Heya readers! Sorry it took so long to update there are some computer troubles but! I hope to fic them soon so you can expect less of a wait in up coming chapters! Thank you to everyone that kept reviewing, favoriting and following! You guys are the best! LOve ya and I hope you love this chapter as well!
They'd been dropped on the wrong mountain. Perfect. Not only did the Council forget to add at least a small first aid kit, or even some packs of water or snacks, they had dropped them about a ten-mile track away from Mt. Weather. Riley wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh, scream, or just plain out rejoice. There was a tingle in the back of her neck every time she looked at the peak that was Mt. Weather, and not the good kind. Something inside her felt a sense of danger just radiating from that place - even if she was miles away. It could be that, or it could be her nerves driving her nuts considering they had a very nasty habit of doing just that. All in all, Riley wished she could be like most people in their delinquent group and just walk around like a happy fairy in the forest.
Glancing back at said delinquents as they all screamed and cheered through the forest, while she sat on the ground preparing a bag of make-shift supplies, like a canteen in case they found water - made with some wire, peace of the parachutes, and a stick of wood to take the place cap- berries she'd managed to find nearby that did not look poisonous - Riley should have paid more attention to Earth Skills class- the blonde teen wished she really could pretend they weren't on a clock for survival and join them.
The curse of having been born with even half a brain, Riley thought as she placed all of them in the one actual gear bag the Ark had supplied them with, stood and walked her way back to Clarke who now hovered over a map -by the door of the dropship - marking the route they were meant to take on the hike to Mt. Weather. Not that the map had any specifics on forest routes, and if it did they would be severely outdated since Riley highly suspected there was no way the ground had stayed the same after almost a century. Sadly though it was all they had at the moment so there really shouldn't be any more room to complain.
"I got everything packed," Riley spoke up while Clarke turned to her for a brief moment, nodding with a small smile that Riley returned. "And by everything, I mean whatever I could find that seemed even remotely useful. Hope the berries aren't actually poisonous."
At that, Clarke gave Riley and unimpressed stare, shaking her head and going back to look at the map. "You are so not funny."
Riley snorted. She hadn't even been actually joking. The blonde was really hoping the berries weren't poisonous.
"We got problems," Wells informed Clarke and by default Riley with a grim expression on his face. Riley hadn't even seen him approach them and neither had Clarke as she turned to face Wells, briefly startled. "The communications system is dead. I went to the roof. A dozen panels are missing. Heat fried the wires."
"More good news you like to share Wells?" Riley questioned rhetorically and mostly sarcastic but genuine in her curiosity to see what else could go wrong. Honestly, by this time tomorrow half of them would most likely be dead if things kept going at this pace.
"All that matters right now is getting to Mount Weather." Clarke sighed shaking her head and for once not scolding or sending Riley a look because of her comments. "See? Look. This is us." She showed Wells the map which she had already marked thanks to a small piece of charcoal making Riley smiled briefly as she was reminded of their Dad. He'd been the one to teach them. "This is where we need to get to if we want to survive."
"Where'd you learn to do that?" Wells inquired curiously and confused at Clarke, but his question just made the already tense air around the three teens increase. Both blondes looking at him out of the corner of theirs for a second before their expression became pained. It didn't take long for Wells to figure out the answer. "Your father."
"Ah, cool, a map." One of the boy delinquents walked over to them. He was the kid with the goggles in his head, slim and pale with brown eyes and thick brown hair. It was however very clear that his main intent was the two blondes, judging by his smile and how he had moved closer to both of them. "They got a bar in this town? I'll buy you girls a beer."
Riley opened her mouth for her usual smart remark but was stopped by Wells who stepped in, grabbing a hold of the guy's arm and pulling him away. "You mind?" He questioned but there was a fine threaded line that spelled out 'back off'. Riley wasn't even sure if Wells realized he always acted like that whenever a boy or girl attempted the moves of both her and Clarke while he was present. Though with Riley it was more on a big brother protective mode and Clarke with a slight jealous boyfriend edge. How had Clarke still not realized their best friend was in love with her was beyond Riley's comprehension. Or maybe she had but preferred to ignore it? What worried Riley at the moment though was the way Wells action had caught the attention of almost everyone in camp. Once more, the younger blonde felt the tingle in the back of her neck.
"Hey, hey, hey, hands off of him." Another of the male delinquents stepped in for the other a large group of other guys behind him. Riley watched them warily and through narrowed eyes, red alarms blaring in the back of her head. "He's with us."
"Relax. We're just trying to figure out where we are." Wells backed off no doubt sensing the hostility coming through the observers. It was something they were a bit more than used to.
"We're on the ground." The false guard, Bellamy Blake, stepped into the conversation with his sister, Octavia, beside him voice loud and drawing if possible even more attention. "That not good enough for you?"
"Considering there is no food or water or any type of supplies in sight? No, it's not enough." Riley snarked being stopped from stepping closer to Wells by Clarke who held onto her hand, sending her a warning look to stay put. Seriously, she looked so much like their mother it was almost as if Abby Griffin had followed them down.
"We need to find Mount Weather." Wells stepped in cutting off whatever the older man was going to say back to Riley. "You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority."
Riley watched the interaction, knowing Wells choices of words were not the best by a long shot. No one here had any respect or feeling other than hate for the Chancellor or anyone in the Council really. They needed someone to blame for everything bad that had happened to them and Riley had to admit that the Council and Guard of the Ark made it quite easy to hate them.
"Screw your father." Octavia voiced probably what everyone around them was thinking, tone full of spite as she did. Once more Riley had to murder the teenage hormones cursing through her very veins. It was honestly not the time for that. "What, you think you're in charge here, you and your little Twin Princesses?" And the fight was suddenly not necessary anymore. What was it with everyone thinking Riley, Clarke, and Wells were in some polygamy relationship?
"Did someone drop you in the head as a baby sweetheart?" Riley mocked tilting her head to the side as if she were sincerely concerned about the girl watching as anger arises within the dark-haired girl green eyes. She took her hand away from Clarke's hold and walked forwards feeling the eyes of almost the entire camp on the scene they were making. "You think we give two fucks about who wants or who's in charge? Cause we don't. They literally left us with nothing when the dropped us here. No water, food, weapons for defense, communication, or even a first aid kit. I'd give us a week before half of us have dropped dead, and that's me being hopeful that half of you are even just smarter than a monkey on wheels."
"We need to get to Mount Weather not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get and the harder this will be." Clarke finished seeing how some of the delinquents backed even flinched at Riley's harsh tone. The younger Griffin had never been one to hold back with her words. Riley just didn't see the point in buttering up her sentences for people who were more than capable of understanding them. "How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a twenty-mile trek, okay? So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave now."
"I got a better idea. You three go, find it for us." Blake spoke up head raised high with bravado, and Riley had the distinct urge to punch him. He just had one of those faces. "Let the privileged do the hard work for a change." He finished and some of the delinquents cheered in agreement at his words. Riley, however, was focused on that word once more. Privileged. Privileged to what exactly? Had they not been sent to the ground with the lot of them? They too were as expendable as anyone else. Riley was even sure someone had made the argument for her to get Floated ahead of time because she was the second child. She still didn't know how she had survived almost a year on solitary, probably all due to her mother and whoever she had managed to convince on the Council.
"You're not listening." Wells's voice broke through Riley's thoughts as she once more focused on the present.
"More or less," Riley turned to look at the Blake siblings nonchalantly everything about the way she stood challenging whatever leadership the older Blake was trying to establish. "What makes you think we'll come back for you? As far as you know the three of us and whoever else goes could stay there, safe, in Mt. Weather while you rot and die over here." If hearing the name of the mountain gave Riley a bad feeling saying it made it even worse. She almost shuddered right then and there.
"We all need to go." Once more, Wells came to Riley's defense as Bellamy seemed all just about ready to punch the blonde right then and there. Even went as far as to send the younger twin a warning look. He lacked the edge of Clarke's and her mother's, but it was a good try. Riley only shrugged. Besides, she had a point.
"Look at this, everybody," The boy from before, slim and about a medium height with dark blue eyes, brown hair falling over them, and a prominent nose on his face. He pushed at Wells before a mocking smirk made its way onto his lips. "The Chancellor of Earth."
Riley tensed watching the interaction with baited breath.
"Think that's funny?" Wells questioned the guy and if anything his smirk grew, and in one swift move, he kicked at Wells's ankle immediately compromising his balance and making him fall. Riley and Clarke both moved to aid him, the older twin being held back by one of the guy's 'buddies'. Someone moved to grab Riley as well, but the younger Griffin slipped through their hands quickly and with somewhat ease.
"No, but that was."
Moving from behind Riley tackled at the guy causing him to quickly fall to the ground while she remained upright, glaring at him on the ground. "As was that." She told him helping Wells stand just as the other guy stood, dirt and leaves on his face with just a few scratches. Riley didn't back down, she never did. "Congrats. You've gone from monkey on wheels to moron on the ground."
"You think you're funny, don't you princess?"
Riley smirked. "Hilarious according to you, and the dirt on your face. It's an improvement."
The guys sneered at her, and the blonde teen felt Wells tense just as she helped support him, doing just the same. She readied for an attack that never came because just about he was about to, Finn jumped in from a lodge on the dropship placing himself between Riley and the guy. "I think that's just about enough, don't you?" It wasn't really a question but Hook Nose stepped back, blue eyes cautious at the clear threat before him. "Besides, he has one leg and I'm pretty sure hitting a girl is plain out wrong." Riley wasn't sure if that offended her or not. "Why not wait until it's a fair fight?"
A tense silence followed, minus the feeble noises of the forest as Finn and the delinquent stared right at each other, neither seeming to move as the assessed the other up, and no one moving to stop them. Well, that is until Octavia stepped up with a flirtatious smile on her lips.
"Hey, spacewalker," She called to fin eyes flared as she looked at him up and down. "Rescue me next." There was a small pout to her tone and Riley couldn't help but roll her eyes. Her statement and Finn's smile seemed to do the trick to dissuade the tension however as everyone around them chuckled. They all walked away second after, the brown-haired boy taking the friend that had held Clarke back by the shoulder and walking to the other side of camp. Riley took advantage and moved Wells to rest against the walls of the dropship, close to where the bag and the map were. She immediately started to see the damage of the kick, Clarke moving to her side within seconds.
The older Griffin made a motion for Riley to move so she could take over, and the younger twin stepped made way for her sister. She started the mental countdown for the lecture that seemed to be looming over them like a bee to its honey. Wells seemed to sense it too as he turned his head away just so that Riley wouldn't use him as an excuse to try and get out of the scolding.
"You shouldn't have done that." Clarke began and Riley sighed moving from her crouching position to actually sit down on the ground. "What if Finn hadn't stepped in for you and Wells?"
"Then I would have been thrown around like a rag doll, but with a few good punches and kicks in, maybe some scratching," Riley responded raising her hands to her face, her nails had gotten longer, as had her hair which now reached well into her lower back - hence why she still held it in the French brain unlike Clarke who now had it mostly loose - with some bangs slipping into her face. "No nail clippers on solitary, you know."
Wells bit his lip to stop the snort that seemed to almost break free, which almost made Riley smile.
Clarke wasn't so amused. "That's not funny. You are not funny." Wells hissed as Clarke moved his leg the wrong way. "Sorry," she mumbled to him before going back to scolding at Riley. "What if other people had stepped in on the 'fun'? What then?"
"It would have hurt."
"Riley-"
"Uh! So Mount Weather." Finn stepped in, and Riley all but flew to her feet at the chance of not getting her ears busted by whatever Clarke was going to say next. However, if Riley knew her twin, which she did, the conversation had been paused. It wouldn't be over until she was finished, but for now, there was a small break. "When do we leave?"
"Now!" Riley replied all too eager and was quickly followed by Clarke who glared at Riley before nodding at Finn and turning back to Wells.
"We'll be back tomorrow with food." She told him a finality in her tone making it clear that he was staying right there where he was. Wells didn't fight her only looked between her and Finn with doubt.
"How are the three of you gonna carry enough food for a hundred?"
"Ninety-nine, actually." Riley corrected Wells turning her head to motioning towards the Blake siblings. The turning her eyes on Clarke and Finn. "And he does have a point."
Finn nodded before turning around and grabbing two boys by their shoulder's. Goggles, and the guy that had been next to him on the dropship that now held a herb to his nose. He had tan skin with a golden undertone, dark hair, and eyes, slim figure. They both looked up at the same time somewhat uncomfortable at first before relaxing while looking somewhat pleased to be brought into the group by 'Spacewalker'. "Five of us. Can we go now?"
Riley raised an eyebrow at him before looking at Clarke who nodded at Finn before giving a glance at her younger sister only to receive a silent shrug. She just honestly wanted to leave already. Being on the ground, just like she had dreamed. Riley wanted to see and feel everything that she could since dying fo radiation poisoning is still an option on the table. Dying of whatever was waiting for them in that forest was a possibility too, so best enjoy the view while it was possible.
"Sounds like a party." Octavia stepped in clapping her hands also very eager to leave. "Make it six."
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Bellamy walked up to them and pulled his sister back and Riley opted for drowning them out. She already had her older sibling to deal with. Not that she didn't love Clarke to pieces, but sometimes her older twin made it especially hard to breathe with her 'concern'.
"Were you trying to take this off?" The question caught Riley's interest as she saw Clarke grab a hold of Finn's hand to show that he had tried to take off his wristband, seeing that the metal was badly scraped. Not really a surprise considering how they had been forced on everyone in this camp. Half of them probably didn't even know what it was or why it had been placed on them other than somewhat for the Ark to control them. And idea most teenagers would rebel against and considering who they had sent to the ground, they really should be expected to take them off sooner or later.
"Yeah. So?" Finn questioned taking his arm away from Clarke.
"So, we have no way of contacting the Ark, Pretty Face," Riley rolled her eyes at the brown haired teen. "That little gadget is the only thing telling them we're alive right now. Taking it off means you're basically dead."
"Should I care?"
"Well, I don't know. Do you want the people you love to think you're dead?" Clarke inquired and Finn instantly stepped down, head down. Clearly, that stroke a nerve with not only Finn but with Goggles and his friend -Riley really should start with getting their names - which meant there was someone out in space that they cared about. Family. "Do you want them to follow you down here in two months? Because they won't if they think we're dying."
Seeing that she had gotten through, Clarke backed off satisfied. "Okay." She nodded and looked at everyone. "Now let's go."
They all started to move, but before Riley could even take steps away from her twin sister Clarke held her back. The younger blonde already knew what was coming. "I know, Clarke." Riley sighed looking at her sister's lighter blue eyes. "What I did was stupid, but we both know I'd do it again. So why the lecture?"
"You can't go picking up fights everywhere Riley." Now it was Wells that scolded the younger twin causing both Griffins to turn and face him. "We're not in the Ark anymore."
"No shit Sherlock." Riley huffed, before shaking her head at Wells. She'd done that because he was her friend, or had been before he turned in her Dad. That still didn't mean she wouldn't step up for him though. Riley was sure it was part of her instincts now. "But fine. Next time I'll just let them at you. You're welcome, by the way."
Storming off after that, Riley moved to pick the map and backpack, placing the latter inside the former, and slinging one of the straps over her shoulder before moving to join the others. She paused waiting for Clarke as she talked to Wells before her twin made it over to her and they both began to walk, following the others.
"He's right, you know," Clarke commented somewhat grudgingly as they started to catch up with Octavia. "You can't just start picking up fights, Riley."
"Now you sound like Dad." The younger Griffin rolled her eyes though her lips turned up in a smile, same as Clarke's did.
"That's not an insult."
"I know."
"Riley-"
"I won't pick up another fight, okay?" Riley groaned already knowing Clarke's tone of voice. Unlike the others that were pure Clarke and Riley know that if let be, her twin could go on for hours. "That I can't win anyway." She added under her breath and grinned when Clarke rolled her eyes.
They'd finally caught up to Octavia when the girl turned to look at Clarke from the side. "Before you get any ideas, Finn is mine." The green eyes girl stated the look in them daring Clarke to say otherwise. Now it was Riley's and Clarke's turn to roll their eyes in sync.
"Before you get any ideas, I don't care." The older blonde mimicked before walking ahead of both Octavia and Riley.
Octavia turned her look on Riley, silently wondering the same thing causing Riley to roll her eyes once more. "Sorry sweetheart." The blonde sighed before winking at Octavia. "Don't really swing for the B team."
Walking ahead after that, Riley couldn't help the smug grin on her face as she joined up with the boys, knowing all to well she'd left Octavia gaping at her for a good while. Most people did when Riley stated her sexual orientation, which the teen didn't understand at all. She'd never really been 'in the closet' having asked out her first crush and girlfriend, a girl from Mecha named Selena when she'd been thirteen. There was nothing to hide since on the Ark same-sex couples weren't that uncommon or even looked down upon. Those belief died ages ago even before the Old World was destroyed by the bombs. In any case, if anyone didn't like it they could put sugar in it, Riley didn't care.
Maybe I should start wearing a billboard that just spells it out for people, the blonde thought before her attention was captured by the light of the sun filtering through the canopy. A large smile made it way to her mouth as Riley once more took yet another deep breath of air. Welcome to Earth, Riley Griffin!
Feedback is the Fuel to my writing and very much appreciated! Please leave your thoughts in your review and be sure to stick around for more if you liked it!
Thank you and until next time!