The Grim (Ravens #3)

xiii. glory days

A/N: I got home from school early today, so here is a chapter I finished last night. Enjoy. There will probably also be a chapter tomorrow bc I actually have no hw tonight. 

Also, the gang's all here again (finally). I promise I haven't been ignoring y'all.

They may have been out of the woods, but rumors spread across the High Midwestern Fortress just as quickly as they had in the Grove. By Friday afternoon, the other members of the Wild Crew training for the guard were well aware of three of their friends' absence. The plan was formed quickly; seven of the remaining twelve would rendezvous at Natalia's apartment for a carry-out dinner from the burger joint down the street.

The apartment was actually shared by Natalia, Yasmin, and Serena: the three girls who initiated the camp at Peregrin. In truth, Emma and Marley should have been included under that title, but Marley returned to the City after only a couple of months, and all three girls liked to push the Emma question out of mind. Besides, as the Peregrin year progressed, and more and more people turned to her for answers, Emma grew distant, cold. There was once a time they considered her a friend, but by the end she was little more than an acquaintance to anyone. Perhaps they didn't see it at the time, that in retrospect things were far different than they'd previously assumed, or maybe looking back made them blind. The girls couldn't tell. All they knew for certain was the Emma that entered Peregrin was not the one who left.

"Is nobody gonna talk about the elephant in the room?" Natalia asked with her voice dry and irritated once everyone had arrived and the reason for their meeting had yet to come up. "Phoenix told me they're going to Monarchia to get the cure. They're playing superheroes, getting to save the city. And what? The rest of us don't get any say in the matter?"

"Nat, you work at a clothing store," Yasmin said, "Of course you weren't considered for this mission. You're not trained."

"You're trained," she said, "You are, and Ash is, and Nathan is. But none of you were consulted, right?"

"Your point?"

"I'm not there yet," said Natalia. "What it sounds like to me is that the Fortress is relying on another city, while making no effort to actually study the disease on hand. I mean, we know it's from the lake. Wouldn't it make sense to, I don't know, test the water we know is infected with the same pathogens? The Fortress can develop its own cure. We shouldn't just be hoping that Monarchia's dealing with the same problems we are."

Ash sighed, "You want us to go back to Peregrin, don't you?"

"This disease chased us out of our home," she said, "We should be doing something, trying to find a way to stop it. Not just sitting here and waiting for it to eat this city alive. We—we should care."

"We are the only ones that could do it," Yasmin said, nodding along as she began to follow Natalia's plan. "We know Peregrin. We could get there, collect water samples or whatever, and get back. It's not a bad idea."

"Exactly," Natalia smiled, for she realized the other six were slowly falling in line, seeing the magnitude of what they could accomplish. "Three of us are trained by the guard. Serena knows medicine, Nova's smart, Tyler knows the most about the disease itself. We're the perfect candidates."

"And what does that make you?" asked Ash, the skeptic of the group as always. His arms were crossed over his chest, his muscles purposely bulging out from the sleeves of a shirt that was easily a size too small.

Natalia shrugged, like her answer was obvious. "I'm your boss-ass bitch of a leader, what else?"

"Damn," Ash said, "You're more arrogant than I thought was physically possible."