to the ends of the earth || ellie williams (book one)

two

"Easy.. there we go," Jesse panted as we placed Dina down on her sheets.

He got on his knees and removed her shoes, twisting her limp body into the bed comfortably before pulling the blanket over her.

"Don't go.." Dina murmured sleepily, grabbing onto Jesse's hand before he had a chance to leave.

He looked to me for approval and I shrugged nonchalantly. Someone had to stay with her in case she was sick. I didn't mind not taking the night shift for once.

"It's cool.." I smiled softly, "I'll crash on the couch."

I grabbed some blankets from her closet, nodding to Jesse as I flicked off the lights and headed to my bed for the night. Dumping the blankets on the couch, I turned on my heels to grab some water when I heard a gentle knock on the trailer door.

Puzzled, I looked around before heading for the door, swinging it out to see Ellie standing below the steps with a nervous smile.

"Hey.. what're you doing here?" I asked with my hand still loosely gripping the door handle.

"Just wanted to check everything was okay... she was pretty gone," Ellie recalled, rubbing the back of her neck nervously before looking around, "Well, I better go."

"No," I blurted with little to no hesitation causing her eyes to widen, "I mean... you can hangout for a while... if you don't have anywhere to be."

Her nervousness melted into a wide smile as she jogged up the steps. I closed the door behind us and watched as she took a seat on the couch.

"Do you want coffee or anything?" I awkwardly questioned earning a little head shake from my counterpart.

I nodded and sat on the other side of the couch, leaning against the arm rest before pulling the blanket over myself.

"So, is she okay?" Ellie finally asked, breaking the silence between us.

"She's fine. Jesse's with her so... it's like one big sleepover," I remarked sarcastically causing Ellie to smirk.

"Sure,"

"I don't mind. It's almost like Dina and Jesse wouldn't be a couple without me. An unspoken third party - if you will,"

I picked up my glass of water from the coffee table and began to sip.

"And what about you? You're with somebody?" She asked causing me to choke on my drink.

"Uh, no. I'm not.. I don't really do the whole boys thing,"

"Me neither," She chuckled lowly, pulling the blanket over her lap causing it to drape loosely from her knees.

The silence was deafening and the tension felt as though it could be cut with a knife. In that moment, I forgot how to speak. Any word I'd ever known was hieroglyphics, symbols and pictures scattered my mind. I felt my palms begin to sweat against my cup as I avoided eye contact.

"I better go," She eventually said with a gentle smile, "But I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah... bright and early."

"I'll look forward to it,"

The next morning when I woke up, I felt as though I'd been hit by a ton of bricks. I didn't realise how much I took Dina's bed for granted whenever we'd have our weekly sleepovers until my back felt as though it was on the verge of giving out.

I rubbed my eyes tiredly and pulled myself up to a seated position, jumping out of my skin when I saw Jesse leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Hey... didn't mean to scare you," He chuckled, grabbing a glass down from the cabinet to pour some water, "Good news is... she's still alive."

"And full of regret?"

"Overflowing," He responded before heading down the hall.

I climbed off of the couch and gathered my things, bidding my friends goodbye before heading for my own place to get ready for patrols.

I plodded down the steps of the trailer and grabbed my bike, tightening to straps on my backpack before starting the route home. Luckily, Jackson was a small community and so I didn't have far to cycle to get home.

The community was bustling as it usually was in the morning. People heading to work, greeting each other with gentle 'hello's' and nods as they passed one another. Children ran towards the school, linking arms with their friends as they skipped happily towards the entrance.

I waved to Mrs Green as I passed, turning the corner to cycle through the high street. A man was setting up his store, hauling a chalkboard sign out to the front and nodding at me as I passed. I grinned warmly in greeting before spotting my house in the distance.

I stood on my pedals and let the summer breeze carry my hair causing it to dance and flail in the wind. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath before sitting back down to pull onto my lawn.

"Hey kiddo! How was Dina's?" My father asked as he jogged down the steps of the porch.

"Was great. The movie was awesome," I lied through my teeth, climbing off of my bike to greet my father with open arms.

"I bet it was," He chuckled at my lack of conviction, "Well I've got a store to open so I'll see you later. Be safe on patrols today."

"I'm always safe," I winked as I headed for my front door.

As soon as I reached my bedroom, I tossed my bag on the floor and flung myself into bed. I still had time before I had to head out so I figured it to be appropriate time to try and remould my body back into a healthy shape. I sunk into my sheets and never appreciated my own bed so much.

After way too long of feeling sorry for myself, I pulled myself out of bed and pressed play on my CD player. Nodding my head gently to the song as I paced my room for an outfit, I settled on a burgundy tank and some khaki cargo shorts. I fitted on my holster belt, tightening it before slipping my knife into its little pocket.

We didn't get guns here until we were registered. It was some sort of safety regulation thing until we were over 18. I didn't mind it, my knife and I got by just fine.

I tied my hair into pigtails and splashed my face with cold water before jogging down the stairs as I fumbled with my rucksack. I slung it over my shoulder as I made for the door, grabbing my water bottle before heading out.