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⁽ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ᶠᵒᵘʳ ⁻ ᵉᵃʳᵗʰ ˢᵏⁱˡˡˢ⁾
After what felt like hours of searching for Jasper, Nova was about ready to tear her hair out. Being stuck with Bellamy, Clarke, Wells, and Murphy wasn't exactly her idea of a good time.
She barely suppressed a groan when Bellamy's voice broke through the tense silence. "Hey, hold up. What's the rush? You don't survive a spear through the heart." Nova, mid-eye-roll, noticed the gun in Bellamy's possession.
"Put the gun away, Bellamy," Wells ordered sharply.
Nova's eyes flicked toward Murphy, fully expecting him to come to Bellamy's defense, as always. She beat him to it. "Don't even start right now, J."
But Murphy, with his signature smirk, turned his attention to Wells instead. "Why don't you do something about it, huh?"
Nova let out an annoyed breath. "Who the hell thought it was a good idea to let him come?"
Before her remark could escalate things further, Clarke interjected, her voice practical and firm. "Jasper screamed when they moved him. If the spear struck his heart, he'd have died instantly." She shot Bellamy a hard look. "That doesn't mean we have time to waste."
"Exactly!" Nova snapped, moving ahead of the group. "Less talking, more walking." After a few steps, she realized no one was following. She spun around with an exasperated huff. "Hello? At this rate, Jasper will be dead before we even find him. Let's go."
Ignoring her, Bellamy grabbed Clarke's arm. "As soon as you take this wristband off, we can go."
Clarke yanked her arm free, glaring. "The only way the Ark is gonna think I'm dead is if I'm dead. Got it?"
"Brave princess," Bellamy taunted.
Finn appeared then, jogging to catch up. "Why don't you find your own nickname? You call this a rescue party? We need to split up, cover more ground. Clarke, come with me."
Nova's smile was sharp and sarcastic. "Lovely. And leave me here with Dumb and Dumber."
"Ouch, Blondie. You really know how to hurt a man's feelings," Bellamy said, feigning offense.
Nova glanced at him, twirling her hair absently. "Mission accomplished," she replied, already regretting every second of this rescue mission.
꩜
"Why are you so insufferable?" Nova groaned as she trudged alongside Bellamy. Wells followed a few paces behind, while Murphy led the group.
Bellamy smirked. "Keeps things interesting, don't you think?"
"I wouldn't say that—"
"Then why are you back here walking with me instead of Murphy?" he interrupted, his gaze briefly flicking over her.
Nova scoffed, scrambling for a comeback. "Felt bad you don't have any friends, so I joined you," she retorted, quickening her pace to catch up with Murphy. She ignored the way Bellamy's gaze lingered as she moved ahead.
"John," she said lightly to Murphy. "I can't breathe back there. There's no room in this forest for his ego."
Murphy chuckled. "Always so dramatic."
"Not even," Nova shot back. "Everything about him makes me mad. How he acts, talks, thinks he's better than everyone."
"You're not so different from him," Murphy observed, his tone teasing. He glanced back at Bellamy, then leaned closer to Nova and lowered his voice. "And for someone who claims not to like him, you sure talk about him a lot."
Nova rolled her eyes but stayed silent, letting Murphy's words hang in the air.
The group eventually reunited with Finn and Clarke by the river, where fresh blood smeared across the rocks pointed them in Jasper's direction.
Murphy voiced the doubt they were all feeling as they followed Finn's lead along the uneven riverbank. "How do we know this is the right way?"
"We don't," Bellamy replied. "Spacewalker thinks he's a tracker."
Nova's attention wavered as the sounds of the forest grew louder around her. She took it all in—the rustling leaves, the distant bird calls, the unfamiliar hum of life. For a brief moment, she almost forgot why they were out here.
That moment shattered when a low moan reached her ears. Her gaze snapped to Finn, who gripped a bloodied stone tightly. She and Bellamy exchanged a brief glance before turning away.
The source of the sound led them to a clearing where the sight ahead made Nova's stomach drop. Jasper hung from a tree, arms bound above his head, his body battered and bloodied.
"What the fuck!" Nova exclaimed, rushing toward the tree with Clarke close behind.
"Clarke, be careful!" Finn warned, but it was too late—Nova was already dangerously close.
"Jasper? What the hell is this?" Clarke demanded.
"Is he dead?" Nova asked, voice shaky.
She took another step, only to feel the ground vanish beneath her feet.
"Nova!"
Her fall was abruptly stopped as a strong hand caught hers. Dangling above a pit of spikes, she looked up to see Bellamy gripping her arm tightly. Their eyes locked for a split second before he began pulling her up.
"Get me up," she panicked. "Get me up!"
With the group's help, Nova was hauled to safety. She sat on the ground, heart racing, trying to catch her breath. Bellamy crouched in front of her, his expression uncharacteristically concerned.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Took you long enough," Nova shot back, still rattled. Then, after a pause, she muttered, "Thanks."
Bellamy smirked faintly, but before he could respond, Murphy hauled Nova to her feet. Clarke's voice cut through the tension. "We need to get him down."
꩜
Nova felt like her legs might give out by the time they made it back to camp. Her head still throbbed, and her entire body ached with exhaustion.
"They're back!" someone shouted as the group stumbled into the clearing.
Nova spotted her brother, Wesley, and immediately rushed into his arms. He hugged her tightly. "You alright, Noves?"
"I just wanna eat some food," she mumbled.
Wesley's rare smile appeared. "Let's do that then."
As Nova grabbed some food with Wesley, her gaze drifted across the camp. Her eyes met Bellamy's, and she found him already watching her.
She approached him, holding two pieces of meat. "Thanks, by the way. Maybe you're not that terrible," she said with a small smirk. But before he could react, she quickly added, "Don't let that get to your head, though. I still don't like you."
"Whatever you say, Blondie," Bellamy replied, his smirk widening.
