So Many Miles Between Us

1. Abducted (Octavia)

     I walked through the forest, letting the wind ripple through my hair. I needed some alone time. The trees stood so tall that they were able to touch the horizon. Their multicolored leaves, ranging from green to orange to yellow, were swaying in the wind. Winter was approaching, so many leaves have already fallen off of the trees and were littered across the ground. The yellow leaves all around me were packed tightly together and made it seem as if the sun had fallen from the sky onto the ground. The sun was sinking below the horizon, spreading its glowing oranges and pinks across the sky. There was the sound of roaring water coming from the stream ahead. It was loud but not loud enough to block out the chirping coming from a flock of brown-colored birds straight ahead.

      It's been three weeks since Clarke left Camp Jaha. I still hold a grudge against her, mostly because she trusted Lexa. Things have calmed down since then but Bellamy has still been worried that he wouldn't be able to play Chancellor without her help. Aside from that, everyone has been recovering  from the bone marrow harvesting that occured in Mount Weather. Things have returned to a certain level of normal. 

     The peace between the Grounders and Sky People was officially over, however, tensions between the two groups have been relased slightly. The tensions have been released enough so that I was able to take a walk in the woods without fear of being speared in the chest. After Lincoln came to help my people escape Mount Weather, he was exiled from his Clan for good this time. He has been staying with us back at Camp Jaha. Having him around makes me relieved. I have somebody, besides my brother, that I can go to when something's bothering me. 

     After everything that's happened, there aren't many people I have that I can go to anymore. Jasper, for instance, has been holding me at an icy distance ever since my brother helped kill his girlfriend, Maya. I haven't really spoken with any of the other Delinquents since we made it back to Camp Jaha. Things have been different lately, with me and my friends. I've noticed it ever since I returned to camp. Most of the Delinquents seem more distrustful of me, now that I've become more of a Grounder. It's annoying how people will look at me, like I'm no longer "one of them" or something. I feel bad for Lincoln since he had to go through the same thing. That's the one thing we'll always have in common: We'll never be fully accepted by our own people. 

     I pushed the thoughts of the last few weeks aside and kept walking. I was so distracted by my own thoughts that I hadn't even realized where I was going. I paused for a minute and looked around, seeing if I would recognize any of my surroundings. No luck. All of this was new to me. I hadn't ever went this far before, mostly because before the peace between the Grounders and Sky People, adventuring this far would have been considered a death wish. Now, I don't see any harm in wandering off a little farther than usual, except for getting lost, which I think I just accomplished. I shut my eyes and thought back to all of my lessons with Indra, when I was her Second. However, I can't seem to remember anything about directions or how to find my way to and back from certain places. It was mostly just fighting techniques and the responsibilities of a warrior that made up my lessons. Thinking about the good times, the times when I had a place and a home, the times when I had people who believed in me, brought tears to my eyes. However, I refused to cry, and wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt.

     I decided to head back in the direction I came. As I headed back, I hummed quietly to myself. I let my hand grip the trunk of a tree and feel the rough and damp bark that was attached to it. It had rained not too long ago, about a half hour or so before I left camp. I spun around the tree, while keeping my hand tight around the trunk. I stood still for a few moments. There was a noise. I couldn't tell what it was. Whatever it was, I could hear the crunching of leaves from underneath it. The noise crept up to me in a mysterious way. The noise only got quieter and softer as it approached, instead of louder. Eventually, the noise came to a stop once and for all. I stood there for a few minutes in absolute silence. The roaring of the stream was faint for now, but I knew as soon as I walked in that direction again it would soon become loud. I didn't hear the birds so they must have either flown away or became preoccupied with something else, such as finding food. 

      The silence worried me. I suddenly became nervous that something bad was about to happen. Even if it was nothing, better safe than sorry. I drew my sword and gripped it tightly. I took a few steps forward and my foot must have been caught on a fallen tree branch or tree roots, because I accidentally let go of my sword and soon was flung down a small hill. I let out a short and sharp scream just before I landed at the bottom of the hill. I had landed on my stomach, with my back turned towards the sky. There was a stinging pain in my ankle and I attempted to move it but the throbbing and pain only increased. I grunted and managed to roll onto my back and then into a sitting position. Once I managed to carefully examine my ankle, I realized I had hurt it badly. It didn't look or feel broken but it was a pretty bad sprain. It was so swollen that I had no idea how I'd make it back to camp. 

      The worst part of what had just happened: The noise was still there. This time, whatever was coming, was in a hurry. The steps were quicker and more lively. I just had time to force myself onto my knees and say one last thing.

      "Who's there?" I asked into the shadows of the trees.

      I saw a flash of black as somebody came next to me, and just as I tilted my head to see who was hovering above me, a sharp pain struck my head. I was knocked backwards and gave in to dizzying blackness and the feeling of blood trickling from my head.