Chapter 22
Author's note: IMPORTANT. Now that school has started back up after spring break I will be updating my books every other day. One day I'll be updating this one, the next my other fanfic Everything that's broke. On weekends I will try to update daily, no promises though! Anyways I know I say it every chapter but I will keep saying it because I'm grateful. Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews, they make me smile every time I see a notification :)
Now without further ado, leggo!
"My friends this is a historic Unity Day. Every year we join together to celebrate the day the twelve stations formed the Ark. But this is the last year we do so aboard her, next year; on the ground." Applause erupted behind the Chancellor on the shaky camera as he smiled cordially at the crowd. What a load of horseshit. "Right," Miller called sarcastically, "After we did all the work? Somebody shut him up."
Ari called out from where she lay on a log, staring up at the sky. "You shut up, Miller!" There were some people here who actually wanted to watch, who were trying to spend Unity Day with their families. "No one's forcing you to watch," Raven added, sending a matching smirk his way. Finn sighed from where he sat near Ari's boot covered feet. "Oh God, there's two of them now."
Raven and Ari had become fast friends after the incident with the radio. Raven had come to understand why Ari had done it, though she didn't approve. The two girls were more alike than anyone would have thought possible and not everyone was happy about their close relationship, namely Finn. Ari smiled as she recalled the moment she had become Raven Reyes's closest female friend.
She heard the person coming long before they crashed into the small clearing, disturbing the peace. She stood from where she was redressing, jacket still in hand. Her hair hung damply from her head making goosebumps prickle her pale flesh. She gripped the small knife in her hand, ready to throw it at the person who tried to claim her life.
Raven pushed through the foliage noisily, practically stomping her feet as she walked. At the last moment, as the knife began to leave her hand, she shifted its momentum ever so slightly causing it to only nick the girl's forehead rather than splitting into it. Raven gasped, hand going to her bloodied forehead as her eyes flicked upwards at Ari.
The small woman shrugged apologetically, "Sorry. Thought you were a grounder." Her eyes narrowed in anger as she gestured to Ari. "Why the fuck did you throw a knife at me?" "You deaf? Thought you were a grounder," she snapped back just as angrily. "Why the fuck are you out in the woods?" "Bathing," she gestured at the pool of water she had found whilst looking for Jasper so long ago.
"Why the fuck are you out in the woods?" Raven sighed, "Point taken." With a satisfied nod Ari turned to grab the jacket she had dropped. Hearing a horrified gasp Ari realized that Raven had seen her back. Whirling around she caught sight of the tears in the girls eyes, the way she placed a hand over her mouth in horror. Her brown eyes flicked up to meet Ari's green ones which had hardened into cool green emeralds.
"Don't look at me like that," she spat. Raven ignored her, "What the hell happened to you? Is that why you killed the guard?" Her chin lifted dangerously, "No. I killed the guard because he stole something from me that wasn't his to take. This is unrelated." She jerked a thumb towards the thick red lines covering her back. "Who did it?" Ari ground her teeth, "Back off, Raven." The girl stepped forwards imploringly, "Please just tell me who did this? Why, what did you do to deserve that?"
Ari leveled the other girl's eyes with a glare, "I was born."
The two had become best friends, their attitudes being quite alike. Now she sniggered as Finn groaned about their friendship, sending Raven a wink as she nudged Finn off the log who sent her a mock glare. He brushed himself off, "I'm going to go find some real company since you want to be abusive." Ari stuck her tongue out playfully at him as he left, not missing that he went to talk to Clarke or Raven's angry glaring at the two.
"Monty strikes again! Call this batch Unity Juice," Jasper crowed as he exited the tent he and Monty shared, waving a cask of alcohol in the air. Several others began to crowd around for a taste of the liquor as they cheered for Monty.
Some still watched the pageant from the screen, smiling and commenting when they spotted family members on the camera. Just as the pageant was beginning a static, muffled boom echoed once over the speakers before it all went dead. The campers glanced at each other in fear and anxiousness as they were once more alone.
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Ari was sitting alone in the camp, perched on her log by the fire as she watched the children around her get drunk on moonshine. Some were happy drunks, laughing and joking, playing games as they danced about with their friends. Others were sad drunks, crying or staring blankly into a fire. Still there were angry drinks who swore and threw knives fumblingly at trees. They were the ones who reminded her of her father.
She started as someone suddenly plopped down next to her, munching loudly on an apple. She glanced over to find Bellamy snacking on said apple as he stared into the flames with her. "When I was a child I'd sit for hours, staring into open flame." Her brows furrowed in confusion at the odd statement, "What?" He glanced over at her, "The song you sang. The one about taming your demons. That was in there. That's what you've been doing all day."
She nodded in recognition of the song, remembering when she had sung it. Changing the subject, she asked, "Why haven't you tried to get me to drink?" She gestured to Clarke who was now throwing back liquor shots thanks to Bellamy's encouragement. He tossed the apple core into the fire before turning to look at her seriously. "Because you don't drink."
She sputtered in shock, "Excuse me?" He shook his head, "I don't mean it like that, Ari. You can drink if you want but I know you don't." Almost instinctively she felt herself grow defensive, wanting to hide the darker parts of her past. Ones that had influenced her and molded her into who she was. "What the hell would you know about it?"
"Don't. Don't do that stuff with me. You can act as tough as you like with the others but not me. I know you feel pain, I know you were effected by it. So don't get defensive when I bring it up," he told her solemnly, moving closer to pull her against him. She curled into his chest, giving in to the warmth he provided, the safety she felt with him. "You don't think I'm tough?"
He laughed heartily, "I think you're the strongest person I've ever met. But you can't be strong all the time." She smiled against his shirt, "How come you aren't getting drunk?" He shrugged as he traced circles on the back of her hand absentmindedly, "I didn't think you would like it. I know you don't like alcohol, I didn't want to upset you."
She glanced up at him, "How can you know so much about me? I never told you those things." He shrugged once more, "I pay attention. I remember that your dad used to drink a lot and you can't stand him." The unspoken statement was there, that Bellamy also knew he had given Ari her scars, usually when he was drunk. He held her a bit tighter as she squeezed his hand in reassurance, hoping he would just forget about it. He always got so angry whenever her father was brought up, angrier than Ari if that was possible.
The two were interrupted by a frantic Clarke who crouched down in front of them, causing them to separate some though Bellamy still held onto her hand. Clarke's eyes flicked down to their linked fingers and she swore the blonde smiled for the briefest of moments. "I need to talk to you two."
"Having fun yet, Princess?" Clarke sent him a look at his sarcastic question. "I'm being serious." "You always are. So talk," Ari said. Clarke rolled her eyes, "God you two are perfect for each other." Then losing all trace of joking she leaned forward, eyes darting around as if she expected to see someone eavesdropping.
"Finn set up a meeting with the grounders."