"In a world where darkness reigns, we must become our own constellations, guiding each other through the night."
- Asteria Montgomery
In a world where survival hangs in the balance, Asteria Montgomery and her friends face their fate as the Counci...
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As the night passed, the determination to reach Mount Weather only grew stronger among the teenagers. Finn, having found a way to cross the river where Octavia had her encounter with the creature, rigged up a makeshift vine to swing them across.
Clarke, Monty, and Octavia watched from below as Finn and Jasper tested the vine's strength. Clarke, ever the leader, didn't mince words. "You wanted to go first, Finn. Now quit stalling. Mount Weather awaits." When hearing Clarke's words, the spacewalked gazed at Asteria.
She raised her brows when she caught him staring at her, flaying her hands out in a surrendering motion. "Don't look at me, Finn. I'm not here to hold your hand," Asteria teased, nudging the vine toward him. "Get moving."
Jasper chuckled, peering at Finn and lowered his voice so only the other two could hear him. "Just hold on to the apogee, and you'll be fine," he reassured.
Finn puckered his brows, meeting Jasper's eyes. "The apogee, like the Indians, right?" Asteria rolled her eyes at Finn's comment, impatient for him to make his move. But before Finn could swing, Jasper placed a hand on his arm, gesturing toward the boy with goggles who had corrected him earlier, urging him to hurry up.
"What?" Finn and Asteria followed Jasper's gaze and found Octavia looking up at them, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Trying to impress your future wife?" she teased, noting Jasper's blush. Finn grinned, passing the vine to Jasper, who took a deep breath and prepared to swing.
"I knew there was a badass in there somewhere," Finn remarked, seeing Jasper's nervous demeanor.
Jasper nervously chuckled, adjusting his grip on the vine. His eyes flickered from the top of the apogee to Octavia, who smiled encouragingly at him. It seemed his tactics were paying off.
"Hey," Finn called out, sensing Jasper's hesitation, "it's okay to be afraid, Jasper." Jasper glanced at Finn and then at Asteria, who nodded reassuringly.
"Just go with the flow, Jasper," Asteria advised, patting his shoulder. "You've got this."
"See you on the other side!" Finn and Asteria chuckled at Jasper's comment, noticing his voice was filled with nerves.
Jasper took one last deep breath before he launched himself into the air, his legs propelling him forward as he swung across the river. Everyone watched in awe as Jasper soared through the air, his cheers echoing across the landscape. Asteria couldn't help but gasp as she watched Jasper release the vine and land safely on the other side, a huge grin spreading across his face.
As the group gathered on the other side, Jasper stood tall, his hands raised in triumph. "We are apogee!" he declared, his voice filled with excitement. His words were met with cheers from the rest of the group, their faces lighting up with genuine joy at their successful crossing. It felt like a significant step forward toward reaching Mount Weather.
