Chapter Ten
For the first night since they'd arrived on Earth, things were quiet around the camp.
An almost peaceful feeling had settled over camp following the aftermath of Bellamy and Clarke's declaration that they would now be co-leading. Everyone seemed to feel a little bit better now that they had a solid foundation of a society. No one objected to their two leaders deciding to band together. In fact, they seemed to embrace it. Murphy's banishment had been accepted by all of the delinquents, but Charlotte's death unnerved them. Melody supposed that was why everyone had decided to take it easy that night.
There were several fires lit throughout camp, and the majority of them were surrounded by small groups of friends. Some people talked quietly and laughed amongst themselves, but mostly they just enjoyed what was left of the night. Despite all that had happened over the last twenty-four hours, there seemed to be a lightness among the spirits of the campers. The moon was bright, the stars were out, and the wall was finally completed. Murphy was gone and he wouldn't be coming back.
They could all rest easy tonight.
Almost all of them, anyways.
Melody succeeded in finding a fire that had been abandoned by campers who were long-since retired for the night. When she happened upon it, the fire was little more than a pile of glowing, orange embers. Melody bent beside the pile of firewood and made herself busy as she cupped her hands around the small flame and urged it back to life. After a few failed attempts the fire began to build itself back up, radiating a warmth that enveloped her lovingly.
She eased herself to the ground and sat as close to the fire as possible without the risk of being roasted alive. Despite the heat seeping into her skin, Melody felt so cold inside. Over and over again the images of Charlotte jumping from the cliff played in her mind. It filled Melody with a deep sense of sadness as she thought about the young girl that could have been such an important attribute to their society.
Eight down, ninety-two to go.
The sound of heavy footsteps approaching caused Melody to tense slightly. She wasn't in the mood for company; it was why she had distanced herself from the group. It was why she had distanced herself from everyone. Melody couldn't stand to sit in the dropship and listen as Octavia babied Jasper about frying the freaking wristbands and Monty whined about losing all of his work. As if they didn't have biggerproblems right now.
"I'm not in the mood." Melody barked out at whoever was approaching. She figured that whoever it was, friend or foe, would have enough common sense to turn around and leave her alone. And if they didn't, then that was on them.
Melody kept her eyes trained on the fire as the footsteps continued to bring the mystery person closer and closer. The sound of gentle breathing could soon be heard. It was soft and even, as if the person had not a care in the world. There seemed to be slight hesitation in whether or not they should approach, but eventually Melody felt the presence of someone sitting down next to her, just a few feet away.
She was completely prepared to lash out at whoever it was, but before she had the chance to do so Melody heard a soft, gravelly voice in her ear and immediately all traces of anger seemed to fade away, into the background.
"You alright, sweetheart?" Asked Bellamy.
He had lowered himself to the ground beside her and was currently trying to warm his hands by her fire. Bellamy's presence seemed to be doing funny things to Melody as of late. It felt so natural for Melody to feed off of his anger when they were fighting; she had always seemed to do that. But now things were starting to change between them. When Bellamy used his soft, kind voice and looked at her with that damned concerned look in his eyes she felt as if they were almost…friends.She almost felt like she could let down her guard.
Depending on the situation, he either fueled the flame inside of her or extinguished it completely.
"I'm fine." Melody's voice was short and clipped. She didn't allow her her gaze to stray from the blazing fire that raged in front of her. She focused on the flickering flames as if her life depended on them.
Bellamy scoffed. Once again, he seemed to have the ability to see right through her. "You're grieving."
"I'm grieving?" Her eyes snapped towards him. A newfound ferocity blazed within their mossy green depths. How dare he try and put such a mundane label on her feelings. "And you know this how?"
Bellamy was surprised by the sudden shift in Melody. He had noticed that she almost seemed to bounce between multiple personalities. There was the friendly and inviting side of Melody that he was so rarely blessed with and then there was the guarded, defensive side of her that seemed to come out of hiding whenever he was around. It was as if she were afraid of letting him anywhere near the inner workings of her mind. Not that Bellamy blamed her, of course; he kept a tight wrap on his private thoughts, too.
"I know because I'm grieving, too." Bellamy said simply, lifting his shoulders slightly in a shrugging motion.
A laugh rang out in the air between the two of them, but it was filled with no humor. "You're not grieving like I am, Bellamy. You're not the one with Charlotte's death on your conscience."
"I'm not?" Bellamy glared down at her. "I failed to protect her, Melody. I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to her. And now she's dead."
It hadn't occurred to Melody that the male might have a guilty conscious of his own. She'd been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she hadn't even considered how Charlotte's death might be affecting the rest of them. Now that she thought about it, Bellamy had made it his mission to protect Charlotte from Murphy at all costs. Even when they'd been backed onto the cliff, he had been willing to fight to the death just so the girl might have a slim chance of escaping. There had to be some regret, but Melody wasn't convinced that he felt even an inkling of the guilt that now consumed her mind, body, and soul.
"I let go, Bellamy!" Melody began to shout, unable to hide the nearly hysterical edge that had crept into her voice. Her eyes swam with tears, her chest felt tight. It was as if she were reliving the moment over again, still helpless and unable to change the outcome. "I had a hold of her. My arm was draped over her shoulders and I was holding her so closethat our bodies were practically one. And then…I let go." The last three words were barely more than a whisper in the wind, they seemed to slip from the fingertips that Melody used to demonstrate how she'd just let go of Charlotte.
Melody leaned forward until she was resting her brow against her bent knees. Dainty arms wrapped protectively around her head, entirely hiding Melody's devastated expression from Bellamy's view. Mel had the strongest urge to bury her face in the safety of her arms and cry until she had no more tears left to shed. But she knew that it would accomplish absolutely nothing. If anything, it would just make her look weak.
"You can't blame yourself for this, Melody." Bellamy said firmly.
Oh yes I can.
"It's all my fault." Was Melody's muffled reply.
She could feel something in the air shift, but she didn't bother to raise her head from the safety of her folded arms. Moments later, Bellamy's arm was wrapped around her shoulders and he was pulling her close. The weight of his arm draped across her back was a bit awkward, entirely unfamiliar, and they both tensed at the sudden proximity between them. Yet somehow, the gesture was oddly comforting.
"No it isn't. I don't think it's either one of our faults." Bellamy shook his head slightly. "I think that no matter what we did, Charlotte was determined to die."
The thought made Melody's stomach churn. She remembered the last words that Charlotte had spoken. I can't let any of you get hurt anymore. Not because of me. Not after what I did. And it occurred to Melody then that Charlotte might have actually wanted to die. Perhaps the guilt had eaten away at her until she thought that death was the only solution. Maybe Charlotte's demons haunted her nightmares just as Melody's did. But Melody could have taught Charlotte how to move forward. She could have taught her how to cope. She could have saved her.
"It was probably the guilt." Melody raised her head, but kept her knees pressed tightly to her chest. She felt as if she were physically holding herself together and one false movement would send her unraveling.
"The guilt over killing Wells or letting Murphy almost get hanged?" Bellamy looked down at her with a wry smile.
Melody burst out laughing, the sound shaky and slightly frantic. She knew that it was the most inappropriate time to be laughing, but she couldn't help herself. There was just something about the almost ironic way that Bellamy had said the words. The laughter had been short, but it relieved some of the weight that was bearing down on her chest. It was either laugh or cry, and Melody didn't want to do the latter.
"Killing Wells." Melody replied, although the question had most likely been rhetorical. Her voice was soft and thoughtful, filled with understanding. "It's a guilt that doesn't just go away." The words hung in the air between them as Melody once again over-shared her thoughts and said something that she hadn't intended to say.
Bellamy was silent, thinking her words over. The silence didn't bother either one of them. When he finally did speak again, his voice was thoughtful and curious, but also strangely hollow. "Does it ever go away?"
Melody was surprised by the shameful gleam that she saw in his eyes. Shame looked so out of place in those dark, smoldering brown eyes. Once again Melody had the feeling that Bellamy was hiding something; something big. And yet she couldn't bring herself to just ask him outright, because it wasn't her place to do so.
"No." Melody shook her head and gave him a sad little smile. "You can bury it. You can ignore it. But it doesn't go away." She shrugged. She had long ago come to terms with the guilt, she was no longer bothered by the fact that it couldn't be erased. "Even if you come to peace with everything, the guilt never really goes away. It just fades."
He didn't respond to Melody's words, but that didn't surprise her. She had found that when they were talking like this, on those rare occasions when it was just the two of them, Bellamy didn't always feel the need to voice his opinion. He didn't really have to, because Melody was just as comfortable with silence as she was with talking. Maybe even more so.
The silence that settled over them was calming. The pain in Melody's chest lessened slightly with every passing minute although it didn't go away. She doubted it would ever go away, but having someone who shared her pain by her side had begun the healing process. Her newfound friendship -or whatever it was- with Bellamy was unexpected to say the least. But not even Melody could deny that they had some sort of connection. It wasn't what she felt with her other friends - she felt something deeper than just friendship with Clarke, Finn, Monty, Jasper, and even Octavia- but it was definitely something.
"Hey Bellamy…" Melody turned her head to look at him, but she was surprised to find that there was no one there. What the hell? She suspected that he had been gone for a while now and she just hadn't realized it. When had minutes begun to turn into hours? She had been far too wrapped up in her own thoughts to pay much attention to him, anyways.
Mel didn't know whether she should be relieved that she got what she had originally wanted -solitude- or if she should be upset that Bellamy had left her alone to grieve by herself. Whenever he was around, it didn't hurt so badly. It was as if he shouldered some of her pain. Alone, Melody didn't know if she could handle all of the guilt. It felt to her like no one else understood. Not the way Bellamy did.
Melody didn't like the fact that she felt so dependent on the boy all of a sudden. If there was anything Melody prided herself on -aside from badassedness- it was her independence. She liked being able to handle shit on her own. Relying on other people was not a good habit to develop; she knew from experience.
But when it came to Bellamy Blake, nothing about their relationship was very rational.
Melody didn't know when she had begun to let Bellamy in. Perhaps it was that night in his tent, after she had gotten into the fight with Murphy; the night she had kept him from killing Jasper. Bellamy had revealed that he had known about her crimes all along. In return, Melody had called that painful afternoon so many years ago when she had murdered the man that was as good as her father. Her savior, her father, her abuser, her destroyer, her victim; Jason Evans had been many things to Melody. And the memories that Bellamy's words had inspired left Melody feeling vulnerable and panicked.
That's when she realized it; when she could pinpoint the exact moment she had begun to let her guard down.
"Bellamy…" Melody trailed off, not knowing what to say. Every instinct told her to get on her knees and beg him not to tell anyone. But Melody was not the begging type. She never had been and never would be. Not if she could help it.
"I won't tell anyone, Melody." Bellamy said suddenly, surprising her. "We all have our secrets, don't we?"
That was the moment Melody realized that while Bellamy may have been a "power hungry, self-serving jackass," he was still a person. Up until that moment she had been judging him rather harshly, based off of the way he so easily manipulated people and how he was so willing to make the hard decisions. She had thought of him as cold and heartless and possibly even robotic. But in that moment, when he had offered to keep her secret for no reason other than common decency, Melody truly began to realize that there might be something more buried beneath the surface.
Now, Melody wasn't saying that Bellamy was anywhere close to being included in "us." Their small group was a very fragile thing; there wasn't a lot of room for new additions. Clarke and Finn had already covered the roles of responsibility. Monty was the brains of the group and Jasper was the comedian. Octavia was the rebel. And then there was Melody, who was their protector. Bellamy had no place amongst them; he had no purpose.
But maybe one day.
Melody sat thinking for a long, long time. She'd spent four years just thinking. Thinking about her mother, whom they never let visit, and wondering she was managing by herself in the Factory Station. Thinking about Jason. Thinking about what he did. Thinking about herself. About how much she had lost and in return, how much she had changed. Four solid years of thinking -of dwelling- and she managed to keep hold of her sanity.
Melody found that she liked thinking on Earth. The memories down here were traumatic, but they were strangely beautiful. She liked to think about that very first day in the dropship. The day that she had first met Jasper and Monty. She liked to recall the energetic and optimistic vibe -the one that had long ago vanished- that Jasper had been giving off. She liked to remember the brush of his fingers against hers as they spiraled out of control, falling into the Earth's atmosphere. And she fondly recalled his laughter as he spun her around and around as they took their first steps on Earth.
They had persevered.
She also liked to remember the long days they'd spent on their journey to Mount Weather. Melody found that she could think about that time period and smile because that had been the true beginning of "us." They hadn't known each other then, but it hadn't mattered. There had always been that underlying sense of loyalty and protectiveness. That was proven when Jasper had dove into the lake after Octavia. It was proven again when the boys had insisted Melody sleep between the two of them, so she would be safe. And it was proven for a third time when Jasper had gotten speared and they had done everything in their power to bring him home.
They had persevered.
Even now, with Charlotte's death just barely behind them, Melody was able to think about it and begin to heal. She recalled the time that she had spent in the woods, searching for Charlotte with Bellamy. And it warmed her heart to think about how Bellamy had been so eager to risk his life for the young girl. Not to mention the fact that Charlotte's death had caused Murphy's banishment. It was horrible that the young girl's life had to be lost in order to bring everyone together. Melody and Bellamy as friends, Bellamy and Clarke as co-leaders, and the 100 as a unit. Life had been lost, but a society had been created.
They had persevered.
Melody sat thinking about this for a long time. She was so beyond proud at how well their little group adapted and accepted everything that was thrown their way. They worked together, not only to get things done, but because here they were all one another had. And she knew why they were able to suffer such hardships and persevere, of course; they were Apache.
Melody spent well over an hour just sitting by the fire and thinking. Thinking about things on Earth and things on the Ark, and how much change they'd all endured. They finally felt like a unit, like a group of cogs in a machine that were working together rather than against one another for the first time. They weren't Bellamy's followers being pitted against Clarke's followers; they were just the 100.
She either didn't notice that most of the other campers had begun to retire or she didn't care. Mel was content to sit by herself and watch the fire slowly burn out until there was nothing left of it except for the ashes. The flame had died down considerably when Melody heard the soft and light footsteps approaching her at a rapid pace.
She didn't have to turn around to know that it was Octavia who had joined her. She was getting better at noting the things that made her friends themselves. Like the sounds of their footsteps, or the patterns of their breathing, or their strange habits.
"Make a wish."
Melody looked up in confusion, but saw that Octavia's eyes were not on her. Instead, they were fixated on some point in the sky. Her eyes slowly swung in the general direction of the girl's gaze and Melody was surprised to see what looked like a shooting star. It was the first one she had ever seen; it was probably the first one anyone had ever seen. And it was beautiful.
"Wow." Mel watched the small, rapidly moving meteor burn as it passed through the earth's atmosphere, leaving a fiery trail in its wake. "We're supposed to wish on it?" Melody questioned, giving Octavia a confused look.
Octavia nodded her head, briefly tearing her gaze away from the star so that she could look down at Melody while she spoke. "If you wish on a shooting star your wish is supposed to come true."
"Oh. Alright. Well, I wish for-" Melody was cut off mid-sentence by warm hand pressed against her mouth. She looked up at O with her brows knitted together, not knowing what she had done wrong.
"You don't say it out loud." Octavia rolled her eyes. Apparently that was common knowledge, as if people wished on stars every day. "You think it. Otherwise the wish won't come true."
"Fine then." Melody pushed the hand away from her mouth and turned her attention back towards the shooting star. As if that made any sense. "I'll just…wait." Eyes widening, Melody scrambled to her feet. She leaned up on her tiptoes, as if that would somehow get her closer, and studied the flaming ball of space matter. Only it wasn't space matter…it was a space ship.
"Bellamy, get out here!" Octavia called excitedly, a grin lighting up her face. The two girls stood there, staring up at the ship in delighted wonder. "Holy shit, Mels! Can you believe it?" Octavia reached out and grabbed Melody's hand, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze.
"I can't." Replied Melody. And she couldn't.
Bellamy came hurrying towards the two of them to see what all of the fuss was about, his footsteps loud and heavy, and his voice low as he murmured something about 'scared the hell out of me.' Melody turned with excited eyes to tell him what they were seeing, but the words somehow got caught in her throat. Bellamy was approaching them quickly, shirtless and buttoning his pants as he walked. Two girls, a blonde and a brunette, sauntered out of the tent behind him, wrapped in nothing but blankets.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what had been going down in his tent.
"What is it?" He words were for Octavia, but he had eyes only for Melody.
She turned away from him and continued to watch the ship's rapid approach. That was much more interesting, and it brought good feelings rather than sick ones. A parachute deployed from the back of the ship and it began to slow, but not enough. Melody also noticed how small the ship was. It couldn't have carried more than a handful of people at best. Guards, maybe? Supplies? She couldn't be sure.
An excited voice called out from across the camp. "It's an exodus ship!"
"They're coming to help us!" Another cheered.
"Now we can kick some grounder ass!"
People began to gather in the middle of camp, all of them trying to get a better look at the ship. They were hopeful and excited about what this might mean, most of them whooping and hollering, but Melody couldn't bring herself to join in with the celebrating. She had the strangest feeling in the pit of her gut, which was nagging at her. Shouldn't the entire population be coming down to earth before they all died from oxygen deprivation? If so, why was there only one ship? And why did it look so unstable?
"Please tell me they brought down some shampoo." One of the girls -the one with dark hair- said hopefully, pulling the edges of a blanket closer around her otherwise bare body.
"All the shampoo in the world couldn't wash away your sins, honey." The vicious words were out of Melody's mouth before she could think to stop them. Even if she had, she probably wouldn't have.
The hostility came out of nowhere. Melody couldn't explain the anger that was suddenly radiating off of her in vicious waves. This newfound fury completely consumed her; mind, body, and soul. Her once serene aura shifted, darkening until Melody felt as angry and raw and confrontational as she had upon her return to camp. It wasn't as if the girl had done anything to offend Mel. It had nothing to do with what she had done; it was who she had done.
"Excuse me?" The brunette girl -whose name was Amy or Annie or something of that nature- raised her eyebrows at Melody and crossed her arms over her chest defensively.
"I didn't stutter." The words came out as little more than a low growl. Her dark green eyes were alit with that familiar fire as she studied first this Amy and then her blonde companion, both of whom seemed bewildered and offended by the sudden attack. Melody's expression conveyed disgust and annoyance, and she did nothing to try and mask it. "There are kids in this camp. Have a bit of class."
Surprise lit up the brunette's face and she pulled the blanket tighter around herself. She looked as if she wanted nothing more than to escape into it. Regret flickered through Melody, but only for a moment before she was once again feeling justified in her actions. Her words had been a bit harsh, yes, but they had gotten the message across. There weresome children in the camp although the majority of them were in their later teens. A few of the delinquents, however, were probably as young as Charlotte had been.
Not that it really mattered, because that wasn't the real reason for Melody's frustration.
Embarrassed or ashamed, Amy scrambled away, presumably to find something decent to cover her assets. Melody felt a flicker of satisfaction at that.
"You don't run things around here, bitch." The blonde girl wasn't as passive as her friend had been. With her straw-colored head held high, she slithered towards Melody like the slimy little snake that she was, claws -or rather, fangs- out.
The crowd began to whisper. Surprised and worried murmurs filled the air around the two girls as everyone prepared for yet another show. Some of the delinquents had watched Melody's little fight with Murphy go down. Others had seen her merciless assault of the boy who had messed with Jasper. They could all still see the yellow-ish bruise that lingered on her cheekbone from when Bellamy had accidentally lashed out on her when she'd tried to break up a fight. Word had gotten out about the brutal little redhead that was handing people their asses left and right. And people were beginning to take bets on the fight.
"You know, screwing the King doesn't make you a queen." Melody gave the blonde a dismissive once-over. "It just makes you a slut."
Only a few feet separated Melody and the blonde female who, to no one's surprise, looked a bit nervous now that Melody had played into her game. She kept herself just barely out of reach, but Melody was quick. She could close the distance between the two of them in just a matter of moments. Apparently she wasn't the only one that realized that, because Bellamy was soon putting himself between the two of the girls, his body turned slightly in Melody's direction as he gave her that look.
It wasn't going to work this time. Bellamy Blake could stand there in all of his shirtless glory and give her that kind look, but it was not going to work like it had in the past. His gentle eyes did nothing to calm her down; in fact, they only infuriated her further. It dawned on Melody that everything had been an act. He had figured out how to manipulate her and used it to his advantage. And now he was trying to do it again.
"Keep that damn look to yourself, Blake." Snapped out Melody, giving him a look of disdain. She was in no mood to play games. Not tonight, not when she was a whirlwind of emotions and feeling less than in-control of herself. "I feel no remorse."
"Are you just gonna let her talk to us like that, Bel?" The blonde whimpered and looked up at Bellamy with big, blue eyes. Puppy dog eyes. Disgusting.
"Shhh." Cooed Bellamy with quickly-fading patience.
The girl went to move towards him, but Bellamy held his hand out to stop her from getting too close. His eyes remained locked on Melody's, a silent battle. That familiar angry gleam lit up two pools of dark brown, setting them ablaze. Melody's sharp tongue had the two of them falling back into the same old patterns.
"Watch your mouth, Melody." He stared her down, trying to intimidate her, but it wasn't going to work. When did it ever? It would take a lot more than a Bellamy Blake stare down to unnerve her. "Brittany, come here." Two fingers beckoned the girl forward and she practically ran in order to eagerly curl up against Bellamy's side.
Octavia was laughing quietly to herself as she stood at Melody's side, watching the whole thing go down with a grin. Everyone was used to Bellamy's endless parade of girls. The majority of the girls in camp were just dying to get spend a night in his bed. As if that would somehow make them important. As if it would give them even an inkling of power. These two meant nothing to him; they were just a couple of warm bodies. Just like the rest of them.
"Brittanyis the one who picked a fight with me." Melody couldn't stop herself from gritting her teeth as she glared at the two of them. For once, she hadn't even started things. At least not directly. And yet somehow, she still got the blame.
"You were being a bitch." The blonde scowled at Melody. "To Annie."
So itwasAnnie!
"You're about one step away from seeing how big of a bitch I am." Melody took a single, threatening step forward. She was both delighted and appalled when the girl looked at her uncertainly and clung tighter to Bellamy, practically wrapping herself around him.
"You wouldn't dare."
Melody laughed shortly, the sound void of humor. Wouldn't she, though? Dare to prove herself, that is. "I don't think you know who you're talking to, honey."
Bellamy decided then that it was time to intervene, before things got too heated. And like expected, he was siding with his bed warmers. "Your comments aren't necessary, Melody." Bellamy scowled at her and crossed his arms over his chest. "I think you should apologize."
Mel crossed her arms over her chest as she debated what she should do in this situation. For a few moments her gaze locked onto Bellamy's and they stared at each other evenly. The thing Bellamy didn't realize was that Melody didn't apologize on someone else's terms. She barely even apologized on her own terms. Melody didn't want to back down, but she also didn't quite feel up to challenging Bellamy's authority today.
"Yes, your majesty." Melody made a big show of swooping down low to curtsy at his feet. When she straightened once more, Melody didn't even look at the blonde. She had eyes only for Bellamy. "I am truly sorry that you don't keep better company."
Apparently the apology wasn't good enough for him or his friend, but it was good enough for the rest of them. Melody found herself smirking at the laughter that suddenly erupted among the group. It wasn't loud or obnoxious; it was rather quiet and contained. No one wanted to be on the bad side of Bellamy, after all. And if looks could kill…
"Melody." Bellamy's voice was an angry, warning growl.
Melody made it a point to sigh loudly and cross her arms over her chest. She sent scowls in their direction. "I am truly sorry I offended your harlot." Melody began again. "But next time you won't be there to protect her when she runs her mouth." The underlying threat in her voice was hard to miss. "And I won't be so forgiving."
"You bitch!" The blonde lunged for her.
Melody reached out and shoved the girl, Brittany, away. She had no desire to get into a full-blown fight right in the middle of camp. She was angry, yes, but she was more annoyed and frustrated than anything else. What would fighting do, other than make her feel good for a few minutes? Besides, she didn't even want to touch that body with a ten-foot pole. The girl staggered back a few steps, lost her footing and fell to the ground. Laughter erupted once more as the blonde attempted to clutch the blanket to her exposed body.
Melody had won without even lifting a finger.
The sigh of the girl laying there, desperately trying to claw at whatever shred of dignity she had left, rubbed Melody the wrong way and quickly evaporated the ill-feelings. Her stomach rolled, sending waves of nausea through her body. The sight was all too familiar. She, too, had once been left naked and exposed and faced by nothing but laughter and jest.
See you for dinner.
Melody quickly approached the girl once more, this time intent on helping rather than hurting. She reached out to grab Brittany's hand, but before she could make contact an all too familiar hand wrapped around her wrist.
"Let go of me, Bellamy." She pulled away from him, hating the feeling of his skin against her. She knew where that skin had been. "I'm just trying to help her."
"Brittany, you've caused enough trouble for tonight." He snapped the words at the blonde, but still offered his hand to help her up. The girl was looking at Melody confusedly -most likely in regards to the comment about helping her- as she accepted the offered hand and climbed to her feet, still clutching the blanket. "Apologize."
"I'm sorry I called you a bitch." She muttered, somewhat reluctantly as she looked down at her feet. Unlike Melody, she was too afraid to defy Bellamy, and so she succumbed to his request for an apology. The blonde didn't linger for long. She turned and took off towards the tent that her friend had disappeared into minutes before.
"Uh…" Melody watched the girl's retreating figure. "Thanks?"
"Alright, show's over." Bellamy announced loudly, much to the disappointment of the onlookers, who had been hoping for some action. "Lights out, people."
As quickly as it had begun, the altercation was over.
Melody didn't drag her feet as Bellamy led her back to his tent. She knew it would only make her look like even more of a petulant child. Instead, she gritted her teeth and followed after Bellamy as slowly as she could manage. It was humiliating to be treated like such a child all the time. To her surprise and relief, no one was laughing. The few who remained just watched with mild interest. The majority of them had gone back to their lives, though, because the show was over.
The tent was becoming familiar. Bellamy zipped the tent flap behind them in the same angry, jerky manner that she'd grown accustomed to. Melody leaned back against his hand-made table and looked at him with a rather droll expression on her face. All she wanted to do was get this lecture over with, so she could turn in for the night and try to have dreams that didn't involve Charlotte's death on a constant loop.
"Why am I here, Blake?" Melody demanded, pretending to look at an imaginary watch on her wrist, as if she didn't have time for this shit. And she didn't. Not tonight.
"You can't just go around being an asshole all the time." Bellamy crossed his arms tightly over his chest and looked down at Melody.
"Oh, I'm sorry." S he scowled and mimicked his actions, crossing her arms over her chest in a stance that was so very much hers, not his. "Forgive me for thinking that people should act appropriate."
"Annie did nothing to you. You could have just left her alone and went on with your night." Bellamy was having a hard time masking his frustration, which was most likely a result of always having to scold Melody.
"You mean I could have left her alone and you could have gotten on with your night." Melody corrected, raising her eyebrows in a way that clearly said she thought she knew what she was talking about, so there was no point in trying to deny it.
"Damn it, Melody!" He ran both hands through his dark hair, making it stand on end. "Why are you always trying to piss people off? I get that you were trying to protect Jasper when you fought with Murphy. And then again with that kid beyond the wall. But Annie didn't do shit to you, or to anyone else for that matter."
"I don't try to piss people off, Bellamy. Theypiss me off."
Bellamy ran a hand over his face in exasperation. He was on the verge of snapping when suddenly a new light entered his eyes. It was mischievous and daring, totally unlike anything that Melody had ever seen reflected in those dark brown depths, and it did funny things to her breathing pattern.
"Melody…are you jealous?"
"What? No!" Her eyes grew wide as she stared up at him, denying his accusation just a little too quickly. "Why would I be jealous of those sluts?"
Had he gone mad?
"I don't know. Maybe you're into me." Bellamy suggested offhandedly, as if it was the furthest thing from his mind. His words were accompanied by the damned little lazy half-shrug, which never failed to irritate the living hell out of Melody.
"Get over yourself, Bellamy. I'm not pissed off at those girls. I'm pissed at you and they're just guilty by association."
That much was true. Annie and Brittany were not the source of Melody's anger. They had just been unlucky enough to have presented her with an opportunity to take it out on them. Melody's real source of anger was staring down at her with a confused look in his eyes.
"Me?" Bellamy now wore an exasperated look on his face. "Sweetheart, I didn't do shit to piss you off. Last I knew, we were on good terms."
"Oh, you mean five minutes before you were all over those girls?" She narrowed her green eyes accusingly and raised he chin slightly; a sure sign that she was pissed off and not willing to back down.
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Demanded Bellamy. "It's not like I was getting anywhere with you."
Melody's eyes widened first in surprise, and then narrowed into a glare as the meaning behind his words fully registered. She didn't find his comment to be funny in the slightest. The two of them had been having a moment, that was true, but it was innocent. And now, Melody realized that it was all a sham. He had obviously not been as affected by Charlotte's death as he let on. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone straight from grieving to grinding.
"So that's it, huh?" There was a defeated sort of edge to Melody's voice, but she quickly covered it up with disgust. "You were pretending to grieve over Charlotte to 'get somewhere' with me?"
"That was a joke, Melody."
"Answer the damn question."
"No!" Bellamy threw his hands in the air, causing Melody to lean back slightly. "Not everyone bottles their feelings up inside, Melody. Some people take action."
The words puzzled Melody. Not everyone bottles their feelings up inside.She did. Why couldn't he? Some people take action.Take action…it was then that the meaning of his words dawned on her.
"Are you saying that you used those girls to forget about Charlotte?" Melody didn't know if she was more horrified with him, for doing something so low and appalling, or at herself for making it into such a big spectacle.
"Time wasted, now." The shameful gleam returned to his eyes, the same one that she'd seen when they'd been talking about Charlotte earlier. Now that his momentary distraction had been forgotten, the weight of the world came crashing down once more.
Well, wasn't this just twisted?
"You're a pig!" Without thinking, Melody lashed out and slapped her hand against Bellamy's bare chest. The sound of the slap echoed throughout the tent, hanging in the air between them.
He looked down in surprise at the small hand resting right on top of his heart. Melody hadn't slapped him hard, but Bellamy's eyes still darkened and he reached down to grab her hand. With one sharp tug, Melody was pressed flush against his chest. Close enough to feel the warmth of his body. To feel his heart beating just beneath the skin. Their eyes met and hers held a playful gleam, but his was more predatory than anything.
"I'm a man." Bellamy spoke slowly, making sure that the full weight of his words was recognized. And for the first time, it was. "It sort of comes with the territory."
Melody rolled her eyes and went to step back, the proximity becoming too much. Bellamy's other hand came down and clutched at the small of her back, holding her flush against him. She felt a twinge of panic, until she caught sight of the huge grin on his face. Confused, Melody scowled up at him and shifted away. Bellamy made no move to let her go, obviously pleased by his ability to easily manhandle the much smaller girl. Thatwas no surprise. He'd been doing it ever since she had met him; literally.
"Bellamy, let go."
"Make me." He grinned impishly.
"Are you kidding right now? I am pissed at you and in no mood to play games." Melody spoke in the most serious voice that she could manage, but the truth of the matter was quite the opposite, actually. She enjoyed this new, playful side of Bellamy. It was oddly…thrilling. She wanted to see more of it, but at the same time she was taken off guard and unsure of how to react.
"Then stop being pissed." He shrugged that lazy half-shrug again. "Most women like being this close to me."
Melody realized then just how close to him she really was. Close enough, in fact, to feel the heat radiating off of his body seep through her clothing. It was warm…really warm. And he smelled good, too. Melody didn't know howconsidering they didn't even have soap down here. But he did smell good; like leather and grass. She really liked grass…
Wait, what was she thinking? Once again Bellamy was able to easily manipulate her. He had been trying to trick her into forgetting about all of the shit that had went down tonight. About their heart-to-heart, the little confrontation with Brittany, and the fact that he had run straight into the arms of those two girls after he and Melody had finished talking. For some reason, that last one pissed her off the most.
Was she not enough? Could she not help him grieve? They'd had a moment. They had been completely connected, they'd been sharing the weight of the world so that neither one of them had to shoulder it alone. And yet, he'd just gone and thrown all of that away. For what? An easy lay? She was offended. Offended and hurt and totally disgusted, because Bellamy was a lot of things but she'd never known him to act so much like a total man before.
And maybe, just maybe, she was a little bit jealous.
Melody didn't hesitate before she brought her mouth down to his chest and sunk her teeth into the flesh there. It wasn't just a little nip, either. Melody could taste blood as her sharp little teeth punctured his skin. As expected, Bellamy cursed loudly and pushed Melody away from him. He stared down at his chest in surprise for a moment before looking at her. Melody found herself delighted that she had managed to one-up him, and that she'd gotten things back on track between the two of them.
"Go to sleep." Melody laughed softly and walked backwards towards the exit to his tent, not tearing her gaze from his. "First thing tomorrow I plan on going out and finding that ship.
As she departed, Melody could have sworn she saw something akin to panic flash in his eyes just moments before she closed the door behind her.