nepenthe

Chapter 6

         Hearing a boy's voice from the camp announce the return of her brother's group, Octavia leaped up from her spot beside Atom. Jogging towards the drop ship, she saw Clarke speaking to Finn and Wells whilst they supported a limp Jasper. A worried Monty watched helplessly as they carried his best friend inside.

         Katherine walked ahead of Bellamy and Murphy as they hauled a sheet holding the animal Wells had shot. Dropping their load to the ground, Bellamy pulled away the cloth and revealed the bloody jaguar; whom Katherine had identified on their trek back to camp. Astonished murmurs echoed around him at the sight. "Whose hungry?" He shouted with triumph, cheers and congrats erupting.

          Octavia found her way through the noisy crowd beside Katherine and Bellamy, a wide smile of relief plastered on her face as she hugged Katherine. Bellamy looked at Clarke, who stared back from the drop ship's doorway before walking back inside to Jasper's aid. Pulling Octavia into his side, the smallest smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, barely noticeable to anyone. Except Katherine. Her bright blue eyes focused on his dull and tired face. Bellamy turned to look down at his grinning sister. Feeling her eyes on him, he looked at Katherine. He nodded to her with the same slight smile and walked off. She hummed to herself. A smile looked good on him.

         Katherine stood beside the florescent fire, watching the chaos that had ensued. Bellamy had made it a rule. In order to earn their food, they had to take off their wristbands. One by one, the teenagers willingly reached out their arms to have their only connection to the Ark pried off their wrists and tossed into the flames. Stepping aside, Katherine sighed. Her eyes drifted to the fire in front of her. The bright red and orange danced about in a mesmerizing way. Staring at the fire alone with her thoughts; she couldn't stop her past from fading back into her mind. Her mom, her uncle, her dad..

          Bellamy noticed her pouted lips and furrowed brows. He smirked, handing a slice of the jaguars cooked flesh on a stick to a boy. "Enjoying yourself, West?" "Not in the slightest, Blake." She replied gruffly, still lost in her thoughts. "Alright then, don't get your panties in a twist" he winked, a cocky grin warming his cheeks. "Wouldn't you like to know about my panties?" Katherine looked at Bellamy, crossing her arms. At his foolish simper, she rolled her eyes; allowing a small quirk of her lip to form. Though, it faded away as quickly as it appeared. "What's wrong?" Bellamy solemned, looking down at the girl. "Nothing... it's nothing, don't worry about it," She thought aloud. Turning to a quiet Bellamy, she was met with his blank face. "What?" Katherine grunted. Bellamy's features softened. "You don't look like it's nothing." "It doesn't matter" she contorted. "It definitely does," Bellamy interjected. Katherine's eyebrows shot up. Why does he care so much?

          Behind them, Finn walked up to the pile of meat sticks prepared to take one, before Murphy stopped him. "Woah. Wait, wait. What, you think you play by different rules?" His smirk laced with venom as he glared at Finn. Bellamy and Katherine overheard and stopped their quarrel to watch. "I thought there were no rules", Finn said. Murphy stood and watched as Finn walked away, Clarke following. Bellamy's face soured.

         Katherine lifted her head up to Bellamy's shoulder and whispered, "It's already done." She knew a foolish idea had formed in his mind. He watched a brunette boy step up to take food just like Finn had. "Leave it alone, Bellamy," Katherine insisted. Ignoring her, Bellamy walked over to him, his jaw clenched. He grabbed the boy's wrist that reached towards the food. "Hey", Bellamy said lowly, causing the stunned boy to stand upright. Bellamy's fist met the boy's cheek, knocking him to the ground. He stood up, turning to look at a shocked Katherine and a less bold Murphy. Picking up the meat the boy was about to take, Bellamy walked over to Katherine. He handed it to her with a monotone expression. Confused, Katherine took it from the boy towering over her. If her long sleeve hadn't covered it, everyone would see the wristband still fastened on her wrist, which Bellamy knew hadn't been removed.

        "Eat", Bellamy mumbled to Katherine. "Bell-", She started before Bellamy turned abruptly and marched towards the forest. Katherine stared as his tall figure disappeared into the darkness. Murphy scoffed and walked away, leaving her stunned. Biting her lip, she felt confused. First, Bellamy was worried for her. Now he went against his own demented rule just for her to eat. She shook her head.

         After having a boy named Miller help pitch her tent, Katherine collapsed onto her bumpy cot; the springs dug into her back. She hadn't had proper sleep since they landed. Her tent's flap opened as someone entered. Propping herself up on her elbows, Katherine squinted her eyes. Recognizing the figure standing above her, she gasped. "Octavia?" She jumped to her feet stepping towards her friend. "Where's Bellamy?" Octavia's voice was low and hoarse. Katherine shrugged, "I haven't seen him since an hour ago. Why, what's wrong?"

        The angered girl silently walked over and flung her self at the blonde. Katherine's arms wrapped around her, trying to comfort her by rubbing circles on her back. "He's gonna hurt Atom, Rinn" she cried into Katherine's shoulder. "Why would he hurt Atom?" Katherine questioned deeply confused, pulling back to hold Octavia's face in her hands. "We have something, I don't know what it is but.. I really like him. Bellamy always does this. He chases away every guy I like." Octavia lifted Katherine's hands from her face and held them between hers. "I'm sure he's just trying to protect you, even if his ways are stupid. If he tries anything, I'll take care of it. Here", Katherine held up the meat she had yet to eat. "You need to eat. Don't worry about it." Katherine smiled lightly, earning a disgruntled huff from Octavia who took the food. She sat atop the cot and began to eat. Katherine sat beside her, placing a gentle hand on her friend's back.

         Once Octavia was sound asleep inside her own tent; Katherine left to hers. Before entering, she heard aggressive footsteps approaching. Turning, she saw Bellamy storming up, his jaw clenched. He briefly locked eyes with her before whipping open the tent's flap beside hers and disappearing inside. Miller had mentioned earlier that the neighboring tent was Bellamy's. Katherine exhaled and entered his tent, adamant on finding answers. Upon the sudden visit, his neck snapped towards her; his shirt clutched in his hands. Katherine's eyes darted between his face and his chiseled chest. She could feel her cheeks heat up. Holy shit...

         "What do you want, West?" Bellamy said coldly, tossing his shirt aside. Clearing her throat, Katherine crossed her arms. "Where's Atom? You two were on watch, he should've come back with you", she inquired. She couldn't help but notice his bruised knuckles. "Why do you need to know?" The boy plopped onto his messy cot, grasping his knees. Katherine sighed. "Octavia clearly cares about him, why must you ruin it" "He's a criminal, do you even know what he did to end up in confinement?" He snapped. "Let me guess, he stole? Or you don't even know" She said, Bellamy's eyes cast onto the floor before flickering back to her. "Big fucking deal Bellamy. You shouldn't judge him, you barely even know him." She reasoned. "I did what I had to do, he's fine." He huffed.

        Katherine scoffed, irritation permeating the tent. "You're so damn arrogant. There are so many here that need protection other than Octavia. Focus on them for once," Katherine snarled and turned to leave.

         "How'd you even meet?" His raspy voice called after her. Katherine slowly turned, bothered. "What?" "Octavia was in solitary confinement, how the hell are you her friend?" Bellamy asked. "Earth Skills. With Pike." She answered bluntly. "That's all I get?" Bellamy snarked, sitting upright. "Tell me what happened to Atom" Katherine insisted. Bellamy flashed an entertained smile. "I strung him up in a tree for kissing my sister." His dark eyes stared up at Katherine. She tiredly walked over to sit beside Bellamy on his rumpled cot. Resting her chin in her hand, she hummed. "If I'm going to help you fulfill whatever mission you have in mind, you're gonna have to tell me things and not go on impulse. Got it?" She looked to him. "Yeah, I got it," he mumbled, glancing at her quickly.

         The two sat for a moment, unsure of what to say. Bellamy's voice broke the harsh silence. "I'm sorry. You're part of my group so I'll keep you in the loop from now on." Katherine chuckled, surprised that the Bellamy Blake had just apologized. "All good," she said. Bellamy smiled as well. "Me and Octavia sat next to each other in Earth Skills. We got to talking and i suppose we clicked. She told me about you and your mom," Katherine explained. "Oh," Bellamy stared at the ground at the mention of his mother. "Yeah... I'm sorry about that. No kid should go through what you two did." Katherine truly felt sorry for him. "Mhm." "Goodnight, Bellamy", Katherine said kindly, rising from the cot and walking to the entrance. "Goodnight" Bellamy replied as the blonde left.

A/N

new chapter after Idk how long oopss 😬