Torn

Kidnapped

Bellamy

Bellamy hadn't slept in three days; but that wasn't important to him, what was important was that he had lost Clarke's trail. He cursed himself for allowing Monty and Jasper to come with him, they had only slowed him down. Always complaining about the desire to stop every five minutes to rest or eat, Bellamy was ready to punch them. He would never admit to them he had lost Clarke's trail so he let them believe that he knew where he was going. Exhaustion and desperation clung to him as he rounded what seemed to be the same moss-covered trunk for the second time. He finally realized that he was no good to Clarke if he was lost or worse, dead.

"Okay", he called out behind his shoulder, "We'll rest here for the night and stock up on rations." He couldn't help but smile when he heard Monty and Jasper sigh in approval.

Bellamy scouted the area for firewood as Monty and Jasper cleared the camp area. When he came back three bedrolls were rolled out in a medium sized circle. He saw that the two were sitting upon their bedrolls sharpening long sticks into spears with their knives. Maybe a little rest time was good for them, Bellamy thought. He dropped the firewood in the middle of their sleep circle and began searching through his pack for a match box. His hand closed on something solid and he pulled out a small box of matches. Bellamy arranged the sticks in a pyramid and lit some moss which he threw at the ends of the firewood. He watched as the fire came alive, licking at the sticks and his mind was suddenly pierced with the thought of Clarke. Where was she, was she okay? Were the Grounders torturing her?

"No." he whispered

"Huh?" Monty looked up from sharpening his spear

"What? Oh, nothing." Bellamy replied, "Are you finished, we need to eat something."

"Yeah, here you go." he said tossing him the spear.

Bellamy caught it with a grunt, fatigue coursing through his body, "I'll be back."

Twenty minutes later, Bellamy trudged back into camp with two rabbits slung over his shoulder. Jasper's eyes lit up as he saw that they would have meat to eat instead of plants and protein bars.

"I'll help you skin them," Jasper said hurrying over to Bellamy with his knife.

Bellamy nodded in thanks and sat near the fire, skinning the rabbit. Slicing the meat of the rabbits', he stuck them onto a long stick and placed them on top of the fire. Occasionally turning the stick to keep the meat from burning, he lay back on his bedroll. Bellamy prodded the meat after a few minutes and deemed it cooked, the last thing they needed was to die of parasites. He carefully took the meat and laid it down onto his pack to cool. Finally Bellamy handed pieces of the cooked rabbit to the eager Monty and Jasper and took a piece for himself. While Monty and Jasper talked away about how to bomb the Grounders, Bellamy thought in silence. Why am I searching for Clarke anyways? The camp doesn't even need her, right? Stop being an idiot Bellamy. Of course the camp needs her. I'm searching for Clarke because she's one of us, we need her. Bellamy started to wrap the remaining meat in a sheet, storing it in his pack. He stared at the sleeping figures of Monty and Jasper. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that that was the reason he was looking for her, a thought kept popping up. What if it wasn't that the camp needed her but it was that he needed her? Oh my god. No, I need her because we're leaders, I can't lead our people alone. Yeah, that's it, that's why. But Bellamy couldn't stop the inevitable. I'm falling for her.

Bellamy turned the phrase over and over again in his mind refusing to believe that he was falling for Clarke. Clarke, out of everyone. The girl who he hated upon sight because she was one of the privileged, the one who had caused Octavia to get captured, the girl who had gotten Finn killed. But she was also the girl who walked with her chin held high, the girl who had helped him save Octavia, the one who had protected their camp against the Grounder attacks by her quick actions. Clarke was the one who had treated all their injured, she was the one who stood by him when he was forced to banish Murphy, she was the girl who found their source of water. Clarke had made some mistakes but she's the reason they had lasted this long. Bellamy closed his eyes and allowed his mind to flood with images of Clarke.