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"No-one likes a mad woman; you made her like that."

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CHAPTER TWELVE

Back Home

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Thankfully, the torrential rain had stopped, and Willow and Ellie both side with relief as Jackson came into view. They hadn't gotten their horses back, which meant the walk back to the county was extremely exhausting. Nonetheless, they made it. And it seemed like the weather had cleared up just for their arrival. Their feet were blistering, but Jackson was just down the hill of their last checkpoint. Willow and Ellie had truly made it.

They walked down the hill slowly, their bodies not used to the sudden harsh change in weather. It was just like their first day in Seattle, the sun boring down onto their heads and almost causing a deep sunburn. The grass underneath them had turned a deep green because of the non-stop rain over the past few days, and it was a nice change from the dull, gray colour it used to be. Summer was clearly almost over, and the clouds were warmly welcoming autumn in.

Willow looked over to Ellie as they traversed through a wooded area. She still had a question lying at the bottom of her stomach, and now that Ellie was feeling better, she could ask. "So, can I ask why you didn't even flinch when you inhaled spores?" Willow asked cautiously, her voice still soft despite the harsh nature of the question. "Or is that still in the vault?"

Ellie chuckled, trying to avoid thinking about the question too much. "'The vault'?"

"Yeah!" Willow exclaimed, as if it were obvious. "Y'know, where everything is that I don't know about you." She answered.

The older girl sighed, kicking the dirt path with her foot as they walked. Would it be so bad if she told Willow about her immunity? Joel would have her head on a stick, but that was the last concern on Ellie's mind. Ellie truly cared for the girl that had stumbled upon Jackson on accident, and she believed that the feelings were not unrequited. Of course she had doubts, but she was brash. Willow was her balance to that. It wouldn't hurt to tell her the truth.

"I'm immune."

Willow stayed silent for a few moments, her head mulling over the thoughts. Ellie watched, her eyes softening as the younger girl she had grown to admire stopped in the middle of the street. Her heart raced and pounded through her ears, was she going to be mad, or maybe even furious that Joel had killed everyone she knew? Probably. Ellie held her breath, stepping in front of her friend and waiting with pursed lips for her reply.

"So you're-" She cleared her throat. "You're 'the cure'?" Willow asked for confirmation, looking up at Ellie with furrowed eyebrows. She didn't look mad, just- confused.

"Yeah... Yeah I am."

"Wow." Willow let out a big breath of disbelief, her eyes blinking. Ellie looked at her, trying to pry her gaze away from the flickering light pouring through the trees that dazzled the girl's green eyes. "That's a lot to unpack, jeez." The blonde kicked a few rocks, beginning to walk along the path again. "So, you were supposed to be operated on and... die for the cure?"

Ellie nodded. "Yeah. I was supposed to." She answered shortly, her furrowed eyebrows still showing the fact that she hadn't forgiven Joel for what he had done.

"Well, if it helps, I'm glad you didn't die on that table." Willow revealed, looking over to Ellie with a small, soft smile on her face. It was almost a look of comfort, as if she knew about the girl's underlying guilt that was constantly at the bottom of her stomach. "I know that the world would go back to normal and all, but I would've never met you." She smiled.

The older teen shook her head, looking back up at Willow with a confused daze in her eyes. "But- you would've never been captured by the Rattlers!" She exclaimed loudly. "Isn't that enough to make you wish there was a cure?"

"I can't turn back time, El'." Willow replied, striking the other girl with the nickname. "What would wishing even do?" She looked down to the floor, smiling a bit. "Besides, you saved my life, multiple times. I kinda have to meet you in this life." She laughed.

Ellie thought for a moment. Even though she was still mad at Joel for not letting her become the cure, she realized her luckiness. To have someone that cared about her enough to do that. She looked to Willow, hoping that Willow cared for Ellie as much as Ellie cared for her. The moment that Ellie knew she was too far in was in that stadium. When they kissed. As much as she was telling herself she couldn't, she did it anyway.

She really cared for Willow, didn't she?

"I guess you're right." Ellie replied softly, gazing back down at the ground. She was slowly coming to terms with the fact that she couldn't have done anything different, even if she went back in time. Her eyes turned upwards, seeing the leaves above her. They were almost yellow. Their roots were still green, but it was still a perfect sign of the fact that autumn was approaching. Ellie turned back to Willow. "You know that chemical burn I told you about?"

She nodded in response, stepping to the side, a bit closer to Ellie. "Of course."

The older girl rolled up her sleeve just enough to show her tattoo. Willow bent her neck over, tilting her head a bit as she inspected it. Ellie rolled her fingertips over the large marking in her skin. "It's a bite mark." She spoke. Willow lifted her hand up, lightly touching the marking. "I actually spilled chemicals on it on purpose. To try and cover it."

Willow let out an astounded breath, still dusting her scarred fingers over her skin. "That's amazing, it's like its frozen in time." Ellie looked at her, smiling. She never thought of it as 'amazing', she was always told it was quite dangerous. But seeing someone admire it, it was just a whole new experience. A whole new feeling. "I get why you lie about this, but it's so beautiful. It's your story, El'." Willow exclaimed breathily.

The girls pulled away from each other, turning back towards the rugged, dirt path they were walking along. Jackson was only a few minutes away, they'd be able to make it before dinner. Maybe Maria could fix up some leftovers from when they were gone. The older teen sighed, she hoped that Willow wouldn't leave as soon as they got there. Ellie had been accustomed to her company, and Willow would be lying if she said she didn't feel the same way.

"Who took you?" Willow asked abruptly.

"What do you mean?" Ellie replied in question.

"I mean- who saved you from the operating table?" She re-instated, looking at the older girl with a soft gaze on her face. She didn't want to pressure Ellie into answering, Willow could tell that it was a sore subject for her.

Ellie shook her head a bit, her eyes drooping. "His name was Joel." She revealed. "He- He took me from Boston to Saint Mary's Hospital, and I guess he didn't want to let me go." She sighed deeply, looking over at Willow and shrugging a bit. "He lives in Jackson, we haven't spoken in a bit..."

The younger girl placed her hand on Ellie's shoulder in comfort, her face showing nothing but trust and admiration. "Thanks for telling me all of this, El'." Willow spoke. "For trusting me. And also for saving my life, I guess." She shrugged sarcastically, pulling a light chuckled from Ellie's lips.

"I couldn't think of anyone better to tell my story to." Ellie replied honestly. Willow quickly pressed her lips to the other girl's freckled cheeks before they continued on the path to Jackson.

The rest of the trip was comfortably silent. They both resorted to gazing over the relatively cloudy sky and the trees bending and twisting around them. Nothing interesting was coming up in Ellie's mind, so she shut her mouth, letting her face rest. Willow ignored the aching pains in her feet, trying to busy herself with admiring the beautiful near-autumn trees. Everything around them was lush and green, it was truly beautiful.

Large, green gates appeared in their view, and Ellie immediately knew that they had made it to Jackson County. Relief spread through Willow's lungs, they were truly safe. Maria met them at the front gate and let them in, but everything was a blur in the girls' exhausted state. All Ellie could remember was giving her the map of the WLF and the list of its members. Willow faintly recalled walking back to the other girl's house, but she couldn't remember the rest of the night.

In reality, both of the girls had passed out next to each other on Willow's mattress, warm from the constantly open window that loomed across from them. And, of course, warm from each other's arms.

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