Chapter 1

"Lincoln, I swear, you need to stop trying to bring new blood into the group. We are enough, we've known each other forever, it's nice and comfortable..."

"It's boring." interrupted the tall man. "No offence." His muscles glistened with sweat under the early morning sun while he run shirtless beside Lexa. She was wearing her favourite running shorts and a black, fitted top. Her long, brown hair was up in a braided ponytail.

"Some taken." replied the girl and punched him playfully on the shoulder.

"It's different this time."

"Different how?"

"I met someone." he simply stated and kept his pace, making sure to avoid Lexa's eyes. She kept running beside him quietly until they reached the spot, right before the hill, where they usually stopped for a little break. This was a big deal but she knew that Lincoln would hate it if she treated it as such.

"Care to elaborate?"she looked at him after they both took at few minutes to catch their breath and stretch.

"Her name is Octavia. She's joining us for the bonfire tonight. She's bringing friends."

Lexa knew too well that when Lincoln felt uncomfortable he would start talking like he was giving an accident report. She also knew that trying to get more out of him at this point would only lead him to shut off. So she decided not to push it.

Unlike her, he was quite a sociable guy who loved meeting new people and hearing their stories and experiences. He would, as a result, frequently bring along random strangers to hang out with them, much to the dismay of Lexa and the others in their close-knitted group. But it had been over a year now since he had shown interest for a girl in that way. It was good, Lexa thought. It was progress.

"I'm still not happy about our bonfire being overcrowded." she said and shot him a look before they started running again.

"I know." he replied and smiled to himself.

The two of them had known each other since they were kids and both being only children they had found a sibling in the other. They loved and respected each other and despite their vast differences they had a deep understanding of the other's needs. Not only did they know what to say and when but most importantly they knew when to say nothing at all. And Lincoln was grateful for that. He was grateful for all those times the past year that Lexa did not ask him if he was "okay", the times she did not offer empty words of sympathy or looked at him with pity and for the way she stuck by him, even and especially when it was not easy, until he was ready to come out the other side.

"One of Octavia's friends is bringing a guitar. Maybe you can grace us with a song tonight!?" he prompted while they were approaching the turn to Lexa's house on their way back.

"Don't push it!" she replied and took the turn. She did not change her pace but her shoulders relaxed a bit and a smirk formed on her lips. She was glad to hear Lincoln crack a joke after having been so quiet since he told her about this Octavia.

"A boy can dream. See you later." Lincoln said loudly, going his own way.

"See ya."

Lexa slowed down a bit when she reached her house but she decided to keep running. She headed for the forest that stretched behind the church. She loved the woods; the sounds, the smells, the isolation. She was so small compared to the tall trees, so insignificant. It comforted her to witness life go on in spite of her or whatever she was going through. The seasons kept on changing, the river kept on flowing. She remembered what her father used to say when they would walk these very paths together years back; "Nature always finds a way." she whispered.

Memories of her parents would come and go. She was very small when they were killed. She stopped by a big oak tree and took a few deep breaths. The sun was high in the sky now and even though the trees shaded the path, it was still the middle of the summer and it was not wise to run if it was after 11am. Unless you went looking for a heatstroke. Lexa started walking back, picking up some small sticks along the way to help get the fire started later that night. She would never admit it out loud but she was actually curious to meet this mysterious girl that had managed to get Lincoln's attention.

By the time she got home she was carrying so many sticks and thin branches she could barely see in front of her. She put them down next to the porch and exhaled sharply. She opened the door and her cat greeted her with a loud meow and circled her feet a couple of times before running to his food bowl.

"Hungry, Salem?"

"Don't believe a word that cat says. I have fed him already." she heard her grandmother's voice from the kitchen.

"Hello, nana" Lexa walked over and gave the old woman a kiss on the cheek. She was above the stove, cooking up something that smelled absolutely delicious, as usual. Lexa had always been in awe of how graceful her grandma was in the kitchen. They would spend hours in this room together when she was younger. She would do her homework while her grandma cooked. Sometimes they would sing songs together or her grandma would tell her stories about her parents. Lexa loved those stories. It was the only way she could feel close to them and get a grasp of who they were as people. And how similar she was to her father, as her granny would often point out.

"Go wash up." the woman ordered after taking a quick look at the girl. Her toned arms were sweaty and dirty with soil and leaves.

"Yes, ma'am!" Lexa saluted very matter-of-factly, causing the other woman to let out a chuckle before getting back to her cooking.

In the shower, Lexa let her mind drift off while the hot water run over her sore muscles. As it was often the case, she found herself thinking of Costia. She had not talked to the girl in years. She would ask their mutual friends about her from time to time but she never got much more than "she is fine". She tried to push all thoughts of the girl out of her mind. Thinking about the whole situation only made her sad and angry. Mostly angry. Costia came from a conservative family and the second her parents found out about them dating, they but cut her head off. A gay kid would mess with their image and thus their pull in the high society. With Costia's father trying to break into politics, they just couldn't let something like that happen. Within days, they had pulled Costia out of their school and moved away with her.

Lexa got out of the shower and pulled a picture of her and Costia out of her nightstand drawer. Costia was sitting on a chair and Lexa was on her lap, holding a flower that the other girl had given her earlier that day. She focused on her own face for a moment. She looked so content, so happy. She missed who she was back then. She put the picture back after taking one last, sad look at Costia. Her phone beeped with a text from Lincoln.

"Pick you up at 8pm." it read. She suddenly did not feel up to anything, especially if it involved people she didn't even know. But she knew Lincoln was looking forward to this night, and she knew how much he needed it as well. She wasn't going to screw it up for him.

"See you then." she texted back and got dressed.