All That We Are | NEWT (tst)

P R O L O G U E

Day One

The end of the world was less permanent than she expected.

She didn't remember it happening, couldn't quite remember the earth going up in a haze of fire and smoke, but she did remember the screaming panic that came with it. The way time seemed to slow to a stop, the terror that seemed to clutch the planet in a chokehold.

Now, sitting on the torn jacket she had stolen from her father's old closet before they had fled the house, tucked away in that half-concealed alcove on the outskirts of the city, she watched the time move by around her and thought perhaps it would have been better if the end of the world was permanent after all.

People crawled on dust-filled streets, sidestepping rubble and debris and bodies much like her own, squatting in the shade. Sand blew in from every crevice, clinging to hair and clothes. Exhaustion and fear was palpable in the faces of those that passed where she was crouched.

"Here you go, red." His voice shook her out of it, his silhouette blocking out the glow of the fiery sun. She squinted up at him, lifting a small hand up to her eyes to try and make out some of his features. Other than a dishevelled head of red curls and a smattering of freckles smudged across his nose like dirt, the rest of him was nothing more than a blur. He tossed an apple down at her, and she caught it with clumsy fingers.

It had seen better days, just on the border of being inedible, but even though she couldn't see the boy's face she knew he was looking at her with pride. "You got one!" She grinned, rubbing the apple on her sleeve before sinking her teeth into it. The sour taste exploded in her mouth, and she grinned around the bite as that clenched feeling in her stomach slowly began to abate.

"Yep! Had to swipe it off a vendor. Bastard nearly caught me too."

"Where's yours?" She frowned around another bite, scanning his pockets for any bulges. There weren't any.

"Don't worry about me, red. I'll find something later." He waved her away, but the frown remained. She may have been a child, but even she could see the weight he had lost over the last year and a half since their house had been swarmed. It was obvious with the way his bones jutted out, the way the t-shirt and grey jacket hung loose on his frame.

"Here," she held out the rest of the apple to him, small face grim with determination, but he simply chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"You need it more than I do, kiddo." His smile was tight. "Eat up, you're practically skin and bone."

The press of a leg against hers was what woke her. Ada's eyes snapped open, face lifting from where it was pressed against the window. The side of her forehead ached fiercely from the sudden release of pressure, and when she probed it with her fingers she knew there was a red mark left behind.

Minho winced apologetically, withdrawing his leg from where it had knocked against hers. The seating arrangements were fine for the first hour, but as the day crept by and the sun sank low on the horizon their bodies had begun to feel the strain of being cooped up. She was relatively small, so being slotted between Newt and the window was no issue for her, but Minho's long legs were bent at an awkward angle that she knew had to be painful for him.

Ignoring the sting of her limbs, she drew her legs closer to herself to give him more room, smiling tiredly at him when he knocked his ankle against hers in thanks.

Ada rolled her neck, trying desperately to relieve the pressure that had built up, but stopped when she processed the pressure on her shoulder. Staying as still as possible, she looked to her left, unable to stop the slow smile that crept across her face.