The Rebellious Host | ✓

Laina

"Oh, so this is what they do when we're not around." I open my eyes and blink. After a minute I remember where I am- the room with the glow worms.

"Hmph." Alexis says. "I expected better of Laina." I blink in the darkness, my eyes adjusting slowly. They're talking too loud. The glow worms have dimmed their light.

Jared laughs. "What did you expect?"

I see Alexis's shadow shrug. "I don't know. Something interesting. But God, these two are boring."

"Heard that." Jamie says. I almost jump out of my skin. His eyes are shut, his face expressionless and his breathing slow. Did he just sleep talk? No, he couldn't have. He didn't mumble it- the words were clear.

I poke him in the side, and he jumps. "Jeez, Laina! You might as well've put a spider on my face or something!"

Alexis giggles. "You're afraid of spiders?"

I see Jamie shake his head. "No, but it's not fun to wake up with a spider crawling all over your face!"

Jared lets out a breath. "Really, sis?"

I grin, even though he can't see me. "Really. Now what do you want?"

"Well, I wanted to find you so that we could just hang out. I ran into Jared because we were both looking for you."

"Time for lunch." Jared says.

Jamie and I get up- jeez he is tall! Why do I have to be stuck at five feet?- and he starts talking to Jared about the next raid or something. Alexis and I follow behind them. "Jamie's nice, I guess." Alexis says.

I grin at her. "Ooh, do you have a crush on Jamie?"

She makes a disgusted face. "Ew, no!" Jared and Jamie look back at us with eyebrows raised. I wave my hand at them in a dismissive gesture. "He's just- no. No way. Me and Jamie? No."

I laugh. "Lex, I'm kidding." Part of me is glad that she doesn't like him like that- I couldn't tell you why, I just do.

We sit next to each other at the table. "Do you have a room yet?"

I shake my head.

"You can stay with me, if you want." She glances at Jamie and then back at me, grinning. "We can talk."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "You seriously think-" I break off, laughing.

She shrugs and stands up to get food. "Is it really that difficult to believe?"

I sit there for a minute. Then I roll my eyes at myself and stand up to get something to eat. I don't have a crush on Jamie. Nope. No way. Not me.

I grab a sandwich and a bottle of water before sitting back down. Jamie slides in next to me. "So I was talking to Jared about going on a raid- which, it really isn't a raid, since they just have Wanda go into a store and then they load things into the back, but whatever."

"And?" I know that he'll keep rambling on if I don't encourage him to get to the point.

"And him, Ian, Mel, and Wanda are leaving tomorrow."

"And you." I say flatly.

He takes a deep breath. "Yes," he says, "and me."

"You're hiding something, Jamie. What is it?"

He he lets out a breath. "Alexis is going too. She pretty much had to twist Ian's arm behind his back- literally- but he eventually agreed to bring her along."