Queen ♔ Flarke ❷ {Wattys2015}

Chapter 23: Bellamy

Chapter 23: Bellamy

I go over to Octavia and hug her. Her breathing is rapid and her heartbeat is extremely fast.

"Octavia," I say.

"I'm not afraid," she whispers to herself. "I'm not afraid."

"I know you're afraid," I say. "But we'll get to those grounders and kill every last one of them."

"We're going," she says, suddenly more confident. "We're killing them now."

"No," Clarke instructs. Wow, she can be cute when she's angry.

"Why?" Finn asks.

"Because," she begins. She probably has her whole reason planned out. "They only killed two of our people, we've probably killed more of theirs."

"They would've killed you, Clarke," Finn adds.

"Some of them are nice," she mutters.

"Which?" I ask. "We can save them."

"Hanna. Melia. One has brown hair and brown eyes, the other's blonde with green eyes," she says.

"Oh," Octavia says. "I might have killed one of them."

Clarke looks enraged. "Who?"

"The brunette," Octavia admits.

"That's it," Clarke says. "I'm saving Melia while I still can."

"I'll go with you," I say.

Finn puts his hand firmly on my shoulder. "Hold on," he says. "Just a minute ago, you wanted to kill all of them and now you're helping them?"

I wriggle out of his grasp. I really just want to follow Clarke.

"Clarke," I say, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"What?" She spins around, her cheeks hot. "Finn's right; why are you helping me now?"

"I..." I begin, but I don't know how to go on. "I need to tell you something."

"It better be worth listening to," she says.

"It is!" I shout. "Just give me a chance."

"Spit it out, then."

"I like you, okay?! In a more-than-friend way."

She stops walking. "Bellamy," she says quietly. "You can't."

"I have for five years."

"Holy shit." Her opens her eyes wider. "Sorry, that's the only way I can respond."

We start walking again. "So," I say. I don't know what else there is to be said.

"I'm sorry," Clarke says. "But I'm with Finn. We have a kid, Bell."

"I know that." We've reached the grounders. Many of them look bewildered, some injured.

A girl with bright blonde hair runs towards Clarke, probably Melia. "You bitch!" she shouts, pushing Clarke over. "We helped you, and you pay us back by killing my boyfriend? And I've lost Hanna, too. I have no one."

Clarke covers her open mouth. "I didn't mean to let Hanna get killed," she says. "And I didn't know Zak was your boyfriend."

"I'm done," Melia shouts again. "I knew I could never trust the Sky People; whatever Lincoln sees in you I can't see myself." She storms off, over the ashen ground and into a crack inside the lair. Oh, God.

"Wait!" I call to her, pulling Clarke up. "The afterdamp is poisonous."

"That's the point," she calls back, stepping in. "I'm joining my friends."

Clarke has tears streaming down her face.

A voice speaks up from behind us. "She was a traitor, anyway," Beth remarks. "I won't miss her." She looks awful: the bottom of her hair singed and burns up her arm.

"How can't you miss her?" Clarke asks angrily.

"Love is weakness," Beth says simply. "And she was weak. My mentor told me that."

"Well," Clarke says. "Your mentor needs to sort her shit out."

Beth shoots her a look. "You dare to offend our commander?"

Clarke shrugs. Beth leaps into her, clawing her face. Her nails scratch over Clarke wound and she howls. I decide to pull out my gun and I train it in Beth.

"You brought a gun?" Clarke asks.

"Octavia did," I say. "Beth, get off or I shoot."

"Make me," Beth says. She looks like she wants to carry on, but is cut off by an older girl.

"Leave it," the girl says to her, looking at me after. Her eyes light up.

"Thanks," I say.

"Wow," she exclaims. "You're Bellamy, right?"

"I am..."

"I'm Poppy." She squeals. "It's nice to see you up close."

"You were spying on us?" I ask.

"How else would we know your whereabouts?"

"Poppy," Beth snarls, getting off Clarke. "Go."

Poppy sighs, and goes to join a couple of others several metres from us.

"Look," I say. "You killed our people, this is justice."

"This isn't justice," Beth shouts furiously. "This is revenge, sick revenge. The Trikru was on its last legs, and now we're almost gone. I'll be reporting back to Commander Lexa myself."

"You'll all be dead by then."

"Really?" She walks closer to me so we're almost touching, even though she's considerably smaller than me.

"Stop it," Clarke demands. "It wasn't my plan to kill you guys, so I want to help you."

"Clarke," I say through clenched teeth. I'm about to say more but she cuts me off.

"Run!" she shouts, flinging her arms. "Before my people get to you."

Beth nods a subtle thanks and grabs her friends. I'm guessing some of them were blinded by the gas, because her and Poppy have to lead them into the forest.

I turn to Clarke. "What the hell was that?" I question.

"You can't save everyone, but you can save as many goddamn people as you can," she says. "Finn told me that."

"The grounders are the enemy, and you just helped them!"

"Not everyone deserves to die." She turns and runs with a limp, back towards the others.

***

They stench of charred flesh fills my nose as we walk back to camp. Everyone saw what Clarke did - letting the grounders go - and I don't think they're that happy about it.

"We still need to find Lincoln," Octavia says.

"He's fine," Clarke answers, but she looks as unsure as the rest of us.

"I'm going back for him."

"Octavia, wait!" I shout, but she's gone in a flash.

***

A/N

Wow this went nowhere. I'm still not sure about a third book, but I'm thinking about it. I'm currently writing a Clexa fanfiction so that will be up maybe soon. If I post it, the earliest time I'm releasing the first chapter is probably within these couple of weeks because I'm going to France for a week when it's the holidays!