Her Weakness

Chapter 9

Guards see us as soon as we step foot out of the ladder and I brace myself for a fight. To my surprise, they usher us forward with strong hands placed on our backs. I want nothing more than to break that guard's hand. He is touching her. He cannot touch her like that, like she does not matter.

"Stay on this floor," that guard orders. "Listen to the guards. It's for your own safety."

I put a fearful expression on and nod obediently, forcing myself not to try to intimidate this insolent man.

"Yes, sir." Clarke says.

The guard walks away. It is odd to see a soldier walk away from me without saluting. Even if he is not my soldier.

I turn to Clarke, smiling. "You said yes, sir."

She lightly pushes my arm, but I do not budge. "Shut up."

It is the most peculiar thing. I am smiling of my own free will and I cannot seem to stop. I wonder if she knows the effect she has on me. I kind of hope she does not. I would never hear the end of it.

"Hey, the soldiers sent me over to--" the voice cuts off in a gasp.

I turn to see a dark skinned girl with short black hair staring at us. Does she know who we are? I hope I do not have to kill her. She looks like she is a civilian, an innocent.

"Clarke? You're back? But... but how? And who's this?" The girl whispers. She does know who we are. At least she does not know who I am. Though she may be a civilian, I am prepared to slit her throat if Clarke deems her untrustworthy.

I look to Clarke, who I can tell is trying not to slip into her leader mode. It might give us away if their cameras are working. "Maya, hey. This is Commander Lexa. We're here to rescue them. Where are they?"

"Commander Lexa? As in... The Commander?" I am pleased to say she visibly pales as she realizes who I am. "Why is she here? Didn't she betray you or something?"

"Yeah. And now she's here of her own free will to help free my friends. Do you know where they are?"

"Yes, I do. They're with Dr. Tsing, waiting for their bone marrow to be harvested." Maya makes a face and I can tell she is strongly against it. Good for her.

"Are the mechanics with them?" I ask.

"The guy and the girl that were near the generators? Yeah. And another guy they found in the air ducts. We may want to hurry."

Clarke nods and sets off. Maya and I walk behind her. I am sure the girl could catch up to Clarke, but I guess she may have something to say to me.

"So you're here of your own free will? Why? I've heard about you and you don't seem like the kind of person who would do this sort of thing just because."

I glance up at Clarke and focus on the way she is walking with a mission. I have found focusing on people I care about calms my nerves. And I do not want to disappoint or hurt her again, so this is my sorry. This is my making up for it. And I am nervous because I know we might fail. And I know that would kill her.

"Oh, you are so whipped," Maya whispers, grinning widely. She must have seen me staring at Clarke.

"Whipped?" I whisper back as she speed walks to catch up to Clarke. What does that mean? Does she have a whip? Perhaps if I survive this, I will ask Octavia what Maya means.

"Hey!" An authoritative voice that could only belong to an arrogant soldier calls. "You can't be down this way, Maya!"