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( 09 一 PASSING INFORMATION. )
In search of supplies Liam and Ruby had ventured into an old dilapidated Walmart, instructing the others to beep the horn if something happened. Zu had curled up in the corner of the van taking a nap as Chubs read his book Watership Down, and Clara read the van's maintenance manual.
All three were startled from their peace by the sound of crashing, coming from the building Ruby and Liam were currently inside. Clara jumped out of the passenger side door as Chubs and Zu joined her, all running towards the Walmart.
When they entered it was even more run down than Clara had expected. There were spots of vegetation on the walls where cracks had formed and almost all the shelves had been picked clean. It took a second to spot Ruby and Liam, pushed up against a wall by someone's Blue powers. The click of a gun's safety was all Zu needed to hear to jump into action.
She ripped off her yellow glove and pressed her hand against a checking lane. Everything around them started to burn with power. The light smashed, TVs were playing and everything glowed white-hot, including the lane Zu had her hand pressed against. Before Liam had a chance to move her with his powers, Chubs grabbed the other glove off Zu's hand and pulled her away.
Zu would have crashed to her knees had Clara not caught her, pulling her into her arms. Clara lowered Zu to the ground, Zu pressing her face into Clara's chest, tears streaming down her face. Chubs came to check her hand for burns but found none. Clara understood why Zu was crying, probably better than everyone other than Ruby.
"Zu, listen to me. You did the right thing, okay?" Clara told her in a whisper as the other fought with the group of boys who had emerged from the shadows. Clara shook her head, burrowing deeper into Clara's shirt.
"No, listen to me," Clara said, holding Zu's face in her hands, rubbing the tears from her face. "You did the right thing, Ruby and Liam could have gotten hurt. And I know it was scary and you thought you couldn't control it, and even if you couldn't, you will one day. One of these days you'll have full control and that's what you have to focus on," she told her. It's what she would have wanted someone to tell her when she was still terrified of her powers. That today wasn't forever.
Slowly Zu started to nod, understanding Clara's words.
"It was your yellow that did all of this, the girl needs a leash," one of the boys said, waving his hands around for emphasis. Clara's head snapped to the voice, "Shut your goddamn mouth," she snarled at him.
The kid smirked, looking over at his friends. "Make me, Sweetheart," he said with a mocking smile. Clara had the sudden urge to make him hurt, to send spiders crawling up his legs or a snake coiling around his neck. Before Clara had a chance to do anything though, Chubs moved to stand in front of the two girls, blocking them from sight.
Eventually they had all come to an agreement. They could stay for one night and head off in the morning. So everyone was piled around in a circle, Liam now trying to get information about East River after the boy revealed that was where they came from.
The boys never seemed to let their eyes stray far from Clara and Ruby, who had somehow gotten wedged in between them. Clara sitting in between a redhead and a blonde boy, Ruby in between someone looked like the blonde's brother and Chubs.
Clara had been winked at more times than she could count on two fingers and the boy to her left seemed determined to keep his hand firmly placed on her back. She had reached over and peeled it off numerous times but it always seemed to find its way back. That and the boy to her right butting his hand on her knee. She was silently seething, knowing that if she said anything they'd get no information.
Chubs, who had seen the boys hand placements, glared at them both.
Ruby hadn't been any luckier. The boy beside her had started at her foot but was steadily reaching her knee. For a second he halted, before pulling back slightly, looking confused. It took him a second to compose himself again but once he did he continued his assault up Ruby's leg.
Clara could see the look on Ruby's face, not dissimilar to the one she had when that PSF harassed her in the Factory a year ago. It was more than enough motive for Clara to stand up, shaking off the hands glued to her figure, and sit down in between Ruby and the handsy boy. He looked slightly put out but kept his hands to himself after that.
Clara had listened to what they spoke about, half zoned out. She knew that whatever she missed she'd be filled in on anyway. Clara was pulled from her stupor by Liam tapping her on the arm. "Can you take Zu and Ruby?" he asked, whispering in her ear so the boys wouldn't hear.
Clara nodded, standing up and grasping Zu's gloved hand. As she stood she didn't miss the look on Ruby's face as her eyes flickered between Clara and Liam. Clara had seen that look before on Vanessa, her bunkmate. It was before Sam forgot Ruby and the three of them would sit on Sam's bunk before lights out, laughing over nothing. Ruby was jealous.
Clara couldn't help but feel bad. Clara had no interest in Liam but it was clear Ruby did. It was also clear that Liam only had eyes for Ruby, not that she knew that.
Zu ran off at one point after seeing something pink in the distance leaving Ruby and Clara to walk aimlessly down the aisles. Clara wondered how long it would take for Ruby and Liam to figure it out. Despite how tempting it was, she didn't want to meddle.
Before long Ruby, Clara and Zu had picked out an array of clothes for the boys and themselves as well as collecting anything else that may have been even remotely useful. They were seated on one of the empty aisle shelves, Zu running her hands through Clara's long hair, plaiting a piece here and there.
Clara saw a strong look of longing on Zu's face as her hands brushed through her hair, one she understood well. When she'd first moved into Cabin 27 she'd been unbelievably self conscious of her scars and her lack of hair. She'd gaze at the girls with long hair down to their backs wishing more than anything that was her.
"You know, my hair used to be shaved as well," she told Zu in a mock whisper, as if it was some big secret. Zu looked up at her in question, clearly wondering why that was.
"When I was in the Leda program they shaved my hair. It took a few years but it grew back eventually." Zu rubbed her hand over her shaved head. "Yours will too, don't worry," Clara said with a smile.
❊❊❊
Liam found them a while later and walked them to the tents they had set up. "So did you get any other information?" Ruby questioned. Liam rubbed the back of his neck, "Not really, they did make an offer to tell us more info, but we didn't take them up on it though."
"What was it? Did they want Betty or something?" Ruby asked again, with an air of innocence. Clara had a sneaking suspicion she knew exactly what those boys wanted and she felt beyond disgusted.
"I really don't think they wanted Betty, Rubes," Clara said with a grimace. Ruby still looked confused but Clara sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to break what little remained of her innocence. So with that in mind she made her way over to the tents, crawling in beside Zu.
