Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
After Echo left with Sam, I walked back to where we had left Monty to make sure everything was ready; both of us walking away from the bunker, finding Harper and staying in our tent, waiting for Echo to show back up to say goodbye and take the chip with her. Once she finally showed up, she started to say goodbye with Harper, then Monty, who handed her a bracelet in which he had hidden the chip so that it wasn't so noticeable and then, she came to me.
- "You okay?"
- "Yeah, I'm ready." -she nodded confidently- "It'll be fine."
I wasn't sure what else to say; I doubted there was anything I could tell her that'd make her mission easier and I had no last words of encouragement for we all knew this was a risk, as much as everyone tried to play it cool. She smiled, pulling me into a hug; that was probably the only thing I could do now so I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her a bit; hopefully, she'd understand what I meant.
- "Be safe."
- "I'm not the one that has to deal with the darkness down there." -she pulled back- "And with Samantha... Sam."
- "No more 'Jusheda'?" -I rose a questioning eyebrow at her, managing to fight back the smile on my lips.
- "She asked me to call her Samantha." -she smiled- "Right before I left the bunker she mentioned her nickname." -I knew Echo knew about Sam's ways for I was aware I had told her all about her during my many drunken nights- "We are not so different; I think we'd have been good friends in another life. I think she thinks so too."
- "And so do I." -I couldn't help but smile this time, looking at the floor for a second- "Is she okay?"
- "She's really strong; stronger than what I already had assumed she was." -I nodded- "It's impressive how everyone treats her; I'm sure it hasn't been easy to get that respect, to be seen not only as a leader but as a protector."
- "What do you mean?"
- "I mean I think she's sacrificed more than we can understand." -she eyed me cautiously- "I think we are in no position to judge how she... how they've changed, but we should be there to listen if they choose to speak up. She needs to know you'll be there for her." -I nodded, knowing she was right- "Horrible things have happened down there, Bellamy, not many people are strong enough to make hard choices for the good of their people, let alone to live with them." -I nodded again- "She's asked me to tell you that you can roam freely in and out of the bunker. She lifts our ban."
- "Our?"
- "I'm free to go in if I want to, even if I leaving, yes." -she zipped up her jacket- "You should go talk to her as soon as you get a chance."
- "Can I know what you talked about?"
Echo rose her eyes to meet mine. I knew I was in no position to ask, let alone to question what Sam was doing with other people but I needed to know; something inside me craved to know every little detail of what had been said between them. Echo's lips turned up into a small smile as she rose her hand to squeeze my upper arm.
