Our People (the Third Book of the Her Weakness series)

Chapter 101

Clarke's POV

The blue in the sky fades away from view, replaced by an incredible mixture of orange, pink, and red. The reflection of the sun setting on the water takes my breath away.

It's perfectly silent except for the sound of us eating and the sound of the waves hitting the posts that hold up the dock and the beach. The seafood is surprisingly delicious, even though some of it looks a bit weird. Luna did a good job picking it out. And surprisingly, she chose to sit by Raven and Octavia rather than Lexa.

We watch until the darkness of night replaces the fading sunlight, all of us finishing our food before the sun is done setting.

"Thank you for the suggestion, Luna." I say, looking up at the stars that now twinkle in the sky. "That was beautiful."

"And the food." Octavia chimes in. "Who knew dead fish could taste so good?" She and Raven grin as Luna chuckles at her wording.

Raven glances over at me and scoots over, stealing the last piece of fish that I was too full to eat.

"Hey babe." She says, smirking. Oh man. She's thought of a joke. She waits a few seconds until both Octavia and Luna are looking at her curiously. "I'm on a seafood diet." She holds up the piece of fish. "I see food, then I eat it."

She pops it in her mouth and chews, a wide grin on her face. As always, her jokes are bad but hilarious and perfectly timed, so everyone ends up either looking amused or laughing. Raven looks proud of herself.

"Rae, that's such an old joke." Octavia says through chuckles.

"You're an old joke." Raven retorts.

"What does that make you? You're older than me." Octavia fires back.

"That makes me gorgeous." Raven dramatically flips her hair over one shoulder. Before she can say anything more, Octavia cuts her off with a kiss (and not one that a kid should ever see).

Luna clears her throat awkwardly and even in the dark I think I can see a pink blush coloring her cheeks. "So, do you all have any plans tomorrow?"

"I'm going to talk to my mom in the morning." I say, grimacing.

"She is coming here?" Luna asks, looking confused. "I was not told she would."

"No, through the walkie talkie. I talk into it and it transmits my voice all the way back to Arkadia, where my mom is."

"That is incredible technology. That would be incredibly useful not only communicating with other clans, but also on our boats. Now, we only have a bell system." Luna says, her eyes bright.

"A bell system?" Raven asks as she pulls away from Octavia, who rests her head on Raven's shoulder.

"Yes, a bell system. On each boat there are two sets of bells, one on each end of the boat. Each set consists of three bells, and there is also one large bell in the center of each boat to be ring if they are in danger or need assistance. There are many different combinations that can be rung with the three. The first thing every person on a ship needs to know is what combination means what."

"That's... Brilliant." Raven says, her mouth slightly open. "Without technology, you found a way to communicate. Wow. Who came up with it? Is it something you've always used?"

Luna blushes under Raven's praise. "Um, I came up with it. I have read a lot, like my little sister, and read of a communication device like the one you have been describing. Though I tried, I could never find a blueprint of one. So I came up with my own version. We used to just have the horns that the clans around the Mountain use to warn against fog. Now, the horn is used as a backup in case something goes wrong with the warning bell."

"Seriously. That's so amazing!" Raven gushes.

"Mochof (thank you). Though I would like to try to use the tek (technology) you talked about. It sounds as though it has a much better range." Luna says.

"It definitely does. You know, if you want to learn about it you could send some of your brightest people to the Ark. No one that's there right now is as awesome as me, but I know Monty an a few adults that can teach them." Raven suggests. "Or you could go yourself if you can find an adequate replacement."

"Thank you for the offer. I definitely will take you up on it." Luna smiles at her.

"Rae, if they're going to use the walkie to contact Abby, you know what that means?" Octavia asks, sounding oddly grave.

"What?" Raven frowns at the serious expression on her girlfriend's face.

"We don't have an excuse anymore not to talk to Bell."

"Oh." Raven visibly deflates, looking worried and kind of scared.

"Why wouldn't you have been talking to-" I start, then my eyes widen as I realize what they're so concerned about. "Really? You haven't told Bellamy that you're dating Raven?"

"Um. No." Octavia says, looking abashed.

"Who is Bellamy?" Luna asks quietly.

"Octavia's brother." I explain.

"Remember how he reacted to me dating Lincoln?"

"She dated Lincoln too?" Luna murmurs.

"That was totally different. He thought Lincoln was an enemy." I point out. "Plus, he knows and likes Raven. You'll be fine."

Raven sighs. "Fine. I guess we'll talk to him tomorrow then. After you guys talk to Abby. Which might cheer me up, considering how terribly it could go."

"Thanks, Raven. You're a real pal." I comment sarcastically.

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm a great gal pal." Raven says, pretending to look insulted but the smirk on her face gives her away. "Back me up on this, O."

"She is great in bed." Octavia confirms, winking at an even more smug Raven.

"We've all heard how great you are in bed." I reply drily, making Octavia and Raven look at me with surprise on their faces before they burst out laughing and high five each other.

Next chapter will probably have the awkward family discussions! Thank you all for reading and for your amazing comments! Stay awesome!