“Find what?” Wells asked.
“This.” Sasha’s voice was triumphant. In the dim light, Wells could just make out some kind of ladder, made from ragged rope. “Follow me.” Silently, Sasha scaled the tree, disappearing into the branches before calling down to Wells. “Come on, slowpoke.”
Wells grabbed on to the rope hesitantly. It hardly looked capable of supporting his weight, but there was no way he was going to wimp out in front of Sasha. With a deep breath, he slipped his foot into the first rung, and, holding on to the tree to steady himself, took a big step. He swayed from side to side but managed to keep climbing, wincing slightly as the rope cut into his hands.
Without looking down, he moved up the ladder and eventually saw Sasha resting on a small wooden platform tucked among the branches. “Like it?” she asked, grinning as if she’d just invited Wells into the most magnificent palace.
Carefully, he slipped off the ladder and crawled over next to her. “Love it,” he said with a smile. “Did you make it yourself?”
“I was pretty little, so my dad helped.”
“And he won’t mind if we spend the night here?”
“Wells, my father is in charge of our entire society. He’s a little too busy to care about where I sleep.”
Wells snorted. “No father is that busy.”
“It’s fine. Though we can certainly go back if it’ll make you more comfortable.”
In response, Wells reached his arm around Sasha and pulled her close. “I’m pretty comfortable here, actually.”
She smiled and gave him a quick, light kiss. “Good.”
“I’ve missed you these past few days,” Wells said, lowering himself onto the wooden platform and pulling her down with him.
“I’ve missed you too.” Her voice was muffled as she snuggled into his chest.
“Thank you… for everything. I never meant for you to get caught up in all this, let alone impose on your people.”
Sasha sat up slowly and looked at him. She traced her hand along the side of his face and then began running it through his hair. “You don’t have to thank me, Wells. I want to keep you all safe too, you know.”
“I know.” He took her hand and kissed it. “So…” he said, looking around. “This seems like a nice place to sleep.”
“Are you tired?”
“Exhausted,” he said, wrapping his hand behind her, and pulling her in for another kiss. “You?”
“Maybe not quite that tired.”
She kissed him again, and the rest of the world slipped away. There were no new Colonists. No Earthborns. No Rhodes. Just Sasha. Just their breath. Just their lips.
The camp suddenly felt light-years away, as distant as Earth used to look from the Colony. “You make me feel legitimately crazy. You know that, right?” Wells whispered, running his hand down her back.
“Why? Because I’m seducing you in a tree?”
“Because no matter what else is going on, being with you makes me perfectly happy. It’s crazy, switching gears that fast.” Wells ran his hand along her cheek. “You’re like a drug.”
Sasha smiled. “I think you need to work on your compliments, space boy.”
“I’ve never been the best with words. I’m much better at showing what I mean.”
“Is that so?” Sasha breathed as Wells brought his other hand to her stomach. “I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.” Wells let his fingers drop a little lower, and she shuddered. “Okay, now you’re the one making me feel crazy.”
“Good,” Wells whispered into her ear, thinking that things on Earth weren’t quite as dire as he’d feared. As long as he had Sasha, it would always feel like home.
CHAPTER 15
Glass
Glass looked around her, feeling genuine awe for the first time since setting foot on the ground. Sunlight filtered through the trees, showering the ground with golden dots of light, like thousands of little gemstones. This was how Earth was supposed to look—peaceful, beautiful, and full of wonder.
Luke took Glass’s hand to steady her as they made their way down a steep slope. There was a narrow stream at the bottom, the water perfectly clear except for the red and yellow leaves dancing in the current. When they reached the bottom, Glass hesitated, turning from side to side as she scanned the bank for the best place to cross. But as she took a hesitant step toward the edge, Luke picked her up with his good arm and crossed the stream with an easy bound, despite the fact that they were both carrying heavy packs.
When they reached the other side, Luke lowered her carefully to the ground, then took her hand again as they continued. At first, they’d kept up nearly constant conversation as they exclaimed and pointed out different trees, and signs of various animal life. But after a while, they’d fallen silent, too overwhelmed by the beauty around them to fumble with the inadequate words they had to express it. Glass almost liked it better that way. She loved watching Luke’s face light up each time his eyes settled on a new wonder.
It had taken a couple of hours for Glass’s heart rate to come down after they’d slipped away from the camp. The quiet had scared her initially. Every snap of a twig or rustling of leaves boomed in her ears and made her jump. She knew it was just a matter of time before Rhodes realized they were gone and sent a search party to hunt them down.
But after a few hours, her stress faded away, and she began to savor the silence, the freedom of being completely alone with Luke. Glass couldn’t believe they’d ever considered staying at camp. The air was fragrant with damp leaves and musky tree bark. It was a riot of sensory input that Glass had never experienced before. She couldn’t have imagined how much brighter and more saturated the colors were on Earth, how much sweeter the air, or how the rich smells would compete for her attention.