AN: OMG it's finally here I'm so excited. sorry for the wait, i know i promised this would be up like 3 weeks ago... oh well.
"Chandra," Bellamy said softly, standing in front of the girl. Chandra's eyebrows furrowed as she tilted her head to the side.
"Bellamy?" Her voice came out raspy, and somehow distant. "You're alive?" Bellamy simply smiled. Chandra suddenly became aware of a putrid odor. "What's that smell?"
Bellamy smiled again, except this time his eyes filled with tears. "That's me. I'm burning." Chandra backed away in shock, noticing the flames climbing up from Bellamy's feet, inching their way higher. "Chandra, that smell… that's my flesh, sizzling away in the flames." His face began contorting from the pleasant smile into a furious, pained expression as the flames reached his shoulders. "You let me burn!"
"No!" Chandra screamed, pressing her hands to her ears. She shut her eyes, but she still saw him clear as day. "I tried to save you!"
"No!" Bellamy roared. "You didn't! You just stood there. You did this to me!" Chandra screamed at the top of her lungs. "You did this to me! You did this to me!" Bellamy continued to repeat the same thing as the flames completely engulfed him.
Suddenly everything went completely silent. The sound of Chandra's heavy breathing was the only sound in the dark space.
"I did this to you," she breathed, her voice extremely loud compared to the deafening silence.
Candra flinched as she opened her eyes. White. The stark shade stung her eyes and she blinked rapidly. She'd never seen this shade of white before. It was whiter than snow, whiter than old hair. It was unnatural and overwhelming. She realized she was laying down on some sort of bed, but it was softer than anything she'd ever experienced. There were tubes attached to her wrist, which she yanked out instantly. She sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She was wearing a white tank top and matching white pants. They were as white as the walls.
She gasped as she remembered the mountain men. She was at Mount Weather.
She nearly screamed when the door opened. A person, wearing a bright blue covering with a helmet obscuring their face walked in with some sort of rolling cupboard.
"Ah, Charlie, you're awake," they said, their voice muffled through the helmet. They seemed to be female. "I was just coming in to release you." Chandra raised her eyebrows at the strange name the person just called her, but didn't say anything. She rolled the cupboard over to Chandra, and pulled it open. "Choose whatever you want to wear. I'll be waiting outside."
"Wait," Chandra called. "Where are my friends?"
"You'll see them soon, I promise. For now, just put on some comfortable clothes."
Chandra watched her leave before rummaging through the little closet. They seemed to pose no threat at the moment and she'd figure out what to do once she was reunited with Clarke. She decided on a simple dark grey long sleeved sweater and blue jeans, pulling on the simple dark brown combat boots. As the girl had promised, she was waiting outside.
"Okay, follow me," she directed. Chandra did, and the girl led her to a door. She slid a card against the wall, and the doors opened to reveal an elevator. Chandra felt uncomfortable being in an enclosed space with a stranger, but the girl was quite small, about the same height and size as Chandra, so she decided if it came to it, she could fight her way out. The girl pressed a button labeled "5" and the elevator started moving upwards.
"I'm afraid I'll have to drop you off and get back to work," she said. "Your friends should be just outside the doors." Chandra ignored her and took in every detail she could, looking for every escape route. There was a vent in the ceiling, and by jumping on the railings lining the walls, she could reach it and- the doors opened just then, and Chandra brushed past the girl. She heard chattering and forks scraping plates as soon as she stepped out. She looked to her right, and her heart swelled with relief as she saw everyone who made it onto the dropship. They were healthy, happy, and eating food. She saw Harper, Luke, Cierra-
"Jasper!" Chandra gasped as she spotted him. She wasted no time sprinting to him and jumping into his arms. He gripped her just as tight, spinning her around once before setting her down.
"Oh, thank God," he whispered into her hair.
"Monty?" Chandra breathed. She hugged him too. "I can't believe it. You were here the whole time?" Monty nodded.
"Chan-I mean, Charlie," Jasper stuttered. Chandra furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Why are you calling me Charlie?" Chandra whispered. Jasper glanced around, making sure no one was listening.
"We weren't sure if this place was completely safe yet," Jasper muttered, "so we gave you a sky person name. We didn't know how they'd react to knowing you were a grounder. They think you're a sky person right now. But now that we know we're safe I can-"
"No!" Chandra hissed. "Mount Weather is not what it seems. They can't know I'm a grounder." Jasper looked at her in confusion.
"What do you mean-"
"I'll explain once Clarke gets here," she reassured. "First let's sit down so we don't look suspicious." Jasper nodded, leading her to a table. "Where is Clarke, anyway?"
Jasper looked around, and shrugged. "I don't know. She should be somewhere around here." Chandra glanced around, too.
"How many of us are there?"
"Forty-eight," Monty replied. "Not including you." Chandra nodded as Jasper bit into his pie.
"Oh, God," he moaned, and Chandra tensed. Had he been poisoned? "You have got to try this pie." She relaxed, but her heart was still pounding. Monty reached across the table, scooping a forkful into his mouth.
"Oh, my God," he gasped. "What is that?"
"I don't know," Jasper said. "But it's great." He eyed Monty's cake. "My turn."
"What, this?" Monty shook his head. "No, you won't like this. The pie's way better."
Chandra allowed herself to let out a laugh as Jasper narrowed his eyes. "Really?" Jasper tried to stick his fork into Monty's pie, but Monty pulled his plate away. He tried again, only to get the same result. Chandra's smile slipped off her face when they stood up, catching the attention of the President.
"Guys," she hissed. Her eyes widened as a familiar face walked up beside her. "Clarke?" Chandra stood up, wrapping her arms around the blonde.
"Call me 'Charlie'," she hissed into her ear before pulling away. Clarke raised her eyebrows, but Chandra grinned back. "I'll explain. First, sit down and look happy to see me."
"Laugh and act like I'm saying something funny," Chandra ordered with a fake smile. Jasper, Monty, and Clarke all laughed, and Chandra admired their acting skills.
"So," she said, a smile still plastered on her face. "Grounders have been disappearing for decades all because of mountain men." Jasper's eyes widened and Chandra kicked him from under the table. He faked a laugh, though it sounded a little pained. "We don't know what they're doing to them, just that we never see them again. They seem to be treating you guys just fine though, so maybe you guys are safe. For how long, I don't know. But they can not know that I'm a grounder. Make sure every other sky person knows."
Clarke smiled. "I think this place is pretty suspicious too." She pulled out a pamphlet. "Look, they gave us a map with no exits. I need you to tell me everything you've seen. Every room, every hallway, every way out." Jasper and Monty shared a glance.
"Way out?" Jasper asked. "Look around you, Clarke. There's no one hunting us here. The first time in our lives, we're not hungry. Why would we want to leave?"
"Because we have friends out there who need our help."
"They're looking for survivors," Jasper countered Clarke's point. "They're way better equipped to find them than we are."
"This place is too good to be true." Jasper rolled his eyes, mumbling something about Clarke making him feel 'bummed out' before leaving for more cake. Chandra turned to Clarke.
"Clarke," she whispered. "You are safe here. They're bound to find out that I'm not one of you any second now. Leave the investigating up to me, I'll figure it out." Clarke stared at her incredulously.
"Why do I feel like you just want the spotlight?" Chandra's jaw dropped, and she watched Clarke storm away. She caught the President looking in her direction and she snapped her mouth shut, gripping Monty's pamphlet. She glared into it, not really reading anything. She jumped as yellow light started flashing.
"Alert," and mechanical female voice said. "Code 5." Maya ran past her, Jasper following. She tossed the pamphlet onto the table, sighing as she sprinted after them. They ran through hallways and into an elevator. It almost closed, but at the last second, Chandra stuck her arm between the doors, forcing it open. She slid inside beside Jasper, and Maya stared at her.
"I'm probably the only person here that knows how to control Clarke when she's in escape mode," Chandra explained. Maya still didn't move. "Stop wasting time!" She jumped at Chandra's yell, pressing buttons. The doors closed.
When they opened, Chandra was the first off the elevator. Jasper was right behind her, and Maya followed last.
"There's an evacuation route just ahead," Maya yelled over the sirens. "That's probably where she is." Chandra kept running straight, and Maya continued to talk between pants. "If she opens the door, radiation will seep in and we will all die."
As Maya had said earlier, Clarke was near an emergency evacuation exit, Chandra found her with her hands on a lever, preparing to pull it down and open the door.
"Clarke," Jasper called. "No!" The blonde spun around, her eyes wide. "If you open that door, they'll all die. Even a little bit of radiation can kill them." Maya disappeared for a moment, returning with a gun.
"Don't make me shoot you," she wanted, aiming it at Clarke. Chandra stepped in front of her.
"Put the gun down," she snarled. "I'll handle it." She waited until Maya lowered the gun before facing Clarke.
"Don't do this," Chandra said to her.
"I don't believe them," Clarke growled back.
"Me neither," Chandra said. "But right now, we are safe because of you. We're safe."
Clarke shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "Not all of us." Chandra found her own lower lip trembling.
"Bellamy and Finn are dead," she whispered. Admitting it out loud made it more official and Chandra almost didn't want to utter the words. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. But when you pulled that lever, you saved lives. Don't throw it away by pulling this one." A tear slipped down Clarke's cheek, and she finally took her hand off the lever.
"There she is!" Men with guns rushed in, pointing the at Clarke. "Hold it right there! Get your hands up!" The three of them put their hands up, but the guards went straight to Clarke, tackling her to the ground. They dragged her away, and once they were gone, Chandra wiped frantically at the tears that'd escaped.
"Let's head back," Maya suggested, her voice shaking. Chandra nodded, meeting Jasper's eyes. He looked shaken up, his eyes red-rimmed. She offered him a small smile, which he didn't return. The two followed Maya back to the elevators silently, and she dropped them off at level 5. Jasper led Chandra to what seemed to be their sleeping quarters.
"There's, uh," he mumbled. "There's an empty bunk right there." He pointed to a top level bunk near the middle of the right side of the room and Chandra's nodded.
"Where's your bunk?" She asked. He led her to it, before flopping down. Chandra took a seat at his feet.
"I'm worried about Clarke," he admitted after a moment of silence. Chandra nodded. "She's going crazy."
"I know it's not really her fault," Chandra muttered, "but she acts like she's the only one who lost friends. We all lost friends." Jasper ran a hand through his hair, falling back against his pillow. She sighed, crawling up and laying down beside him. He turned on his side, facing her and she did the same. She pulled the blanket over them both.
"Jasper, I'm going to find out what happened to the grounders that got captured by these people. I have a plan." she whispered to him. Jasper sighed heavily. "But for me to do that without everything going bad, I need you to make sure Clarke doesn't do anything stupid."
"That's not as easy as it sounds," Jasper whispered back.
"I know," Chandra breathed. "But I think you can handle it." Jasper closed his eyes, rolling onto his back.
"I wanna take a nap," he said. Chandra laughed.
"Now that I think about it," she admitted, "me too." She rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her. He pulled the blanket up to her chin, and within minutes, both were fast asleep.
Chandra cracked an eye open hours later when she heard the shuffling of feet. She sat up, letting out a yawn as she watched everyone leaving the dorm.
"Where is everyone going?" she croaked out to the nearest person, her voice thick with sleep. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision.
"It's dinner time," the girl replied, pulling on her shoes before she, too, exited the room. Chandra stretched her arms up above her, poking Jasper in the face.
"Jasper, wake up," she urged. He remained asleep, so she grabbed his shoulder and shook. He simply snorted, rolling over.
"Jasper," she repeated, louder. She smacked him repeatedly in the chest. No response.
"Jasper, I brought you cake!" The boy jumped awake.
"Wha- cake?" Chandra raised her eyebrow, not impressed at all.
"No. It's dinner time." She hopped out of bed, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him up too. "I can't stand you sometimes."
"Then sit down." Chandra slapped him in the chest and he jumped. "Ow!" She laughed as they entered the dining room.
"Don't try to act smart with me." Everyone was already sitting, waiting for the President to arrive. Clarke was sitting across Monty. Chandra took a seat beside Clarke, and Jasper sat beside Monty. Clarke smiled at Chandra, and Chandra returned it.
"Why didn't you two wake us up?" Chandra asked. Monty shrugged.
"Clarke was going to, but you two looked so cute."
"I'm not cute," Chandra denied, crossing her arms. "I'm a warrior and I could beat your ass. I could beat anyone's ass. I'll beat my own ass." The four burst out laughing, silencing themselves when the President walked in. Everyone watched in silence as he stood at the front table. Everyone else stood as well, and the 49 followed their leads. They imitated the way they held hands with the two people beside them as well.
"For the past and future we serve," Dante started
"We give thanks," the people finished.
"Good health, good food, and good company…" He looked up at the 49. "And the blessing of new friends…"
"We give thanks." Music began playing as he sat down, and everyone followed. Food was placed in front of everyone, and people dug in instantly.
"That was endearing," Chandra observed. She caught Clarke's smile, and inwardly sighed in relief. She was finally warming up to these people. She wouldn't get in Chandra's way.
The next morning, Chandra woke early. She was surprised to see Clarke in the bunk next to her, already awake.
"Why are you up so early?" she asked. Clarke smiled at her.
"Just annotating this map," Clarke explained. Chandra bit her lip.
"Why?" Clarke sighed.
"I still don't trust these people," she disclosed. "I just want to make sure I can help my people escape if it comes to it."
"Your efforts to escape are only gonna put your people in harms way," Chandra gritted out, "You think you're helping them but you're not."
"What would you know about leadership?" Chandra blinked in surprised at Clarke's outburst. "You've only been with us for a few weeks. You don't know better than I do." By now more people were awake, and it was obvious they were trying not to listen in to their conversation.
"You're right," Chandra said, nodding. She jumped down from her bunk, sarcastically saluting to Clarke. "You always know best, oh wise leader." She curled her lip, walking towards the door to head down to breakfast. As she reached the doors though, they opened, and Maya and Miller walked in.
"Miller," Chandra smiled. "Look who finally got released."
"Chandra," Miller greeted, and Chandra's heart stopped. She glanced at Maya, whose eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.
"I'm gonna head down to breakfast," Chandra said quickly, shoving past the two. Her heart pounded.
I guess my plan is gonna go into motion quicker than I planned. Instead of taking the route to the dining room, she headed a different way, making a beeline towards Dante's office. She'd memorized the map, so she knew exactly where it was. She walked in without knocking.
"Ah, Charlie," he greeted, his suit coat halfway up his arms. "I was just heading down to breakfast. Would you like to join me?"
"Where are my people?" She cut straight to the point. Dante looked genuinely confused.
"Are they not in the dorm? Maybe they're at breakfast-"
"No, I mean my people. The people you kidnap from their villages, the people that keep disappearing at your hands. Where are they?" Dante raised his eyebrows.
"Are you not a sky person?" Chandra shook her head.
"Stop avoiding the question," she snapped, her voice cracking. "Where are they?" Dante looked away, buttoning up his coat.
"I have no idea," he answered finally. "But we can talk after breakfast. Why don't you head down right now? I'll be there in just a minute." Chandra clenched her jaw.
"Fine," she ground out. "But I will get answers." She stormed out of his office, her mind swirling with thoughts.
Why hadn't he reacted to her being a grounder? She ran a hand down her face as she walked down the long, dark hallways.
She spun around when she heard heavy footsteps behind her. A guard had his gun pointed at her. She gasped, kicking it out of his hands before punching him in the jaw. Another guard appeared, this time with a baton. He smacked her across the face with it, and she landed on the floor. She spit out a mouthful of blood, trying to stand up. Two more guards rushed in. One put his foot on her head, crushing it against the floor, and two more held her feet down. She felt a sharp prick in her neck, and everything went black.
She jumped awake, groaning as she felt the ache in her body. She tried to stretch, but a barrier blocked her. She suddenly became aware of her surroundings. She was in a small cage, wearing close to nothing. She was wearing dirty white sports bra and shorts the same color.
"You're awake," someone observed from beside her. She recognized that voice.
"Anya," Chandra breathed in disbelief. "What is this?"
Anya smirked, looking away. Chandra followed her gaze. Her blood ran cold at the sight. People were hung upside down, tubes running from their bodies to a machine between them.
"Don't you already know?" Anya asked. "You're in Mount Weather."