Fate

Ellie was worried. She was thirteen, on her second strike in Boston Military School, and she woke up to a burning pain on her side.

She'd sat up, waking her friend, who she was staring to get feelings for, in the process. Riley had stayed the night, deciding sharing a bunk bed was better than sleeping under her roommate who wet the bed.

Not a hard decision really, Ellie was somewhat offended she hadn't decided this sooner.

Back to the matter at hand; Ellie was groaning, holding her side as it throbbed in pain.

"Are you okay?!"

Riley lifted her friend's shirt when Ellie didn't answer, a slight gasp muffled by her hand at the dark patch on Ellie's stomach.

She ran out, getting the medic. He looked over the bruise, checking her temperature and her wrists.

"Has she bonded yet?"

Riley shook her head.

"No, she's only thirteen."

He nodded and wrote it down.

"Sometimes they happen older, like puberty. Her bond must've been hurt, if it stays then they don't make it, if it fades, then-"

Before he could finish, Ellie sighed, the dark bruise faded, leaving behind a small silver scar. He tutted at the sutures, standing and putting his stethoscope over his shoulders.

"She'll be fine, her bond is gonna have a shoddy scar, though. Amateurs."

Riley felt sadness ebb in her chest, she hadn't been injured, so she wasn't Ellie's bond.

She shook the thoughts away when her friend sat up.

"What the fuck was that?!"

Riley shrugged, lying down next to her.

"Your bond is as clumsy as you."

It was a joke, Ellie should've laughed, instead she sat up, eyes wide.

"I have a bond?! I'm only thirteen!"

Riley laughed.

"You feel them in pain, dummy. Yours got hurt, but they're okay now. Apparently got a shit scar though."

Ellie pulls up her shirt, feeling it. It did look rough, but not too bad.

Ellie doesn't sleep much that night, staring at the bed above hers.

I have a bond… she kept thinking, over and over. Until Riley shuffled in her sleep.

I have a bond… and it's not Riley.

Her heart ached, she eventually fell asleep.

Ellie decided bonds were dumb. She'd turned fourteen, lost her best friend who she was pretty sure she liked, and her wrists got their symbols.

I mean, really. A fuckin' hamsa hand? Are they 12?

It wasn't even a full hand, just the outline with an eye in the middle.

She hadn't told Riley, and the other girl had run off before she could muster the courage.

After that stupid fucking fight. Dick.

When she came back, she wasn't shocked. Ellie very quickly let her anger go, she was just happy to have her best friend back.

She sees the mark pretty fast, her smile dimming slightly. That's when Ellie decided to talk out of her ass, balancing across a roof to avoid the rain.

"I mean, who cares what fate thinks, anyway? I wanna fall in love with who I love, not someone who I don't even know."

Riley snorts, offering her hand, and helping Ellie down.

"Tell me about it, I mean-" she flashes her wrist, an outline of a fish hidden under her watch, "what the fuck is this? Gross."

Ellie wiggled her eyebrows.

"Well- I like fish."

Riley laughs, shoving her.

"Yeah, and I like weird hand eyeballs."

Ellie gasped, arms thrown out.

"It's a sign!"

Riley laughs again, Ellie likes her laugh.

How can a day go so shit so fast?

She stops smashing the table, yelling as she throws the wood at the dead Runner, the one who had effectively killed her.

"Why don't we just… wait it out. Be all poetic and… lose our minds together."

Ellie sighed, holding her head.

"What's option three?"

Riley looks down, shoulders slumping. She doesn't reply. Ellie groans, rubbing her eyes to fight off tears.

You're about to die, Ellie. Don't let your last moments be dumb and full of tears.

She sniffs, one escaping despite her best efforts.

"If it had to be anyone, that I was in this situation with-" she sniffs again, "I'm- I'm glad it's you."

Riley smiles, holding her hand, the bite free one.

Ellie stared at her bite, it was bleeding slightly.

"I wish I could've been yours, El. And you, mine."

Ellie laughed, it was more like a sob. She leans her head on her shoulder for a moment.

"Fuck fate."

Riley nods, resting her head on top of Ellie's. Her hand was already numb, it was crawling up her arm.

"Fuck fate. Let's get outta here."

Dina is now a sound sleeper, the moment they got to Jackson she really felt like they'd found a home. Her older sister, Talia, struggled sleeping. She tend to stay up for hours after Dina and Maya had fallen asleep.

Maya was the youngest, and probably wouldn't remember much of their time desperately searching for safety. Dina wouldn't be able to forget it, and Talia would be burdened with what she had to do to keep them alive for the rest of her life. Her mother's infected body, what she'd had to do when they had found her, reanimated and hungry.

She ran her fingers over her wrist, the symbol gone, replaced by black teeth on her neck.

To lose her mother, and then her bond, before even meeting them? She was eighteen, but she felt ancient.

Talia is having a drink, watching her sisters sleep on the couch. They had their own rooms, their own home, but they needed to be close.

Jackson seemed nice, she was training for patrols, would be assessed when Tommy came back from the power plant-

Dina started screaming.

Talia dropped her glass, running to her sister as Maya started screaming with her.

"Shh, shh it's okay, Maya! Dina, what's wrong?!"

Maya started to sob, Dina was louder, grabbing her arm as she stared at her sister.

"It hurts! Talia- its burning!"

Talia froze, she grabbed her sisters arm, trying to move it.

"No- don't!"

She moved her sister's hand despite her protests. She nearly cried, but held it in at the sight of a black bite. Dina bawled, her heart shattering as it was confirmed. The bite stayed, she'd lost her soulmate.

"No- no!"

She was screaming, there's a banging at the door. The neighbor, Robin and his wife Susan burst in. They were kind, but Talia didn't know what to do.

They had their guns, and Dina was sobbing. They saw the mark on her arm, sagging in shared pain.

Robin and Susan had lost their soulmates many years ago, yet had found each other, creating something many believed impossible. It was frowned upon, but then the outbreak happened, and people stopped caring.

They came over, Robin offering comfort to Dina, and Susan opened her arms for Talia and Maya.

The sisters were held, Dina didn't stop crying.

A week later, and Dina still hasn't left her room. She isn't eating, just staring at the black mark burned into her skin. She felt rage, heartbreak and at the same time numb.

She flips her wrist, frowning at the image of the moth on her inner arm.

Talia's faded after a day. Why are you still here?

She didn't question it. She wanted to believe that somehow, for whatever reason, it meant her soul bond was okay, that they were safe.

Dina wasn't dumb, she didn't get a scar above the bite, so they still had their arm. They were Infected, they were dead.

She runs a hand over her eyebrow, the small scar barely noticeable. She's lucky her eyebrows were dark enough to grow over the white line, she wouldn't be lucky about the scar on her arm.

Most people had this bite, some variant of it on their body. She remembers seeing one man with half his face and body blackened by burns, his bond having been blown up. Another had two holes in his head, his bond had been executed by soldiers.

Dina wants to be strong, like Talia, but now she feels like there's no reason to live, no reason at all.

Two months pass, and she's intercepted by the neighbor's son, Jesse. He's sweet, handsome for fourteen, and has a black cut across his throat.

He explains that after he was born he got the scar, about six months later. He wasn't old enough to understand, so he never had to mourn what he could've had.

They talk about his parents, their forged bond. It's quite romantic, and Dina could see herself trying it one day. Trying to move on.

Not now though, now all she felt was half her body was missing, like her soul was bleeding.

The moth remained, it didn't show signs of fading.

A part of her wanted it gone, another never wanted it to leave.

There are moments she gets her hopes up; waking up with a cut on her knee she doesn't recall obtaining, a dash on her chin which doesn't scar. 

The most unusual instance was when she was walking around town with Jesse, back from training. Suddenly she became woozy, her vision blurring, he catches her as she falls unconscious for a whole two hours.

She's called clumsy by her sister, telling her to rest more. She laughs with her, rubbing her wrist subconsciously.

The black scar never changes, never goes. She gets sick of the pitiful states, and starts wearing long sleeved shirts and hoodies whenever she could.

Jesse asks her out when she's fourteen, all shy and… cute.

She says yes, her sister is proud of her, so is Maya, who was now much more aware of the world around her.

Every innocent kiss, every time he holds her, it feels like there's a piece of her yelling, begging her to stop.

She ignored it.

Dina had never felt a pain like this, her head throbbing as she sat up in bed. Jesse was beside her, Talia has said he could sleep over if the door stayed open.

It was shut, obviously, but this ache in her head just wouldn't stop. Her wrist pulsed, and she rolled up the sleeve to look at it, sitting up with a gasp in her throat.

It has filled in, the moth now has details, shadows, patterns. Jesse woke at her shock, taking her hand and running his thumb over it.

"That's… that's impossible..?"

He wasn't angry, he was shocked, and so was she. Dina rolled up her sleeve, the bite was still there, black and angry.

"What… what does this mean?"

They shared a look.

"It means they're… they're… alive?"

They jump out the bed and storm downstairs, her sister is on the couch, coffee in hand.

"Slow it down guys, Maya's still asleep-"

"My bond is alive!"

Talia choked on her drink but managed to swallow. She leaps the sofa and takes her sister's wrist.

"... That's-"

Dina flashes her arm, the black scar stark against her skin.

"Does this mean- what does this mean?!"

Talia grabs her coat, throwing one at Dina to put on.

"Jesse can you stay here and keep an eye on Maya?"

He nods, waving with a sad smile as they run out of the home. They race to the home of the town leader, to the only adult they trusted with this kind of news.

Maria opens the door, wiping sleep from her eyes.

"Hey girls, Tommy's bein' a lazy asshole, still asleep, so-"

"We think Dina's bond is alive!"

Maria froze for a moment, but she smiled.

"That's lovely news! How do you know?"

She showed the moth on her wrist, the symbol more realistic than before. Maria frowned a little, realising something she'd never asked before.

"Hun, why'dya think they were dead? This means they're getting closer to you."

Dina's excitement rose, but then her sister had to ruin it.

"She got a bite, like me, it went black."

She rolled up Dina's sleeve, showing the mark which made Maria gasp in utter shock.

"Wait- that can't be- Tommy! Get your lazy butt here right now!"

They hear a groan, Maria opens the door.

"Come in, don't want anyone overhearin' this."

The door is shut behind them, and Tommy eventually shuffles out of the back room.

"What, woman? I needed my sleep!"

Maria rolls her eyes, gesturing to the two in the room.

"Ah- hiya girls! What can we do for you this… early..?"

Talia explains, and Tommy's eyes widen. He turns to Dina.

"Say, can I see this bite?"

She twists her arm, and he nods.

"And… they're gettin' closer?"

Maria nods, he grins, jumping up and putting some shoes on.

"C'mon! They might already be here!"

Dina and Talia share a confused look, but follow after him. Nerves blossom in Dina's stomach the further they go. Not only is her bond alive, but she's about to see them? After mourning them for as long as she had?

Her stomach was made of butterflies as they reach the gate.

Jackson looked nice, Ellie had decided. She was quite distracted, as of late, but the town looked homey.

Yeah… I could live here.

Her wrist twinges, she rolls her eyes.

"Hey, Joel? Any idea why my bond keeps poking me?"

"Hm?"

The man takes her offered arm, looking at the mark. Her eyes widened a little, as it was more filled in than the last time she'd seen it. The details in the symbol were quite beautiful. 

Ellie realises she hasn't properly looked at her mark since she got bit, completely sticking with her 'fuck fate' ideology.

It was much more beautiful now.

"What the fuck- what does this mean?"

Joel grinned, patting her on the shoulder.

"It means you're about to meet your bond. And I'm gonna have to intimidate the poor kid, how do I look? Scary enough?"

She snorts, shoving him.

"Yeah, if scary means literally made of fluff."

He laughs, they walk down the hill.

The way to Jackson is much shorter than she anticipated, her stomach rolling like the ocean the closer she got.

"I don't- I don't know if I can do this, Joel."

He smiled, offering her a one armed hug the closer they got.

"Honestly, the moment you see them? The world will stop, nothing else will matter to you, you'll have your reason, and you'll be so happy, Ell. It's scary, but it's so worth it."

She trusted him, absolutely and without a doubt. So she nods, hugging him back as they approached the gates.

"Open 'em up! Open 'em!"

The gates shifted after Tommy's yell, groaning as they released. Tommy was on the other side, with a few others, he ran to Joel, and Ellie stepped away as the two hugged.

Ellie smiled, waving at Maria, and then brushed her eyes over the two girls by her side.

One was tall, long hair in a high pony which reminded her of Tess.  She seemed kind, but so tired, the black scar across her neck filling her with guilt.

I'm a failure.

She glanced at the other girl, and that's when it happened.

Ellie wasn't colour blind, but seeing her made her think the world had before had been grey, every experience before was dimmed, her eyes were open to new colours, to new feelings.

The world moved, spinning thousands of miles an hour, coming to a very sudden stop. All the lights dimmed, all she saw was that girl. Her chest was full, her tongue ached with the desire to know her, to say her name, to be close to her.

She didn't know she was moving, and neither did the girl. The adults all stopped as they met in the middle, a close distance.

"Hi…"

Her voice sounds like sunshine. If- fuck, that's so dumb, sunshine hasn't got a voice.

"H-hi. I'm-" she holds out her hand for the girl to take, "I'm Ellie. Williams."

The girl laughed, and Ellie feels a part of herself reconnect.

"Hello, Ellie…" she savours the way her name is said, nothing else would matter, if she got to hear her speak her name every day, "I'm Dina."

She takes her hand, they don't shake it, both let out a shuddered breath.

Electricity makes her arm hair stand on end, gooseflesh covering her body. Her eyes widen, and finally, she feels it. That thing Joel always thought about when touching the black scar on his chest.

She got it.

"... You're the bond, my bond, aren't you?"

She realised after she said it how creepy that sounded, and instantly wanted to take it back.

"Wait- not like, fuck. That was fucking- weird, oh my god..."

The girl laughs, still holding her hand.

"If you mean you're my bond, then yes. Weirdo."

"Great, that's not something I'll live down. Amazing first impression, too."

"Yeah really amazing, loved it."

Dina laughs, and Ellie knows she's in deep, and in trouble.

Maybe I'll give fate another go.

She thought to herself, as the girl holding her hand pulled her through the gates of her new home.