After waiting long enough to know that he would likely be gone, I ventured back into camp and found that everyone was still preoccupied with having a great time. I rolled my eyes in disappointment, but was not particularly surprised by their carelessness and turned from them to focus on my next survival concern, shelter.
Gathering a parachute and some of the sewing supplies that I'd previously prepared for medical uses, I made my way to one of the quieter sides of the dropship to create myself somewhere to sleep. Though I expected that most people would likely simply sleep inside, if they even stopped partying for long enough to sleep, I was uncomfortable with the idea of sharing cramped quarters with so many other inmates and if I were honest with myself, I was keen to make the most of the outdoors.
Thanks to the years of practicing stitching, I was able to combine the fabrics into something relatively resembling a tent and managed to carry a piece of debris from the landing over to use as an anchor point. Once combined, it formed a flimsy structure that seemed as if it could collapse from even the slightest breeze, but I was proud of my efforts and knew that my old man would get some entertained satisfaction from my newfound adventure skills.
By the time that I had returned everything, it was beginning to get dark and I felt nerves settling in my chest at the thought that Jasper, Monty and Clarke hadn't returned, alongside the rest of their group. The thoughts of what could have happened to them left me restless and I found myself waiting near the edge of camp for any signs of movement. I was unsure of how long I spent pacing around in the long grass, but the light gradually faded and I was left in the dark.
In the background, I could hear grand speeches being made, but decided to hide away, as I feared being dragged into another power struggle, or confrontation like I witnessed earlier. Eventually, a light in the distance caught my attention, alongside many cheering voices and what sounded similar to drums being played in a way that was highly intimidating.
I crept back toward camp nervously, feeling guilty for leaving my post of waiting for the missing group to return and as I neared the fire, I realised that there was some kind of deranged initiation happening, where people were queuing to have their wristbands removed. This discovery made me deeply uncomfortable and I remained out of view as I watched Mbege assist Murphy in removing a young girl's wristband, only to receive excessive praise and cheering for doing so. Bellamy was quick to greet them with a handshake, as if welcoming them to an exclusive club and my stomach churned at the sight of the manipulative behaviour.
The next person in their conveyor belt of volunteers stepped forward and as Murphy used his blade to prize the wristband off, I noticed the grimace of the young person and noted that this seemed a rather painful process to be undertaken by such inexperienced teenage boys. Though I was tempted to offer my expertise to minimise the risk of injury, I couldn't bring myself to risk involvement and instead was about to creep away when Murphy caught my eyes. He patted Mbege on the shoulder, pointing out another of his followers that could assist him whilst he was absent, then navigated carefully through the crowd to avoid drawing any attention as he approached me.
"What do you think, Sunshine? Ready to unshackle yourself?" He suggested with an enthusiastic smile, seeming completely oblivious to the severity of what he was doing and I stared back at him, allowing my uncertainty to convey itself in my face. I couldn't imagine how he could possibly consider this to be a wise decision and struggled to find the words to explain the damage that had already been done here without causing him to become defensive.
"Don't worry. If you're scared it will hurt, I can do yours on my own. I'll be extra careful with you." He offered in a teasing tone, his smug expression hinting that he was simply pleased at the idea of having an excuse to touch me and I sighed at him in disappointment.
"Was this your idea?" I enquired, glimpsing from him to Bellamy suspiciously and as he followed my gaze, he seemed confused. It was obviously a struggle for him to decide whether to take credit for this and so I decided to give him some context to encourage him to be honest. "Did he tell you that these are sending our vitals to the Ark?" I investigated, wondering whether he'd been misled about their purpose and he sneered in response to this clarity.
"Of course. That's why we're taking them off." He breezed, as if this were a sensible conclusion and I tilted my head at him to express my disbelief. "Come on, Cassie. You don't want to help those assholes, do you? They sent us down here to die. We're just taking back our freedom." He added confidently, attempting to appeal to the bitterness that I had earlier allowed him to see and I choked on my lip nervously.
Although I was somewhat tempted to shed all remaining ties to the Ark, every time that I glanced at my wristband, I remembered Abby's words about relaying the data back to my father and knew that I could never hurt him by making him think that I'd died. I also remained cautious of the intentions of Bellamy, who seemed to be carefully plotting via members of the camp and though I knew that Murphy was likely genuine about seeing this as little more than another act of rebellion, I couldn't be certain of the intentions of his puppet master.
"My Papi is watching my vitals." I revealed in a small, nervous voice and Murphy raised his brows in surprise. I took hold of the wristband, running my fingers along it thoughtfully and I knew that I would do anything to protect this final connection to my old man. "I'm all he has left. Even if I never see him again, I have to live for him." I explained, avoiding meeting his eyes as I spoke and a few moments of heavy silence passed. I suspected that he was deciding whether to respect my decision, or to make another attempt to convert me, causing anxiety to build in my chest until he finally cleared his throat.
"I get it. Whatever keeps you sane, right?" He commented in a surprisingly calm vice and feeling caught off guard by his understanding, I whipped my attention up to him. In his eyes, I could tell that he was at least somewhat disappointed in me, but he forced himself to wear a smile in the hope that I wouldn't notice. I glanced down at his bare wrist, already stripped of its connection to our home and couldn't help the sensation that it's absence made me his opposition, a feeling that I wasn't fond of.
"There's nobody up there watching mine." He remarked as he noticed my gaze lingering on the space where his wristband had been this morning and I felt a heaviness to my heart at these words. "No one will even notice when my heart stops." He muttered, in an ambiguous way that could easily have referred to more than just the people on the Ark who were monitoring our data and I scowled at this thought.
"Maybe not up there, but I will." I argued in a firmer tone than I'd ever used around him before, causing him to return from his distant stare to smile at me and I was sure that there was the slightest hint of tears in his eyes. "So, just make sure that you don't die. Alright?" I insisted as I met his eyes and just as he opened his mouth to answer, we were interrupted by a deep, overpowering voice.
"Murphy. Hurry up and bring your volunteer over. We've got people waiting." Bellamy asserted, marching up to his side with an uncomfortable sense of authority and I felt my eyes widen at his statement. For a moment, I was tempted to turn tail and run into the woods, but as Murphy glanced over at me, his expression became resolute and I managed to convince myself that I could rely on him to protect me.
"No. She won't be taking hers off." He stated calmly, turning to face Bellamy with confidence and I felt my heartbeat quicken with fear. Bellamy leant into closer in an effort to intimidate him and I quickly began to realise that his charismatic attitude was only the first stage of his control. It seemed that denying him caused a more threatening side of him to emerge and my distrust of him only grew stronger.
"I thought we said no exceptions?" He grumbled, staring into Murphy's face with an intensity that would have caused me to wilt had it been directed at me and I felt as if I were witnessing something that I shouldn't be privy to. I wondered how he had convinced Murphy to follow his leadership, when I'd hardly ever seen him successfully controlled by anyone in the past, but as he stood his ground, I realised that the power dynamic between them didn't seem to have been set in stone just yet.
"What about your sister?" Murphy leered, squaring up to Bellamy in return and I shifted awkwardly at the confrontation. He seemed significantly rattled by the mention of his sibling and I was unsure if Murphy had been wise to have struck at what was clearly a sensitive topic.
"Are you gonna force her to take hers off when she gets back, or does she get a choice?" He questioned stubbornly, refusing to back down on this point and Bellamy thinned his eyes at him. For a moment, I was worried that they would devolve into violence, but eventually it became clear that Bellamy wished to deal with this without using the loyalty of his newly gained follower.
"That's different. Octavia is my blood." He excused, crossing his arms defensively and Murphy was clearly unphased by this reasoning. "We need to get everyone on side. If we start skipping people, it will cause doubt." He advised, attempting to continue Murphy of the validity of their cause again and I suspected that I was witnessing a glimpse of how he'd secured his support in the first instance.
"She's your exception, right?" Murphy suggested, providing him with an opportunity to escape scrutiny on the treatment of his sister when she returned and Bellamy reluctantly accepted it, simply nodding in agreement. "Well, Cassidy is mine." He clarified in a firm manner and I couldn't help feeling that his wording was deliberately vague, as if they were discussing an entirely different kind of ownership. "I can vouch for her. She's skilled and valuable enough to be worth the risk." He added carefully, ensuring that he made the bargain sound worthwhile and Bellamy finally tore his eyes from his opposition to examine me with interest. I squirmed awkwardly under his scrutiny, uncomfortable with the way that he studied me and I felt Murphy stiffen in reaction too.
"I guess we'll find out." He conceded, clearly unsure in what this mysterious value was and I fiddled with the sleeves of my jacket to distract myself. Under his overbearing attitude, I'd reverted to my silence demeanour and hoped that my lack of interaction would result in him ignoring me as the others had whilst in lockup. "We've got plenty more people to get through." He pointed out as he turned back to Murphy with a significant look, before leaving us alone. I released a deep sigh of relief, causing Murphy to smile at my silent display of dislike and I nodded to him before creeping back toward my tent.
I spent some time attempting to reinforce the structure and gathering leftover bits of parachutes to use as bedding before the others realised that they would need them to sleep. They were sufficiently distracted by the party that Murphy and Mbege were steadily growing for Bellamy and I wondered how long their enthusiasm would continue as they seemed to be relentlessly irresponsible.
Just as I was about to return to my tent for the night, the sound of raised voices carried over from the campfire and I hurried over to investigate in the hopes that Clarke and the others had finally returned. Instead, I found Bellamy and Wells engaged in a heated power struggle and blended into the back of the audience in the hope that I wouldn't be noticed.
"If it really is safe, how could you not want the rest of our people to come down?" Wells questioned accusingly and I found myself watching with interest, as I had pondered the answer to this question myself.
"My people are already down." Bellamy responded aggressively and I thinned my eyes at him suspiciously. "Those people locked my people up." He gestured upwards as he spoke and I crossed my arms as I scrutinised him. It seemed nonsensical to me that he would refer to the delinquents this way when he had only just met most of them and I was unsure how he was encouraging such a sense of camaraderie as the only person here who had not been a prisoner at all.
"Those people killed my mother for the crime of having a second child. Your father did that." He revealed, stepping closer to Wells with an intense expression and my posture relaxed somewhat as understanding dawned on me. Though he had not been convicted, his experiences had certainly given him an appreciation for the circumstances of most of the people here, but I still felt uncomfortable at the power hungry behaviour that he was displaying.
"My father didn't write the laws." Wells defended in exasperation, continuing to be completely ignorant of all the social cues that he should cease causing trouble for his own safety and I sighed in defeat. In all honesty, I was surprised that he'd even survived the day considering his determination to paint a target on his back.
"No. He enforced them. But not anymore. Not here. Here, there are no laws. Here we do whatever the hell we want, whenever the hell we want." Bellamy announced, subtly addressing the audience who cheered their support as he spoke and I felt my stomach lurch at the potential impact of his statement. My awareness of the capability of the people that filled this camp gave me a horrifying awareness of the dangers that could come from declaring our location as somewhere with no laws and feared how quickly we could fall into chaos.
"Now, you don't have to like it, Wells. You can even try to stop it, or change it. Kill me." Bellamy taunted and I felt my mouth fall open at his endorsement of murder, hardly able to believe that he could be this oblivious. "You know why? Whatever the hell we want." He added purposefully, a smug smile filling his lips as he uttered the phrase that resonated with all of the teens that were gathered around him and Murphy was quick to jump on the momentum of this mantra.
"Whatever the hell we want!" Murphy yelled, riling up the teens who began chanting the line in an overpowering cacophony of voices and I was rooted in the spot in shock as I processed the danger of this group united under Bellamy. Wells glanced around at the crowd with a deep concern in his expression and for the first time, I was glad that someone else sensible had remained behind in camp.
Suddenly, the sky crackled with thunder, causing me to startle in terror and the heavens opened as rain hammered down on us. Instead of being discouraged by this, the teens seemed even more enthused with it, revelling in the way that it felt and even the smothering of the fire that plunged us into darkness failed to bother them. I hesitated from running to cover, hoping that one of the two boys who were squaring up to each other might take control of the situation, but Bellamy seemed just as enamoured by his first experience of rain as the others were.
"We need to collect this." Wells urged, attempting to break his trance, but Bellamy was completely disinterested in his eagerness to plan for our survival. People cheered around them, dancing in the downpour with vivid excitement and though it was a unique feeling that thrilled me too, I couldn't help that my focus remained on the practical matters.
"Whatever the hell you want." Bellamy answered evenly, holding his ground against Wells until he eventually wandered away and as he seemed to move with purpose, I instinctively followed.
He passed the tarp that I had earlier set up for catching water to check whether it was withstanding the elements and then began darting around in search of something. As soon as I realised what he was doing, I wordlessly joined him and we worked silently as we gathered as many containers as we could find to collect the rain. Anything that had the capacity to hold water was placed out in a row at the edge of camp, in a spot where there was less cover from the trees.
We quickly ran out of large items and as Wells split from me in search of anything smaller that he could utilise, I made my way toward the dropship for my hunt, allowing him the opportunity to avoid it. I was about to step inside when something caught my arm and I whipped around to find Murphy examining me with interest.
"Trust you to be the only person crazy enough to want to head inside during this." He drawled, chucking slightly to himself with amusement and I shrugged avoidantly. I was reluctant to directly criticise his behaviour, but couldn't help feeling somewhat annoyed that I had to bear the responsibility that everyone else had abandoned.
"It's cold." I excused, wiggling out of his grip and he raised a brow at me disbelievingly. Admittedly, I was the only person still dressed in multiple layers when most of the group had already begun to strip off in the earlier sunshine, but that was mostly due to my own modesty more than the temperature.
"Besides, someone needs to make sure that we have drinking water." I added, fidgeting in the spot as I spoke and allowing my hands to slip into my pockets in a self soothing gesture. Murphy shook his head disapprovingly and glanced around as if searching for something particular. Without warning, he grabbed my hand and dragged me along behind him as he navigated through the trees.
"Let the mini chancellor deal with that! I want to show you something." He called backward as he guided me to some unknown destination and I felt my heartbeat pounding as I struggled to see properly in the darkness. I wondered if he even knew exactly where he was going and though my surroundings made me nervous, the fact that he was with me kept me from descending into full blown panic.
After a few minutes, we emerged into a tiny space that was clear of any trees right in the middle of the dense forest and the rain seemed to fall even heavier here. Murphy halted, turning to face me with a smug smile and I stared back at him in confusion. There didn't seem to be anything specific here and I couldn't imagine what he'd led me here to reveal.
"We spent our whole lives trapped in a floating box in space." He opened, his tone serious as he addressed me and I raised my brows as I awaited a full explanation.
"You're so focused on being sensible that you're forgetting what matters. This morning, we were both locked in cells, waiting to die. Now, we're on Earth." He pointed out, his voice filled with awe and although I could sense the elation that he felt, it seemed unattainable to me. I smiled weakly at him, unsure of what he expected from me and he sighed thoughtfully.
"It's rain, Cassie. Real, actual rain. How can you not see how insane that is? It feels different, don't you think? It smells different. Close your eyes. Forget about all of the bullshit that you're carrying. This rain? It's more than that. It's freedom." He explained, gradually stepping closer to me as he spoke and as his words washed over me, the heavy drops that fell on my skin took on new meaning. Clearly sensing the shift in my demeanour, Murphy leaned in closer still, pushing the damp hair from my face and placed a delicate hand over my eyes.
"Close your eyes. Feel it." He whispered, pulling me under his spell and I allowed my eyelids to flutter closed obediently.
After a few moments, he removed his hand to check if I had followed his instruction and I heard a satisfied hum as he realised that I had. The sound of the rain was deafening once I allowed myself to focus on it and although I expected it to be overwhelming, it was strangely relaxing. Every drop created different tones of sound as it bounced off nearby branches, sliding down the leaves to reach the grass beneath our feet.
I could hear Murphy's steady breathing, the warmth of his breath just reaching my skin in the close positions that we were standing and providing a small respite from the cold temperature of the droplets that soaked me. Gradually, I became aware of a scent that was unfamiliar, a slightly similarity to soil and vegetation, but also something more, something that was entirely unique.
When I allowed my eyes to drift open, I found Murphy studying me with a contented smile and couldn't help returning it. His hair was thoroughly soaked and had been knocked from its slicked back style, now allowing water to drip down his face from the long strands that hung in front of his eyes. There was a heavy sense of peace between us, as I stared at him with a new perspective and I felt more alive in this moment than I ever had before.
The rain continued to pelt us relentlessly, but instead of feeling uncomfortable, the storm felt as if it were connecting us to something powerful that recharged our beaten down souls. His handsome features were lit by the moon which glowed beautifully above us, bathing us both in dreamy rays and it seemed as if we were the only two people in the world. I couldn't put into words the sensation that we shared, but as we each stared at each other in wonder, I knew that we were completely in tune.
Out of nowhere, there was an earth shattering bout of lightning and I instinctively reached out to Murphy as I yelled in shock. The entire clearing became blindingly bright for a few seconds and even he cursed under his breath.
He grabbed my hand as he broke into a jog toward camp and although I was shaken, I ran alongside him with nervous laughter building in my chest. In no time at all, we were both struggling to catch our breath, darting between the trees with the rain hammering down and we cackled like hyenas at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.
We practically fell into the dropship, finding it crowded with people who bustled around in search of a space to sleep. It seemed that the storm had finally driven them inside, but it failed to dampen down the party atmosphere and I noticed several people pairing off to find a more private spot. Feeling overwhelmed by the crowd, I fidgeted into a corner by the door to watch the weather that raged outside, whilst Murphy disappeared into the mass of people, presumably to check in with Bellamy.
Now that the exhalation had passed, I felt the cold from my soaking clothes, seeping into my skin and hugged myself in an effort to keep warm. It was suffocatingly loud within the ship, as people set up areas to chatter lazily, or fought over limited covers to sleep under and I was shocked to find that it was actually more chaotic than I had imagined it would be.
As quickly as it had started, the storm slowed down to little more than a dreary drizzle and I slipped outside unnoticed by the rowdy crowd. Holding my hands over my head protectively, my boots splashed in the mud as I jogged over to my tent that had suitably proved it's stability against the storm and climbed inside. It was a miracle to find that everything inside was still dry and I credited myself for all my supposedly wasted time that I spent as a child reading survival books.
My hair dripped water constantly, sticking to my face and the thick jumper I wore to protect myself from the elements felt like a straight jacket under the weight of the water that it held. I began to peel off my clothes, hoping that at least the lighter items might dry overnight as I hung them as neatly as possible from the framing of the structure, until I was left in only a tank top and panties. I grasped the bottom of my vest to pull it over my head, when a voice made my heart skip several beats.
"There you are! I wondered where you'd snuck off to." Murphy announced, bending over to poke his head between the shredded parachutes with a smile that only grew more mischievous as he caught sight of my undressed state and I cursed under my breath in shock. "Oh, don't stop on my accord. Please, continue." He crooned, dropping into a crouch as if he had no intention of leaving and biting his lip in a manner that made my cheeks flush crimson. I yanked the tank top back into place to cover my bra, but it was obvious from the smugness of his expression that he'd already managed a rather indulgent glimpse at me.
"Stop staring!" I hissed as I threw the nearest item to hand at him and quickly pulled some blankets over me. He was clearly disappointed by this reaction, but quickly recovered and his expression seemed as if he'd set his mind on a new target.
"I never pegged you as such a survivalist." He commented, leaning slightly further into the tent to look around and I quirked a brow at him suspiciously. "Got room for one more?" He asked with a sneer and I rolled my eyes in exasperation. Though I still had a significant soft spot for him, I was beginning to realise how exhausting his antics were without any guards to enforce breaks and I couldn't help worrying about the intimidation behind this request.
"More room in the dropship, I'm sure." I pointed out, fidgeting awkwardly at the idea of even trying to squeeze him in this tiny structure alongside me and he pouted sulkily at my suggestion, as if deeply offended.
"You're kidding? It's packed in there! I don't wanna share a space with 99 other people." He groaned, grimacing at the thought and though I was sympathetic to his predicament, I was desperate for some alone time after the insanity of the day.
"Well, maybe if you hadn't spent all day partying, you'd have somewhere else to sleep." I scolded, tilting my head at him critically and he tutted as if I were the one who was being unreasonable. He shifted slightly closer inside to avoid the rain and I automatically slid myself further away from him.
"Come on, Cassie. You're not really gonna make me sleep with all of those criminals, are you? Think of my safety." He appealed, making his best effort to appear utterly pathetic as he leant back outside a little to emphasise that he was indeed still getting wet as he awaited permission to stay and I sighed thoughtfully. "I promise I won't bite. Not unless you ask me too, anyway." He winked, laying the charm on thick and I held up my hands in defeat as I cringed.
"Fine, fine! Just please stop talking." I blurted, fidgeting to cover more of myself and he wasted no time in rushing inside, closing the gap behind him as much as he could.
I became acutely aware of just how small the shelter was the moment that he entered and it felt as if we were practically on top of each other as he attempted to manoeuvre himself out of his damp clothes without toppling the entire tent over.
It took a few moments for me to realise that I was staring as he shook off his jacket and as he reached to remove his shirt, he caught my eyes with a smirk. My cheeks practically radiated heat as I snapped my gaze away and I heard him chuckle from behind me as I flopped into a lying position, keeping my back to him to hide my embarrassment.
"You can look if you want, Sunshine. I've got no problem with it." He offered, causing the blush to fill my entire face and when I didn't respond, I heard him finish undressing anyway. "After all, you let me take a peek." He crooned as he fidgeted into place beside me and I couldn't keep myself from turning over with a frown.
"I did not." I gasped in defence and he crooked a brow at me teasingly. "I didn't let you see anything. You snuck up on me. Creeper." I argued against his sordid expression and he scoffed, clearly delighted to have baited me into talking with him again.
"Right. Of course. Whatever helps you to protect your modesty, my lady." He drawled, cussing me to release an annoyed breath as I furrowed my brows at him.
"You're insufferable." I muttered as I fidgeted around in a vain effort to get comfortable and he quietly chuckled to himself in satisfaction.
The space felt as if it was actively shrinking around us and it was impossible to get any further away from him, as his skin radiated heat into mine without even having any direct contact between us. Never before had I been this close to someone and I noticed that my breathing had become shallow. Murphy seemed perfectly at ease with the arrangement, if not a little too enthusiastic and I strained to concentrate on literally anything other than my desire to escape.
"Are they all your own art?" His voice pulled me from my spiralling anxiety and I met his eyes with confusion, realising that he was examining my tattoos.
I was so used to them that I mostly forgot they were there most of the time and I'd definitely overlooked the fact that I'd always been too wrapped up in layers for him to ever get a proper look at them. I nodded back slowly, feeling strange about the way that his eyes roamed the exposed sections of my skin and I became acutely aware of my own heartbeat.
"They're so detailed. Do they mean anything to you?" He wondered aloud, seeming completely enthralled by them and I barely managed a hum in response. "There's so much in this one. Must be important?"
I hadn't noticed him reaching out to me until it was too late and the way that his fingertips grazed the shapes on my upper arm made a shiver run down my spine. I stuttered several times in an effort to form a response, feeling as if I'd forgotten how to speak at all and Murphy continued his study of all of the visible art that littered my skin.
"I...it's...umm." I stumbled, inwardly cursing my mind for failing me and at the sound of my voice, his eyes finally dragged their way up to meet mine. There was tempting intensity in the sapphire blue of his eyes and I gulped nervously. "Expectations. It's the feeling of time crushing down on you, never having the keys to all of the doors that are closed to you and the gears of life always turning." I explained, pointing out all of the little items within the piece as I revealed their meaning and his brows shot up in surprise.
"Shit. That's dark." He grumbled as he stared down at the work again and I released a nervous giggle.
"Right." I agreed in a whisper, feeling entirely too aware of how close his face was to mine. "We should get some sleep. I'm sure the party will be raging again in no time." I excused, clearing my throat in an effort to cover the huskiness of my voice and quickly turning my back on him to keep myself from indulging in anything that I might later regret.