Ascent
Chapter four
Falling behind she trudged along, heavy garments weighing her movements down. She knew she couldn't have been the only one slowing down as her eyes skimmed over each of her new comrades. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the majority of her rescuers were chatting happily despite shivering every so often as the temperature dropped since their trek from the water. Despite herself, she shivered too, catching the eye of one the young men near her. From the corner of her eye she saw him half smirk, whether it was at her or an amusing thought she didn't know. Trying desperately not to shiver again, or to show it, she forced herself to pick up pace, passing his smug expression. She came into step with the youngest one of their crew of criminals. Octavia was bustling with energy, it surprised her. She also noticed Jasper and Monty were energized as well. Maybe it was because of good company? She wasn't sure. Suddenly Jaspers arms shot up and he started running forward. Clarke's head tilted, then eyes following his direction of choice. Oh. It seemed as if the remaining kids of the 100 had gotten a fire started, she saw the glow from where they were. Clarke looked over her shoulder and saw that the two young men also saw what Jasper had seen. One after another they began to hurry their pace.
Finally breaking through the trees, the other kids stopped to stare at the soaked kids. Some of them running toward those they knew. Clarke moved away from them, heading toward the fire to warm her fingers. She felt eyes on her. Did she still have blood on her face? Was it matted in her hair? Who was even looking at her? She was curious, but didn't look up until a voice came from beside her.
"Clarke?" It croaked out, as if a heavy weight of unease was lifting from the deep voice. She didn't need to look up to see who it was. She knew it was her ex-best friend, the one who betrayed her and that she couldn't forgive. "A-are you okay? You seem pale, and… And is that blood?" Of course, she had blood on her. She figured that one encounter with the water wouldn't wash away the Grounders blood instantly. Frowning, she pulled her hands back as he went to put his around hers.
"Why do you care?" She spat out. Stepping around him. Heading toward the drop ship now. Clarke felt him grab her wrist, when he pulled her back to see her face, he was met with anger and irritation. "Wells, leave me alone." Ripping her wrist from his grasp she stalked off towards the ship, not missing the hurt in his brown eyes. The sudden transition from warm to cold making her shudder. She heard him call out, choosing to ignore him and slipping past makeshift curtains made out tattered blankets and clothes. Heading for the ladder in the center, gripping the cold metal, a stark comparison to how she felt.
Entering through the hatch, she drops it behind her. Taking a moment to look around, seeing if she was alone or not. Clarke saw some pieces of clothes that had been washed by someone else in the camp that been built while they were gone. Briefly wondering if they had belonged to the deceased kids from earlier, before peeling the wet clothes off. Damp skin was met with chilly air, not holding back a shiver, she drops the article of clothing to the metal ground with a thud. Had her clothes been that heavy? It was far too loud of a noise to just been from her clothes. She had her back to the hatch, she looked over her shoulder to see it was popped open and there was a person there with their back to hers. Holding back a gasp, she scrambled for the dry shirt, tripping over her own wet shirt, she couldn't hold back that squeak. It drew the attention of the person behind her. She managed to grab the shirt in time to pull it to her bare chest, choosing that moment to look back over her shoulder. Finding a familiar face.
"Oh. I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize anyone was up here." Monty turned away when he saw her desperately clinging onto the shirt. She relaxed a little, her heart steadied and she slipped the shirt on as quickly as she could.
"It's alright. I'm just glad it was you and not one of the more dangerous kids that came down with us." She stated, trying to make the air less tense.
"Yeah, totally." Monty called, stepping through and dropping the hatch in place. He moved to the far end of the cabin, toward the one barely lit area with intact radio equipment on a small makeshift table. Clarke watched. She noticed he wasn't in his own wet clothes, but dry ones. "I was actually going to tell you that the girls below deck said there were dry clothes up here, extras." He paused, wondering if it was safe to look over, he didn't, "seems like you found 'em just fine though."
Clarke took this opportunity to change her pants as well with his back turned. "Uh, yeah. Hypothermia is no joke. Even though we lived in space, it existed on the Ark too." Clarke padded her way over to Monty after hanging up the wet clothes over various pieces of exposed metal. Monty looked up then, eyes smiling even when his lips weren't.
"It did?" He asked, keeping the conversation going.
"Oh yes. With the medical wing being as big as it was, we had patients for many different things. One of those things being just that. There was one time my parents had a patient who died from hypothermia because they had refused to see a doctor till it was too late." Her voice softening as the memory slipped in. She bit her lip.
"Don't worry Clarke, you're the best medical expert we have." Monty said, trying to cheer her up.
"I'm the only medical expert you have." She mused.
Monty looked like he was about to respond, instead his eyes moved past her to the shadows where he must've seen something. Clarke tilted her head in wonder, following his gaze only to see Murphy emerge from the shadows. Clarke's jaw dropped an inch, had he been there the entire time? Did he see her? Embarrassment is what she felt first, next it was anger, she couldn't help but stand to face him, his hands clasped together.
"What a sight!" He mused out loud, "who would have thought I'd get that kind of show down here so soon." Clarke felt her knuckles tense, her chest tighten, he stepped closer to the two of them, chuckling with each thud.
"Murphy…" Monty started, "you should leave."
"You should leave" Clarke said at the same time as Monty. Her fists tightening as he got closer them, to her. She knew enough of self defense to not get caught off guard a second time within the same day.
"Are you going to make me?" Murphy taunted, a speciality of his, irking those around him frequently.
"If I have to, yes." She stated firmly, stepping forward.
He saw the determination in her eyes, wanting to egg her on, to see if she'd act on it. His grin becoming smug, "is that so?"
"It is." She confirmed. As his approach came nearer the hatch popped open once again, a shaggy head appears in the entryway. She could see him climbing up the ladder and emerging, his clothes clinging to his build. He stood there, eyes going from her to Murphy to Monty seated at the table, then back to her. His eyes dropped, seeing her defensive stance, her knuckles going white as she stared Murphy down.
"What's going on here?" Bellamy asked, his hands rising as he came to stand between them. His eyes going back up to Clarke's then to Murphy's.
"It's nothing much, Bellamy." Murphy mused, sticking his hands in his pockets, shifting his gaze away from the older male. "Clarke?" He asked, brow raising toward her.
She bit her lip in thought, debating if she should tell him what had happened or not. No, she didn't owe him an explanation, she wasn't even sure she trusted him. "It's fine, everything is fine." She backed down, stepping back toward Monty.
Bell half cocked his head in her direction, not quite believing her, especially after the stance she had held since he entered the cabin. "Okay. Well, we need to have that talk now." He motioned toward the open hatch. He watched her stop mid step, hesitating. He watched her muscles tighten through the thin fabric on her back, even with the dim light, he could see even the smallest of details. "You coming?" He asked as he turned his back to her.
She was gnawing on her lip again, she really didn't want to have this talk with him right now. She sighed heavily, as she turned on her heel, responding, "yes."
Bellamy had led Clarke back down to the lower level, away from other kids, through the treeline. He made sure they were alone before he spoke to her, not turning around. "We need to talk about what happened." Clarke tensed, she knew she had to, she promised. Weighing on what exactly she had to tell him was another thing. She waited until he spoke again, for the questions he was undoubtedly going to have. And then he did. He turned on her, "what was the arrangement? How could you make a deal with them? What happened to you?" He paused, bring his hands to his head, to communicate what he was trying to say, "what were you thinking?"
Clarke, chewing on the inside of her cheek, head shifting back with each question. "Woah, woah. Calm down, Bellamy." She put her hands up this time, trying to get his questions to stop. "What do you mean, what I was thinking?" His last question irking her.
"You could have gotten yourself killed for all you knew!" His voice raising an octave. She was taken aback. Brows narrowing, eyes squinting at him.
"Excuse me? Since when do you care about my safety?" She was getting a strange feeling of deja vu.
He opened his mouth to speak. He snapped it shut. Opening it again, raising his hand, then closing it once more. Why should he care? It's not like she was his charge or anything.
"You've disliked me from the beginning. If anything, I think you would appreciate it if I wasn't here." Clarke spoke, her honesty stabbing at him. "You have your sister to look after, and you can easily look after our people yourself."
His sister! She knew that she'd be sad to see her go. "My sister." He said, as if reading her mind, "She would. She was the one who wanted to rescue you the most. I-I didn't want to disappoint her."
He was surprisingly honest, she was thinking. "Well, I can't go back on word." She crossed her arms in defiance.
"What did you agree on?" He came back to his initial line of questioning.
Rolling on her heels, she looked away briefly, "I'm going back to their village in a day or so. Just long enough for me treat any injured here."
"Why?" He demanded.
"I-I told them that I was our only healer, that I needed to be here in case there was an emergency." She told him, not meeting his eyes.
"Why would you do that?" He asked, trying to step into her line of sight. Trying to understand her reasoning.
"So, you guys' wouldn't die." Her voice was a whisper, he barely caught the end of what she had said, so he stared at her blankly until she repeated her words. "I didn't want to be the reason you guys' died, okay?" She said more clearly, crossing her arms across her chest. Bellamy's eyes growing wide in disbelief.
He felt redundant asking again, "why?" He couldn't wrap his mind around a reason as to why she would willingly sacrifice herself for people who disliked her in return.
Looking him directly in his eyes, she responded, "I may not like you, but, that doesn't mean I want to see you die." His chocolate orbs grew impossibly wide. She felt like he was about to ask her why again, and she brought a hand to cover his mouth before he did. "Please don't." He paused, he could smell the fresh water mixed with soil and copper. He remembered that she'd been covered in blood before, remembered that she stood between a Grounder and him, that'd she protected him once already. He thought he understood right then and there, that the reason must have been because she hadn't wanted anyone's blood on her hands from the 100 who had fallen with them.
She watched his shoulders slump in defeat. She removed her hand, only to find him catching her wrist. Thin brows raising in question. Taking the initiative, "I will be leaving in two days. So, if that's all, I am going to check on our supplies and tend to the injured." He released her wrist. She stepped away, heading back to camp. Leaving Bellamy to watch her back, not allowing him the last word.
Clarke passed by Wells along the way, he must have heard them, she could tell by his expression alone. He had gone to stop her, but she brushed right past him.
End of chapter four. I actually wrote most of this chapter while at work the past two days. Hope you liked it. Not really any spoilers in this chapter. :D You can find this story on both FF, AO3, DeviantArt, and Wattpad.
