XX

[PREVIOUSLY: A brother-sister moment between Octavia and Bellamy gets interrupted when a mysterious girl from the tribe of Azgeda makes a sudden appearance. Bearing bad news, Octavia takes Helios and rides back to Camp Jaha only to discover a horrifying truth].

It was a miserable group of scraggly, worn-down travellers that entered the gates of Camp Jaha two days later.

With slumped shoulders and a bowed head, I took the lead, guiding Helios by his lead-rope. Behind me was a tormented Abby and a shaken Jackson with a begrudgingly sorrowful Bellamy in tow.

Immediately, we were accosted by people who were demanding answers and piping up with questions.

Kane, aware of the commotion, exited his office and, with the help of his personal company of guards, shoved the crowd back. "Abby! Abby, what happened?" he queried worriedly as he laid a gentle hand on the small of her back.

Abby, unable to reply, just tearfully shook her head.

Sighing in frustration, I took the lead, "Mount Weather was destroyed by a bomb. Thirty-six civilians, including Abby's medical team and my brother's girlfriend, are dead. I told you setting up a facility up there wasn't worth the risk."

Trying to control my rising anger, I stormed off, dragging Helios after me. As I was stabling the weary animal, I became aware of someone watching me. I looked up to see Lincoln, his burly arms crossed over his chest and his gun securely strapped across his back, loitering nearby.

"What do you want?" I snapped irritably.

Lincoln, sensing my inner-conflict, slowly advanced towards me, concern and worry evident in his intense gaze. "Octavia, you need to rest. You've endured a long, tiring journey and, right now, you're angry, upset and in need of some alone-time."

"Oh wow, you can read minds now, can you?" I cut in sardonically. "And, just for your information, I'm not in need of anything, let alone rest. So, if you'll excuse me, I need to go see how my brother's holding up."

As I brushed past him, Lincoln seized my arm, stopping me mid-movement. "Don't," he spoke, his tone almost seductive. "Please. I'm just trying to help you. I know how it's like to lose someone."

Gazing up into his deep, chocolate-coloured eyes, I swallowed hard, knowing that he was right, wishing to let him in, willing myself to open up to him like I used too.

But I didn't do any of that.

Instead, I jerked my arm away from him and tossed my head back before stalking away. Tears quivered in my eyes, my chin trembled with silent cries and my heart gave way under the painful pressure weighing it down.

I had lost so many people in my life that it wasn't even funny.

I spent the night in Bellamy's dorm, telling him silly stories and reminiscing on the past. I even sent down a special order to the mess hall, asking for Bellamy's favourite peach and custard pastries, but he wouldn't touch a thing.

Instead, he curled up in a ball on his bed, gazing absent-mindedly into space. I wished there was something I could do for him, something that would make him feel better, something that would tell him that everything was alright.

But all I could do was sit there and watch him suffer helplessly.

It sucked. It really did.

Unable to sleep, I left my brother's room, donned with my sword and hood, just as the sun was peeking up over the far horizon.

As I stepped out into the crispy, morning air, I became aware of movement from within the forest situated right out the front of the gates.

Alerted, I quietly crept along the fence-line, examining my surroundings with sharp, eagle-like eyes. Suddenly, a warrior, clad with glinting armour, burst out of the tree-line and made their way towards our camp.

Horrified, I was just about to raise the alarm when I realised who it was.

Indra.

Utterly dumb-struck, I sprinted towards the gates and tugged them open before anyone else had the chance to see what was going on. Emerging from within the safety of the camp, I met Indra half-way down the gravel path that wound its way through the scenery encompassing us. As I came to a halt in front of her, my eyes bounced over her shoulder and I realised that she was being accompanied by a troop of armed and masked delegates from the capitol.

"Indra," I sent her a firm nod. "What brings you here?"

"Heda has heard of your trespassing," Indra explained, her tone a little rough around the edges. "She was not pleased to learn of this violation and was intent on breaking the cease-fire by calling the warring clans to Polis. However, soon after, she learned of the devious actions of the tribe of Azgeda. She is fearful that her people will be the next in line so she is willing to comply to a term of conditions in order to prevent another attack from the Ice Nation."

"I'll go fetch Kane and he can talk to you," I acknowledged. "The final decision, though, will lie in the hands of the council."

"Very well," Indra responded. "Until then, Heda has ordered us to remain in the valley as protection against Azgeda, in case they decide to launch an attack against your camp."

"That's very kind of her," I sighed, almost in relief. "Thank you, General."

"Don't thank me," she snapped. "Thank Heda. It is a good thing, for Skikru, that she is a merciful and compassionate leader, otherwise, by now, we would have wiped you off the face of the earth."

At this, Indra stepped back, indicating that I was to go and fetch the Chancellor.

As the two conversed, I and a few other prominent members of the council waited nervously within the secured walls of the camp. When Kane returned with the news, though, not everyone was as keen about it as I had been.

"And you agreed?" a short, stocky man whose skin was the colour of bronzed caramel and whose receding hair-line was cut back to his ears, spoke up aggressively. "You agreed to let a stockade of over three-hundred armed and dangerous enemy warriors set up camp in the valley? No disrespect, but are you going stupid, Chancellor? We can't make peace with those grounders. They're animals, animals that need to be hunted down and destroyed."

"You talk about them as if they aren't actually people," I cut in, my own temper flaring. "How about you get back in your own box and let the people who actually know what they're doing handle this, okay?"

The man turned dark, vehement eyes towards me. "Octavia Blake. Correct?"

I shrugged, not willing to give him a straight answer.

"I'm Charles Pike, director of the teachers' board and highest ranking council member of the Ark," he drawled, obviously proud of his accomplishments. "I do know what I'm doing, especially when it comes down to taking out my enemies. Don't land in the wrong side of my books, lassie, or it could end very badly for you."

"Was that a threat?" I scoffed. "Because if it was, you clearly suck at making them."

Having overheard our heated conversation, Kane quickly stepped in before Pike could reply. "Alright, Octavia, give it a rest. I'll take it from here."

Rolling my eyes, I turned and walked away, leaving Pike and Kane to squabble it out between themselves.

Aimlessly, I ended up in the mess hall where the majority of the camp were enjoying a scrumptious breakfast. Quickly, my eyes flitted around the room until they landed on my brother's dark, curly head.

Making my way over to him, I was surprised to see that he was not dressed in his usual guardsman attire but in a simple, plain outfit consisting of canvas pants and a short-sleeved shirt.

"What the hell are you wearing?" I jested as I settled myself down next to him at a table in the corner.

Bellamy, his eyes red-rimmed and blood-shot, turned to give me a careless glance. "Oh, didn't you hear? I resigned from the guard."

I froze. "You did what? Bellamy! No! You love being in your line of work! Why would you give it up?"

"You know why," he shot back, his voice cracked and dry of emotions. "I failed those people in Mount Weather. I failed Gina. They all died because I trusted my gut and believed someone I thought was my friend. It's my fault they're gone."

"No Bell, it is not your fault!" I argued. "I believed Echo too and I didn't even question the authenticity of her story until it was too late. Either way, neither of us are to blame for what happened. It's Kane's fault. He shouldn't have sent us off on some ridiculous, high-tailed mission like that. If he hadn't, Gina would still be here."

Bellamy struggled to retain his composure. "Enough, O. It's not Kane's fault that some Azgedian lunatics blew up the side of a mountain, okay? He didn't know and if he did, he never would have let us go."

I shook my head. "I guess it really does live up to its name, huh? The mountain of death."

Stiffening, Bellamy shifted away from me. "I - I have to be alone right now, O. Please leave me."

Sadly, I picked myself up, allowing my legs to carry my body from the room. I knew that my brother was tough and resilient and would pull through this but until then, I had to be there to support and comfort him as a sister should.

Slowly, I walked through the doomed halls of the fallen Ark, recalling the many lives that had lived and been lost, the many memories that had been conceived, the many heartbreaks that had occurred and the many tears that had been shed within it.

For the first time in my life, I wondered if it had all been just one, lousy mistake. Maybe humanity on earth would've carried on a lot better if left untouched. Maybe we should've just stayed up in space and died.

I had only just reached this conclusion when my pained reverie was interrupted by a steady hum of soft voices, floating along the waves of the air like a melodious chorus.

Intrigued, I followed the noise until I reached a door lining the end of the passage. It had been left slightly ajar and, as I examined the sign tacked to the front of the entrance, I realised that it opened up into Jaha's old bedroom suite.

Poking my head inside, I saw Jaha himself sitting cross-legged on the floor before his small group of loyal nomads, humming and whispering contentedly.

I raised my eyebrows as I watched him, believing the man that gone completely whacko, when a simple phrase tumbled off his lips, "A. L. I. E."

A. L. I. E?

Who the hell was that?

Gif: Octavia as she sits in Bellamy's room.

XX