AN: Happy New Year! How is the beginning of 2016 going for everyone? Honestly, I can't quite believe it IS 2016, what happened to the end of 2015?

With the new year comes a new chapter. And while I wished I'd had this finished for the holidays like I'd planned, it didn't quite work out that way. Close enough though, right? :)

ALSO CAN YOU GUYS BELIEVE SEASON THREE STARTS THIS MONTH?! As in January, the month we are now in? In 17 days?! The thought honestly makes me so happy. Did you guys have any predictions of what's going to happen? Let me know! :)

As always, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 14

"Charlotte!" Alex exclaimed.

Almost at the same time, Bellamy demanded, "Who the hell are you?"

Alex was torn somewhere between worry and anger as she hurried towards the younger girl, reaching out and grasping her shoulders, patting her down in search for any sign of injury.

Charlotte was completely frozen on the spot, her eyes wide as she stared at the axe embedded only inches from her head.

Once she was sure that Charlotte was alright, her worry swirled into full fledged anger and she whirled around, a snarl on her lips. Stepping in front of Charlotte, she put herself between the young girl and the potential danger.

How could he be so fucking stupid?

"Seriously?" she snapped at Bellamy, glare locked on his face. He was staring at Charlotte in shock, matching the young girl expression from where she stood by the tree, his hand still extended from when he'd let the axe fly, looking torn. She didn't know if he looked angry, regretful or concerned. When his eyes met her own, his expression flashed fleetingly sheepish before shifting back into the uncaring look he always seemed to wear.

Slowly he lowered his hand, shifting slightly on his feet and straightening his shoulders. Footsteps pounded on the ground behind them as Atom arrived on the scene, looking concerned at the sight of Charlotte in the area. Alex ignored him.

"Seriously?" she repeated, motioning angrily towards Charlotte. "Who the fuck throws an axe without looking? Isn't it the first thing they teach you at the Academy - to aim?" She spat, "And you." She whirled around to face Charlotte, who instantly looked unhappy at being the one to face the brunt of her anger, but whose expression was entirely too unrepentant. Didn't she understand anything she'd told her earlier? Didn't she know how dangerous it was out here?. "You shouldn't even be here. I told you now wasn't a good time."

Charlotte gaze snapped up to her own, and she shifted on her feet, glancing at Bellamy before returning her eyes to her own. Instead of looking chastised by Alex's comments, she met her glare with a determined one of her own. For a second, Alex felt like she was dealing with an adult, instead of a thirteen year old girl, except for the fact that she was at least a head shorter than everyone else. She shouldn't be like this, Alex thought mournfully.

"I want to stay," Charlotte told her simply, expression unchanging, "I want to learn."

Alex wanted to pull her hair in frustration. Instead, she angrily pushed the strands that had fallen out of her braid away from her face. "Charlotte, we can't hunt and look out for you at the same time! I mean, look what nearly happened." She waved a hand towards the axe, where it was still embedded in the tree. "You nearly died. And not due to Grounders, or animals, or anything like that, but from one of our own!" She shot Blake a glare which he returned with an unamused one of his own.

"But if not now, then when?" Charlotte demanded, frowning around at them. "I can be just as capable with a knife as anyone here, I just need someone to show me how to do it! I can learn to hunt, learn how to defend myself."

Exasperated disbelief filled her, "Well, you definitely aren't going to learn anything if you're running blindly through the woods, hoping to run into somebody you know. Use your head, Charlotte. It's dangerous out here." She frowned down at her and Charlotte momentarily refused to meet her eyes, "You-" Alex began.

"So, you want to learn how to hunt?" Bellamy's voice interrupted her, sounding almost smug as he stepped forward. Biting the inside of her cheek in irritation, she turned to look at him, wondering what the hell he was talking about, but he ignored her entirely, instead stepping forwards and leaning down to rest his hands on his knees, bringing him eye to eye with Charlotte. "I can teach you, if you want." He told her, but his eyes traveled up to Alex as he talked, letting her know quite simply that he was doing this to spite her. "Evans here probably won't teach you because she simply can't hunt." He winked at Charlotte.

Alex bristled at the comment. "Excuse me?" She demanded, stepping up to him. He stood, taking a place next to Charlotte, looking down his nose at her. "I don't think you should be teaching her anything. Least of all about weapons and defending herself. You just nearly killed her by mistake, and if your aim weren't so fucking terrible, you would have."

Bellamy had to decency to grimace before steeling his expression again. "Why shouldn't she be able to learn?" He demanded, placing a hand on Charlotte's shoulder. "The sooner she learns to fend for herself, the better, don't you think?" he asked Charlotte, who nodded firmly in response.

Clenching her jaw, Alex tried to ignore the feeling that he was trying to rub it in her face that Charlotte was standing with him, instead of her. This isn't a competition, she told herself.

Maybe he's right, her mind told her. Is there ever going to be a good time for her to learn? Maybe the problem isn't about her learning. Maybe you just don't want to teach her…

"There is plenty she can learn about the area. Think on it, Evans - she's already at a disadvantage. You probably never made it to your Earth Skills classes, did you?" he addressed Charlotte, who shook her head in response. "She can at least learn the things we did, isn't that right?" he added, brown eyes meeting her grey.

Despite his sudden agreeableness, Alex had to push down the stubborn need to say 'no'. Bellamy being right was something that she could live without at the moment. Besides, what reason did she have to say no? Charlotte did have to learn at some point, and Bellamy was right, she was already at a disadvantage here on Earth. She'd never learned any of the basic survival skills that the rest of them had been taught during school. And while none of them had ever experienced Earth's true environment before, they were at least partially aware of the dangers and what they needed to do to survive.

Chewing on the inside of her cheek in annoyance, Alex glanced down at Charlotte, and was immediately sucked into the girl's pleading stare. Feeling her heart sink, she knew that she'd been won over.

A long sigh escaped her. Rolling her eyes up at the sky, she finally gave her answer. "Fine. But," she continued before Charlotte could release the cheer that looked like it was about to escape her. "You stay with one of us at all times. Don't wander off and stay quiet. If we tell you to run and hide - you do so, no questions asked. Got it?" Bellamy looked pleased and victorious and she had to grit her teeth to not snap at him. "But, no knives." When Charlotte looked ready to argue, Alex shot her a look and the young girl shut her mouth in a hurry. "No knives. No weapons - not yet."

"Relax, Evans," Bellamy said, his soothing tone mocking her. "What harm would she be able to do with a small knife?"

So much, without even meaning to. Giving him a serious stare, she said, "You have no idea."

Bellamy seemed to read between the lines because for a second he frowned, his eyes studying her face. She was surprised when he gave a reluctant nod instead of further pushing the issue.

"Fine, no knife." Bellamy agreed, and Alex had to ignore the flash of disappointment that crossed Charlotte's face. "If she stays with us, we can both look out for her?" Bellamy offered, watching her expression cautiously.

Alex finally gave a slow nod of agreement before looking at Charlotte, who looked like she was trying to hold back the pleased expression that was threatening to overwhelm her.

"Fine," Alex sighed. "Remember, stay close to us," she told her sternly.

Charlotte just nodded enthusiastically in response.

For the next couple of hours, Alex silently trailed after Bellamy and Charlotte, Atom having wandered off to do his own thing. She watched with growing interest and slight confusion as he easily interacted with the younger girl, crouching down in front of different plants, and pointing out the different animal trails that they came across, always making sure that she was following his explanations; Charlotte seeming to absorb all the information like a sponge.

The longer the two of them chatted, the more at ease Bellamy seemed to appear. And after a while she was sure that they didn't even remember that she was here, they were so enthralled in their own little world.

She didn't know why she was so surprised that he was so good with the younger kids. After all, he'd probably spent his entire life taking care of Octavia, keeping her safe and hidden from the rest of the Ark. It was just such a stark contrast to how he dealt with the rest of the delinquents, keeping everyone at arm's length, giving everyone the same aggressive attitude, that she found the warm smiles and casual posture hard to believe.

She was also reluctantly impressed by his knowledge. He was clearly someone else who, like Finn and Wells, had done extremely well during Earth Skills and Herbology. He knew most of the plants that were edible, which were poisonous, and he also had the general idea of what trails belonged to which animal, easily pointing out which were the best to pursue

Trudging along behind them, she grumbled to herself feeling slightly jealous of his knowledge. Should have paid better attention during class. Although she did have to admit that listening to him, she was learning just as much as Charlotte was. He's a good teacher, she reluctantly admitted. While she knew plenty about plants, hunting and tracking would never be something that she would be able to teach.

Wait, how old is he? He hadn't been to school while she was there, so he had to be at least a few years older than even the oldest of the delinquents. The guard uniform should have been a giveaway. He'd either been training to be a guard, or he'd stolen the uniform to get on the dropship planning to be with Octavia. If she'd had to guess she would have said he'd stolen it, but by his arrogance and 'follow me or else' attitude, maybe she was wrong, maybe he'd been part of the guard. He would certainly fit in well with the rest of those assholes.

Quickly growing bored and beginning to feel like a tag-along, she almost cheered when he suddenly screwed up, telling Charlotte that the berry in front of them was edible, when it most definitely was not. She found herself filling with smug satisfaction - now she knew he wasn't always right.

Stepping forwards, she came to stand behind them and pointedly cleared her throat. Both of them glanced up, looking slightly startled. She was right, she nearly huffed in annoyance, they'd forgotten about her entirely.

"Wrong," she stated simply.

Bellamy sighed. "What is?"

A grin tugged at her lips at his almost exasperated expression. "You are." Leaning forward, she brushed past him, grabbing one of the red berries and plucking it off the plant, rolling it between her fingers. "This is a baneberry. Which is most definitely not edible." Kneeling down, Alex handed the berry to Charlotte, who studied the berry.

"How can you tell?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"Well, see the leaves?" Alex pointed. "Baneberry always has leaves in groups of three. The berries aren't always red either - they change from white to red in early summer. One thing I always remember is: 'berries white, poisonous sight. Berries red, have no dread!' Another good one is 'leaflets three, let them be.' If the berries are blue, then they are most likely edible."

She felt proud when Charlotte looked impressed.

"Who taught you that?" the younger blonde asked.

The smile that had graced her lips slipped away as she thought back to happier memories. "Someone who I looked up to like a father." She finally said, thinking of the times when Marcus didn't hate her, a time when she'd been part of his family and he'd enjoyed spent time with her and helping her study. But that's never going to happen again, so there's no point dwelling on it, she thoughtbitterly to herself, trying and failing at ignoring the pang of sadness that shot through her.

"Who-" Charlotte began to ask, but Bellamy was quick to interrupted her.

"Charlotte, look there," he said pointing out to one side, away from them. "I think I see some rabbit trails we could follow," he said and Alex shot him a perplexed but grateful look which he returned with an indescribable one of his own.

After a pause, Charlotte leapt up, looking eager at the opportunity to follow another trail. Alex would have thought she had forgotten all about the touchy topic that she had stumbled upon if it weren't for the lingering sharp gaze she shot both of them before turning away. Alex's eyes trailed after her as she knelt, lost in her thoughts.

After a moment she became aware of Bellamy studying her, not having moved to follow Charlotte after she'd gotten to her feet. Glancing at him, she couldn't tell what he was thinking, his expression carefully blank.

Why would he stop Charlotte from asking more? It's not like he cares if the subject bothers me or not.

Unable to stand his gaze in her periphery any longer, she fully turned around face him, keeping her expression flat. "What?" She asked him pointedly, hoping that he wouldn't continue what Charlotte had started.

His eyes bore into hers as if he were reading her thoughts. But for whatever reason, after a moment he shifted his gaze, lips quirking with amusement. Purposefully, he touched the plant in front of him, then looked back at her.

"Can't stand the thought that I know more than you, can you, Evans?"

The knot that had been building in her chest dissipated as relief momentarily flowed through her. She didn't know whether to feel relieved that he hadn't decided to pursue the opening that Charlotte had unknowingly creating, or annoyed at his taunting.

Maybe he hadn't noticed her hesitation, maybe his interruption had just been well timed. But from the way he had eyed her, his gaze almost calculating, she sincerely doubted it.

The past was not something she enjoyed thinking about often, let alone something she wanted to talk about or face. She wasn't about to open up to either of them, simply because they were having a surprisingly good time, something she wasn't about to admit.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she pursed her lips to one side. "You don't actually know everything, Blake. You do realize that, right?" she asked him dryly.

He laughed, shrugging his shoulders then cocking his head to one side, eyes still watching her. "So, why did you really want to come out hunting? Are you one of those girls who goes out of her way for an adventure, some exhilaration?"

She quirked an amused eyebrow, ignoring the connotation in his words. "Do you think I'm a girl who goes looking for adventure?"

He leaned back on his heels, studying her, his brown eyes locked on her face. She had to force her eyes not to slide down to where his jacket had parted up the front of his chest, revealing his standard blue guards shirt, and how it hugged his very flat stomach.

He's doing that on purpose, she hummed to herself, keeping her eyes on his, not falling for the bait.

"You certainly seem to go running into danger all the time," he continued, "between throwing yourself into spear filled holes and picking fights with Murphy, I would say you crave it."

At the mention of Murphy, she threw him an unimpressed look, dropping the berries and wiping off her hands. "I didn't throw myself into that hole," she informed him. "And I definitely don't go picking fights with Murphy," she gave a sneer of disgust, "believe me, if I had the chance to stay away from him permanently, I would. That guy is ten kinds of nasty. Honestly, I don't see why you give him the rein that you do."

A carefully calculating look crossed his face. "He has his uses."

She narrowed her eyes at him, giving him an unimpressed stare and raised her still bandaged wrist. "Yeah, I remember." she replied flatly. "Maybe you should tighten that leash before someone actually gets hurt," she suggested darkly. "Before he gets hurt."

"I bet you're not one to back down from that challenge, are you?" Bellamy asked her, and Alex frowned at him, teeth grinding.

While his words might have meant to be teasing, she couldn't stop the flare of annoyance that flashed through her. Did he think she wanted to keep having confrontations with Murphy and the others? That she liked it? It's not like she actively went out of her way to come face to face with them, circumstances just dictated that it happened that way.

"What?" She glowered. "You think that I enjoy having to deal with him?" she scoffed, "the guy is a pain in the ass. But that doesn't mean I'm going to bow down to him and let him trample all over everyone else."

"Maybe you should, it would probably be the smart thing to do." He snapped back. "But then again, that's all you seem to be good for - getting in the way."

She barked laugh, the sound dark and bitter. "You're one to talk," she spat, pushing herself to her feet to glare down at him. "Other than hunting and tracking, you've done nothing but stir up trouble.

"Unlike some, I've actually been trying to help the group. I don't see you trying to organize anything for the group. All you've done is run away at the first sign of trouble." He replied, forcing himself to his feet and glowering down at her.

"Wait a minute, did you just say help? That you've helped the group?" She shook her head in disbelief, "the only thing you've helped do is slowly cut off any communications we have with the Ark. Which, by the way, isn't going to help us at all! We're going to need them at some point. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday we're going to need supplied that only the Ark can send us."

Bellamy's expression turned stormy. "We don't need them. They've never helped before, I certainly don't expect them to start now." He snapped back at her.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" She threw her hands up in frustration. "What about any type of medicine? Or technology? Do you think we're magically going to just come up with replacements for the things we need?"

Bellamy pauses, eyeing her before a mocking smile slowly crossed his face, and he briefly closed his eyes and shook his head. "Oh, right, I forgot. You aren't like the rest of us."

"What?" She frowned feeling insulted, wondering what the hell he meant. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"See, Evans." He began, his tone thoroughly condescending. "In case you're forgetting - most of us had to work for a living. We didn't get to live the high life." He shook his head. "You're just like Clarke and Jaha - never had to work a day in your life. No, you probably lived happily off whatever scraps Councilman Kane and Lieutenant Miller threw your way when you cozied up to them. Maybe that's why you were friends with their sons, hmm? I bet that was a pretty sweet deal."

Outrage flowed through her at being compared to some type of dog begging for scraps. Teeth gritted, for a moment she couldn't bring herself to answer him at all, anger closing her throat and choking her words. What does he know? He knows nothing - absolutely nothing about me!

She'd been friends with Nathan and Liam for as long as she could remember. There wasn't a point in her childhood where they hadn't been by her side. I didn't become friends with them for scraps.

After the tension filled silence stretched almost too long, she cleared her throat.

"Uh, well, in case you're forgetting," she told him, her gaze steely, spitting his own words back at him, "you're talking to the person who just spent the last two years locked up, and as pleasant as that was, I wouldn't call it the high life. Liam and Nathan were my best friends for longer than your sister's even been alive. And considering that she's the only one who puts up with you, I don't think you're brain can even comprehend what that means." She told him, voice as cold as ice. "And in case you're also forgetting - Marcus Kane," she spat out the name like it burned her tongue, "chucked me in the Skybox and threw away the key."

"And whose fault is that?" Bellamy jeered pointedly in response.

Glaring up at him, her fists clenched, ignoring the lump in her chest. It's not worth it. He's not worth it - just like everyone else. Refusing to say another word, she turned away, heading in the direction she'd seen Charlotte wander earlier. After a pause, she heard Bellamy's footsteps follow suit and they descended into an uncomfortable silence. This time she felt like one of those buffoons from earlier as she stomped through the forest angrily, slapping branched and bushes out of the way angrily. Stupid, arrogant jerk. He doesn't know anything about me, she snarled.

As she moved down the animal trail, Alex slowly realized that Charlotte had moved quite a bit farther than she'd originally thought, and was nowhere in sight of where they'd stopped. What did I say about sticking close by? Alex thought angrily, but she couldn't ignore the sliver of worry that shot through her. Picking up her pace, she wove between the trees, eyes darting one way and the other, looking for the familiar sandy hair. You're supposed to keep an eye on her. Alex mentally berated herself.

"Charlotte?" She called out tentatively, ears straining for any sign of her, eyes darting from one space between trees to another. She couldn't see her anywhere. Why wasn't she in the area?

When she heard a familiar gasp, Alex immediately broke into a run, heading towards the sound. Was she in trouble?! Maybe there are Grounders in the area, or another dangerous animal? Maybe it's something we've never seen before. Too many thoughts tumbled in her mind, distracting her causing her to stumble over the uneven ground. Focus! You're not going to be able to help her if you're falling over your own feet. She pushed the distracting thoughts away, instead focusing on placing one foot in front of the other, sharp eyes looking for any signs of danger. "Charlotte?" She called out again, this time more urgently.

"I'm over here!" Charlotte immediately answered and at the sound of her voice, Alex felt the tension in her shoulders ease slightly as she released a small sigh. While the worry hadn't disappeared entirely, she felt comforted by the fact that Charlotte didn't sound either stressed or worried. Glancing back to meet Bellamy's eyes, they briefly shared a look of relief, their argument momentarily forgotten. Clearly, he'd been just as worried about Charlotte's disappearance as she had.

Ducking through some bushes and dodging a few trees, they came to a slight embankment, and Alex realized that she hadn't been able to see Charlotte because the girl wasn't level with them anymore, instead standing at the base of the embankment, her back facing them, gazing out at something in front of her. Alex tried to peer out at what she was looking at, but the bright midday sun made it difficult to see into the area before them.

What is she...Alex began to wonder as she slid down the embankment and came to stand beside her. But the thought died in her head as her eyes adjusted to the bright light.

An amazed smile crossed her face, her eyebrows raising in pleasant surprise. "Whoa…"

Charlotte had found a meadow.

Charlotte had stumbled across a break in the trees, the area wide and open. A meadow, she thought to herself, staring at the beautiful scene before them.

But what truly took her breath away were the flowers.

Pink, purple, and white patches of wildflowers were scattered throughout the area, seeming the float above the brilliant green grass below them. They all swayed softly in sync, like an invisible hand had swept through the meadow, the flowers dancing in its wake.

Beside her, Bellamy hummed in appreciation, and she glanced up at him to find an almost delighted expression on his face. He turned and gave Charlotte a warm smile, one that seemed the change the shape of his face, making him look more open...more sincere. Alex was startled to realize how closed off he was normally around everyone, keeping everyone at arm's length.

When the breeze brushed lightly across her face, the pale strands that framed her face danced across her nose and cheeks until she brushed it behind her ears as she turned back to the meadow, an almost content feeling sweeping through her. Inhaling the sweet smelling air, she once again marvelled at the fact that they were down on earth and all the arguments, all the problems seemed to melt away...if only for awhile.

Things might not be perfect...but they're definitely close enough. She thought with a smile and stepped out of the shade of the trees and into the warm daylight sun.

Alex wasn't ashamed to admit that they must have spent an entire hour out in the open field, examining all the flowers and basking in the warm sun. She actually felt more relaxed than she had in long while, feeling a high from the fun her and Charlotte had rolling down the grassy hill. Of course, Bellamy had been too 'manly' to participate, but that hadn't stopped him shaking his head in amusement every time they rolled past him, squealing and laughing as they went.

When they'd finally tired out, Alex and Charlotte lay flat on their backs on a nice soft patch of grass, enjoying the sun. Well, Charlotte was enjoying the sun. Alex was busy picking flowers with long stems

"Ta-da!" Alex said finally with a smile, presenting Charlotte with the finished product: a multicoloured crown of woven flowers.

Charlotte sat up with a smile, "Awesome!" she said, reaching out to touch it. Before she could grab it, Alex pulled it back with a shake of her head.

"Nope. We need to do this properly." Alex said, and knelt in front of her, motioning for Charlotte to sit up and holding it above the young girls sandy hair. She cleared her throat, and deepened her voice, "And now, may we present Queen Charlotte, the first of Her Name, True Queen of the Beautiful Wild Flowers!" She announced regally before lowering the crown on her head, Charlotte holding still for only a moment before she was overcome with giggles.

"My Queen," Alex bowed dramatically. "What shall be your first order of business?"

Charlotte giggled again, before steeling her expression and tapping her chin thoughtfully, playing along. When her eyes settled on Bellamy, who was watching them from his perch on a nearby rock, they lit up. "My humble servant, I order you to tickle Sir Bellamy." She said pointing at him regally, chin lifted high.

Alex couldn't stop the cackle that escaped her as her head snapped up to look at Charlotte, before a devious smile crossed her face and she slowly turned to Bellamy, "Oh? Tickle him you say?" She asked in obvious glee.

Bellamy tried to give her an unamused expression as she stood up, but from constant tug at his lips she knew that he was trying not to smile. As she stepped towards him, he gave her a warning glare. "Evans. Don't."

She felt positively evil as she stepped towards him, and he shifted in his seat. For a split second she wondered what she was doing? Hadn't they just been spitting angry words at each other and glaring up a storm? And here she was threatening to tickle Bellamy Blake of all people. She quickly decided that with how obvious he was being about trying to hide his displeasure at the thought of being tickles was worth it.

Her smile grew. "Don't what?" She asked innocently, taking another slow step, holding her hands out before her like a predator about to pounce on prey. Normally she wouldn't go along with "Is big, bad Bellamy Blake hilariously ticklish?"

"No," he answered immediately, his reply all too quick to be honest. When she took another step towards him, less than a meter between them, he shifted, half raising out of his seat, raising a finger towards her. "Don't even think about it."

"Or what?" She challenged, crouching down low.

He took a breath to reply.

She didn't give him time to answer.

Launching herself forward with a laugh, her hands instinctively aimed for his sides. As her fingers grazed his ribs, she was expecting the laugh that would escape him. Hearing Blake genuinely laugh? What she didn't expect was for his hands to latch tightly around her wrists as he launched himself backwards off the rock, pulling her over with him. She was faintly embarrassed at the surprised squeak that left her as she tripped over the rock, her landing somewhat padded by the fact that she landed on Bellamy's chest.

For a moment she lay there, stunned at the abrupt change of events, partially winded, her wrists still grasped tightly by Bellamy. Glancing up, she met his amused eyes.

When he took a deep breath, she felt it move through his chest, and a sly smirk crossed his face. "Or...that," he said simply, reclining back onto the grass and closing his eyes, basking his face in the sun. He wasn't holding her wrists tightly, but she didn't believe for one second that she could get him to release her without a fight. His firm hold told her that he simply just had no intention of letting her go.

She sighed. "Let me go, Blake."

"Nope," he said, not even bothering to open an eye.

She narrowed her eyes down at him. If he was trying to make her nervous or uncomfortable, it wasn't going to work.

Indeed, two can play that game.

Shifting her position, she threw her leg over him, sitting up as she did so, until she was straddling his waist. When he stiffened slightly beneath her and his eyes snapped open to look at her in surprise, she simply cocked her head to the side, giving him a gave him a smug look, pleased at his reaction.

A sly smirk of her own crossed her face, and she leaned forward, Bellamy's eyes darting across her face as she did so.

"Let me go, Blake." She said softly, her face hovering just above his own.

She was unprepared when he leaned up towards her, his hands tightening on her wrists, keeping her still. When his face stopped just inches from her own, she swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. His chest was warm, nearly pressed up against his own, and if it weren't for their hands between them, they would be flush against each other.

"Make me," he said lowly, he breath ghosting against her face. She had to suppress a shiver at the feeling and from the slight rumble in his chest as he laughed, she knew he'd felt it.

A long, drawn out sound pierced the air, and they both froze, staring at each other in shock, clearly wondering what the hell it was.

What the fuck is that?

As the sound faded, Alex became more aware of the slightly compromising position she found herself in, nearly chest to chest with Bellamy, her thighs on either side of his waist. Then she realized that Charlotte was nearby, only the rock separating her from them.

Why the fuck are you sitting in Bellamy Blake's lap? She asked herself in disbelief.

An embarrassed flush washed through her, and she quickly scrambled off of Bellamy, who released her wrists. Turning away, she tried to calm the flaming heat which seemed to permeate her face, unwilling to make eye contact with either of her companions.

But when the hollow sound pierced the air the second time, her head snapped in the direction it came from, her embarrassment falling away as worry took its place.

What is that? She couldn't place the sound at all. It echoed long and loud in the area around them, even though she was pretty sure it wasn't coming from anywhere close by.

After a second she heard Bellamy get to his feet, his movement slow and cautious as he rose, head cocked to the side as he listened. Charlotte sat not too far, the flower crown fluttering nervously at her fingertips. All their eyes focused in the same direction.

As the second deep sound faded everything suddenly became ominously quiet and still. There was no breeze, no creaking trees, no twitter from distant birds.

Nothing.

A wary feeling settled into the pit of her stomach.

Something's coming. Something's about to happen.

Movement at the far side of the meadow caught her eye and she watched with cautious fascination as trails of yellow mist eerily seeped into the meadow, sliding slowly from between the bushes and tree. It moved silently, ghosting into the meadow, nothing shifting in its presence, the flowers it touched remained unmoved.

As it flowed into the meadow's open air, the sulfuric fog appeared to thicken, growing denser with each passing moment.

"What is that?" Bellamy asked, his tone wary from where he'd come to stand beside her. She could feel the tension radiating off of him.

She shook her head slowly in response, "I...don't know."

All three of them were frozen, seeming almost mesmerized by the fog's steady approach.

Danger! Her mind screamed at her as she felt the hair's on her neck stand on end. Something's wrong, very wrong! We need to get out of here! The sound of the horn? Then this? We need to go - now!

Taking a step back, her eyes never leaving the cloud in front of them, she opened her mouth to voice her opinion, to give some sort of warning, but before she could get the words past her teeth, a shrill, pain filled scream filled the air and the words lodged themselves in her throat.

All three of their heads snapped to one direction, from where the screaming was coming from.

Unadulterated horror washed through her at the blood-curdling sound. Oh God, who is that? please don't let it be one of ours, please, please don't let it be one of ours!

Then she realized that it was coming from somewhere inside the fog.

Stumbling back, her legs moved before she was aware of doing so. Turning, she latched on the Charlotte's and Bellamy's wrist yanking them around and heading in the opposite direction the deadly fog was coming from, hoping against hope that they weren't heading into it.

"Run!"

AN: What did you think? Let me know below!

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Anon Reviews:

Bee-back! My friend! Thank you as always for your review, and I'm overjoyed you loved the chapter, I hope this one held something you were looking for? :)

Hope: We will have to see what happened to Liam! Unfortunately I'm not going to give anything away but I hope to make it as exciting as possible! Thanks for your review!