SOJOURNER (III): tmr gally

47: I should be suspicious

Michelle 47

My shoes dig into the ground as I try to pull the rope backwards, nearly kicking the girl helping in front of me. Somehow, we managed to tie all four ropes together, enough so that it reaches the three and a half storeys to the ground. My arms shake as I rip them backwards. It's impossible to see with the hair, but I don't dare brush it away.

"Keep going!" Saph's voice scratches against her throat. It's rough from screaming. "Only a few more metres to go!"

Seriously? "Shuck me." I mutter but continue to pull.

More boys and girls pull on the rope as it comes up, since it gets longer and longer. Though my arms are tired, we pull up Beth's unconscious body more and more. Eventually, Hilde's head peaks over the edge, and she climbs up.

I let go of the rope, running next to her. Saph is still holding Beth's body, trying to keep her in place, making sure the ropes don't snap. I grab one of Beth's arms, and the swarming crowd around me grabs the other. Slowly, but surely, we lift Beth up over the edge.

I thought someone might applaud, since everyone seems to be happy with the accomplishment. Instead, our chests huff together. Beth still doesn't stir. How much of a shucking dosage did Leo give the girl?

The sun should be rising soon. I can feel it in the air, which is warm around me. None of us have even begun to scour the top of the mountain for an overhang, or a cave. This is the closest that I've ever been to the sun, and that I will ever be. Maybe I'm not actually a ginger according to Brenda, but I'm still aggressively pale.

Hilde sits on the ground. She puts her face in her hand, curling up into a ball. I don't need to look over the edge to see her other friend's body. Joan must've fallen a great deal.

I barely knew her. Joan was whiny, but hardworking. Still, I can't bring myself to look at her body, nor can I find myself consoling Hilde on the ground.

A boy with dark skin bumps into me, and I flinch. He glances me up and down, crossing his arms over his chest. He must be one of us from Group B.

"You're Michelle, right?" He asks. "The Hermit?"

I nod, up and down. What's his deal? "You want my subject number too?"

His eyes light up, looking around. It's as if it's the best news he has heard of all week. "What is it? I hadn't even paid much attention to the numbers, when I should have. Trust me, I like numbers more than the next guy, but I got too caught up in the words."

He's way too weird. I shake my head back and forth, brushing him off. I stalk away, looking around. If someone is going to fine a place for us to stay during the day, it might as well be me.

I pass by Leo, doting over Dawn. Minho's jacket hangs over Dawn's lap. The two are wrapped in a full embrace. Newt is next to them, his hand resting on Leo's shoulder, waiting for her to continue. I feel out of place, so I keep walking.

Since the rocks are jagged, I nearly trip and fall. My friends linger behind me, until they blur together. See, I was never really meant for crowds, or people, or friends. How many people are back there? The only possible answer is too many.

This is the highest point on the mountain. In the dark, it's impossible to see anything but the ground directly beneath me. It is harder the farther off I move, since my eyes have become accustom to the flashlights.

I hear some rocks cracking behind me, and I turn around.

Behind me, a boy with brown skin and red eyes stares at me. For a second, I think he might be a Crank. His head twitches slightly, and his black hair is unruly. I pull my hammer out of my belt, waiting for him to charge at me, or to start screaming like Gally did only days ago.