A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter everyone. I had made significant progress on it a good few days ago but before I could finish it off and post it my computer somehow switched off without automatically saving and so I had to re-write it all whilst also working on my other story, 12 hour shifts and seeing friends and family. My apologies for those of you who have been waiting patiently and whilst I'm at it a big thank you to those of you that have followed and reviewed so far (Soulterror, monkeygirl11602 and JoriLover95, glad to see I'm not the only one who loves these two fandoms!). Please rest assured that I haven't given up by any means just at times I do work 12 hour days and then on my days off I also have a social life and sleep to catch up on so I can't promise updates as frequently as I would like but by all means I will try to make sure you don't wait too long. Without further ado…
Oh and yeah, unfortunately I don't own either Pitch Perfect or The 100. If I did we would all be watching Bechloe and Clexa non-stop. Maybe we should start a petition so I can take over, I swear I'll hire better writers…*cough* anyways…
PPS – I'm almost done. Please note for this chapter the rating is M just for some swear words and implied sexual violence. Please do not let this offend you it is only implied it could happen and nothing is described in great detail by all means at all. If the thought of it does offend you feel free to message me and I'll give you the spoilers of the story so you can decide if you feel comfortable enough to read the chapter. Now to the story -
Chapter 3 – What You Can't See
As groups of overly excited teenagers rushed out passed them, Clarke and Chloe shared a look. Together, hands still clasped they made their way to the edge of the ramp before taking the small step down to the soft ground below. Her eyes darted in bewilderment and wonder at the various shades of the forest, never able to focus on one shade of colour before another caught her attention. The earthy, heady scent filled her nostrils and she couldn't breathe deep enough to take it all in. The air was so clear, so pure and with no sound of a humming in the background tears almost came to her eyes. Looking at Chloe she noted her friend too was in the same state of euphoria. Before she could open her lips to speak a set of strong arms encircled her from behind, picking her up.
"Griffandor!" Came the enthusiastic bellow behind her. Smiling wildly, Clarke turned as she was lowered back to the ground and immediately pulled her friend in tightly between her arms.
"Amy!" She breathed out, pulling back slightly to take in the girls' appearance having missed her for the last few months. Her hair was longer now and her fringe jutted out past a faded headband. True to the name she had insisted the girls called her when they had first become friends on the Ark she was still on the larger side but regardless Clarke was happy to see her smiling and healthy before her.
"Save some love for me Aca-bitches." Turning quickly in Amy's arms, Clarke looked over to the drop ship. Black cargo clad legs that stretched for miles were met with two perfectly manicured hands resting on hips. A light grey tank that showed perfectly full cleavage jutting out the top led to the sculpted face of her smiling friend.
"Stacie!" She shrieked excitedly.
"The one and only." She smirked winking at the girls. Rushing forward the girls met in a warm embrace, Clarke clutching the girl closer to her drawing a laugh from her friend. "Easy there Griffin, still don't swing that way." The taller brunette teased.
With a muffled laugh she shook her head against the brunette's neck. As she felt the arms of Amy and Chloe circle around them both in a group hug she revelled in the familiarity of it all that she had been deprived of for so long and had feared she would never know again. As they slowly pulled apart she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at the emotion that surged through her. Blinking back tears she fought to get out all the questions that were floating through her mind. Reading her best friend naturally Chloe stepped forward and clasped her hands around Clarke's wrist comfortingly.
"We're a team remember. Where you go, we go." She smiled reassuringly.
As a large smile graced her features and a few tears escaped despite her efforts, Clarke felt herself being pulled back into their embrace. Knowing her friends were with her whether they survived on this earth or not brought strength in Clarke she had almost forgotten she possessed. She wouldn't just be surviving for herself; she would make sure it was for all of them.
Before their reunion could continue a commotion broke out in the background. Turning to see the cause she caught sight of Wells being pushed to the ground by a weasel looking boy with brown hair and a dangerous glint in his eye. As she made her way to intervene she pushed the boy away from Wells before attempting to help him to his feet. Before he could put his weight on his other foot to rise from the ground however she felt a body collide with her own as she fell to meet the earth below. Chloe was by her side in an instant helping her up and she turned to see Amy grab her attacker in a headlock.
"Calm down squirt, or I'll snap your neck like a dingo!" She breathed out against the struggling boy.
"What's your problem? Let go of me!" He pushed against her finally freeing himself.
Before a further fight could ensue a body landed from the dropship between them and Clarke instantly recognised it as Finn.
"Everyone calm down! What's going on?" He questioned looking between the peeved off guy who still looked as if he was ready to fight and Wells who had limped back to his feet.
"The Prince over there thinks we should follow his Daddy's advice and make for Mount Weather. Got news for you little chancellor, you're not in charge here. We are!" The cocky boy smirked over at him.
"He's right." All eyes looked to Clarke as she found her voice again. "We need to find supplies. Food, water, anything to help us survive down here. They left us with practically nothing and if we have any chance at staying alive we need those supplies Jaha told us about in Mount Weather."
"Well don't expect us to be following you around." The young man she had come to know as Bellamy approached, his sister Octavia at his side. "I got a better idea, you two go, let the privileged do the hard work for a change. We'll be waiting here for when you come back with food." He smirked as the young weasel like teen walked to stand beside him, brushing his shoulder roughly into Wells as he passed.
She narrowed her eyes at Wells before stalking off towards the drop ship. How stupid could he be to try and take charge with a hundred teenagers all here because of his Dad. No one was going to respect him, let alone like him. She stalked to the dropship with the girls following closely behind. As she entered she asked they search for anything useful. A few minutes later Chloe called her over, producing a map. Looking at the others they shook their heads. Great, just great she thought to herself. The least the Ark could have done was give them some small amount of help. Stepping back outside she surveyed the area to get an idea of where they were and how close they were to the Mountain. As she got her bearings she let out a groan of frustration.
"What's wrong Princess?" Finn wandered over to her.
Rolling her eyes she turned away from him studying the map once more to check she had calculated correctly.
"You don't like being called Princess, do you Princess?" He smiled cheekily at her with a glint in his eye.
"No." She gave him a pointed look. "And for your information, my problem is our problem. See that range over there?" She motioned over to the peak in the distance. "That is Mount Weather, they dropped us on the wrong damn mountain and now our next meal is at least a twenty mile trek through a radiation soaked forest."
Looking at the sky, Finn turned back to Clarke. "Okay, so what are we waiting for?"
"We?" She questioned him.
"Yeah," he smiled as he grabbed the two closest boys to him, one of which she recognised as the boy who aided her and Chloe in the dropship, "how else are you going to carry food for a hundred people?"
"I'm in." Stacie and Chloe echoed simultaneously.
"Yeah, no. That sounds like cardio. Don't put me down for cardio." Fat Amy added with a shake of her head.
"Sounds like a party. Make it seven." Octavia called out enthusiastically as she approached.
"Who's the stud with the brooding face?" Stacie asked the group as they watched Bellamy make his approach.
"Eww! Gross! That's my brother!" Octavia gagged.
With a smile and a shrug Stacie turned to the girl, "Sorry. He's a hunter." Gesturing down to between her legs.
"You call it a dude?" She asked incredulously. Stacie just smirked and winked in response. As Bellamy stopped in front of the group he quickly questioned Octavia on her going. Not paying attention to the feuding siblings Clarke saw Finns wrist and immediately moved to inspect it further.
"Have you tried to take this off?" She demanded.
"Yeah, why?"
"If you take it off, the Ark will think you're dead. If they think we can't survive then they won't come down here in the next two months."
As Clarke berated the young man Chloe noticed Bellamy had stopped arguing with his sister and was now listening intently to Clarke. She didn't know what it was but something about the man raised her suspicion. He seemed older than the rest and no one had questioned him on the guard uniform he was presently wearing.
"Okay let's get going." Clarke's voice interrupted her thoughts. As they made to set off she quickly pulled Clarke aside.
"On second thoughts I think I should stay here." At Clarkes inquisitive raised brow she continued, "I don't trust him C, and there's more than enough going to carry back supplies for now. Let me stay around camp and keep watch."
"Yeah. Yeah that's a good idea Chlo. Keep Stacie with you too, with her skills you guys can scan the perimeter for anything that may be a food source in case we get held up or have to camp out if it gets too dark to return."
With a nod Chloe pulled Clarke in close, "Be safe. May we meet again."
"You too. May we meet again." Clarke replied before making her way with the small group led by Finn.
A couple of hours later they were still wandering through the forest. Clarke didn't know how Finn did it, to her everything looked the same and she hoped he wasn't leading them in circles or getting them further from Mount Weather. As she came to a small break in the tree line her eyes suddenly lit up at the first sign of life since they had arrived. Turning back to the group she motioned for them to quickly join her and placed her finger over her mouth to indicate they kept quiet. As they crowded round her amazed at the sight of the young buck Finn leaned close to whisper in her ear.
"Looks like we might be able to survive after all." He smiled before taking a crouched step forward to get a closer look. As he did a small twig snapped below his boot causing the animal to quickly turn and look in their direction. A collective gasp escaped their mouths at the shock of seeing the horribly deformed second head that had been hidden from their sight before the buck quickly ran off.
As they continued on through the forest, Finn piped up, "Why now? Why send us to earth after ninety-seven years?"
Whilst they speculated Clarke cut in and told the story of how Wells betrayed her and her subsequent imprisonment whilst her Dad was floated for trying to tell the truth to the people that the Ark was dying. It was a risk to send the one hundred to the ground but even if it failed at least it bought them more time.
"They're going to kill more people aren't they?" Monty questioned worriedly.
"Good. After what they did to me, I say float them all." Octavia said decisively, walking ahead.
Feeling a hand take hold of her arm, Clarke turned back inquisitively towards Finn.
"We have to warn them." He said with concern in his eyes.
"That's what my father said." Looking into his eyes Clarke could see the genuine distress the truth brought to him. Maybe despite his carefree displays there was something to this young man after all she thought.
Moving on ahead she stopped at she crashed into Jasper. Looking passed him to see the cause of his excitement her jaw dropped as she saw Octavia strip to her underwear.
"Octavia, what the hell are you doing?" She called out.
With a smirk Octavia looked back at the group before diving below. As they made their way to the edge Clarke was stunned at the sight of the river before them. As the group around her quickly tried to undress she wondered why she hadn't seen it on the map but before she could question it Monty had cried out for Octavia to get out of the river. Looking over to him she followed his line of sight and sure enough she too noted the large ripple that was steadily making its way toward the bold brunette.
Before anyone could reach her Octavia was pulled underwater with a scream. Working quickly together they tried to distract the sea creature as Octavia resurfaced, throwing large stones into the water closer to themselves whilst Jasper made his way along the embankment towards the injured girl. With the creature distracted he dived in quickly and raced towards her, pulling her into his arms and making his way again for the rocks as the creature turned back towards them. In the nick of time they made it out safely and Clarke raced over to the girl to check her injury. Luckily she had only received some gashes to her upper thigh. Quickly making a bandage she covered the wound hoping to prevent infection.
A short while later and with the sky darkening they decided to make camp for the night to allow them all rest and Octavia time to recover. Wakening up to the sounds of the forest a few hours later Clarke quietly sat up and marvelled at the sight before her. The forest was alive in a soft glow of radiation, it may be deadly but she couldn't deny it was beautiful. Walking up to get a closer look her eyes swept over the soft glow of a bed of flowers.
"Pretty cool huh?" Finn snuck up beside her. Holding a cupped leaf with water she questioned him.
"Did you go to the river?"
"Figure it was worth losing a finger or two." He smiled. "Here." He gestured for her to take a drink.
Feeling the soothing liquid glide down her throat and quench her thirst she lowered the leaf. With a twinkle in his eye Finn questioned, "Think this means we're all going to grow two heads?"
She couldn't help the laugh that escaped or the smile that stretched her cheeks.
"What do you know, she can laugh." Finn smiled, looking intently at her. Holding his gaze Clarke couldn't help but feel like it was all magical, like the fairy tales her Dad had read to her as a child. Some wild adventure and a dashing Prince Charming. Maybe earth would be her fairy-tale she wondered.
Back at the site of the drop ship Chloe had been keeping a close eye on Bellamy. Already he had seemed to find himself a small following of tough looking guys that had included the boy who attacked Wells earlier. Trying not to draw attention to them she turned to Stacie.
"Let's scope out the surrounding area, see if you can find anything here for us to eat. Amy do you mind staying here and keeping an eye on things for us until we get back?"
"Aye aye Captain!" She raised her hand to her head in a salute.
As the two girls made to leave their newly formed camp a young man approached them. "Hi ladies, where are two pretty things like yourselves sneaking of to?" He smiled over to them.
"Oh, well Stace over here was a botanist on the Ark; we figured she could hopefully round up some supplies until the group gets back." Chloe replied, eyeing up the tall brunette man. He had brown cheeky eyes and an easy smile with defined muscles showing through his t-shirt at the arms and stomach.
"Really?" He questioned with a grin. "Well I may not be good with plants but I certainly couldn't let you two wander off out there alone now could I?"
"What a gentleman." Stacie grinned taking his offered arm with her own.
As they wandered deeper through the forest Stacie and Chloe discussed the different growths they came across. Moss on the side of some rocks indicated they were near a water supply which led them to a small river abundant with red seaweed. As Stacie studied the plant she indicated that it may be a potential food source but wouldn't know any further until she could examine it better back at the drop ship. Taking a small supply in their crudely crafted bags along with some other plants, nuts, berries and flowers that Stacie had been able to identify Chloe looked to the sky and noticed that it was beginning to darken. They had made a good start and their self-proclaimed protector Derrin had been good company, making the girls laugh with funny stories. Chloe had no interest what so ever, he may have been good looking and sure Stacie flirted naturally but that was just who she was and Chloe could tell she wasn't really into him. Making their way back through the forest she hoped they would reach their camp before darkness fell however she also felt the urge of nature call and whilst it was still light enough to see she called out to the pair to indicate she needed a little private time. Walking some distance away she finally found a spot that appeared to give her the privacy she wanted and began to undo her trousers. As she pulled them back up and wandered back in the direction she came the sound of a struggle reached her ears and she picked up her pace.
Ahead of her she spotted Derrin roughly backing Stacie into a try, the tall brunette struggling against him as he attempted to kiss her neck.
"Get off of me!" She heard Stacie yell, fighting against his hold on her arms.
"Get off of her!" She screamed as she jumped on his back attempting to free her distressed friend.
With little effort the muscular guy threw Chloe off his back, yelling at her to wait her turn. She rolled down a slight hill on the ground coming to a stop forcibly against a tree, hitting her head in the process. As her vision began to swim she saw a figure descend from the trees behind Derrin. She must have hit her head hard because she swore before her eyes closed she saw a young woman, small in size with braided brown hair. With a feeble gasp she called out with what little strength she had left before succumbing to the darkness, "Stacie…"
Standing on the ledge of rocks above the river the small group looked up at Finn and Jasper as they checked the strength of the vine.
"You wanted to go first, quit stalling." Clarke teased up at the normally adventurous boy.
With an "Aye, aye captain." Finn smirked and pulled back on the vine, ready to take a swing.
"Wait!" Jasper suddenly announced, looking from Octavia to Finn. "Let me do it."
"See, knew there was a badass somewhere in there." Grinned Finn as he handed the makeshift swing over to the eager boy. Seeing the slight hesitation in the boys' eyes he continued. "It's okay to be afraid Jasper, the trick is not fighting it."
With a renewed confidence Jasper leaned back pulling on the vine, cocky grin on his face as he looked once again to Octavia. "See you on the other side." He called out before taking the leap. Swinging across the river wooing he passed the amazed looks of his friends below. Letting go he made the crash landing on the other side before quickly rising to his feet, calling out and dancing in euphoria at the stunt. As Finn lined up Clarke to go next he looked behind him to see what appeared to be a sign and turning it over he called out in excitement to the group waving the sign in the air for all to see.
"We did it! Mount Weather! Woooo!"
As the group looked on in celebration and relief Jasper continued his exuberant display until suddenly his body was thrown back and landed on the ground a few feet behind where he had stood. The panicked calls of his friends didn't even register with him as the searing pain of the spear that was impaled in his chest and the resulting shook tore through him.
As Clarke cried out desperately over to Jasper, Finn quickly grabbed a hold of her pulling her to the shelter of the rocks beside them, Octavia and Monty following suit.
Looking back into the line of trees where the spear had come from Clarke could see nothing but she felt the fear grip her as she kept her eyes forward for a sign of their attacker. With panicked breaths she let out, "We're not alone…"
Slowly coming back to consciousness Chloe once again woke on this earth to the feeling of her head pounding. Bringing her hand up to the source of the pain she slowly realised she was lying on top of a pair of thighs and turned to see Stacie looking down concerned at her.
"Stacie!" She gasped, the memories of what had happened the previous night coming flooding back to her. "Oh my god! Are you okay?!" She tried to set up feeling slightly dizzy in her rush to check her friend.
"Hey, easy Chlo, it's okay, I'm fine." Stacie quietly reassured her, placing her hand on the redheads shoulder trying to keep her from getting up too fast.
With tears prickling her eyes Chloe met Stacie's and once again couldn't help feel guilt and sorrow for not being able to help her friend. As she clung desperately to her she pulled her in close to the sound of Stacie reassuring her she was fine.
"What happened Stace?" She cried, "Where's Derrin?"
"Dead." The brunette whispered her eyes glazing over.
"What? How?"
"We're not alone Chlo…"
