It had been a few days since the council's decision and Nora hadn't seen Bellamy yet. Nora went to his home but there was no answer; whether he was at work or inside, she didn't know.
It seemed Bellamy's only way of dealing with things was to withdraw into himself. Well, that stops now, Nora decided. So when the centre was having a quiet day, with only small classes that day and plenty of volunteers helping out, Nora told Gwen she was popping out to check on Bellamy. The kids would be occupied for a little while at least.
But when she turned up at his door again, she knocked and waited, but there was still no answer. "Bellamy?" She called out, waiting for him to open the door to her like he had done countless times before. But nothing. "It's Nora." She knocked again, bouncing on the balls of her feet nervously.
She had no key to get in, no way of checking if he was alright or not.
"Bellamy." She tried again, one final time, knocking louder. Maybe he was asleep...
Silence greeted her and with a sigh, she turned around and walked back through Factory station to Mecha. The halls were quiet and cool, she noticed the absence of heat in the past couple of weeks and it seemed that Factory station had been affected by it too.
Oxygen was only going to get worse. She wondered how much they had to last them up here, there had to be a reason they were reducing it on some stations. Maybe testing? Nora would have guessed they had enough oxygen to last at least 10 more years. They were meant to at least... The earth wasn't ready for them yet, well, at least that was what everyone kept saying.
Unlocking the centre doors, she stepped in to be greeted by a kid running up to her and for a moment, she forgot about Bellamy Blake. But the moment didn't last long. Instead of dwelling on it, for the next few days, she spent her evenings with Octavia, visiting the younger Blake for an hour each time, sometimes longer if she could.
They talked, gossiped, shared secrets and dreams, and despite the age gap of a few years, Nora had never felt closer to another woman, well except for Gwen. But she was more like a mother figure. Octavia was quickly becoming a best friend, something she hadn't ever really had before.
Sure the redhead had had friends, but no one so close before, no one she felt so comfortable and at ease talking to. She felt Octavia opening up to her too, the younger woman relaxing more and more around her with every visit. She could notice small developments in her personality too; the SkyBox was clearly aging her at a rapid rate.
On her third visit of the week with Octavia, she was prepared. Bellamy had told her before when her birthday was and her dad always told her how every birthday should be celebrated, no matter how big or small. Stuffing her pockets full, she made her way through the lock up buzzered gates and showed her centre pass to the guard before he nodded her in and a guard escorted her towards Octavia's box.
The door was unlocked and she nodded her thanks to the guard before he shut and locked the door behind them. Usually, the guard would come by when time was up to escort her out.
Turning to greet the woman, they met in a tight hug. "You alright?" She asked the younger woman.
"Bored." She rolled her eyes. "I finished the book, twice."
"Already?"
Octavia cocked her head, "Well I didn't really have much else to do in this box." She said before dropping onto the bed with a sigh.
"Hey, no more frowns on your birthday." Nora said with a coy smile, watching closely as Octavia's face twisted into a smile.
"How did you know?"
"How do you think?"
"Bellamy." Octavia relaxed and a genuine bright smile came to her lips. Nora dropped down onto the bed beside her and they shared the quilt across their legs as they got comfy. "Is he coming by?"
"You know he can't, O. He would so want to see you today of all days as well."
"I know." She huffed, her head tilting to rest on the redhead's shoulder. "I'm glad you're here."
"Happy Birthday, friend." Nora said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her in a hug. "Brought you a gift."
Octavia's head shot up and she did her best to bite back a smile. "You shouldn't have." She said, but still grinned widely with her eyes wide like saucers.
Nora just rolled her eyes, "good job trying to play down the excitement, you idiot." She got a shove in response.
"What'd you get me?"
First Nora pulled out one of her jackets that she had swiped from the guards before, handing it to her. "To keep you warm."
Octavia's smile softened as she took it in her hands, her fingers running across some random stitch marks, "thanks, Nor."
"And to entertain you." She pulled out another book, 'Iliad' written across the front. "Bellamy talked about how your mom read this to you. He wanted you to have it." Well that bit was a white lie. Bellamy hadn't really given it to Nora to give to Octavia. He had given it to Nora after she had asked about it, and she saw it on her shelf yesterday and knew who the rightful owner should be.
Octavia's fingers grazed across the cover before flipping open the book and seeing the written marks inside the cover, some from her mother, some from others who had read it before them.
"She used to read bits of it to us every night."
Nora gave her a moment, seeing the flood of emotions hit the now 17 year old. When she saw her wipe her cheek, she knew it was time for the next present, reaching into her cargo pant pockets to pull out a ration vacuum bag and a lone wax candle, which had seen better days.
It was the candle her dad had used on all of her birthdays he had been alive for. She had used it on every birthday since his death, never lighting it but the idea was there.
"And to feed you." Nora ripped into the ration pack of the sponge like texture. She pushed the candle into it until it stood up and she extended it out to Octavia. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..." Octavia rolled her eyes at the redhead, laughing at her singing. "Happy birthday to Octavia, happy birthday to you!" When Octavia went to blow out the imaginary candle, Nora finished, "hip hip hooray!"
The brunette let out a loud laugh before blowing out the 'candle' and snagging a piece of the sponge. Nora placed the candle back into her pocket and leaned back against the wall with the Blake sibling. They made quick work of eating the sponge ration. It was the closest thing they imagined to be cake-like. Neither had ever had the luxury of ever having cake, but it wasn't half bad.
If the smile on Octavia's face was anything to go by right now, Nora guessed she had achieved her mission in giving her a memorable birthday.
"Nor, are there any snacks? I'm hungry."
Clenching her jaw, she hated the reply she had had to give them for the past few days. "Sorry, bud, we're all out until next meal time." Ruffling his hair, she extended out a cup of flavoured water, which he took gratefully before turning back to the group. The flavoured water was all they had to curb their growing appetites between meal time.
It was a new month of rations, but they only had enough food to last 3 out of the 4 weeks, so they had been extra strict about snacks and ration packs. Gwen and Nora had sat down together to go through a ration plan for the month after receiving their box. They knew upon first glance it wasn't enough, but after asking around Mecha station, they both soon found out it wasn't just them who had been hit hard by the cuts.
This food amount wasn't enough for growing children and two hungry adults, which is why Nora had begun monitoring the guard changes on Go-Sci and Alpha kitchens from afar.
There had been no word from Bellamy yet, not since last week. She was worried about him, but Jones had reported to her that he had seen him recently on his rounds. But the janitor was just avoiding Nora, and the kids too.
Jimmy had been asking after him again, almost every night, asking where he was, why he hadn't been by, what he was doing... Nora had run out of answers to give him and had settled on hoping he would stop by spontaneously, but that never happened.
On her next watch of the kitchens, she was tucked round the side, a book on her lap to make it seem like she was doing something other than tracking the guards. When she saw another switchover, the same time that she had been tracking before, she struck.
Jumping up to her feet, she shoved the book in her bag and darted for the back kitchen door. Sliding inside, she kept an ear out for anyone inside, when it was all clear, she moved into the cupboards, crouching down low. She knew that she needed roughly 7 more ration packs at a minimum.
To make it look less obvious, she took one of each one she could reach and see, stuffing each one securely into her bag. This would mean the kids would be able to eat more comfortably for that last week before a new pack of rations were released.
"Nah, I'm not working tonight."
Nora froze on the spot at the voice. She placed it immediately to be Xavier, the blonde, skinny canteen attendant and her eyes went wide. Hazel eyes immediately scanned for the door, behind her but unobstructed at the minute. It sounded like he was in the main canteen—
"Shoot, so I've gotta work with Betty alone?"
Another voice made her heart beat faster and her body sink. She had no time for this. She listened closely for footsteps, while staying stock still and hidden round the side of the cupboard. Nora shuffled further into the nook, trying to stay as hidden as possible while planning her escape, but the door was too far away; Xavier would see her as she ran.
The suction sound of a door opening made her hold her breath, her eyes squeezing shut when she heard the footsteps that followed. He was in the kitchens now, where about she didn't know, but it wasn't the largest room.
What would happen if he caught her red handed? Would he hand her in the Shumway? Would he challenge her? Would he force her to make a deal? Her body shuddered at the thought.
His phone beeped and for a second, Nora thought it was hers and she was caught.
"Shit." Xavier swore, shuffling in the kitchen before he grunted and took off. Nora heard the suction of the door again and her body relaxed.
Tying her hair into a tight bun and pulled the hood of her fleece up, before sealing her bag shut, she gave it a few seconds before peering round the side of the nook to check if it was all clear. When she saw no trace of Xavier or his friend, she bolted for the door, not looking back.
"Hey!"
She heard a voice call out and she couldn't tell if it was Xavier or a guard, the redhead kept running, her feet skidding on the floor as she turned a corner. Clutching her bag to her chest, a burning in her chest grew as her lungs protested but she kept running.
Risking a glance quickly behind her, she saw no one. But before she could look ahead, she bumped into a solid body and fell to the floor, her bag still clutched tightly to her chest as she braced for impact.
Her bony backside took the brunt of the floor, her elbows meeting the cold metal as she looked up with fear written across her face, to see the one person she hadn't seen for nearly a week.
"Nora... what are you—"
Bellamy was cut off by a booming voice, "Come back here!"
Quickly, she scrambled to her feet, "shit."
It was as if Bellamy knew what she had done, without her telling him. That and the full bag sort of gave it away. He whipped around, checking for witnesses, before turning back to the open janitorial closet he had been filling. "Get in." He told her, pulling her closer by the arm and all but pushing her into the closet, before pushing his cart in too.
Bellamy squeezed in next, before shutting and locking the door. He could hear her breathing heavily, wheezing slightly, before he turned around. The low light from the small window lit up her face just enough for him to read hr panic.
Sliding past the cart, he reached out for her, "you're alright." He reassured her, feeling her body slightly relax as her lungs continued to wheeze. The oxygen deprivation still had an effect on her.
Nora's body fell forward, her forehead coming to rest on his chest, seeking comfort from his warmth. It was a tight space inside the closet, there was just enough room for the two of them and his tall cart. Bellamy thought back to her panic attack he witnessed last time, he knew this wasn't quite like that, but her breathing was similar. "Who were you running from this time?" He asked her, his hand moving to her back and giving small rubs to help calm her breathing.
"Doesn't matter." She chuckled, looking up at him with bright hazel eyes and patting her bag. "I've got these now."
Bellamy shook his head, "you little daredevil."
"Death chaser might be more appropriate." She joked, and it succeeded in getting a small smile out of him.
It was then that Nora noticed how tired he looked; his paler complexion and dark bags under his eyes giving it away. It was like that time after Octavia got arrested. He had taken the result of her re-trial hard. She knew it wouldn't be easy for him and she was worried about him.
"You been in hiding all this time then?" He looked down, avoiding her gaze. "The kids miss you." Nora went in with a guilt trip and tried to get him that way. She could see it was getting to him, his jaw clenching tightly, his hands slowing on their rubs.
"I just needed some time."
She nodded, "I understand that. I just don't appreciate being ignored." Nora raised an eyebrow to him and gave him a knowing look.
Bellamy tried to take a step back, but bumped into a shelf behind him. Groaning lightly, he ran a hand through his hair. Nora knew that was a sign he was stressed and predicted the movement as he returned to cover his face, before dragging down. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.
She knew that was the best she was going to get out of him. "Don't do it again jackass."
His jaw clenched again before he nodded and turned for the door, unlocking it and opening it a crack to check for anyone waiting for them. When the coast was clear, he turned back to her and extended his hand to her.
She gave him a confused look.
"Your bag."
Her confused look turned into a frown as she looked down at it before taking it off and handing it to him. She still trusted him, she just didn't know what he was going to do with it. He gripped the strap before opening the lid of his trolley and dropping it inside, covering it up with dirty sheets before closing the lid.
He reversed back out the closet first before nodding her outside. Nora fell into step beside him, her hands fidgeting by her side as they walked through Go-Sci. "I saw Octavia on her birthday." She began, trying to weasel some more words out of him. "I gave her the Iliad you gave to me. Thought she'd like it." With those words, she caught a hint of a smile pulling at his lips, but it never stuck.
"Thanks." Bellamy said, "I hate not being able to see her." And with that the words flowed from the janitor, asking how his sister was, how she was coping, what she had to do in there. It had been almost 4 months without his sister and she could see every ounce of pain and anguish in his eyes because of that.
They followed the maze of hallways through to Factory station, before stopping outside the Children's Centre on Mecha.
Nora swiftly unlocked the door, stepping inside and holding the door open for Bellamy to follow, before flipping the lock shut. Bellamy had just passed her back her bag before a barrage of kids ran up to greet him. Nora saw the hint of a genuine smile return to his face.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, she got his attention for a brief moment. "I'm just gonna put these in the kitchen." He nodded to her, the colour returning to his cheeks. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw Jimmy hanging off his arm and trying to pull him over.
He wasn't going into hiding again, not if Nora had a say in it.
A/N: So if all goes to plan, we should be landing on Earth in roughly 4-5 chapters time. Would just like to address that yes, this is a slower pace Bellamy/OC than maybe you're used to. But to me, it's just a bit more realistic. Plus, I love also focusing on the relationship between Octavia and Nora, I think that's a really special one.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you for all of your lovely, lovely reviews! In the next one, Nora will be turning Bellamy into a thief and her partner in crime…
