Rumors
Chapter thirteen
Oh shit.
Kat had known this was going to be a bad idea. Immediately her hands raised, palms open in the universal sign of surrender, the moment she caught the attention of the two boys standing guard. The fear that lanced through her, had her eyes jumping from their faces when she realized she didn't recognize them, to the weapons they had pointed down at her. From this vantage point, she was as good as gone if they decided to pull the trigger.
How the hell did they get such big guns?!
She didn't recognize the type, other than that they were a hell of a lot stronger than a measly pistol. Some kind of automatic? She wouldn't even have been able to run back into the trees for protection before they gunned her down.
"Kat?"
She swallowed thickly, her hands shaking as her head jerked up to look at the one who talked. His face didn't bring any name to mind. One of the many she hadn't bothered to try and get to know while living inside the camp. She really regretted that now.
"Yea," she whispered, wondering if acknowledging the name was a death sentence.
"Bellamy's been looking for you," he said, and his lips twisted into a frown.
"O-oh?" she inquired, because she couldn't think beyond that his finger still hovered over the trigger, and that seemed awfully stupid. She didn't want to die like this. Not yet anyway. Maybe when she was an old lady, in her death bed, after having lived a full life.
"Yea... Him and Clarke want to talk to you. Diggs- let her in," he said, nodding his head to the boy keeping watch with him.
Kat turned her attention to Diggs, finally putting a name to a face. He was one of Bellamy's faithful followers, but she had only heard of his name in passing. She never met the boy before now. He was of average size, just a few inches taller than herself, with pale skin much like her own. His dark brown hair was kept short, and when he glanced at her, she caught his stare for a moment, before he was quickly dropping his hazel eyes to the ground in nervousness.
Diggs dropped from his place on the wall to open the gate, as ordered. His gun was lowered, the barrel pointed to the ground, and Kat felt like she could lower her arms finally. The gate opened wide, and she looked beyond Diggs to the hustle and bustle of camp life. Everyone was out and about, working one chore or another. A lot had happened in her absence it seemed. A few buildings had been erected within the walls, some looking similar to the huts the grounders had made, and others appears to be for storage.
As she was led inside, and the gate closed behind her, she took a moment to look at each of the buildings. She made sure to study the new layout of their camp, in case she needed to make an attempt to escape again. One of the closest buildings looked like it was for food storage, and the other next to it a weapons cache.
"Where did all the guns come from," she finally asked, unable to help her curiosity.
"Bellamy and Clarke brought them back," Diggs quickly said, and she caught a hint of worship in his tone when he mentioned the two by name. "They found a bunker loaded with weapons- now we can take on those grounders if they try anything-" he stopped suddenly, his eyes flickering over at her as if he just remembered who he was talking to.
Her curled lips had him looking away sharply, and swallowing hard. It was as if he wasn't the one holding the gun and had her at his mercy. He trembled beside her, as if she was the one armed and not him.
"I'll take it from here," the boy from before suddenly appeared beside them. "You keep watch Diggs."
Diggs nodded readily, and scurried back towards the ladder to climb back up to his perch at the wall. Kat watched him go, her brows raised with concern. "You guys seriously trust him with a gun?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"He's a good shot," he said from beside her, and when she looked at him with disbelief, he shrugged his shoulders, since he couldn't explain how that was possible with words. It just was.
"Okay... so who are you?"
"Oh right," he said suddenly, his lips quirking into a small smirk at her expense. "Our paths never crossed before now, huh... The names Nathan, Nathan Miller." He held out one hand, the other holding the barrel of the gun point down towards the ground.
Kat pressed her lips together, not recognizing the name. He must have been as much as a recluse as she had been, just not as famous.
Like Wells, Nathan was dark skinned, though not nearly as dark as Wells had been. His eyes, which squinted at her in the dim morning light appeared to be a dark brown, and surprisingly they held no fear or disgust when he looked at her. Just weariness. His gaze shifted to the gate behind her, and perhaps to the trees beyond it, as if expecting someone, and she wondered if they really thought she would bring Lincoln back after what happened.
Nathan was of average size, slightly taller than her smaller frame, but not by much. He wore a beanie on his head, hiding the fact that most of his dark hair was shaved really short.
Kat took his hand and shook it firmly, not sure what to make of the action. What did this say about where she stood amongst the other delinquents? She had been branded a killer, an outsider and even a traitor. What was she now to them?
"Well anyway, come on. Bellamy was planning on heading out again to look for you, but since you're here…" he said, his voice trailing off, as he dropped her hand and started towards the dropship.
Kat was reluctant to follow, not wanting to walk back into the same space where her and Lincoln had been tortured. At her sides, her palms began to sweat, she wiped them wearily down the legs of her pants. She caught several others stopping to watch as she was led through camp. Some she recognized from before, others she couldn't put names to their faces like Nathan and Diggs.
When they reached the dropship, Nathan climbed the ramp, and lifting the fabric that had once been part of the parachute, he stepped inside. Kat lingered outside for a moment, her head turning just slightly, to look back towards the trees standing tall over the camp walls. She couldn't see him, not that she had expected to. But she knew he was there. She could feel the heat of his stare, even from here.
Licking her lips, she jerked her head in just a small nod, before she lifted the fabric and stepped inside the dropship.
"Kat!"
Her head jerked to attention at the shout, and she was nearly bowled over by Jasper who had jumped her the moment he realized it was her. Her arms raised comically in front of her, as Jasper pulled her into a crushing hug. Uneasily, she dropped her arms around him, to return the affection.
"Hey Jasper," she said softly, and she realized then, that she was truly happy to see him again. "You're looking good."
The boy pulled back with a wide grin. "So do you," he said in turn and he reached up to gently touch the cut on the side of her head. "It looks like its healing pretty fast."
Kat nodded her head. The stiches hardly bothered her anymore. Occasionally they would itch, but she couldn't feel any pain from the cut anymore, which she was grateful. It wasn't like they had easy access to painkillers down here.
"Where's Octavia and Monty?" she asked, her eyes dancing around the inside of the dropship. Usually the three were inseparable.
"They headed out early to look for you. When you didn't return to the –" he paused then, his eyes glancing over at Nathan, who had been watching the exchange with keen eyes, dropped his voice to a whisper, "cave. They went looking for you. We thought the grounders got you."
Kat grimaced. How on the nose.
"Well I am here now…" she said, trying to change the subject.
"Right. Jasper, you stay with her, I'll go get Bellamy," Nathan spoke up then. He moved passed them, not bothering to wait for a response from Jasper before he headed back towards the exit. "Oh and- we have the comm up… you know if there is anyone you wanted to talk to back on the Ark."
Kat watched Nathan leave, before turning her questioning gaze back to Jasper. "Oh right... Octavia mentioned it the other day, remember. Monty and Raven were able to build a comm with the Ark using Raven's transponder. Oh yea- you don't even know who Raven is. Oh, jeeze you've missed do much. Raven is Finn's girlfriend- or well ex-? Maybe? I'm not even sure anymore. It's like a soap opera in this place now. Days of Our Camp Lives, or some shit like that." He shook his head, making a disgusted look at the idea. "My mom loves shows like that."
Kat stared at him as he rambled on and on, her eyes blinking at him. "Okay," she said, since she really didn't know what else to say. She had enough on her plate already, then to really care about the triangle mess between Clark, Finn and this Raven girl.
"I bet you want to talk to your mom!" He said suddenly, his excitement getting the better of him. He grabbed her by the shoulders and started dragging her into the back room.
"No," she began to protest, but he was already rushing on, telling her his reunion with his parents.
Kat swallowed back the bile burning at the back of her throat, trying to dig her heels in, but he seemed to overpower her. She found herself being pushed into the vacant chair, but the seat felt warm like someone had been sitting in it not that long ago.
"Jasper really," she tried again, but he was already turning the computer on.
"There you go, Clarke's mom, she's always has their side open for anyone who wants to contact them. Just let her know who you want to talk to and she'll get them," he said in a rush. He then gave her two thumbs up, before slipping out of the room to give her privacy.
Kat stared opened mouth at the doorway. She was so flabbergasted, that the static that crackle from the computer coming to life behind her, had her nearly jumping out of her skin in fright. She jerked back around to face the screen, watching as it flickered with life. She swallowed, finding her mouth awfully dry as a vaguely familiar face appeared on the screen.
The woman looked tired. Much older than she remembered. Her brown hair tied back into a messy ponytail, and her brown eyes were darkened by dark circles from lack of sleep or stress. It could have been both, easily.
Kat had only the pleasure of meeting Abigail Griffin, on a few occasions. The first time, had been when she skinned her knee while running through the corridors, in an attempt to get home before her father realized she was late. Abigail had been in the infirmary at the time when she had been brought in. She must have looked absolutely terrified, because Abigail had done everything she could to make Kat feel comfortable in her brief stay there. Of course, it had only worked for the moment, until she had gone home to her furious father and crying mother.
The last time Kat had seen the woman was the night she killed her father. Abigail had been brought in to see if she could revive the man, but it was quickly realized her attempts were pointless. Abigail had been part of the Council members, that had agreed to lock her up in the skybox. Of course, Kat didn't know if Abigail had agreed or disagreed in the voting process, not that it mattered. The council members only had what little evidence that had been given to them at the time. Kat knew it had been her mother's testimony that had been the deciding factor on the guilty verdict.
"Katarina?" The woman said in amazement, suddenly sitting up in her chair.
Kat looked at the woman nervously, unsure how she felt that the woman recognized her. That could be construed as a good or bad thing. Kat was leaning more towards the latter.
The woman suddenly stood up, leaving the screen, and Kat feared she was going to get her mother. "No I don't want-" she started to shout back, but the woman was gone. "Shit," she cursed, and dropped her face into her open palms. She really couldn't handle talking to her right now. Over and over in her head, her mind played out their last conversation, and her stomach knotted up with what other hateful things her mother could say to her now.
Murderer!
Killer!
I wish you were never born!
She heard the chair squeak, indicating someone had sat down.
Weariness, drooped her shoulders and she lifted her head to glance at the person sitting there, only to stiffen.
This was much worse.
Chancellor Jaha stared back at her.
The tears came unbidden, and she choked back a sob as it strangled her. She could see Wells there, in the cut of his chin, the darkness of his eyes. The kindness she could see in the gaze as he stared at her. Kat reached out, her fingers touching the screen. She would give anything to hear the exasperation in his voice at something else she had done.
"I'm so sorry," she said to him, and she pulled her hand back to hug herself. God she was so sorry.
"I-" the man began, only to pause when grief made his voice go hoarse and he had to clear his throat. "I know you expected to speak with your mother Katarina, but I wanted a chance to talk with you first. If that is okay?"
Kat couldn't understand why he was being so kind to her, his voice was soft as if he tried to comfort her, when really it should have been the other way around. He had lost a son, and she had only lost a friend. Their grief was two worlds apart. Despite all this, she nodded her head to his question, wondering what he wanted to say.
"I wanted to thank you," he said thickly, struggling to keep his emotions in check. At her confused look, he continued to explain. "You were there for Wells, when I couldn't be. Clarke told me about your friendship. She said that you and Wells were close. That he really cared for you."
His words brought another wave of tears, and her arms tightened their hold around her. She felt like she was barely holding herself together, that at any moment, she might fall apart. She didn't understand why he was saying all this. They had hardly known each other. Their friendship formed from the hardship of trying to survive being surrounded by people that hated them. She had hardly been nice to him, barely tolerated him.
"He looked out for me," she whispered suddenly, her voice thick with her own grief. "I really didn't deserve it, but despite any of it, he did. Wells- he was a good man." She looked at the Chancellor then, and she realized that was all he wanted to hear. She watched as a tear slipped passed his defenses, and he reached up to wipe it away quickly.
"Thank you, Katarina. I really-" he swallowed, his head nodding when he couldn't seem to get the words to form. "I also thought you would want to know-" He stopped, his head turning to acknowledge someone that was off screen. He nodded to something they said, before turning his eyes back to her. His expression cleared, the grief shoved back to be dealt with in private as he steadied her with a serious look.
"We looked into the error that occurred with your release from Lock-up," he said. His voice still sounded rough from grief, indicating that his emotions were not so easily pushed aside.
Kat swallowed, feeling the bile rising back up. What did that mean? She held his stare, terrified to hear what he had to say, but also desperately wanting to know.
"Katarina Mason- you have been pardoned for the crime of murdering your father."
Her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. Just because she had been Wells' friend? She shook her head, wanting to interrupt, but the Chancellor held up a hand to silence her.
"Your mother recanted the statement she gave two years ago. All charges have been dropped. As for the mix up with your release," it was now that he paused again, his emotions struggling to the forefront once again. "My son- Wells. From what we were able to find out, was that he hacked into your file and added you to the list of names to be placed onto the dropship sent to earth."
Silence followed his words.
Kat stared unchecked at the screen, no longer seeing the Chancellor, or even Wells in the older features of his father. Tears slipped from her unblinking gaze. Her chest felt painfully tight, her throat closing up with another wave of grief. One thought slipped through the tangled mess.
Wells had saved her.
"God this is so fucked up," she breathed out. Why did something so terrible have to happen to such a good person?
Chancellor Jaha didn't comment on her choice of words, but instead heaved a tired sigh. "I just thought you would want to know what happened," he explained. "Your mother is here- she would like to speak with you."
Kat straightened up in her seat. She wasn't sure she could handle another emotional conversation though. Before she could object, the man stood and suddenly a much older version of herself sat in the chair across from her. She stiffened in her seat, anger swelling up inside her.
"My Kat," she whispered as if she couldn't believe her eyes. The woman reached out to touch the screen as if she couldn't bare for them to be apart.
She felt herself drawing back, as angry tears spilled from her eyes. "I hate you," she seethed. She watched the woman jerk back as if the words were like a slap.
"You left me to rot in that cell for two years!" She suddenly screamed, unable to hold it in anymore. Two years of agony, loneliness, and the worst kind of rejection, fueled her rage. "All because you loved a monster!"
Kat looked away, unable to look at her mother. The grief, and acceptance she saw there was tearing her up inside. How could she just sit there? Like all those years, of taking the beatings, and the verbal abuse from a man she claimed loved her. Kat slammed her fists down onto the surface in front of her, and she felt satisfaction as the woman physically jumped at the sudden violence.
"Wells is dead because of you," she snapped. "because of me! Because I lived so long without anyone in my life, I didn't realize what he was, what he was trying to do. You ruined my life. You and Him!"
Tears spilled from her mother's eyes, and she nodded her head in agreement to her words. She knew. Her mother knew.
Kat sagged back down into her chair, her arms folding across the surface in front of her. She buried her face into the crook of her arm and sobbed. "I'm not a cat," she whispered brokenly into her arm.
"It's okay Kat," Her mother whispered. "Let it all out. I can take it."
The words had her lifting her head, squinting at the screen through the tears when she recognized the words and the tone. She vaguely remembered telling Lincoln that the night Bellamy had turned to her with the strap. Blinking the tears away, she sluggishly lifted herself back up into a seated position.
And she suddenly remembered her mother saying those same exact words, anytime Kat tried to protect her mother from the beatings. Any time He came at Kat to punish her with his rage, her mother had always stepped in, to take it.
Kat shook her head at the words, shaking hands reaching up to wipe away the tears. "I- I can't deal with this right now," she said suddenly. The need to run was so strong in that moment. She searched the controls in front of her, but couldn't seem to grasp as to which one was the off switch. She caught sight of some wires and reaching out, ripped them free to end the connection. She watched her mother's face distort before fading out completely.
Kat sat back into her chair, feeling exhausted.
"God what a shitty day," she muttered weakly. She slowly sat up, needing fresh air, more than ever. She walked through the doorway, stumbling to a startled stop at the audience waiting for her in the other room.
Immediately, she shut down her expression, her features hardening with annoyance. Her sharp gaze looked at Jasper first, who had the decency to try and look at anything but her. Bellamy, Clarke and Nathan however didn't bother to hide the fact that they had heard the entire conversation.
"What," she snapped out, feeling her hackles rise with her annoyance. She wasn't in the mood to be gawked at like a caged animal at a zoo.
"I'm sorry," Clarke suddenly blurted out and Kat's gaze jerked to her with a glower.
"You're sorry," she said with a curled lip. "About what princess?" she asked, using the nickname Bellamy always called her. "About how shitty you treated me since the moment we landed here, or are you sorry about giving him permission to torture two innocent people?"
Clarke swallowed. "All of it," she said softly. "I made a mistake, and I am really sorry Kat. There's nothing I can say to take back what I did, and what I let happened. But I am still sorry for them. And I know nothing I can do to make up for it, but I would like to try."
Kat pulled herself up to her full height, which wasn't a whole lot, but it gave her the strength not to buckle under the pressure of everyone's stare on her. Clarke was right. Nothing she could do, would change what she did. Nothing could get Kat to ever forgive her. But there was something she could do, to at least not make any more mistakes.
"Fine," Kat said, and she watched the surprise flicker across the blonde's face.
"We've all done some shitty things, that have brought us to where we are at now," Kat continued to speak, looking at each person in turn. Whether it was just for being locked up in the skybox for the crimes they pulled back on the Ark, or for the stupid choices they made down here on Earth, they were all here. Together. "So right now, we need to end this. We are on the verge of a war, that none of us can even comprehend because we are just a bunch of stupid delinquents. Before we lose any more friends, any more people we care about, we need to find a way to fix this. The grounders are willing to create a truce with us, if we are smart enough to try and make peace."
The silence that followed her words, didn't seem very comforting.
"I know each of you have no reason to trust me, or them. But everything you thought you knew about me was a lie. A rumor, passed from one person to the next. You can bet, I heard them all. Yes, I killed my father, because he beat my mother unconscious, over some little thing she did that set him off-.
"And Wells, he was a good person, and we all treated him like shit because of who his father was. We never even gave him a chance to be anyone other than his father's son. The grounders, have hurt us-" she looked over at Jasper, hoping that her words didn't make him hate her. But he still refused to look at her, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. "But we landed in their territory, destroyed one of their villages. We're lucky they haven't declared war on us already. If we don't try for peace, they will slaughter us, and no matter how many guns we have, they out skill us in the art of fighting." Kat wasn't entirely sure about their skills in fighting, but she knew the grounders were more prepared to survive on earth than they were.
"Okay," Clarke suddenly spoke up, filling the silence with a determination, Kat hadn't really expected. "What do they want?"
Kat breathed a sigh through her nose. She knew this was far from over, but at least she had one person agreeing with her. "Their leader wants to speak with you, to discuss the terms of the truce," she said, watching Clarkes reaction.
Bellamy spoke up before Clarke could say anything. "It could be a trap," he said, looking between them.
Kat shook her head. "It could be," she answered truthfully, because she would be naïve if she didn't admit the idea hadn't crossed her mind once or twice. "But I really think they want to avoid a war. I've been to one of their villages, and they're just like us. People, living their lives, fighting to survive. Preparing for winter. They have families, and love ones, just like we do. The difference between us, is we lived in the sky and they lived on the ground. But we are all still human, and if we can set aside our differences, I think we will find we hold more in common than we think."
Bellamy gritted his teeth. "I don't like it," he admitted.
Clarke nodded her head. "I'm willing to take the chance," she relented. "If something happens to me, then you know what to do Bellamy."
She had made up her mind.
Kat looked at Clarke, feeling gratitude that the other girl was willing to try. "I'll be with you," Kat said quickly. "If this does end up being a trap- I'll do my best to make sure you get out alive Clarke."
The blonde furrowed her brows at the sentiment, but it was Bellamy who asked. "Why do you suddenly care?"
Kat shot him a sharp look. "Because Wells cared about her. And I don't want any more of us to die over this stupid rival," was her answer. "So, are we doing this?"
Kat looked between each person in the room, and one by one, they each nodded their heads. Though both Jasper and Bellamy seemed reluctant to agree. Kat nodded her head, relieved nonetheless, that she had managed to pull this off. Turning from the group, she headed for the exit. She shoved the parachute aside and stepped out. The cooler air bit at her face, and she closed her eyes to allow herself the moment to just breathe.
Opening her eyes, she reached up and wiped at her face, ridding herself of any trace of her grief. She had known returning would be rough, but this was more than she had been willing to take on. Both the Chancellor and her mother, all in one afternoon. She really hadn't expected the Chancellor to do what he did, though. That had been a shock.
She was free.
Really free.
Kat really wasn't sure what to think about that. No longer carrying that guilt, that fear that one day she would just end back up in the skybox, once the mistake was realized. Kat found herself searching the trees, wondering if Lincoln was still there. More than anything, she wanted to just walk through those gates, and leave everything behind her. She didn't want to think about what Wells had done. Had truly done for her. The thought of it, brought more tears to her eyes, and she viciously wiped them away, not wanting Lincoln to see her grief.
Dropping her gaze, she stared at her feet, trying to decide on what she should do. They weren't expected to meet with Anya until the following day, which gave her the rest of the day, to kill, so to speak. Leaving didn't seem like an option, no matter how badly she wanted it. She didn't want the others to see something that wasn't there. Like that she had sided with the grounders, and this was a trap. The only side she was on was her own. And that one entailed keeping the people she cared about, safe.
With her attention drawn within, lost in her own thoughts, Kat didn't hear the parachute move behind her, or the sound of boots stepping out onto the ramp to join her. It wasn't until a body stopped next to her, and the person asked her a question. Startled, Kat jerked back in surprise, her eyes widening as she looked over at Nathan. He stared at her expectantly, and she blinked in return.
"I'm sorry what?" she asked when she realized he was waiting for an answer. She hadn't heard or understood what he had asked her, and the look he gave her now, sent heat crawling in her cheeks with embarrassment.
"I asked- do you really trust them?" He asked again, slower this time, like he thought maybe she was slow.
Kat scowled in return, her lips twisting down, and her eyes narrowed in annoyance.
Nathan shrugged his shoulders. The gun he had pointed at her from over the wall, was slung over his shoulder, forgotten, now that he no longer saw her as a threat. He stuffed his hands into the pocket of his pants, his shoulders coming up to his ears as he continued to give her that look. "I mean- do you believe that they actually want peace. The grounders? Cause right now, Bellamy is trying to convince Clarke that this is a trap and I'm in half of my mind to agree with him."
Kat nodded her head at his words. She understood his weariness. It's hard to change your opinion on someone, and it wasn't like she was able to reassure them with hard facts that this was all legit. Licking her lips, Kat considered her next words very carefully, because she knew that she needed to convince Nathan, if she had any hope of convincing Bellamy of accepting this truce.
"What was your first thought, when you realized I had been set free on earth with the others," she asked him. Kat forced her expression to stay neutral, not wanting to let her emotions sway his answer one way or the other. She didn't know the exact answer he would give, but she knew the gist of it. She had seen it countless times in each of the other delinquents since she had stepped off the dropship.
He gave her a hard look, his lips pressed together like he didn't want to answer that question. In the end, he caved, his shoulders slumping as he looked away from her. "That I wanted to get the fuck out of here," he answered honestly.
"Exactly," she said with a nod of her head. "You couldn't believe a killer like me was set free, right?"
His expression was pinched, but he nodded his head.
"I lived two years in the skybox, listening to the rumors Nathan. I know them fairly well, since the guards stationed in the hall that housed my cell were never shy in repeating them," she told him, and her eyes watched his face as he stared at her in return. "Being set free, wasn't much of a picnic either. I mean, with Murphy badgering me nonstop, and Bellamy threatening to lock me if I looked at someone the wrong way. It wasn't like anyone was really willing to give me the benefit of the doubt, right?"
Again, he nodded to her question, and his brows were furrowed together, like he wasn't really following where this was going.
"So you can see, I don't trust easily," she said, finally getting to the point of her explanation. "I mean I don't trust the grounders, because I don't know them. But I trust Lincoln. With my life. With Jaspers, and with Clarke's."
Nathan stared at her for a long moment, before he dropped his chin into an acknowledging nod. "That's the grounder that-." he couldn't bring himself to mention the torture, his eyes narrowing with a look of disgust.
"The one Bellamy tortured," she said just as aforementioned man stepped out of the dropship. He pulled himself up short, his expression hardening when he realized what they were talking about.
"I'm not going to apologies," he said tightly, looking between them.
Kat looked over at him, her own expression closed off. Bellamy ended up looking away first though, and she gritted her teeth in annoyance. "I didn't expect you would, Bellamy," she said after a moment, when the tension settling between them, didn't seem like it could handle much more.
Bellamy looked up at her again, his brows furrowed with suspicion.
"You were only doing what you thought was right," she explained, and it took all of her will to say the words calmly. Having to share the same room with him, had been hard, and she had done her best not to even look at him, but instead had focused her attention on Clarke. Dealing with Bellamy now, was wearing on her nerves though.
At her sides, her hands tightened into fists and she would give anything to deal him the same punishment he had given her and Lincoln. But within her head, Wells kept telling her to calm down. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to continue, spitting the words out with all the hate she felt towards the man. "But we were innocent in Wells' death. Lincoln did nothing to you, or anyone else in this camp, other than risk his life to save mine, and allowing me to get the seaweed to Jasper before he died. So, no Bellamy, I don't expect an apology from you, but don't expect any kind of forgiveness from me."
She pointed a finger back towards the dropship, her aim towards the computer where she had just dealt with her mother's apology. "I don't forgive easily-." Before she could say more, she heard someone calling her name.
Turning, Kat found Octavia running from the front gate to the dropship. Straightening, she barely had a chance to brace herself, before Octavia had thrown her arms around Kat into an overwhelming hug.
"God I'm so glad you're okay," Octavia breathed, pulling back to get a good look at her. "Hey- that's a good look on you." Octavia grinned then, her eyes looking at the shaved part of Kat's head and how her thick hair was parted on the side so that the thick of it fell to one side.
At the mentioning of her hair, she reached up to finger the shaved side, and ghosting over the stiches there. She hadn't really though much on her hair, or how it looked. There really hadn't been time to dwell on it.
"Thanks," she said weakly, feeling her anger draining from her with her attention averted.
Looking over Kat's shoulder, Octavia gave her brother an annoyed look. "God Bells what did you do this time," she snapped. When he tried to argue, she waved a hand flippantly at him as if to tell him to go away. "Whatever- I don't care." She grabbed Kat's shoulders and steered her down the ramp and into the camp. "I'm just so glad you came back. Did they apologies?"
Kat shrugged her shoulders. It wasn't like it mattered one way or another. Monty stood near their tent waiting, and Kat found herself being pushed in that direction. Monty opened the flap, and she was ushered inside with Monty and Octavia slipping in behind her.
"You okay," Monty asked her as soon as she fell onto her old bed with an exhausted sigh.
"No," she answered honestly.
Would things ever be okay?
Wells was still dead.
Bellamy was still an asshole.
Clarke was still clueless, though it looked like there was some hope for her.
Her crimes had been forgiven by the one man, she had thought would despise her, and who had good reason to.
Her mother was sorry.
And there was a good chance that by this time tomorrow, they would be at war with the grounders.
Now where did that put her and Lincoln in the middle of all of that? Did they pick sides? Would she be able to pick a side?
"Want to talk about it?" Monty asked her, seeming genuinely concerned.
Kat turned her head to look over at him, but her attention was drawn to the changes that had been made to the tent. Wells' bed sat untouched across from her, but they had added three extra beddings between them. It appeared that Octavia, Monty and Jasper had made the tent their home in her absence. Not that she really minded.
"Not really," she finally answered his question, her eyes landing on Monty once more. "I'd really rather not think about the shit storm that is coming, and think about something different."
Just then, the tent flap zipped open and Jasper let himself in. His eyes immediately sought her out, and Kat knew then, that what she wanted, wasn't going to happen any time soon.
"I know Jasper," she said, reading the look in his eyes after he had zipped the tent shut and took a seat on his own bed. She could read the betrayal there, and the hurt. She knew how much he despised the grounders. He only barely accepted Lincoln, and that was a weak acceptance at that.
Kat looked up at the roof of the tent, thinking of her next choice of words. "I know, nothing that I say, will change your mind on them, but just like us, not all of them are bad. And sometimes, you just have to accept the bad with the good, because the good doesn't deserve to die because of the choices made by others." She was tired of explaining herself, of defending her choice. Not that it was much of a choice anyway.
She looked over at Jasper again, and he was staring back at her still. Only his expression had changed, and he didn't look so betrayed as before.
"Wells died, because Charlotte couldn't forgive what his dad did to her parents," Monty suddenly said, speaking to the group.
Kat stiffened at his words, but she looked over at him, wondering what he was getting at. Both Octavia and Jasper were looking at him as well.
With their combined attention on him, Monty almost looked like he was going to buckle under the pressure to explain. But then, he quickly straightened himself in his seated position, and swallowed back his nervousness.
"Should any more people die, because we couldn't forgive what one person did to us?" he asked the room, his eyes looking at each of them.
Jasper swallowed, his Adam apple jumping and he looked away as he considered Monty's words.
Kat sat up in her bed, suddenly getting what the boy was trying to say. "Monty is right," she said, drawing Jasper's attention back to her. "I came back, despite what they did to Lincoln and me, because I don't want to see any of you die. I already lost Wells, I can't lose you guys too."
The two boys blinked at her, and their mirrored expressions, were enough to roll her eyes. True she had just confessed that she thought of them as friends, and that she cared about their wellbeing. But she might as well had announced that she was pregnant, with the shocked look they were giving her.
"Aww you care," Octavia teased suddenly, breaking the silence.
Scowling, Kat reached for the closest thing, and snagged a spare boot that had been set near the wall of the tent and chucked it at Octavia's head.
The girl ducked, her arms hugging herself as she bent in half as she laughed. "Oh god, the look on your face," she continued to tease between peals of laughter.
Monty was the first to chuckle, and Jasper was soon to follow. Kat looked between her three friends, trying to maintain her annoyance, but her lips quirked into a small smile.
"Okay- okay- we get it," she said softly.
It took the three a few moments to sober up, though. They lay sprawled across their beds, each winded from laughing at Kat's discomfort.
"So you really think of us as friends," Monty asked for clarification.
Kat stared at him, until he returned her look with his own and their eyes met. "Yea," she said seriously.
Monty nodded his head, leaving the conversation at that.
"Bout time," Jasper muttered from where he was laying.
Octavia snorted.
"Oh jeeze, you guys act like it's the end of the world," Kat snapped out, glaring at each of them, with little heat in her gaze.
"Well it is," Jasper responded. "End of the world I mean… But hell- I say bring it."
"Yea- could be fun," Octavia added. "Never seen an end to a world before."
"If we really go to war with the grounders, it won't be fun at all. I don't want to fight Kat and Lincoln," Monty said honestly.
"Oh yea- that would suck," Octavia murmured, before rolling onto her side so that she could look over at Kat, without having to sit up.
"Let's just hope this isn't a trap then," Jasper said, finally jumping on board with making a truce with the grounders. "Then it won't matter, right?"
"That's the spirit," Monty said while playfully punching Jasper's arm.
Jasper rolled his eyes at his friend's word, then suddenly he was sitting up in his bed, and scurrying across the floor to where his bag lay near the closed flap. He dug around inside, cursing when he couldn't seem to find what he was looking for.
All the ruckus, drew their attention to watch, curious as to what he was up to.
"Ah ha!" he exclaimed suddenly, pulling out a couple pouches from deep within his bag. He quickly tossed one over to where Kat and Monty were seated, since his bed was closest to hers. Kat barely caught it, her fingers clumsy as she pressed the bag to her chest to keep it from spilling its contents. Jasper then crawled back over to his bed, sitting closer to Octavia.
"What is this," she asked, shaking the bag to hear the slight rattle.
"Diggs found some nuts the other day. Bellamy was wanting us to conserve our food source, since foraging is getting harder each day, but I snagged a couple of these this morning," he said with a big grin. He poured a handful into his palm and shoveled it into his mouth.
At the mentioning of food, Octavia was scrambling up into a seated position, holding out her hand for some. Jasper was quick to give her a handfull, while looking over at Kat.
Kat poured some into her palm, her index finger poking at one nut as she studied the food. They weren't the same nuts she remembered eating a few days ago, the ones Wells had offered her. "You sure they're safe to- eat?" She frowned when she saw both Jasper and Octavia inhaling the nuts from their shared bag.
"Uh yea," Jasper said with a mouthful.
Kat shrugged, since neither had keeled over, and tentative tossed one into her open mouth. She chewed, finding the bitter taste agreeing with her empty stomach. Pouring half the bag into her palm, she handed the rest to Monty, before digging in.
Octavia was the first to finish her meal, laying back down on her bed. "I never thought I would say this, but I miss Ark food."
"Yea," Jasper said in agreement. "I miss being full."
"I second that," Monty said with a mouthful. He had shoved all of the nuts into his mouth and was struggling to chew and swallow.
Kat shrugged her shoulders, since she really couldn't remember a time when she wasn't hungry. She had just learned to deal with it, and try not to think about.
Laying back onto her bed, she sighed.
Silence fell over the group, and Kat had just started to think they had all fallen asleep, when Jasper suddenly spoke up from his side of the tent.
"I feel weird."
AN: Hey! So a little bit of a cliff hanger there. Any guesses on what's going to happen next? *wiggles eyebrows suggestively* Anyways let me know what you think. Do you love/like/hate it? What are your thoughts on Kat's influence in the show? I feel that she would cause changes to how things would progress, but some thing could still happen, even with her there. But anyways let me know what you think^^ your thoughts and opinions mean a lot to me :)
Inky out!