shell-shocked Colonists milled about, but she didn’t recognize anyone. It was if she had returned to an entirely different place, and she felt a cold shot of fear. What had happened to her friends? Where was Wells?

  Then the sound of a familiar voice sent a wave of joy through her.

  “Glass?” Clarke called from the doorway of the hospital cabin. “Is that you? Oh, no—is that Luke?” Clarke ran to them. Wells popped his head out of the doorway and bolted after her.

  Glass freed herself from the sled. Clarke dropped to her knees and began examining Luke.

  “Glass!” Wells shouted as he reached her side and threw his arms around her. “Thank god you’re back. Are you okay?”

  Glass nodded, but then all the terror and loneliness and exhaustion crashed down on her at once. Now that they were safe, she finally allowed herself to feel everything she’d been holding at bay for days. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Wells put his arms around her and held her while she sobbed.

  “What happened to him?” Wells asked after a moment.

  Glass sniffed and wiped her face with her hands. “We were in an abandoned cabin way out in the woods. It seemed safe. But then they”—her eyes filled with tears again at the memory—“attacked us. The Earthborns. Not Sasha’s people, the other ones.” A deeply pained look crossed Wells’s face, but Glass knew now wasn’t the time to ask what had happened.

  “Luke went out to chase them off, but they hit him with a spear. I did the best I could, but I didn’t have any way to stitch up the wound, and when I tried to bring him here, they attacked us again.”

  Wells swore under his breath. “Glass, I’m so sorry you had to face all that on your own.”

  “It’s okay. We made it back alive, right?” Glass managed a smile through her tears.

  “Let’s get Luke inside,” Clarke said firmly. Clarke and Wells quickly but gently lifted Luke, still on the sled, and raced into the hospital, Glass following closely behind. They entered the crowded room. Glass couldn’t believe how many people were injured.

  “What happened here?” she asked, astonished.

  “Same thing that happened to you,” Wells said grimly, “only bigger.”

  Glass raised her eyebrows, a million unasked questions on her lips. Wells could practically read her mind. “But don’t worry. Things are changing for the better here. Rhodes is loosening his iron fist, finally. We’re voting a new Advisory Council in tonight.”

  A tall, gray-haired man Glass had seen around Phoenix limped toward them. He nodded in her direction, then conferred quietly with Clarke. They spoke in somber tones, examining Luke’s leg closely and listening to his pulse, heartbeat, and breathing. Clarke filled a syringe from a small glass vial and injected something into Luke’s shoulder. Then she began to clean his wound and suture it up. He flinched in his sleep but didn’t wake.

  Glass stood by helplessly. She had been so focused on getting Luke back to camp that she hadn’t allowed herself to think about what they might tell her once they got there. Clarke and the older man stepped over to her. She tried to read their faces for some kind of hint, but they were both totally impassive.

  “Glass, this is Dr. Lahiri,” Clarke began. “I trained under him on the Colony. He’s an excellent doctor.”

  “Nice to meet you, Glass.” Dr. Lahiri extended a hand, and Glass shook it numbly. She was torn between her need to know Luke’s condition and her desperate wish not to hear any bad news. She swallowed and willed herself to remain calm, no matter what they said.

  “You’re very fortunate,” Dr. Lahiri said with a smile. Glass let out a long sigh of relief. “He’s going to be fine. But if you hadn’t gotten him back when you did, he would have lost the leg. Or worse.” Dr. Lahiri put a steadying hand on her shoulder. “You saved him, Glass. You should be very proud of what you did for him.”

  “It’s going to be okay,” Clarke said, pulling her into a hug. “We’ve given him a high dose of antibiotics, and we will monitor him carefully. He’s a strong guy. And he’s lucky to have you.”

  “I think it’s the other way around,” Glass said through her tears.

  “Do you want to sit with him?” Clarke asked. “I can have someone bring you some food.” Glass nodded and collapsed onto the bed beside Luke. She curled up next to him, her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat under her palm. She listened to his soft breathing, steadier now.

  For those few days in the cabin, she had thought all she needed in the world was Luke. She loved their little hideaway, their secret life, where no one bothered them and they could be alone all day long. But now, after she’d come so close to losing him and had tested herself in ways she didn’t even know were possible, she felt different. Surrounded by these people who worked so hard and cared so much, Glass knew that she and Luke needed more than just each other. They needed their community. They were home.<
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  CHAPTER 30

  Clarke

  They walked in silence. The only sound was the crunch of leaves under their boots and the rustle of the wind in the trees. The leaves had all brightened into vibrant yellows, velvety oranges, and deep reds. If she didn’t need to keep her eyes on the ground in front of her, Clarke could have gazed upward all day. Shafts of sunlight beamed down through the trees, showering Clarke, Bellamy, and Wells in a golden glow. The air was much colder than it had been just days ago, and it smelled spicy and rich.

  Clarke shivered, wishing she had another jacket. They were stockpiling the pelts of every animal Bellamy and the other hunters brought back, but their collection was still small. It’d be a long time until they had enough fur for everyone.

  Without a word, Bellamy wrapped his arm around her, holding her close as they continued through the woods. Max had sent word that Sasha’s funeral would be held tomorrow, and they were on their way to Mount Weather.

  Wells was walking a bit ahead of them, but Clarke knew better than to call out to him. With all the chaos and excitement of the past few days, Wells had barely had any time to process his losses, and he was clearly grateful for the chance to be alone with his thoughts. Yet that didn’t stop her heart from aching for him as she watched him tilt his head back and scan the trees, as if expecting Sasha to drop down from one at any moment. Or perhaps he was taking in the sight of the brightly colored leaves, trying to accept the fact that he’d never get to comment on their beauty to Sasha, never see them float down and land in her dark hair. That was the worst part about losing someone—finding a place to store all the thoughts and feelings you’d otherwise share with them. When Clarke had believed her parents were dead, there’d been times when she was sure her heart would burst from trying to contain it all.

  As they got closer to Mount Weather, however, Clarke jogged ahead to catch up to Wells. She slipped her hand into his. There were no words Clarke could offer to lessen Wells’s pain. She just wanted to remind him that he didn’t have to go through this alone. They were in it together.