in which a girl with a heavy burden tries to find her way through the trials and torments of the earth they've come home to.
OR
in which she must rebuild.
EMBERS
JOHN MURPHY
DEATHLIES 2016
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN T...
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T W E N T Y O N E
Finn waited for Althea, not wanting her to walk through the forest alone at night with the threat of the grounders imminent, but also knowing of the pain she was feeling.
Losing Charlotte was a blow, but losing Murphy too was like a bullet through the heart. He had seen how close they had been growing over the past few days and it seemed like it would have carried on if anger did not become such a fearsome obstacle for them.
Hurting, she walks beside Finn silently. Her face still wet with tears and her lips slightly swollen from the exchange of emotions and agony. Althea could still picture that one tear running down his cheek. The memory of it burned bright in her mind.
How she liked to dream it was for her, but that was selfish. Out there, he could die. She would be the least of his worries.
Walking back into camp wasn't the worst part of it all. It was knowing that she would have to sleep alone once more. Festering in her own despair, consumed. Perhaps she was being dramatic, selfish even, about the entire happening. She wasn't the one banished, bound to a lonesome death, but she had grown accustomed to Murphy's arms holding her despite her thorns. Now she felt cold, petals weltered and thorns exposed.
Finn looked to her and saw a girl who was numb. A girl who had felt too many emotions in such a terribly short period of time. He pitied her for allowing herself to become entangled with such an angered soul.
-
Stood at the fireside, Althea's tears dried from her cheeks. Surprised when they did not resurface as Clarke explained to the camp why Murphy was banished, Althea slips her hands around Octavia's arm. Just holding her, just feeling the warmth.
"And that's why we banished him," Clarke finishes, eyes peering upon the on looking faces of the camp.
Octavia feels Althea's firm grip on her arm loosen as the speech ends. Eventually the hands slip away, fading as Althea retracts her hands into her pockets.
Looking to her, Octavia doesn't see the sorrow she expects. She doesn't gaze upon tears like she thought she would. No, Octavia sees nothing but a face. Nothing painted across it. No emotions. Just Althea Barnes with the light of the flames reflecting off her glazed eyes.
"Are you okay?" Octavia asks, but she receives no response from the statue before her. "Al?" She presses, taking a hold of her shoulder. She tries to shake Althea's body back into animation ever so lightly, but she is firm in her stance and welded in place like steel. "Althea," She says again, this time earning a response.
"Octavia," Althea responds in a hum, her eyes blinking back into focus and her lips pressing together after the words escape her as if it were a sin.
"Are you okay?" She asks again, hoping for some clarification this time.
"No," Althea replies. "No. No, of course I'm not." Her voice trembles as it rises, earning the attention of many around her. "No!" She cries, her voice breaking this time as it get stuck between her teeth.
Octavia now grabs both of her shoulders. "Althea, you need to calm down," She tries and Althea nods, but she feels weak in her hands. No longer the forged steel who had stood so strong. Now she was the molten steel, hot as she falls into Octavia's arms.
"He's going to die out there," She murmurs between ragged breaths. "We're going to die in here. We're all going to die." She laughs a deranged laugh, followed by a humming tone of voice which was haunting to all those who bore witness to her spiralling breakdown. "We're going to die death by fire and there's nothing we can do, nothing. Dead before our time; dying surrounded by youths but dying alone. Fear, fear is all we will feel."
Her ramblings fizzle off as Octavia holds her closer, not knowing how to comfort the frantic girl in her arms. Now all Octavia could hear was the faint whispers from Althea, which she was unable to understand, and the grinding of her teeth as she murmured to herself. The ramblings of someone with too much crammed into their brain too soon.
"You're going to be okay, Althea," She tells her, rubbing her hands on her back. "We're all going to be okay."
"I forgive you," Althea says, pulling herself back from the hug. Her face was still dry, but her eyes were no longer emotionless. They beheld, what could only be described as, desolation.
"For what?" Octavia asks, frowning at her in confusion.
"For lying to me." She smiles. "Because we're all going to die, words can't stop that. Promises are worthless."
-
althea really is a mess rn but this part is going to be her re-building herself and figuring out that she doesn't need someone to love to make herself worth it. part two is going to be a big change for althea. this part she is going to figure out her strengths, forge new friendships and become something more than she was. you could say she's going to be a completely different person by the end of part two, but that would be a little over dramatic.
also, you may have noticed that the title has changed from stating it's a john murphy fic to just a the 100 fic. this is because I've had some new ideas and have decided that yes, her main love interest will be murphy still, but there may be other developments. stay tuned for those and keep your eyes out for them <3
sorry for the long author's note! I just felt like it was important to clarify a few things. thank you for being patient <3
