Heart Strings. [Bellamy Blake]

- T W E N T Y. -

Lyra Granger despised Unity Day and the speech and pageantry that came with it. While councilmembers of the Ark made it seem like such a happy occasion, it was riddled with death. It kind of reminded her of the "Ring Around the Rosie" song she used to sing as a kid. She believed it was just an excuse to have a celebration.

Many of the kids were celebrating near the huge bonfire with drinks in their hands. A shudder traveled down her spine every time she witnessed someone take a sip of their drink. Monty's moonshine - Unity Juice as he called it - had the most potent odor she had ever smelt and made her gag. Just the smell of the moonshine could get someone wasted off of the fumes.

She didn't mind all the cheering and the celebrating. These delinquents were happy and getting along - something that hasn't happened since they first arrived on Earth. It would also be the last moment before members of the Ark arrive on the ground. They all longed to see their families, if they even had any left, but they could all agree that they dreaded seeing the Guard.

Out of the corner of her eye, her blonde friend appeared by her side. They exchanged a smile before Clarke stated, "Two days until the Exodus ship comes down."

"Are you excited to see your mother?"

As she hung her head low, her blonde locks curtained her face as an attempt to shield her expression. Lyra already knew the answer - Clarke was still pissed at her mother and was not in the mood to forgive her just yet.

"For the record, if my mom was the reason my dad got floated by turning him in, it would take a lot for me to forgive her as well."

Clarke glanced up at her companion and gave her a ghost of a smile. A smile of gratitude for being so compassionate and understanding, despite how close Lyra was to Abby. "Are you excited to see Dayna?"

Lyra sighed, having already thought of the moment Dayna and Abby were with her again. A moment of bliss and happy tears before hell broke loose between them. Dayna deserves to be pissed that Abby sent her closest thing to a daughter to an irradiated planet with prisoners. But Lyra went willingly.

"I'm not excited to have Abby and Dayna on the same planet, much less in the same camp. I miss them, but... I don't want to deal with their bullshit. I don't want to deal with the Council and their bullshit either."

The two girls shared a laugh together, and for a moment, they forgot the responsibilities and the pressure they were under. The responsibilities Clarke bore as a leader weren't on her shoulders anymore. The pressure of her guardians coming down wasn't so heavy anymore. The fear of what it would be like to have Jaha and his cohorts washed away. For a moment.

She had missed Clarke and their talks and moments. The blonde had been her closest friend years since she didn't have many. Nonetheless, she felt a sense of pride for her friend that managed to keep them alive.

"Clarke," She sighed. This gained her friend's attention, her body turning towards Lyra so they could see eye to eye. "Promise me that you will try for peace. This planet is huge. Billions of people used to live here, so I don't see why we can't share."

There was a moment of silence between the two as Clarke processed her request. Lyra was not talking about sharing the ground with everyone from the Ark; she was referring to sharing it with the Grounders and the members of the Ark.

"I can't make that promise, Ly," Clarke stated softly. She had always admired the compassion of her; it was so rare. "They are violent people. It would be difficult to call a truce between us and them. And I can't promise that it would be honored by the Ark."

Lyra's eyes shot away quickly as they welled with frustration. She should have known better than to ask Clarke now, but she hoped that there was still a bit of compassion in her instead of pure survival instinct. Things might have been different when they first landed.