This Is Not The End.

Chapter 17

"Dad!" I shouted before I realised I could even speak. My feet started moving, walking, running, and I couldn't stop shouting. He was here, he was alive.

Five years ago, I'd woken up on a helicopter next to Harry with armed soldiers telling me they'd done everything they could to get us out alive, but our family was gone. Now, I added that to my list of lies from SWORD. It was beginning to get believably long, and I was running out of excuses to give Ariadne.

I didn't have a problem hating SWORD, but she was different, she had to be.

"Dad!"

His head shot up and his arms fell slack at his sides. I could see his tattoo sleeve peak out from beneath his military vest, my initials woven into a tree staring back at me. The woman next to him caught the clipboard and her gaze darted between us, something clicking in her mind.

"Skye...?" something flashed across his face before relief, but I didn't care. He was here. He was alive. He was with me. "Skye!"

He found his feet and crashed into me. For a second, the air was knocked from my lungs, but I found I didn't care. My dad was alive.

He smelt like blood, and he looked like death himself, but when I finally looked at him properly the years wore away and he was just my dad again. His hair and unkempt beard were streaked with rabid greys, and the bags under his eyes were abysmal, but it was better than nothing.

A lot could change in five years, I should know.

"What- how are you here?" he held me at arm's length, still getting over the fact that I was there. "I thought you were with those bastards up in Westport?"

It shocked me to hear him swear, but I wasn't twelve anymore.

"I was sent out by SWORD," I said, "Me and these two other boys, we had to get to-"

"-Washington," he finished for me, "I know. We try to rescue as many kids as we can from the highway, and SWORD,"

How long had SWORD been killing us?

"Oh, my girl," Dad breathed, "You've no idea how much I've missed you,"

He seemed far too relaxed. His lips smiled at me, but his eyes weren't quite there. He studied my clothes and gently traced the back of my neck.

"What's that for?" I frowned, edging back.

"You're not a Flame," he said, "You can tell by indents on your neck,"

"What?"

"Your top, Skye,"

I blinked, "What about my top?"

"Well, I suppose after all those years with SWORD you'd have kept to their ways,"

After all those years with SWORD I'd just become my own martyr. If I'd had any less self-respect I'd have dressed myself in as many colours as I possibly could. Fortunately, I still had a bit of dignity left, but I'd thought about it. Those cat leggings were beginning to look surprisingly appealing.

I reached up and felt my neck. I'd always wondered about the slightly triangular indent, but I'd put it off as a poorly healed scar from one of the surgeries. I didn't think anyone else could see it but looking at the back of my neck had always been slightly problematic.

"They're not good people, Dad,"

"Oh, God, darling! Don't I know it!" he raised his hands in surrender, "I didn't mean that, I'm just saying that sometimes the kids we rescue take a while to adjust,"

My mind shot to Jack before I even realised. He'd been SWORD's Flame protégé all his life, before they tossed him out like spoiled milk. He'd been caught up on numbers and colours and making sure to keep in line since we'd met him, probably for years before that too, and he was only just starting to change. I didn't know how he'd cope, but it wasn't my job to care for him – it was Kai's.

"Skye! There you are!" Kai called over, sticking his head out the tent, his cow print bucket hat askew on his head. He came over and found his place next to me, studying my dad warily. Jack, a little more hesitantly, lingered behind us.

"You must be our other two newest recruits," Dad held out his hand for them both to shake, which Jack did instantly, but Kai hesitated. I nudged his shoulder and he snapped out of it, "I'm David, Skye's dad as well as one of the operating managers here,"

'Operating managers' sounded far too corporate for a hidden rebellion, but my dad was a business man, I guessed it was in his blood.

"I'm Jack," he introduced, "This joy is Kai,"

"I like your hat," Dad noted, smiling and trying to break the ice.

Kai stared at him, "Thanks,"

"Kai!" I hissed, raising my eyebrows.

"What?"

"Stop acting like me!"

Dad chuckled and shook his head, "I bet you kids are tired, hey?"

It was as if he'd summoned all the exhaustion I'd been trying to ignore. The threat of dying had kept me afraid to sleep over the last couple days, but now the air was clearer. No Infected could get through the walls, not even if they worked together; everything was okay, for once.

I nodded for the others. They didn't fight me, so we accepted defeat. Dad smiled and called over the woman from before, an upside down cross tattooed on her cheek catching my attention first, who passed him back his clipboard and herded us with her.

"Don't think it's gonna get any easier," she said, "We're still living through the apocalypse,"

"Tams, don't scare the poor kids already!" Dad chided. He kissed my forehead, telling me he'd come check in on me later. I beamed and nodded, relaxing at the thought of having one of my parents back. My heart stung for my mother, as it would, but I had Dad back, and that's all I needed.

Tams waved an absent hand and beckoned us onwards. Dad watched for a minute until I lost him in the seemingly growing crowds of people. Everyone huddled around fires or tents or benches, chatting and eating merrily. I was already beginning to get used to the normality of it all. It was almost as if this was a whole new dimension, our little universe within the walls.

Tomorrow was bound to be different, more realistic, but I was happy to live in today.

Tams weaved through the people and we struggled to keep up, but we passed what I guessed was the more social area into a maze of tents and caravans and even a couple motor homes. She navigated through the rows until she found the two tents she was looking for.

"Boys in that one," she said, pointing with her head, "David's kid, you can go in there,"

"Gee, thanks," I said. She shrugged and left us to go back to whatever she was doing – it definitely sounded important. Kai shrugged at me and gently pushed my shoulder to see how I was doing. I shot back a half smile, so he knew it was okay. I'd have done something more enthusiastic but honestly I was so tired at this point I just needed sleep.

"See you tomorrow," Jack said civilly. We were getting somewhere.

"Woah, are we actually about to get a proper night's sleep for once?" Kai couldn't stop his grin, "Am I going insane or is this a fever dream?"

I rolled my eyes, smiling at him, "Goodnight, idiots,"

Kai barrelled into his tent and I heard him let out a shout at actually having a proper mattress to sleep on. I wondered where they were getting them from, but I guessed these were their transition tents or whatever, for the new rescues. I didn't care, I just needed somewhere to crash.

Staring up at the sky one last time, the gentle dark blue streaked with oranges and pinks. It wasn't dark enough for stars, but I hoped that I'd be able to see them one day. The stars had everything I wanted. The stars were enough.

Nodding to myself, I breathed in the smoke and scentof safety, before pushing through to my tent and collapsing on the firstmattress I saw. We'd earnt this.