The One Who's Fallen

Chapter 27

I climb slowly down the ladder, listening to the groans of the metal and testing the sturdiness of each ring before putting my weight on it. It's not exactly a fast process, but I would rather be slow than fall to some unknown depth.

I breath out a sigh of relief when my feet hit the ground, looking up to the top. I can see the light up there, but it's pitch black down here. I'll have to rely on the walls to get to the woman. I move my feet forward, letting them scrape on the ground to make sure I don't trip over anything. My hands go out to the walls, the passage being just small enough for me to touch both sides without stretching. I wince as I touch what I assume is a beetle, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

My foot hits something and I listen as it rolls away. I move carefully, trying to find it again. I curse as I stub my toe on it again, and bend down to pick it up. It's long and cylinder shaped. Did I find a...? There's a button on the side so I press it, nearly yelping in surprise as light comes out of it. Oh. Flashlight, right. That's exactly what I thought it was. How is it even working now? It's been a century at least since it's battery was last changed. Good workmanship, I guess.

With my new light source, I can move quicker without fear of tripping. In no time I come across the door she told me about. It doesn't just have one lock, it has a truly excessive number of eight. I knock on it to let the woman know I'm here before beginning to unlock everything. I curse at the chained ones and the last one that takes me five minutes to figure out. Whatever used to be behind this door must've been pretty important.

I try to push the door open but it won't budge. I glance at the side of it, groaning when I realize there's another lock. But it's not on this side, so it must be on the woman's. This door is too thick for the sound of my voice to go through, and I really don't feel like climbing out and climbing in again. Knocking might get through, but I don't exactly know Morse Code. If I could find a small stick or something... I mean it does have a thing on this side, but I don't have the key to it.

I shine the flashlight on the ground, but the only thing that might work is a couple small bones that look like it came from a rat or something. I pick up the two that look the most sturdy and least disgusting. I slide them into the lock, silently berating myself for never learning this. I mean, on the Ark I'm considered a criminal. If I weren't always in solitary then I might've learned how to do this. It takes me longer than I care to admit until I hear that satisfying ca-chunk.

Resisting the urge to let out a victorious cheer, I push the door open. Of course it's a heavy one and by the time I have it open I'm panting.

The woman is sitting in the middle of the hole (really, it's more in the shape of a crater with really steep slopes), and she looks at me in surprise.

"I did not think you would be able to open the door. It has been over an hour and your friend up there is very concerned, to say the least."

Huh, I didn't think I took that long. "Don't worry, I'm okay!" I shout up to Lexa. I can practically hear her sigh of relief.

"I could hear her trying to get up to follow you and then groaning in pain." The woman elaborates. "After her fourth attempt in less than ten minutes, I yelled at her until she stopped. What happened to her, by the way?"

"She got hit by Pauna and then hit a tree. She'll have some nasty bruises and be sore for a while, but other than that she'll be okay."

"That must hurt. And how do we get out of here? I am not sure how mobile I am with a twisted ankle."

I crouch down beside her, examining her ankle. "It doesn't look too bad, it's just twisted in a painful way. It'll take about another week before you fully recover, and after that you'll have your full range of motion."

"Mochof (thank you)."

"Pro (you're welcome). I can help you get up. Just try to keep your weight off of your bad ankle."

I hold out my hand and she takes it, using me to pull herself up. I make her wrap an arm around me to keep her sturdy while she walks with one foot. In other words, she hops with me for support toward the door. She stops just inside of it, the shape of our bodies blocking out most of the natural light. I'm mainly relieved we fit side by side in the tunnel.

"It is dark. How are we supposed to see where we are going?" With my free hand, I turn on the flashlight. "What kind of torch is that?"

"It's not a torch, there's no fire. It's... I don't know the word in Trigedasleng for this, but it's technology."

The woman nods understandingly, and we begin moving forward again. I'll have to ask for her name after we get out of this. We reach the ladder quicker than I thought we would.

"Can you climb with one leg?" I ask worriedly.

"Sha. I have good arms, I can pull myself up. Are there any of them that are not strong?"

She must be referring to the ladder rungs. "No, they all were sturdy enough for my weight."

The trip back takes less time than I ever would've expected. She climbs faster than I thought she would, even quicker than me. It's almost comical to see her hop up the ladder, using her arms to stay on. Though I'm really glad she didn't fall because she went first, so she'd fall on me.

It's nice to be back out in the sunlight, and I'm glad to see that Lexa's right where I left her. Her face brightens when she sees me, and she gets up despite the obvious pain the movements cause her.

"Clarke." Lexa breaths out my name, only focused on me.

After making sure the woman can stand on her own, I go over to Lexa and give her a hug, knowing she needs it after being worried about me for so long. Only after I pull away, staying right by her side, does Lexa look at the woman. Her mouth drops open slightly, her eyes going wide in shock.

The woman looks at her too, seeming just as surprised. "Strisis (little sister)."

"Luna."

Ooh, bet you didn't see that coming. Seriously, I love all your theories and how some of you were convinced that it was going to be Costia coming back from the dead to win over Lexa again. I wouldn't do that, Lexa and Clarke's awkward shy pining is going to keep them from admitting and acting on their feelings for long enough.

And this, Lexa and Luna being sisters, is something I randomly came up with but now I absolutely love the idea! I mean, even their names sound like they're siblings "Lexa and Luna". Plus, they both want peace and the best for their people, and now that I think about it they actually look pretty similar. They both even have the wild curly mess of hair, though Lexa tames it with braids. And I'm not going to do what Jason Rottenegg did and make Luna be "stronger than Lexa and the true Heda" or whatever because no.

Thank you all for your amazing comments and for reading! Stay awesome!