After the End [ The 100 ]

9. Under-qualified children's mentor

earth kills

[bex]

We're all sitting under the sun, messing with each other and things and not doing well to avoid splinters and bug bites. Even with the excitement of that, I'm still bored.

"Fwoo," I exhale leaning back on my hands and knocking my toes against each other.

There's a thudding of something against a tree, and the sound has to do with what Murphy's chucking at it.

There's someone who knows how to spice things up...

"Screw Bellamy. When he finds Jasper murdered, he'll realize he should've let me go on the hunt," Murphy's voice says, filled with annoyance, followed by a grunt. He looks at his two friends, his eyes land on mine, and he throws his knife at the tree again.

Even that's better than nothing.

I plant a flirtatious smile on my face as I stand up and go over to the small group of boys. Probably not the only thing small about them.

I lift my arms so they're crossed, and my shirt rides up a little.

Mission accomplished, I almost laugh. He's distracted, looking me up and down from my boobs to my waist.

"Murphy, what's Bellamy doing?"

He nods backwards, the smile slowly falling. "Sticking me here with fucking Jurassic Park while he goes out hunting with a group."

I follow his gesture and find Bellamy with Atom and some extras I never bothered getting to know.

I slowly look back at Murphy. "Tell me where he's headed, and I'll bring you back something nice from the trip."

His eyes darken as he smirks. "Can't offer me anything now?"

I make a point to bite my lip, lean in, and whisper a little. "I just did."

When his smile grows, I know that's all I needed to say.

A few minutes later, Bellamy's staring down at me. My smile is subtle and barely there.

"Looking for something else to do?" He's hiding his too.

Honestly, boredom isn't the only thing fueling this conversation. What Murphy refers to as 'Jurassic Park' is Jasper Jordan. He's never hurt anyone, but he's suffering and screaming. So I make sure Bellamy knows that, "I'm going with. Can't listen to that anymore."

[...]

In the forest, we're all deathly silent. Mostly because we'll die of starvation if Bellamy doesn't kill this thing.

It's a boar, snorting grossly in its gray fur and stocky stature, and I might be body-shaming a pig, but look at it.

My fingers brush against the grass as I take a cautious step, eyes flitting toward Bellamy. Then he aims, but something moves behind me.

Goosebumps coat my arms as I stand still before stiffly turning my head. Bellamy feels it too, clearly, because he throws his ax and it lands in a tree right near my head. I'm covering my head before coming back up again. "Seriously?" I spat.

Straightening, I faintly hear the boar getting away and half the group following it. But mostly I'm looking down at a blonde 12-year-old from the Sky Box. A girl I know too well.

"Charlotte?" What the actual hell? Jaha is straight up evil. Also, why the hell would she follow us?

"Hi, Bex. I knew you'd be here."

I actually can't believe that she's even here and just did what she did.

"What's she doing out here?" Bellamy's read my mind. "What are you doing out here? I almost killed you. Why aren't you back at camp?"

Actually you almost killed me.

"Well, what with that guy who was dying, I just... I couldn't listen anymore."

Makes sense. He makes you want to rip out your own heart and gift it with a 'get well soon' card. "Nobody blames you for that," I tell her softly.

Atom, the only other person in the hunting party who stayed behind, says, "But... There's Grounders out here. It's too dangerous for a little girl."

"I'm not little," she answers.

My face scrunches up. She barely scratches five feet. I would know. It took me years to get over that hurdle, and I've been granted all of four extra inches.

"Okay then," Bellamy says. None of us flinch when he hands Charlotte a knife.

"Kind of feels like this is a conclusion for the day," Atom says, cautiously looking from Charlotte to Bellamy.

"Charlotte won't slow us down. Right, Charlotte?" I add.

She throws up Bellamy's knife and catches it, putting a smile on my face. "Can you guys keep up?"

She walks ahead, Atom quickly following.

Bellamy and I share a look. "You know, weapons aren't toys."

He yanks his embedded ax out of the tree. Walking back over to me, he grunts, before we follow after Charlotte and Atom.

"You know her. How old is she?"

"Only 12," my voice is quiet at first, sounding nothing like me. So I perk up, because Bellamy of all people doesn't get to see that. "We keep her safe, don't let her realize it," I command.

"Arrested at 12, huh?"

I nod. Rare, but not surprising on the Ark. Especially with Chancellor Jaha in charge, who's never heard the word 'originality' once in his life. He's probably never had an original fucking thought.

"I hear you've been here the longest."

Asking about me? I smirk briefly before remembering where we are. "Eleven," I calmly correct him. I mumble the rest, eyes set on Charlotte, "But that kid's way braver than me."