I was staring at the ground, lush grass, pinecones, and the barest hint of flowers. I couldn’t believe it.
We were on the ground. We were no longer orbiting Earth in a space station that had been put together by our ancestors with a hope, a prayer, and a lot of finagling.
I inhaled deeply, allowing the fresh air to fill my lungs.
I could not believe we’re here!
Looking around, I surveyed where we’d ended up. The drop ship landed in the middle of a forest. We were surrounded by pine trees. The air was fresh and sweet, not stale like on the Ark. It was also warm with a touch of humidity, making my skin glisten with a fine coating of perspiration. I took a tentative step, but I stumbled. Edward, who was standing next to me, slid his arm around my waist. “Remember what I said, Bella? You were given a mild sedative,” he said. His voice was deep and gentle.
Calming and safe … what?
“Right,” I mumbled.
“Let me help you,” he murmured, taking a step with me. I leaned on him, though I hated that I couldn’t do it under my own steam. “I never expected it to be so green or the sky so blue. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
I looked at him and he wasn’t looking at the scenery. He was looking directly at me. My skin heated and I blinked around us. “It is pretty. But, we have to set up camp. If I had to guess, it’s a little after noon and before we know it, night will fall. Plus, we need to deal with the two casualties.” I looked around the drop ship, trying to get the lay of the land. I took another shaky step, stumbling against the bulkhead. I blew out a breath, grimacing as my ankle throbbed.
“Will you just enjoy this?” Edward huffed, helping me to sit down on the ramp. “I know that there are things to do, but we’re on the ground. We’re not melting with radiation poisoning. We’re alive and on the ground.”
I looked at him, seeing his eagerness in his green eyes. They were the same shade as the trees we were surrounded by, and he looked so very handsome in the early afternoon sun. However, I was still pissed at him because he had put me in this position, where I was put into the prison ward. But, his tenacity got us down to the ground. “How did you get us down here? This was your doing? What did you do to make it happen, Edward?”
“It was your comments to your mom about the oxygen scrubbers that got us going. Plus, your dad’s need to not show favoritism was the other. He was adamant on … floating you,” Edward growled with his hands clenching into tight fists. “But, with the information about the oxygen scrubbers and the people living on D and E-Block getting sick, dying of lack of oxygen, really pushed him to send down a probe. Then, it was something I recorded between Halsted and Pike the day before yesterday.”
“Does it have something to do with Halsted looking at me like he wanted to fuck me raw?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Edward said, his ears flushing red. “Pike said that you were as good as dead and that on the day before you were scheduled to be floated, Halsted could have his way with you. Your dad was pissed something awful. So, he approved the launch of the drop ship, if only to prevent Halsted and Pike from … taking your choice away.”
“My dad is going to float both of them,” I snorted humorlessly. “Pike is tyrannical, hating his job as the warden of the juvenile prison and Halsted, well, he was a serial rapist, attacking the prisoners. He was sloppy.”
“Did he touch you? Did he touch Rose?” Edward asked.
“No, we were not hurt, but there were three girls who put an end to their suffering by committing suicide before I was taken into custody,” I answered, shooting Edward a sour look. “I was in medical when they were brought in.” I shuddered, remembering their bodies and how they were abused.
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