*Author's Note: Hello, it's me again. Taking another one of my favorite shows and inserting an OC in it. If you don't like that, then this is not the story for you. If you do like it or don't mind it, then please read and give me feedback along the way. I do take constructive criticism but what I do not take is rudeness. So please be nice. Let me start off by saying I love, love, love, LOVE Bellarke. I can not express enough how much I love the two of them and how incredibly pissed I am that we were ROBBED of those two getting together in the show. So there will always be a place in my heart that loves the idea of Bellarke happening.
With that being said, this is my OC with Bellamy as her love interest. Again, if you don't like that, then this is not the story for you. Please remember that this is called FANFICTION for a reason and as always I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!*
One hundred years. It had been one hundred years since a human being had set foot on Earth. It was destroyed by radiation causing what little was left of the human race to flee into space and that's where we had stayed. Until now. One hundred underage criminals had been chosen to go down to the ground to find out if it was safe to come back. One hundred children were sacrificed to the ground regardless of not knowing whether or not the air was still toxic. Well, one hundred and one. There was a stowaway. Bellamy Blake. Somehow managed to work his way onto the dropship in order to protect his sister on the ground.
Octavia, the girl under the floor. The rules of the Ark state that there could only be one child per couple. After having Bellamy, his mother managed to hide her pregnancy with Octavia and gave birth to her without anyone knowing. For sixteen years, Bellamy and his mother kept her hidden until she was discovered. Their mother was floated for having a second child but since Octavia was still underage, she got put in lockup. Being hidden for sixteen years and then going straight into lockup had left her wild and craving for attention. She burned through the group like a wildfire. Under protest, Bellamy had allowed his little sister to go to Mount Weather with Clarke, Finn, Monty and Jasper to retrieve supplies and food. While she was gone, Bellamy had taken it upon himself to become leader of the pack. It had been almost twenty-four hours since we had landed on Earth and the group was enjoying the freedom that they currently had.
I sat near the dropship on a fallen log that was crushed under the dropship, building a catch pan for rainwater that we could use whenever it rained. I was using scraps of wood and metal along with any fabric that I could find inside the ship. As I worked, my eyes scanned the group, noting any signs of problems that could occur. That was my job. Or what was going to be my job. I was training to be an interrogator for the guard on the Ark before I was arrested even though I wanted to be a computer coder. I could read people like someone would read a book. My mentor said it was a gift. A human lie detector was what he called me.
"Hey, where'd you get the clothes?" A male's voice sounded in front of me and I looked up to see one of the men ask Wells, the chancellor's son. Wells was immediately hated by the group because he was the son of the man who either arrested them or floated someone close to them. Wells stopped and turned to face him with an armful of clothes and two pairs of boots. I watched the situation closely, my fingers working on tying a square knot on the stand in front of me.
"Buried the two kids who died during the landing." Wells stated.
"Smart. You know, I'll take it from here. There's always a market for—" When the man tried to snatch one of the shirts from Wells, he quickly pushed him away and took a step back.
"We share based on need, just like back home."
"You still don't get it, do you, Chancellor?" Bellamy's voice sounded as he walked down the ramp from the dropship with a girl behind him with a positively glow to her. I scoffed quietly under my breath. While Octavia was going through the group like wildfire craving attention, Bellamy was doing the same thing with all the girls. Though I couldn't blame them. Despite my dislike for his arrogance, I couldn't deny that he was incredibly handsome. He was shirtless with skin that had a faint tan to it. He had a toned, firm chest that dipped down to the outline of his abs. A gun was stuck in the waistband of his cargo pants. He stood tall and stared Wells down, ready to challenge him if need be.
The girl gave Bellamy a quick kiss before walking away. "This is home now." Bellamy said. Your father's rules no longer apply." He walked up to Wells and snatched the shirt from him. When Wells tried to take it back, the other man stopped him. "Oh, no, no, Atom. Atom, hold up." Atom immediately stopped and turned around to look at Bellamy for his next order. Oh, yeah, he was definitely winning everyone over. He already had a quarter of the group convinced to take their wristbands that showed their vital signs off so that the Ark would think we were dead. "You want it back? Take it." Wells stared Bellamy for a couple seconds before dropping the rest of the clothes and boots behind him. Before they even hit the ground, they were a group of people rushing for them and snatching what they could get before anyone else could.
"Is this what you want? Chaos?"
"What's wrong with a little chaos?" Bellamy smirked at him as he slid the shirt over his head. Before Wells could retort anything, a girl screamed on the other side of the camp. I jerked my head in the direction of the fearful sound and jumped to my feet to rush to the noise with everyone else. Next to the campfire, John Murphy had a girl by the back and forcing her closer to the fire as she struggled to fight him.
"Bellamy." Murphy called to him as he saw us approaching. "Check it out. We want the Ark to think the ground is killing us, right? Figure it'll look better if we suffer a little bit first." Wells rushed forward and shoved Murphy off the girl, allowing her to scramble to her feet.
"Let her go!" Wells demanded, teeth clenching before turning to Bellamy. "You can stop this."
"Stop this?" Bellamy questioned him. "I'm just getting started." Murphy grabbed Wells and slammed his fist into his face, causing him to stumble back.
"Fight!" A boy called out and snickers echoed around us. Bellamy stood there with a shit eating grin on his face. Everyone around the camp started chanting fight as Murphy landed another blow on Wells. Wells returned the punches, slamming his fist in Murphy's stomach causing him to double over. He rushed forward like a quarterback playing football and tackled Wells to the ground, arms wrapped around his middle. Using the advantage of being on top of Wells, Murphy was able to get more force behind his blows. With a grunt, Wells flipped them over and before Murphy could react, he punched him in the cheek before grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him into the ground. After landing one more punch on Murphy's nose, Wells stood up and faced Bellamy again, panting.
"Don't you see you can't control this?" Wells breathed. I kept my eyes on Murphy who pulled out a make shift knife from his pocket before rolling over and getting to his feet with a murderous look in his eyes.
"You're dead." Murphy threatened lowly.
"Wait." Bellamy demanded, stepping between the two men. He looked between the two before pulling out another knife and tossing it at Wells' feet. "Fair fight." Kids began to murmur as Bellamy took his place again behind Wells. Wells grabbed the knife and slashed at Murphy who dodged away from the blade. They traded swing for swing, neither one of them landing a blow for a moment until Murphy swung and cut the outer layer of Wells' jacket. My eyes watched the two boys, already seeing the outcome. Wells was defending himself, barely, but at least he was trying. Murphy was murderous. He would do anything to win, including playing dirty.
"Bellamy." I hissed at him as the two men continued to slash at each other. "Stop this. Someone's going to get hurt." He looked over at me, his brown eyes hard.
"Then they should fall in line." I sneered at him.
"You want everyone to follow you but you have no structure. Disorder will ruin the greatest empire, Bellamy." He narrowed his eyes at me, a muscle feathering in his jawline as he clenched his teeth.
"This is for my father!" Murphy growled at he charged at Wells, who quickly grabbed his arm and twisted him around, pressing his blade to the column of his neck.
"Drop it!" Wells ordered.
"Wells!" A female voice called from the trees and we all turned to see Clarke returning with her group. She had pale complexion with blue eyes and a round face. Half of her blonde hair was pulled back while the other half fell around her shoulders. Clarke stormed up to us with Finn behind her. "Let him go!" Wells shoved Murphy away from him and to the ground. Murphy quickly tried to charge back at Wells but Bellamy grabbed him and pushed him back.
"Enough, Murphy." Bellamy ordered before looking behind Clarke to see Monty helping a limping Octavia into camp. The victorious, power hungry look in Bellamy's eyes was quickly replaced by genuine concern for his injured little sister. He rushed over to her side. "Octavia. Are you all right?" He took her away from Monty and she leaned against him for support.
"Yeah." She breathed.
"Where's the food?"
"We didn't make it to Mount Weather."
"What the hell happened out there?"
"We were attacked." Clarke stated.
"Attacked?" Wells questioned her. "By what?"
"Not what." Finn said. "Who. It turns out, when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, he wasn't the last grounder."
"It's true." Clarke confirmed. "Everything we thought we knew about the ground is wrong. There are people here, survivors. The good news is, that means we can survive. Radiation won't kill us."
"Yeah, the bad news is the grounds will." I looked around at Clarke's group, noting the people. They were missing one.
"Where's Jasper?" I asked.
"Jasper was hit." Clarke breathed, fear and worry clouding her blue eyes. "They took him." Clarke's eyes dipped to Wells' right wrist. She grabbed it and pushed up his sleeve, revealing nothing. "Where is your wristband?" Wells glared at Bellamy.
"Ask him." He snarled.
"How many?"
"Twenty-four." I answered.
"And counting." Murphy sneered.
"You idiots." Clarke growled through clenched teeth. "Life support on the Ark is failing. That's why they brought us down here. They need to know the ground is survivable again, and we need their help against whoever is out there. If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them. You're killing us!" Kids began to murmur agreement amongst themselves. I watched Bellamay's eyes flick between the gathering kids and Clarke. Gears were working in his head as he began to realize that Clarke could sway this group away from his leadership. She could be convincing enough.
"We're stronger than you think." Bellamy called out in effort to keep everyone on his side. "Don't listen to her." Clarke's eyes followed Bellamy's movements with disgust as he moved through the crowd, trying to convince them that he was right. "She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same? We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm? It makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore! They say they'll forgive your crimes. I say you're not criminals! You're fighters, survivors! The grounders should worry about us!"
"Yeah!" The word of agreement echoed through the crowd. "Yeah!" The clamoring continued at a look of worry clouded Clarke's face. We were going to fall into chaos and disorder and she knew it. Knowing that she lost this battle, she stormed off back to the dropship. As Bellamy made his way back to the middle, he stopped in front of me and stared down at me. I had to lift my chin up in order to look him in the eye as he towered over me.
"You got anything else to say, Songbird?" I clenched my teeth at that nickname and glared at him but I kept my mouth closed because there wasn't really anything else that I could say. At least not now.
The 100
Octavia groaned in pain, her left leg jittering as I took a damp cloth to the bite marks on her right thigh. I gingerly cleaned it, taking care of not rubbing to hard. I had a little knowledge of first aid. I had to learn it growing up because my mother never allowed me to go to the medical bay whenever my father stepped out of line. So I always had to patch myself up or patch her up whenever she allowed me to. Bellamy stood beside us, glaring down at his little sister, but I knew that the anger he was showing was really just hiding the fear he was feeling that he could have lost his sister today.
"What the hell was it?" Bellamy asked, arms crossed over his chest.
"I don't know." Octavia answered honestly. "The others said it looked like a giant snake."
"You could have been killed."
"She would have been if Jasper didn't jump in to pull her out." Clarke said, coming up behind us with two backpacks. She set one of them down next to me. I wrapped a bandaged around Octavia's thigh and tied it off before grabbing the sack and standing up. I wasn't going to stick around this camp any longer.
"You guys leaving?" Octavia asked. "I'm coming, too."
"No, no." Bellamy protested. "No way. Not again."
"He's right." Clarke said. "Your leg's just gonna slow us down."
"We're taking you instead." I told Bellamy, sliding the strap of the backpack onto my shoulder. Bellamy looked questioningly between Clarke and me.
"What?" Wells exclaimed.
"I hear you have a gun." Clarke added, ignoring Wells. Bellamy lifted the side of shirt to reveal the handle of the gun sticking out of his waistband. "Good. Follow me."
"And why would I do that?" Bellamy asked.
"Because you want them to follow you, and right now, they're thinking only one of us is scared." I explained. Again, Bellamy narrowed those brown eyes at me but said nothing more to me.
"Murphy." The little cockroach scampered to his master's call as Bellamy put on his jacket. "Come with me. Atom? My sister doesn't leave this camp. Is that clear?"
"I don't need a babysitter." Octavia retorted.
"Anybody touches her, they answer to me. Let's go." I fell into step behind Clarke and Wells with Bellamy and Murphy trailing behind us as we trekked into the forest to go find Jasper.
"Those guys aren't just bullies, Clarke." Wells tried to reason with her. "They're dangerous criminals."
"I'm counting on it." Clarke breathed with determination.
The 100
The forest was beautiful. The trees towered above me, the branches twisting and gnarled like grasping fingers. The forest was a tapestry of greens and browns and the sunlight poking through the thick canopy above us casted playful shadows that danced on the mossy ground. A thick carpet of leaves and moss muffled my footsteps as we made our way deeper into the woods with Clarke leading the way. The air was thick with the scent of fresh ferns, clean and cool. The rich, earthy aroma of damp soil mingled with the fresh scent of pine, invigorating and grounding in equal measure. As I passed each tree, I allowed my fingers to brush against the rough bark of the trunk, smiling at the thought of the history and time that was etched into its surface, each groove telling a story. I was in awe by all the greenery around me. It was amazing how the earth had healed itself from all the radiation. The forest was alive with a sense of mystery, shadows lurking just beyond the reach of light, as if secrets were waiting to be uncovered.
For a moment, I let myself go and forgot about all the problems. I didn't think about trying to survive on the ground. I didn't think about how we were on our way to save Jasper. The leaves whispered in the light breeze, cooling my heated skin from the hike. It was Bellamy's voice that pulled me from my thoughts and back into the present.
"Hey, hold up." Bellamy called out, jogging up to Clarke's side with his gun in his hand. "What's the rush? You don't survive a spear through the heart."
"Put the gun away, Bellamy." Wells demanded.
"Well, why don't you do something about it, huh?" Murphy sneered, stepping up and slamming his hands into Wells' chest to shove him back. Clarke stopped walking and turned around to face them with an unamused look on her face.
"Jasper screamed when they moved him." Clarke explained. "If the spear struck his heart, he'd have died instantly. It doesn't mean we have time to waste." She turned to continue the hike but Bellamy shot a hand out to grab her right wrist and yanked her back.
"As soon as you take this wristband off, we can go." Bellamy said with a smirk, raising his eyebrows at her. She yanked her wrist out of his grip and glared at him.
"The only way the Ark is gonna think I'm dead is if I'm dead." She raised her own brows at him. "Got it?" Bellamy smiled at her, but it was anything but nice as a menacing look covered his brown eyes.
"Brave princess."
"Hey, why don't you find your own nickname?" Finn's voice came from behind Bellamy and we turned to see him walking through the thick undergrowth. "You call this a rescue party? Got to split up, cover more ground. Clarke, come with me."
"Good idea, Finn." I muttered, running my eyes cautiously up and down Murphy, noting his defensive body posture. "Wells, go with Bellamy and Murphy. I'll go with Clarke and Finn." Without waiting for a response from Wells, I turned to follow Clarke and Finn deeper into the forest.
"Better late than never." Clarke murmured.
"I like to think so." Finn said. "I've been thinking about Mount Weather. How come they didn't attack until Jasper crossed the river? It's not like we were being quiet and they didn't know we were there." Clarke thought about what he said for a moment.
"They waited for us to cross. The river's a boundary."
"Which means Mount Weather is off limits." Clarke scoffed and stopped walking, her eyes scanning her surroundings but she wasn't taking in the scenery. Her mind was filling with worry and anxiety.
"How are we gonna get those supplies? What are we gonna do for food?" Instead of answering, Finn turned and walked to the nearest edge of the ravine and stared off into the distance. Clarke and I stepped up to his side to see what he was looking at. There was a waterfall. A frothy cascade of water tumbled down the side of the cliff face, falling into a pool below. The water carved smooth, rounded rocks underneath it with jagged, lichen-covered boulders framing the waterfall. Lush ferns clung to the wet cliffs with thick moss carpeting the rocks around the base. There was a vibrant green foliage framing the waterfall like a natural amphitheater. A fine mist rose from the plunge pool, creating a rainbow in the sunlight. A veil of water spray danced in the air.
The thunderous roar of the waterfall echoed through the forest with a constant, powerful rumble. The soft patter of water droplets fell on the leaves from the soothing whisper of the falling water.
"Wow." I breathed. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about water." We made our way down the ravine, sliding every so often on the loose soil until we reached the solid riverbed. The roar of the cascading water drowned out our footsteps as we carefully picked our way forward across the river. Mist clung to our skin, making the already treacherous footing even more precarious. Clarke led the way, her blonde hair darkened by the spray and plastered to her neck. Finn brought up the rear, his eyes darting warily between our path and the dense forest beyond. I kept my focus on the moss covered stones beneath my feet. We reached the deeper part of the river and Finn stepped off the rocky path and wade through it.
He splashed his hands through the water, spraying water up onto his face and sighing in relief.
"Oh, yeah." Finn sighed as Clarke and I pulled out our water cannisters and began to fill them in the water. I stepped off the rocks, the water soaking my jeans halfway up to my knees. Finna turned around and splashed some water into Clarke's face. She slowly straightened, glaring at Finn through her wet hair.
"Come on, Finn." Clarke said, her voice sharp but low enough not to be carried too far by the sound of the waterfall. She wiped the water from her face with a slow swipe of her sleeve, her glare cutting through the mist like a blade. "We don't have time for this." Finn grinned at her unapologetically. I bit back a smile and kept my gaze down as I splashed some of the cold river water onto my arms, letting it chase away the stickiness from the humid hike. The air here felt heavier somehow—like it had a presence of its own. Oppressive and watchful.
"Clarke, we've been hiking for hours. We need to take a break."
"I'll take a break when we find Jasper. Come on." Finn dropped his eyes from her and began to wade out of the water, but before he climbed out, he grabbed a hold of Clarke's arm causing her to slip a little and lose her balance for a second. She gasped in surprise and quickly got her footing but Finn didn't let go of her. He gave her a sly smile, the gears turning in his head. She gave him a knowing look, a hard look in her blue eyes. "No, no." He pulled her forward, forcing her into the water. "Finn! Don't!"
With a sudden slip, Clarke went tumbling into the water, her body sinking until she was submerged up to her shoulders. She let out a gasp at the shock of the coolness against her skin. I couldn't help but burst into laughter as she spluttered and flailed in the water, her once orderly blonde hair now a tangled mess plastered to her face. Finn's victorious grin only added to the amusement of the moment. Eager to avoid a similar fate, I carefully picked my way across the slipper, moss-covered rocks to reach the safety of the other side of the river. Clarke let out a sigh of relief as the chilly water finally soothed her overheated skin from hours of walking. "Oh, wow," she exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and satisfaction.
"Yeah." I crouched low on the riverbed, filling the last two cannisters I had full of water as I waited for Finn and Clarke to finish cooling off. "I think I know why you're so hell-bent on finding Jasper, why you're always taking care of everybody else." Clarke scoffed at him.
"Now you sound like my mother. No. Go on. This should be good. The delinquent psychiatrist." Clarke cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to respond.
"You couldn't save your father." Clarke's amused look quickly turned into a cool glare.
"Real smooth, Finn." I called to him as I screwed on the last lid to the water canteen before standing and began to walk the shoreline. Something caught my eye on one of the boulders sticking out of the cliff side. It was a dark, maroon color. Clarke, curious on what I saw, began to wade out of the water and over to my side to examine it with me. I looked to the rocks above it, a sinking feeling filling my gut. The rocks were covered in blood. Splattered in some places even. Clarke reached into a crevice between two boulders and pulled out a pair of goggles.
"Jasper." Clarke breathed. "He was here. We should get the others." Finn ran his fingers through one of the blood markings, rubbing the tackiness of the substance between his fingers.
"We're close." He said.
The 100
"Hey, how do we know this is the right way?" Murphy asked as we trailed behind Finn. After meeting back up with Bellamy, Wells and Murphy, Finn took the lead as he began to track Jasper's blood and trail through the forest. Murphy's eyebrows knitted together in frustration, his lips set in a thin line as he trailed behind Finn. The dense forest surrounded us, with tall trees cast shadows over us and vines tangling at our feet. Finn's determined strides and focused gaze showed his determination to find Jasper though I was almost positive that the only reason why he was doing this was to look good in front of Clarke.
The forest was dense, trees reaching towards the sky and blocking out most of the sunlight. The ground was littered with fallen leaves and branches, making it difficult to see the trail ahead. The group followed Finn as he led them through the winding path, his eyes scanning the ground for any trace of Jasper's blood.
As we followed Finn through the forest, Bellamy's eyes scanned the dark, dense foliage. The trees towered above us, their barks rough and gnarled. Shafts of sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. Finn used a stick to mark the trail, his quick pace urging us forward. We could see traces of dark, maroon colored stains on leaves and rocks, evidence of our friend's blood.
"We don't." Bellamy replied. "Spacewalker thinks he's a tracker."
"It's called cutting sign." Wells explained as Finn crouched down to examine some broken foliage. "Fourth year earth skills. He's good."
"You want to keep it down or should I paint a target on your backs?" Finn whispered harshly, his eyes scanning the ground in front of him. We all fell silent, the only sounds our footsteps crunching leaves and twigs. He ran his fingers through some broken twigs before crouching on the ground to examine some droplets of splattered blood. Suddenly, a haunting moan echoed through the trees. We all froze, eyes darting around nervously.
"What the hell was that?" Murphy muttered.
"Now would be a good time to take out that gun." Clarke said to Bellamy before heading off into the undergrowth towards the sound of the moan. We followed after her into an opening with a large barren oak trunk in the middle where the source of the low moaning was coming from. Attached to the top of the tree was Jasper, shirtless and covered in blood, hands tied above his head and secured to the trunk by his middle. "Jasper. Oh, my god." We moved forward making our way through the wild ferns.
"What the hell is this?" Bellamy inquired.
"We have to cut him down." I breathed, rushing forward to make my way to the tree.
"Juliett, be careful." For a couple steps, my feet met with solid ground but after my fifth step, the ground gave way underneath me and I began to fall. My heart lurched into my throat as I began to tumble into darkness, a startled cry escaping my throat. The earthy scent of the soil filled my nose as I fell into the pit. My arms flailed trying to catch anything to stop my descent when a grip tightened around my right arm and I was dangling in midair. Panting heavily as my heart raced in my chest, I peered down at what was to be my fate. There were spikes sticking straight up from the soft soil that would have pierced every part of my body if I had fallen on top of them. I gazed up to see what had caught me and saw Bellamy's eyes staring down at me, his right hand gripping my arm so tightly that I was sure I was going to have bruises. My hand instinctively closed around his forearm, clinging to him. As I clung to his arm, I could taste the metallic tang of fear. He left me hanging for a second and a part of me fear that he was going to drop me, decide that it wasn't worth saving me. I searched his eyes for an answer and watched the edges of his brown eyes soften a little bit as he tightened his grip on me.
He wasn't going to drop me. I could see it in his eyes, the way he held on to me. Bellamy Blake may have been acting like a tough guy but he was using it as a front to hide something. Deep down, I was sure he wanted to protect and help everyone the same way that Clarke does but he sees that as a weakness and was trying to hide it. Finn's panicked voice brought me back into the presence.
"Juliett!" He called out. "Get her up!"
"Pull her up!" Clarke pleaded and the rest of the group rushed around Bellamy to help him yank me up. Once I could reach the edge of the pit with my free hand, I grasped the cool blades of grass to pull me the rest of the way over. I panted for air as I stayed on my hands and knees for a second, my heart hammering in my chest.
"You ok?" Bellamy asked quietly, crouching down next to me.
"Yeah." I panted. "Thank you." Bellamy just gave me a grunt in response before standing up. After giving myself a few seconds to get my heart to stop racing, I climbed to my feet and turned back to Jasper. "We need to get him down."
"I'll climb up there and cut the vines." Finn stated.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm with you." Wells agreed and started to follow him but Finn stopped him.
"No. Stay with Clarke. And watch him." Finn eyed Bellamy wearily. "You. Let's go." Murphy grumbled under his breath as he followed Finn as they cautiously made their way through the ferns, taking it slow to make sure that there weren't any more traps laid out.
"There's a poultice on his wound." Clarke stated, staring up at Jasper. I looked up with her to see a smear of green substance across his chest.
"Medicine?" I inquired. "Why would they save his life just to string him up as live bait?"
"Maybe what they're trying to catch likes its dinner to be breathing." Bellamy suggested.
"Maybe what they're trying to catch is us." Finn offered. "Hurry up, Murphy." Murphy scaled the oak tree, using notches in the bark to gain his footing as he made his way up to Jasper and began to cut his rope. Finn climbed up the other side and took a hold of Jasper to support him.
"Be careful." Clarke called out. A low growl rumbled through the forest, causing us all to freeze. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as my eyes scanned the tree line, searching for the source of the sound.
"What the hell was that?" Murphy hissed from up in the tree.
"Grounders?" Bellamy suggested, looking around the clearing. I shook my head.
"That didn't sound human." I said. The growl came again, closer this time. Leaves rustled as something large moved through the underbrush.
"Hurry up!" Clarke urged Finn and Murphy.
"We're trying!" Finn grunted as he struggled with Jasper's limp form. A massive black shape burst from the trees, all rippling muscles and gleaming fangs. It was some kind of big cat—a panther maybe, though far larger. If it wasn't so deadly, I would have found it beautiful. The black panther crouched low to the ground, tail swishing side to side as it sized us up with its neon yellow eyes. I held my breath before letting loose a yelp as it charged forward at us, snarling.
"Bellamy, gun!" Clarke cried out and he reached for his waistband to grab the gun came back empty handed. Gunfire rang off and we turned to see Wells with Bellamy's gun in his hand as he fired off shot after shot at the black panther. On the third shot, the bullet hit the big cat in the shoulder causing it to yowl in agony before disappearing into the undergrowth. Leaves rustled around us and I slowly spun around, watching the movement in the grass as I tried to predict where the animal was going to come out next. The panther burst from the undergrowth behind Bellamy, its massive form sailing through the air as it leapt towards him. Time seemed to slow as I watched the deadly predator hurtle towards us, claws extended and fangs bared. Without thinking, I shoved Bellamy hard, sending him stumbling to the side just as the panther landed where he had been standing.
As I stood frozen in fear, the beast's piercing yellow eyes bore into mine. My heart raced as I scrambled backwards, trying to put distance between us. The panther's low growls echoed through the silence of the forest, signaling its intent to kill me. My mind raced with thoughts of escape, but with my back against a tree and no options in sight, I realized with terror that I was trapped.
Just as the panther crouched for its final leap, gunshots shattered the air. The big cat stumbled and thrashed in pain as bullets ripped through its body. A part of me felt victorious at its demise, but another part couldn't help feeling conflicted about taking a life—even if it was a deadly predator threatening my own. The gun in Wells' hand clicked repeatedly indicating that it was empty. I closed my eyes and panted, thinking that I had enough excitement for one day.
The 100
I was dead on my feet by the time we reached camp. Night had fallen across the forest, the stars barely visible through the tree canopy. The campsite was lit up with a few scattered campfires. The air was thick with the smell of smoke from the campfires, mixed with the scent of pine and damp earth. The smell of sweat and fear lingered in the air, a reminder of the danger we just faced.
"They're back!" A boy yelled from the entrance of the camp as he spotted us. "Over there." We entered the camp with Finn and Wells carrying an unconscious Jasper into the dropship. Bellamy and Murphy had the panther wrapped in a tarp and lugged it over to the main campfire and drop it onto the ground.
"Who's hungry?!" Bellamy yelled and cheers rang through the group, thanking Bellamy as if he just saved them from starvation. Which he could have very well have considering we still hadn't gotten the supplies that Chancellor Jaha had pointed us to. A group of boys immediately set to work of skinning the panther and cutting it onto pieces, skewering them onto makeshift spears and setting them over the campfire to cook. "New rules! You want to eat, you take off your wristbands! Wristbands for food!" The crowd cheered and began to line up, obviously driven by their need to eat and Bellamy was playing on that like a fiddle. One by one, each individual had their wristbands taken off for some of the panther meat. I sat on the edge of the camp on a fallen log watching the start of the downfall of this group. Finn and Clarke made their way back out of the dropship and over to me.
"He's stable for now, but without medicine…" Clarke began to explain but her voice trailed off as she looked around the camp, watching everyone take off their wristbands in exchange for food. Her sharp blue eyes followed Bellamy as he strutted through the camp, barking orders and basking in the cheers of his makeshift followers. The firelight played shadows across his face, highlighting the cocky smirk that hadn't left his lips since we dragged the panther back.
"He's feeding them," I said simply, though there was a flicker of unease in my tone. "They're scared, hungry, desperate. He's giving them a reason to follow him."
"They're taking off their wristbands for food? No way. I—I won't do it. They're taking off their wristbands. Every single one of those kids loses their connection to the Ark the moment they do that. How many lives up there are we risking by letting them pull this crap? I won't do it." I sighed and rubbed at my temples, exhaustion from the day's events catching up to me.
"You don't have to." Finn stated walking over to the line of skewers of meat that was cooked. As he grabbed for it, Murphy stepped in front of him to stop him.
"Whoa, whoa." Murphy hooted. "Wait, wait, wait. What, you think you play by different rules?"
"I thought there were no rules." Unable to find a comeback as his and Bellamy's words got thrown back at him, Finn took a skewer and made his way back over to Clarke who was grinning from ear to ear. "You want some of this, Jules?" I gave him a kind smile, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees.
"I'm good." I said. "You two enjoy." The two of them stalked off to enjoy their dinner as I continued to evaluate the campsite. My eyes fell on Bellamy's face and I could not stop the grin on my face as I saw a look of pure turmoil on his face as Clarke and Finn blatantly gave him a metaphorical middle finger. Seeing the two's bold move, one of the boys who still had his wristband on stepped forward and slowly reached for one of the skewers. Bellamy's eyes were torn away from Clarke and Finn as he spotted the young boy and quickly stopped him, grabbing him by the arm and slamming his fist into his cheek. The grin fell from my face as my eyes hardened while the boy fell to the ground and groaned in pain. Bellamy was clearly trying to dissuade anyone from following in Clarke's and Finn's footsteps, establishing that he would not be disobeyed. Noticing my gaze on him, Bellamy's eyes found mine and he gave me the look that told me the gears were working in his head.
Coming to a conclusion, he picked up one of the meat skewers and began to make his way over to me. Though his gaze was intimidating and sent a shiver down my spine, I never took my eyes off his. He stopped in front of me, towering over me.
"You want some dinner?" Bellamy asked, his tone menacing.
"Let me guess." I smirked at him. "You want my piece of jewelry?" His silence was answer enough. "Let me ask you something, Bellamy. If I would have walked over there and taken some meat without giving up my wristband, would you have hit me too? Or what about that little girl over there? Or is it just the men? Because if the men fear you, then everyone else will fall in line. Isn't that right?" In the dim lighting of the fire, I could see a muscle feathering in Bellamy's jaw as he clenched his teeth as I stood up from my seat. I smiled wider, knowing that it was bothering him that he couldn't get to me. "I think I'm going to have to pass on your offer." Bellamy's eyes narrowed as he stared down at me, his jaw clenched tight. For a moment we stood locked in a silent battle of wills. The campfire crackled nearby, casting flickering shadows across his face.
"You're making a mistake." He growled, his voice low. "You need to eat."
"I'll manage." I replied coolly. "Unlike some, I don't need to resort to bullying and manipulation to survive." A muscle twitched in Bellamy's cheek. He leaned in closer, his breath hot on my face.
"Watch yourself, Songbird. This isn't the Ark anymore. The rules are different down here." I refused to flinch or back down.
"You're right, it's not the Ark. Which means you have no real authority here, no matter how much you pretend otherwise."
"You think you can be some kind of martyr for these people?" I stood my ground, refusing to back down from Bellamy's intimidating stare.
"I'm not trying to be a martyr." I said evenly. "I'm just not going to play your game. These wristbands are our only connection to the Ark. I won't give that up for a piece of meat." Bellamy's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You think you're so smart, don't you? That you've got it all figured out?" He took a step closer, invading my personal space. I could feel the heat radiating off his body. "Let me tell you something, Songbird. Down here, we make the rules. Not the Ark. Not your precious Chancellor. Us. Me." I tilted my head, studying him. Reading him.
"Is that what this is really about, Bellamy? Power? Control? Or are you just scared?" A predatory look skimmed his eyes as he narrowed his eyes again and I knew I hit a nerve. He was scared of something. I didn't think it was being on earth, in an unknown environment but he was scared of something. "You really want to know what I think? I think that the only reason you want to control these people is one of two things. The first one being that you are actually scared and you're trying to hide it by being a bully." I looked between his eyes trying to catch any signs that I was right. Nothing. "The second is being because you're hiding something." Again, he narrowed his eyes and I internally hugged myself in victory as I just discovered his tell. "There it is. You're hiding something. I'm going to take a wild guess and say it has something to do with how you got onto the dropship. You weren't supposed to be on there but I would say, you found out that Octavia was being sent to the ground and you managed to find a way to get onto the ship so you could protect your little sister." His eyes were dangerously narrowed and I could have sworn that I could hear his teeth grinding together. Bellamy's eyes flashed with anger and something else—fear, maybe even panic. He grabbed my arm roughly and yanked me away from the others, pulling me into the shadows at the edge of camp.
"You think you're so clever, don't you?" he hissed, his face inches from mine. "You don't know anything about me," he growled. I tilted my head, studying him.
"Maybe not. But I recognize that look in your eyes. The desperation to protect someone you love, no matter the cost. I've seen it before." Something in my tone must have caught his attention. His grip on my arm loosened slightly as confusion flickered across his face.
"What are you talking about?" I sighed, suddenly feeling very tired from the events of the day—nearly dying multiple times, the stress of trying to survive on this hostile planet—it was all catching up to me and looking into Bellamy's eyes, seeing that hint of vulnerability beneath his tough exterior, made me feel some sort of connection to him.
"It's not something that I wish to talk about but believe me when I say, that I know when someone is hiding something because they're scared." Bellamy's grip faltered completely dropping my arm as he took a step back. He searched my face for a moment, his guarded expression cracking just enough for me to catch a glimpse of the man behind the mask—the one who wasn't just a power-hungry leader but someone who carried the weight of too many burdens.
"Doesn't matter what you think you know." He murmured, his jaw tightening again as if sealing himself back up. "You don't know me."
"No," I don't," I admitted softly, brushing off my arm where his hand had been. "But maybe that's because you won't let anyone try." My words hung in the air between us as Bellamy's dark eyes bore into mine like a storm barely held in check. I could tell I had struck something deeper within him—something raw that he wasn't ready to confront. He opened his mouth as if to say something but quickly closed it again, shaking his head with frustration. He shoved the skewer of meat into my hands before storming off back to the campfire.
I watched Bellamy's retreating form disappear into the flickering shadows cast by the campfire. The weight of the meat skewer in my hand felt heavier than it should. With a sigh, I turned and made my way back to the fallen log I had been sitting on earlier.
As I settled onto the rough bark, I stared down at the food in my hands. The smell of cooked meat made my stomach growl, reminding me how long it had been since I'd eaten. Part of me wanted to tear into it, to satisfy the gnawing hunger that had been growing all day. But another part of me rebelled at the thought of giving Bellamy any kind of satisfaction. In the end, hunger won. I took a small bite of the meat, savoring the smoky flavor. It was gamey but not unpleasant. As I ate, I observed the camp. The crackling fires cast an orange glow over everything, illuminating faces both excited and wary. Some kids were laughing and joking, high on their newfound freedom. Others huddled in small groups, whispering anxiously. The contrast was stark—elation and fear existing side by side.
My eyes found Bellamy near the center of the camp, surrounded by a circle of his makeshift followers. He stood tall, his arms crossed over his chest as he barked orders to those around him. His presence was magnetic, commanding attention even from those who seemed to resent him. The firelight danced across his face, highlighting the sharp lines of his jaw and the set determination in his expression. There was no denying that he looked every bit the leader he claimed to be. Yet, beneath all that bravado, I could see something else—something fragile and raw just beneath the surface.
The cheers of the others only fueled him further, but I wondered how much of it he actually believed. Did he truly think this chaos was sustainable? Or was he simply playing a role to avoid facing whatever demons shadowed his steps? I tore my gaze away from him and took another bite of my food, chewing slowly as my thoughts churned.