When Songbirds Fly | Bellamy Blake

Chapter Three: Earth Kills

TW// Mercy kill?

—

Jasper still isn't better. His constant moans and cries of pain keep everyone on edge, waiting for the Grounders to come and finish off the rest of us.

I'm still not convinced that my alliance with Bellamy will do much but I don't have many options. As much as I hate it, a lot of the kids think I have the answers to everything. I'm the closest thing to faith that they've got.

I sit on the floor of Bellamy's tent, my elbows resting on my knees as I fidget with a pocket knife created from the Dropship. Strings of red taken from the seat belts wrap around the dull, flat end to make the handle more comfortable to hold. The silver surface glints in the diluted sunlight pouring through the thin fabric above me.

My dark curls of hair are tied into an untidy ponytail, swept away from the tawny skin of my face.

'Look,' I sigh after a long pause in the discussion, 'we might have access to the waterfall, but we have no idea how long it'll be before the Grounders decide that's off limits, too. I grew up on Hydra Station, my mom was an engineer. I've learnt quite a lot about water.'

Murphy nods to confirm my statement. Gesturing for me to continue, Bellamy leans back against the table behind him and crosses his arms. 'What do you propose?'

'In the next few days, we collect as much water as we can from the waterfall. We also keep containers outside to catch rainfall. I can make some filters and I heard Monty's been working on a still, so I'll get him to make us one for the water. It won't taste as good, but it'll remove any toxins. I also propose a wash day at least twice a month to—'

'Wash day?' Bellamy asks, his voice carrying a hint of incredulity as he and Murphy stare at me. 'Wren, we're trying to survive with basic materials and God knows how many Grounders trying to kill us. I think we can handle smelling bad for a little while.'

Hurriedly shaking my head, I search for the right words to explain to him. 'Look, I get that, I really do. But the longer we go without washing, the more risk there'll be of small wounds getting infected. We don't have the medical equipment to deal with that. Ever hear of gangrene? It's nasty and painful and could result in losing a limb, or worse, a life. We can't afford to lose anyone. I'm working on getting us running water, but we need to be careful and we need to be smart.'

The two boys are silent for a moment. Then, reluctantly, they nod. 'We'll do what we can. Now, we need to talk about making some weapons—'

'What did you do to Atom?'

The three of us turn our heads towards Octavia as she storms into the tent, her eyes narrowed in a cold fury. Sighing, Bellamy gestures for Murphy and I to leave.

A quiet chuckle follows me as I emerge into the camp. Growling angrily, I swiftly grab onto Murphy's wrist and drag him further from the tents. As soon as we're out of earshot, I shove him against one of the trees.

'What do you want from me, John?'

He grins and rests his head against the rough bark of the tree. My grip tightens on his collar. 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'Don't kid me, I know all your tricks.'

'And I know all yours. We were best friends once, don't you remember?'

I scowl, my jaw clenching as I glare at him. 'Of course I do. Everything was fine until you showed up and ruined everything.'

For a moment, I think I see hurt flash across his eyes. It's quickly masked by his usual sneer. 'Yeah, of course it was fine. I mean, who am I kidding? No dad, mom with a drug problem... I know everything. I also know that you're not this courageous rebel everyone paints you as. So do you, you just like the power it gives you. You're a liar.'