Level 4: Let's go! More Jasper x Kat cute moments and a costume change are coming ;). I hope you enjoy this level! Please leave a review, giving your honest opinion!
As everyone started to retire to their tents, Kat put out the fire. Jasper helped clean up the circle, and finally, they were the last people left. "The rest of the group should come tomorrow," Kat said quietly. She was excited yet nervous to see Clarke again. She hadn't seen her since the commander's death, and she was sure that it was hitting her hard. "We should get some sleep."
"Wait. I...Can I ask you a question?" Jasper asked nervously.
"Of course." Kat put her hand on his arm as they both sat on the log around the dead fire.
"Well...it's really personal, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but why don't you braid your hair?" Jasper's cheeks lit up as he waited for her to push him away and declare he had gone too far. Instead, she simply smiled and brushed her long dark hair back from her eyes.
"I used to braid it every day. I don't know, I guess I just stopped caring about how everyone else saw me. The braids are supposed to be seen as a prideful and powerful style. After Ella died, I rebelled a little. I left camp, changed my hair, and went to POLIS. I guess you could say that Clarke and I are similar in that sense. Anyways, I've been getting happier especially since I found Lincoln and you. I think I might braid tomorrow. I haven't decided yet." Jasper had seen her in an innocent state, a strong state, and even sleeping; however, he realized he had never seen her vulnerable. Even when she slept, she had a weapon close just in case. In this moment, they were just two teenagers, not warriors or survivors. Just kids.
Kat surprised him with a question, "May I ask you a question?" Jasper nodded slowly. "Why do you hate Clarke? Every time her name is mentioned, your eyes go dark, and your lips turn down automatically."
Jasper let out a shaky sigh, "It's a long story. I don't even know where to begin." Kat put a hand on his arm, "The beginning." He smirked at her even though she was being serious. "Ok, so after the hundred killed those three hundred grounders, you heard about that, I'm sure, forty-eight kids were taken hostage by the mountain men. Most of us didn't think anything was wrong, but Clarke knew there was something wrong. She got out, but none of us believed her. Not until later. While we were in there, I met a girl...Maya. She was smart, funny, beautiful, and overall an amazing person. As time wore on, my...love for Maya and my suspicion of Mount Weather grew. By the time we knew we had to leave, I was in love with her. However, we couldn't leave, and the forces outside were trying to find a solution. Well, you probably know what happened what happened on the outside better than I do. Somehow the grounders were released, and Clarke and Bellamy had met up in the control room. They... Clarke... thought that the only way to save the hundred was to kill all of the mountain men. She killed the girl I loved. And I hate her for it."
They sat in silence for a second, then a minute, before Kat finally spoke. "Clarke told me about that. She felt extremely guilty about it, just so you know. She woke up countless nights from nightmares; she would scream and cry until her voice was gone, and she would pass out. While she stayed in POLIS, her room was right next to mine. I know it's hard, and I'm not saying what she did was right or wrong, but I'm asking you to understand that she's a leader. Sometimes, leaders make hard and bad choices. It is not our job to hate, though. It is our job to love each other regardless of our pasts. Forgive, but never forget." Jasper had tears in his eyes as he listened to Kat. He hadn't forgiven Clarke, but he now understood better than before.
"I didn't realize how much I drank until I turned around and realized three months had passed. I wasted three months," Jasper could barely remember the important moments like Monty's birthday or the success of the garden which brought in much better food.
"We should never mourn the past. It is a waste of time and energy. Become a better person and look forward instead of backward." Kat rested her forehead on his temple, kissing his cheek. Jasper leaned into her, happy to get the physical contact that he had been craving for months.
After a while, Kat let out a monster yawn against Jasper's cheek and jaw. He laughed and picked her up with little protest from her. In the arms of the man she was starting to love, she wished he would never put her down. Alas, Jasper pulled the blanket back and rested Kat into a bunk while he took the one opposite her. Before going to his bunk, he brushed the hair out of Kat's sleeping face and placed a kiss on her forehead.
When Jasper woke in the morning, Kat was nowhere to be found. A wave of panic coursed through his veins as he tugged a shirt over his head and ran outside. Once outside, he saw a woman with her back to him; she was talking to a young girl in the grounder tongue. As soon as the girl saw him, her eyes grew as big as dinner plates, and she hid behind the woman. As the woman turned, Jasper looked around for Kat.
"Jasper?" His eyes snapped back to the woman who was sitting on the log, and he let out a gasp. "Kat?"
"Yeah, it's me. Alright, love. Send my love to your mother." Kat, this mystery woman, kissed the girl on both cheeks before sending her off. Kat's entire look had changed. She had lost the tank top and cargo shorts for a blue dress with an armored bodice. She kept her combat boots, but the major changes were her hair and paint. Her hair was pulled from her face and braided in a way that was more intricate and beautiful than any other he had ever seen. The top of her hair looked like a crown around her head while the bottom half hung loosely to her waist. In the hair that was down, there were eight narrow braids, some with beads and some without.
Her paint was similar to Lincoln's except it started at her eyes, going straight up at the inner corner of her eyebrow. It continued straight before the two lines went opposite ways, curving away from each other and then finally disappearing into her hair. The paint was a dark brown as opposed the black he had seen before. She had a bunch of flowers that he assumed, by the length, were going in her hair. She looked stunning.
Kat looked at him awkwardly until Jasper shook his head and stuttered out, "Y-you l-look...gorgeous."
She let out a laugh that sounded like the sleigh bells from the few Christmas movies that he had seen on the ark. "Thank you. Do you want to help with these in my hair? I can't reach." She actually looked sheepish. Jasper sat behind her and shakily picked up a flower and placed it into her hair. He repeated the process until all of the flowers were in her hair. Even though he wasn't very good at it, he hair looked gorgeous.
Kat turned around and kissed his cheek, sheepishly, "Thank you. I have to announce that part of Skaikru will be staying here and that Pike is dead."
"Will the people be upset?" Jasper really didn't want to leave if the people didn't like them, but if he had to, he would leave to protect Kat.
"I don't think so. I mean, this village accepts everyone, regardless of their past. If you want to start over and redeem yourself, this is where you come."
Suddenly, a horn blew out. Kat gasped, "It's Lincoln! Come on, let's meet them at the front." Jasper could tell that she was half nervous and half happy. He knew how much she loved her brother, and he had only known her three days now. After a few minutes of being dragged through the village with Kat, he began to laugh. The village people didn't look at him with contempt; they had already unofficially accepted Skaikru into their village. He began running beside her, laughing like he would never laugh again. They dodged people, carts, and horses. Other people around them began to laugh too. This was truly a magical place. With Kat, he felt alive. He felt like a kid again; while it was a bit scary, it was also the best feeling ever.
After a few more minutes, they reached the front of the camp. As soon as Kat saw Lincoln, she launched herself into his arms, and he swung her around. This village brought out a playful and mischievous side of this girl that Jasper was loving. Lincoln set Kat down, and Kat hugged Octavia in a much gentler way. After the pleasantries, Kat and Jasper noticed Clarke. She was just standing behind Lincoln and Octavia, looking at Lincoln as if he was supposed to say something.
Finally, Lincoln signed, and Kat's posture stiffened, and her smile disappeared. "What is it?"
Lincoln put his hands on his hips and looked at the ground before grunting and looking up at Kat. "Well, we have a problem."
Passing levels like a boss. I am officially in love with this story, and I can't wait to finish it in a good way haha. Leave a review, and have a nice day, week, month, year! :)
