Ablaze || The Darkest Minds

THREE

***Cole's POV***

We drove for 10 hours, we only stopped once and only for a few minutes. I took over driving from Barnes, he'd been awake for two straight nights. After a while he fell asleep in his seat, head against the window. The others slept too, even greenie. Which surprised me.

"You should sleep too," I said, keeping my eyes on the road. I leaned back in my seat, trying to get comfortable. I kept one arm on the wheel the other on the arm rest. "I don't want to sleep unless I have to." Emily said, she looked at me for one second and then looked back out the window.

I thought for a second and then it clicked in my brain.

Nightmares.

I get them too sometimes, that day we found Claire's body. Liam making me tell mom. I left the house and I didn't come back for hours. "You still need the energy, Ace. Just try and sleep if you can." It's going to be hectic when we get back to HQ. "Okay." She says quietly.

What goes on in her mind? She's broken but still functioning. Like a shattered phone screen. It amazes me. Now that Lee's left the league, I'm alone. I guess it's better that way, at least the dumb kid can stay out of trouble with mom and Harry. He won't be going out on ops and getting his dumb ass shot,or killed. But what about Emily?

She's my family too.

She's always been there in the back of my mind. The girl who wasn't scared of the big bad wolf. I didn't have many friends growing up. All the fights I got into, I scared them. I scared myself, I still do. I never scared her.

The only thing she saw was a boy, a boy she thought hated her. She even had to ask if I hated her. I thought she hated me. It's not like I made it a point to ignore her, it's just that all of Lee's friends didn't like me. The kid was Wonder Woman or something. She was basically my best friend, my only friend actually. Sure, some kids hung around me at school, but aren't friendships built on trust?

Sure, I laughed with them, but I didn't trust them. I trust Emily. She protected me, she didn't tell my family I was a red. And she trusted me with Judes life. How is she going to react when she realizes Jude isn't with the league? Where even is he? Last time I checked the the network he was somewhere in Arizona. He gravitated toward home, where the rest of his family is.

I sighed deeply and ran a hand through my hair. I glanced back at Emily, she fell asleep. Good, she needs whatever sleep she can get. "I don't sleep unless I have to." She doesn't like feeling vulnerable. People learn to protect themselves in different ways I guess.

It was dark, and quiet. We'd only passed one or two cars earlier in the day, none bothered us. Everyone was still asleep, the clock illuminated red in darkness 4:35 am. We'd be there soon. Good, I don't know if I want to be left alone with my thoughts for another hour.
———————————————————————

The sun had risen, and Barnes with it. I followed the familiar roads. The league painted over the painted over the street signs, security measures. The league isn't perfect but we're all working toward the same end. Get Gray out of office, get the kids out of the camps. And then keep it that way.

Barnes radioed agent Conners. Catherine Conners. Everyone called her Cate. The kids adored her, this one girl, Vida, followed her around like a lost puppy. Cate was one of the good ones. Barnes included in that club. Some of the agent's were assholes, they treated the kids as weapons. Disposable. It pissed me off.

When we pulled up the garage door opened. We pulled in, most of the kids woke up then, Jacob and Emily still fast asleep. I parked the car and got out, the ones who were awake now including Jacob, Harley woke him up, followed, except greenie. He stayed back in the car with Emily, I don't think he wanted to her out. "Welcome back!" Cate ran up and hugged Jacob, he smiled groggily. She'd been waiting for us.