Chapter 104

Clementine:

Silence fell after Valerie was left behind. I didn’t say it out loud, but in my head I was furious with Oriana. Still, I wasn’t going to report her until I could speak to her directly.

When we arrived at the station, the door opened and the ringleader stood waiting for us. The blue and green ringleaders glanced around, then shook their heads at each other, as if realizing none of their other teammates had returned. Lenora stepped forward, smiling at Oriana.

“I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me,” she told her. My fist clenched.

“What happened to you, Clementine? Unlike last time, you didn’t do very well.” The nerve. I didn’t like Lenora.

“That’s because we were fighting for our lives and the babies, not on some picnic or chasing prizes,” I shot back, watching her eyes widen.

“Besides, she stayed behind because we were securing someone you were supposed to rescue.” Troy’s voice cut in, sharper this time.

Miss Rue stepped forward and smiled at the babies. The lurkers moved in to take them from us. Troy handed over his baby, but I pulled mine back.

“Clementine, you have to give the baby back. We’ll place them in good homes and in good care,” Miss Rue said, holding out her arms.

“Do you know whose baby this is?” I asked. Miss Rue hesitated, drawing her hands back in confusion.

“Did you really send people to look for Sadie? Because she was right there in the woods at the entrance,” I said sharply, watching them exchange glances before looking at us again.

Mr. Rick wasn’t around, which made me think the whole white squad had returned. That must have been why he didn’t bother coming to check on them.

“This is Sadie’s baby?” Miss Rue asked, still confused.

“We brought her back,” I said. Ms. Lenora’s widened eyes didn’t suggest she was happy her squadmate was back.

“We want to give her a proper burial,” Troy added. Only then did Lenora seem relieved. It made no sense.

My questions went unanswered. The lurkers were told to take her body from the train, and we were ordered to return to our rooms. They said we’d discuss it later.

I had to give Hardin back, but I wanted to keep him for at least an hour. Maybe they knew they’d been caught lying about sending lurkers to find Sadie, because they didn’t object to my demands.

“Let me hold him,” Troy said. I guess he thought my arms were tired, because he reached from behind, towering over me, and took Hardin from my arms.

With a moment to myself, I walked up to Oriana, who was behind Ms. Lenora.

“That was crazy,” Oriana said, not realizing I wasn’t there to gossip.

“Why did you do that?” I asked.

She frowned, slowing her pace to put distance between herself and Lenora. “I grabbed the baby for safety. What do you mean, why did I do that p>

“Don’t act innocent. I saw what you did. Is that why you weren’t fighting hard to find the baby—because you knew you’d end up with one? You left Valerie behind. You closed the door.” I accused her blatantly.

Her eyes widened. “No, Clementine, I didn’t. You must have seen it wrong. I carried the baby inside so Valerie wouldn’t have to fetch him, so she could get on the train quickly. I was pressing the button to open the door, even struggling with it. If I had shut the door, why would I be doing all this p>

I shook my head. “Oriana, I know what I saw. You closed that door yourself. I am pretty sure I saw you hit the button before the door closed.” My voice was mixed with irritation and disbelief.

She pointed at herself, looking so lost that, for a moment, I almost doubted my own memory.

“You saw it wrong. I swear I didn’t close the door,” she insisted.

I guess our whispers got too loud, because Ms. Lenora spun around, hurried toward us, and pulled Oriana away from me.

“You will not speak to my squadmates. You’re a bad influence,” she hissed, making my jaw drop. She dragged Oriana off while Troy, the lurkers, and Miss Rue came over.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Miss Rue asked.

“Don’t act like you care. You’re just one of them,” I snapped. I knew I was being harsh, but I was drained and didn’t know who we could trust anymore.

Stepping into the dorm room with Sadie’s baby was hard. I knew Haiden would be filled with raw emotion, and I was already feeling it myself. I’d been hoping to see Yorick well, maybe even healed by now. A whole day had passed, after all.

But the moment the door opened and we stepped inside, disappointment hit me. Yorick wasn’t there. Ian was scribbling something at the desk, and Haiden was nowhere in sight as well.

“Oh, so you’re back!” Ian called without turning, raising two fingers in a lazy greeting.

“Where are Haiden and Yorick?” I asked.

Ian slowly turned, then did a double take at Troy. “Oh, I thought you’d be dead!” he laughed. His grin faded when he noticed the baby in Troy’s arms. “They let you keep those things p>

I grunted at him.

“Haiden’s in the bathroom,” Ian said, pointing his pen toward the door. “You didn’t answer my question, did they let you keep the baby p>

He tossed the pen onto his papers, got up, and walked over to Troy. Tilting his head, he stared at the baby. “That looks like you. Is it yours p>

Ian never knew when to quit. He’d prod and comment until someone responded, just to feed his ego.

“This is Sadie’s baby,” Troy said, still managing to sound polite.

“Who?” Ian asked, looking clueless.

I paced, anxious for Haiden to come out. I figured he was showering, but as soon as we arrived and started talking, I heard the water shut off. Maybe he’d heard us and was hurrying. I wanted to ask about Yorick, but Ian was never one to give a straight answer.

“Dude, the girl Haiden was taking care of,” Troy said at last. “The one left behind because you lied p>

Ian rolled his eyes, then nodded. “Ah, she was alive? Well, I guess her baby came in handy. Otherwise you’d have to go back p>

He spoke like it was nothing, no empathy, no reaction, before returning to his seat as if this were just another day.

Then Haiden came out of the bathroom. His hair was wet, his white shirt soaked from not bothering to dry off. He looked at me, and in an instant, he crossed the room and pulled me into a tight embrace, something I never expected from him.