Bellamy

It was roughly a six hour drive from Polis to Azgeda, another three hours to get to the northern woods. We had been on the road for three, and the silence was killing me. She was uncomfortable in the rover that much was clear. Maybe small talk would distract the both of us.

"Do you remember when you asked me if we could ever trust each other again?" I asked her, hoping my question wouldn't backfire.

"You told me that you doubt it," she said in a sad tone.

"I trust you, Echo."

Since we were on a straight path, I dared to look at her. She met my gaze with those beautiful brown eyes. "Liar," she whispered. My breath caught in my throat and I had a strong desire to kiss her, but we were on the road about to reconnect with her long lost family and we still had Praimfaya to deal with.

Should I try to make it work before Praimfaya? But if one of us die, would it be worth it?

Should we wait and hope for us to survive? But if one of us die, would we forever regret it?

I'd rather have something that was worth every minute than regret never having it. The only question was if Echo felt the same way. And when I glanced at her and found her staring at me with that look, I knew the answer.

"Are we close?"

The ground was becoming icy and snow was gently falling.

"Northern Azgeda. Maybe another hour or so," she responded. "Nia sent me on plenty of missions in Northern Azgeda."

"But you never looked for them?"

"No…I wanted to, but I guess I was too afraid. Afraid that they didn't want me, afraid of Nia finding out."

I reached my hand out and took her hand in mine. I was half expecting her to jerk away, but I knew we had long moved past that. "I'm here for you."

"Thank you, Bellamy."

We fell into a comfortable silence, her hand in mine. I only took my hand back once the snow on the ground became deep and slippery. I needed full control of the rover.

"Are you still nervous?"

"More, now that we're closer."

"They'll love you, Echo."

"If they even remember me."

We drove for another hour when we reached a small village. Villagers exited their huts when the rover drove into the center of it. Many of them were thin, pale, and blue lips, bundled up in layers and blankets. We hopped out, my hand holding my gun, Echo gripping her bow.

"Skaikru," an older man hissed, pulling a knife out of his coat, "are not welcome here."

I held my rifle up in surrender and placed it on the ground. I put my hands up to show that I was no threat.

"My son was killed by Skaikru guns. He was found at the border with a bullet wound in her chest and his horse taken. Here in Azgeda, it's death to Skaikru!"

Echo stepped forward. "King Roan has an alliance with Skaikru!"

"And who are you, girl?" he turned back to me, not giving Echo as much as a glance, and went to throw the knife at me. Echo drew back the quiver of her bow.

"Drop the knife or you die."

He turned to her. "Maybe I should just kill you instead, girl."

"No!" I yelled. "Leave her alone! Echo, stand down!"

A woman pushed through the crowd frantically. "Echo?"

Echo nearly dropped her bow. "Nomon?"

Echo

It all came back to me in a flash, the second I saw her. All the memories long forgotten thanks to Nia returned. My mother, younger and less drained than she was now, with braids in her sandy brown hair—the same as mine. Her voice as she told me the same stories I read to Ontari. Her growing belly, how she put my little hand on her belly to feel the baby kick.

My father, with his thick black hair and the beginning of a beard. How his blue eyes lit up when I found him in hide and seek. His callused hand in mine when he brought me hunting.

My brother, Donovan, who was six. His straight dark brown hair and how it flopped in his eyes. He didn't want it long, but he didn't want to cut it. His mischievous brown eyes when we played spy. His freckles that covered his nose.

Lily, who was only two. Her hair, a pale blonde, in its braids like Ontari had, her eyes so blue like the lilies she was named after. Her laugh, how we played dolls and I read her the stories that mother read me. Although Ontari had dark brown braids and brown eyes, she reminded me so much of Lily, I just didn't know it.

I remembered.

Arms were suddenly around me, holding me close. Everything inside me screamed to claw my way out of it. Bellamy, knowing me well by now, sensed that and interrupted.

"She's overwhelmed right now. This was big for her—to come look for you."

She released me and took a step back but kept her hands on my shoulders. "You came to find us?"

I nodded, not able to find my voice.

"I'm so glad. Wait until your father and brothers and sister find out!"

"Brothers…and sisters?" last thing I knew, I had a brother and sister and one on the way.

"Oh yes. We've been hoping for a very long time you'd find us…especially since we couldn't find you. But we'll talk about that after dinner, you must come." She looked over my shoulder. "You, too! What's your name?"

"Bellamy."

We began the walk to her home, and I realized I recognized the path we were taking. They had been here, all along. These past fifteen years they never left. When the familiar home came into sight, panic rose in my chest. I reached out and found Bellamy's hand. He gave me a reassuring squeeze. I was beyond grateful to him.

She opened the door, leading us inside. A man sat in a chair, whittling a wooden figurine. His face was weary and wrinkled and beard much longer, but he was definitely the man from my memories. This was my father.

"Where are the children?" she asked him.

He didn't even look up at her. His voice was gruff when he responded. "Don and Lily said something about hunting. Mycah is out training. River is playing in her room."

"Do you know then they'll get back?"

"No. Why would you care? Those three older ones are always gone until dinnertime anyways."

I flinched at the tone. Some happy family this is.

Just then, a little girl around six or seven appeared out of a room and walked over to us. She stopped just in front of us and looked up at me and then at Bellamy. "Who are you? We never have visitors."

"River, this is Echo…your sister."

The sound of a chair scraping on the floor brought our attention back to the man. He was standing now, staring at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. He walked towards us slowly, as if he was scared we—no, I—would disappear. I was prepared for it this time, when he grabbed me in a bone-crushing hug. I never released Bellamy's hand.

"Thank you," my father whispered, looking up towards the heavens.

Donovan and Lily returned together. Donovan remembered. He thanked some unknown as he hugged me. Lily only remembered what she was told, stories, possibly a vague memory. She hugged me with tears rolling down her cheeks.

They were a lot like a remembered. Donavon was tall and muscular, a skilled warrior. His black hair flopped in his eyes, his brown eyes spirited. Lily had the same pale hair, barely passing her shoulders and intricately braided. Her eyes were as blue as I remembered.

The boy, Mycah, who was fifteen now, came in later. He had dark brown hair that went to his chin, tucked behind his ears, and bright blue eyes. He was holding a blood-stained arm. "Adyra got me. Girl has a goddamn temper." He froze when he saw me and Bellamy. "Who the hell are you?"

Damn.

Lily scoffed at him. "Is that the way to talk to your big sister?"

"Sister? Ah! That's why I thought you looked like River." He nodded. "Nice to finally meet you. Because you know, I never got to. But, if you'll excuse me, I need to fix what my girl did to me."

I couldn't help but chuckle. Bellamy gave me a pointed look, because we both know that one day that might be him. And also why he he'd probably never learn how to fight without a gun.

"Hey," Mycah called. "Are you guys together?"

"No," we both said. Our eyes met. Not yet.

Dinner was quiet and peaceful. Father had hunted a white bear, one of my favorites. As long as it wasn't the snow cat.

"You said…" I began, not sure where to go from there. Bellamy squeezed my hand under the table. "You said that you had something to talk about at dinner?"

My mother smiled at me. "Yes, I did. River, why don't you go play in your room?"

The girl rolled her eyes but obeyed. Once the child was out of the room, she took everyone's empty plates and placed them in a bin and sat back down.

"Let's start at the beginning. Back to the day you left. It was the harshest winter of them all. We had nothing to trade, not enough animals to hunt, and not enough clothes to keep us warm. Your father," she looked at him, "he was hunting all the time but could rarely find anything. It was just so cold. Donovan, Lily, and you were all complaining you were cold. But that didn't stop you and Don from taking off and sneaking around. The two of you loved to scare travelers. I was pregnant with Mycah and I was always sick on top of it.

The Queen and her son, just a few years older than you were, showed up one day. She had so much meat, most of it seasoned and dried, and enough furs for us to have to keep us warm and to trade. Enough to last us the entire winter and then some. We were so happy, until she named her price. She wanted you. I offered her the unborn baby, for her to raise a child instead of taking you, only four years old but already knowing your family and home. It would hurt to give up the baby, but it would hurt more giving up the child we raised and loved for four years. But she insisted that we gave her you or no deal. She only gave us the night to think it over.

That night we talked and we cried, and you came into our room and asked why we crying. We told you…we told you that we had a big decision to make and you looked at us, took my hand, and told us 'it'll be okay.' You knew. You were so young, but you knew." The silent tears rolling down her face turned to sobs. I could no longer hold back the tears filling up in my eyes. Bellamy saw this and squeezed my hand comfortingly. My father cleared his throat and continued for her.

"It was the hardest decision we ever made. That morning when the queen returned, we had your clothes in a bag and had given you your favorite breakfast. We kissed you and told you that you were going to go spend some time with the queen's son. You smiled at us before you climbed into the wagon. You were holding hands with the boy as the wagon rolled away. We regretted it almost immediately.

We tried so many times to see you, but the queen kept saying you had forgotten and that seeing you seeing us would upset you. The queen took care of us for a many winters, but eventually she stopped. We went to the castle, because we had a deal. She would make sure the other children wouldn't suffer until the youngest one was grown. You would have been ten when she stopped. We went to the castle and told her that she had to honor her deal or return you. We had not sacrificed you for nothing. She told us…she told us that you were dead.

We were leaving when we saw a little girl, who looked about Mycah's age at the time. She was a beautiful child, with two braids and the brightest brown eyes. We asked if she knew you and she laughed and said that you…she said that you were her sister. We asked how…how you died and the girl looked at me like I'd lost my mind. She said 'she's not dead! She training right now! I know she's not dead because she reads me stories every night and never misses a night.' she was so sure and I believed the child. We left, but with hope that maybe—just maybe—the little girl told you about the two strangers looking for you and that one day you'd come find us. I never asked for the little girl's name…"

"Ontari," I whispered. "Her name was Ontari."

"Was?"

It was my turn to sob. "I failed her. She was my baby sister and I failed her. She's dead. Dead because I couldn't protect her. Dead because I let Nia hurt her. I let Nia turn her into a monster, and she's dead because of it. I could've saved her. I could've…I could've just never missed a bedtime story. I missed them, I stopped reading to her, I stopped giving her hope, I stopped telling her I loved her. I was hurting and instead of holding onto my sister, I pushed her away. And Nia sunk her claws into her and by the time I came around to help her, it was too late. She was too far gone to save. And she died because of it. She was the most beautiful, innocent, purest child in the entire world, and she died. My sister died long before Ontari did. Ontari wasn't the sister I knew when she died, no I lost her long before that. I lost her. Or maybe she lost me."

We were all exhausted, physically and emotionally. River would stay with my parents and Bellamy and I would get River's room for the night.

"Why don't you stay a few days?" my mother asked hopefully.

I suddenly remembered the reason we came. "We can't. We have to leave first thing in the morning," I told them. I hesitated. I looked at Bellamy for help. By this point he could pretty much read my mind.

"We came here today for a reason. Praimfaya," he told them. Both of their eyes widened. "It's coming in four days. There's a bunker, it can only fit so many people, so we came to find you. And hopefully…you'll all come and you can have a family with Echo, in the bunker."

"I'll have you're siblings pack first thing in the morning," father said with no hesitation. Echo looked at me, hope in her usually weary eyes.

They pointed us to River's room and we headed there. We both got into the bed. It was bodies pressed together but neither of us seemed to care.

We had a long day tomorrow.