ATARAXIA • BELLAMY BLAKE

[ 2 6 ]

The front door clicked open and a ray of light from the hallway outside cut the pitch black darkness in half. Bellamy snuck back inside as quietly as he could and dropped his shoes by the door before closing it.

Then a small light turned on in the lowest bunk, revealing Freya sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Did I wake you?" Bellamy apologetically asked. Freya shook her head and watched him walk towards her. She always waited up for him. Bellamy looked at the top bunk to see Octavia sleeping on her own, her bangs swept to one side.

"Mom?" he questioned.

"Working late," Freya replied simply.

Bellamy nodded and walked into the bathroom without turning on the light. When he came back out he had discarded his shirt and put on his usual pajama pants.

Freya watched as he took off his socks at tossed them in their small laundry basket. "Who was it this time?" she asked.

"What?" Bellamy puzzled as he headed over to the bunk. Freya scooted over to make room for him on the narrow mattress they shared every night much like Octavia and Aurora did above them. It had gotten more and more cramped for them to fit on as they grew older, with Freya just having turned seventeen and Bellamy continuing to grow like crazy in both height and build.

"Was it Klara?" Freya asked.

Bellamy slipped under their covers and placed a hand under his head to rest on. He laughed her question off like he didn't know what she was talking about.

Freya hated when he did that. Bellamy was popular with the girls, and it was no secret. "Well, was it?"

"What do you care, Smartass?" He challenged, turning on his side to face her. He looked at her expectantly, searching her face for any hints as to what she was thinking.

"I don't," Freya finally said after a long silence, holding back her true opinion.

"Okay then," Bellamy replied, hiding his disappointment as he wrapped an arm around Freya's middle and got comfortable.

They always did that — just barely cuddled when they went to sleep — but tonight Freya didn't want him touching her. She never did when he came home from some other girl's quarters. Instead she subtly turned on to her side which made Bellamy's arm drop on the mattress. He didn't comment on it but merely sighed as he disappointedly flipped onto his back and stared at the back of the mattress above them until he fell asleep.

•••

"Hey, Raven," I greet once I've stepped into the tent where she stands, her back turned to the entrance. "Bored of that yet?"

I walk up to see Raven doing the same job she has been at for at least a few hours. "That ship sailed a long time ago," she breathes out, picking up another bullet.

Since we used the rest of our gunpowder to make the bomb for the bridge a couple of days ago, Raven has been turning one bullet into two to make do until we can get some more. Luckily, Jasper may have found a way to do exactly that, but until then splitting bullets will have to do.

Ever since we blew up the bridge things have been suspiciously quiet at camp. Those of us who didn't succumb to the virus have all recovered, and there has been no signs of attack from the Grounders. Of course that doesn't fool any of us. We all know that Grounder retaliation is inevitable and it's only a matter of time before they show up at our gates — hence the desperate bullet-splitting.