Crossing Boundaries| Bellamy Blake

3| Speaking Up

The Grounder could see Clarke was angry. She was angry at the long haired boy for siding with Bellamy and not valuing Jasper's life. Clarke held up the moss and red leaf that the Tree Woman used for Jasper. She began to examine it. "Whatever this stuff is, it has to have had antibiotic properties." Wells hovered over Clarke.

"Let me take a look at that." Clarke looked up at Wells annoyed. "Before you refuse my help, remember who aced botany in Earth Skills." Wells said. Clarke placed the red leaf in Wells hands.

"The Grounders used it as a poultice. I'm thinking a tea might be even more effective if we can figure out what it is." Clarke stated.

"I know what it is. Seaweed. Look..." Wells showed Clarke the red leaf. "no root structure."

"Right. Well, then there must be a water source nearby." Clarke stated. The trio began to talk about the possible location of where they could find it, eventually deciding it would be best to go together to find the red seaweed.

The Grounder was left alone with Jasper's continuous groans, soon after, Octavia climbed up the shaft and sat at Jasper's side trying to find a way to help dull his pain. Octavia paid the Grounder no mind as she watched Octavia brush Jasper's damp hair away from his face. It reminded the woman of when she would do the same thing every time her siblings were sick; scared that it would be the last time she saw them. She'd brush his growing dark hair away from eyes and she would see the small, fragile smile form on his lips.

The woman's thoughts were quickly disrupted when the sound of the fog horn blared in the distance. With wide eyes, the woman began to panic; they needed to close the floor shaft so the fog wouldn't enter above! Octavia's attention moved to the struggling Grounder on the floor as she tried to move closer to the floor shaft. Her back on the floor, the Grounder raised her bounded feet and tried to kick the shaft down, but Octavia had immediately stopped her. "What are you doing? What's happening?"

"Acid fog." Octavia's eyes widen as the Grounder had just spoken in English. She understood them. The woman ignored Octavia's revelation and, again, tried kicking the shaft down. "Octavia, you need to-" The woman was interrupted by the coughing and stomping of many people on the floor below.

"Everybody get in!" Someone shouted below. Octavia rushed down the shaft.

"What's going on?" The woman could hear Monty ask.

"The air got thick, everybody's skin started burning."

"Monty, my brother's out there." Octavia said.

"He'll be fine. We'll all be fine." he reassured her. The woman continued to hear the sound of people's feet stomping and coughing as they hurried into the containment before they closed it shut.

Octavia climb back up the shaft and looked down at the woman, who had managed to wiggle her way to the floor door. Octavia dragged the Grounder back against the wall, sat her up and curiously sat across her. The women could see the clear eagerness in Octavia's eyes which slightly worried her. "You spoke up. You spoke English!" Octavia  stated to the woman. The woman quickly shook her head, trying to get Octavia to speak lower. "Can all Grounders speak English?" Octavia asked in a more hushed voice.

"No and you cannot tell anyone I speak English. Do you understand?"

"Why?" The Grounder remained silent. "You tried to kill Jasper."

"I tried to save Jasper." The Grounder corrected.

"Even if that were true, you still hung him up for bait." Octavia argued.

"Fine, but I wasn't going to let the beast kill him, we were only using him to lure the beast for hunt, and then I was going to take Jasper to a healer, but your people came a lot quick than I thought they would." Octavia looked at the Grounder. "Please?"  She never meant any harm, she was just trying to survive. Right? The woman watched Octavia stand up and once again, sit by Jasper's side.