This Is Not The End.

Chapter 24

A few days later, I woke up in my bunk as usual and found some sort of jacket to cover my arms just in case we went on a supply run. So far, I'd only been allowed on one and that ended with me considering starting a riot just to make it more interesting. Beck had refused to take me on his run with Cara and Sam. He was 'giving me space' as Kai called it, but I knew he was just mad I'd snapped at him.

We still had our lessons together, which were... questionable. He had resorted to trying a lot more theory-based stuff – none of which I understood – after I freaked at his practical approach. Needless to say, I learnt jack shit.

What didn't help me was that I couldn't stop thinking about Harry. Back at SWORD, colours were strictly prohibited from speaking to each other – I should know, I broke that rule hundreds of times – and even though we shared a bunker multiple times a week, Harry and I hardly saw each other. He just stopped showing up at drills after a couple of years, and I still don't know what happened to him. I thought he was dead, but he must still be there.

If my father knew anything, by God I'd find out. He couldn't keep this from me.

Still yawning, I made my way out my tent and scanned the compound for Jack and Kai, they were never far apart nowadays.

"Skye, Skye!" Kai called me over to their breakfast table, which was just one of the shittier picnic benches which everyone else avoided, "Thank God you're here,"

"What?" I rubbed my eyes and took some of his toast, which was cold and soggy when I took a bite.

"Look, is it considered murder if you say sorry after?"

Jack literally face-palmed, and I raised my eyebrows.

"Not if you don't get caught," I said with my mouth full of toast.

"See!" Kai turned to Jack, "I don't understand why you always-"

"Do you have to discuss this over breakfast?" he sighed, drinking a black coffee which I knew was already cold. "Murder's more of an evening topic,"

"You never appreciate my conversations," Kai stole his toast back and rolled his eyes. Motioning with a butter knife, he turned to me and said, "Cara came looking for you,"

"Really? How come?"

"She's Beck's little minion, isn't she," he went on, "She said something about a meeting,"

"Are you two invited?"

"I'm invited," Jack said, "Kai... not so much,"

"I think it's discriminative," Kai complained.

"That's a big word for you," I raised my eyebrows, joking. He still punched me in the arm. "Why don't you just come anyway?"

He shifted, "It's about the raid; they don't need me – I am an over-glorified light switch,"

"Bullshit," I said, causing one of the neighbouring tables to shoot me glares and cover the ears of their grinning children. "Who says you're not needed?"

He stared at me, "Um, everyone? Do you not remember that damn danger scale from back at SWORD – they literally drilled it into our heads every day!"

"I made it my personal mission to ignore it,"

"I'm a three, Skye," he said quietly, not quite meeting his eyes. "Camps are starting to turn Suns away, and someone told me the other day that if I wasn't careful they'd kick me out too,"

"Food's getting tight," Jack explained.

I looked between the two of them, and then straight to the rest of the compound. I couldn't put my feelings into words. Someone had made Kai quiet, they'd taken his confidence and the very fibre of his being because they had the nerve to think that they could take him away from me, from us.

Hell no. Someone was in for a shock.

"Skye, sit the fuck down," Jack snapped at me. I hadn't realised I was on my feet, but I didn't care.

"Who said it?"

"Skye."

"Who said it!"

"Please," Kai made himself look at me and I felt my chest tighten. I muttered a 'fine' and sat in silence for a little while so I could calm down. "It's not a big deal,"

It was a big deal. To me, it was bigger than the whole damn raid. If Kai left I left. That, or the dickhead who had even suggested it left. I preferred that option a hell of a lot more.

Jack and Kai both finished whatever they were eating and I shot to my feet again.

"I'm gonna head over to Tams, see if she'll give me some more knife lessons," Kai said, beginning to distance himself.

"Oh, no, you don't," I forced him to link arms with me and kept him wedged between Jack and I. "C'mon, as of a week ago they didn't need me, either, but we were both kicked out of a high-tech government facility with one of the most powerful idiots around, so that's got to amount for something,"

"Thank you?" Jack pulled a confused face.

"No- Skye, that's not what I mean," Kai gave up fighting against me, "All I can do is make stuff bright,"

"So, carry a torch on you at all times,"

"Flashlight,"

"Torch," both Kai and I snapped at him.

"Look," I went on as we neared the meeting building and saw Cara trying to get Beck to pay attention to her. She popped in and out of visibility a couple of times and I shook my head, still not used to it. I'd only ever seen one Ghost, and all he ever used his power for was stealing extra food at mealtimes – I didn't understand why, the stuff they used to feed us was like the plastic toys I had in my Fisher-Price kitchen set. "We're gonna need you on the raid, okay? I don't care if you don't wanna come, it's not your choice,"

"That's mean,"

"I am mean, it's not the point," I pushed Jack onward and was left with just the two of us, "I need you,"

He sighed, before nodding slightly, "Okay,"

I grinned at him, and we caught up to Jack and Beck, who was stuck in a polite yet awkward conversation. Neither seemed at all disheartened when we turned up.

I listened to Cara as she talked me through another one of her dreams – this time about her brothers and her life back in Ireland – and made me promise to remember it so I could help her record it later on. I didn't notice Beck smile slightly at the two of us.

As we waited for David to turn up and let us in – Beck explained that we needed someone to vouch for us in council and only he was willing to do that – Kai reluctantly let Cara wear his bucket hat, the one which had become a part of his personality. On her, it came down to her nose and I allowed myself a hearty laugh as she held it up with her forearm, crooked teeth grinning at me.

Not long after, David turned up and let us in, apologising for the delay. I didn't trust his excuse – something about a dispute in the makeshift kitchens – but it didn't matter as soon as we were inside, Beck put Cara on his shoulders so she could see and I leant against the wall. My view shrouded by a row of angry-looking middle-aged people, I began to rely on my hearing, after all, it pained me to look at my father now, anyway; now I knew he was a liar.

"You sure about this?" Kai asked me, having to look around Beck so he could speak to me. Beck still wasn't talking.

I just nodded, "I thought you'd learnt not to doubt me, by now,"

He rolled his eyes as David hushed us all. Cara grinned at me as she ducked her head a little so she didn't hit it on the ceiling. I grinned at her.

"Alright then!" he called across the room. I pushed myself onto tiptoes even though I didn't want to. "Who's ready to get this raid started?"

By God, I was.