I'm running through the forest. I don't know who's following me; I have too many enemies. I can feel fear gripping my heart, causing it to beat fast. I run into a clearing, I'm facing the edge of a cliff. I hear footsteps approaching. I know my only escape is to jump. I take a deep breath, but before I can take a step forwards strong arms wrap around my torso, pulling me away from the ledge. I know I should struggle, but I feel safe in these arms. I don't know who it is. I try to turn around, but I feel sluggish. Is it my mother? Has the Ark come down to Earth? She's the only one who makes me feel safe.
"It's okay, you're safe now." The voice does not belong to my mother. It's sharper, younger. I manage to look up at the person holding me, and I gasp softly.
It's the commander, smiling down at me. She doesn't look like she did when I first met her. She's not wearing any war makeup, and eyes are round and innocent. I open my mouth to speak, but before a can she stops me.
"Shh…. Go to sleep." I can't protest as she uses her soft fingertips to close my eyelids.
I wake up with sweat dripping down my face. I move my hands up to wipe away the sweat, but I stop when the rope binding my hands chafe my wrists. Sighing, I push them back closer to where the rope is tied securely to a pole in a ground.
I've been in this tent for a few days, and I'm growing restless. A young grounder boy brings me food twice a day, but my friendly words hit ears that don't seem to understand English. Anya has come in a few times, but she just stares at me angrily. I don't know what I've done to upset her, but I'm glad the commander has given her orders not to hurt me.
I've learned that her name is Lexa. Almost everyone calls her Heda, but one night I heard her and Anya talking outside my tent, and she referred to her as Lexa. I don't understand their relationship, but I know it's personal.
I look up as I hear the thick cloth used as a door flap open. Anya walks in, holding an apple. I smile at her as she approaches me. This is how it goes every time. I act nice, and she ignores me.
"Good morning, Anya. How are you this morning?" Anya ignores me, taking a big bite of her apple instead. I know she's taunting me. While I am fed, it's always just enough to keep me weak. She's standing a few feet away from me, and I can see blood spattered on her white shirt.
"Did you go on an early morning killing spree?" I ask, wincing at my own comment when I think about the rest of the hundred. She takes another bite of her apple, and then throws it in the dirt. My eyes follow it as it rolls away from her. "You ruined a perfectly good apple!"
"Shut up." Anya growls, closing the distance between us. She grabs my hair, pulling me to my feet. I can see the resentment in her eyes as she holds me close to her chest.
I begin to panic, unsuccessfully trying to pull away from her. "Hey, you can't hurt me, remember? The commander said you couldn't." Anya only tightens her grip on my hair.
"I'm sure we have different definitions of hurt." Before I can protest she pulls out a knife. I close my eyes, hoping my death will be quick. I'm surprised when she uses the knife to cut the rope around my wrists. I rub them gingerly before she grabs my arms and forces them behind my back, tying them once again.
Anya leads me out of the tent, and I squint as the sun hits my eyes. I've been in the dark for so long. I struggle as she pushes me towards the commander's tent. I'm too weak for my struggling to help me, but it makes it harder for her. I smile smugly but that smile is wiped off my face when I'm pushed into the tent.
I'm not sure whether to be relieved or terrified. Standing next to Lexa, large arms crossed, is Bellamy. Beside him is Finn. I feel my stomach drop as Bellamy smiles at me. His face then changes to one of mock concern.
"Clarke, are you alright?" I pull my bound hands into my chest, stepping back as Bellamy steps forward.
"Get away from me." I hiss. I take another step back, bumping into Anya, who grabs the back of my shirt roughly.
"See? She doesn't want to be with you." Anya says. I roll my eyes, biting my tongue to keep back a witty remark.
"It doesn't look like she wants to be with you, either." Finn responds, looking pointedly at my bound hands. Anya's grip on my shirt tightens, the collar getting uncomfortably tight.
"Come here, Clarke." Bellamy holds out his arms, expecting me to go to him as if I want nothing more than to return to him. I scoff, glaring at him.
"What part of 'get away from me' don't you understand?" Bellamy's eyes darken dangerously. Then Lexa surprises me by speaking for the first time since I entered the tent.
"Go to him, Clarke." I glare at Lexa, but my mind drifts to my dream, and I remember the feeling of being safe when in her arms. I take a step forward tentatively, and Bellamy grabs my arms surprisingly gently.
"Have they hurt you?" He asks in what I know is fake worry.
"Of course they hurt me." I snap. "But not as much as you did." I pull away from grasp, but his grip tightens.
"Come on, we're leaving." Bellamy growls. Before he can pull me out of the tent, Lexa grabs my other arm.
"These are not the terms we agreed to." Out of the corner of my eye I see both Finn and Anya reach for weapons.
"I came for her, and now that I have her we're leaving." Bellamy tries pulling me away, but two grounders step into the tent, blocking the exit.
Bellamy tries to subtly reach for his gun, but Lexa is too quick. She pulls me out of Bellamy's arms and into hers. I hear the sound of swords being drawn. One of them is Lexa's and I feel cool metal resting on my neck.
"We brought you here to prove that she is alive, which, as you can see, she is. That can change very quickly." I feel the sword bite my skin, followed by the feeling of warm blood trickling down my chest, wetting my shirt. Bellamy puts his hands up, nodding to Finn to do the same. Lexa pulls the sword away from my neck, but doesn't release me.
"You know the agreements." Lexa says so sharply that I shiver. "We will bring her to you when you are ready to comply. Now leave, before I change my mind."
I watch as Finn and Bellamy reluctantly leave, followed closely by the grounder guards. I expect Lexa to hand me to Anya, who seems to have been placed in charge of me. Maybe that's why she hates me.
Instead Lexa grabs my bound hands roughly, pulling me into her thrown. Anya comes over with more rope, and the tie my arms separately to each armrest. The same is done to my legs. Anya steps back, admiring her handiwork. Lexa is very close to me, almost kneeling on lap. She leans over me with one hand on an armrest and the other stroking my hair. I can't seem to remove my gaze from her green eyes.
"Um… Don't you need to sit here?" I stutter, confused as to why I'm in her thrown. She smiles, moving her hand to my cheek.
"Don't worry about me." It's you you need to worry about, she seems to say. I know I shouldn't ask her about what's happening because that's exactly what she wants, but I can't help it.
"Why are you doing this?" I ask, trying to keep my voice from wavering. I notice Anya unfolding a piece of cloth, revealing knifes of all shapes and sizes. "What do you want?"
"I want you to tell me exactly why those boys seem so keen on rescuing you." Lexa moves to the knives, continuing to talk as she picks up different ones up as if testing them. "I saw the way that older one looked at you. He doesn't care for you, he just wants you alive." I snort, thinking about how she basically just called Bellamy a bad actor.
"And if I don't tell you? You can't kill me. You need my alive as much as they do." I remind her.
Lexa returns to my side, a knife now in one hand. She uses the other to hold my chin, gently at first, then roughly as she forces my gaze upon hers.
"You're right, I can't kill you." My heart almost stops at her next words. "But I can make you wish I would."