Woo! I already have over 900 views on this story and it's only been posted for about 2 and a half weeks! And I have almost 6,000 on the first season's story! (: I hope you all like the two chaptrs I posted. Thanks everyone for reading / reviewing. c:
When Mr. Mason came in with the others, they seemed confused to see me there.
We were told to leave, so I gave Rick another hug and put my hand on the skitter's cage. He put his hand up too, and we partially touched. I smiled.
"Thank you," I whispered before following Ben out.
"Why were you in there?" He was going to bug me about it.
"Nothing, I just wanted to make sure he was okay."
He shook his head, knowing I wouldn't tell.
I leaned against his chest, my arm wrapped around my stomach.
"I tend to get hurt when I try to help someone," I mumbled into his shirt as he wrapped his arms around me.
"Thank you for doing that for him, by the way."
I looked up to him and smiled, "I rather like him. He's cool."
We stood there like that for the rest of the time, waiting.
.
When we heard mechs when Weaver stormed past us into the warehouse.
He was accusing the skitter of leading them to us.
It wasn't completely a lie, they were there to kill him. But it wasn't his choice.
"No! Wait!" Ben moved over to stand in front of the cage with Rick and Mr. Mason. I joined them.
When Mr. Mason went against Weaver's orders, the skitter opened it's cage and ran.
The men started shooting at it as it scurried across the top corner of the building.
"No!" Rick yelled and stood in front of it as someone shot. They knocked him back onto the ground, choking for air.
"Rick!" Ben and I yelled running towards the boy.
"Rick," Ben was putting his hand on the wound, trying to stop it from bleeding even though it was hopeless.
"Ben," Rick's voice was just a whisper, "It's okay. It's only one person, it doesn't matter. We'll win it, I know it. Just, talk to your father. You have a father, Ben. Make him believe. Make them believe."
Then Rick looked to me, "Good luck."
He looked back to Ben, "You- you can do it."
He wasn't getting any air. His chest stopped rising and I sat back, starring at his dead body.
"Rick.." I felt tears go down my face.
Ben and his father were talking, but I wasn't paying an attention. I had lost someone else now. Why was I losing everyone?
.
When we moved to the hospital, I refused to go unless we took Rick's body so we could bury it.
I kissed the cross on his grave too, before marking it on the map I carried with me now. It had the spot Jimmy was buried at marked on it. I made him a promise to get his body once this was over, to give him a proper burial. I didn't have my sister's and parents marked, but I knew exactly where we were then.
When I heard about Maggie getting hurt, I went straight to her room to make sure she was okay. Instead of finding her bored though, I found her with Hal.
"Oh, erm, sorry," I smiled and started to turn away.
"No, it's okay. Come in," Maggie was quick to stop me.
I looked to Hal and he got the hint to leave.
"I'll have him come back once I'm done," I smiled to her and sat in the chair he was sitting in, "How are you?"
"Good. If it wasn't for Hal, I wouldn't be here. Stupid boy went after me after I got hurt."
I laughed, "That's his job though."
She gave me a smile before questioning me, "So, why'd you come here."
My smile fell a little and I looked to my hands, "I need to tell you something. I can't just keep it a secret. Now that Rick's gone I can't.. I have no one to talk about it with. But you have to let me do this, okay?"
She understood. I hated to put this on her and ask her to keep quiet, but I didn't have anyone else I trusted as much as her right now that would actually listen and help.
.
I went to visit Weaver next only to find him almost asleep.
"Hey, I just wanted to make sure you were okay," I gave him a worried smile.
"Yah, why wouldn't I be?" He seemed a bit nervous with my question.
"Because of your daughter? You've just lost two people that were family to you so…" I sat on the edge of the bed, "I just wanted to check in."
"Well thank yah," He gave me a nod, "I'll be fine."
"Okay, well, I'll be here," I hated saying that, but I felt like I had to, "Goodnight."
With that I walked away. I wanted to go to the roof, but I knew Ben was there. I couldn't see him right now. It just wouldn't be good. I didn't want to risk telling him.
That would be the end of it.
.
As Maggie and I got better and our injuries healed, we started going on scouts together. She kept talking to me and seemed to know exactly what I needed. It was nice to have girl talk too, that's something I didn't really do before. I only ever talked to Ben.
She wasn't just helping me though, I was listening to her bottled up emotions and problems too. I was trying to give advice, but in the end she was the one to decide. My job was more to listen to her so she could figure things out. She was like me, talking about it out loud gave you a new perspective. And it helped figure out what you couldn't in your head.
It felt like time was going by really slowly. When I wasn't with Maggie, I was sitting on the roof or helping Matt with his training. Ben had questioned me a few times about the awkward tension but I tried my hardest to shrug it off. It was just so hard to do that with someone you would've once gone to when things like this happened.
.
"Okay, what's going on?" Ben had found me hiding out on the roof. I had tried my hardest today to avoid him but he seemed to be everywhere.
I looked up to him, "Nothin'. Why?"
He sat next to me, hanging his feet over the edge like I was doing.
"You're a horrible liar, 'Stella," he wouldn't stop looking at me.
"No, you're just too close to me."
I realized how horrible that sounded after I'd said it, but there wasn't much I could do about it.
"What?"
I sighed and looked to him, "I - I just.." I started to lose my words, "You just know me too well. Yah, that's what I meant."
He put his hand on my cheek but I turned away.
"See? There's something going on. What'd I do?"
"You didn't do anything. Okay? It's just-" I tried to think of an excuse, "I miss Jeremy."
I blurted it out without thinking and took a deep breath afterwards.
"Oh, uhm," He was at a loss for words this time, "I'm sorry. I'll just go."
When he went to get up I grabbed his hand, "No. Not like that."
I couldn't take it anymore. I stood and collapsed into his arms, mine around his neck. I wasn't going to talk, but I needed a moment to remember with him.
"I'm a little everywhere lately. With everyone dying and getting hurt and disappearing.. It's so much for me. This is one of my biggest fears - to lose everyone close to me. You know that. And it feels like it's coming true."
He took my face in his hands and made me look into his eyes, "You won't lose everyone. Promise."
Oh how wrong he was.
"Okay," I didn't know what else to say. Looking into his eyes made me lose myself. I stood on my tip-toes and pressed my lips against his lightly before knowing I shouldn't have.
I pulled away as quickly as I did it and turned around, "Sorry. I shouldn't have.. It's not nice of me to do. I know, you don't understand, but you will," I turned back to look at him, "Please don't take this the wrong way. You know how I feel about you. Remember that. It's complicated. And I can't tell you. But you know how much I care for you."
The words stumbled out of my mouth pretty fast, but I didn't want to stand there anymore so I ran.
I wasn't allowed to be like that with him. Not yet.
