All around her was panting and cracking branches. Charlie was running as fast as possible. She turned from time to time to be sure that Camille was still following her. When she turned around, she gasped because Monty had just fallen. She rushed over to him, took his arm and lifted him up. Her breath caught when she noticed what Monty had fallen on: a skeleton.
"Come on. We gotta go" Finn said
"Oh god" Camille gasped. Charlie turned her attention to her and followed her gaze. There were actually a large number of skeletons. She leaned over to take one in hand, but threw it back to the ground immediately.
"Who are they ?" Finn asked
"What are they ?" Clarke replied with a large skull in her hands that looked like nothing they knew.
"We are so screwed" Octavia said and Charlie nodded, staring into space. She jumped violently when they heard a scream.
"Jasper. He's alive." As soon as Clarke finished speaking, Charlie started running in the opposite direction. If he was alive, they had to help him and quickly. She vaguely heard the others imitate her and start running.
When she got to the river, Finn grabbed her hoodie and pulled her back "Stay under the trees". Charlie nodded abstractedly when Camille spoke "Guys !" She was pointing across the river. Charlie looked in that direction and saw that Jasper was no longer there. She felt her heart speed up, and Finn let go of her hoodie, saying "He was right there !"
"No. Where is he ?" Monty asked nobody in particular.
"They took him" replied Clarke
After that, they decided to return to the camp to find help. Camille did not agree with this plan. The longer they waited to go and save him, the less chance he was going to be okay. But she had finally agreed and they had arrived at the camp rather quickly. They were surprised by the welcoming committee which was a fight between Wells and Murphy. Actually, Wells held Murphy with a knife to his throat.
"Wells ! Let him go" Clarke shouted while running to them.
Wells huffed and pushed Murphy to the ground. He got up quickly, ready to fight again, but Bellamy held him back "Hey, enough. Murphy". Then, he took him away.
Camille leaned over to Charlie and whispered "Men and their testosterone: A great love story" Charlie shook her head in response, a grin on her face.
Bellamy came back to the group as Octavia arrived, helped by Finn.
"Octavia. Are you alright ?" asked Bellamy, running toward her.
"Yeah" Bellamy grabbed her by her waist and helped her down a high rock. He then looked at the group intently before asking "Where is the food ?"
"We didn't make it to Mount Weather" replied Finn, sitting down
"What the hell happened out there ?" asked Bellamy
"We were attacked" Clarke replied
"Attacked ? By what ?" Wells asked with fear
Charlie huffed "Not what, who."
"Turns out, when the last man from the ground died on the Ark... he wasn't the last Grounder" said Finn who was very quickly cut by Clarke "It's true. Everything we thought we knew about the ground is wrong. There are people here, survivors…" And again, she launched into an endless speech. She would have ended Chancellor, Charlie was ready to bet it.
Anger took hold of Camille. Jasper was still missing and the princess was there, chatting with everyone. She cleared her throat loudly before cutting Clarke "Hey ! That's not our priority"
"Where's the kid with the goggles ?" asked Wells and Camille looked relieved, finally someone who cared "Thanks Wells ! That's what I meant ! Grounders took him. We have to get him back"
Right after Camille finished speaking, Clarke grabbed Wells' wrist before reproachfully asked him "Where's your wristband ?"
Charlie rolled her eyes "Oh my god Clarke ! Are you serious ! One of us is missing ! Stop with your freaking wristbands"
Wells thanked Charlie with a look before answering her anyway "Ask him" showing Bellamy with a nod
"How many ?" asked Clarke
"Twenty-four and counting" said Murphy with pride
"You idiots…" And here we go again. Another speech. This one pissed off Charlie in particular because its goal was to bring the hundred down. We need adults and blah blah blah. Bullshit ! Charlie shouted "We're stronger than you think"
Bellamy smiles at her before adding "Don't listen to Clarke. She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same ? We can take care of ourselves. We are not prisoners anymore. You're fighters. Survivors" Everyone cheered at him and Clarke walked away like a drama queen.
"I might not like that jerk, but he is a good orator, not like the princess" said Camille and Charlie could only agree "You said it, girl"
The girls then decided to join the others. They were still slightly behind. Charlie walked over to Murphy and asked him "Hey Murphy, need help to clean that ?" She pointed to the wounds on his face. He shrugged his shoulders and replied "Yeah, whatever".
Camille puts her hand on Charlie's shoulder and squeezed it gently. Charlie nodded, and Camille left to join Bellamy and Octavia.
Charlie grabbed a bowl of water and a piece of cloth. She dipped it into the bowl before bringing it to Murphy's face and gently cleaning his wounds.
"So, why do you hate that kid so much ?" she asked
"He floated my father !"
"You know that's not true. It was his father and unfortunately we don't choose our parents. Come on, don't be dumb."
Murphy huffed and shook his head before nodding. Charlie smiles softly
"We're going on a rescue mission. You're coming ?"
Murphy raised an eyebrow before nodding again. Charlie puts the cloth back in the bowl and put it on the floor. She warned Murphy that she was going to get some things for the getaway before heading to the dropship.
As soon as she entered, she heard Clarke's melodious voice "Sorry Monty but you're not coming neither"
Charlie was getting really fed up with this girl. She frowned, walked over and said "Miss Princess making the rules. What a surprise. If this interests you, we are going on a rescue mission. Even if I would prefer the opposite, you're coming with us. You're the only one who has medical talents so hurry up instead of jabbering. " Charlie stormed off the dropship after seeing Clarke's outraged face.
Charlie walked over to Bellamy, Octavia and Camille. Bellamy was cleaning Octavia's wound. Charlie landed in the middle of a conversation "What the hell was it ?"
" I don't know" Octavia answered her brother
"Looked like a giant snake" added Camille
"You could've been killed"
Charlie decided to join the conversation "She would've been if Jasper didn't pull her out."
When Octavia saw Charlie with a backpack ready to go, she tried to get up quickly. "You guys leaving ? I'm coming too"
But Bellamy grabbed her by her waist and forced her to sit down " No, no. No way, not again"
"He's right. Your leg is still hurt, you must rest" said Camille
Charlie moved closer to Bellamy "Bellamy you have a gun right ? You should come with us to save goggles boy "
He seemed to hesitate but, after giving Octavia a look he nodded and turned to Atom "My sister doesn't leave this camp. Is that clear ?"
Octavia looked up, outraged "I don't need a babysitter"
Her brother ignored her. "Anybody touches her, they answer to me. Let's go"
Charlie shook her head, laughing "Bye Atom. Come on Murphy"
Murphy, who had recently joined them, followed the group as they made their way to the forest. Octavia tried to follow them again, but Atom grabbed her arm "You're staying here"
The group began to leave the camp when Clarke, followed by Wells, quickly joined them. "Where are you going ? You must come with me to save Jasper"
Camille answered her "In case you haven't noticed, we're going on a rescue mission. You can come or not, who cares. Come on, guys. ". Clarke looked offended, but still followed the group along with Wells.
As they walked, Clarke and Wells quickly took the lead. With the other four standing back, Murphy spoke up "Since when are we in the rescing business, huh ?"
"The Ark thinks the prince is dead. Once they think the princess is too, they'll never come down. I'm getting that wristband, even if I have to cut off her hand to do it" replied Bellamy
"Damn those wristbands are getting on my nerves ! Are you a fanatic ? Talking about that all fucking day" growled Charlie
"We'll need yours too baby" Said Murphy with a wink
"Yeah count of that"
While they were walking normally, Clarke and Wells were practically running. Bellamy then decided to say "Hey, hold up. What's the rush ? You don't survive a spear through the heart"
As he spoke, Bellamy waved the pistol he had taken out of his pants earlier, when Camille had wanted to hold it. Wells moved closer to him "Put the gun away, Bellamy."
Murphy, having seen an opportunity to threaten Wells again, quickly approached and pushed Wells away " Why don't you do something about it ?"
"Murphy, come on" moaned Charlie while grabbing his arm
"Jasper screamed when they moved him. I don't think that dead people scream" replied Camille
"Means we don't have any time to waste" added Clarke
"As soon as the girls take those wristbands off, we can go"
Bellamy tried to grab Camille's wrist, but she dodged him "Float yourself"
"The only way the Ark is gonna think I'm dead is if I'm dead. Got it ?" threatened Clarke
"Brave princess" replied Bellamy, sarcastically
A loud voice came from behind them and Finn came out from behind some bushes "Hey, why don't you find your own nickname ? You call this a rescue party ? Gotta split up, cover more ground. Clarke, come with me"
Once the two were gone, Charlie imitated Finn's voice, ironically "Gotta split up, Clarke come with me. Poor excuse to make out"
"You said it.. Come on, let's go" replied Camille
"We don't split off ?" asked Wells
"Hell no, way less fun." said Charlie before walking again.
The group walked in rather peaceful silence. Charlie turned her head and saw Clarke and Finn up a hill right next to them "Split up to cover more ground? We can literally see them from here. Wells turned his head and began to observe the couple with envy. Bellamy, having noticed it, moved closer "Guess we got more in common than meets the eye, huh ?"
Wells looked surprised at first but quickly mastered his facial expression "We have nothing in common".
"No ? We both came down here to protect someone we love. Your secret's same with me" replied Bellamy and Camille couldn't help but turn around to make a comment "Not so much, you can hear everything you say. Not that we hadn't already noticed the frozen lover but hey it doesn't matter"
"Don't listen to her, they're both annoying"
"Awn, we love you too" replied Charlie and Bellamy just rolled his eyes in response. He then returned his attention to Wells "Of course, it's worse for you. With Finn around, Clarke doesn't even see you. It's like you're not even here."
"Oh, come on now, Bellamy, leave that poor kid alone. I don't even know why you're still running after her. She's so annoying like, seriously ?" said Camille
Wells smiled slightly and shook his head. They walked together, laughing from time to time. This small group got along quite well. Of course Murphy couldn't help but throw spikes at Wells but Charlie took him back every time. And the atmosphere was pretty good.
After a while Camille turned her head to the side and asked "Where are Clarke and Finn? It's been a while since we saw them? ". Charlie shrugged, "Maybe they're having sex. I hope that will loosen Clarke." Everyone laughed at the comment, except Wells who scowled and Charlie gave him an apologetic look.
At the same time, the two protagonists approached the group. "We found this" said Clarke pointing to the googles.
Charlie immediately reached out her hand to her "Give them to me." Clarke did so and Charlie put it on her head with a worried expression "We have to find him! Let's go"
Finn began to track down traces of human passage. Murphy frowned "Hey, how do we know this is the right way ?"
Bellamy huffed "We don't. Spacewalker thinks he's a traker"
Wells replied haughtily, "It's called : cutting sign. Fourth year Earth skills. He's good."
"You wanna keep it down or should I paint a target on your backs ?" asked Finn
Finn rushed onto a broken branch of a tree and knelt in front of the traces of blood. Clarke quickly imitated him and Bellamy commented to Wells " See ? You're invisible"
Charlie hit Bellamy in the chest when they heard a loud moan. "What the hell was that ?" asked Murphy
Nobody answered, but Clarke told Bellamy "Now would be a good time to take out that gun."
They followed the moan and came to a large tree. Jasper hung in the middle of it, shirtless.
"Jasper!" Clarke shouted as Charlie rushed over to him.
Charlie felt the ground buckle beneath her and she gasped. She thought she was dying when she felt someone grab her arm and pull her up quickly.
She landed on Murphy and took a deep breath "You save my life ! Thanks M" He nodded in response and helped her get up.
Camille approached them quickly and slapped Charlie on the forehead "Can you fucking watch where you're walking, you dumbass ! I almost had a heart attack"
"Sorry" Charlie replied, watching Clarke stand up too. She too had almost fallen; but Bellamy had pulled her back up.
"You two alright ?" asked Finn
"Yeah, we're good" relied Charlie and Clarke nodded "We need to get him down"
"I'll climb up and cut the vines" warned Finn and Wells walked towards him "Yeah, I'm with you"
"No. Stay with Clarke and watch him" replied Finn pointing to Bellamy
"I can see a love triangle forming" Camille commented, in a low voice so that only Charlie could hear it. Her friend rolled her eyes and looked embarrassed "It's going to end badly"
Murphy followed Finn to help him untie Jasper. Charlie held him back by the arm "Watch your feet"
"Says that one" replied Murphy with a grin
"Idiot," Charlie said, letting go of his arm.
As the two boys began to untie Jasper, a suspicious noise came from the forest. Murphy turned around "What the hell was that ?"
"Grounders ?" asked Bellamy while a black panther came out from behind him.
"Nope, that's Bagheera" replied Camille, with a little fear in her voice
The panther growled and ran towards the group. "Bellamy, gun" shouted Clarke. Bellamy then reached for his pants to grab the gun but he was no longer there. A surge of panic seized them when, suddenly, Wells drew the famous pistol and began to shoot at the panther, but he missed it several times.
"What was the point of stealing that gun if you can't aim ! For god sake, Wells !" shouted Charlie
The panther growled and hid in the bushes. She didn't make any noise for a few seconds before she jumped on Bellamy.
"Watch out !" shouted Camille and Wells fired again and this time managed to kill the animal.
"If I can't aim, huh ?" asked Wells, ironically. Charlie shook her head, tired of all theses emotions
" Now she sees you" said Bellamy to Wells and Camille got angry once and for all "We are all happy about that. Can we come home now ? Please" Bellamy nodded and looked sorry. They all walked home, Wells and Finn holding Jasper while Bellamy and Murphy are holding the panther.
They arrived at the camp after dark and Wells, Finn and Clarke took Jasper to the drop ship while the others stayed outside.
"Who's hungry ?" shouted Bellamy and the crowd cheered.
Charlie and Camille entered the drop ship to help Jasper. They set him up on a table and Charlie put a blanket on him. She stroked his face gently while Camille cleaned the blood.
After a while, Clarke stepped out and the girls quickly followed her "They're taking off their wristbands for food ? No way, I won't do it !" Clarke complained and Finn answered her "You don't have to"
Clarke frowned as Finn approached the fire and took two pieces of meat. Murphy, seeing him do it, quickly approached "Wait, wait, wait. What, you think you play by different rules ?"
Finn smirked and replied "I thought there were no rules"
He then returned to the girls and handed Clarke some food before the two left. "You're right Finn, don't mind us, asshole" groaned Camille.
"I do not take off my wristband. What about you? " asked Charlie and Camille shook her head. The girls turned their backs on the crowd and started to walk away. Charlie felt a slap on her shoulder and when she turned around she saw Murphy with two pieces of meat in hand. The girls each took a stick of meat. Charlie questioned Murphy with her gaze but he didn't say a word and as soon as the girls had their food, he left as he had come.
"That was weird and cute at the same time" said Camille and Charlie nodded. The girls then decided to isolate themselves in the forest, far from the others. They walked calmly while eating, when they heard someone yell "Bellamy! Come on". The girls approached quickly and they gasped when they saw Atom, hanging by his hands on a tree.
"Atom ? What the fuck happened ?" asked Charlie, shocked. Camille climbed the tree and grabbed a knife before cutting the rope. Atom collapsed to the ground and Charlie rushed to help him.
"Thank you, girls." Atom then explained to them that Bellamy had caught him kissing Octavia. Charlie was shocked at Bellamy's behavior and Camille looked particularly irritated. They all decided to go to sleep and fix this problem tomorrow.
They had had enough worries for one single day.