This didn't feel right.

It felt as though someone was going to jump round the corner and arrest her at any minute. They could.

She felt exposed and tiny.

With her red hair wrapped up in a messy bun at the back of her head, she made sure this was a quick visit.

A man popped out from behind the door and she jumped, forcing a bright smile. "Hi Xavier, just here to collect the week's rations for the centre."

Their rations were capped week by week on the Ark, to stop people from overeating and not having enough to last them. It happened more often now, with ration packs depleting and the lesser stations suffering. The richer families, those with parents who held more authority, rations never changed. It was only the poor whose rations were slowly reducing over the weeks.

The centre was at the bottom of the food chain.

Particular members of the council saw the centre as a stain, a way of wasting the Arks plummeting resources on children who had no hope. But she was proof there was hope, she had survived the centre and was working hard.

Xavier, a tall young man with light blonde hair and bright eyes, gave Nora a small smile. "Sure, I'll go get them for you."

There a glint in his blue eyes; a look she didn't like when paired with a side smirk. The man disappeared for a minute, leaving her alone in the sterile area. Her eyes scanned a few ration supplies behind the glass; it wasn't so easy to steal from this side.

The side door opened and she jumped. "Here you go." Forcing a smile, she accepted the crate, by the handle, from him. "I've popped a few extras in there for you too."

Frowning, she look up. "I didn't—"

"I know." His smirk grew wider.

"Thanks." Giving Xavier a brief smile, she nodded and turned for the door. But was stopped short when she felt his hand on her arm.

"You got something for me then?"

She frowns, he had never asked for something in return. He did it off his own free will to give her some extra rations. Xavier was a couple of years older than her, with good connections with most of the guards working on Mecha Station. He wasn't a friend she wanted to have. "I-I don't have anything for you."

The smirk never left his lips, it only grew bigger. "Oh, you have something, Nora." She tried to pull away from him as he leered down at her and gripped her forearm tighter. The redhead tightened her grip on the handle of the crate, her eyes hard.

His fingers felt like a vice grip on her skin, burning into it. She could feel his breath on her face as he took a step closer to her. As he lifted a hand to touch her cheek, she felt the tips of his fingers graze and yanked back sharply, bolting for the door. She never looked back at the kitchens to see Xavier grinning after her. She just ran back to the centre, cradling her stinging arm close to her body. It burned and she wanted to clean off his grubby hands.

When she made it through the doors of the centre, she stopped short. Bellamy was there. There, sat in the makeshift reading corner that Nora and Gwen had built earlier this year, was the young cadet in his everyday clothes and a smile on his face. He held a book in his grip, his eyes lighting up as he read a story to the younger kids.

Nora spotted Kyra and Jimmy straight away, front and centre; they sat in front of Bellamy, their eyes wide with glee.

Before he could see her, she slipped away into the kitchen. It was a small area, but did the job to serve meals for the kids. Unlocking the cupboards, she stored the coming weeks rations away. Only herself and Gwen had keys.

But Bellamy had seen the flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye. Ending the story quickly, the kids cheered and their smiles were infectious. Giving Jimmy a quick ruffle of his hair, he rose and made a beeline for the room Nora had disappeared to. Finding her crouching down beside the cupboard, he watched as she unloaded a crate full of rations. "Hey."

Nora shot up, that was twice she had been scared in one day. It was like everyone was out to give her a damn fright today. She gave him a smile before finishing up with the last ration packs. "Been busy then?" Bellamy raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on the now locked cupboard.

"Just stocking up on next weeks rations. They're reducing them gradually." Rising to her feet, she leant against the metal counter. "I don't know what they're planning but the council is doing something and not telling us."

"I know what you mean." The cadet spoke, bowing his head. "There's been whispers in the guard. No one is sure of what's happening just yet."

"Even if they were, they wouldn't tell us." She scoffed, crossing her arms.

"What happened?" She saw the frown settle deep in his brows, his jaw clenched. "Your arm."

Nora's face paled.

Looking down, she saw what had caught his attention; her sleeve had rolled up, showing off the red mark Xavier had left on her skin. "Nothing, just... it's nothing." She grumbled, tugging on her sleeve to cover the rough handprint. It stung and she knew it would be bruised tomorrow.

"That's not nothing." Bellamy argued, the frown fixed on his face.

"The less you know the better it is." She tried to slip pass him but he blocked her, his hand reaching out to her shoulder to stop her in her track. Warmth radiated from his hand, a stark contrast from when Xavier had touched her.

Looking up, she saw dark brown eyes locked on her. "I know what's going on with you and the rations but I don't know why you show up with marks like that." His words made her feel ashamed. "But when you next need something, come to me instead, okay?"

She frowned, her brows crumpling. "Bellamy, you're a cadet. As much as you want to help, you can't."

"I have ways."

She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yeah, ways to get floated."

Bellamy noticed just how skinny she was. She put the kids before herself, just like he did for Octavia. "No, ways in that you don't. I can protect you."

"It's better that I do it alone."

"What, so you can come back with more bruises... or worse?" Her head swam with 'worse' thoughts. She knew what Xavier had been hinting at and she refused to sink that low. Even for food. She'd rather starve and give the kids her food. But she knew Bellamy had a point. No one had offered to help her before. Never. It had always just been her. She felt as though she had an obligation to.

If she were caught then it would only be her who was culpable. Only she would be floated, no one else, not the kids or anyone at the centre. But here was Bellamy offering his help; something she hadn't quite experienced until now. He didn't even know her. She didn't know him.

Shumway was still on the lookout for her. He never liked her father, which led to his immediate dislike of her. She needed to be careful about who she pissed off. Xavier included.

"I meant what I said. If you need anything, let me know"

His dark brown eyes held nothing but sincerity. "Okay." Nodding, she accepted that he wouldn't take any less. She was learning quickly about how stubborn he could be.

"Good." The frown was wipes from his face, his boyish looks returning with a smile. "Now, do you wanna listen to the story about the moon wolves or do you wanna pick a different one?" He gestured to the door out to the where the kids still were.

Finally, a smile graced her lips. "I've heard plenty about the wolves."

Bellamy pulled the book out from under his arm and handed it to her. "Your turn to pick then." Nora's eyes scanned the book as she turned to the door. "You've gotta read it with me though."

She stopped short, turning back to him with her mouth agape. She quickly swiped him on the stomach with the book, enough to make him stop grinning and start laughing. "C'mon! Kyra says you're great at stories!" His laughter followed her out, knowing full well that the kids thought she wasn't the best story teller. He just wanted to tease her.

"Ass." She muttered, hitting him with the book again.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys are the best! And to everyone who favourite and alerted, thank you! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know with a sweet little review :) They make me smile. A lot.