Disclaimer: I don't own 'The 100'. No profit is being made from this story. Anything you recognize is from the show. Anything you don't recognize is from the depths of my imagination!

A/N: What's this?! Third chapter in a week? You guys are going to get spoiled! I thought I would reward everyone for not only my good week, but also because you guys have been incredible. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorites! It honestly makes my day and I appreciate every single one of them. :)

Thank you to Alice for your review! I'm glad you are enjoying the story. Hopefully you'll enjoy lots of character development for Alex throughout the story.

A big thank you to my amazing beta - Dannylionthe1st!

~~~O~~~

Chapter Three

~~~O~~~

Earth was beautiful.

It didn't matter where she looked - everything from the colour of the sky to the textures of the trees to the taste of sweet air on her tongue - everything her gaze landed on was stunning and new.

A whole world unexplored by anyone in nearly one hundred years. The thought left her feeling tiny - she was a small speck in something that was so big.

It didn't take long to feel like it was all too much. There was too much too see, too much to do, and as soon she began to feel the first pangs of a headache, she decided it was a good time to go get Jemma, knowing that she had left the young girl for longer than she'd promised.

Climbing the ramp, she hesitated only a brief second to take a deep breath before entering the dim interior of the dropship, leaving the chatter and celebration of the rest of the delinquents behind her. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the interior, she blinked, momentarily startled by how empty it looked now that there were a hundred fewer occupants loitering around.

Why be inside when you can be outside?

Shaking her head, she wove her way through the ship and hoisted herself up the ladder, heading back to where she had left Jemma.

Except that when she arrived, the seat she had left her in was empty.

"Jemma?" she called out with a frown, sharp blue eyes scanning the area for the missing girl.

"Over here!" The instant reply came from the far side of the room.

Making her way over, Alex found Jemma sitting behind a row of seats. She paused, eyebrows rising when she realized the young girl wasn't alone, but talking to another young girl.

She sat with her arms wrapped tightly around her thin legs, her shoulders tense. Sandy blonde hair twisted back along her head in two plaits that left her face uncovered, her jaw clenched as she stared blankly out in front of her.

It would be more accurate to say that Jemma was talking at the other girl, as Alex wondered if she heard any of Jemma's words at all.

They're so young. How did they end up in the SkyBox? What could they have possibly done to deserve this?

The nervous and panicked expression on the new girls face gave Alex a pang of sympathy. The overwhelming, world consuming feeling was something that she was only too familiar with.

Okay, need to do something about this.

Gently lowering herself into a crouch before the two girls, she braced her arms on her knees and gave them a small smile. "Who's this?" Alex asked Jemma.

"This is Charlotte," came Jemma's instant reply, glancing between Alex and the young girl, before leaning towards Alex. "I think she's scared," she whispered to Alex. "I've been trying to help her, like you helped me," she added, looking pleased with herself.

"That's very nice of you," Alex smiled and Jemma beamed at the praise. Then she turned to Charlotte and leaned forward, trying to catch the young girl's eye. "Hello, Charlotte. I'm Alex."

"Hi," was the quiet mumble she got in response.

"Are you alright?" Alex asked her cautiously, already knowing it was a silly question to ask when the other girls panic was so clear on her face. But she knew from experience that sometimes asking the right question was all it took to help someone open up and feel better. It meant that someone cared enough to ask.

Charlotte shook her head minutely in response, not meeting her eyes.

"You guys should really come outside and see everything. It's so beautiful," she sighed wistfully. Leaning back, she eased herself down onto the floor, crossing her legs comfortably beneath her. "Seeing it all - the plants, the trees, the blue sky - I think it would help you feel better."

Though Jemma looked marginally more excited, Charlotte's shoulders only hunched further in response, causing Jemma to shoot her a worried look.

Pursing her lips, Alex knew she needed to change tactics.

"Hmm, how about I tell you a little secret?" she said, trying to hide her grin when both girls finally looked up at her.

"A secret?" Jemma whispered, a delighted smile on her face.

Charlotte on the other hand, watched her with an almost wary gaze.

"I was scared - am scared," Alex admitted, and then shrugged almost sheepishly. "The Ark has been our home since we were born; everything we're used to - all our friends - are now so far away. Now we're on Earth by ourselves, and they can't help us. That - that - scares me." She gave a shaky laugh.

And it was true; the panicked, fluttery feeling in her chest that threatened to choke her since the moment she'd woken up on the dropship was still there, lingering in the fringes of her mind.

Charlotte was watching her more openly now. "Really?" she asked in a small voice.

Alex nodded. "Yeah," she replied honestly.

"But...you don't seem afraid right now," Jemma pointed out hesitantly, some of her earlier uncertainty crossing her face.

"I guess...I've have lots of practice putting on a brave face." Alex grimaced. "Now, when I am afraid, I tell myself that I'm not. I convince everyone else I'm not. And if they're convinced, it makes it easier for me to convince myself."

"But when we were coming down...you looked okay," Jemma said with a frown.

Alex huffed a laugh. Then it's a good thing they couldn't see how I felt on the inside. "Not sure how I looked, but I wish I could say that I felt okay, because I was most definitely afraid."

"Of what?" Charlotte practically demanded.

Alex eyed her, noting her change in tone. Chewing on the inside of her cheek she wondered how much to tell them. "As I said, I'm scared of the uncertainty of how we're going to live on Earth," she hesitated. "But I'm also afraid of small spaces. The dropship isn't my favourite place to be stuck in."

Charlotte's eyes darted around the interior of the dropship with a frown.

"But...our cells were smaller than this," Charlotte pointed out, her gaze almost challenging.

Smart girl.

"I didn't like my cell at all," Jemma piped up with a shudder, shaking her head.

Alex pursued her lips, thinking of the small space she'd spent the last two years of her life in. How the first couple of months of her incarceration had been nearly the worst days of her life, the three-by-three steel walled room closing in around her, echoing her own screams... Meeting Jemma's gaze, she gave her a serious look. "Yeah. I didn't like my cell much either," she agreed softly.

"But if you couldn't get out...how did you deal with it?" Charlotte frowned.

"It wasn't easy. But I guess, over time, I realized that I couldn't let my fear control me - that nothing was actually going to cause me harm in that room, so I convinced myself I wasn't afraid. Because it was either that, or going crazy," she said, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "I know it's easier said than done. I have to remind myself that just because I'm afraid, doesn't mean it makes sense."

"You mean, like if you're afraid of something hurting you or not," Charlotte stated, suddenly glaring at the floor.

Alex raised a brow at the sudden sullen demeanor. I wonder where that came from. "Yeah, exactly like that."

"But, how do you know which fears are good and which are bad?" Jemma asked.

"Sometimes it's hard," Alex admitted with a shrug. "You have to take a moment to think it through. Are you in danger? Are you going to get hurt? If the answer is 'no' and you're still scared, than you know that you probably don't need to be afraid."

The three of them fell silent, the two younger girls looking thoughtful.

Alex gave them a moment to think, noting how the tension that had practically radiated from Charlotte earlier had begun to ease, her hold on her knees not as tight.

Knowing that now was as good a time as any, Alex pushed herself to her feet, catching the attention of the two girls. Giving them a smile, she held out both her hands to them as an offer to help them up. "How about we head downstairs? You guys should see how beautiful it is outside. I promise, you'll love it."

Jemma smiled brightly and reached for her hand. Charlotte on the other hand, hesitated before reaching out.

Leaning back, Alex hoisted them both to their feet with a grunt. "Whew, you guys are heavy," she teased, wiping away the non-existent sweat from her forehead.

As Jemma opened her mouth, looking indignant, but Alex cut her off with a wink. "Just kidding!"

Jemma rolled her eyes in response, sticking out her tongue at Alex as she linked her arm through Charlotte's. "Let's go, Charlotte. We don't need her to find our way out." Sticking her nose in the aid, she turned and marched them towards the ladder; a hesitant Charlotte tugged along behind her.

Alex grinned at the sudden sass, trailing after them. I have a feeling I'm going to like those two.

She followed them down the ladder, and when she reached the bottom, she found them both frozen, wide eyes focused on the open dropship door. From where they were standing, it was difficult to see, the bright light making it difficult to adjust and see the colourful world just beyond the door.

She stepped past them, the two hesitating for a second before trailing about warily behind her.

Alex smiled when she felt them slide their hands into her own. She gave them a gentle reassuring squeeze in response.

Pulling them to a stop, she looked at them. "Close your eyes," she said firmly

"But-!" Jemma began to protest and Charlotte looked a little worried.

"Hey, hey," Alex said, shaking their hands a little, and leaning down to their level. "Think of this as confronting your fears of the unknown. Do you guys trust me?"

Jemma's mouth snapped closed and she nodded her head vigorously in response, Charlotte's nod only a little slower.

Alex squeezed their hands comfortingly. "Trust me on this; you'll like it." She smiled, "Besides, I'm not going to let anything happen to you, alright?"

When each of the girls closed their eyes, she told them, "No peeking!" then proceeded to guide them towards the entrance of the drop ship. "Okay, there is a little step there, that's it! A little bit of a slope. Okay, step down slowly, the ground is going to feel kind of soft. There you go!"

When she had them both firmly on the forest floor, facing away from the drop ship she gently squeezed their hands. "Okay! You can open your eyes now!"

"Whoa!"

The sounds and exclamations of amazement brought a smile to Alex's face, and she knew at that moment that being sent to Earth had been worth it.

~~~O~~~

After watching the two younger girls for a bit, she noticed Clarke leaning on the ramp of the drop ship, head down studying something before her. Curious, Alex she decided to go see what had caught her attention. After telling the two girls to not wander too far, she headed over, weaving through the mass of teenagers joking and running around.

As she approached, she noted the unhappy frown on Clarke's face, a deep contrast to everyone else around her.

"Hey," Alex said as she arrived at Clarke's side, hands in her pockets, glancing down at the paper Clarke was frowning at - a map? "What's up?"

"They dropped us on the wrong fucking mountain," Clarke grumbled, not even looking up from the map.

Alex blinked. "What?"

"See here?" Clarke said, waving her over, then tapped a finger on one part of the map. "That- That is Mount Weather."

Alex leaned forwards to see and nodded. "And I'm going to take it that's not where we are?" she asked drily, studying the map.

"We're nearly twenty miles from where we should have landed," Clarke explained, pointing to a totally different part of the map. "That's what I can gather anyways. I- I won't be sure until we find some better landmarks...a creek or something that we can use to pinpoint everything."

Alex glanced at Clarke, hoisting herself up onto the ramp next to the map, one leg folded beneath her, the other dangling over the edge. "Think we should put together an expedition team or something?" she inquired, wondering what Clarke had planned. "If everyone keeps running around like this we're going to be running on fumes sooner than later." She nodded her head to some of the boys who raced by. "We're gonna need those supplies."

Clarke shot her a look of relief. "Thank you! Finally, someone who gets it."

At that very moment, Wells came out of the drop ship and headed over to them. "We've got a problem," he said.

Alex noted the way Clarke tensed as he approached, turning her head away and wondered what had happened between them. Last she'd seen, they'd been really close friends, nearly inseparable on the Ark. Alex sighed, knowing that how things could change and returned to studying the map, tracing a couple of the marked creeks which could be closest to them. "I honestly think we have more than one."

He shot her an unimpressed look before continuing, "The communication system is dead. I went to the roof. A dozen of the panels are missing. Heat fried the wires."

"Great," Alex said. "Although, I don't think communication with the Ark is going to be our most pressing issue at the moment," she said, earning herself a puzzled look from Wells. Alex nodded her head to Clarke, who sighed.

"All that matters right now is getting to Mount Weather. We're miles away, and we're going to need to get there to survive," Clarke stated pointedly, still not looking up at Wells at all.

"Cool, a map!" Another voice joined them from behind and everyone glanced over to find a young man with goggles perched on his head making his way towards them.

"Captain Jasper," Alex said in greeting, giving him a nod. He sent her a small smirk before turning to Clarke with a clearly flirty smile.

"They got a bar in this town?" Jasper asked Clarke, and Alex had to roll her eyes. Was he trying to flirt with Clarke? "I'll buy you a beer."

Clarke blinked at him before turning back to the map, clearly not impressed.

Although everything Jasper had said had been in good humour, Wells didn't seem to appreciate it at all. With a scowl, he grabbed the skinnier boy by the arm, and shoved him away. "You mind?"

Eyebrows rising in surprise, Alex wondered at his over-the-top response.

Before she could say anything, another voice joined them. "Hey, hey, hey!" A group of young guys were sauntering towards them. "Hands off of him," said the mousy looking guy who stood at the front. He had brown hair, and sharp blue eyes that glared at Wells from behind a prominent nose that looked like it had been broken in the past. "He's with us," he said with a sneer.

Suddenly feeling alert, Alex frowned, instantly disliking everything about him. Something about his posture, his tone, it all rubbed her the wrong way. She had the sinking feeling that he was going to be the one who gave them problems in the future.

Seeming to realize that he was outnumbered, Wells relented a bit, placing his hands up in a surrendering motion. "Relax," he said soothingly. "We're just trying to figure out where we are."

"We're on the ground," called another voice. Alex frowned when she turned and found Bellamy Blake standing not too far away, his sister at his side. "That not good enough for you?" he questioned simply, though the mocking in his tone was apparent.

There was an escalating tension in the air as Alex, Wells, Clarke and Jasper realized they stood between the two clearly unfriendly groups and their dislike was clearly aimed at them.

Alex cautiously watched as Wells turned to Blake and walked towards him, looking almost pleading. When she and Clarke shared a worried glance, they moved to follow, Alex hopping down from her perch. "We need to try and get to Mount Weather," Wells tried reasoning with him. "You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority."

"Screw your father," Octavia spat from where she stood next to her brother. At Wells shocked look she continued, "What? You think you're in charge here? You and the two air-head bitches behind you?" she sneered, nodding her head at both Clarke and Alex.

Alex's jaw dropped at the insult, wondering why she'd been dragged into the argument. Scoffing a laugh, she shot Octavia an unimpressed stare. "Excuse me?" She laughed. "Although, wait, never mind, coming from a girl who didn't even exist until a year ago, it doesn't really mean much."

Bellamy's glare zeroed in on her. "Hey, watch your fucking mouth," he spat. "That's my sister."

"It's funny, Blake," Alex scoffed, glaring back up at him. "You're saying that like it actually means something."

Before either of them could say anything else, Alex felt a hand on her shoulder, tugging her back. "Alex," Clarke said soothingly, before turning back to the rest of the group that had gathered around to watch the incoming spectacle. "Do you think we care who's in charge?" she asked, looking around. "We need to get to Mount Weather not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get and the harder this'll be." As she spoke, Octavia had the decency to look mildly ashamed. "How long do you think we'll last without those supplies?" she inquired, looking around in disbelief. "We're looking at a twenty-mile trek, okay? So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave...now."

"I've got a better idea," Bellamy told them. "You guys go...find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change." At his suggestion, a few of those gathered around cheered in agreement.

Alex gritted her teeth, this guy's arrogant 'I'm-better-than-you attitude' was really starting to grate on her nerves. Why didn't he seem to get the fact that, if they didn't get food, they were going to all die of starvation?

Alex rolled her eyes. "Are you serious?" she asked him. "Everyone here is going to need food sooner than later. And you're stupider than you look if you think a couple of us are going to be able to bring back enough food for one-hundred people. If we all want to survive this, we need todo as Clarke says and all go get supplies."

"I don't remember anyone asking for your opinion," Bellamy spat down at her, stepping forwards and getting in her face. "Who the hell are you anyways?"

"Isn't that Alexandra Evans?" Someone commented from the crowd that had begun to gather around them.

Bellamy looked momentarily taken aback, staring down at her like he'd never seen her before - like she was a new threat. "You're… Alex Evans?" he stated in disbelief, before scoffing. "Thought you were a guy." His gaze roamed over her body, sizing her up, though clearly lingering on some areas more than others. Then he made a noise of disgust, meeting her glare head on. "I thought you'd be...taller. Can't picture you murdering one person, let alone three."

As Bellamy studied her, Alex met his gaze squarely, trying to ignore the whispers that spread through the crowd. Jaw clenched, she refused to flinch as people around her began murmuring about her being a murderer, or squirm under the distrusting stares settling on her back. Swallowing her nervousness, she tried to ignore it all, momentarily wishing she was still lock backed up in her cell in the Sky box.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, she was about to speak up when Wells stepped up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. She looked at him in surprise. "You're not listening. We all need to go," he said, looking Bellamy square in the eye-

-then stumbling away as he was shoved aside by the mousy looking guy from earlier. "Look at this, everyone... The Chancellor of Earth," he mocked. "Already giving orders and forgiving murderers."

Alex glared at him.

Wells recovered quickly, whirling around to meet the other guy. "You think this is funny?" Wells demanded.

The other boy moved quickly, kicking out a leg striking Wells in the ankle, causing him to fall backwards with a yelp. "No, but that was," he snickered.

"Wells!" Clarke cried out, trying to leap forwards in his defence, but she was quickly held back by another one of the mousy guy's group.

"Go, Murphy!" Someone cheered.

Alex frowned, about to step forwards to help Wells when he pushed himself to his feet, although it was quickly apparent that his ankle was hurt from Murphy's hit.

Murphy looked mockingly impressed as Wells put his fists up to fight, nodding his head in acknowledgement. "Alright." He feigned left and right a few times, laughing every time Wells winced when he put down his foot. Alex gritted her teeth. She hated this jerk more and more by the second. Murphy looked like he was about to launch another attack, when a shadow flew over Alex's head. Someone had jumped over her from the ledge above, and had landed right in the middle of the fight.

It was Finn. And he was coolly staring down Murphy, who looked startled at his abrupt entrance.

"Kid's got one leg," Finn said to Murphy casually, head tilted to the side as he examined him. "How about you wait until it's a fair fight?"

"Hey, Spacewalker!" Octavia called out, walking by. Alex rolled her eyes at the stupidly flirtatious look she had on her face as she approached Finn. "Rescue me next time," she continued suggestively. Finn turned to her with a smile of his own.

Alex snorted. "Are you serious? Gross."

She was clearly not the only one unimpressed by the display. Clarke marched by her with a disgusted look on her face.

Alex jogged to catch up to her, passing Bellamy who shot her a dark glare as he walked the other way. "Hey, you need help?" she asked as she caught up to Clarke, who nodded in response.

"What? He's cute," was the last thing she heard Octavia say before she was out of hearing range.

~~~O~~~

Alex followed behind Clarke, heading back in the direction of the map when she felt her shoelace begin to loosen, her ankle beginning to slide around inside her boot, giving her sock the opportunity to bunch up uncomfortably against her heel.

Sighing, she knelt down, fully undoing the laces with the intention of pulling up her sock, but as she tugged it back up, she felt something hard slide down to the inside of her boot. What is that? Now annoyed and thinking that a rock had slid into her boot, she further loosened her laces, sliding her hand down the side of her boot, only for her fingers to brush against something hard and cold. Reaching down, she grabbed it and tugged it out, pulling it out of her boot.

The familiar feeling of the object in her hand made her breath hitch in her throat and as she opened her fingers, she stared down at it in horror.

Sitting in the palm of her hand was a metal switchblade, its sheath slightly longer than the length of her fingers, the blade folded away safely inside. Even though it weighed almost nothing, it sat heavily in her hand.

Bile burnt the back of her throat, and she swallowed heavily, forcing herself to not throw up the contents of her already empty stomach.

Closing her fingers tightly around the blade, she clenched her eyes closed, pushing way the burn in her eyes.

She recognized it. She'd held it once before, a long time ago - mirroring her grip, though then her hands had been shaking, stick warm blood running in rivulets over her fingers, down her wrist.

She recognized the blade - and remembered how it had ruined her life.

How could it be here? Who would give this to me?!

Hastily stuffing the blade back into the side of her boot, she stared blankly at the pine needle covered ground in front of her, wondering what she should do about it. Should she throw it away? No, that would be stupid. For the unforeseen future, she would be living with delinquents like Murphy. But could she keep it - the blade that had turned her world upside-down, ending in her incarceration?

Shaking her head in an effort to push the thoughts away, she hoped no one had noticed her slight breakdown. She needed time - time to think, to figure out who had given it to her and why.

Later, you can do it later. You have other things to do right now.

Running a hand through her hair, she hurried after Clarke, trying to ignore the extra weight in her boot.

Clenching her hands tightly, she tried to ignore the way her hands shook.

A/N: Please review! :)