virago|c.g.|

vii

Walking into the infirmary, Clarissa was greeted with the sight of Pete looking through his supplies within the infirmary. His eyes averted towards her when he heard the door open, straightening his body as he faced her. "Clarissa, it's good to see you're up and moving. How are you feeling?" Pete questioned, causing the girl to stop in her tracks before facing the man. "Better, thank you." Pete nodded his head softly. "I'm glad to hear. At this rate, maybe you'll be able to leave soon." Seeing her hopeful gaze, he tilted his head. "You still need some time to heal, but I think you'll be out soon enough." Clarissa nodded her head softly before she departed, entering the room she had been in. However she was surprised when she saw a girl inside, holding her journal. She was silent as she approached, the girl not noticing her until she spoke. "Usually you don't look through someone's stuff, especially if you don't know them." The dark haired girl turned, closing the journal before she looked to the girl. Clarissa had never seen her before, at least not in the few moments she had been outside of the infirmary. But the girl's eyes were wide as she faced her, placing the girl's journal back on the bed. The other girl's eyes had glazed momentarily, shock passing through her as she looked to Clarissa as if she recognized her. Clarissa has no idea why, but that same feeling of familiarity passed through her for a split second before vanishing.

The girl's eyes were wide as placed her hands in her pockets. "I—I'm so sorry, I just— I was dropping off some more clothes and I saw it—" Clarissa waved her hand, dismissing the worry in the girls eyes. "It's fine. You're curious, I get it, I would be too." The girl nodded her head softly before she held out her hand, a small smile on her face. "I'm Enid." Clarissa nodded before holding out her own hand. "Clarissa." The other girl smiled softly before turning to the small pile of clothes. "I brought a few shirts, and some jeans. There's a nicer shirt in there too, if you want to join us for tonight." Clary looked questioningly at the girl. "What's happening tonight?" Clary questioned. "A small welcoming party at Deanna's house. It's for all the new faces, yours included. Everyone's going to be there." Clarissa thought about the party, not about going but rather how it'd be the perfect time for her to slip away. With everyone there, she knew it'd be the perfect time to leave without triggering any alarms.

With that thought, Clarissa shrugged, Enid's face falling slightly. "I think I'll have to pass." Seeing Enid's hesitance, she smiled reassuringly. "We weren't too big on parties in Solaris, so I'm not really the party type. And besides, I think I'd rather rest up to make sure I'm out of the infirmary as soon as possible." Enid nodded, her eyes falling on Clarissa before she gave her a small smile as she stepped away. "Well, we'll miss you there. I'll come by later on to bring you some food, or I'm sure Glenn and Maggie will." Clarissa only nodded. "Thanks." Enid nodded once again before giving a soft goodbye and heading out of the infirmary. Clary made her way towards the window, seeing Enid walking out and meeting up with a sandy blond haired boy, hugging him.

Clary pulled away from the sight, wondering why she had seemed familiar. She shook the thought away, knowing if she had any hesitation she wouldn't be able to escape. Clary was pulled away from her thoughts all together as she heard a knock on the door. As she turned towards it, it opened to reveal Glenn. He sent her a small smile. "Hey, I just wanted to check up on you. I know Nicholas is probably in more pain than you but—" Clary shrugged. "I'm fine, didn't even stretch a stitch." Glenn nodded his head softly before his eyes fell on her, his gaze softening. He made his way closer before joining her towards the window, looking out. "You know, it's not so bad of a place. The people here are- sheltered, but it could be a good home." His eyes maneuvered to face her, surprising Clary at the fact that he was trying to get her to stay. She could only shrug, allowing herself to look at the sight of the pristine homes. "Yeah, it could be," she agreed, surprising the man before she continued. "...for you and your family. But I'm not meant to live this lie, I can't. As scarred up as I am, I don't belong here." Glenn looked down at the girl before letting out a sigh. "Well, I hope you change your mind, Clary. You're not the only one with scars here, I can promise you that." He placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly before he turned away, walking out of the room.

Clary let out a deep breath before turning towards her things, shifting through the clothing to see a nice blouse. She tossed it aside, knowing very well it's do nothing for her out in the real world. She shifted through the clothing, coming across a gray zip-up hoodie. Setting that off to the side and packing the other clothes, she looked out the window to see the sun hours from setting. Her time would come, and then?

Then she would escape.

•••

As the sun began to fall, blanketing the sky in deep hues of purple and blue, Clary was zipping up the jacket given to her by Enid. She took an extra shirt and pants before leaving the rest of the clothing on the bed, folded neatly next to a note. It had been her way to thank them for their hospitality and their kindness but that she couldn't stay. When Pete had left, checking on her before heading out, that was when she had begun to get ready. It wasn't until it became a bit darker that she shouldered her backpack, walking out of the infirmary when she saw no one passing by. As she walked in the shadows, her footsteps almost non-existent, she made her way towards the armory. However, she stopped when she heard a rustle close by. She ducked behind porch stairs nearby, surprised to see Daryl. He was looking towards Deanna's home, the people inside.

Ready to move past him, Daryl's deep voice stopped her as she took a single step. "I know you gotta go, Jo. You just be safe out there." His eyes averted towards where she had hid, her figure rising from behind the stairs as he knew where she was. "I won't tell. I know what it's like to hate the walls. I can't go, but you can. You just come back if you need anything, you hear?" Clary nodded softly, gratefulness in her eyes. "Thank you, Daryl." He looked down at her hand to see that his bandana was still wrapped around it. She looked down, making a movement to unwrap it but he shook his head. "Nah, you keep it. Let it remind you that you got someone that understands." She nodded softly before he walked down the road, Clary letting out a soft sigh before she continued on her way to where they stored all of their goods. Goods that would include her weapons.

As she made her way towards the doors, Clary pulled out some lock picks from her bag that her mentor had given her when needed for runs if a place had been locked. Because of the learned skill, they had gotten some good stuff behind those closed doors and she could only thank him, wherever he was, that he had taught her well. As the door swung open, she walked in, closing it behind her before looking through the different doors. When she found the armory portion of the home, she entered, able to see her sword from a mile away. She quickly grabbed the sheathed weapon, looking at it momentarily, from its dark brown leather handle to the notches etched into the spine of the blade, it felt familiar in her hand. Continuing her search, she found her switchblade among the knives and pocketed it before her eyes averted towards the guns. It didn't take long for her to be able to find her gun, it's notches along the barrel, much like her sword, different among the other guns. As she grabbed ammo for it, she heard a rustling outside. Clary realized she would have to part with the other weapons, but knew that they'd be safe here. Ultimately, if she had to sneak in again she would. Making her way down the hall, she found the area they stored food. Not wanting to take too much, knowing she's be able to hunt as soon as she was fully healed, she took as little as she could. Once she was sure it was enough to hold her off for a few days, she shoved it in her backpack before making her way to the door she had come from. She opened the door, making sure the coast was clear before locking it behind her.

Clary continued her trek down the roads, ultimately ending up where her horse was. He was quiet as his eyes landed on her, her movements quick as she untied him. "Let's go, big guy." She threw her leg over his back, holding back the gasps of pain from her wounds before sitting on the saddle, taking off her bag and tying it to the saddle. Keeping low to his body, she quickly maneuvered him to walk out of the small fenced in area, kicking open the pseudo gate before they continued down the road. She felt her heart grow lighter as they neared the front gates, her eyes landing on the platform to see no one there. A small smile came onto her face as they neared the tall metal, her hands running along the neck of her horse. "We're almost there, just a little bit—" a voice other than her's filled the silence. "Where do you think you're going?" Before Clarissa could stop and see who had caught her, she felt a hand wrap around her arm and pull her off, feeling as if she was slipping into the unknown.