The first few months living in space were rough. Echo couldn't help but feel like she wasn't really part of the group, even if she did sit with them for meals. The two couples spent all their free time with their respective partners, and Raven and Bellamy often disappeared to some corner of the Ring to discuss private matters, and Echo couldn't shake the feeling that none of them really wanted her there with them, so she spent her days alone.
It wasn't for a lack of trying, though. Echo tried to make herself useful, whether it was at the algae farm (where Monty and Harper were too sickeningly cute for her to handle) or in the mechanical room (where Raven eventually broke down and shouted at her not to get in her way while she was trying to figure things out). Coupled with the fact that Bellamy looked at her with that look of betrayal when he thought she wasn't watching him and Murphy outright ignoring her when she asked him if he could tell her how to get back to the cafeteria when she got lost, Echo simply felt out of place. Even Emori wasn't really talking to her, although that might have had something to do with the fact that she had accidentally slipped and called her a Frikdreina one evening in their first month on the Ring. Old habits were hard to shake, even though she was genuinely trying.
The worst part, though, was that space was so different from being down on the ground. On the ground, she could feel the wind in her hair. Here, everything was monitored by the computer Raven fiddled with almost constantly, and there was no wind, only a constant, comfortable temperature and lights that dimmed at the exact same time every evening and brightened at the exact same time every morning. On the ground, Echo had snuck out as a child once to dance in the rain, but on the Ring, there was no rain. And on the ground, Echo could lie on her back every evening and watch the stars. She couldn't do that on the Ring.
One evening, five months in, shortly before the lights were set to dim, Echo found herself standing next to one of the giant windows looking out into the vast emptiness of space. With a heavy sigh, she crouched down, then slowly lowered herself into a lying position, on her side. She lay there like that, watching as the Ring orbited around Earth (a concept she had heard Raven telling Emori about). It was sad, looking down at the place that had been her home and seeing it so scorched and dry and empty. Raven had said they needed to stay in space for five years, but Echo wasn't sure she could last that long in such a different atmosphere.
Her eyes filled with tears and she squeezed them shut, willing the tears away. This wasn't like her. She didn't cry. Yet here she was, crying for a world that for all intents and purposes didn't exist anymore. Azgeda didn't exist. Her home didn't exist. Her new home hardly felt like a home. She was alone. She was a leaf on a breeze, floating, yet never noticed.
Soft footsteps sounded behind her, and Echo breathed in sharply through her nose. Her eyes flicked upwards, trying to spot who it was in the reflection on the glass, but at her angle it was hard to tell. The long hair told her it was one of the girls, though. She steeled herself, breathing in more deeply and rising into a sitting position, swiping the back of her hand across her cheeks. There was no way she was going to let whoever it was see her cry.
The other girl crouched down beside her. "It's almost night," Harper said, her voice soft. It had to be her. Echo had been observing the others during meal times, taking in everything she could, trying to figure out how she could somehow connect with someone, anyone, and Harper was someone she could see herself opening up to, if she had the chance. The other girl was so kind, and soft, yet she could tell there was armour there. She had seen things, Echo could tell, and from the limited information she gleaned from the conversations she overheard, Harper was someone who could relate to her own experiences. She didn't know the specifics, but she knew Harper had been hurt at Mount Weather. Just like her. If Echo had to pick one person from their group (aside from Bellamy), she would want to get to know Harper.
"Are you okay?" Harper's voice cut through Echo's thoughts and she quickly shook her head, swiping her hand across her cheek again.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said tersely, instinctively straightening her back and lifting her chin, still sitting cross-legged on the floor. It was an attempt to show confidence, to deflect from the pain she was trying to mask in her eyes. "Just watching Earth."
"You sure? You didn't show for cards, and we were worried about you," the other girl said, clearly choosing her words carefully. Every evening the group would play cards, and every evening Echo would come and sit in the corner of the room, watching. It wasn't a surprise to Echo that she had missed it, since it was usually just another reminder that she was alone, that the others were all close friends and she was the outcast.
"I didn't think you would miss me. I never play," she replied, keeping her insecurities locked away for the time being. For the first time since Harper had found her, she turned to look at the other girl. She was watching Echo with a soft expression on her face, and Echo wanted to scream. She wanted to shake her by the shoulders and remind her that they had all made it clear that Echo was merely living on the Ring with them, that she really didn't feel welcome at their little social events, but instead she turned away, looking out the window again. The view had changed thanks to the rotation of the Ring, and now she was looking out into the black expanse of space.
"You know…" Harper started, shifting as though she wanted to sit closer to Echo. Echo merely shuffled a few inches away, and the other girl sighed, scooting back and leaning against the wall, "we do notice when you're not around. You really should play sometime, it's fun."
Echo scoffed at that. "Sure. I'll come over to play, and then Bellamy will leave because he can't bear to look at me when he remembers what I did to his sister, and Emori will leave because I slipped once, four months ago, and Murphy will leave with her, and Raven will go check on Bellamy, and…" she trailed off, biting her lip. Somehow, she had ended up with her hands folded together and she was squeezing them so hard her knuckles were turning white.
Harper merely sat there, staring at her with those big hazel eyes, unblinking. After a long, uncomfortable pause, during which Echo seriously considered just standing up and walking away, she finally spoke.
"Echo… Bellamy is dealing with so much right now. He doesn't hate you, I promise, but… there's a lot there, with Clarke, and Octavia… but don't forget, he convinced you to come with us in the first place. You were going to... " it was clear Harper didn't want to finish that sentence, and Echo merely shrugged, "and he made sure you were on that rocket. And Raven is his lifeline. When she's not keeping the Ring working for us, she's with him, making sure he doesn't do something stupid. And don't beat yourself up over Emori and Murphy, okay? We all make mistakes, and they know you didn't mean it. They're just… they have each other and they've been through a lot too. I just… don't want you to think that we don't care, because we do…"
Echo scoffed again. This time, she did stand up and start to walk off, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned, coming face to face with Harper.
"You have to let us in," the younger girl said, her hand sliding down Echo's arm and taking her hand, covering it with both of hers. Echo shivered at the intimate gesture. It had been so long since anyone had been so soft with her. "You sit there alone, and we think it's what you want. You stopped trying to help us, and we thought you wanted to spend these five years alone, so we were giving you space. But if you don't want that, if you don't want to be alone, then you have to let us in." Harper stared into her eyes and Echo cast her gaze downwards, trying to process what she was hearing.
"I didn't realize…" she mumbled, swallowing a lump in her throat, "I always thought no one wanted me around. I spent so much time alone, carrying out my missions for Azgeda, but I've never felt more alone than I have up here." It came out as a whisper, and Echo felt the tears brimming at the corner of her eyes again. Harper gave a small, consoling smile.
"Look, Echo… we have four and a half years left up here, and I really don't think it would be good if you spent it wandering around, staring out at Earth all alone with your thoughts," she said, brushing her thumb over the top of Echo's hand. Echo gave a small nod.
"I don't like being alone," she admitted, glancing down at their joined hands.
Harper nodded in return. "Then let us in," she replied, shrugging a shoulder. Echo nodded more firmly, then pulled her hand from Harper's and turned, walking back to the window. Harper followed her, standing just behind her and off to the side.
"Did you know," Echo started, looking out at the darkness, "I used to lie on my back and watch the stars every night? Even when I was out spying for Queen Nia, when I was younger. I still did it every once in a while when I grew up, though I stopped after Mount Weather." She saw Harper flinch ever so slightly out of the corner of her eye at the mention of the place and cringed. "I started again when Roan became King." She smiled, and it felt odd. Harper nodded, gazing out the window, but Echo could tell she was listening intently. "I miss it. It's different, up here. The stars look different from this angle. I can't really make out the constellations I used to love finding," she admitted, glancing sideways at the younger girl.
Harper turned to look at her at about the same time with a bright smile on her face. Echo couldn't tell whether it was because she had told a story about herself or if it was about the story itself, until she spoke. "That's how I felt when we first arrived on the ground. I was arrested late, when I was 16, so I had plenty of time throughout my childhood to look out at the stars. Coming down to Earth was so strange because all of a sudden we could look up and see them directly above us. So I get it, I really do."
Echo gave another genuine smile. As she had once predicted, she and Harper seemed like they had the potential to get along quite well. Part of her was curious about the casual mention of being arrested, but she figured that was a story the girl would tell in her own time. Then Harper got a dangerous glint to her eyes and Echo arched an eyebrow.
"What are you thinking?" she asked, not sure whether or not she should be scared. Harper merely laughed, shaking her head.
"I just thought of something," she replied, reaching out and taking Echo's hand. All of a sudden, Echo was being pulled along down the hall, stumbling only a little as she tried to match Harper's pace.
"Where are we going?" Echo asked, glancing around, trying to remember if she knew much of this part of the Ring. Harper glanced behind her and winked.
"You'll see. Come on!" she exclaimed, dragging Echo along until she stopped in front of a perfectly ordinary looking door. Echo frowned, glancing up and down the corridor before staring straight at the door.
"What is-" she started before Harper cut her off.
"You'll see," she repeated, fidgeting with the door for a moment, then opening it. "My dad told me about this room a long time ago. He took my mom here on their first date."
Now Echo was really confused. Either she had entirely misread the relationship between Harper and Monty, or Harper was playing her like a fool. Either way, she wasn't sure what to expect as Harper dragged her inside the room and closed the door. The room was small and windowless with a small bench against the wall and soft, plush carpeting on the floor. Shaking her head, she started to mumble. "I really don't think-"
Harper interrupted her yet again, this time by tugging her elbow and pulling her down to the floor. "Lie down," she commanded. Thrown by the forcefulness in the other girl's voice, Echo immediately obeyed, lying on her back. She could hear Harper messing with something and mumbling under her breath, but she couldn't make out what the other girl was doing.
Suddenly, the whole room went pitch black for a mere second before the ceiling lit up with thousands of tiny lights. Echo's lips opened in a small 'o' shape as she instantly recognized some of the patterns.
"What is this?" she breathed, feeling Harper lying down on the floor next to her. Harper was quiet for a moment before answering.
"When people first came up on the Ark, they missed the ground, like you. They especially missed seeing the stars, so some engineer built this room. You can set it to display the stars as they can been seen from anywhere in the world," she explained in a soft voice. Echo nodded, though she knew Harper couldn't see her, and turned to look back at the ceiling.
"That used to be my favourite," she said, pointing up at Orion, "because Orion was a hunter, and I liked that." She heard Harper giggle next to her and instantly clammed up. Just as quickly, Harper was sitting up and looking down at her, the outline of her body illuminated by the starlight.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to laugh, it's just… Orion's from Greek mythology, right? Bellamy's a huge nerd for Greek mythology. It's just amusing that there's someone else who likes it," she said. Echo could just make out the movement as she shrugged her shoulders.
That was interesting. Echo wouldn't exactly say she liked Greek mythology, but she did know a bit about it, from the stories she had been told as a child. It was something, though. Something she could possibly talk to Bellamy about. Harper seemed to read her thoughts.
"Give him time, okay? He'll come around," she whispered before lying down beside Echo again.
The pair lay like that for what seemed like hours, chatting occasionally, until Harper suddenly bolted upright. Echo, trained to notice quick motions like that, rose as well, on high alert. "What is it?" Echo asked, watching as the dark shape that was Harper stood and went to the panel, playing with it until the starlights went out and the room slowly brightened to the dim state the entire Ring was in for the night hours.
"Monty's probably worried sick," Harper replied, looking extremely guilty. Echo stood, walking over to her.
"It's okay. You should go to him," she said, turning to the door and opening it. Harper followed her out into the hallway, a bashful expression on her face. Echo offered a small smile. "Thank you for this, Harper. I mean it," she said earnestly, trying to show her with her eyes just how grateful she was. It worked, and Harper smiled softly.
"Will you play cards with us tomorrow?" she asked, hopefully. Echo laughed. It felt odd, different, but nice.
"Perhaps," she replied, arching an eyebrow. Her new friend (for she felt comfortable calling Harper a friend) giggled.
"I'm going to hug you, okay?" she said. Echo was thrown by that. Hugs weren't familiar to her. She wasn't used to showing and receiving affection, and it was obvious her discomfort showed on her face as Harper hesitated, her arms half up. Those arms slowly fell to Harper's sides, and she sighed. "Or maybe we could build up to a hug?"
Echo nodded. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Harper merely shook her head and instead reached for her hand, squeezing it gently before turning and walking back towards the part of the Ring where they all lived. Echo followed, breaking off when they reached her room.
The next evening, Echo took up her usual spot in the corner, watching the other six playing cards and laughing. Roughly halfway through the second game, though, Harper looked up, over Murphy's shoulder, and made eye contact with her. It took Echo a minute to steel herself, ready for the rejection she was sure was going to come from the others, and then she rose and slowly walked towards the group and Harper's bright smile. Monty noticed her approaching first, then Emori. That made Murphy glance back, his eyes guarded. Next to look back was Raven, a curious look in her eyes. Finally, the person Echo wanted so much to approve of her grew curious and turned, his elbow on the back of the chair. She couldn't read his expression.
Echo forced herself to take those last few steps, stopping a few feet away from the table. "I was wondering… if there was room for one more?" she asked, slowly, almost tentatively. Curse her fears. Harper nodded encouragingly, though, and she grew more confident. "I'd like to learn how to play."
To her surprise, Emori was the first to shrug, then nod. "We could use another player. It would balance out against Raven's genius," she said, standing and grabbing another chair, setting it beside her. Monty voiced his approval, followed by Raven, and Murphy merely shrugged after Harper gave him a fierce look. All eyes were on Bellamy, who met Echo's gaze with that same unreadable expression.
"Okay," he said, turning around to face the table again. Echo sighed in relief, then walked around, realizing she was going to be sitting opposite Bellamy. Her heart skipped a beat, but she managed to mask it, instead looking over at Raven and listening intently while she explained the rules. Later, when the game was finished, Harper and Echo returned to the starlight room and spent hours debriefing on how she had fared with the others.
Years later, when Harper gave her one last hug to calm her nerves before her wedding to Bellamy, Echo realized something in hindsight. She should have known that of course it would have been Harper, the girl with so much heart, who reached out first, and she was forever grateful for it.