𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 · 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐈

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧

~"i killed them."~

Three or so hours later, Bellamy suggests, "Hey, we should check out the forest."

"Why?" I ask.

"So we know what's there," Bellamy answers.

"So you want to go walk in a trap to find one?" I ask, one eyebrow raised.

Bellamy is silent as he thinks this through. "Well, there also might be something else we can use. And if we do find a trap, we'll know to avoid it."

"I...don't think that's the best idea, Bellamy."

"Okay, well here's what I'm actually thinking. There haven't been any deaths, and eventually someone's going to look for someone here. Kaia also made an offhand remark about Silk saying the first person he's hunting down is you. And me, by association."

"I figured. He's got a big ego."

"Yes. Well, I was thinking about it, and I realized we're not particularly hard to find. And we're also trying to be non-confrontational for the time being. There's at least four of them. Sure, we could fight them. Probably win, too. But...we'd have injuries. Bad ones. Be realistic, Cal. And if we're mortally wounded, it wouldn't be a far stretch for someone like Oak to hunt us down and kill us. If all four of their faces are in the sky, who else could take them down besides us? He could put it together, Cal."

I think over what he's said. "Okay. Let's compromise. The first sign we see them, we go deeper into the forest. Because as soon as we go deeper, we won't be able to see as much or if people are nearby."

Bellamy's eyes catch on something over my head, and as he is facing the plains beyond the entrance of the forest, I'm pretty sure I know what it is.

"They're coming, aren't they?"

"Yep," Bellamy says.

I turn around and see 5 distant figures making their way towards where we are. They're pretty far off, so I don't see how they could have spotted us already. Bellamy and I grab our backpacks, and while he destroys the evidence of our fire, I rip up the tent I made from leaves and throw the pieces in some clumps of tall grasses.

Bellamy and I start jogging through the forest, weaving through trees. We come to a stop about a quarter mile in by a large, thick tree.

"Climb," I tell him. He starts climbing. I chose this tree because it's sturdier, and it should be able to hold him. He scales the trunk with ease and essentially disappears into the branches. He sticks his hand out, and I throw up the two spears and my trident before making the climb myself. Once I get up to where he is, he hands my trident back. You'd have to be looking very carefully to have a chance of seeing us, and maybe not even then.

"There were five of them," I say to Bellamy. "Who was fifth?"

"I'm not sure. They had dark hair. That's all I could tell from the distance," Bellamy replies.

"Boy or girl?" I ask.

"Couldn't tell exactly, but if I had to guess, then I'd say boy." We hear some far-off voices. "Guess we'll find out soon, though."

"You think she'd be here?" A voice I recognize to be Velvet's comes drifting through the forest. She's not a very good tracker. Too loud. It sounds like she's coming closer.

"I'm pretty sure. And there was the fish bone." Another voice replies.

What. The Hell.

Bellamy and I lock eyes with each other.

"I thought Reed was going solo?" Bellamy whispers.

"Yeah. So did I," I mutter back. The group comes into view. It's made up of Silk, Velvet, Kaia, Caleb-the boy from Seven, and Reed.

"Can you fish people climb trees?" Silk asks Reed.

Reed ignores the 'fish people' comment. "Why wouldn't we be able to? And besides, this is Odair's sister we're talking about."

"Great, now we have to look in the trees." Velvet complains.

"Yes, because it's so much work to lift your head a little higher," Kaia says.

"What do we do if they find us?" I whisper to Bellamy.

He shrugs a little. "Fight them, I guess. What other choice do we have? And besides, we have the advantage. We can take them."

"If we do have to fight, I'll take Caleb, Reed, and Velvet. Can you manage Kaia and Silk?" I ask.

"Yeah, or we can fight back-to-back," Bellamy says.

"Back-to-back makes it harder to run, though," I say.

"Well, we probably won't have a great opportunity to run anyway. Plus, Kaia can run. I've seen it. Silk, too. It would probably be too risky-we'd have to drop the backpacks."

"That's fair," I say. "But if we can run, we should."

"Yeah, or just stay up in the tree and jab at them if they try to come up," Bellamy says.

"Oh, hey, what am I thinking? I'll just throw knives at them," I say, pulling the roll of knives out of my backpack.

"Can you throw two at once? And, give me one." Bellamy says.

"Yeah, although I'm not ambidextrous like Finnick, so my aim won't be as good on my left." I say.

"Finnick's so much cooler than you," Bellamy tells me.

I roll my eyes. "Yes, I know. Finnick is your idol and I'm a nobody. Moving on. As soon as they're in range for you-"

"In range for me?" Bellamy interrupts.

"Yes, I can throw farther than you. Now shut up. Once you can, throw.  They'll probably run even if you don't hit them, but I will, so don't worry."

"You seem mighty sure of yourself," Bellamy says.

"I never miss," I say simply.

"I don't doubt it, Odair."

I've got two shurikens in each hand. Bellamy is holding one in his left hand. It was always so hard to try and teach him how to handle a trident because I had to translate everything to the left-hand.

We watch carefully as the group of 5 breaks into our line of vision, Silk at the head.

Bellamy raises his hand, ready. I do the same. His wrist muscles tighten, and we both throw at the same time. Three shurikens go flying to down.

Velvet's pierced straight through the forehead. She hits the forest floor, dead. Caleb drops down next to him, a knife in his neck. 

I see Bellamy's knife hit Kaia in the arm, but I could be wrong, since she doesn't seem to be hurt as the remaining three turn and bolt away. 

Two cannons go off.

Oh my God.

They...the people on the floor...the dead children...that's because of me.

My eyes catch on Velvet. She's splayed on the ground in an unnatural position, blood trickling down her forehead. He sky-blue eyes stare up, unseeing.

I can't stop staring at the knife I put in her head.

"Snap out of it!" Someone demands, hitting me in the back of the head.

My gaze snaps up, tearing my eyes away from Velvet. It takes a second for my eyes to focus on Bellamy. He says something, but I don't really hear it.

"What?" I mumble, eyes drifting downward again.

"Look at me, Callyn," He says, taking my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him.

"I killed them."

"I know, Callyn. Because you had to. It's not your fault."

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Hey loves!

Hope y'all are living ur lives!

lmk whatcha think>>>>

xx 

maddie