After Fate Fell

62 • ELLA

1 year, 3 months, and 21 days after it all
•ELLA•

The ship's thrusters jolt us into motion, and before I know it, I'm on the floor, trying to regain my balance and get back on my feet.

I jump up to see what's going on on the ground below. Outside each of the entrances to the cave, there are black SUVs parked or pulling up, sirens blaring, lights flashing.

"It's the fucking FBI," Six says, rolling her eyes and clenching her fists.

"Again?" John asks. "Can they just leave us the hell alone?"

I have to laugh, because the fact that the FBI--one of the biggest threats to us at this point--is something we can roll our eyes at, honestly is funny. But we really do have to take this seriously. They destroyed our mountainside home and kidnapped Six and John, and we're not going to let them get in our way again.

As Lexa and Rex steer the ship and we rise further into the air, I do start to wonder though if they even have a chance at getting us back on the ground.

"How long until we can get our altitude up far enough to be out of their reach?" Adam asks.

"Maybe thirty seconds," Rex says in reply as Lexa nods beside him, confirming his estimation.

"I wish I was down there, beating the shit out of each of those FBI douchebags," Nine snarls, his fist in a ball so tight I think he's going to break his fingers. He reaches out with his arm as he looks out one of the large windows on the side of the ship, about to strike the people on the ground with telekinesis.

"Stop," I say, reaching out my hand and grabbing his wrist. He looks pissed. "We don't need to cause any more harm. We won. We're going home. We'll never see them again. Might as well let them live, no matter how much we hate them." He looks at me, first confused, then I can tell he understands. He puts his arm to his side and coninues to peer down at the ground as it gets further and further away from us. He raises his hand again, and I don't have time to stop him. He holds up his middle finger, smearing it against the window. Even sure I'm almost sure they can't see it, I let him have his last won battle on Earth. He smirks triumphantly as we start to rise above the clouds.

We catch a break in the clouds and I am blown away at the beauty of the world we're leaving. The green hills strech on as far as the eye can see, small towns dotting the valleys near the banks of the curving rivers. The sunlight shines down, reflecting off everything that it chooses, giving the world more color and brightness. Larger bodies of water start to come into view, the Atlantic Ocean, the Great Lakes, all shimmering and blue. I know Crayton would love to see this view, as much as he hated the ocean and the sand and everything else about it. I realize what I really am leaving behind on this planet. I hadn't thought of any of it before, but I'm leaving the only home I've ever truly known, the place where I lost the man who raised me and I saw as my father, I'm leaving so many others who we lost. But this is what all of them would want. This is what we were meant to do, whether there was one, two, or ten returning. And even though there are eleven of us and a bunch of Chimæra, there are still empty places that shouldn't be there, in my heart, and on this ship. We should've all been here, watching the sun shimmer over the blue water and the clouds wisp through the atmosphere over the rolling hills.

"We're going to be leaving atmosphere soon," Lexa yells back to us, snapping us out of our daze. "Strap in." I look around and realize that between us and Lexa and Rex is a row of seats like you would expect to see in any ship that was meant for travelling through space. All of us quickly sit down and strap in, the belts holding us in going over both shoulders as well as across our legs and locking in on each side.

As I lock in the last part of my straps, a hand grabs onto mine. Rough palm, soft fingers, and ice cold to the touch. Marina's. I look to my side and see her face smiling at mine. It's a nervous smile, I can tell there's a lot going on in her mind right now, and I'm sure she's a little nervous about the next part in our journey. I know I am, too. But we'll be alright. As long as we all have each other, we'll make it through just fine. I squeeze her hand as the ship begins to shudder and our speed continues to increase. Metal pieces slide up on the outside of the ship, covering all but one of the windows we were just standing at, looking down at the world below. I'm starting to feel dizzy. The ship shudders and I close my eyes as the ship shakes and I squeeze Marina's hand more tightly. Not a single thought crosses my mind through all of this. I just squeeze my eyes shut harder and tighten my grip on Marina's hand and hope that this all ends soon.

And then it does, just as suddenly as it began, it's all over, and I stand up, my head spinning and my heart racing, the muscles in my hand relaxing as it falls out of Marina's grip and to my side, and I look out the window, the world of rolling greens and shimmering blues replaced with a world of piercing blackness and equally piercing tiny pinpricks of light.