from the ashes (she will rise) ➸ octaven

chapter 5

On Sunday afternoon, all the girls are sent to their rooms so Clarke can meet with her social worker in the living room. Octavia's working on homework when there's a knock at her door.

"Hm?" she lifts her head, expecting Lexa or Raven. However, she quickly sits up when an older woman pokes her head in the door.

"You must be Octavia," she smiles. "May I come in?"

"Who are you?"

"Your new social worker," the woman walks over to shake her hand. Octavia clenches her jaw when she takes a seat on the bed beside her. "I read over your file this morning."

"And?" Octavia slams her textbook shut and shoves it aside.

"It's... a lot."

Octavia just scoffs.

"I thought you'd be happy to know that your brother isn't in any serious trouble," she continues, and Octavia stiffens. "As far as I know he's currently staying with a friend of his in the neighborhood."

"And the house?" Octavia's voice softens.

"What about it?"

"What's happening to it?" the dark haired girl looks down at her hands.

"My guess is they're going to continue trying to sell it," the social worker shrugs. "The electricity hasn't even been on for... for years, Octavia. How did you two manage?"

"We made do," Octavia shrugs, clenching her fist. "No one's gonna buy it," she adds. "It's haunted."

"I was under the impression that you and your brother started that rumor to keep people away from it."

Octavia looks away. "It's our house."

"I know you may have an emotional attachment to your childhood home, Octavia. We all do," the social worker sighs. Octavia scoots away from her. "But legally, the house isn't yours. Or your brother's. The state repossessed it. The state's the one who funded all the repairs after the fire. The state--,"

"I get it," Octavia sighs. If it wasn't for her broken hand, she'd probably have already punched something by now. She pauses to take a deep breath before looking back to the woman. "When can I see my brother?"

"I looked into that," she nods. "But the state wants to get court approval before I can schedule a visit for you two. They're concerned you two may negatively influence each other."

"He's my brother," Octavia gapes, her shoulders rising. "And 'schedule a visit'? What the hell does that mean? You can't just keep us apart?"

"It's out of my hands, Octavia."

Octavia shuts off at this point. The rest of the meeting consists of her just nodding and agreeing with whatever the social worker says, paying more attention to the fraying string on her jeans than anything. Eventually, the visit ends awkwardly, and she follows the woman back downstairs.

Octavia stands in the doorway, absentmindedly turning the knob back and forth as she watches the social worker start her car and drive off. Clenching her jaw, she whips her head around and slams the door shut. The walls shake and something falls over on one of the shelves. When Octavia turns to go back upstairs, she pauses when she realizes Lexa's been here the whole time, laying upside down on the couch with a book in her hands.

"Listen to this," Lexa offers Octavia a sad smile, sitting up and tracing her finger over the book. "Blades of grass are called 'blades' because they actually do cut your skin, just so small that the naked eye cannot see. That's why sitting on grass can cause skin irritation."