Dividing Lines
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.
Clarke had always known the approximate location of the 100 Camp. It was at least a day's walk away and there was a large river between the two camps. Thinking about the distance was a lot different from actually walking it however. Unlike Bellamy and the others, she was not used to walking this far. But she refused to let Bellamy see that so she kept going.
Even when she saw the river for the first time, she barely let herself pause to admire it. That could be done on the way back when there wasn't a young girl at risk. Clarke followed Bellamy as he used rocks to step across a shallower part of the river.
"Don't fall in," he said, "It may look harmless but the river's currents get worse as the year goes on. In a few weeks, the river will be going so fast it'll be impossible to cross."
They all reached the other side with only wet boots and splashed trousers. The day went on and they barely stopped for food and a rest. Bellamy just wanted to get Clarke back to his sister.
It was the evening by the time the walls of the 100 Camp were sighted. Clarke ran her eyes over the wooden structure; it wasn't as high as the Ark's but it went further out and across. Their camp must be huge.
Bellamy shouted to the guards up on top of the wall and suddenly the gates were opened. Clarke stepped through them and she could barely take in all she was seeing. The 100 Camp was almost like a town with dirt tracks that ran between actual wooden buildings. These weren't the misshapen, metal sections of the Ark Camp-these were sturdy, well built structures.
Bellamy led her to a wide open are with a large fire in the middle. It had no grates over it and surrounding this were not only the first drop ship but two main wooden buildings. The one to her left was a large hall with steps leading up to it. On the right was a smaller house. This looked like someone lived in it, judging by the porch outside and the crafted chairs sitting on it. They even had windows! What surprised Clarke the most was the people. There were so many of them but they looked content, happy. They moved around each other with so much space, carrying food and supplies that Clarke had only dreamed of.
"Keep focused Princess."
Bellamy's voice made her look in his direction. He was standing in his kingdom, in the place he built from the ground up. People were looking curiously at them but Clarke didn't break his gaze.
"You're here to save my sister; so get to work."
She nodded once and he escorted her into the drop ship.
"Bellamy!"
Clarke jumped at the broken voice that echoed around the room as they entered. Bellamy was suddenly gone from her side as he hurried over to the girl on one of the tables.
"Hey O, I'm here," he said softly and took her hand. "I brought someone to help you."
He looked at Clarke with a hard expression but she was already inspecting the wound. "Hi, I'm Clarke. You must be Octavia," she said.
Octavia nodded once, clearly in pain.
Clarke glanced around at the medical bay, checking all the instruments and plants they had. She could work with this. Using the alcohol nearby, she sterilised her hands and her tools before going back to Octavia.
"This is going to hurt but hold on ok?" she said to the younger girl, who just clung to her brother's hand again.
Outside the drop ship, everyone tried to make themselves busy. It wasn't easy when they could hear Octavia's whimpering and occasional screams. A crowd had gathered around Jasper and Miller, asking about the blonde girl with their leader. Some already knew who she was and figured why she was there. Griffin was a doctor from the Ark-Octavia needed a doctor. Easy. They all knew that it would take more than a day's walk and a hostile camp to stop Bellamy.
Noise inside the drop ship ceased and Miller ordered everyone to move along. He glanced at Jasper, who was sitting on the steps outside the Main Hall, staring at the drop ship. Miller had already told Monroe, James and Carter to get some food and sleep but there was no point in telling Jasper. He would stand guard until Bellamy gave the ok to see Octavia.
Miller looked at the drop ship again, remembering the sight of Clarke and Bellamy walking in front of him. It was a mistake bringing her here in the first place but then the girl had come because she wanted to. She surprised Bellamy anyway.
Miller sighed and strolled to his own house, hoping that his housemates had something ready for dinner. He would need a few more hours sleep before trying to process exactly how terrible things could go.
Clarke's hands threatened to shake as she stitched up the last of Octavia's wounds. Thankfully, none of the bullet fragments had hit anything important and by keeping them in, it stopped much of the bleeding.
Clarke had done a good job but as she had been picking out the pieces of metal, she had sudden been hit by the memories of the landing. It had been nearly two years ago but as Octavia's blood stained her fingers, Clarke was brought back to it all over again.
It had been a catastrophe. Bodies were everywhere and people had died right in front of her as she had been trying to save them. The death of her father had nearly ruined her and Abby but they kept it together in order to do their jobs. But when they failed to save Wells, seeing him die, Clarke had lost it. She remembered screaming and crying, her mother wrapping her in a hug that did little to help. There had been so much blood. It had taken her a while to move passed it but helping Octavia was sending her back.
She nearly had to stop with two pieces left to go but it was then that she had seen Bellamy's face. He was whispering to his sister, trying to distract her and wipe her tears at the same time. He was mumbling things she chose not to overhear, words of comfort from one family member to another. But his face had been so soft, so caring. It was unlike the hard edges she had seen in the forest and the heroic idea of a man the stories spoke of in her camp. The calm look on his face helped her to focus, reminded her of her job.
So she kept going until she snipped the last thread and wrapped a bandage around the wound.
"She'll be fine," Clarke said, straightening up. She brushed her bloody hands on her jeans, if only to hide their shaking.
Bellamy smiled at Octavia once more before taking Clarke's arm and steering her towards the door. "Tell Miller outside to get someone to escort you back-and tell Jasper he can come in now."
Clarke frowned and grabbed his wrist before he could leave. "Are you kidding me?" she asked, "I just healed your sister after walking all day and now you're telling me to leave? I haven't eaten in hours, I'm exhausted-."
"How is that my problem?" Bellamy replied with little interest.
Clarke let out a frustrated sigh and scowled at him. He seemed so unaffected by the situation; his sister concerned him, not what his actions may cause. "You walked into enemy territory to get a doctor for your sister, you get that right? You remember how it was on the Ark? Well camp is exactly like that. They'll have noticed that I'm gone and they won't be happy when they find out where I went. You're pissing off dangerous people Bellamy!"
There would be a response to her going to the 100 Camp, even if she did go there willingly. Bellamy didn't seem to understand that. She saw his jaw clench and he took a step towards her. She stayed exactly where she was, feet planted firmly on the ground.
"First of all," he said, "I only consider it "enemy territory" when I actually see them as a threat, which I do not. Secondly, if you think that bring you here from under their noses is something that bothers me, then you are unbelievably wrong. That doesn't even come close to what I will do to protect my sister."
He gestured towards Octavia, who was resting after her ordeal.
"You don't get it because you don't have a sibling, so let me explain it to you. Protecting her is not a choice; it is not something I have to think about. From the moment she was born, it became an instinct. It's inscribed into my bones and if you think for one moment that I'm going to listen to some stuck up Princess lecture me on my actions then you are mistaken once again."
Clarke knew what he was saying but that didn't stop her anger. "Don't pretend to know me," she bit out, "You have no idea what any of us went through on the landing day. Trust me; no one can be "stuck up" after that."
Bellamy actually snorted and he raised an eyebrow. "Oh what, did the Princess have to sleep on the hard ground instead of a soft bed?"
Clarke let out a slow breath through her nose. "Yah," she replied, "After my father exploded and I pulled a metal spike out of my dead best friend's gut."
Bellamy blinked at her, all teasing gone from his face. She suddenly saw that soft look again and it made her stomach clench. She finally stepped back and cleared her throat.
"Um, keep the wound clean and change the bandages. Give her some juice from that ground up red plant on the table; it'll relieve some of the pain."
Bellamy nodded once and Clarke bolted from the room. She was out in the fresh air again but this time, everyone was staring at her. She immediately knew that they had heard every word of her and Bellamy's argument.
There was an awkward silence until some random person exclaimed, "Oh hey, look at that tree!" It seemed like a stuttering cue for everyone to turn back to work. Clarke looked around until she caught sight of Jasper, sitting on some stairs.
"You can go..." she muttered, gesturing back at the drop ship. He hopped up immediately and headed for the door. On his way there, he quickly reached out and hugged her. Clarke was surprised but patted him on the back before pulling away.
"Thanks Clarke," he exclaimed, before heading inside. Clarke wrung her hands together and noticed that they were still covered in blood. Walking down to the main part of camp, she quietly looked for some place to wash.
"Hey, you must be Clarke!" a voice said and she turned around to see a grinning boy her age.
"I'm Monty," he said, holding out a hand. She hesitated and he laughed when he saw the blood.
"Ah right, good call. Do you want to get that stuff off?"
"That would be great!" she exclaimed and he led her over to a small water trough.
Finn skirted around the edges of the 100 Camp's wall, staying out of sight of any guards. It had grown even more since he had left but he was sure that his old secrets entries were still there. It was getting darker, the sun hitting the horizon. If he was lucky, he could get in and out with Clarke and no one would know.
Bellamy hadn't come out from the drop ship yet so Clarke took up Monty's offer of dinner by the fire. He grabbed two plates from somewhere and gave her one, filled with meat, vegetables and even bread. Her eyes widened at the sight of the food but when she glanced at the others sitting around the fire, they had as much as her. They sat down on a log and she bit into the bread with a smile. It had been a long time since she had eaten food like this. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Monty staring at her. Clarke blushed and swallowed.
"Sorry," she said, "We don't have this kind of food at the Ark Camp."
Monty shrugged and dug into his meat. "It's alright: I ate like a wild animal when I first got here." The fire crackled warmly in front of her, somehow sending more heat into the night air than it would at the Ark Camp.
"Sounds like it sucks where you come from," a voice stated and Clarke looked around the fire to see a man eating dinner across from her and Monty.
He nodded to her and said, "The name's Wick. Thanks for saving the Boss's sister or else we'd all be in danger."
Monty laughed and Clarke found herself grinning. "You're welcome. And yes, the Ark Camp does kind of suck."
"Well it does if those are the clothes they give you," a woman spoke.
Clarke looked down at her rough jeans and thin shirt. They weren't terrible but when Clarke compared them with the clothes around her, they were a bit...moth-eaten. Even her jacket had holes in it and was wearing thin.
"Jennifer," the same woman called and a young girl popped up from her seat. "Go to my workshop and get that blue jacket from the table for Clarke here."
Jennifer nodded and scampered off.
"Oh, I have nothing to give you for it!" Clarke said but the woman brushed her off.
"Don't be silly, you did a good thing today. You deserve a reward."
Monty elbowed her with a grin and Clarke went back to her food.
"So they don't give you good jackets at the Ark Camp?" Wick asked and Clarke shook her head. "Oh no they do; we just have to make them last because Chancellor Diana doesn't like to waste supplies."
"Wait, that bitch is Chancellor?" Wick said with surprise.
The man next to him smacked him over the head for swearing near the children but he apologised and continued on. "Life must be hell with her in charge," he stated.
Clarke didn't want to reply and just then, little Jennifer returned with the jacket. It looked warm and waterproof. It even resembled the one Bellamy had been wearing, so like those of the original 100.
"Thank you so much," Clarke breathed out as she ran her hands over it.
"Are you really a Princess?"
Clarke looked up from the jacket to the girl's curious face.
"Bellamy called you Princess," Jennifer explained and Clarke gave her a gentle smile.
"No, I'm not a real Princess. Sorry."
Jennifer titled her head and stared at her. "You look like a Princess. Like how Bellamy looks like a King."
Clarke heard Monty snort with laughter and he leaned over to explain. "The kids call Bellamy the King sometimes because he's the leader. It's kind of cute."
Jennifer skipped back to her friends and Clarke felt safe replying. "He's certainly something at my camp. People still tell stories about him and the beginning of the 100."
There was light laughter from around the camp fire. "We're not saying Bellamy doesn't deserve praise," Monty said, "But the first few weeks here on Earth are not something people want to remember."
"What kind of stories do they tell?" Wick asked and Clarke found herself telling the same one Kane had told the children just the day before.
Laughter and chattered echoed around the camp fire and in turn Clarke started to listen to their stories, of Grounders and sea creatures that she had never heard of. Her stomach was full of food and Clarke couldn't remember the last time she was this relaxed. It was only when the fire was turning into glowing embers did she look up in time see Finn's face hidden near the water trough.
She did a good job keeping calm and quickly tried to think of a reason to get away. After seeing a stack of plates near the trough, she stood up with her own empty one. "I'll just leave this with the rest of them?" she asked and Monty nodded before turning back to the others.
Clarke walked over to the trough before ducking down behind it next to Finn. "What are you doing here?!" she hissed at him.
He looked at her with such surprise. "Rescuing you! In case it escaped your notice, you've been kidnapped Clarke."
She rolled her eyes and said, "Does it look like I've been kidnapped? I came here of my own free will to save a girl that the Ark guard shot. You need to leave Finn."
Finn refused to move, utterly baffled by Clarke's anger at him. "You're coming with me," he said, "I know a way out."
He tried to pull her arm but she stayed. "Finn, if I leave now, in the middle of the night without an escort, then they'll figure out something was up. And if anyone catches you, they won't like it that an Ark Camper can just get in and out. You need to go back to camp and tell everyone that I'll be back by tomorrow."
Finn sighed quietly but Clarke could see that he understood. "Alright but I'm not happy about this."
She watched as he crept away from the trough, always looking back to stare at her. It wasn't until he had melted into the shadows that Clarke straightened up and looked back out at the camp. No one had noticed Finn or her absence and she took a moment to stare out at the camp.
It seemed so homely for such a big place. The doors of the larger wooden building were open and people were strolling in and out or sitting on the steps. It must be some kind of hall, Clarke thought. The collection of other buildings looked cosy and laughter could be heard up and down the trails. It was so different from the Ark Camp.
"Hey Princess!"
Clarke was jolted out of her thoughts and looked over at the drop ship to see Bellamy standing there. "Is it safe to move my sister to her own bed?" he asked and Clarke jogged over to his side, picking up her new jacket along the way.
"Just let me check the stitches before and after but yes, you can," she said as they disappeared into the drop ship.
The other campers were suddenly silent. "Is it just me," Wick said, "Or did Bellamy just ask the opinion of an outsider in a calm and rational manner?"
"Nope," Monty said, "We all heard him-maybe we should ask Miller if he hit his head on the way into camp."
That moment Bellamy came out of the drop ship with Octavia in his arms. Jasper and Clarke were behind him as he walked slowly to the other wooden house. When Jasper went in first and lit some lamps, Clarke realised that this was Bellamy's home. It made sense, being in the centre of camp.
She hesitated in the doorway but when Octavia groaned, Clarke stepped over the threshold. A large hallway split into different rooms, one being Octavia's room. There was an actual bed inside with a soft mattress and blankets. Bellamy put her down and let Clarke check her stitches.
"Its fine but I better stay up with her in case."
To her surprise, Bellamy shook his head. "No, you've been on your feet since this morning and been under more stress. You can take the other bedroom and sleep. Jasper has already volunteered to stay awake anyway."
Jasper smiled at her and pulled a chair up to sit beside the bed. Bellamy gave Octavia one more look over before striding from the room. Clarke had no choice but to follow him and they went across the hall into another bedroom. There was a bed with a wood frame and mattress with a soft pillow and sheets.
"You can stay for one night, I guess," Bellamy said as he pulled out an extra blanket from a trunk by the wall. He threw it on the bed and Clarke asked, "Where did you get all this stuff?"
Bellamy shrugged. "We scavenged bunkers and any buildings in the area. A while back we went into what must have been a city and took everything we could find; brought it all back here. Plus, people have learned to make their own furniture, clothes and grow food."
He raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "Didn't the Ark Camp try something like that?"
Clarke shook her head. "We're too scared to go outside our walls most of the time," she admitted.
Bellamy looked unimpressed and he went to leave.
"Is this you taking pity on me?" Clarke suddenly asked.
She hadn't meant to blurt out about her father and Wells but Bellamy was so infuriating, she couldn't help it. Then he had looked at her with those soft eyes and it was too much. He was Bellamy Blake, he didn't get to look at her like that. And she didn't want his pity.
Bellamy clicked his tongue for a moment but replied, "Think of it as a thank you-for helping Octavia. Most people won't have done it, especially if I threatened to kidnap them."
Clarke hummed, a smile working across her face. "Yah, you're not very good at that."
Bellamy snorted and walked out the door. "Goodnight Princess," he called, "If you have a problem, tell Jasper and do not wake me up."
She poked her head out the door just in time to see him disappear into what must be his bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Clarke went back into the room and shut her own door, marvelling at the sturdiness of the walls and the clear glass of the window. She had seen all of these things before but this was different. This was a house built from someone's bare hands, wood chopped from trees and put together to make a home. As Clarke went over to the bed, she wondered if Bellamy had built much of the house.
Those thoughts left her as she sank into the mattress. It was the comfiest thing she had slept on in a while. She wrapped the blanket around her and rested her head on the pillow. She intended to enjoy this comfort because by tomorrow night, she would be back at the Ark Camp. Clarke fell asleep to the quiet sounds outside and Jasper's whispers from across the hall.