Isabelle stood in the middle of a dense forest, water rushing around her. She was thankful that the river was only waist deep, living on a space station meant that she didn't know how to swim. The sensation of water flowing around her was entirely new, the trickling of the water and tweeting of the birds relaxed her, these were things she'd only ever heard about in old books kept in the library on the Ark. But this depiction of the world may not have been accurate, it was just a dream after all.
"Iz!" Jasper shouted, watching Finn crash into her, and as he fell to the ground her head fell to the side and leaned against her seat. He could tell, even from where he stood, that she was out cold. "No, no. Iz! No!" Jasper and Monty simultaneously moved to undo their seatbelts, meanwhile some of the others kneeled down beside the boys who had been out of their seatbelts in the crash. Finn was fine, his impact was presumably lessened by his collision with Isabelle, while the other were pronounced dead. Monty felt his heart race in his chest, worried that Isabelle may have taken the fall for Finn. Jasper glared at him, his body radiating anger and fear. They'd confirmed their first two casualties, and he hoped Isabelle wouldn't be the third. "Will she be okay?" Octavia asked, looking to Clarke. Jasper took Isabelle's seatbelt off, Octavia let go of her hand, and Wells and one of the others carried her to the bottom level of the dropship. Getting down the ladder proved difficult, but Clarke had determined that she was still breathing, she would be okay. They'd just have to wait for her to come to. They set her down, and kept the others from stepping on her, while Clarke argued against the door of the dropship being opened and the others talked about Octavia. "No one has a brother." Someone had said after Octavia said she hadn't seen her brother in a year. Second children were illegal on the Ark, but that was why Octavia was here. Eventually, the door was opened, and almost all one hundred delinquents plus Bellamy, poured out. Jasper and Monty, however, stayed behind.
Within her dream, Isabelle's legs grew weak. She walked through the water, headed for the bank to pull herself out. But, her bare foot slipped on moss covered stone, and she fell backward in the cold river. The current dragged down stream, mimicking a book she read to her mother once. Her dream turned into a nightmare as water flooded her lungs, burning her nose and throat as she struggled for air.
Slowly, Isabelle started to fade back into consciousness. Her dream, which was primarily about what the ground would be like, was replaced with a hazy reality, where her eyes were still closed but she could feel's someone beside her, holding her hand and rubbing circles into the back of it. This wasn't Octavia, who she remembered had been holding her hand prior to the crash landing, their hand was bigger. It was Jasper who was leaning over Iz, his hand gripping hers. When she opened her eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief. "You're awake. Thank god." All the others had left the ship, and Isabelle's eyes focused on something just past Jasper's head. It was bright, and beautiful. Isabelle's eyes struggled to adjust. But the sight of it took her breath away. "Iz!" Jasper tried to recatch her attention."Don't ever scare us like that again."
"I swear, if anything happened to you, I would've killed that guy." Monty mumbled as he leaned down beside Jasper.
"I didn't exactly plan for that to happen, Jasp. And we all know you couldn't hurt a fly, Monty." She responded, smiling at her best friends. Each of them grabbed one of her arms, and hoisted her onto her feet.
"We know. Are you feeling okay? I could look for some plants once we get out, maybe find something that-" Monty was interrupted by the others cheering outside. Isabelle silently wondered if his brain ever slowed down, between herbs and engineering, his head had to be packed full of knowledge.
"Monty, how could you be thinking about that when there's an entire world for us to explore right outside? What are you two even doing in here? This is the first time humans have stepped foot on the ground in a century, and you're just standing around? I'm fine." Isabelle replied, before he got to continue from where he left off. "I just want to see what the ground looks like." Isabelle admitted, pulling free of them and heading straight for the ramp.
Isabelle stopped beside Clarke, just as awe struck as she was. It was so much better than it'd been in her dreams. "Are you feeling okay? That was a pretty hard hit." Clarke asked, without taking her eyes off the landscape. Isabelle just smiled, and nodded. With that, Clarke jumped off the ramp. It was odd how much different Clarke's demeanor was now. From a fighter, to a concerned nurse in just a few hours. Isabelle followed her with Jasper and Monty close behind. She took a deep breath, the air felt so pure as it travelled through her body. Isabelle smirked at Jasper and Monty, who high fived. Isabelle threw her arms around them both, thankful for the fact that they were all on the ground, and still alive. Memories of the three of them back on Agro station flooded back. As she hugged them, her eyes darted around to take in their surroundings. It was all so colorful. The ark had been blanketed in shades of gray, which made the greens and blues of the earth seem so much more vibrant. Her heart thumped hard in her chest. Adrenaline filled her veins. The bracelets were picking up the change in their heartbeats, Isabelle hoped that wouldn't prove to be worrisome for those back on the ark. They weren't in danger, not yet anyway.
A few minutes later, Iz was standing with Monty, rolling her eyes at Jasper's pitiful attempt at flirting with Clarke. While the others argued, she stood by and bit her lip. All the information she cared about from the confrontation was the fact that the ship had landed far off course, and Mount Weather, where they'd find survival supplies, was twenty miles from where they were now. Her stomach grumbled at the thought alone. Watching the others gang up on Wells bothered Isabelle, it was clear in the way her lips moved to form a small frown and her eyes filled with pity. Isabelle knew he was the chancellor's son, she knew most of the people here had their own vendetta against him. Some of their parents had been floated, some of them would've been floated too as soon as their birthday rolled around. Isabelle was one of them. But Isabelle knew that you couldn't choose your parents. If you could, she would've chose a father that stuck around. When Murphy started in on him, Isabelle's muscles tensed, she felt Monty's hand on her arm. He could tell she was tempted to jump in, but her head still ached from the run in during their landing. Mbege held Clarke back for the same reason. Wells didn't deserve to have his leg hurt, which is exactly what Murphy had done.
Thankfully, Finn interjected before anything else happened. When the situation cleared, Isabelle kept her eyes on Finn. He was the one that had been staring at her in the dropship, when she was looking at Jasper and Monty and the one that caused her black out. Finn looked back at her, his face covered in guilt, before immediately looking away. Apparently he did feel bad for causing the death of two people, and injuring another. Or maybe there was something else on his mind. Isabelle was curious. That was part of the reason she volunteered to join when Monty and Jasper were dragged into going to Mount Weather with Clarke and Finn. Of course, she also wanted to be there if anything bad happened.
"Iz. You shouldn't come. You need to rest. You might have a concussion and-" Monty argued, and Clarke quickly cut him off.
"He's right. You should rest." Clarke's voice was firm, she told one of the others to check for symptoms, and mentioned something about waking her up every few hours to check for changes. Isabelle sighed, told Monty and Jasper to be careful, and sat down outside of the dropship beside Wells who Clarke had paused to talk to for just a moment.
"Hey. Iz right?" Wells spoke, and she nodded. He must've heard Jasper or Monty say it. Iz was Isabelle's preferred name, and the two of them had always known her as that. Isabelle's mom, however, stuck with her full name. "I'm Wells."
Wells extended a hand, and Isabelle shook it. "Nice to meet you." she spoke finally.
"You too. I'm curious, how'd you end up in the Skybox?" Isabelle shifted, her arms crossing over her chest. Wells frowned at the shift in her body language. "I'm sorry. You don't- look… you don't have to tell me."
Isabelle stayed silent, her mind flooded with memories. Isabelle's mother got sick when she was fourteen. She got medicine, but the ark had strict policies on how much one person was allowed, and she wasn't getting enough to improve her condition. Just enough to keep her alive, albeit painfully. For a while, Monty and Jasper had stolen from the fields, both for Isabelle's mother and some for themselves. But once they were caught, Isabelle was under closer watch and eventually she snapped and assaulted a guard, seriously injuring him before getting dragged away and locked in the prison station. "I attacked a guard." Was all Iz said, enough to satisfy his question, but not enough to reveal what had happened. "What about you? Hard to believe the Chancellor's kid could do wrong." she admitted.
"I got myself arrested on purpose, I heard about the prisoners being sent down here-"
"You did it for Clarke." Isabelle concluded. "She's lucky to have a friend like you. I can't say Jasper and Monty haven't done the same for me though."
Wells smiled, and Isabelle could tell there was more to it. But he didn't seem to want to go on, so the topic went stale. "I know you need to rest but… we need some fire wood. Are you feeling up to helping?" Wells needed to rest to, now that his leg was injured. But he didn't seem willing to let it slow him down, and Iz wasn't going to let a headache stop her either.
Soon, Isabelle and Wells were piling up wood, and she stood beside him when Murphy attempted to start a fight with him again. The two of them walked off together, past Murphy and John. When they walked back into the forest, she looked over at him. "I know it isn't your fault, you know. You can't control the laws, and your father can't either."
Wells didn't say much, just nodded. But Wells was appreciative of the statement. He seemed to walk just a little bit taller. It was a small statement but knowing that there was at least one person that had his back meant something. After all, not even Clarke was there for him now. Not after her father was floated, and she assumed Wells to be the reason for it. "While we wait for the others, we can look for some plants to eat around here as well as some water. Want to help?" Isabelle asked him, stopping to look at some leaves. She took one in her hand, studying it while she waited for his reply. It was getting dark, but the others would be gone for a while. Tensions were already running high amid the camp, they didn't need deprivation to make it worse. That was why Wells agreed, even though he wasn't nearly as experienced with herbology as Isabelle was. As they worked, Wells stole glances at the other delinquent, her long brown hair was braided, and rested on her left shoulder. Her deep brown eyes were entirely focused on the job. Even in the dying light she was beautiful. She got her looks from her mother, but Wells didn't know that. The only ones that had ever met her were Monty and Jasper.
In the end, they only found a few things. They split it amongst themselves, after deciding to call it a night. It was too dark to keep searching, now that the moon was rising. They could've continued to look in the light of the moon, but the canopy of leaves above them casted too much shade. The two of them snacked on what they had, then treked back to the dropship where they found the others gathered around the fire they had built and started, cheering. Mbege and Murphy were removing everyone's bracelets one by one. Isabelle would be lying if she said she wasn't itching to take hers off. She still wasn't accustomed to having the tiny needles implanted in her wrist. But, when she looked at Wells, she could see the disapproval in his expression. Isabelle watched Wells limp toward the crowd, she had forgotten about his injury. She was so distracted by getting things done. She jogged to catch up, then grabbed his arm and put it around her shoulder to give him someone to lean on. "What the hell are you doing?" Wells asked. Mbege stepped forward, only to be stopped by Bellamy.
"We're liberating ourselves, what does it look like?" Bellamy countered. The cheers of the others still lingered around them all, and now that they were standing still Isabelle stepped away from Wells, letting him stand with most of his weight on his good leg. It was a shame he hadn't had time to rest, he clearly needed it. But no one else seemed keen on helping with food or water, so he didn't have much of a choice. Neither of them did.
"It looks like you're trying to get us all killed." Wells started continuing by explaining that communication with the Ark was dead, and the bracelets were the only link they had left. If they wanted the rest of their people to come down, the doctors, farmers, engineers, and everyone else, the bracelets were everyone's last hope. Too bad a bunch of the metal bands already laid in the fire, slowly melting in it's flames, and Bellamy and the others didn't seem to care.
"Look, I don't have family up there either, and I was locked up just like the rest of you. But i know just as much as Wells that we can't survive here on our own. Aren't you all hungry?" Isabelle asked, baffled by their incompetence. Maybe it was their adrenaline that prevented them from thinking clearly.
"Hey, it's Iz isn't it?" Murphy addressed her, even though Wells and Bellamy were still talking. Bellamy's words "Whatever the hell we want." caught her attention. "How about we take your bracelet off next? What do you say? Tell me you're not siding with the mini chancellor here."
The crowd started to chant "whatever the hell we want", encouraged by Murphy. Before either Wells or Isabelle got to say anything, water fell from the sky and started to soak through their clothes. Yet, everyone looked up to the sky and smiled. Water. And the first rainfall they'd ever experienced. "We need to collect this." Wells announced, starting by looking at Bellamy, then turning to focus on Iz. Isabelle nodded, and turned to walk away as Bellamy smugly said "whatever the hell you want."
The joyous cheers of the others faded behind them, as Isabelle once again let Wells lean on her for support. The two of them set out whatever containers they could find to collect the rainwater. Then, the two of them found a dry spot under the trees. Isabelle's eyelids felt heavy, and as soon as she laid down, they fell closed. A few feet away, Wells also laid down. His sleep was short-lived however, as he was forced to leave the camp with Bellamy. They were careful not to wake Isabelle, knowing that she would be one of the only people to do something about it. Bellamy covered his mouth, holding a gun a few inches from Wells' face. Wells' eyes widened in fear. The thought that the guard outfit Bellamy was doning included a gun hadn't even crossed Wells' mind. After all, it was fairly apparent that Bellamy wasn't an actual member of the guard. but knowing that he had it forced Wells to follow him without any argument, away from the camp. On his way, he gently nudged Isabelle with his foot, hoping she would wake. But instead, she turned over without even opening her eyes.
"I don't want to shoot you, Wells. Hell, I like you. But I do need them," Bellamy paused, pointing the pistol to the sky, alluding to the fact that he meant the people left on the ark. "to think you're dead."
Wells' heart raced, his palms were sweaty. How could he not be nervous in a situation like this? When Wells responded, he didn't let the fact that he was terrified show. "Why? Why are you doing this? For real. Not some crap about getting to do what you want to do." He knew it was unlikely, but he was trying to stall, to find a way out of the situation. He didn't want his father to think he was gone. And what about Clarke's mom? She was the only person that Clarke had left.
"I have my reasons. I also have the gun so I ask the questions. And the question is… why aren't you helping me? Your dad banished you Wells, and yet here you are still doing his bidding. Following the rules, aren't you tired of always doing what's expected of you? Stand up to him. Take off that wristband and you will be amazed at how good it feels."
"No." Wells' response was definite, and stern. "Never. Not gonna happen, is that clear enough for you?" Wells asked, ignoring how uncomfortable he was with the way Bellamy brandished the pistol while making his speech. Bellamy took a deep breath through his nose, and nodded. Wells prepared for him to raise the gun, waited for the pain that was to come, regretted never telling Clarke the truth about her father.
"Yeah, it is. I'm sorry it had to be this way." Wells' eyes widened as Bellamy seemed to be preparing the gun, but instead tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. Something was right here. There was no way Bellamy was just going to give in. Bellamy looked to Wells' left, and Wells turned his head to look as well. There stood Murphy. On his other side, Mbege closed in. Wells turned, attempting to run up the steep hill that had previously been at his back. Two of the other boys ran over the crest of the hill, and forced Wells back down. Wells struggled, his shouts breaking the serene quiet of the night air. Wells knew they were too far from camp for the others to hear him. Wells wondered if they just wanted a more satisfying kill. Was that it? When they brought his arm up to rest on a rock, his wristband against the smooth surface he knew it wasn't. Bellamy walked away as Murphy pried Wells' bracelet off his arm. He yelled as it was removed, the needles being pulled from his arm. It stung. The bracelet emitted a brief electronic sound, before the lights at the end of the needles faded to nothing. Up on the Ark, his panel went black. As far as everyone on the Ark knew, Wells Jaha was dead. The four boys holding him down finally released him, and started back to camp. Now that it was over, Wells had no will to fight, he collapsed into the rock his arm had been held onto, his chest against the hard surface. His father would think he was dead. What Wells didn't know was that Bellamy was also the reason his father wouldn't know, not for a while longer anyway.
Isabelle woke, and made her way through the chaos that had started in the camp. Most of the delinquents ran around like animals. Isabelle eventually found Wells just as he finished burying the two boys that had died in the crash, and tilted her head. "Wells? What happened?" she asked. "Wells! Your father will think you're dead." Isabelle reminded him, referring to his bare wrist. She was assuming that he had decided to take it off, how else would it have happened? The way he ignored her, pulled on his jacket and collected the clothing of the deceased told her that there was more to it than she knew. She also guessed that he wasn't in the mood for company, so she left him to so whatever he pleased, and returned to the camp.
When someone bumped into her, she ignored it completely. All the others were being careless, sprinting around the camp and jumping on one another. But, immediately after the person grabbed her by the arms and dragged her backwards toward the fire. Isabelle looked over her shoulder. Murphy.
"Murphy, what the hell are you doing? Let go!" she shouted at him, but he kneeled down with her beside the fire, holding her by the shoulders so she couldn't fight against him, and brought her face close to the flame. Isabelle screamed, this time loud enough to grab attention. She knew Murphy was ruthless, but she hadn't expected this.
Little did she know, things were going even worse for Jasper.