Eᴘɪsᴏᴅᴇ: Pɪʟᴏᴛ
I remained silently rooted to the spot for a few moments after Murphy's departure, unable to motivate myself to move at all and struggled to process the fact that we'd just landed on Earth. This wasn't a scenario that I had ever imagined and I was overwhelmed by all of the new fears that this situation presented to me.
"Cas!"
A warm voice pulled me from my shock and I turned to see Monty and Jasper rushing toward me, barely seconds before they pulled me into a fond joint hug. Though I was taken aback by the contact, I felt my heartbeat gradually return to normal whilst wrapped up between them. When they eventually stepped back, I felt immensely better prepared to deal with the problems at hand.
"We were worried they might've done something even worse with you. Glad you're okay." Jasper commented, keeping a hand on my arm protectively and I smiled at him with appreciation. Having someone care for my wellbeing made the horror of our circumstances feel much less daunting and I was grateful for their kindness.
"Worse than sending us all to Earth to die of radiation poisoning?" Monty quipped, raising a brow at his best friend to point out how idiotic a comment this was and Jasper rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Well, we survived the worst landing possible. That's a pretty good first step. Or...at least most of us did." He added, a guilty expression filling his face as he looked past me and I peeked over my shoulder to find the bodies of two young men. I whipped my gaze back to them questioningly and they both shifted awkwardly.
"They were floating around when the parachutes launched. Died on impact." Jasper explained quietly and I sighed in disappointment. It seemed far too soon to already be losing people, especially to idiotic decisions and I had the distinct feeling that this would be a recurrent issue with the group that we had. The shouting from downstairs grew louder and both boys turned to look with interest. "We'd better get down there before they all decide how to die without us." Jasper added in a humorous tone, but there was a hint of genuine nervousness in his eyes and I gulped down my fear as I followed them toward the hatch.
We were the last people to enter the ground floor of the dropship, which was now excessively crowded with people and I struggled into a position in the back corner to gain as much personal space as possible. Immediately, I recognised Clarke's voice as I joined the enormous group watching her have a rather heated conversation with a young man in a guard uniform and a brunette girl who was close to his side, about the potential risks of opening the doors.
I was glad of my height, which provided me an easy view through the crowd, but at the same time was nervous that it allowed me little space to hide should the three of them glance in my direction. At 5'8, I'd always felt too big, as if I always took up too much space and had spent my entire life attempting to make myself as small as possible in an effort to disappear into the crowd. Apparently, Murphy had no intention of allowing me to do so, as he noticed me fidgeting behind the others and he fought his way over to me.
"What are you doing back here?" He interrogated, furrowing his brows at me in blatant confusion and I shrugged avoidantly. As was a regular occurrence in my life, I wished that I could simply fade into the background and didn't appreciate the attention that Murphy was drawing to me. I glanced over to the doors in an attempt not to meet his eyes and he quickly followed my line of sight, before returning his attention to me with an amused expression.
"Look, if the radiation comes in it will kill us all anyway, even if you are hiding out at the back. You might as well get a good look at Earth before you croak, right?" He suggested and I finally brought my eyes to him in sheer disbelief. "Now, come on." He stated before I could say anything in disagreement and he wrapped an arm around my back to encourage me closer to him.
Once he'd scooped me into his side protectively, he began to push through the crowd until we reached the very front and I felt my legs trembling at the annoyed stares of every person that he barged past. By the time that we neared the door, Clarke and the two strangers had turned their back on their audience and for some unknown reason, she was allowing the brunette to approach first. I held my breath in petrified anticipation as the male reached for the lever to our potential doom and tried to have faith that this was not the end.
"Ready to see your namesake, Sunshine?" Murphy leaned in close to whisper to me and his hot breath tickled my ear, causing a rosy blush to dust my cheeks.
There was a loud clunk as the lever switched into place and various mechanisms creaked into life to begin lowering the doors into a ramp to the outside world. No immediate fog filled the space and nothing was burning, but I had to cover my eyes to shield them from the intense light that burst through the gap. I kept my eyes tightly closed for several moments, too afraid to face what might await us on the other side, but then I heard Murphy take a sharp, excitable breath beside me and finally felt safe to look.
As my eyes gradually adjusted to the natural light, the first thing that I noticed was the baby blue of the sky. I was mystified by the beauty of what I saw, feeling unprepared for the reality of Earth compared to all of the art that I had studied over the years. Soft, white clouds floated in the sky, visible between the dense trees that were a vibrant shade of green that I'd never been able to find in the limited paints of the Ark. The air rushed inside to welcome us and I took a deep breath with intense satisfaction. It was thick with scents that I could never have imagined and couldn't even begin to identify, and I felt as if I was drowning in the details that surrounded me.
"We're back bitches!"
The girl who had been at the doors screamed dramatically and I startled from the sudden sound, having failed to even notice that she had already wandered outside. The teenagers around us took this as their rallying call and poured outside in a frenzy, cheering with celebration. Before I could even register what was happening, Murphy looped his hand through mine and moved to pull me down the ramp. I stared at him nervously and he chuckled at my reluctance.
"We're on Earth, Cassie. It's time to live a little." He drawled, before breaking into a jog and dragging me alongside him without waiting for me to agree. Though I was nervous, it was easy to be swept up in the enthusiasm of the moment and the way that Murphy stared at everything around him with unfiltered wonder made butterflies appear in my chest.
The others ran through the trees in a wild manner, completely lost to elation and I found relieved laughter escaping my lips too as I ran to keep up with my captors long legs. We came to a sudden halt and Murphy took a moment to slowly spin on the spot, absorbing every part of his surroundings with a vivid appreciation that rivalled my own.
"Well. What do you think? Better than your art?" He asked as he turned toward me with a fond smile and I nodded back keenly.
"Better than any art." I confirmed and he seemed pleased to find that I was as overwhelmed as him. "I wish I could sketch it." I sighed, my thoughts escaping before I'd even considered it and I was surprised at how easy I found it to be myself with him. He broke into a wonky grin and shook his head at me slowly in amusement.
"Sorry to break it to you, but I doubt they left any art supplies in the dropship for you." He remarked with a smirk and I rolled my eyes at him. "Okay, we're free now. You can talk! So, I have to ask...why do you speak like that?" He enquired, examining me with interest and I raised a brow at him, unsure of what he meant by his question. "Don't look at me like that. You speak weird. There's just a little difference in your accent. Where does it come from?" He added defensively and I couldn't help but to smile at his unintentionally insulting choice of words.
"My old man still has a really strong accent. My great grandfather was from Ireland. He's very proud of it." I explained, feeling sentimental as I recalled my fathers unusual voice, one of few people on the Ark to have retained some of their original heritage after so many generations. Murphy tilted his head at me, but made an expression as if some long standing query of his had finally made sense and as he opened his mouth to speak again, we were interrupted by a loud call.
"Murphy!" I jumped so hard in response that I startled Murphy too and he glanced over at me with a snort of laughter. We both turned to face a young man with warm skin who I had seen around Murphy in lockup and I gulped nervously as I was unsure what to expect from any friends of his.
"Mbege!" Murphy cheered, a mischievous grin filling his face and I glanced over at the man in question with interest, only to find him surveying me with a smug expression. I'd heard countless tales of their combined exploits, but had never actually been introduced and wondered if he was even aware of the friendship that Murphy and I shared. He slowly strolled over to us, keeping his eyes trained on me curiously and I felt uncomfortable under his gaze.
"Should've known that I'd find you with her." He commented, gesturing at me slyly and I shuffled awkwardly on the spot, feeling like I was not meant to be privy to this conversation. "You gonna come join the boys, or you too busy following your jailbird girlfriend around?" He teased and Murphy visibly tensed at his words, before quickly regaining his composure. He viewed me cautiously, as if torn between his options and I nodded in silent encouragement, keen to escape this encounter as quickly as possible.
I breathed a sigh of relief as they marched off together, noticing that Murphy elbowed Mbege with annoyance as they walked and couldn't help wondering exactly what he'd been saying about me to earn such a jest. Instead of investigating, I decided to attempt to find Clarke and navigated my way toward the dropship.
I wandered inside the space that was now empty as all of the inmates explored their new home and began to search through the room for any sign of supplies. Though I knew that this was an experimental venture, I hoped that they would leave at least some simple medical items, but as I slowly ran out of compartments to search, I soon realised that all we had were the clothes on our backs and each other to depend upon here. There was a commotion going on outside that carried through the doors and I turned to investigate.
"We need to get to Mount Weather." I caught the familiar sound of Clarke's voice and emerged to find a large crowd gathered around her and the Chancellor's son, who was the spitting image of his arrogant father. "Not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get and the harder this will be." She explained, eloquently presenting her case to the rowdy teens and I took the opportunity to blend into the crowd, feeling entirely too exposed on the ramp. "How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a twenty mile trek, okay? So if you want to get there before dark, we need to leave. Now." She finished with flare and I smiled at her diplomatic nature that had developed substantially since I saw her last.
"I've got a better idea." A deep voice announced and I could feel two sets of eyes on me as I tried to find a spot where I could blend into the background as effectively as possible. The first belonged to Murphy, with his keen gaze following my every step from the drop ship and as I turned to find the source of the conversation, I discovered the young man in the guard uniform from earlier also observing me. His dark eyes glittered with interest, before he returned his attention to causing yet another argument with Clarke and I was mystified by my failure to be invisible.
"You two go. Find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change." He suggested, receiving enthusiastic cheers of agreement and I was shocked to find that there was actually someone more obnoxious than Murphy present.
"You're not listening. We all need to go." Wells pleaded, seeming thoroughly frustrated by the attitude of the delinquents that he was now estranged with and having found a suitable position beside a large tree, I viewed him with sympathy. Though his similarity to his father was jarring, I couldn't imagine that being known by everyone was easy and I certainly didn't envy his dilemma of having to depend on people that his father had imprisoned. I gulped nervously at even the thought of so many people looking to me and shifted even further out of view without even realising.
"Look at this everybody. The Chancellor of Earth." Murphy mocked, stepping out of his group to shove Wells from behind and I felt my breath catch in my throat at his aggression. I knew well how unpredictable his behaviour could be, but was unsure what to expect from him now that we were no longer contained by guards and for the first time, I began to consider how this environment could change things between us.
"You think that's funny?" Wells quipped, stepping up to face him with a confident smile and my stomach lurched with dread. It clearly had not occurred yet to the boy how poorly matched he was to those around him, a politician's son against numerous criminals and I was fearful for the consequences of his challenge. Barely a second later, Murphy bent to kick him in the shin and there was an overpowering crack as he fell to the ground.
"Wells!" Clarke cried as she attempted to run to his side, but Mbege quickly caught her and kept her from getting between the boys. I willed myself to stop this, to talk Murphy down but I was paralysed with fear and my feet refused to move as I stared at them with wide eyes. Several members of the crowd called out in encouragement, only further fuelling the fight and I chewed my lip in anticipation.
"No. But that was." Murphy remarked with a smirk, pacing about in front of his fallen opponent with a potent enjoyment in his face and I shuffled awkwardly on the spot. Despite mentally willing him to stay down, Wells struggled to his feet and I felt my heartbeat pounding in my chest.
"Alright." Murphy drawled, seemingly thrilled that he hadn't backed down yet and I was caught off guard as Murphy flashed me a sly smile, specifically finding my face in the crowd. It was clear that he hadn't allowed me out of his sight for a moment and as I began to understand that he was merely burning off some steam with Wells, I rolled my eyes. It seemed that he'd perceived the man in the guard uniform's attitude as a challenge to his position as the most obnoxious criminal on Earth and I could hardly stand this entirely unnecessary display of testosterone.
The boys squared up to each other, holding their fists up and Murphy toyed with his newest interest, relishing in intimidating him. Members of the crowd called out in taunts at Wells and it was clear that he had little allies other than Clarke here. Part of me wanted to support her, but backing up Wells seemed like a surefire way to paint a target on my back and I was not thrilled by this idea.
"Come on. Come on!" Murphy baited, gesturing for Wells to attack and I sighed with disappointment at their childish behaviour. It became obvious that no one had any intention of breaking up the fight and I racked my brain for any ideas for a distraction that I could cause to shift their interest.
Fortunately, I didn't have to take action, as a long haired boy dropped down seemingly out of thin air and landed between them in a dramatic manner. There were several disappointed groans, as the atmosphere immediately de-escalated and the stranger fixed Murphy with a firm stare.
"Kid's got one leg." He stared, staring deeply into Murphy's face as he allowed a few seconds of silence to pass and I was shocked by his confidence as he showed no anger, or discomfort in separating the two of them. "How about you wait until it's a fair fight?" He suggested, surprising me with his accurate judgement of the situation as he appealed to Murphy's arrogance rather than simply telling them to stop and I was already interested in finding out more about this amazingly reasonable young person.
"Hey, spacewalker!" The brunette girl who had stepped out of the dropship first approached him with an entirely flirtatious smile and I was baffled by her confidence in front of such a dense crowd. "Rescue me next." She quipped with a wink, followed by several chuckles from her audience and I was immediately envious of her boldness. Fortunately, the joint distraction that they had provided returned the teens to their previous relaxed state and as everyone split into small groups, Clarke's gaze fell on me.
"Cassidy!" She exclaimed with wide eyes and she rushed over to me, placing her hands on my arms with fondness. "I'm glad you're okay. I wanted to say thank you sooner, but I wasn't allowed to contact anyone. Your note helped me a lot." She explained and I smiled at her with warm familiarity as I fidgeted out of her grip. "Wells is hurt. Think you could take a look?" She pleaded and I nodded back reluctantly, following her over to her friend. He sat in the dirt with his leg outstretched and jumped as I approached, viewing me with a deep suspicion that was completely understandable.
"Wells, this is Cassidy. She was an intern with my mother. She's gonna take care of your leg." Clarke explained as he observed me apprehensively and I waved awkwardly in introduction. Without waiting for permission, I bent down and began examining his shin where Murphy had kicked him and felt for any indication of a break.
I felt several others arrive behind me and could hear that Clarke was in the process of arranging a group to make the journey to the mountain, but I remained focused on my task. Taking a few steps away to search for some appropriately sized branches for a splint, I returned to find that a small crowd had gathered around Clarke, including the guard who seemed determined to cause problems and I avoided his eyes as I shuffle back into place, making my best effort to draw as little attention to myself as possible. The group began to move off beside me and I felt Clarke return to my side.
"You shouldn't have come here, Wells." She commented bitterly, causing a hurt expression to cross his face and I glanced up at her questioningly. She shook her head quickly to indicate that she didn't want to discuss it and I shrugged. "I'm going to assume that you won't be joining us?" She asked quietly and I stared up at her in complete horror at the very idea of venturing off into the unknown. She chuckled under her breath at my lack of adventure and I relaxed as I realised that she wasn't about to scold me. "Probably best to leave a doctor behind, just in case. Alright. I'll leave you to it. Be safe." She breezed and I tilted my head to silently return the sentiment, pleased when she smiled in understanding. The moment that she departed, Wells began to study me curiously.
"You and Clarke know each other well?" He enquired, seeming as if he was attempting to get a measure of me and I shook my head slowly in response, concentrating on fastening everything in place as best I could with simply strips of fabric. "Things are tense between us, I'm sure you've noticed. I came down here to protect her and yet the first risk that she takes, I can't join her." He revealed, glancing down at the offending injury with frustration and I hummed thoughtfully. I'd never heard Clarke mention his name before and although I was cautious of what he could have done to cause her to treat him in such a way, I wasn't about to involve myself in their personal drama. I completed the splint to the best of my ability with our limited supplies and slowly got to my feet. "All done?" He checked and I nodded in confirmation, prompting him to struggle to a standing position with relief. "You know, that actually helps a lot. Thanks, umm...I'm sorry, what was your name again?" He spoke with a grateful smile, but I couldn't deny the feeling that he was attempting to manipulate me into speaking as I thinned my eyes at him.
"Cassidy!" Murphy's sharp voice caused me to startle, rescuing me from the tension of the conversation and as I turned to figure out where it had come from, I found that the boy in the guard uniform was eavesdropping on us from nearby. I tore my gaze from him with anxiety building in my chest, feeling intensely uncomfortable with his scrutiny and instead found Murphy examining me with suspicion as I marched over to meet him. "Fraternizing with the enemy?" He drawled, a clear disapproval filling his features and I rolled my eyes at him as I placed a hand on his arm to lead him away from the others.
"No. Just patching him up." I explained and he grimaced as if I'd just said something thoroughly disgusting. "Look. I get it. I don't like having him here either, but we're gonna need everyone to survive." I added, quickly realising that this might be the most that I'd ever said to him at one time and he sighed heavily at my excuse.
"Do we really need the leading advocate for law and order to survive?" He groaned, seeming personally slighted by my attending to Wells and I was unsure to deal with this degree of petty behaviour. "You seem to be forgetting that his father is the reason that we're all here." He remarked with a pointed glare in Wells' direction and I shook my head at his ridiculous assumption.
"Oh, I haven't forgotten." I blurted with a bitterness that surprised even myself and a slight smile met my words. "Let's just try not to kill each other before we even know what we're up against. He's well educated, at the least. That could be useful." I suggested and he grumbled under his breath like a scolded child, before rolling his eyes at me impatiently.
"Fine. You're right. Just don't go getting too buddy buddy with him." He ordered, crossing his arms defensively and I crooked a brow at him. "He's still got Chancellor blood in him. If he's anything like his father, which he seems to be, he'll throw you under the bus as soon as the shit hits the fan." He added and I had to shrug in agreement at his arguably very reasonable point.
"Pinky promise." I smiled sweetly and his expression gradually softened in response.
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Hours had passed since we arrived on the planet of our ancestors and whilst everyone else had been having the time of their lives, I'd been keeping busy with arranging some kind of medical space in one of the back rooms of the dropship. I'd ripped up plenty of fabrics into bandage size strips, storing them in various boxes alongside some needles and wire I'd found that would be narrow enough for stitching, though I hoped that we wouldn't be unfortunate enough to have need of it.
My next immediate concern was to prepare for the most likely afflictions that we might succumb to and I calculated that for the time being, our biggest risk was dehydration. Whilst everyone else was too distracted to even notice my busy presence, I collected several parachutes and fashioned them into a tarp between some nearby trees, surprising even myself at the sturdiness of the set up.
"Ready to collect rainwater?" Wells' voice almost caused me to lose my balance in shock as he appeared beside me and I stumbled to the side to create more distance between us. "Smart. Good to see that someone else here is capable of planning ahead." He commented with a warm smile and I shrugged awkwardly in return, dissatisfied to have been caught in conversation with him again already. "The splint is holding up well. I even managed to bring us back some firewood. Clarke wasn't kidding about you being capable. Here, I made sure to collect some smaller bits of wood too, just in case we need to split any other injuries." He explained, holding the smaller pile out to me proudly and I nodded back thankfully, before making a speedy exit.
There was a tinge of guilt in my chest as I marched away from Wells, knowing that he was likely lonely and I could entirely sympathise with that feeling. However, I had no intention of getting involved with public enemy number one this time and I left it to Clarke to resolve her issues with him instead. I stowed the splint pieces away in my makeshift medical unit to ensure that they didn't get mixed up with the firewood and created a bag out of some fabric that I slung over my shoulder.
Without a single thought about letting anyone know where I was going, I made my way into the trees, ensuring to remain close enough to call for help if needed and began my search for anything useful. My main goal was to seek out any herbs that could potentially have medicinal uses, but also kept an eye out for any berries or other food sources, as I knew that the large group would likely be getting hungry soon.
I managed to pull a few familiar plants from the ground, stowing them away in my sash but was overall disappointed to find that most of the area was overtaken by pointless weeds. Mentally,I pleaded with any forces above for even one plant that could assist with pain, or infections. I couldn't help feeling the pressure that an emergency would bring and my lack of success with foraging only added to my anxiety.
"You know, you blend in so well with nature that I almost missed you."
I whipped around to find Murphy leaning against a tree, examining me with amusement and cursed under my breath for being so frequently spooked. As I glanced down at my green jacket, I realised that he was right and I could easily camouflage myself as even my hair matched the grass surrounding us. My eyes were accusatory as I peered at him, silently warning him not to scare me again and he chuckled at my thinly veiled displeasure.
"What are you doing out here? I know that your farm upbringing must make it difficult to resist all these plants, but you shouldn't just wander off on your own." He remarked, his voice filled with a jesting tone despite his protective words and my expression melted into a smile at his concern.
"I'm looking for something useful. Frolicking around isn't going to help if anyone gets hurt, or sick." I divulged as I returned to coming through the tall grass with determination and Murphy thinned his eyes at me suspiciously.
There's more to you than just growing vegetables and dealing drugs, isn't there, Agro?" He quipped, as he crept closer to me and I rolled my eyes at him in disapproval, tired of insisting that I was not a drug dealer. "You knew exactly what to do for Chancellor Junior earlier and now you're out here hunting for herbal supplements, instead of enjoying the sights like everyone else. Just who were you up there, Sunshine?" He questioned, staring at me with even greater interest now than he had even in lockup and I sighed as I squirmed under his gaze.
"Someone who wants to help people, same as down here. Now, if you don't mind I'd rather not die here from a stupid infection." I retorted, brushing off his curiosity as I avoided meeting his eyes and he fidgeted with evident disappointment at my minimal answer.
After a few minutes of heavy silence, he appeared beside me to assist with the hunt and I held my shock inside, knowing that he would change his mind if I made a big deal out of his assistance. I couldn't imagine how helping me to search tirelessly through a million blades of grass for random plants could be preferable for him compared to hanging out with his boys and I was unsure if he even knew what he was looking for, but I felt safer out here with him nearby.
"That Bellamy guy has sure got some pretty big ideas. Think he's looking to run things down here." He commented idly and I crooked a brow at him in confusion, baffled by his expectation that I would recognise that name. "You know, that guy in the guard jacket that keeps staring at you." He blurted, before quickly clearing his throat as if he'd said something he hadn't meant to and turning his face away. If I had thought that I was confused before, it was nothing on the way that I felt now and I could hardly believe that Murphy was paying such intense concentration to who was looking at me.
"I don't trust him." I announced, holding my head at a lofty angle and he darted his attention back to me with his brows deeply furrowed.
"Oh? And why's that?" He interrogated with a blatant excitement in his eyes and I couldn't help smiling at how thrilled he seemed by lack of interest in Bellamy. Though it was true that I had noticed him watching me several times now, I was sure that it was no different to the way that he studied everyone in our group, figuring out whether they were a threat to his bid for power or not and I hoped that Murphy would quickly realise that this was no major occurrence.
"I don't know. Bad vibes." I muttered, honestly expressing my thoughts and he nodded slowly as he absorbed this. His shoulders dropped slightly, relaxed by my vague confirmation that I hadn't paid much mind to Bellamy and I smiled subtly at his childish attitude.
"And yet, you hang out with me?" He crooned, smiling smugly as if this were such a privilege and I shrugged casually. In truth, I wasn't sure why I was drawn to Murphy when everything that I knew about him should be causing blaring alarm bells in my mind, but instead I felt oddly comforted by his presence and couldn't seem to stop myself from constantly coming back for more.
"Hey. Hey, check this out!" He gasped as he rushed forward a few steps and pointed down at the ground. I moved closer to examine a very inconspicuous looking plant with bushy green leaves and stared back at him blankly. "It's mugwort. We should grab some." He explained and I couldn't help raising my brows at his knowledge. "What? You surprised to find that I'm not a total idiot?" He accused and I shook my head at him vigorously, hurt that he would even believe that. "You pick up at least some things hanging out with Monty." He revealed and I nodded keenly
"What's it for?" I enquired, glancing down at the plentiful supply with a feeling of hope in my chest, before my stomach dropped at Murphy's mischievous expression.
"Well. If you smoke it, it makes you all mellow and happy." He described and I rolled my eyes as I groaned at him. I was about to stomp past, but he stuck his lips out in a sulky pout at my dismissive attitude and I bent down reluctantly to collect some. Unfortunately, the plant was remarkably tough and I was unable to tear any off, eventually falling back onto my ass from the strain. "Graceful. Here, let me." Murphy commented smugly, before pulling a blade from his pocket and taking a large cutting. I dusted myself off as I stood and reached out to take the plant from him to store in my sash, but he quickly pulled it away from me. "Ah, I'll let you have the rest once we're done." He confirmed as he returned the weapon to its hiding spot and I tilted my head at him for an explanation. "You're gonna share a smoke with me first." He stated as if it were the most obvious conclusion and I huffed in disbelief.
"No. I'm not." I argued, turning on my heel to storm away from him, but I barely managed a few steps before he caught my arm.
"Come on. You've been tense since the very first time that saw you. I've never known anyone to need this as badly as you." He drawled and I crossed my arms at him in offence. "Cassie, you're a delinquent and I'll bet that you've never done a single rebellious thing in your good girl life. We're finally free. Just let that sink in for a minute. No guards, no rationing, no bars and no rules. So, why don't you celebrate with me by doing something just a little bit bad?" He suggested with a playful wink and as his words washed over me, I glanced out across the wide open spaces and felt a tiny hint of rebellion sparking inside me. I couldn't explain what it was about the way that Murphy spoke, but there was something in the way that he spoke that reached me and despite my best judgment, I was tempted by his offer.
"You promise that it's safe?" I checked, feeling a small buzz of excitement in my stomach and a wide grin spread across Murphy's lips at my consideration.
"Of course. I'll guide you through it." He enthused and after a few seconds, I threw me responsibilities to one side for the draw of adventure. The moment that I nodded in acceptance, Murphy grabbed my hand to pull me through the trees. "I know just the place."