Chapter 9

Back at camp, Octavia was making her way thru the houses looking for Echo. She found her in one of the tents, tending to the weapons they had left.

'I need to speak with you.'

She raised her head and looked at her as a sign that she was listening.

'I want to give you a place in my guard. You are a good and loyal soldier and I don't want your abilities to go to waste.'

'It's an honor, Heda. Thank you'

Octavia gave her a small smile. 'But I need you to tell me what the deal is between you and my brother.'

There was a small pause before one of them spoke.

'You don't want to know about me and your brother, you want to know were I stand on the fact that Clarke turned up alive and well.' Echo smiled when she spoke but their was a bit of hurt behind her voice. 'Don't worry. I haven't spoken to him for days. I knew what I got myself into.

Octavia relaxed a bit. 'I just don't want anyone to get hurt. If we want to rebuild this world we have to have cooperation. You have to be a leader to your people as they have to lead theirs. But I take it you understand that.'

'I saw it a long time ago. Before Praimfaya, even earlier than that. I know your brother cared for me. But he never loved me, he never could. And I knew that before we got involved. He left that part of him on earth.'

'Your self awareness does you credit.'

'It's not really self awareness, it's not being a total idiot. Everybody knows Bellamy loves Clarke except for Bellamy and Clarke.'

When they had gotten a bit from the strangers camp they set up their tents since it was getting dark. Clarke had been limping the whole way and had been getting support all the way. In fear of armed guards coming after them they hadn't stopped to take a look at her thigh. Her right leg was soaked in blood and she had gotten a bit paler. They put her down on the ground and tore the seem of her pants so they got a better look at her injury. The knife had stroked the side of her thigh. The cut wasn't deep and she didn't need stitches but she had lost a lot of blood and was in pain. Slin went to hunt some dinner for them while Kane set up the tents and Bellamy cleaned Clarkes wound. He tried to be as careful as possible while cleaning it with a wet cloth but she winced very often because it stang.

'I'm sorry, I know it hurts'

'It's fine, just tell me something to take my mind of it'

'Like what'

'So... You and Echo?'

He looked up at her and met her gaze. He wasn't ready for her to ask that.

'There's not really much to say.'

'What do you mean there's not much to say? Weren't you guys a couple for several years?'

'I wouldn't exactly call us a 'couple'. And it doesn't really matter. She's been ignoring me ever since we came down to earth.'

The hurt look on Bellamys face made Clarke feel guilty.

'I'm sorry I brought it up'

'It's fine' He gave her a little smile before starting to wrap her leg up in bandages.

'I'm just glad you weren't all alone up there, that you had someone.'

Bellamy looked at her but said nothing. He continued in silence. Clarke secretly got goosebumps when his hand touched her naked skin. She had to pull herself together. They could rest for a few hours but they had to be on their way back to their camp. Their people had to be warned about their sadistic new neighbors.

When they got back the next morning, Abby immediately took a look at Clarkes injury and said it would take a week before she could walk properly and three weeks before it would stop to hurt. The group told Octavia about what happened and she discussed it with the other leaders. They didn't want to be at war as soon as they reached their home. So they decided to lay low and not in any way provoke an attack. They had to save the few people they had left.