Not All Fun and Games

Chapter 20

I wake up suddenly, my entire body drenched in sweat.
My dreams had been filled with grounders, flying spears and screams of terror. I shudder. I've never felt so unsafe.
I see now that the grounders have no problem slaughtering us, so why would they hesitate to barge into our camp and murder every last one of us? It could happen any time, and we wouldn't be able to defend ourselves. We may have guns, but they have an entire army of warriors.

Maybe they don't know where our camp is yet. But that's unlikely.

Then I realize something.
We had been walking through the woods for hours before we were attacked. Perhaps the reason they ambushed us was because we were on their territory. Maybe we had ventured too far into the woods, which they didn't like.
The thought comforts me slightly, but I know I still won't be able to go back to sleep for a while.
I'll go check on Bellamy, I decide.
I creep quietly out of my tent and head towards the dropship. There are two guards by the front gate of the fence. They nod to me politely.
Trying not to make too much noise, I slip under the tarp and into the ship.
Bellamy lies on his cot, still unconscious. His sister is sitting bent over in the corner, sleeping.
I start by checking his pulse. I lift his arm gently and press two fingers to his wrist. I can't feel much, so I move my hand to his bare chest instead. His heart beat is normal.
I check my watch: 4:38. It's early, but I'm not in the least bit tired.
Not wanting to leave, I bring a stool next to Bellamy's table and sit.
A light breeze sweeps between the canvas tarp and hits me, causing me to shiver.
And to think, I was sticky with sweat just minutes ago.
That's when it dawns in me.
My nightmares have not only gone away because I am awake. They've gone away because I'm in a safe environment, and that safe environment is Bellamy Blake: the tall, tan-skinned boy who lies before me, unconscious. The well-built rebel leader who would do anything to protect his sister. The strong, courageous hero who told me to save myself when he was weighing me down.
He's what makes everything okay. With him, I feel safer than I do with any of my other friends. I feel safer than I ever did on the Ark.
It's almost as if he makes it all worth it: being locked up and sent down to Earth- sent down to die.

I allow myself to rest my head against his warm, firm chest.

***

"Earth, Clarke," says my mom, a happy tear streaming down her hallow cheek. She presses her lips to my forehead, then looks at me one last time before everything goes black.

I wake to the sound of boots clunking against metal. I'm sitting up, strapped into a seat attached to the wall of a small, metal room.
There are at least 50 other kids around me, and the room is filled with voices. I spot a familiar kid wearing goggles. He took a chemistry class with me about three years ago. I believe his name is Jasper.
A long-haired boy with a smug expression on his face sits across from me, staring at me.
"I'm Finn," he shouts to me. "How's it going?"
I ignore him.
A few guards walk around, ordering kids to stay in their seats. When the image of the chancellor appears on the screen of a small TV, the guards hush us.
"Hello, people of the Ark," speaks Chancellor Jaha. "Today, 100 of you- of the delinquents- will be sent down to Earth." Some kids spit names at him angrily. I roll my eyes: it's not like he can see them, let alone hear them.
He continues to talk. "All one hundred of you have been given a second chance." He turns his head, and his eyes focus souly on me. I frown uncomfortably.
Someone starts shaking me. But my attention remains on the chancellor.
"Clarke," he says. "Clarke, do you hear me?" My hands grip onto the bottom of my seat, trying to keep sturdy as the hands on my shoulders continue to shake me.
How can the chancellor see me? Why is he talking to me?
"What?" I shout. "What do you want?"

Suddenly, I am back in the present time. Octavia is shaking me, calling out my name. "Clarke, you awake?" She asks.
"Yeah, I am," I reply, my voice raspy. "I was just... just having a dream."