I followed Bellamy through the woods, slowly taking in my surroundings and trying to learn how to channel my senses. He spoke endlessly about the different powers that I have, how to utilize them, and how to hunt, but at this point, I was beginning to drown him out. Becoming a vampire was so much to take in and I just needed to clear my head and focus on finding Finn. I did this to Finn, he was gone and it was all my fault. Would he ever forgive me? Would he still want to be with me knowing what I've become?
"Clarke? Hello?" Bellamy said, dramatically waving his arms in the air.
I cleared my throat, "Uh sorry, I have a lot on my mind."
"Well, you need to focus. Whatever is on your mind can wait. We are outside now, making us vulnerable to an attack. You need to know how to defend yourself." He coached me. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, waiting for him to go on.
"For starters, you need to learn how to utilize the night. We are creatures of the night, not two teenagers out for a leisurely stroll through the forest. Let's start acting like it." He said.
"Okay, then how do we utilize the night?" I asked. Bellamy smirked and ran off in a flash. I spun around, looking for him but he was no where to be found. Just as I was about to call his name, he whistled like a bird from the trees above me.
"The trees are the best way to travel if you aren't running. They give you cover, the upper hand in a fight, and help with the element of surprise." He said, jumping from tree to tree. I spun around so that I could see him again.
"Now, let's pretend that you are a grounder." He began. I raised my eyebrow and chuckled, he was being so charismatic about this entire thing.
"Okay puny human, you're leaving your village to go collect firewood all by yourself. To my left, that bush right there, is your friend. Your friend is a small child, innocently picking flowers from outside of the fence. Who should I go for?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders.
"I don't know, the kid?" I guessed. Bellamy shook his head and swung from a branch.
"You never go for the obvious kill. When you're plotting to go in for the kill, always find your first choice and avoid it. Going for your first option is reckless and makes you an easy target for the grounders. Go for your second or third option, yeah it might be a little bit more challenging, but it will help keep your cover while you enjoy a yummy snack!" He taught me.
"Now, I'm up in the trees, watching you head for the firewood. I wait for just the right moment, when you back is turned and then I pounce." He said, jumping out of the tree and grabbing me by the waist. My whole body jolted from the surprise attack. He took one of his hands and tilted my neck to the side. Then, he leaned down and instead of taking a bite out of my neck, he kissed me softly. I felt goosebumps scatter across my body when he pulled away, smiling.
"And that is how you get dinner." He said, clapping his hands together and then trotting off ahead of me. I ran to catch up to him.
"Teach me how to run super fast." I pleaded.
"Alright, but you've got to close your eyes first." He instructed me. I shut my eyes and stood still. I could sense him pacing around me and my breath hitched.
"Now I want you to think about nothing but your legs. Think about the muscles that run through them, the joints that help them work properly and the way your feet smack against the mud. Then, open your eyes, and run. If you believe you can do it, you'll run faster than lightning strikes. It's such a natural high" He said. I flicked open my eyes, took a deep breath and ran as fast as I could towards the south. As I was running, nothing felt different. I stopped a few feet ahead and bent down, frustrated.
"It's alright! Just try it again." He encouraged me. I nodded and got in a runner's stance. I took a deep breath and focused on him. All I had to do was run, it shouldn't be this difficult.
"Ready, set, go!" He called out. I ran towards him, trying with every bone in my body to run at the speed of light but failing miserably. Once I got to Bellamy, I crashed into him, and rested my head against his shoulder in frustration. I pursed my lips and let all of my weight lean on him. He pulled me away by my shoulders and tilted my chin up.
"Okay let's try something different." He whispered. In a flash, he was gone again. I scanned the trees but he wasn't there either.
"CLARKE! HELP ME!" He cried out from very far away. I panicked, I couldn't lose him too! Alright Clarke you just have to run, it's not that hard. I closed my eyes and focused on the sound of his screaming, I had to save him.
In one swift motion I picked up my feet and ran towards his cries for help. Within seconds the world seemed to slow down around me as I flew by. I was doing it! I turned my head to the side and watched as the trees swayed slowly around me. It was all in slow motion and so breathtaking. A smile lit up my face and I felt so free.
Soon I arrived to Bellamy. He was lying face down in the dirt. I abruptly stopped running and flipped him over, running my hands over his face and begging him to wake up.
"Bellamy please, I can't lose you too…" I cried letting my head rest on his chest.
"Good job princess." Bellamy whispered. I snapped my head up to look him in the eyes. He was completely fine.
"You asshole! You did that on purpose!" I accused him. He sat up, laughing so I punched him in the shoulder.
"I wanted to give you some motivation to run and it worked. Somebody can't lose me." He teased. I sat back against a tree and crossed my arms.
"You're a dick." I mumbled.
"No, I'm smart. We are at the entrance to Ton DC." He said. I looked up above his head where a green sign was hanging. It looked melted but it said Ton DC in white letters. I stood up and headed for the entrance, but Bellamy grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him.
"The second we walk through there we are in the wolves' territory, it's not safe for us. After the war there were some rules set in place by the commander and old president Wallace. We aren't allowed to attack the grounders unless they leave their territory. The second we enter Ton DC we can't kill anyone." He informed me. I instantly thought about Finn, he was out there destroying villages. What would happen to him once he was caught?
"Our relationship with the grounders is already on thin ice, especially since Cage likes to bend the rules his father put in place. Just be cautious." He warned me. I nodded and reached for his hand, he looked at me with wide eyes and I gave him a small smile, asking him to take my hand. He glanced down and slowly intertwined our fingers. We stood their for a moment, each taking a deep breath and then walked over the border together.
"Why are you here?" A large man spat. He was wearing war armor, furs, and warpaint. He was also wielding several large swords. Bellamy's eyes went to the trees where several more grounders were positioned with wooden arrows pointed at us.
"We are here to speak to Indra. Octavia and Lincoln sent us." Bellamy said to the man. He grunted in response, pulling out a wooden dagger.
"Enough Gustus. They speak true." A woman's voice boomed. She stepped out of a cave and I couldn't help but notice how beautiful and strong she was.
"Indra?" Bellamy guessed. She nodded and held out her arm to invite us inside. Once we got inside the cave, I was mesmerized by all of the art she had. The walls were decorated with cave drawings, kind of like what I drew when I was locked up on the ark.
"She's pretty good for a newborn." Indra said to Bellamy. He squeezed my hand.
"Yeah, she has a lot of self control." He replied. Indra walked over to a stone table full of cauldrons and bottles. She had a lot of herbs, potions, and spellbooks. I watched as she mixed some things together in a large pot and hummed. She was casting a spell on something. Once she was done, she walked over to me and took my hand. I felt her place something in it and close my fingers around it. She did the same to Bellamy and then returned to her potions.
We opened our hands at the same time revealing two rings. I glanced at Bellamy to see if he knew what they were, but he clearly was just as surprised as I was.
"They are daylight rings. As long as you wear them, you can go out in the sunlight." Indra told us. Bellamy started to shake, almost dropping the ring. That's when I realized, he hasn't felt the sun on his face in 100 years. He couldn't believe it.
"Why are you doing this for us?" I asked, knowing that there had to be a catch. Allowing us access to the day only made us more dangerous to them.
"Octavia told us that you can catch the ripper. The daylight rings will help you catch up to him, but they are only temporary. They expire in two weeks. You have until then to catch him and bring him to us. If you do, I will make your rings permanent " She explained. Bellamy held himself up against the wall trying to process what was happening.
"What are you going to do to him?" I asked about Finn, slowly approaching her with anger burning up inside of me. Bellamy clutched onto my arm, holding me back.
"The commander will explain later. You'll be meeting with her after this." Indra explained.
"Bellamy, I'm scared." I admitted. He took my hand and placed the daylight ring on my finger. I bit my lip and did the same for him, feeling somewhat bonded to him. We held each other's hands for a moment too long, and I suddenly realized what this looks like, a wedding.
"You have a very interesting bond." Indra interrupted us. I dropped Bellamy's hands and scratched my head awkwardly.
"What are you talking about?" Bellamy asked.
"Clarke, pick up the dagger in the corner of the room and slice open your wrist." Indra told me. My eyes widened at her and I could sense Bellamy tensing next to me.
"What?! Are you insane?" I screamed. Indra walked up to Bellamy and glared at him.
"Tell her to do it, Bellamy." Indra persisted. Bellamy shook his head and pulled me close to him.
"No way in hell." He said sternly.
"Why not? If you really believe she won't do it, then just say it." Indra pushed.
"Do it, it's fine." I mumbled. I had no idea what Indra was getting at but Bellamy suddenly seemed like he knew what was coming.
"Clarke, I need you to pick up the dagger over in the corner of the room and slice open your wrist." He told me. Tears spilled from my eyes as I couldn't control myself. I walked over to the dagger, trying to resist picking it up, but doing it anyway. Bellamy ran at me, but Indra cut in front of him, separating us for a moment.
"What the hell is going on?" Bellamy boomed, pushing Indra. Tears fell rapidly from my eyes as the wooden blade punctured my skin.
"I can't stop! Please make it stop!" I sobbed while I dug the blade deeper into my skin. Bellamy turned around from Indra and saw what I was doing, causing him to panic.
"Clarke stop it!" He shouted and just like that, I released the dagger. The only sound in the cave was the echo of the dagger hitting the floor. Bellamy ran over to me, ripping off a piece of his shirt to use to stop the bleeding. The cut would automatically heal soon anyway, but his instinct to protect me just kicked in. For a second he might have forgotten that I'm not human anymore.
"Why did I do that?" I cried in his arms. He kissed my forehead and held me close.
"I don't know." He whispered.
"She's sired to you, Bellamy." Indra answered. I pulled away from Bellamy with puffy eyes.
"I'm what?"
"Sired. It means that you are bonded to the vampire that created you. You will do whatever he says whenever he says it. You'll agree with him, and listen to him whether you want to or not. Bellamy turned you, right?" Indra asked. I nodded, it was all starting to make sense. When he told me to drink from him, at first I didn't want to but I did it anyways when he told me to. And when he said we needed to talk, I didn't want to talk but I sat and listened because he asked me too.
I backed away from Bellamy, shaking my head at him when he tried to reach out to me.
"But Emerson turned Raven and she wasn't sired to him." Bellamy denied it. Indra looked between us and smirked.
"A sire bond between vampires only occurs when the sired is in love with the sire prior to his or her transformation. If you ever compelled her she will remember that too." Indra told us. That wasn't possible, I didn't love Bellamy I was with Finn, I loved Finn. But everything was adding up, and it was so terrifying.
"No, I'm with Finn. I'm in love with Finn." I denied it. Bellamy's face turned cold.
"Maybe, but in order for a sire bond like that to occur you have to be in love with the person who turned you while you were human. That's the only way Clarke." Indra repeated. I gulped, how could I not know about my feelings for Bellamy? Or was I just so consumed with trying to make myself hate him because I was afraid to love him.
"I took away your free will and your choice to decide on whether or not you came back as a vampire. It's hard enough for me to live with that. Now I have to live with the fact that you have to agree with or do whatever I say." Bellamy whimpered.
"It's going to be okay." I said, resting my hand on his shoulder. He slapped it away and kicked over Indra's table.
"IT'S NOT GOING TO BE OKAY! I RUINED YOU!" He screamed.
"You didn't ruin me! You saved me! I don't care if it's the sire bond saying this or not but what I know is that I need you. We will figure this out." I tried to calm him down.
"Is there any way to break the sire bond?" Bellamy asked Indra desperately.
"Yes, there are two ways. One, you tell her to forget about you completely and move on with her life or two, she turns off her humanity." Indra informed us.
"No, there has to be another way." I ranted.
"Clarke…" Bellamy began, I knew what he was thinking.
"No, don't you dare tell me to forget about you!" I said, he couldn't even look me in the eyes anymore.
"Well you're not turning off your humanity if that's what you're thinking." He countered.
"Enough! Right now we need to focus on finding Finn and Raven." I said, "we will discuss this later."
Indra lead us out of the cave and through the grounder village. We got hundreds of deathly stares as we made our way to the commander's tent. When we entered, she was sitting on top of a throne, her hair braided, black armor on, and warpaint covering her eyes.
"You're the ones who Octavia claims can capture the ripper." She greeted. Her guards forced us down onto our knees.
"Finn's in love with me. I can snap him out of it." I said. The commander got up from her chair and walked up to us.
"You will deliver me the one you call Finn. If you don't I will send my warriors to slaughter your camp." She threatened.
"No, please don't hurt my friends." I begged her.
"I won't have to if you bring me the ripper." She snapped.
"What will you do with him?" I asked her.
"He's slaughtered countless villages of innocent civilians. He will pay for what he has done. Blood will have blood. That is our way."
"That is insane!"
"He's a mass murderer!"
"He can't control himself he turned off his humanity! He did it for me!" I sobbed.
"Then he will die, for you." Lexa spat. Two guards lifted us off of the floor and threw us out of Ton DC.
"You have two weeks."