Wren Surviving Summer Novels & Stories

I cut him off, completely unbothered by his pain as I pulled my sleeve down over the scratch. Before he could try to force his authority on me again, a loud rustling came from the thick brush at the edge of the clearing. Wren emerged from the shadows of the high pines, his lean frame completely relaxed as he dragged a heavy, unconscious body across the dirt ring by the collar.

I felt my teeth change and I bared them and Eden stumbled backward, eyes wide, and for one breathless second she looked like she had never seen me before. And then I saw Wren. She was standing at the far end of the corridor. She must have come around the corner just then. She was holding her bag against her chest, and she was looking at us. It was her scent that made Rookie uncontrollable. I knew from the way Wren went very still that she saw the kiss. All of it. Her eyes found mine for a few seconds. Then she looked away. Her shoulder dropped slightly, almost imperceptible, like something inside her had just quietly folded. I saw her cheek sink into her teeth from the outside.

She had been the one to tear up my test papers and throw my textbooks and backpack into the pond. She even forced me to glue the shredded pieces back together. If I couldn't do it, she would stomp on me. But now, the face in my memory blurred with the one before me, making it hard to focus on her. Suddenly, the red fog surrounded us. This time, we could all see clearly that it was like sulfuric acid, eating away at her flesh. The woman's screams echoed in our ears. After a long while, it was finally quiet again. My gaze shifted to the last remaining person, Charlotte. By now, she was the only survivor of her group.

Hunter explained, "Apparently, we got drafted for the war. Are they allowed to do that?" "Shut up," Raver said pushing his head away from the window to look at me, "We're ready to go. It's best if Remmi stays here anyway, it's safer." I nodded reluctantly before following my mother into the carriage, settling into the seat beside her. We set off instantly onto the rocky path in the direction of the rift. After several minutes of nothing but sand and rocks, we came across camps of tents and fires with food roasting above them. We rode through the crowd until we came to stop in front of the biggest tent of all.

We stopped for a short rest as the sun crested overhead, and I found myself walking along the edge of camp, checking on Wren, who sat apart from the others with her hand pressed flat against her chest the way she’d taken to doing whenever the pull grew stronger. “How close is he,” I asked, sitting down beside her. “Closer every hour,” she said. “Not attacking distance. Just, present. Like a held breath, waiting.” “Does it scare you?” “Every part of it scares me,” Wren admitted. “But there’s something else too. Something I haven’t said out loud yet, because I’m not sure how to explain it without sounding like I’ve already lost my mind.” “Try me.”

“Bianca. Listen to me. You have survived being beaten. You survived five days without water. You survived being left for dead. And your baby survived all of it. You are both strong, and we will get you out of here.” Sge says firmly as she squeezes my hand and tears sting my eyes. “I’m scared.” I admit and she slowly nods her head. “I know.” “I don’t know how to protect something so small.” I say, looking down at my stomach. “You already did.” She says softly. “Say I stay... What’s the plan?” I ask softly and she sits back slightly. “Daniel can get us access to the south trail. It’s rarely patrolled.” “And then?” “You head toward the neutral territories.”