AN: Yay! This chapter is finally done! Hope you guys enjoy it! ^.^
Thanks to everyone for your reviews, favs and follows! You guys are amazing and I appreciate every single one. I'm kinda stunned how fast this story is rising in popularity. Guest answers are at the bottom as always!
Thanks to Dannylionthe1st, for always being an amazing beta.
Chapter 13
They'd finally found him.
Strung up in a tree, on the far side of the clearing, arms bound tightly above his head. Chest bare, glistening with sweat.
A red streak ran down his chest and she swallowed harshly, knowing, without a doubt, that it was blood. It had trickled down from the side of his neck, the wound open and raw.
When he let out a low, pained moan, head shifting slightly, she heard the gasp of relief from behind her and couldn't resist giving a sigh of her own.
They'd found him. And he was alive.
But if they didn't hurry, he wouldn't be for much longer. The steady blood flow wasn't a good sign.
"We need to get him down," she mumbled back to the others, taking a step forwards, beginning her trek across the clearing, treading cautiously, yet with determination, through the long grass. Her footsteps made no sound on the foliage below.
Reaching the base of the tree, she realized that he was strung up a lot higher than she'd thought, his knees at eye level. They would need to get him down.
Her heart seized painfully when he gave another pained moan. Reaching up, she rest her hand on his shin comfortingly.
"We're here, don't worry - we're going to get you down," she told him softly, before beginning to address the others, "Come on, we've got to…" But the words died on her lips as she turned around.
There was no one there.
Heart suddenly pounding in her chest, she wildly looked around for anyone else, knowing that they had to be there - they'd been there only seconds before!
But the clearing was empty. There was no sound, no sign that anyone had been with her at all.
Taking a shaky breath, she back around to look up at Jasper, reaching for his pant leg, knowing that she needed to get him down, even without the help of the others, but her hand froze as she stared up at him.
It wasn't Jasper.
The skin tone was wrong. The hair was wrong. The curve of his nose, the furrow of his brow, his cheeks, his chin.
It was all wrong.
"Liam?" The word escaped her like a breath. It's meaning terrifying her.
No, no, no nononono.
He shouldn't be here. He couldn't be here. He was still on the Ark. A thousand mile away.
He couldn't be here.
Shaking her head, she stumbled back, away from the tree, staring at him in disbelief. Her breaths coming
"He's going to die because of you."
The calm voice behind her made her jump and she whirled around to face it, suddenly finding herself face to face with one person she dreaded to face more than anything.
Marcus Kane.
He stood there, just as she remembered him, still in the same uniform she had seen him wear the day she had been locked away. The day her life had ended.
But this time was different. His expression wasn't one of anger, or hatred. Instead a calm disappointment had settled on his face.
She trembled. "But I didn't do it." The world's crawled pitifully from her lips like a whimper.
He stared at her, grey eyes hard, hands clasped behind his back, before his gaze wandered above her head, and he stared up at his son almost longingly.
"He was the only one who truly cared about you," Marcus said, shaking his head, his voice taking a sorrowful tone. "And look where that got him." His eyes flickered down to meet her own. "But I think we both know that you'll never find redemption for what you did. Now you're all alone."
Tears blurred her eyes, her lips trembling as she shook her head. But she knew he was wrong, and she forced herself to meet his gaze. "I. didn't. do. it." She told him as firmly as she could.
A flickers of darkness crossed his face and suddenly he was in front of her, hand grasping her wrist, pushing her backwards.
With a cry she fell back onto the tree. She could feel Liam's legs behind her, shins digging painfully into her back.
"Why would I believe you," he snarled down at her, anger seeming to over take his features as he yanked her wrist up between them. "When you are still holding the blade?"
Eyes falling to her their hands, she was startled to see the familiar knife clasped tightly in her hand. Her skin shiny, slick and red. Blood.
"You've been found guilty of your crime," he spat down at her, before forcing her hand back towards her neck, the tip sliding easily into her soft skin. "For that, you'll always be alone."
With a gasp her eyes snapped open, and for one quiet moment, everything stood still. Staring at the roof of their makeshift tent she waited for the pounding of her heart to calm.
A dream, it was only a dream.
Sitting up, she noticed the wetness around her eyes and hastily wiped it away. With a deep shuddering breath, she pushed away the last echoes of her dream and glanced around the tent, trying to ignore the cold ache in her chest. Seeing Jemma lay sprawled out not too far away, mouth parted in sleep, soft snores emanating from her, brought her a measure of relief and a small smile crossed her face.
Her smile quickly fell, a frown taking its place as she regarded the empty spot where Charlotte had laid down to sleep the night before. A quick glance around told her the girl wasn't in the tent.
Covering the yawn that threatened to escape, she knew from the heaviness of her eyes, and the darkness of the tent that it was late at night. She couldn't hear any movement from the camp outside and knew everyone else must still be asleep.
Maybe she had to pee?
Alex rubbed her face, trying to decided whether it was worth trying to go back to sleep, or if she should give up and have one more sleepless night, and go look for Charlotte. When a distant pained moan broke through the stillness of the night, she froze, her eyes fluttered closed, lips falling into a grimace. Not for the first time, she felt terrible for wishing that it would stop.
It had been a couple of days since they'd arrived back at camp, and Jasper's condition remained much the same. Clarke had stuck by his side day and night, looking for something -anything- that would help him, but nothing seemed to be working. His pain filled moans and screams a constant reminder that he wasn't okay.
It was setting everyone on edge.
Including her. Every night, her sleep had been riddled with nightmares, his screams bringing forward all the demons in her mind.
She couldn't seem to make them stop.
When he moaned again, she rubbed her hands tiredly across her eyes, deciding she may as well just get up, since she clearly wouldn't be getting anymore sleep tonight. Quickly double checking to make sure Jemma was warm and wrapped up in her makeshift blanket, Alex lifted the flap that covered the entrance to their tent and stepped out into the chilly night air, her warm breath suddenly visible before her.
Pulling her hands into her jacket sleeves, she tucked them under her arms in an effort to keep warm, as her tired eyes took in the area around the dropship. Everything was dark and, for the most part, silent; the crackle of a few of the fires the group had decided to keep running during the night filling the air. Other than the small section of the wall they'd begun building a few days ago, they still had no defenses, so the constant fires seemed to give them a small measure of reassurance.
That, and the night watch had been reluctantly set up. Blake had decided it was worth having someone awake and aware at all times. And while convincing most of the teens to volunteer had been akin to pulling teeth, eventually short rotations had been set up to keep an eye on things during the night.
Stepping away from her tent, which was located towards the edge of the clearing, she made her way towards the dropship, deciding it would be worth checking in on Clarke first, knowing the other girl was probably still awake. A small sigh of exasperation escaped her at the thought, the other girl had been running herself ragged trying to find a way to help Jasper.
I wonder who's on watch tonight?
Coming around the corner, she arrived at the ramp of the drop ship, her mouth suddenly going dry as she recognized the person currently on watch duty.
Having heard her approach, Nathan turned towards the sound to see who was coming, but when his gaze landed on her, they both froze. His expression was carefully blank as he studied her, his gaze flickering across her face searchingly before he pointedly looked away and out towards the rest of the camp.
Shoulder sagging with a small sigh, she turned her own gaze away, resuming her walk up the ramp with a frown. She didn't know what to feel about his reaction. In fact, it puzzled her.
Well, it wasn't hateful glaring and it didn't involve him screaming at you, so take it as an improvement. Take what you can get.
Feeling a little more lighthearted at the thought, even though she knew she was only fooling herself, she ducked through the draping that covered the entrance to the ship, her gaze immediately landing on an awake, but clearly exhausted looking Clarke. The curly haired girl was kneeling next to the still unconscious Jasper, one hand under his neck, the other holding a cup up to his lips, trying to coax him to sip some water. From the frustrated frown on her face, she wasn't having much luck.
Making her way over, Alex carefully stepped over a snoring Monty and silently knelt down beside Clarke, the other girl glancing up at her as she arrived, her expression lifting briefly in greeting.
"Hey," she whispered in return, keeping her voice low, mindful of the others sleeping in the room. "How're things going? Any change?"
Clarke heaved a tired sigh, wiping away some of the sweat that had accumulated on Jaspers brow with a damp cloth before leaning back with a small shrug. "I- don't know." She paused, staring at her, looking hesitant about what she wanted to say. After glancing around the ship, she leaned towards her, her brows furrowed in concern. "He should have started improving by now. There should have been a change, something, anything. But this fever," she whispered, then swallowed, "if it doesn't break soon-"
She didn't need to finish the sentence for Alex to know what she meant.
He still might not make it.
Looking up at Clarke, Alex could see how the other girl was affected by his condition. She was trying her best to help him, and despite everything, it still didn't seem good enough.
Reaching out, she put a hand on the other girl's shoulder, drawing her attention, giving her a small smile. "Clarke," she began firmly, "if there's anyone who can help him here, it's you. I don't doubt for one second that you can do this. Don't get discouraged, he's not gone yet."
Clarke gave her a grateful look. "I know, I know. It's just - hard," she said rubbing her face. "People keep talking about him, saying - wishing - that he would die already."
"Hey, don't let them get to you. They don't know anything about this stuff. You do. If you think there a chance that he'll get better, than he'll get better," she replied, in a matter-of-fact tone, giving her a small smile. "Look, medical stuff isn't really my thing, but is there a way to get him any medicine for the fever? A plant or something you could use?"
Clarke's expression lit up for a second and she reached behind herself, grabbing at something before pulling it around. It was the green wrap that had been placed on Jasper's wound when they found him. Clarke held it out towards her and unfolded it, Alex grimacing at the sight. It was full of some red-brown looking paste.
"See this?" Clarke asked, poking at the material with one finger, moving it around. "Someone put this on his chest, over the wound. At first I thought it was just some sort of bandage. Now, I'm starting to think it's a type of poultice to keep down the infection and inflammation."
Eyebrows raised, Alex was impressed. "That's good, right? That means we can get some more."
Clarke gave a disgruntled quirk of her lips. "Yeah, except we don't know what it's made of. It could literally be anything."
Leaning over, Alex curiously peered down at the red paste, with a frown she realized she could see pieces of roots. "Hm, well it's a plant of some sort." She pointed at the edge, "See that there? That's part of the root system." A tentative idea crossed her mind, but she hesitated before suggesting it. "You...could ask Wells about it. He's really good at this plant stuff, you know?"
She instantly regretted bringing up the other boy as Clarke's expression shut down, and she sat back, pulling away from her. "Yeah, no, I'm good."
Alex sighed, knowing that she should probably keep her mouth shut, but couldn't resist prodding a little more, "You should really talk to him. I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but, well, he's really torn up about it."
Clarke shot her a cool glare, "You right, you don't know what's going on." She snapped back, voice harsh even in her whisper. "How about this - I talk to Wells when you find the guts to talk to Miller."
Alex flinched back with a grimace. Ouch.
For a second both girls sat in an uncomfortable silence, both staring down at Jasper, who's laboured breathing filled the air.
"I guess I deserved that one." She sighed, "Sorry. I... didn't mean to push. I guess we've both got our people issues, huh?" She tried apologizing, giving her a tentative smile, and Clarke expression softened slightly before she nodded in agreement.
Both were silent, each of them lost in their own thoughts.
I guess it's easier said than done, isn't it. Alex sighed.
After a moment, Alex motioned for Clarke to pass her the cloth they were using to keep him cool. Dunking it in the nearly bucket that had been set up, she wrung out the excess water before wiping his face and draping it over his forehead.
Clarke watched her before piping up. "I saw Charlotte earlier." She began, and Alex shot her an inquiring glance, "She was sleeping outside, just on the ridge. She was having a nightmare."
With a frown, Alex leaned back. She was sleeping outside? "That's...weird. Normally she sleeps in the tent with me and Jemma. But I didn't see her when I woke up." She shook her head. "She alright?"
"Maybe this has been bothering her as well?" Clarke suggested, nodding her head towards Jasper. "She seemed pretty shaken up." She paused, looking hesitant for a second. "She dreams about her parents, did you know?" She said softly, a flicker of sadness -understanding - crossing her face. "They were both floated."
Seeing the flicker of sorrow cross Clarke's face left Alex with a hollow feeling in her chest. She knew Clarke's father had been floated right before the other girl had been arrested. And while she couldn't understand what it felt like to lose a parent, she did know what it felt like to lose someone close to her.
After all, can't miss what you never had. She thought bitterly before turning her thoughts to Charlotte.
It made sense the younger girl would want to be by herself. Nightmares were never an enjoyable thing, and she knew from experience that people tended to want to deal with them on their own, either to avoid worrying others, or the potential embarrassment of waking up everyone around you after screaming bloody-murder in your sleep.
Sometimes people liked to be alone with their demons. Alex knew that well enough.
"She was also curious about you." Clarke blurted out, interrupting her thoughts and Alex's brow furrowed, wondering what she meant. "Well...about how you ended up in the Skybox. She was asking if what the other's were saying was true."
Great.
"Oh…" Alex hesitated, debating on whether she wanted to ask what Clarke had told Charlotte, or what the younger girl now thought of her. "And did you-?"
Clarke shook her head quickly in response, "No. I didn't really tell her anything, just said she should talk to you if she wanted to know the truth. It wasn't my place to say."
"Ah, yeah. It's not really something I enjoy talking about." Alex said simply in return, trying not to meet the other girl's eyes. "Thanks for not saying anything. I'll see if I can talk to her tomorrow."
Clarke frowned at her, eyes darting across her face, and Alex had the sudden awkward feeling of being critically examined. "Have you been sleeping well?" she asked.
Alex shot her a dry look, "I'm here right now, aren't I?" Referring to the early hour. At Clarke's narrowed gaze she sighed before continuing, "I guess I've been having nightmares of my own." She said softly, wringing the cloth out again, wiping Jasper's face, trying to ignore Clarke's scrutinizing gaze.
The next morning camp was full of activity. Most of the delinquents were quick to get up and begin their day, getting supplies together to continue building the wall, putting together makeshift tents or getting ready for the hunting trip planned for that day. The meat they'd been eating for the past couple of days was now completely gone, all of them too eager at the idea of finally having something to eat.
Weaving in and out of teenagers and dodging small piles of firewood, Alex kept up her determined pace, eyes alert, searching for any sign of the familiar blonde head that she was looking for.
Where did that girl run off to?
As she walked passed Harper, who was busy tearing up some long strips of the parachute, she paused a few steps away from her. "Hey, have you seen Charlotte anywhere?"
Harper glanced up at her with a smile, pushing her sandy hair out of her face and behind her ears. "Yeah! Saw her not too long ago, she was heading that way," she pointed with her knife, "I think she was looking for you too." She supplied helpfully.
"Thanks." Alex gave her a grateful look in return, before making her way in the direction the other girl had indicated, keeping an eye out for the familiar head.
It wasn't long before she located her. Charlotte was standing next to a tree, her body almost hidden behind it as she peered around, watching some of the guys attempt to throw their handmade knives at a tree, failing each time at getting the blade to stick into the thick bark. Her face was one of curious fascination, eyes wide and mouth partially opened as she watched.
Hands shoved in her jacket pockets, Alex came up to stand beside her, watching the guys repeated failed attempts and couldn't help shake her head in amusement. They were hopeless.
Charlotte finally seemed to notice her presence and turned to glance up at her. "I want to learn how to do that," she stated firmly.
Alex raised a brow in response, "What, no hello or anything?" When the girl ignored her comment and turned to continue gazing at the activity, she sighed. "Well, either way, it's probably not worth them teaching you."
Charlotte frowned at her comment. "Why's that?"
With an amused quirk of her lips she nodded towards them, where Atom had thrown his own blade and it bounced harmlessly off the bark. "Ah, for one thing, they aren't very good at it." Alex stated with a snort. One of the guys nearby must have heard her because he shot them a nasty look in response. Rolling her eyes at him, she spun away motioning for Charlotte to follow her with a tilt of her head. "C'mon. Let's move away. I think they're more likely to hurt themselves or someone else before actually getting that tree."
Making their way to the edge of clearing, Alex sat on a log and motioned for Charlotte to do the same.
The young girl did as requested, her eyes locked seriously on Alex's face.
"Can you teach me how to use a knife?" Charlotte asked abruptly, when Alex opened her mouth to reply, she was quick to continue, "I know you have one, I've seen it," she added quickly, nodding towards her boot, the words seeming to tumble past her lips in a rush. "And I know you know how to use it, isn't that how you killed those guys and ended up in the Skybox? You could teach me," she said curiously.
Nearly falling off of her seat in shock, Alex tried to will away the sudden cold shiver that swept down her spine at how casually Charlotte mentioned her crime. For a moment, her mind stumbled over itself as she tried to come up with a way to answer that question. Staring at the girl beside her, she noted the complete unflinching seriousness on the other girl's face.
She certainly doesn't pull her punches.
Alex mumbled under her breath in slight annoyance. Why was she so surprised that someone had blabbed? It not like the rest of the delinquents would share Clarke's discretion when it came to these things. Most of them didn't give two shits about her and would gladly tell Charlotte if she asked them.
"Charlotte," she began, not entirely sure which subject her mind wanted to handle first. Yes, she'd killed those men, but considering the last time she had tried to explain her reasons and was rejected, she wasn't prepared to deal with that again.
Pushing the thought away, she frowned. Charlotte looked up at her with far more interest than Alex liked. Her eyes sparkled with intensity, her curiosity keeping her enthralled, looking like she was prepared for a story instead of a real life struggle.
Why is she so interested? Something about her fixation bothered her. Was it a matter of feeling the need to fit in?
"Charlotte," she began again, choosing each word carefully. There was a lot of peer pressure going on around camp, Alex knew that. Trying to convince a little girl not to listen to those who talked about killing as a glorious even was going to be tough. But she needed to try. "Knowing how to kill- to actually take a person's life is- it…" She trailed off, running a hand through her hair, trying and failing to find the words she needed.
How do you explain to a little girl that killing is wrong, when her parents had been floated for merely trying to survive? She wasn't a mother. Hell, she'd never really had one of her own. "It's not as glorious as some make it out to be," she finally muttered. "I didn't kill for fun...I didn't kill because I wanted to." Her words failed her, and she decided she didn't want to go into the detail that the young girl seemed to be interested in. They needed to change the subject to something else.
Alex cleared her throat, "Clarke mentioned you were having nightmares last night. Is that why you left the tent?"
Breaking her stare, Charlotte turned away to glare at the floor before nodding. "I had to get away," she explained softly and Alex knew instantly she was referring to Jasper. After a breath the young girl continued, "and, I- I didn't want to wake you guys up." She added meekly, seeming to shrink into herself, her back hunching as if she were trying to disappear into the tree behind her.
Alex was flooded with sympathy for the young girl, knowing how torturous nightmares could be. Sliding off of her log, she ducked down, kneeling in front of her, grasping the other girl's hands with a compassionate glance. "Charlotte, if you ever need to talk, to wake me up for something, for anything, don't hesitate," she said firmly. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong. So if you need me anytime, even if it's in the middle of the night, just let me know, okay?" She told her softly giving her hands a squeeze. "Anytime."
After a moment, Charlotte gave a small nod in response. "Okay."
"Okay," she breathed with a firm nod. Knowing that the other girl needed something else to focus on she continued, "So, today, I think Jemma is probably going to hang out with Harper and help her make some more tents, if you wanted to give them a hand?" Alex suggested.
Charlotte gave her a puzzled look, "Why, what are you doing? Are you going out?"
Alex nodded. "I'm going to head out with some of the guys. They're going to go hunting, and if they're knife skills are anything to go by, then they'll probably need help." An amused grin crossed her face hoping to get one in response.
But instead the young girl leapt to her feet, forcing a startled Alex to do the same to keep herself from landing on her ass.
"Can I come with you? Can I, please?" Charlotte asked her, her face alight with excitement and, for the first time, Alex saw a childlike expression cross her normally stoic face. "I can help, I can learn." She added eagerly, staring up at her, eyes bright.
Surprised at the girl's sudden exuberance, Alex hesitated, biting the inside of her cheek, already feeling the beginning of the girl's disappointment when she didn't immediately answer the question. It wasn't the she didn't want to take her out, she just didn't know if she was willing to take the chance that things could go terribly wrong while they were out, and she wouldn't be able to protect her. Here, she was surrounded by people who would, with a few exceptions, have her back. Out there, on the other hand, she would be completely exposed.
What if something goes wrong? What it we run into more dangerous animals? What if we run into Grounders? She couldn't take the risk that Charlotte would end up like Jasper, or worse. No matter how much the young girl might dislike the answer.
Taking a breath, she tried to be gentle in her response, "Charlotte…"
"I'm not a little girl," Charlotte interrupted her with a glare, looking like she already knew her answer. "I don't need babying."
"I'm not babying you," Alex said soothingly, raising her hands up in front of her, showing she wasn't meaning to cause any harm. "And I'm not saying that you can't go because you're a little girl. Believe me, I'm not. I've been there and I totally understand how infuriating and frustrating it can be." She continued, keeping her tone calm so the other girl wouldn't think she was mocking her.
When Charlotte opened her mouth to interrupt her, she held up a hand to halt her. "Wait, let me finish." When Charlotte closed her mouth reluctantly, and turned to glare at the ground, Alex took that as her chance to continue. "Look, I would love to take you out there. I really would." She gave her a sympathetic look. "But you have to understand. It's extremely dangerous out there. Not just for you, not just me, but for all of us. We've only been here for a couple of days and we've nearly had a couple of close calls, and with Jasper-" She trailed off when Charlotte's expression melted slowly from anger, to reluctant acceptance, and she knew her point had been received. "I just can't worry about you, and everything else at the same time."
"I know, I know," Charlotte said, sounding deflated but frustrated, looking like she knew that Alex was right. "But how can I learn to defend myself if nobody will teach me?"
Leaning over, Alex put her hands on her shoulders, leaning down so that they were eye to eye grey eyes meeting blue. "Charlotte, I promise I will teach you, okay? I will. It's just going to have to wait until the right time, alright?" She made sure that the other girl nodded before giving her a smile, noting how standoffish the other girl seemed, her eyes flickering away from her own and landing anywhere except for her face.
Alex sighed before straightening up. "Okay, let's catch up with Harper and Jemma and get you settled."
After dropping off Charlotte with the others, Alex made her way over to where some of the guys were getting ready to head out on the hunt. Atom stood in the middle of the group, handing out knives and handmade spears to everyone who needed one.
"We're going to need a few more people if we're going to actually catch anything," Atom was telling one of the other guys as she arrived. When he spotted her, he gave her a nod, eyeing her curiously. "You in, Evans?" he called out to her.
Taken by surprise at his willingness to talk to her, she hesitated, eyes widening slightly as she stared at him. Except for the few who she interacted with the most, everyone else gave her a wide berth, treating her warily, or ignoring her entirely.
His attitude was refreshing, and she felt an honest grin twitch at her lips in reply, her eyes crinkling with the sudden flash of happiness that shot through her.
"Definitely, count me in," she told him with a firm nod, ignoring the glances the other guys shared in response. Atom ignored them and tipped his head at her in response before turning back to the guy next to him.
When a pain filled scream broke through the morning air, everyone in the area froze, some turning to eye the dropship with worry, others with spite.
"God, I wish the guy would just die already," spat one of the guys in the hunting group, gripping his knife tightly as he eyed the dropship with a deep loathing that really settled poorly with Alex.
Gritting her teeth, she shot him a total look of disgust as he kept talking. "Although, we won't have to listen to his incessant moaning when we're out. Thank god."
Anger shot through her and she took a step towards him, dark satisfaction shooting through her when his eyes jumped up at her sudden movement. She would have found the way his eyes widened fearfully comical, if she weren't so disgusted with him.
"How about you shut up," she snapped at him, expression stormy, before extending her arm to point at the drop ship. "Imagine if it were you in there fighting for your life, but you're in so much pain that all you can do is cry out? How would it make you feel to know that some assholes were complaining that you were inconveniencing them by trying to stay alive?" She spat at them, and he shifted nervously in his seat, glancing around, looking for a way out. But she wasn't done yet. "If a Grounder put a spear through you right now, would you want us to save you? Or would you rather I just slit your throat, put you out of your misery, because you wouldn't stop your incessant moaning?" When Atom purposely walked between them, breaking her glare, she snorted in disgust, turning away. "Jasper is in there, fighting for his life. So how 'bout you shut your fucking mouths and start wishing him a swift recovery."
These guys have no idea what they're talking about. If it were one of them in there, they wouldn't be so ready to die.
Turning away, she returned her gaze to the entrance of the drop ship, watching with interest as Blake came storming down the ramp, stride angry as he shrugged on his jacket over his blue shirt. As he made his way towards them, her mood changed to mild delight at the angry scowl on his face, and briefly wondered what had set him off. She wasn't the only one having an off day.
Her delight changed to pure joy when she watched Blake tell Murphy he would be staying back in camp instead of going on the hunt. The unhappy scowl that crossed the psychotic boy's face as he stormed away, brought a satisfactory smile to her own.
However, her smile slipped from her face when Blake turned towards her, took one unimpressed look at her and said a single word.
"No," he stated before turning away.
A scowl crossed her face as she pushed herself to her feet and strode after him. She could see his scowl deepen even though he refused to acknowledge her again.
"No, what?" she asked innocently, purposely playing stupid.
"No, you are not coming with us," he elaborated evenly, keeping his gaze straight ahead.
"Well, it's a good thing I wasn't asking then," she replied, matching his tone, shoving her hands in her pockets. Glancing up at him, she noticed how his eyebrow twitched in annoyance and felt somewhat smug at his response.
He stopped and turned towards her and she followed suit, staring up at him expectantly, wondering what he was going to say to keep her from coming. After a short exhale, he met her eyes, and she raised an eyebrow in response.
"You don't know how to hunt," he said, frowning down at her.
She couldn't stop the snort of amusement that escaped her, and the amused grin that followed. "Really?" She asked him with wry amusement, cocking her head up at him, "Of all the reasons you give, it's 'you don't know how to hunt'?" She shook her head. "So, tell me, Blake, when exactly was the last time you, or anyone here really, has ever been hunting?" She looked up at him expectantly, watching the flicker of anger cross his features as he clenched his jaw.
Suddenly, she felt bad about giving him a hard time. A small amount of guilt swirled through her. It had only been two days since he had stopped Murphy - had saved her. And all she had given him in return was irrational angry words. She just didn't know what to do about it. Her and Blake were never exactly on good terms.
She sighed, the exhaustion from the lack of sleep during the past couple of days suddenly catching up to her. "Look, I'm coming with you guys whether you like it or not.. So there's no point in wasting time over it." She told him simply, dropping the attitude. "We should get moving. The sooner we go, the sooner we come back. And the sooner this lot can eat." She nodded her head in the direction of the others.
His eyes narrowed momentarily down at her, the furrow between his brow deepening as he studied her face. For a second he looked like he was about to say something else, but stopped himself, nodding his head with a single motion before turning away.
Watching him go, puzzlement swept through her and she wondered what he'd been about to say, his expression not giving anything away. After a moment, she shrugged it off, and followed him to the rest of the hunting party.
If he wanted to say something to her, he would have. He'd never held back before.
The walk through the forest was fairly peaceful if you ignored the constant cracking of branches from the uncoordinated, bumbling teenagers around her, each noise setting her on edge.
Honestly, I don't think they could be louder if they tried, she thought dryly, shooting a glare at a nearby boy who had seemingly managed to trip over his own feet and into a huge pile of branches, to which he then began to swearing loudly. When his buddy's choked on their laughter, Alex had to close her eyes and take a deep breath to reign in her rapidly growing temper, jaw clenched tightly. Adjusting her grip on her knife, she opened her eyes and turned away, looking out into the surrounding forest, searching for any signs of unwanted visitors or edible animals. "We're never going to catch anything," she grumbled to herself.
Nearby, Blake seemed to share her annoyance, because after low sound of frustrating he sighed loudly before proclaiming that they might have better luck if they spread out a bit, before turning and heading off in a completely different direction from the other idiots in the group, axe clenched tightly in hand
Staring after him, Alex suddenly realized that this was her chance to talk to him without being the spectacle of the rest of the group.
Biting her lip, she hesitated momentarily before making her way after him, her own pace slightly slower. She bit back a groan when she heard someone else follow in their direction, and with a quick glance over her shoulder, she was somewhat reassured that it was only Atom, and while he was heading in their direction, his attention was elsewhere.
Oh well, better than nothing, she sighed to herself before lengthening her stride to catch up with Blake.
At the sound of her arrival, he shot her a cool glance, before turning away and ignoring her completely, his pace never slowing.
Glancing over her shoulder to make sure Atom's attention was focused elsewhere, giving them some sort of privacy, she took a deep breath.
Come on Alex, now or never.
"Look, I'm sorry alright," she blurted out before she could stop herself.
Blake paused, before turning slowly and giving her an indescribable look. "What for?" he asked, voice gruff.
Licking her suddenly dry lips, she shifted in her boots, uncomfortable under his stare. Apologies definitely weren't her thing.
"About what I said the other day, after Murphy...well, you know." Alex winced, trailing off, her gaze falling away to look elsewhere as she explained. "He- well, I was really angry. And upset. But it wasn't at you."
Taking a breath, she played with the inside of her sleeves, finger's running tirelessly over the seams. "What I mean is that I'm - I didn't mean to snap at you. You...helped me." She shrugged, feeling self conscious. "And you didn't deserve me biting off your head like that. So... I'm sorry."
As a breeze rustled through the branches above them, she began to feel tension grow between them. Pressing her lips together, she hunched her shoulders as she began to feel uncomfortable, her face slowly warming in a blush of embarrassment, feeling stupid for having gone out of her way to apologize to him. See, this is why I don't do apologies. Nobody actually cares.
"Right," he stated dryly, cocking his head to the side, eyes narrowed as he eyed her dubiously. "You're apologizing," he stated, before snorting in amusement and giving her a wry look. "So, what exactly did you want?"
Head snapping back up to face him, she gave him a perplexed look at the suddenly random question. "What - want?" She echoed back, feeling thrown off by the abrupt change in subject.
His expression changed to something mocking, almost hostile. When he took a few aggressive steps towards her, getting in her space, she was forced to take a startled step back, wary of his sudden animosity. When her back touched rough bark, her shoulders came up, tension flowing through her, feeling cornered. She found herself raising her knife between them, her grip whiteknuckled, the tip grazing the thin material of his shirt, trying desperately to ignore the terrible feeling of déjà vu.
He pointedly glanced down at the knife before his brown eyes once again met her own. "Yes. Want. I don't believe you of all people apologizes without wanting something in return," he clarified mockingly, eyes dark, his chest almost touching her own. "So what is it? A deal, a favour?"
"I don't want anything, " she said, voice raising an octave, her stomach seeming to tie itself into knots, feeling upset that that's what he thought of her.
"See, I don't believe you," he breathed, leaning down, his face only inches from her own, seeming unbothered by their closeness. She could feel the air from his breath on her cheeks and the warmth of his chest through her own shirt. "You're apologizing for a reason, I want to know why."
Anger and embarrassment flared through her, and she could feel her cheeks heat up in response, but she refused to look away, clenching her jaw tightly instead. Somehow the accusation hurt. Which was stupid, because his opinion didn't matter to her anyway.
Turning the blade away from him, she planted her hands on his chest, shoving him away forcefully. "Or maybe I'm just genuinely trying to apologize?" She exhaled sharply, suddenly feeling exhausted. "But you know what?" She shrugged, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. You clearly don't care, so forget I said anything at all." She told him, turning away, intending to head back to the drop ship.
She hadn't made it more than a few steps before she heard a heavy sigh at her back.
"Evans. Wait," Blake said, his voice somewhat softer than before.
Pausing, she bit the inside of her cheek, considering just childishly walking away, but something told her not to. Rolling her eyes, annoyed with herself for even stopping for him, she turned back to face him, meeting his gaze with a cool expression of her own.
She wondered if it was just her imagination, or if his expression seemed softer than before, the harshness around his eyes faded slightly.
Must just be the light.
"What?" She gritted her teeth.
Running a hand through his hair, he glanced around them before eyeing her, his face taking on a look of contemplation.
"Look, the group needs food." She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the statement. He seemed to change the subject on a whim. "So having people out here with the right skills is beneficial to the entire group."
"Skills?" She asked before answering her own question, "You mean, you want me out here because I've killed…" She swallowed, briefly unable to meet his eyes. "things." She finished, eyeing him, then blinked. "You said before you didn't want me out here because I couldn't hunt." She stated bluntly.
He didn't even blink at her statement, meeting her gaze evenly. "Right. Well, I changed my mind." He rolled his shoulders. "The sooner we get food, the better. For everyone." As much as she didn't like it, she couldn't deny that he had a point.
The same point as I used to come out here in the first place. She nearly snorted.
"Beside's, Jemma and Charlotte are going to need food sooner or later," he stated with a shrug, looking mildly smug, knowing his comment would get her attention.
Hook, line and sinker, right?
Closing her eyes briefly, she exhaled quickly. "Fine," she said after a moment, stepping forward and marching past him without a glance, heading in the direction they had both originally been going. She heard him fall into step behind her, both of them falling into a tense silence as they walked.
When a low whistle cut through the air, both of their heads shot up in the direction it had come from. One of the other guys in the group was peering over some bushes at them, and he motioned for them to be quiet before beckoning them forwards with a rapid hand movement, pointing to the side.
Blake was the first to react, ducking passed her, his body crouched low, making his way towards the other guy. With a small sigh, Alex followed suit. When she came up to the bush she peered around it looking for whatever the guy was looking at, her eyebrows raising in surprise at what she saw.
A strange looking four-legged animal was busy munching away on grass in a small clearing ahead of them. It was quite bulky, she realized with amusement, it's weird round body supported by four short stocky legs. When it raised its head to peer around itself, she realized it had a flat looking snout.
A pig, maybe? She thought, trying to remember the pictures she had seen in her study books.
One thing was for sure, if they managed to get it, the group would be well fed for awhile.
Blake motioned for them to stay where they were, before cautiously moving forward, his body tense and low to the ground. His expression was fierce and focused.
Watching him stealthily move through the underbrush with little to no sound, Alex found herself unwillingly impressed. He clearly had good instinct.
Meant to be a hunter.
He was nearly within throwing range when a branch snapped off to their right. The sound was so close to them, that Alex's heart leapt into her throat, the hairs on the nape of her neck standing on end.
Launching herself to her feet, she turned to see what had made the noise, raising her knife up in front of herself defensively at the same time that Blake did the same. Except he launched his axe at it, the metal gleaming as it flew through the air.
From the dull 'thud', she knew it had hit something.
Or someone.
When her gaze found the source of the noise, landing on a familiar blonde head, her jaw dropped in shock, and she felt all the blood drain from her face.
Charlotte was half ducked behind a tree, eyes wide as she stared up at the axe embedded in the trunk above her.
Only a foot from her head.
Horror and disbelief slowly turned into a whirlwind of anger and Alex slowly turned to face the equally stunned Blake, whose own eyes were wide as he stared at Charlotte in shock. He seemed to feel her burning gaze, because he reluctantly turned to face her, meeting her eyes warily.
"What. The. Fuck. Blake!"
AN: So what did you guys think? OMG did you guys see the Season 3 promo? I heard that the full trailer is going to be out on monday! Can't wait!
Holy, 61 reviews! Think you guys can make it to 70?
Guest answers:
Bee-back: I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I was wary of how it was going to be received, but it looks like everyone really enjoyed it. Liam may or may not wake up. I'm not giving anything away! *wink*
Nicole: Is it weird that I'm happy that you're crying because it was sooo good? Thanks so much for your review!
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