The Hooded Girl

Chapter 13: Jealousy

QUILL'S POV
The real reason I put a knife at Rhea's throat? I was jealous. She and her stupid hood. Who knows? Maybe she wears it because she's ugly. Honestly, we know I'm the prettiest among us girls. And yet, Newt always talks to Rhea. It's like I can never win with her.

Harriet and Sonya stand with me. Sonya doesn't seem angry with Rhea-it takes a lot for Sonya to get mad at us-but Harriet is. As usual though, Aris is siding with Rhea.

Rhea, Aris and Minho are grouped together, and Newt, Jorge and Frypan talk. Once more, the sight of Newt makes me catch my breath. He is gorgeous, no doubt.

"We should just leave," I mutter, tearing my gaze away from him.

"We can't leave. We won't stand a day out there with just the three of us," Harriet groans.

Sonya scowls. "Why are you so angry at her all of a sudden? Because she talks to Newt? Man, you girls are messed up."

Then she storms off to talk to Newt. Newt is at least half a head taller than her but they both have the same blond hair, though Newt's is a shade darker.

Newt places a hand on Sonya's shoulder and then quickly brings it off. Sonya doesn't seem to mind though.

"I'm angry at her because she seems more loyal to the guys than us," Harriet says darkly, then walks off to join Sonya.

Rhea leaves the cave and heads out into the dead of night.

I decide to follow her. She stands in front of a broken building, hands in her jacket's pockets. I know she's heard me. Another thing she excels at. I know she knows it's me. Yet another thing she excels at.

"Come to put another knife to my throat? Or elsewhere maybe," She says, her sarcasm duly noted.

"Do you like him?" I ask, stopping a few feet away from her.

She turns and faces me, the blue glint visible from her eyes. Compared to her eyes, though I can't see them, mine are probably pathetic.

"Who? Newt? Do you?" She questions, not making any move towards me.

"Does it matter? You seem to be winning him over," I say coldly.

"What makes you think that?" She asks, her voice harsh.

"I see it in his eyes. I observe him almost all the time, you know. Why can't you just keep away from him?" I reply, unable to help the anger that creeps up in my voice.

"Don't I? I only talk to him at night. You get the whole day to him," She says, her voice suddenly monotonous.

"It's clear you mean something to him. How about you, though? How do you feel towards him?" I question, my voice harsh and demanding.

She's silent for a while. When she speaks, her voice is distant, cold and longing.

"We've been partners for three years, Quill. Three years, and you put a knife to my neck because of a boy. What does that say about our relationship? About you?" Rhea takes a step to me now, and I force myself not to take one back. "If this pathetic infatuation is what is causing you to get all pissed off at me, then don't worry. There's nothing between Newt and I."

I feel shame curl in me, especially when she puts it like that. I grit my teeth together. It's true. Rhea and I have been partners for three years. Maybe even friends. And I overreacted because of a boy. Still, I can't seem to tame down my jealousy when I think of the way Newt goes to search for her at nights, or when I think of the way Rhea had defended Newt earlier.

"He's coming now," Rhea says, head turning towards the cave entrance as her voice lowers so that he won't hear us. "I'll go patrol the area. You have fun."

She turns and leaves without looking back, and I hate how she got the last word in, how she's always the one to turn her back on me and head off.

I turn back to the cave just in time to see Newt walk out. My heart does a somersault. Then I realise he probably came out here to talk to Rhea, and it promptly falls.

I walk up to him casually, running a hand through my hair. "Shouldn't you be in there?" I ask, nodding back towards the cave.

"Shouldn't you?" He questions, his voice slightly amused and yet challenging.

"She's gone in case you're wondering. We had a nice conversation and then she turned and headed off," I say, unable to help the bitter tinge to my voice.

"Who?" Newt asks innocently.

"Rhea. Or should I say, Rheana Hunter Allios," I say sarcastically.

I notice that Newt had tensed when I said her full name. I walk alongside Newt, and the nearness to him makes my skin tingle.

"Why does she have a full name?" Newt asks, and I hate how he can only ask me about her.

I shrug. "Who knows? I don't. I didn't even know her name was actually Rheana. She always said to call her Rhea. It seems like you can't trust the people you thought would never let you down, huh?"

"Maybe. You never know, right?" Newt says, smiling down at me.

He has a cute smile. My heart skips two beats when he shows it.

"You know, Rhea's done a lot of bad before, Newt. She's killed innocent people. You should be careful around her," I find myself saying, Rhea's words replaying in my head, though my anger clouds over them.

Newt stops walking and looks down at me with a deadly scowl on his face that makes me wince.

"Thank you, Quill. But I don't need someone telling me what the bloody hell I should or shouldn't do," Newt says, then he turns and walks back into the cave.

A sharp breath leaves me as I watch him leave, blinking quickly to ease the hurt that blooms in me. My heart feels as if it's falling apart. I follow him back to the cave though, however, a distance away.

Somehow, Rhea has already gotten back. She's seated cross legged in the cave beside Sonya, giving a brief overview of her patrol sightings-a WICKED aircraft hovering overhead, though not near enough to pose a threat-as she twirls a knife in her hand. She seems to have an endless number of them. The weapons pile is still there, and no one makes any move to touch any weapons. Only Rhea has weapons now. Unless someone had two weapons and only gave one up.

"Well, now that everyone's back, we should talk," Jorge says, clapping his hands together.

"About...?" Sonya asks warily, glancing around at us.

"When we reach this place we're going to, we are gonna meet the owner, Marcus. He can lead us there," Jorge says.

Rhea nods, cocking her head to one side. "Yeah. Okay. And if he doesn't?"

"Then we force him to," Jorge says simply.