Bellamy avoided the cliffside bunker for several patrols.
He did, however, find an abandoned petroleum station that had been mostly foraged by previous grounders; among the rubble was a small curio. He plucked it up, marveling that it hadn't shattered. A small orb, full of water and glitter and white flakes that swirled when the object was shaken.
Suspended in the liquid was a small plastic tree branch, and perched on it, a plastic red bird. He turned the globe, noting the flowers silhouetted behind the bird and branch. The blue rim of the bauble proclaime in large white letters.
He pocketed the small oddity and wrapped it in a piece of cloth, and purposely made a detour on his route home, setting it quite purposefully on the wooden shelf on top of a bed of plucked moss. For several patrols, his curiosity got the best of him and Bellamy noted the glint of the glass; the object remained.
Then, one day, prepared to see the same exact display, he paused and did a double take from the driver's seat when he noticed that the small globe was missing-all other artifacts remaining untouched.
The same uncharacteristically goofy grin crossed his face, and he remained in a cheerful mood for the rest of that day, much to the annoyance of Jasper and Gina, who were both sour over the poor-tasting dinner. Bellamy didn't even notice it.
Later that week he was out unannounced; Bellamy had taken to what he and his friends referred to as "Raven's fence," an unnoticed and inconspicuous section of fencing with a diluted electrical charge. Several members of the 100 used the secret entrance into Trikru territory, although mostly it was Octavia commiserating with Skaikru, or else Jasper, looking for more hallucinogenic nuts. Abby was furious with every report of an undocumented drug, which was probably another motivation for Jasper in itself.
Bellamy had no desire to trip or to seek out Grounders. He actually intended to visit the Drop Ship. There were several 'cache' locations that Bellamy thought Clarke might use for storage or shelter, and he checked each periodically. No luck yet, but he had nothing else to do but look, especially while Gina was at Mount Weather. Though he couldn't really admit it to himself, there was something nostalgic about the drop ship despite the horrors they'd faced there; it was after all where he first set foot on earth.
After his arrival, he noted the area was bare. The note, plus the blank paper and sharpened pencil he'd placed near the entrance, was unmoved. Just like the last visit. Bellamy took some time to pluck a handful of strange, fluorescent purple flowers that grew in the entryway, and place one flower on each of the burial mounds that contained a member of the 100. He pondered in the area for awhile, sitting motionless at the side of the makeshift cemetery, before walking a different way than he'd came.
A sharp canyon cut unexpectedly into the forest, the rushing sound of a river carrying up from far below. Bellamy simply followed the edge of the ravine, not paying directions mind, holding his rifle close in case of unexpected wildlife. He lost the water several times on his deliberate hike, but it would always snake out in front of him like a great open mouth.
Finally, Bellamy decided he should move back to the main pathway as nothing had been found of note so far-other than the river-so he decided to move closer and actually glimpse the river, which as of yet hadn't been of interest to him. Bellamy moved left, turning through the trees and brush, following a gentle slope that to his surprise, suddenly ended in a steep rocky cliff. He was surrounded by other moss-covered rocks and more trees, but the absence of ground still threw him off, which was ironic since he had lived without it for eighteen years.
Perhaps eighty, ninety feet down the small river spread into a wide lagoon, and to Bellamy's surprise the view reached far. He could see the faint outline of the Philpott Dam in the distance-this river was likely a tributary-and even the looming Mount Weather was visible, an inconspicuous rise in the horizon. As he surveyed this unexpected scene, a glimmer in the water below caught his attention. Still feeling the vertigo of the steep fall, he found himself leaning against a large rock for support.
Bellamy almost toppled over. The glimmer he'd spotted was a nude woman.
He paused, then looked again when the figure dipped underneath the bright green water. He had been warned shortly after Octavia's incident to never swim in the waters here, a message only reinforced by Grounders. Who was this person? What was she doing? Any perverse thoughts were forgotten as Bellamy tried to figure out the situation. He saw no one else around. Nothing on the bank. Nothing in the water. Just a woman, swimming. The sunlight glimmered upward from the lake, illuminating his cheeks, which were flushed red.
Inwardly he remembered a moment from several weeks before. A singsong voice, a head of wet hair plastered against a pale face and neck. Now the woman bobbed into sight again, lazily kicking and doing a backstroke. Bellamy envied her; he'd wanted to swim since he first saw water from the ground. There was no urgency in her movements, and the sun began to feel even warmer as it shone through a passing cloud.
It was the same woman, he decided. Bellamy's curiosity was almost too intense. He didn't quite know what to do. Wasn't the water dangerous? Wouldn't a squatter in a bunker stay in the bunker most of the time? He looked back over his shoulder, noting for the first time that he was in fact envious. His envy over whatever and whoever this person was outshone his curiosity for the first time.
After another few moments of mulling, he began to feel voyeuristic and turned away, lingering another moment. The bunker might be empty. Maybe he could climb it this time. But Bellamy was on foot and had nothing more than emergency paracord, should anything happen. He decided to head towards Arkadia, as he was meant to-but the thought, and the image of the woman, followed him back.
He lay alone that night on his makeshift corner bed, staring at the inky sky through the window, already plotting a day to go back.