Not All Fun and Games

Chapter 52

"Clarke, can I talk to you for a minute?" asks Octavia.
I look back to Bellamy, who's staring at his fire with tired eyes. He's hurting, because of me. I told him it was his fault Kaytee was killed, and now he thinks he's a monster.
"Clarke?" Octavia repeats.
"Yeah, sure." I stand up, wondering what she wants to talk about. Maybe she's mad. She has every right to be. Her brother thinks he's practically a murderer, because of me.
"When are we leaving? The sooner we get to Polis, the better. Sonthia woke up."
My jaw clenches at the mention of her name. I see her sitting against a tree, her arms and legs bound by rope. There are three people guarding her, all receiving menacing glares.
"We're done making the graves," Octavia goes on. "We buried the bodies. All we need to do now is pack up, and then we can leave."
Imagining Kaytee buried three feet below the ground makes my stomach churn. I want to get out of here as soon as possible.
"Tell everyone to pack up. We'll leave in 15 minutes," I say. She nods, then steps closer to me.
"Is Bellamy okay?"
"I don't think so," I reply sadly. "I messed up."
She gives me an understanding look. "Maybe. But with you, Bellamy seems to be able to get over anything. He'll be okay." With that, she walks off. I hope she's right.
"We're leaving soon," I say, sitting back beside Bellamy. "We should pack."

***

Everybody is ready to go within about 15 minutes. No one wants to stick around this place for any longer.
Sonthia's hands are tied and she's being pulled by a thick rope as we walk through the woods. Bellamy is next to me, walking silently. His eyes are on the ground. I reach for his hand, taking it and giving it a squeeze.
He finally looks up. His eyes are dazed.
"Bellamy, what's done is done. Whether you think it's your fault or not, there's nothing you can do about it." I speak calmly, pleading with him to forgive himself.
"I've done so many bad things in my life." His voice cracks and his eyes become glossy with tears. "I've messed up so many times, I-"
"Haven't we all?" I stop walking and turn him so that he's facing me. "We were sent down to earth as an experiment. The ark sent us down here, leaving us to die. But we managed to survive, and a big part of that is thanks to you." His eyes brighten slightly as I speak. "You have always tried to do what's best for your people. That's who you are."
He wraps his arms around me and pulls me towards him into a hug, taking me by surprise.
"I love you," he says into my hair.

***

Awed  gasps and cheers sound around me as we approach the gate to Polis.
We are greeted by four tree people standing in front of the gate, armed but not menacing. Bellamy takes my hand and tries to pull me behind him, but I stop him. "Bellamy, it's okay." He nods nervously.
"Ai laik Clarke kom Skaikru," I say, remembering the few words of Trigedasleng* that Calvin taught me. "We are here as the Commander's guests."
One of them says something to the others in Trigedasleng before nodding to me and opening the gate.
The kids surrounding me stare wondrously as the gate opens, revealing the beautiful Capitol. Bellamy squeezes my hand. I turn to see him with a wide smile on his face.
"The Commander waits for you inside," one of the grounders inform us, leading us towards the enormous building at the centre of the village.
Tuscany stands up when she sees us. "Hello, Clarke of the sky people. I hope you didn't have too much trouble on your way here."
I feel something in my stomach churn. Bellamy's head drops and he stares at his feet.
"On the first night of our journey, we were attacked. We lost six people, and eight were injured badly."
Her eyes widen slightly and her eyebrows form a crease, but her face remains more or less calm.
"I'm sorry," she says sadly. "Who is responsible for the attack?"
"Her," I hear from behind me. Murphy is holding Sonthia by the arms, shoving her forward as he makes his way to the front of the room, where Tuscany stands. His eyes are tainted with anger and sadness.
"Sonthia?" Tuscany says with disgust in her voice. "You did this?"
Sonthia glares at her but doesn't speak.
"You betrayed me and the rest of the twelve clans. You are sentenced to a death penalty," Tuscany says without batting an eye. Her voice is lower and more menacing than I've ever heard it. "Your execution will take place tomorrow. Until then..." She looks at the two women standing next to her. "Lock her up," she orders. The two grounders take Sonthia by her arms and walk her out of the large room.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Tuscany says to the room of people, her tone much softer now. She looks at me. "I'm sure you and your friends would like to settle into your new home now. Zuko, Sara," she looks to two of the grounders that had greeted us at the gate, "please take them to their houses."

A/N
I'm sooooooo sorry I haven't updated in forever. I plan to update as much as possible from now on, until the end of the book.
By the way, if you don't know what Trigedasleng is, it's the name of the grounder language.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
-Haley