We The Forlorn (Book #2) (Completed)

23. Welcome Aboard

With that, the Forlorn organized when each group of girls and their escorts would leave. They left in sets of four each, heading into the tunnels and taking with them hoppers. Each set had a ten minute gap between them, and it took the room until dark to be noticeably empty. Only two sets of girls remained, beyond the injured. They waited anxiously, still staring at Adam. Esme was among them, though she kept her eyes trained on her hands and the piece of bread she hadn't yet eaten.

Khan kept hovering around the area where Esme crouched, but never approached her. He pretend to be busy giving orders and examining the injured or equipment, yet Bo could see his eyes landing on the curly black hair and tanned skin more often than not. Meanwhile, Helga moped in one corner, sullen since Mi had not returned even hours after going to examine the airship. Bo sighed and fought not to roll her eyes. Honestly, it was as if she was dealing with two children.

"Esme," she said, stepping over. "We never introduced ourselves. My name is Bo."

Esme looked up, her brown eyes growing wide. She got to her feet, taking Bo's offered hand and shaking it. "Bo," she repeated.

"Yes, and that is Helga over there. She's usually this stand-off-ish, but she's particularly bad today," Bo said, gesturing toward Helga who snarled in reply. "And, of course, our dashing second-in-command, Khan."

"Hm, what?" Khan asked, startling at his name so much that he dropped the piece of machinery he'd been cleaning. He scrambled to pick it back up and then smiled nervously. "Oh, yes, hello again."

Esme smiled faintly. "I wanted to thank you for coming for me back there," she said. "I thought you would all leave without me. You saved me from.... From something terrible."

Khan shook his head. "You needn't thank me for a basic human right," he replied.

Esme bit her lip, and Bo could see tears forming in her eyes. The girl looked away sharply, and Bo smiled as she recognized an attempt to maintain the tough image that acted like armor in a brutal world.

"Where are you heading back to?" Bo asked.

Esme ran her sleeve over her eyes, and looked back with no traces of the tears on her face. "I don't know where my tribe may be," she said.

"We can help you find them," Khan replied.

Esme smiled. "Thank you, but... I think I want to remain here," she said. "That is, if you all would take me."

"You want to stay behind?" Bo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why?" Khan asked.

"You helped so many people that you didn't even know. You work to keep people safe and make sure that bad men do not get away with their deeds," she replied. "I want to be a part of that."

Adam stepped forward. His height towered above Esme, and the girls who had been in her group shrunk back as he approached. Esme held firm, however, and Bo thought she might just be good Forlorn material.

"You want to join the Forlorn?" he asked. His voice rumbled, and Bo glanced at him. He was using the same tone of voice he used to display to her in the old days in the castle. It was meant to intimidate and scare, and she wondered why he was using it here on already frightened girls.

Esme hesitated for only a second, and then nodded her head firmly. "Yes. I think I could help just as much as anyone else. And you need new bodies with all these injured."

Adam looked down at her. "And you're not afraid of an alien? You wouldn't hide in fear every time I walk by?"

Ah, he was testing her. Bo hid her smile. He wanted to know the extent of Esme's bravery. Would the girl be brave enough to face an alien? Or would she shrink back? It was his test for her to enter the Forlorn. She needed to pass, or else be returned to the nomads she came from.

Esme looked back at Adam, blinking. She wasn't fearless, that was clear on her face. However, she did not wince or take a step back. She faced him full on, staring up at his height and standing straight. "I know better than to judge on looks alone," she replied. "In the stronghold, our only ally was the Judge's disfigured son. To most people, he would have been hideous but to us he was an angel. He gave us kindness in a place devoid of anything good. He suffered for the way he looked, and died for it eventually. I can never repay him for his kindness, except to accept people for their actions and their hearts instead of their skin or fangs."

Adam blinked once, and then smiled. "Well, I suppose you should talk to Khan about finding a job within the Forlorn," he said. "Tell him anything you're good at, and he'll find you something to do."

Esme burst into a smile that was as bright as the sun. It made Bo want to laugh just to look at it. She would never have expected such joy to spill from a girl who had been so ruthless in the Judge's stronghold, but that was what happened when people were given freedom and purpose.

"Thank you!" Esme said. "I'll work hard."

Khan grinned, almost a little too happy. "Welcome aboard."

Bo opened her mouth to tease him on his obviousness, when the radio on Adam's belt crackled. He immediately brought it to his mouth. "Go ahead."

Mi's voice came in, tinny and strained. "Adam, we're getting a transmission on a different line of the radio. It's Clayton."

The room went silent as everyone turned and looked at the radio. Adam clenched it a little tighter in his fist, and then answered. "What does he want?"

"To talk to you. He said he won't speak to anyone else."

Adam sighed, glancing at Bo. She nodded deftly.

"All right," Adam said. "Connect him to my radio."

---

A/N: Hey, guys! I recently submitted one of my other books, The Price, to Swoon Reads for a chance to be published. I've talked about Swoon Reads before, but just as a refresher-- It's a writing website owned by the publishing house Macmillan, where writers can submit their work to be considered by their editors for publication. In order to be considered, a manuscript must have shown that it can draw in readers via star ratings and comments. So, if any of you Bo fans have read The Price, and would like to go over and leave a rating and a comment, I would be eternally thankful! If you haven't read The Price, but would like to, it's available for free on Swoon Reads right now. It may even make the week until the next update in We The Forlorn go by faster! ;)

https://swoonreads.com/m/the-price-2/

P.S. The version on Swoon Reads is an edited version, so it will be slightly different from the version on Wattpad.