End of Watch

I flinched as Clarke press the seaweed remedy to my cut. She gave me an apologetic look and quickly finished applying the salve. I held out my arm and she wrapped a piece of cloth around the wound.

"Thanks." I sighed before standing up. The light sitting in the middle of the room emitted just far enough so I could see the outline of Jasper in the corner. He was awake now but it his health was still going to be a concern.

"He's going to make it." Clarke told me as she stood up. I nodded and flashed a believable smile.

"I know." I took one last look at Jasper before heading down to the lower level of the drop ship. I knew he'd be in good hands with Monty and Octavia watching over him around the clock.

I walked out into the night quietly. The sun had already disappeared behind the tree and the nightly chill was setting in. Most of the camp was already asleep but I could hear hushed whispers from where I was standing. I managed to catch Wells as he walked towards the trees.

"Hey. You have to do watch right?" I asked him quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"I need something to do." I smiled convincingly while I gave a small shrug. Wells tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

"You should go sleep. Monty told me how you and Octavia stayed up all night to look after Jasper." Wells kept his eyes locked on me as he waited for me to respond.

I grit my teeth as I widened my smile. "Actually, Octavia's the only one who pulled an all-nighter. Monty and I both fell asleep for a bit."

"You still need to sleep." Wells paused. "You and Octavia."

I laughed lightly. "Octavia wont sleep until she knows that Jaspers safe. She cares too much to leave his safety to anyone else but her and Monty."

"She likes him?" Wells surprised expression caused me to laugh again.

"Yes. And Jasper likes her too." I glanced over my shoulder at the ship. "They'd be good for each other."

"Everyone needs someone to care about them, especially on Earth." Wells looks at the ship for a second before returning his gaze to me.

"I think most people already do." When Wells gave me a questioning look I offered an explanation. "Clarke has you and Finn. Jasper has Monty and Octavia. Octavia has Bellamy and Jasper. And I have myself."

I smiled at my own little joke but Wells didn't find it so funny. "You have me and Clarke."

"I've been doing just fine on my own, Wells. And plus that doesn't even count. We barely know each other seeing as how we just met."

"That doesn't mean we can't…" Wells started but stopped him quickly.

"Clarke told me you two made up. I guess you're back in the game."

Wells gave me another confused look. "I don't like her like that. We're just…"

"I'm not blind, Wells. I see the way you look at her." I gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. "Don't worry, you're secret's safe with me."

"Is it really that obvious?"

"I don't think she's figured it out yet but I'll make sure to tell her how lucky she is if she does." I glance around the camp to make sure there aren't any inquisitive delinquents nearby. "I can only hope to find a guy who looks at me the way you look at Clarke."

Wells' shook his head. "I'm sure you will someday. You just can't give up hope."

"We're on earth, Wells. There aren't a lot of respectable prospects here." I cover my mouth as a yawn escapes my lips suddenly.

"You should really get some sleep or you'll start getting bags under your eyes." Wells said in a joking manner. I laughed and gave him a light shove.

"Always the gentleman." I shook my head. I began walking backwards to the ship.

"Sleep tight." Wells called out quietly as he started towards the trees again.

"Don't let the grounders catch you." I added before ducking into the ship.

When I got to the second level, I was amazed but happy to see that Octavia and Jasper had fallen asleep. Clarke and Finn were still up but I could tell that it was almost time for them for them to call it a night as well. I laid down a couple feet from Monty and used my uninjured arm as a pillow. I was asleep before I could get comfortable.

I woke up early the next morning. Too early. But I failed to fall back asleep even after several desperate attempts. I tried to be as quiet as a mouse as I tiptoed out of the drop ship but Monty still stirred as I walked past him.

"Where are you going?" His voice was tired and slurred but I managed to make out the words.

"For a walk. I'll be back soon." I whispered before hopping down the ladder.

I took a deep breath as I stepped outside. I still hadn't gotten used to the smell of fresh air and I took every chance I could get to fill my lungs with it.

I remained quiet as I walked past my fellow sleeping prisoners and waited until I was out of earshot range to let out a heavy sigh. I knew that Wells would most likely still be on watch so I turned in the right direction and went to find him.

"What are you doing?"

The vindictive sounding question made me spin on my heels but I continued on my way when I saw it was just Bellamy.

"Looking for Wells." I responded impassively as I jumped down from a small overhang. "What are you doing?"

"Brea, wait." Bellamy's voice closed in on me quickly.

He stopped me a second later and turned me to face him. I pulled away but stayed still. "What?"

"You're not going to find Wells out here." Bellamy's face went somber. I felt a small pressure on my chest but ignored it.

"And why's that?" I stepped towards the stowaway.

For once, Bellamy seemed stuck. But I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't know what to say or because he didn't want to say anything at all.

"He was on watch last night. That means he's still out here." I said with more confidence than I felt. "Right?"

Bellamy's eyes wandered past me for a second. It took him a minute to look me in the eye. "No."

"What are you saying, Bellamy?" I tried to hold his gaze but he looked away again so I repeated myself. "What are you trying to tell me? Where's Wells?"

I could hear him swallow before meeting my eyes. "He's dead."

When I heard the words, it was like a weight was being placed on my chest. I forced myself not to believe Bellamy but mind was shouting at me to believe him.

"No… No… no…" I stammered to myself mainly. Bellamy reached for me but I knocked away his hand. "Show me his body!"

He shook his head. "I don't think that's a good…"

"If you think he's dead then you must have found a body. I need to… I need to see it for myself. Show me his body!" I shut my eyes as I took a couple deep breaths. It's always been the only thing that has helped me calm my nerves.

"I can't, Brea!" Bellamy stepped towards me carefully but I made sure to keep the same amount of distance between us.

"Why not? Is it because you don't think I can handle it?" I realized the questions sounded more like threats after I said them.

"You can't! I know he was your friend and now he's dead. It's not something you want to see." Bellamy assured me.

"I've watched more loved ones die than everyone down here." It was my turn to take a step forward. "I am the last person you need to worry about right now. Show me the body."

I could see the uncertainty in Bellamy's eyes but he eventually gave in. He sighed as he faced the drop ship. I stayed a step behind him as he led me to a small temporary tent. Bellamy stopped right outside the entrance but gestured for me to go in. I shut my eyes as I ducked through the opening.

When I finally got up the courage to open my eyes, I regretted it. Lying on the floor in the middle of the tent was a body. It had been covered with a large plastic sheet but the outline didn't leave much to the imagination. I kneeled beside the deceased prisoner and pulled back the sheet slowly. Once again, I shut my eyes before I could see the face.

I had to take a couple of deep breaths in order to build up the audacity to look. I knew that once I saw his face, the situation would no longer just be a theory; it would be real. I would have lost another person in my life without being able to do anything to stop it.

And I was right.

"How are you holding up?" Monty dropped down beside me. I gave him a short side-glance before returning my gaze to Jasper who had fallen back to sleep.

"I'm trying not to think about any specific thing right now because I know that if I do, there's a chance I might break down and I really don't want that to happen." I pursed my lips together as I hugged my knees to my chest.

"You don't have to hide your feelings with me…" Monty looked at Jasper. "… or him."

"I'm not hiding anything. I'm just doing what I always do. And if it's worked every time before, it will work now." I nod my head slowly and rest my chin on my knees.

"How many times has it worked exactly?" Monty questioned.

"Fifteen." I clarified quietly. Monty must have connected the dots because he let the silence continue for several minutes.

"You might have had to push everything aside up on the Ark, Brea, but you really don't have to do that down here. This is Earth."

"Exactly! This is Earth, Monty. We were told that this was meant to be a fresh start for us but life down here is starting to seem really similar to the life I had up there." I pointed up at the ceiling.

"The wall will keep the grounders out. No one else is going to die because of them." Monty placed his hand on mine lightly.

"You don't know that. No one knows that." I pulled my hand out from under his and stood up quickly. "The grounders could break through that stupid wall easily and we'd could all be dead by tomorrow."

I left the ship before Monty could try to make sense of what I said. I appreciated his efforts to cheer me up but I was already convinced it wouldn't work.

"There are no more water breaks for this section!" Someone yelled above all the noise. I turned to see Murphy push some kids away from a large water bowl. I wasn't surprised that he was back to his old jackass ways. Some boys had mood swings just as much as girls.

"Hey, spitfire. Why don't you pick up a log and do some work around here?"

I didn't bother responding to Murphy. Instead, I turned around and continued on my way.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Murphy called after me but I ignored him easily.

He used his signature grab to stop me from going any farther and forced me to face him.

"It's your turn to do some hard labor, spitfire." Murphy's lips curled up into a vile smile.

"Let go of me." I dropped my eyes to his hand on my arm.

"And what are you going to do if I don't?" Murphy raised an eyebrow. I pursed my lips into a thin line and counted down from three.

"This." I mumbled before thrusting my palm up into his nose. He stumbled back after releasing my arm and I didn't hesitate to land a kick between his legs. "My dad was the chief guard on the Ark. He taught me how to protect myself from pompous assholes like you."

With that, I went on my way.

I ducked through a small gap in the wall and started to walk the perimeter. I expected it to be deserted this far from camp so I was surprised when I saw Finn walking back towards the wall.

I hopped behind a nearby tree after I realized he was heading in my direction. I thought being stuck with a bunch of criminals would mean I wouldn't have to talk about my past or my feelings but I was wrong. I didn't really want to be alone but I didn't want to talk to anyone either.

I moved around the tree as he passed by and waited until I couldn't hear his footsteps to walk back out into the open. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Finn leaning against the wall in front of me.

"Hey." He smiled.

I pursed my lips into a thin line as I forced a smile. "Hi."

Finn pushed himself off the wall and took a couple steps towards me. "You know there are grounders out here, right?"

I dropped my eyes to the floor for a second while i nodded. "Yeah, I… uh… I got the memo."

"Come on. We should head back." Finn held out his hand for me but I shook my head and moved back an inch.

"If you couldn't tell, I was walking away from camp." I gestured over my shoulder with a weak smile.

"You're not making a break for it, are you?" Finn raised an eyebrow as he glanced around the forest behind me.

"No. I just… I need some quiet and that's the last word you'd use to describe our little establishment."

"You should talk with Clarke. She's pretty upset about Wells too." Finn peered back at camp.

I let out a barely audible sigh and pressed my palms against my thighs. "She has a right to be. I don't. I barely knew Wells."

Finn was obviously a little confused. "Then why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset! I just… I…" I ran my fingers through my hair. "I just don't want to talk right now."

I didn't wait for Finn to question me further. I turned to the forest and quickly put distance between Finn and myself.

"Brea…" I heard him call after me.

I stopped and faced him. "Finn, I am begging you to just let me go. I'll be back before nightfall."

"You have friends here, Brea. Friends that want to help you. You just need to let them into your life." Finn stayed in his place.

I shake my head. "People hated me on the Ark because of who my dad was and what he did. And people hate me down here for the same reason. That's not going to change just because I start opening up to people."

"I'm not saying it's going to fix everything but it'll make it easier for you." Finn shoved his hands into his pockets and faced the camp. He started walking away but slowly. I think he was hoping I'd follow him. But I didn't.

I spun on my heels and took a step. My foot must have caught on a tree root because a second later I fell to the floor. I grunt as I start to push myself up onto my knees.

"Are you okay?" I heard Finn ask from behind me. I nodded and brushed off my hands.

My eyes dropped to the floor in front of me. "Yeah. I just tripped over…"

I stopped when a reflective object caught my eye for a second. I reached over and moved weeds away from it. My jaw fell open subtly when I saw that the knife wasn't the only thing lying on the floor.

"What is it?" Finn dropped to his knees beside me. I picked up the knife and turned it over in my hand. I recognized it as one of the makeshift weapons that had been forged from the metal of the drop ship.

I met Finn's eyes for second before looking back at the fingers on the floor. "I think I just found out who really killed Wells."

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As you can see, my OC has some deeply rooted problems and they will begin to manifest in the upcoming chapters. I assure you that I will give out some details of her past and things will heat up a bit. Please review! I need to hear what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. I take everything as constructive criticism and will do my best to fix what I can. Review/follow/favorite if you can!