Heart Strings. [Bellamy Blake]

- F O U R. -

Walking back to the landing site through the irradiated jungle wasn't what Lyra would consider fun. The whole forest wasn't her cup of tea. Within 24 hours, she had been bitten by a mutated river snake, threatened by Murphy, and almost became food for a jaguar.

They were trying their best to hurry back to the drop ship. Not only to fully examine Jasper and mend him, but also to get far away from the threats lying within the forest.

Clarke was leading the way, helping Wells carry Jasper through the thicket. Finn and Murphy lugged around the black jaguar previously killed by Wells. It was going to be their dinner.

Through the use of Bellamy, she was leaning against him to take pressure off of her leg. A burning sensation traveled throughout her leg from ignoring the pain the whole hike. Although she didn't let it show, she was relieved when he offered to assist her.

Bellamy glanced at the pained expression of Lyra as they trekked through the woods. It was hard to ignore her grimaces when it happened every step she took. "Do we need to stop and take a look at that leg?"

Lyra shook her head, "No thanks. I can wait until we get back to the drop ship."

Bellamy nodded silently. He could tell that she had been in pain for hours now, never letting off of it. The girl was stronger than he thought, he'll admit that.

Her sky blue eyes met his dark ones, hers full of gratitude. She mumbled, "Thank you. For helping me."

"No need to thank me, Granger," Bellamy chuckled, giving her a tight-lipped grin. "Thank you for helping Octavia."

Silence fell over them again while they walked through the vibrant forest. The others were focused on getting back home, paying no mind to the forest floor. Lyra couldn't help but admire the eye-catching flowers and the glowing plants they passed by. It was one thing to see it in books on the Ark. It was another to see it in person, where it truly grew.

Although her eyes were constantly looking at the forest floor, she snuck in glances at the boy she leaned on for support. His hair was slicked back when they arrived on Earth. Now, his dark hair showed its natural curls from the humidity. Small curls stuck to his forehead through beads of salty water.

Bellamy didn't miss her stares though. Even he couldn't help but glance at the girl he was supporting. Streams of sweat rolled down her face from the pain she endured from their rescue mission, making her chocolate brown flyaways stick to her face.

It had been a year since he last saw her, the night at the dance. She hadn't changed much within a year.

"Like what you're seeing, sweetheart?"

She hadn't realized that he had caught her staring in that moment. Hell, she didn't even realize she had been staring for that long for him to notice.

Her cheeks heated up from the embarrassment she felt. Looking away, she mumbled, "I don't know what you're talking about."

She could feel his side vibrate from chuckling. He caught her. He caught her staring at his face. How embarrassing.

"You haven't changed much over the past year," Lyra stated. There was no way she'd let the subject stay on her. "You're almost the same as you were at the dance."

Almost. A word that will catch anyone off guard, as it has a condescending nature — almost, but not quite. It was as if she was saying he was the same person, but also not.

For a moment, he stopped looking at the group members ahead of them and shifted his focus to the girl hanging off of his side. He was curious. "Almost?"

She chuckled, as she knew she had caught him off guard. "Either you were an asshole before and I didn't know it, or you turned into an asshole."

The arrogant smirk he previously held fell into a frown. Any sort of humor or personality he had was gone, no longer looking at the girl. No warmth, just coldness.