Marionette (A 'The 5th Wave' Fanfiction) [COMPLETED] #wattys2017

17. Zombie; Chapter IV.

    It becomes a routine of sorts; we exchange looks at lunch, train, practice firing and talk at night. After everyone is asleep one of us whispers to the other, if they are awake and we just talk.

    Night comes all too quickly. We're a month from graduation and our chances look bright. We're fourth on the chart, and if we manage to keep that up we'll be leaving into the 'real world.' I'm proud of us.

    I listen for the signs that the others are sleeping. Once I count five I roll onto my back.

    "Are you awake?"

    "Are you up?" Zombie and I say at once and with quiet chuckles we turn to each other. I learned a lot about him recently. We tell stories from our past. I get nostalgic sometimes but it's not as bad anymore. It's nice to get the stuff off my chest. I leave out the bullying, though. That won't do anything for neither of us.

    Zombie's shirt isn't as loose anymore as he gained more weight- and muscles. His skin is still tight on his face but he definitively improved that. He still wears Sissy's necklace like a charm. I don't have charms.

    Zombie tilts his head and smiles. Despite the extended time we spend in each other's presence I can't help but lose my breath and the air gets stuck in my throat when he does that. Will it ever stop? Do I want it to stop? "What are you thinking?" he inquires.

    I shrug and move up higher on my pillow. "Just how nice the necklace is," I lie.

    He looks at it for a moment and clutches his hand around it in a way that challenges anyone to take it from him. As always.

    Then he stands and quietly with a bent back -nearly crawling- comes over to my bed. "Move, you noodle," he says.

    Despite not having any idea what he just said I move closer to the wall. Zombie sits and rests his back on one of the poles supporting the bed. I also sit up so that my face isn't near his butt. I give him a questioning look.

   "I don't want to wake the others," he explains and I realize but later that he means others as in recruits and not with a capital O. I still don't see much reason, since we were doing this for a month now and he neverr wanted to come to my bed. God that sounds wrong. I stay quiet.

     "Rose, did you have siblings?" he asks out of the blue. And yes, he still calls me that.

    I shake my head. "None. And I'm not complaining." I don't say what I want to. One less person I would have to live without.

    Zombie laughs. "Yeah. They're a pain in the ass," he says thinking that's how I meant it. I don't correct him.

    "Why do you still call me Rose? You make me feel weird around other people," I ask and cross my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling self-conscious. I mean we talk like this every night but he was never in my bed.

    He raises a brow. "I dunno. It's natural I guess. Marionette sounds wrong," he admits.

    I want to complain -I didn't even choose my name- but a strange feeling passes over me, one I was suppressing. It's like that night behind the barrack all over again.

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A/N

Long story cut short, guess who finished the book??!!

Yup, that's right. Double-updates, starting this Saturday! Can't wait!

-Jess