Clarke woke up on the floor the next morning, with Monty and one of the other kids leaning against her shoulder, and Jasper's hand hanging down to brush the top of her head.
She swallowed a smile, and carefully began to extract herself from the tangle of limbs. Some of them had headed back to bed last night, but the majority of kids had just conked out where they had sat. The sketchbook rustled in her hands as she moved, and Clarke looked down to see a sketch of Bellamy, Finn, Raven, Monroe, and a few of the others that they were missing staring back up at her. She'd sketched it before falling asleep the previous night, and it only fuelled her desire to get free.
It also sent a sharp pang of loneliness into her heart though, when she thought of the people they were missing.
The roof above their heads seemed even thicker and more intimidating as Clarke tipped back her head to study it, and she stayed there for a few minutes, until her balance faltered and she swayed. A hand caught her elbow roughly, steadying her, and Clarke locked eyes with Miller as he stood beside her.
"I can't wait to get out," She whispered, and he just nodded, running his free hand though his short hair.
The bell rang then, the one that summoned them to breakfast each day, and then to lunch and dinner afterwards. Clarke hated the sound of that bell, chiming sweetly and reminding them all that they were trapped without sunlight or any way to tell the time.
Slowly, the others began to rouse and stretch out—they still hadn't mastered being punctual to any of the meals.
It made President Wallace's face pinch just a little each time they would tramp through the doors late, making a disturbance, and for that reason Clarke spent a few extra minutes loitering in the doorway of their dormitory.
Jasper stumbled past her, and stopped to let her inspect his stitches with a crooked smile, "Just tired, Clarke," he said to explain his lack of coordination, and she rolled her eyes at him and lightly pushed him on the back towards the rest of their friends.
"Don't do anything else clumsy, that's all I'm saying."
.
They were all mostly silent in the dining hall, sitting with their chairs tucked close to each other and eating mechanically.
Maya wandered over to say hello to Jasper, but he just shrugged apologetically when there were no chairs free—and no one willing to offer her one. She bent down though, and spoke softly to him, so that Clarke could barely hear the words but just see her lips moving beside his ear.
To his credit, Jasper acted normally, and even went as far as to awkwardly pull her into a one armed hug between the two stiff, unrelenting members of the 100 on either side of him. But when he turned back to the table after she was gone, his face was pale, and he bit his lip.
"How much?" He asked quietly, rubbing at his bandaged head wound with a frown, "How much, Clarke?" and she could hear the silent question there, how much did Maya really knew about what was happening?
Clarke shook her head at him, and forced herself to take another bite of food, even though it tasted like dirt in her mouth, "You need your strength," She simply said, and the girl beside Jasper silently handed him her bread roll without a word.
He took the offering of food, and stared at it sadly for a few long moments.
Jasper eventually slipped the food into his pocket, "Save it for later," He mumbled, "I've lost my appetite somehow."
They watched worriedly as he pushed out his chair and stood shakily, heading back towards their dormitory quietly. Monty jumped to his feet a few chairs down the table, and nodded at Clarke's worried face, "I'll keep an eye on him. Just let us know if…" anything changes and we need to be ready to run.
It had gotten so easy to read between the lines with the rest of the 100, that Clarke wondered why they even needed to speak at all.
The two disappeared out the door, and then it was just the rest of them. Clarke struggled to find something normal and mundane to say, to set the fake conversation going again—but Miller stepped in smoothly with a casual, "So all this art is great, isn't it?"
"Yeah, so relevant to the world today…" There was a hint of sarcasm in one of the kid's voices as he nodded enthusiastically, and Clarke ducked her head to hide a smile at the same time as she heard the soft thud of a foot kicking the guy in the shin.
Miller widened his eyes at her, and didn't look away as he carefully spirited an apple into his pocket—one of the shiny, fake red apples that Mount Weather suddenly had, despite the occupants not be able to stand an ounce of radiation. Clarke wasn't sure where the fruit was coming from, but it was food, and she got Miller's point immediately.
The conversation continued on about art for the remainder of breakfast, and by the time they were leaving the dining hall, Clarke's pockets were weighed down with discreet food.
Rations, for when they were fending for themselves again.
.
Jasper let out a loud and discontented sigh as he scuffed his shoes against the wall.
His best friend stood beside him, leaning against the cold bricks and scowling along with him, "How's the head this morning?" Monty finally settled on saying, his hands pressing firmly against the stone behind him, as if he could just concentrate hard enough and get them all out.
"You remember why we got caught on the ARK?" Jasper asked suddenly, completely ignoring the first question, his eyes brightening instantly as his mind headed down a completely different train of thought.
Monty nodded carefully, used to Jasper's quirks by then, and said with a wistful grin, "Some pretty sweet choice plants, yeah… how is that applicable exactly?"
His friend grabbed him by the shoulders, and swung Monty around to face him, "But how plants, Monty, how plants?" Jasper was really making no sense, and Monty took a moment to process the words and the wild look on his face, but then it clicked. How had they gotten the means to experiment with less than legal plants?
"How plants, Jasper," He whispered back, feeling his cheeks stretch with a smile.
Twenty minutes later they were messing about with a bouncy ball that Jasper had found days before in the recreation room, chucking it roughly against the wall only for it to rebound back quickly. Their stance was casual and laid back, but their minds were razor sharp, and calculating.
The two friends waited it out for a while, until several groups of guards had gone past without incident, before Jasper moved.
He fumbled the ball purposefully with a cry of surprise, and gasped loudly as the rubber ball went bouncing against a guard's head, perfectly aimed yet accidental, "Oh, I'm so sorry!" He said hurriedly and loudly, rushing over to the man with the red mark in the middle of his temple, while Monty chased after the bouncing rubber ball as it seemed to hit off every surface possible, the other boy ducking and diving in between the guards nimbly.
It was mayhem.
Eventually, Jasper finished his stream of apologies and shook the man's hand vigorously, at the same time that Monty dived dramatically onto the floor to land squarely on the small ball with a shout of triumph, "Got it!"
They were sent swiftly on their way after that, ducking their heads sheepishly as they headed back towards their room, eyes cast down in mock shame. When the two reached an empty corridor they stole a glance at each other, but didn't say a word.
Only when they'd reached the dormitory and shut the door hastily behind them, did Monty allow himself to slip a hand into his pocket and feel the smooth access card that was tucked inside.
They locked eyes and grinned then, remembering days past on the clinical, white ARK and the same antics. Time didn't change some things though, and neither did any new environments. One thing was certain: that Clarke was going to be equal parts proud and exasperated.
Monty and Jasper were the perfect team, after all.
.
They knew, she realised after a moment of shaking her head, they knew how irritating but useful they were.
Clarke finally settled for just holding out her hand expectantly, and sighing softly as Monty slipped the key card into it discreetly. The others lounged on bunks above them, and someone kicked Jasper gently in the shoulder as an affectionate gesture.
"Have to move soon then," Miller said calmly, as he casually ran a hand over one of the bedside tables, feeling the sharp edges, "That'll make it a hell of a lot easier though."
She nodded once, narrowing her eyes in thought and running a finger over the worn plastic in her pocket, "We're not really going to be able to get any further at this stage. We have to just go with our best option, that we discussed during chess."
Monty feigned a yawn, and murmured, "To the east?"
Clarke blinked at him twice, let her face form a passive smile, "Better have an early night tonight, if you're already yawning now, Monty," and that's how they all knew: it was happening that night. They seemed to huddle even closer together in those few moments, without anyone really even moving, and a few of the kids took in deep breaths—as if practicing for when they would get to experience that glorious fresh air once again.
Across the room, Miller grinned, "Anyone up for a game of checkers then?"
.