All those times we looked up at the sky

Looking out so far, it felt like we could fly

And now I'm all alone in the dark of night

And the moon is shining, but I can't see the light.

Stars – Grace Potter and the Nocturnals


There was a dramatic gasp that resonated through the crowd, and Clarke jumped into immediate action, snatching the axe from Bellamy's waist and cutting down the toad faced boy from the tree. He dropped unceremoniously to the forest floor, painfully sucking air into his bruised throat.

Bellamy couldn't have cared less about the furious, half-conscious boy on the ground, his sole attention on Charlotte as he fought his way through the crowd to get to her.

There were too many people between them, and people were already heading for the little thing who was shaking like a leaf. Making a snap decision that she was sure to regret, Vala dove forwards, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders and dragging her gently into her side.

Her free hand went to her knife, and she slipped it from it's place at her thigh, brandishing it in front of her defensively, prepared to attack to keep Charlotte safe.

Yes, it was true; blood must have blood. But Vala knew what it was like to kill at a young age, and she only wished she'd been given the second chance she knew they could offer Charlotte. Besides, there had to be a good reason.

Finally Bellamy made it to their side, pressing a hand to the small of Vala's back and leading her – and by extension, Charlotte – away from the crowd surrounding Murphy. Not a moment later they were in his tent, away from the prying eyes of the seething mob led by a bitter frog faced boy.

Without invitation, Clarke shoved into the space, though nobody seemed to mind. The newcomer she vaguely recognised as Finn slid in after her, arms crossed as he stared at them with a pinched expression.

Bellamy sighed, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose to calm himself down. "Charlotte, what do you mean you killed Wells?" he asked, hoping it was all some huge misunderstanding.

"I mean I was the one who stabbed him in the throat," she responded shakily, eyes shooting between them all fearfully. Clarke looked like she was ready to be sick.

"Bring out the girl, Bellamy!" Murphy's sour voice called from outside where he no doubt stood with backup.

"Why Charlotte?" Bellamy questioned, tone almost begging, desperate to understand.

"I was just trying to slay my demons, like you told me!" she said, staring up at him hopefully before she looked over at Vala, eyes shining with unshed tears. "And be brave, like you said."

"What the hell is she talking about?" Clarke hissed furiously, glaring at them accusingly.

"She misunderstood me," he replied helplessly, hands on hips as he turned to eye the girl wildly. "Charlotte, that is not what I meant."

"Bring the girl out now!" Frog boy's shout made them flinch.

"Please don't let them hurt me!" Charlotte begged fearfully.

Bellamy sighed. "If you guys have any bright ideas, speak up," he continued harshly, grinding his teeth together anxiously. Nobody spoke, silence filling the makeshift tent. Vala shifted her weight, still staying close to Charlotte's side, not willing to let her away from her for even a moment. "Now you stay quiet?!" he growled incredulously.

"Those are your boys out there," Finn countered sharply.

Bellamy bristled. "This is not my fault," he hissed. "If she'd listened to me, those idiots would still be building the wall!"

"Hey! You wanna build a society, Princess?!" Murphy shouted from outside. "Let's build a society! Bring her out!"

"No!" Charlotte whimpered, leaning further into Vala's side. "Please Bellamy."

The leader took a deep, steadying breath, turning to kneel in front of the girl, gently curling his long fingers around her small shoulders. "Charlotte, it's gonna be okay," he promised her. "Just stay with them," he glanced at Clarke and Finn with a frown before looking up at the Grounder girl. "Stay where Vala can protect you."

Charlotte sniffled but nodded, watching the man closely.

He stood to his feet, meeting Vala's caramel gaze. "You know these woods well?" he asked softly, ensuring they wouldn't be overheard.

"Well like I hands," she nodded as she held up her hand, and by the brief dumbfounded expression on his face, she knew she'd gotten the common English expression wrong.

"Take Charlotte away," Bellamy continued. "If things go bad, take her and hide her. I'll come find you once the whole thing's blown over."

She didn't quite understand all of it, but she got the basic gist. "Hide Charlotte," she breathed with an assuring nod, and he nodded back, sending her a silent expression of thanks.

With a glance back at Finn and Clarke, he tapped Charlotte lightly on the nose before slipping from the tent, stepping out to face the angry Murphy.

"Where will we go?" Finn murmured to distract Charlotte from the shouts outside the tent.

"Trimani klir," Vala replied, and he was confused for only a brief moment before remembering their exchange in the forest only a few days prior.

"What?" Clarke asked, but before anyone could answer, the shouts outside grew in volume. Charlotte jumped in fear, burrowing her head in Vala's side.

"We go," the Grounder hissed, slipping her staff from it's place on her back, holding it in front of her protectively, other hand wrapped comfortingly around the little girl. "Now."

Finn led the way, lifting the material at the back of the tent up, allowing the girls to slip through first.

She spun around, stopping Luk as he made to follow them. "Luk stay," she told him gently in their language, reaching up to rub behind his ear. "Stay and be safe. Protect Bellamy."

The faithful dog gave a yip of acknowledgement, and with a final smile she ducked out into the open air.

"Be hush," she whispered in Charlotte's ear as they tiptoed away from the camp. The girl nodded, swallowing thickly. "Run," she added once they were far enough away, reaching down to take her hand, using it to pull her along at a faster speed. Clarke and Finn followed behind them, sprinting through the rough terrain that only Vala was used to.

Shouts from the camp echoed around them, but they took no notice, putting their trust in Vala as she led them hastily away from the angry mob.

They ran for a good half hour, only taking short minute-long stops so the Sky people – not in as good as shape as the Grounder girl – could rest.

"It's going to be night soon, guys," Clarke huffed once the shadows began to get longer, night quickly approaching. "Where are we going? At least tell me you have a plan and we're not just wandering aimlessly through the woods."

"Have plan, Clarke," Vala told the blonde girl, not taking the time to look over her shoulder, so all she could see of her were her thick but intricate braids, trinkets woven through the threads. Charlotte had fallen back, still staying close to Vala, but knowing the girl was on edge, paying too much attention to the forest to worry about her.

"You know these woods well?" she asked, even though Bellamy had already asked. She recognised some landmarks, but most trees just looked identical. She could never imagine knowing one clearing from another.

"Yes," she responded curtly, distracted as her eyes swept the trees.

Things were quiet for a beat. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Clarke suddenly shouted, making Finn and Vala finally look back, to see her ripping her hand from Charlotte's grasp. "Just because we saved you, doesn't mean you're forgiven," she spat at the girl. "Got it?" Finn said her name sternly, and the blonde looked over at him sharply. "What?" she asked defensively.

"She's just a kid," he said with a frown as Charlotte slowly shuffled across the space, once more burying her face in Vala's middle, desperate for some kind of comfort.

"She's a killer!" she turned to glare accusingly at the girl. "You killed someone Charlotte. Ended his life! Did you stop to think about that for even one second? Look at me. You can't just kill someone to make yourself feel better."

Feeling annoyingly protective, Vala tugged Charlotte out of Clarke's range, baring her teeth warningly, letting a snarl past her chapped lips.

"Charlotte!" frog face's voice bounced off the trees, fury clear in his tone.

"We should run," Clarke muttered flatly.

"That's one way to do it," Finn mumbled. "I like my plan better," the boy bent over, reaching for the latch to the abandoned shelter. He pulled the door up, the metal groaning in protest. "Get in," he instructed, waving them into the eery darkness of the shelter. Charlotte went first, dropping into the room loudly, Clarke following only a moment later. "Vala, you're up," he said, gesturing for her to dive in after them.

"I stay by ground," she argued, shaking her head.

"What?" he asked with a frown.

"Hide trees, see frog face. I protect," she said, and he looked unsure.

"Finn," Clarke hissed from the darkness, making the decision for him. "Come on."

He frowned, sending her a concerned look. "Stay safe," he nodded to her.

"Kamp raun klir," she responded in her own language, how it felt more sincere. His lips twitched as he descended the ladder, moving down into the safety of the shelter. The hatch closed after him, locking out all sound and leaving her in the pressing, but familiar and comforting silence of the forest.

It was getting dark, and Vala found herself missing Luk. It was rare they were ever separated, and each time it happened she hated it even more.

She grasped a low hanging branch, pulling herself up the tree with practised ease. She settled into a fork near the top of the tree, her ragged clothing blending right in with the leaves.

She sat for a long time, well into the night. The group of vengeful boys got close a few times, but not close enough that she worried about getting down, instead just staying in her spot until, finally, they strayed close to the entrance to the shelter.

She leapt from the tree, landing catlike on the damp ground.

A small boy near the back noticed her first, and she merely stared back stonily, face betraying nothing. "Murphy!" he shouted, alerting the ringleader to her presence.

They spun around, flaming torches pointed at her. "Ah – if it isn't Grounder girl. I imagine we're close to the little bitch and her princess protection service then, huh? I mean, we have to be if they sent the muscle to take care of things." He broke off with an ugly sneer. "You might be brave, and you might have skill, but you think you can fight off all five of us at once?" he asked menacingly.

She smirked. She didn't have to be stronger; she just had to be faster.

Without a warning she turned and legged it into the depths of the forest. Her eyes, used to the darkness – adjusted easily as she slipped between trees and over rocks, feet hitting the soft forest floor quietly as she ran.

They were dumb enough – or maybe just angry enough – to chase her. They weren't as fast, and they had no hope of catching her, but she supposed it was the better option than walking through the woods aimlessly looking for a small child.

She lost them easily enough, taking a few sharp turns then climbing a tall tree, hiding atop the canopy until they ran past, the light of their torches becoming dots in the distance. She climbed back down, taking a moment to breathe deeply as she glanced up at the sky.

Then she was running again, back in the direction of the shelter. It was a long walk, but she ran it, halving the time it took. She was getting tired by the time she arrived back to where she'd been before. She may have been in good shape, but even she had her limits.

Knowing she should check on the little one, she opened the hatch. "It be Vala," she called the moment it was open, letting them know it was her so they didn't do anything rash.

"Huh?" Clarke's voice floated up to her, sounding sleepy and distracted. She peered down into the warm light of the shelter. She was silent, waiting for them to reply, then Clarke shouted, "Oh my God! Finn, wake up! Charlotte's missing!"

"Charlotte gone?" Vala hissed, and Clarke responded affirmatively.

Swearing to herself in Trigedasleng, she jumped into a standing position, not bothering to wait for the pair still in the shelter before hightailing it back into the forest. She didn't bother looking for the girl's prints; it was too dark to see anything clearly, and she didn't have access to a torch.

She ran, heading further and further into the woods, hoping that maybe she would come across something to tell her where she had gone.

She finally found the clue in the form of a scream. She changed directions, instantly heading for the source of the noise. She found Charlotte quickly, only slightly surprised to see Bellamy was with her. She appeared from the tree line, making Charlotte jump with fright. "Hush," Vala shushed her, glancing over her shoulder, hoping she wouldn't see the glow of the bad guys' torches.

She was surprised, then, when the young girl let out a piercing scream. "I'm over here!" she hollered into the darkness, clearly for some reason wanting them to find her.

"Charlotte," Vala snapped irritatedly. "Hush."

"Come get me!" she screamed, the sound hurting Vala's ears. She looked over her head at Bellamy, who shook his head helplessly, not having any idea.

"Charlotte! We're trying to help you," he growled, holding her still as she attempted to wriggle from his grasp.

"I'm not your sister," she snapped harshly, the words stinging Bellamy in an odd way. "Just stop helping me!" She ripped herself from his grasp, darting for where Vala could see the faint glow of fire. "I'm over here!" she wailed.

Vala stepped forwards, grasping the tiny girl by the shoulder, leaning down to look directly into her eyes. "Are you trying to get us all killed?" Bellamy hissed from behind her, glancing warily at the approaching men.

"Please just go! I'm the one they want," she begged. Vala wasn't sure what was happening. Charlotte wanted to get caught?

Bellamy grasped the girl's lapels, pulling her from Vala's grasp and into his own. "Okay, listen to me," he began seriously, meeting her eyes in the darkness. "I. Won't. Leave. You," he promised, nods punctuating each word.

She looked like she was going to give in, but then she gave the older boy a heartbreaking look. "Please Bellamy," she cried, before turning and once more screaming in the direction of the approaching group.

In a last ditch effort to save her, he hoisted her up, throwing the little thing over his shoulder and legging it in the opposite direction. Charlotte continued to scream, but he and Vala ignored her, focusing their attention on running as fast and as far as they could.

She continued to scream, and, weighed down by the girl he was carrying, Bellamy wasn't very fast. Soon enough the group of bitter boys were catching up to them, their torches more than faint glows in the distance.

"Run," Vala grunted at the leader, who grunted back, trying his hardest to speed up, even as Charlotte twisted and wriggled, trying to get out of his grip.

She was so focused on getting ground between the two groups, that she didn't realise where they were heading until it was too late.

"No!" she shouted, just as they came to the edge of the cliff, the drop sheer and dangerous, certain to kill any who may fall.

Bellamy cursed, finally putting the young girl back on her own feet, just as frog face barrelled into view. "Bellamy!" he shouted angrily, spotting the tall leader who glared back at him defiantly. "You can't fight all of us, not even with your little Grounder whore as backup," he sneered, "give her up."

Bellamy paused, shooting Vala a side glance. She nodded to the unspoken question, reaching down to pull her dagger from it's place at her thigh. She held it in front of her, a silent warning to the boys. "Maybe not," Bellamy continued, muscles coiled as he prepared to fight. "But I guarantee we'll take a few of you with us."

"Bellamy, stop!" a new but familiar voice shouted. Clarke dashed onto the cliff, shoving past Murphy and his lackeys uncaringly. She paused, turning to look at Murphy sternly. "This has gone too far," she told him darkly. "Just calm down; we'll talk about this."

He was silent for a beat, seeming to consider the offer before he dove, grabbing the blonde and tugging her to him, blade of his knife pressed up against her jugular. "I'm sick of listening to you talk," he sneered in her ear.

Vala didn't know what to do. The code of her people said to attack, lives lost were simply casualties of war. But her own, personal code, said she couldn't let Clarke get hurt. So, against her instincts, she followed her heart and stayed exactly where she was, knife brandished defensively in front of her, positioned slightly in front of Charlotte, prepared to attack at a moment's notice.

"Let her go!" Finn demanded, stepping forwards.

"I will slit her throat," Murphy threatened, instantly making the boy take a placating step back.

"Please," Charlotte spoke up, ducking out of Vala's protective hold and facing frog face head on. "Please don't hurt her," she begged, tears in her eyes.

"Don't hurt her?" he asked, a menacing glint in his eye. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. You come with me right now, I will let her go."

There was a tense pause. "Don't do it Charlotte," Clarke said strongly, not daring to move an inch as the blade dug deeper into her flesh.

Despite the blonde's words, she made to take a step forwards. Vala used her free hand to grasp the child by the shoulders, stopping her from moving. Bellamy did the same, ignoring her as she screamed and struggled.

"Murphy, this is not happening," he growled at the bloody-faced boy, shaking his head.

Murphy sneered again, and Vala wondered if his face was permanently in that expression. "I can't let any of you get hurt any more," Charlotte spoke up before anyone could say anything else. "Not because of me. Not after what I did."

"We some days do bad thing, Charlotte," Vala whispered to her, a rare feeling of fear settling in her gut. "And we some days do two chance."

A tear trickled down the girl's smooth cheek. Without saying more, merely a regretful look back at the group, she spun around and dove from the cliff. Without thinking Vala lurched after her, hands reaching out only to grasp at air.

She felt herself overbalance, and for one fleeting second thought she too was about to fall to her death. Then a large, warm arm curled around her waist, catching her before she fell, pulling her back against a hard body.

She sucked in a breath, feeling lightheaded from the near-death experience. But she recovered quickly, instantly switching from relieved to mournful as she stared over the edge of the cliff, fruitlessly trying to see through the thick gloom.

She wondered if there was more she could have done. Something she could have said, had she known the words. Clarke cried from beside her, begging into the darkness like it would somehow bring the little one back.

The arm tightened around Vala's middle, and she felt breath on her cheek. She knew it was Bellamy, and the knowledge would have been interesting were they in any other situation. As it was, she leaned into the half-embrace, craving the comfort he was providing.

The moment of grief ended, but Vala knew it was far from over.

Bellamy stepped back, slowly letting his arm fall from her waist. She stepped back, knife clutched in her hand so tightly, her knuckles went white. The leader turned to face Murphy, face scarily blank.

"Bellamy-" a suddenly desperate and wary frog face said, hands held out placatingly. It sure was a change from the self-righteous display she'd seen moments earlier.

Vala considered attacking him herself, but they weren't her people. So it wasn't her place. Thankfully, Bellamy stepped up, running at Murphy and tackling him to the ground as his minions did nothing but stand watch, not willing to get into a fight with the stronger leader.

"Bellamy!" frog face tried again as the man pummelled his face into the ground, fist no doubt shattering bone as it connected with his flesh.

"Bellamy! Stop!" Clarke shouted, horrified. The leader didn't so much as pause, landing punch after punch on Murphy's bloody face. "You'll kill him!"

Blood must have blood.

But Charlotte had taken her own life. Yes, it was Murphy's fault of course, but what could they charge him with? Being a self-righteous dick?

She stepped forwards, wrapping her hands around Bellamy's arm. He ripped it from her grip, laying into the frog boy once more. Not to be deterred, Vala grasped his hand in hers when he pulled it up to swing. He froze, glancing up at her, eyes locking onto his blood covered fist as it was clutched gently in her two smaller hands.

"He deserves to die!" he shouted suddenly, turning back to face Murphy but not ripping his fist from Vala's hold.

"No!" Clarke stepped in furiously. "We don't decide who lives and dies! Not down here!"

Bellamy paused, looking between the blonde and the broken boy on the ground. "So help me God, if you say the people have a right to decide-"

"No! I was wrong before. You were right," she cried, dismayed. "Sometimes it's dangerous to tell people the truth. But if we're going to survive down here, we can't just live by 'whatever the hell we want'. We need rules."

"And who makes those rules?" he countered gruffly. "Huh? You?"

"For now, we make the rules," she responded evenly.

"So what then? We just take him back and pretend like it never happened?"

"No!" she shouted back, falling silent for a long moment, eyes shooting to the every face illuminated by the torches. Her eyes landed on Vala, standing back near a tree, keeping a watchful eye on Murphy, prepared to step in if necessary. An idea sprung to mind, and the thought made her sick, but she knew it was the only option. Eyes still on the lonely Grounder girl, she said, "We banish him."

Vala may have been almost entirely lost for the majority of the conversation, but there was one english word she was very familiar with.

Banish.

The Trikru would have merely executed him, and she wasn't sure which was the kinder option. She'd been banished, and while she may have been alive, she didn't have much of a life. But it was frog face, and any outcome where she didn't have to look upon him every day was a blessing, so she kept her mouth shut.

If the scavengers didn't find him, or the Reapers, then the clan would. Either way he wouldn't last two days by himself on the ground.

Bellamy surged forwards, grasping frog boy by his collar and hoisting him up, dragging him to the edge and holding him threateningly over the gloom. Clarke and the others cried out in worry, but Vala knew he wasn't going to do anything except scare the kid. It should have scared her, how accurately she could read Bellamy, like scribbles on a map.

"If I ever catch you near camp, we'll be back here," he warned mercilessly. "Understand?" Murphy nodded, glaring up at Bellamy with disdain. He threw the broken boy to the side, and the blood covered kid crumpled to the dirt helplessly. "As for the four of you, you can come back and follow me, or go off with him to die. Your choice," the leader continued to the remaining members of toad face's party.

Having said his piece, Bellamy turned and marched off into the woods, not even considering glancing back as he blindly moved deeper into the trees. Vala followed him without hesitation, barely sparing Murphy a glance herself before slipping past the group wielding torches and hopping easily over logs as she sped to reach her friend.

She stayed a few paces behind him, not sure whether he needed space or not. She decided to give it to him anyway.

She heard the others begin to follow them, all staying a safe distance away from their furious leader, allowing him time to cool off before they dared approach. Vala was nothing if not patient, and she was content to wait. Doing what she always did when she was anxious, she began to hum.

The sound was quiet, not loud enough to reach anyone but Bellamy, filling the thick, tense air with a much lighter energy. She wasn't doing it for anyone other than herself, but eventually Bellamy's harsh breaths slowed and his balled fists unclenched, the soft sound having an indescribable effect on him.

She decided to wait for him to say something, not wanting to push him before he was ready. She wasn't expecting the first thing out of his mouth to be a question.

"Why did you care so much about Charlotte?"

She looked over at him, edging closer to him so they could converse quietly without being overheard. She took a moment to process the foreign words, finding the meaning in them through a good shot at deductive reasoning.

Apparently she took too long to reply, because Bellamy hurried to fill the silence. "I mean, you'd only known her, what? A few days? Why were you so protective, why put yourself on the line for her? Most people would have let her die."

Vala pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I be Charlotte," she finally answered, a frown marring her kohl smudged features. Bellamy shot her a confused frown. "Many years back. I be Charlotte."

Understanding dawned on Bellamy's freckled face, realising what the wild girl was saying. "Because you killed someone at her age too," he deduced with a nod, brow furrowed as he considered her admission.

"Was no have two chance," Vala murmured gently, bounce suddenly gone from her step as she stared darkly into the gloomy forest, mind in another time. "Charlotte should got that." She was silent for a time, both of them taking in her words. She paused abruptly, deft feet coming to a stop. Bellamy stopped too, turning to look at her worriedly. "Charlotte, yu gonplei ste odon," she muttered suddenly, staring sorrowfully up at the moon, remorse colouring her tone.

He was only confused for a beat before he recalled her saying it several times before. "Your fight is over," he translated softly, also glancing up at the silvery orb, as though it would somehow connect him to the fallen little girl.

Moment of mourning over, she looked back at her darkened path and began walking once more.

It wasn't the first time somebody she'd cared about had died, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.