Eᴘɪsᴏᴅᴇ: Eᴀʀᴛʜ Sᴋɪʟʟs

"You're lucky that your nose isn't broken." I scolded as I carefully wiped Murphy's face with a cloth and he pouted in offence.

It had taken some convincing to calm him down enough for me to treat him and it was clear that he was still bitter that Wells had been able to cause him any damage in return for picking the fight. Blood covered his nose, his lip and eyebrow were both busted open and a noticeable bruise was already forming on his cheekbone, without even considering the state of his knuckles. Though I was frustrated with him for his behaviour, it still troubled me to see him hurt and I couldn't prevent myself from tending to him.

"Please. I was in control the whole time." He grumbled, whilst I raised a brow at him in silent protest. "He got a couple of lucky shots in." He conceded as he remembered that I was currently dealing with the consequences of his fight and I shook my head at him in amusement.

"I passed Clarke on my way back. It doesn't look like they made it to the mountain." I commented quietly as I cleaned the blood from his knuckles and checked that there was no severe damage besides the broken skin.

"Didn't you hear? Apparently they found grounders." He sniggered in a doubtful manner and I glanced back up at him in surprise.

This was the first I'd heard of any signs of life here and after the many years of being reassured nothing could survive on Earth, I was stunned at the idea that there might already be a population here. It was a revelation that could either be immensely helpful, or detrimental to our survival.

"Princess says they attacked them. Sounds like they took Jasper as a trophy." He elaborated in a disinterested manner and I felt my eyes widen as I stared at him.

"Did they hurt him?" I whispered fearfully, my heart breaking at the idea that harm might have come to my friend and Murphy cleared his throat in silent confirmation.

Focusing on his injuries to distract from the insanity of what he had just revealed, I strained to keep my mind from wandering. Murphy seemed regretful that he'd told me in such an insensitive manner as he watched me work and I gulped down my anxiety as Jasper's bright face filled my mind.

"I'm sorry. He's a friend of yours, right?" He asked carefully and I nodded, unable to find the words to describe our relationship.

Though I wasn't especially close to the boys, they'd always been patient and kind to me. It was no secret that I wasn't the most popular person on the Ark. My silence had left me as an outcast long before my arrest, but Jasper and Monty didn't care much for the opinions of others. They'd taken the time to form their own opinion of me and as a result, given me the first experience of friendship that I'd had.

I held the damp cloth over Murphy's lip for a few moments in an effort to stem the bleeding. Once it seemed to have stopped, I brushed over the area with my fingertips to get an idea of how deep the cut was and he smiled slightly, leaning his face closer to mine.

"You know, I think it would help if you kissed it better." He muttered with a wink and I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm sure you do." I purred, before moving my attention to his eyebrow and though he wasn't surprised that this tactic had failed, I could tell that he was disappointed nonetheless.

"You know, when I told you about the radiation earlier, I didn't mean that you should start hurting people." I remarked delicately once I had finished treating him and he sighed as if he didn't want to discuss this with me.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need your help."

A small voice called from behind and I glanced over my shoulder to find the girl from earlier standing nervously nearby. She kept glancing behind her, as if keeping an eye on someone whilst she waited and as I tried to open my mouth, Murphy butted in.

"She's busy, bitch." He spat, thinning his eyes at her aggressively and I glanced back at him with sharp disapproval, before I returned my attention to her.

"I'll be with you as soon as I'm done with him." I answered gently and she flashed me a grateful smile, before she rushed back toward camp.

When I turned back to face Murphy, he seemed put out by my pleasant interaction with the girl and I felt myself becoming frustrated with his cruel behaviour. Thus far, I'd managed to remain relatively calm with him following the injuries that he'd caused her and as he continued to bully, I felt my patience running out.

"Why are you such an ass to her?" I snapped in annoyance, unable to understand the reasoning for his behaviour and he seemed confused by my question.

"Do you not realise who she is?" He suggested in a disbelieving tone and I shrugged at him, purposefully ignorant of any of the camp politics.

"She's Pike's kid." He stated, the words themselves sounding disdainful as they left his lips and I stiffened at the name.

It was a name that I remembered well from my already stressful days in the classroom. Fortunately, I hadn't been assigned to him for many of my classes, but each time that I was, my distaste for him grew. He had a strangely glowing reputation amongst the adults of Farm Station, but the members of the teenage population that weren't in his pocket, such as myself, knew him better. In all honesty, getting away from him was one of the largest benefits of my early graduation and admittance to the intern programme in Medical.

"Ah, Pike. The teacher with the attitude problem. Farm station's best and brightest." I remarked quietly and he smirked slightly at this.

"Shit. Well, that's not her fault. You know as well as I do how much bad parents fuck you up." I remarked with a grimace, as I imagined how awful it must have been to grow up with a man as manipulative as him and he scoffed in aggravation. "Seriously, was burning her not enough for you?" I groaned, displaying my disapproval for his grudge and his face grew dark at my attitude.

"You remember our last Earth Skills class in lockup? When I had to get treated by the nurse?" He recalled aggressively and I hummed.

We'd been assigned to separate classes and although the experience had been tense for my group, it was mostly uneventful. Pike seemed frustrated at the lack of interest of his students, but no matter what tactics he tried in each session, he was unable to motivate us. By the last class, he seemed ready to explode and I got the impression that he was relieved to be rid of us.

"That was because of Pike. He locked us in the classroom and beat the hell out of me, Cassie. I'm pretty sure he'd have killed me if Jasper and the others hadn't jumped him." He revealed, anger pulsing through him and I felt my brows jump up in surprise.

I had long wondered what happened to him that day, but assumed that he had simply prompted yet another fight with one of the other inmates and didn't push him to talk about it. As part of Murphy's nature, I knew that convincing anything from him that he didn't want to reveal was an almost impossible task.

As I considered this information, I could easily imagine that Pike would do something this extreme, especially after his lack of success with our group. It angered me that he had abused his power in this way and I could almost guarantee that he had received no punishment for his actions.

A deep sigh escaped me at the injustice of what was one our home and instead, my mind focused on a single detail of his recollection.

"Sounds like you owe Jasper a lot." I commented idly and he met my eyes with evident confusion, as if this had never occurred to him before.

"And Murph, cut Pike's kid some slack. She's probably had a rough enough life with that man as a dad." I pointed out, sympathising with her situation now that she was trapped with many of the kids that hated her father and he scowled at this request.

"You want me to be buddies with that bitch? Her dad almost killed me!" He growled as he viewed me with disbelief and I shook my head at him with a slight smile.

"No. Just leave her alone." I clarified and he cursed under his breath. "Come on. Do it for me." I whispered as I traced my fingers along his knuckles and he thinned his eyes at me, taking a few moments to consider his options.

Sometimes I wondered exactly what was happening inside his head, as I watched the cogs turning inside. I understood that his childhood trauma had resulted in a deep distrust for people and the tendency to hold grudges, but underneath all of that, I truly believed that he wasn't a bad person. Most of his bullying behaviour toward her was likely knee jerk reactions and I hoped that by reasoning with him, he might realise how unfair it was.

"Fine. You're lucky that you're hot." He conceded as he pouted at me and I smiled at the ridiculousness of his reasoning.

"Thank you." I breezed with a smile and his expression finally softened slightly. "But I hope you have more of a reason than that." I added with a single brow raised at him.

"You're...really hot?" He suggested with a playful wink and I thinned my eyes. "Come on, Cas. You know I like the whole package, not just the wrapping."

"Cute, but I'm not a possession. You should really learn some manners." I commented as I thinned my eyes at him and something in his expression told me that he was doing this on purpose.

"You trying to make me soft?" He sneered as he leaned closer into my space and I rolled my eyes, tired of trying to straighten him out for one day.

"Alright. It doesn't look like you need any stitches." I confirmed as I began to pack away the small kit that I'd assembled to treat him and he seemed relieved. "Just try not to get into any more fights before you've healed. Wouldn't wanna damage this face." I teased, placing a featherlight punch on his jaw and he smirked at me.

"You're gonna make me work for it, aren't you?" He drawled as he fidgeted his lips slightly as if already considering kissing me and I simply smiled bashfully in return. "Alright, Sunshine. I can play your game."

Pike's daughter waited just out of sight for me and seemed pleased when I approached. I followed her toward the main section of camp, where there seemed to be a flurry of activity following the return of the missing group and felt a knot forming in my stomach as she walked right toward Bellamy.

His sister Octavia sat with her leg propped up, whilst he fretted over her and I cursed my own kindness for not thinking to check who was hurt before I allowed myself to be led here. Bellamy glanced up in confusion as I approached and the girl immediately kneeled at Octavia's side with a sense of familiarity.

"Why are you bringing her over?" Bellamy groaned as he straightened up to view me with disbelief and I paused awkwardly, uncertain whether to ignore him, or make my escape whilst the girl who had brought me here was distracted.

"Because she knows what she's doing." She argued as she glanced up at Bellamy in annoyance, before gesturing for me to approach and he crossed his arms in a huff.

"I'm Zoey and this is my friend Octavia. She said that something attacked her in the water and left her with a nasty bite." Zoey explained as she made a show of actively ignoring Bellamy and I kneeled in front of Octavia to carefully assess her.

Zoey peeled back the trousers to reveal three large gashes in her friend's thigh and I grimaced at the sight of it. The wounds appeared to be quite deep and it was clear that the walk home had only caused further inflammation of the area.

I reached out to examine the damage and Octavia flinched away from me nervously.

"It's okay, O. You can trust her." Zoey soothed, but my patient continued to regard me with a sceptical expression. "This is Cassidy. She used to work in Medical on the Ark. She's treated me before."

My gut lurched at Zoey's words, painfully aware that any hopes of keeping this information had just been dashed and I could practically feel Bellamy's shock at this revelation. Though I understood that her intentions were good, I resented Zoey slightly for exposing me and attempted to focus on the task at hand, rather than spiralling into panic.

Carefully, I ensured that the wounds were as clean as possible to allow me a full assessment of the severity. The skin surrounding the lacerations was red and infection was already becoming a risk if we didn't intervene quickly.

"Well, doc. How bad is it? Am I gonna need stitches?" Octavia asked fearfully, clearly nervous at the idea of this and I nodded in confirmation.

Considering that we had no anaesthetic or pain relief on hand, Octavia was surprisingly brave and I could tell from the way that Zoey gripped her hand that they shared a close friendship.

Bellamy remained nearby, standing over me to watch every action protectively and though I was limited by the supplies available, I felt confident in my work.

"I didn't get a chance to thank you before." Zoey remarked whilst I stitched and I maintained my focus to avoid any anxiety working it's way into my mind.

"I really appreciate you helping me, even though it put you in a tough position with your friend." She added, flashing a grateful smile at me and I hummed in response.

Once I'd finished stitching, I gave the wound another clean for good measure and covered it as best as I could. The moment that I removed my grip on her thigh, Octavia was on her feet and involved in an argument with her brother, so I quickly repacked my things to move on before I could be caught with them.

"I know that she's a pain, but I know that she's grateful too. Thank you." Zoey commented with a warm smile, as if she were used to Octavia's antics and I smiled in return.

"You're welcome." I muttered just quietly enough for only her to hear, before rushing away from them.

Though I'd intended to spend some time alone to plan how I would manage the threat of Bellamy discovering my skills, I was almost immediately distracted from this course of action by the sight of Clarke's bright blonde locks as she stormed through camp.

After spending the entire night worried about her whereabouts, I found myself walking towards her to check that she was alright and as I approached, I noticed that she seemed upset.

"Hey." I called as I stepped into her path and she paused on the spot, regarding me with a tearful expression. "You look like you need a friend." I suggested gently, prompting her to nod in confirmation, but before she could manage a single word, the boy that I'd heard others refer to as space walker rushed after her.

"Come on, Princess." He called in an attempt to get her attention and the distress on her face intensified as she stormed toward the dropship.

Her pursuer paused as he reached me, watching her leave with confusion and it was clear from the guilt in his eyes that he knew he was the cause of the state she was in. He glanced over at me, shuffling awkwardly on the spot as if he was unsure on what to do next and I crossed my arms at him.

"She has a name. You should try calling her by it." I scolded, feeling frustrated by the attitude that Clarke was being treated with in camp and he grimaced in embarrassment.

I entered the dropship in search of Clarke and found her in the top floor, assembling a pack. Her movements radiated aggravation and I recognised that she was battling to keep herself from crumbling to anxiety.

As I'd dealt with similar emotions many times, I closed the hatch behind me and cleared my throat as I entered.

Clarke whipped around to view me with alarm and once she realised it was me, released a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Cassidy. Thank god." She breathed as she returned to her task and I found a spot on the floor to make myself comfortable, expecting that I might be here for a while.

"Clarke. Stop it." I instructed quietly, watching her jagged movements as she continued packing and it took a few more seconds before she eventually accepted defeat.

Several moments of tense silence passed, whilst she held her head in her hands and I waited patiently for her to be ready to speak. Gradually, she shifted around to view me and I smiled supportively at her.

"Everything is scary." She whispered in a strained voice, as if the words had burst out against her will and I gave a slight nod in agreement.

"There's not supposed to be people here, but there are and they're hunting us! I couldn't stop them from taking Jasper, or even get anyone in camp to take this seriously. People are taking off their wristbands, and Wells is here, and I don't know how to manage it all!" She rambled as she paced back and forth in an effort to channel the stressful energy within her and I watched her sympathetically.

"You don't have to." I offered cautiously, unsure of what else I could advise when I completely understood how senseless anxiety could be and she sighed as she paused on the spot.

"Did you know that it was Wells who turned my father in?" She muttered regretfully, already starting to pack again to avoid seeing my reaction and I observed her with obvious shock. "I trusted him. I told him what my father knew so that he could help me and instead, he told the Chancellor and my dad was floated." She divulged, angrily wiping away her tears as she threw items into the bag.

"I'm sorry." I breathed, feeling as if my words were entirely insufficient and she seemed lost to her thoughts.

"Cian set me up. He's the reason that I got arrested. If I hadn't spent so long being naive and protecting him, I could still be on the Ark with my dad. If Cian was here now, I don't know what I'd do. I can't imagine how you feel with Wells here." I revealed nervously, offering the only proof of understanding that I could and she finally glanced up at me with a pitying expression.

"I'm sorry, too." She expressed as she considered our similar circumstances and I nodded slowly.

"Some pair we are." She remarked with a weak smile and I chuckled lightly. "Thank you for this. I think I just needed a minute to feel it all."

"You're only human, Clarke. Don't put so much pressure on yourself." I advised as I reflected on the strong persona that she'd constantly maintained since we arrived and she nodded thoughtfully, but I could tell that my words hadn't weakened her resolve.

"You're right. Someone has to rescue Jasper, though." She sighed and I glanced up at her in surprise. "I came back to get reinforcements. I know that he's your friend, but you should stay here. We're going to need your skills." She explained confidently, seeming recharged by our conversation and I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was too afraid to volunteer for the mission anyway.

"Be careful."

ღ ➵ ღ

Whilst the camp was busy assembling a rescue party, which proved difficult due to a lack of volunteers, I attempted to anticipate what supplies I might need for Jasper when they returned with him. From Clarke's description, it sounded as if we were soon to be fighting some serious injuries and though I wanted to remain hopeful for my friend, I couldn't help a feeling of dread which settled in my chest.

Settling on a log in a quieter part of camp, I had begun tearing varying sizes of fabric to allow for a plentiful supply of bandages. The task kept me focused enough to prevent my mind from being lost to anxiety, but I was soon distracted when a group of guys began a loud conversation nearby.

"She doesn't speak."

"I heard she was going off when they loaded us into the dropship. Full straight jacket behaviour."

"Shit, man. You think she cracked?"

"What a waste. She's hot."

I gulped nervously, keeping my eyes keenly trained on my shaking hands and I could feel their predatory gaze on me. Footsteps nearby alerted me to the fact that they were creeping closer and before I had the chance to consider my options, I automatically bolted to standing.

With my head firmly down, I carefully strolled back toward the main hub of camp, whilst pretending that I couldn't hear them, but I barely managed a few steps before they blocked my path.

"Hey, Beetlejuice." The ring leader addressed me with an insult that had long outgrown it's welcome thanks to my hair colour and I rolled my eyes at the lack of originality.

"Do the curtains match the drapes?" He drawled, sending sniggers through his audience and I refused to acknowledge them as I stepped to the side to pass them.

"Where are you going, girl? We're having fun, aren't we?"

Another stepped out of the crowd to halt me and my heart skipped a beat as I realised that I was in trouble.

When I glanced up, three sets of eyes stared down at me as if I were a small, vulnerable creature caught in their trap and my legs trembled at the thought. Regretting that I had chosen to isolate myself out here, my mind raced to produce an escape plan and from the threatening expressions of the men before me, I could tell that their intentions were far from good.

"Come on, baby-"

Before the leading miscreant could even finish his sentence, he dropped to the ground and it took a few moments for me to realise that Murphy was pounding his face in with pure anger. The two friends attempted to push back his attacker, but Murphy took them to the ground quickly, then immediately returned to beating the first offender to a pulp.

"Murphy, stop! That's enough." I called as I placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him, but he simply shook me off to continue to pound into his target.

There was a certain wildness about him that I hadn't seen before, something that had never been present in any of the other fights I'd witnessed. It was as if he were protecting something precious, something that could not be replaced and I was surprised to find that he would behave in such a manner for me.

"You'll kill him!" I pleaded as I tugged harder at his jacket, desperate to keep him from causing trouble for himself and he sat back slightly, panting with a mixture of rage and exertion.

"He's fucking lucky that I didn't!" He yelled as he struggled to his feet and I positioned myself between him and the others in an effort to prevent him from launching into another round of attacks.

"Anyone else have anything to say about her?" He spat as he pointed to the two remaining guys, who still seemed disorientated from his sudden ambush, but they quickly held up their hands and shook their heads in surrender anyway.

"Good. Cause next time I won't fucking stop." He threatened, the fury that poured off him suitably terrifying the group and as I attempted to lift the ring leader to his feet, I noticed that there was barely an inch of his face that wasn't covered in blood.

"You do realise that you're just making more work for me?" I remarked at Murphy over my shoulder as I surveyed the damage that he'd caused and my patient struggled away from me in a fluster, despite his barely conscious condition.

"He doesn't deserve your help." Murphy growled, before pulling me back to my feet and stepping in front of me protectively. "Tell him to rub some dirt in it." He spat dismissively at the boys, maintaining his grip on my arm as he marched us away and I stared at him in disbelief.

"They're just assholes." I groaned as he led me to a secluded area where he could check me over. "You can't just beat up everyone who is mean to me, Murph." I asserted as I viewed him and he tutted at me impatiently.

"And you can't let people walk all over you, again." He lectured, his brows furrowing together in concern and I crossed my arms with a defensive huff. Though I understood his viewpoint, I couldn't help feeling that his comment was unfair.

"I wasn't." I argued, whilst he raised a single brow at me in doubt. "They just weren't worth the drama. They wanted attention, so I wouldn't give it to them."

"You can't afford to be naive, Cassie. There are dangerous people here. Trust me, they wanted a lot more than just your attention." He pointed out, seeming as if the very thought of this was riling him up again and I guided him over to my newly laid out supplies.

It was a frightening thought to consider what the group's intentions might have been, but I had to admit that Murphy's certainty over the threat to my safety caused a chill to run down my spine.

"I only cleaned you up this morning. " I muttered as I took his hands in mine and rinsed the blood off his knuckles for the second time today.

"I'm pretty sure that I told you no more fights at the time, you nuisance." I added in a slightly lighter tone, as I glanced up at him and instead of looking apologetic, he simply smiled.

"What can I say, you're worth it." He drawled in his best attempt at being charming and I chuckled slightly under my breath. "Besides, I'm still working on that kiss. They're an important part of healing, you know." He sneered and I rolled my eyes at his relentlessness.

Though I despised seeing him hurt, I was grateful for his timely intervention. I didn't want to admit it for fear that I would only set his temper off again, but I had been frightened. All of the coping mechanisms that I had relied upon before seemed to be failing me and I worried that silence might no longer be my wisest option.

Murphy studied my face the entire time that I worked and I found that I gradually became calmer whilst in his company. There was something about having him near that settled my anxieties. I couldn't put my finger on the cause, but was grateful for it regardless.

"I've been thinking about what you said earlier, about owing Jasper." Murphy remarked in a casual tone and I peered up at him with interest. "I'm gonna join the rescue party. You should come with me." He suggested, shocking me at the selfless nature of this choice which seemed to have been prompted by my own concern for my friend.

"I can't do that." I blurted as nerves overtook my words and he frowned in confusion. "I just want to keep my head down here." I muttered awkwardly as I concentrated on his hands and he sighed.

"I don't like the idea of leaving you alone in camp, Sunshine." He admitted, earning a slight smile of appreciation from me.

"Come on. It might do you some good to establish yourself here. Show them that you can get stuff done and defend yourself." He advised, making it clear that he'd already been thinking about my social standing within the camp and I found myself shifting in my seat with discomfort.

"I'll be fine. I honestly just want to blend into the background." I explained as he thinned his eyes at me suspiciously. "I don't want to get into trouble here." I confessed quietly and we lapsed into silence as he considered my answer.

The cuts on his knuckles were growing deeper and I worried that he would cause himself some serious damage if he didn't slow down. I made an effort to dress them as best I could, counting my blessings that he'd somehow managed to avoid receiving any additional hits to the face in this latest scuffle.

Once I was done, he stood to search in his pockets, before presenting me with a small, simply made dagger.

"Here." He muttered as he encouraged me to take the gift. "If you want to stay, I'll respect that. Our crew can be intimidating and I get why you might not think that they're good for you." He explained as he pushed the dagger towards me insistently and I gripped the weapon fearfully.

"You need to find a way of asserting yourself, because if you don't, these fucking animals will eat you alive." He insisted, concern evident in his eyes and I nodded with uncertainty in response.

Anxiety pooled in my chest as I watched him and Bellamy leaving camp and his words repeated in my mind as I realised that my survival may depend on my ability to change, something that I'd always been resistant to.