The Company You Keep

I rested my chin on my knees as Clarke finished changing the salve on my arm. The long cut was almost healed but Clarke had convinced me to continue covering it so it doesn't get infected. Once she finished, I thanked her quietly and started towards the ladder leading to the first level on the drop ship.

"Brea, it's late. You should probably call it a night." Clarke called after me. I forced a smile as I faced her again.

"I'm just going to get some water. I'll be right back." The lie came too easily, as it had done for the past few nights.

Clarke narrows her eyes. "You keep doing that."

I pretended that I had no idea what she was talking about. "What?"

"Disappearing until sunrise." Clarke paused. "It's not safe out there, Brea."

"I can…"

"Protect yourself." She smiled. "I know. I just… I think you should stay in tonight. Get a full night's sleep."

"I'm not tired, Clarke." I lied again. I was always tired but I knew I couldn't sleep on the ship with everyone there. I had to leave the camp after almost everyone had fallen asleep and wake early enough to return before everyone woke up. The flashbacks and headaches were worse at night than they were during the day. They visited more frequently, giving me less time to recover.

Clarke was hesitant to believe me and I don't think she ever did. But she sighed anyways and gestured to the ladder. "Go. Just be careful."

"I always am." I flashed my best smile and hopped down the ladder.

I tiptoed through camp and made my way to the wall. The workers had closed up most of the gaps but there were still two that I had found usable. I ducked through the hole between two logs and walked into the forest. I took a different route each night, making sure that it was impossible for anyone to ever follow me.

It took me a while to get to my spot where I had set up a miniature camp for myself. I kneeled by a bush and reached underneath. Wrapped in a piece of plastic was my old pair of pants that I had managed to clean. Most nights I used them as a pillow. I also stored a knife I had just finished sharpening the day before. It wasn't something I had planned on using but it was a smart safety precaution.

I rolled up the pants and placed them beneath the tree I had usually slept under. I laid my head down on the pants before pulling the large piece of plastic over me. I let my eyes droop close as sleep finally overtook me. I knew that I would still be awake most of the night so I tried to sleep as much as I could.

I woke the next morning with a jolt. I glanced around the small clearing and then up at the sky. I could tell that it was still too early for most people to be awake by the lack of light falling over the forest.

I sighed and forced myself to get up and start my day. I had only awoken twice the night before because of nightmares/flashbacks and two more times because of the headaches. It was the best night I had since it all started again. I decided to take it as a sign that maybe my luck was changing.

As I started to pack up my supplies, I heard a bush rustle behind me. My mind instantly went to thinking that another jaguar mutant had found me. But what were the odds that there were two of those things in such a small radius. The next best guess was that grounders were circling me as I watched the one bush.

I took a deep breath and got to my feet slowly. I still had the knife clenched in my hand so I wasn't completely defenseless but if more than one grounder jumped out at me, I knew I would lose.

I turned in a circle, watching out for any movements in the trees. "Is anyone there?"

I wasn't expecting a response but I did wait to hear any more noises. But nothing happened. After a minute of staring off into the wilderness with a death-grip on my small knife, I decided that the noise must have been made by some small creature that I scared off. I sighed as I turned back to my supplies still sitting by the bush and stepped towards it.

I shrieked when someone grabbed me from behind. They were stronger than me and quickly slapped a hand over my mouth. I started to thrash my arm and legs but my attacker had a strong hold on me.

"Brea!" The person said in a hushed but strained voice. "Brea! It's just me! It's just me!"

I stopped resisting the second I recognized the voice. The stranger, who wasn't actually so strange to me, released me almost immediately. I spun around to face him even though I already knew whom I'd see.

Standing a foot in front of me was the one person I thought I'd never see again. It was John Murphy.

I didn't hesitate to push him. I didn't use all my strength, just enough to make help my point. "What the hell are you doing here?! Bellamy will kill you if he finds you anywhere near camp!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Murphy recovered from my shove and stepped towards me. "I haven't been able to find any food or water the past few days."

"So, you thought coming back here was a good idea?" I raised an eyebrow. "Do you not remember how angry Bellamy was? He will kill you!"

"Not if he doesn't see me." Murphy watched me closely as he stepped towards me again. "I've been watching you the past couple days…"

I ran my fingers through my hair. "That's not creepy at all."

Murphy ignored my interruption easily. "…and I've seen you sneak out every night just to come here and sleep. You even bring stuff with you sometimes."

"Yes. Stuff that people wont miss." I gesture to the pants and plastic sitting on the floor behind me.

"I'm just asking… begging you to please try to bring some food or water with you next time." Murphy paused. "I'm not going to last much longer out here without it."

"Are you on something?! Why in the world would you think I would risk my own safety to help you?!" I snapped at him.

Murphy's face went somber. "Because you know that I didn't want Charlotte to jump. I never wanted her to get hurt."

"You demanding to have her 'floated', Murphy! It didn't sound like you were too worried about harming her." I folded my arms over my chest. I wanted to believe what he was saying but there was a small part of myself that fought to second guess him.

"I just…" Murphy paused as his gaze bounced around, as if he was searching for the words in the trees. "… I almost died when everyone thought it was me who killed Wells. Then, Charlotte confessed and suddenly everyone thought that 'floating' her was too cruel."

He met my gaze finally but it was my turn to look away. "You know why they did that, right?" He responded by shaking his head so I continued. "You were acting like some high and mighty tyrant. You were ordering people around like they were your own personal slaves. You refused to let them have water breaks or any kind of break for that matter. They hated you, Murphy; so much that they were willing to kill you. They saw a chance to get rid of you and they took it. But when Charlotte confessed, all they saw was a confused thirteen year old girl that was scared for her life."

"I didn't want her to die…"

"Maybe not. But you decided to chase her through the forest and put the people she cared about in danger. She jumped because she thought there wasn't any other way to stop it. She thought you wouldn't stop until she was dead. It doesn't matter whether you wanted her dead or not because it happened. It happened because of what how you acted." I pushed my supplies under the bush and turned away from Murphy. I only managed to take one step before he grabbed me roughly and spun me around to face him again.

Murphy kept a hold of me as he talked but it wasn't strong enough to keep me there forcibly. "Brea, I know what I did was wrong and I will always feel responsible for Charlotte's death but I'm not going to be able to survive out here without help and you are the only person who can help me right now. Please, Brea, I am begging you to help me."

"If you're trying to guilt me into helping you it's not going to…" I started but couldn't find the nerve to finish. I pulled away from him and stepped back. "Fine. I'll help you but don't think this means that I hate you any less."

Murphy smiled for the first time. "Thank you, Brea."

"You owe me big time, Murphy. I'm not only going to have to steal food that Bellamy and his goons caught but also find a way to sneak it out here without anyone noticing." I tell him as I pull out my supplies again. I take the knife and carefully put it in my pocket.

"You're saving my life. I'll never be able to repay you enough."

I looked up at him. "Just make sure not to get caught out here. Because if Bellamy finds you hiding out by camp, he will kill you without hesitation and there wont be a thing I'll be able to do to stop it."

"I know. I promise I'll stay out of sight." Murphy glanced around the clearing quickly.

"You should stay here until I get back. No one usually comes out this far." I run my fingers through my hair. "I'll be back tonight hopefully with food and water."

"Thank…" Murphy started but I put up a hand.

"I know." I drop my hand and start towards the edge of the clearing.

"Try not to get killed before you get me the food." Murphy called after me jokingly. I scoffed.

"I'll do my best." I responded quietly before walking out of sight.

I knew that even talking to Murphy would be putting myself in danger but I realized that I didn't care. For some reason, I wanted to help Murphy. I wanted him to survive his banishment and find a way to live on his own. I guess all I really wanted was to see if it was possible.

I got back to camp before the majority of the other prisoners woke up and slipped through the small hole in the wall. I started towards the drop ship quietly.

"Bellamy was looking for you last night." Monty sighed as he fell into step next to me.

I gave a sigh of disbelief as we both stopped walking. "Are you sure he was looking for me?"

"Yes. He said he wanted to talk to you." Monty told me as I faced him.

I tried to think of what I could have done wrong to earn a talk with Bellamy Blake. "Did he say why?"

"Nope. He just wanted us to tell you that he was looking for you." Monty shrugged casually.

I bit down on my lower lip lightly. "That's odd."

"So, you two aren't… uh… you know…" Monty held my gaze for a second before dropping it to the floor.

I threw him an inquisitive look before realizing what he was trying to ask. I laughed but managed to hide it behind my hand. "Me and Bellamy? No! Not in a million years."

Monty nodded but his facial expression was slightly somber. I started to ask if something was wrong but he stopped me. "I made this for you."

He reached into his pocket and withdrew it a second later with his fist in a ball. He took my hand and placed the object he had been holding in it. I looked down, unsure of what to expect.

My jaw fell open when I saw it was a bracelet woven from electrical wire. The different colored wires went together perfectly.

"Monty, it's… it's beautiful." I stared at the necklace as I ran my fingers over it. "Thank you so..."

I finally looked up to see that Monty was already gone. I glanced over my shoulder and caught a glimpse of him as he disappeared into the drop ship.

I turned back around and gasped when I saw Bellamy standing too close for comfort.

I took a couple steps back. "Don't do that."

"What? Scare you?" Bellamy threw me an amused smile. I smiled back sarcastically.

"Invade my personal space." I corrected him quickly.

"Well, if I didn't scare you, I definitely scared that Monty guy." Bellamy gestured towards the ship.

I narrowed my eyes slowly. "What are you talking about?"

Bellamy sighed before giving me a short explanation. "He saw me walking over here and practically ran to the ship."

I peered over my shoulder for a second, realizing why Monty had run off before I could thank him. I faced Bellamy again and folded my arms over my chest while still keeping a tight hold of the bracelet in my hand.

"What do you want, Bellamy?"

"What's that in your hand?" He pointed to the hand that held the bracelet. I tightened my grip on it protectively.

"None of your business and unless you state yours right now, I'm walking away." I started to turn back to the ship but a light hand on my arm stopped me.

"Hold up, spitfire." His charming smile returned like an old friend. "I need to know where you're heading off to every night."

"Why?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Because people are starting to notice your absence." Bellamy answered without hesitation. I narrowed my eyes again.

"What people?"

"The other prisoners."

I gave a momentary look around the camp. There were some people walking around tiredly but most of the prisoners were still sleeping soundly.

"I leave every night after most people are already asleep and I return before anyone can notice." I inform him while my suspicion continued to rise. "So, who exactly is so curious about my disappearances?"

"Your friends." Bellamy's gaze bounced to the ship behind me before returning to me.

Part of me was surprised. I had started to think that Bellamy was the only person who was observant enough to know about my sneaking out. But I knew that he was probably telling the truth. Clarke had even begun questioning me about it.

"I like to go for late night walks. And recently I've been getting tired before I can return so I just curl up under a random tree and sleep until I feel rejuvenated enough to make the walk back."

I've always been good at lying but I for a second I wasn't sure if Bellamy believed me.

"From now on, take shorter walks." Bellamy orders me with a strict voice.

"I thought we could do whatever the hell we want." I imitated one of his amused looks.

"Not anymore." Bellamy's face was serious now as he stepped close enough to me that I could feel his breath on my face. "I'm trying to make it so we can actually survive down here and I'm not going to let a little spitfire ruin it."

"Don't worry, you don't need me to ruin the perfect little society you're trying to build. I think you're going to do it all on your own." I managed to stutter out the sentence before turning on my heels. I wanted to put as much distance between Bellamy and myself. He made me nervous whenever he tried to get too close and I didn't just dislike being nervous around him. I hated it.

He grabbed onto my wrist suddenly and jerked me back to him. I lost my grip on Monty's bracelet and accidentally dropped it. Bellamy picked it up before I could even reach for it.

"Did that Monty guy give this to you?" Bellamy smiled at me but I could tell it was a half-hearted. "Looks like someone has a little crush."

I gave a frustrated sigh but couldn't find the words to correct him.

Any amusement that Bellamy was feeling disappeared. "You like him back. Who would have guessed? The engineer and the traitor."

I snatched the bracelet out of his hand before he could stop me. "Go blow a goat."

I returned to the drop ship without looking back at Bellamy.

I felt like a weight was put on my chest as I reached for the ladder leading up to the second level. I remembered that Monty was had just gone into the drop ship before Bellamy talked to me.

"Are you going to use that or are you just going to stand there?" I spun around to face Finn. He smiled as he stepped closer to me. "You okay? You look kind of spooked."

"I'm fine." I push the bracelet into my pocket and flash a believable smile. "I was just…"

"Avoiding someone?" Finn raised an eyebrow. I started to laugh it off but realized quickly that he wasn't buying it.

I sighed. "Maybe…"

Finn didn't pry for a name. Instead he just gave me the kind of look that made me want to tell him.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the bracelet. I held it out in front of him as I explained. "Monty gave it to me."

"You mean he made it for you." Finn took the bracelet from my hand with a small smile.

"Same thing." I kept my eyes on the bracelet.

"Not really." He handed back the piece of jewelry. "He took the time to make it. He put his blood, sweat, and tears into it."

I pushed him when I realized he was joking. "This isn't a joke, Finn."

"I know, I know." He stopped laughing. "He did take the time to make it, though. I think it's reasonable to assume that his feelings have surpassed the friendship level."

"But I don't…" I start but couldn't finish.

"Have you even tried to think of him that way?" Finn asked quietly when he saw that I was struggling.

I shook my head without hesitation. "No. I thought we both knew that we were just friends."

Finn shrugged. "Well, some people take longer to fall in love than others."

"Okay. He does not love me." I gestured.

"Not yet…" Finn teased.

"Stop it, Finn." I pushed him again.

"Look, I think its evident that he has feelings for you. You just need to figure out if you feel the same way." Finn shrugged as he moved his hair out of his face.

"I'm probably just reading too much into it. This is most likely just a… a friendship bracelet." I looked down at the bracelet. "Monty and I are just friends and that's all we'll ever be."

"If you say so..." Finn held up his hands in false surrender.

I glance at the ladder behind me but don't reach for it. Finn steps towards the ladder and grabs the one of the rungs.

"You coming?" Finn looked at me.

"I'll be up in a few minutes." I assure him and walk out of the ship.

I watched over the camp for a few seconds. More people were stirring now but there were still some sleeping prisoners scattered throughout. I jumped down onto the moist grass and started to trek through the turf.

"My brother was looking for you." Octavia stepped in front of me suddenly.

I raised an eyebrow. "I… I know. I already talked to him."

"So he asked you?" She seemed surprised but I was just confused.

"Asked me what?"

"I thought you said…" She stared at me for a second. "Never mind then. Just make sure to talk to him."

She walked past me without looking back. I was still clueless

"But I… I already did." I ran my fingers through my hair.

I continued through the camp with the hope that no one else would try to talk to me. I really wasn't in the mood for more confusing conversations.

"Brea Lanston…?" The voice came from behind me. As I debated on turning around to face the person, I had the sudden urge to ignore them and keep walking. But I decided to be civil instead.

Big mistake.

I recognized the girl standing before me the second I turned around.

My jaw fell open in shock. "Solstice?"

Her punch came quicker than my block. I heard my nose crack as her knuckles made contact. I fell to the floor a second later and by the time I was able to focus enough to search for my old friend, she was gone.

I put my hand to nose as it begun to throb. It didn't take long to realize that I was bleeding. I started to wipe the crimson liquid off my upper lip but stopped when someone offered me a piece of cloth. I took it willingly and cleaned off as much of the blood as I could before looking up.

I suppressed a sigh when I saw it was Bellamy.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he offered a hand. I grabbed onto it and let him pull me up.

"I'm fine." I shrugged and pressed the cloth to my nose again.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because that girl got you pretty good."

"That girl used to be my best friend." I dug my toe into the dirt.

"Used to be?" Bellamy flashed an amused smile.

I kept the towel pressed to my nose as I pushed my hair behind my ear. "Why are you so curious?"

"Because I just watched someone catch you by surprise for the first time ever." Bellamy's smile suddenly started getting on my nerves.

"Of course I was surprised. I thought Solstice was still on the Ark."

"She must have gotten arrested." Bellamy stated.

"I figured that." I pulled away the cloth and tapped my nose. I couldn't help but flinch at the pressure.

"So, why did she hit you?"

I hesitated to answer. Part of me wanted to come up with a quick lie but at the last second I unwillingly told him the truth. "Because my parents are the reason her parents are dead."

"Did they turn them in?" Bellamy was obviously confused but I didn't want to explain the situation to him of all people.

But I did anyways.

"No." I shook my head. "After my mom and dad found out that the council wanted to kill hundreds of people to decrease population, they decided that they needed to spread the word. They told all of our closest family friends and Solstice's parents were part of that group. They were floated along with everyone who my mom and dad told about the councils plan."

Bellamy didn't respond for a while. I tried to be patient but after a minute I gave up. I pushed the towel back to my nose and started to walk away.

I should have expected him to stop me.

"How many?" Bellamy asked quietly.

I pursed my lips into a thin line. "Not including my parents and grandparents… eleven."

"Did you watch any of the floatings?" Bellamy's voice was gruff but when I looked at him, I saw a hint of concern in his eyes.

"As part of my sentencing, I had to watch all 15." I tried to keep all emotion out of my voice but it still wavered somewhat.

His concern became more obvious. "You watched all of them die?"

I shrugged. "I had no choice."

"I'm sorr…"

"I should go see Clarke… about my nose." I gestured to the ship behind me.

"Wait," He grabbed my hand, "I actually needed to ask you something."

I had forgotten about Bellamy's mysterious question altogether. "What?"

"Clarke told me that you were a good shot." He lifted up his shirt to flash the gun in his belt. There couldn't be more than a few bullets left after Wells shot the jaguar mutant.

I gave a small smile. "Better than you, that's for sure."

He laughed sarcastically. "Doubt it. But I am better with the axe than the gun so I wanted you to come with me later when I took some of the boys out hunting."

"Uh…" I bit my lower lip. "I don't do hunting."

I didn't think going out into the forest with a bunch of armed criminals ready to kill ever seemed like a smart idea.

"Fine." Bellamy let go of my hand finally. "If you change your mind, we're leaving soon. I'm taking a different route this time."

I looked up just in time to see him gesture to the wall; the same part of the wall I sneak through every night. Bellamy started to walk away but it was my turn to stop him. If he were going in that direction for the hunt, there would be a big chance of him finding my spot and an even bigger chance that he would find Murphy.

"Wait." I squeezed my eyes shut for a second. "I'll go."

"What about your nose?" Bellamy gestured to my face.

I touched it lightly but I still flinched. "I can have Clarke look at it later."

Bellamy flashed his most charming smile and I couldn't ignore the flip my stomach did in response. "Good. Follow me. Everyone will want to meet you."

I hesitated to follow him but I knew that I had no choice. Murphy was out there and if Bellamy found him, he would be dead before sunset and I couldn't let that happen.

Thanks for reading. There is probably going be more time between updates/new chapters but I will try to do it at least once a week. I decided to add another OC who knew Brea. She will play a part in revealing pieces of Brea's past and she will definitely be sticking around for a while. And that does mean that there are more secrets to come and the biggest one will possibly be revealed in the next chapter. If there are any suggestions, opinions, or questions please post them in a review. I love hearing what everyone has to say. Review/follow/favorite if you can! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.