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"Careful," he said, pointing at a tangle of roots hidden by a ets pretty uneven here"

Wells took Octavia’s small hand and helped her cli without a pulse could die, but the soggy, peeling bark was decidedly corpse-like

"So is it true?" Octavia asked as they began walking down the slope that led to the streaet yourself Confined so you could cohed wistfully "That’s the ave her a wry smile "Trusther head to one side In the shadows of the forest, she looked allanced away, suddenly unable to look her in the eye He wondered grimly what Octavia would say if she knew the truth

He wasn’t the brave knight who’d come to rescue the princess He was the reason she’d been locked away in the dungeon

Wells glanced at his collar chip for the fourteenth tie Clarke had sent hi strange for the past feeeks Wells had barely seen her, and the few tied to track her down, she’d been practically twitching with nervous energy

He couldn’t help but worry that she was about to break up with hi a hole through his stoe that she probably wouldn’t have chosen the library to dump him It’d be cruel to tarnish the spot they both loved best Clarke wouldn’t do that to him

He heard footsteps and rose to his feet as the overhead lights flickered back on Wells had been still for so long that the library had forgotten his presence, the diht Clarke approached, still wearing her scrubs, which normallyover her appearance, like irls on Phoenix--but the blue top and pants fell too loosely from her frame, and there were dark circles under her eyes

"Hey," he said, stepping forward to kiss her lightly in greeting She didn’t move away, but she didn’t kiss hih he knew full well that she wasn’t

"Wells," she said, her voice breaking She blinked back tears His eyes widened in alar his ars seemed to buckle beneath her "It’ll be okay, I pro on"

She stared at hi her fear "I need you to pro about this to anyone"

He nodded "Of course"

"I’ossip This is real, life-or-death"

Wells squeezed her hand "Clarke, you know you can tell "

"I found out…" She took a breath, closed her eyes for a ain "You know about my parents’ radiation research" He nodded Her parents were in charge of astudy meant to determine when, if ever, it would be safe for humans to return to Earth Whenever his father had spoken of an Earth ht of it as a distant possibility, more of a hope than a real plan Still, he kne important the Griffins’ as to the Chancellor and to the whole Colony "They’re doing human trials," Clarke said softarke ofly A chill traveled down Wells’s spine, but he said nothing, just tightened his grasp on her hand "They’re experi on children," Clarke finally said, her voice barely a whisper

Her voice was hollow, as if the thought had been circulating for so long, it no longer held anyto understand

"Unregistereds," Clarke said, her tear-filled eyes flashing with sudden anger "Children fro the population laws" He could hear the unspoken accusation People your father killed

"They’re so young…" Clarke’s voice trailed off She sank back and seemed to shrink, as if the truth had taken some part of her with it

Wells slid his ar as she’d done every day over the past feeeks, she leaned into hiainst his chest "They’re all so sick" He could feel her tears seeping through his shirt "Some of them have already died"

"I’ to say, anything totheir best to make sure it’s…" He paused There weren’t any words that could , to put a stop to it before the guilt and horror destroyed her "What can I do?" he asked, his voice becoht and stared at hi," she said with a resolve that took hi My parents made me swear not to tell anyone They didn’t want to do this, Wells It wasn’t their choice Vice Chancellor Rhodes is rabbed Wells’s hands "Pro I just…" She bit her lip "I just couldn’t keep it from you anyh his skin was groith fury The slio around the Chancellor like that He thought of his father, theHis father never would have approved human trials He could put a stop to it i his eyes, and then gave hi smile that vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared "Thank you"

She returned her head to Wells’s chest, and he wrapped his arm around her "I love you," he whispered

An hour later, after he’d walked Clarke ho the observation deck alone He needed to do souilt would destroy her, and he refused to stand by and watch