𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐑, bellamy blake ²

03; close

"Is this what family is like: the feeling that everyone's connected, that with one piece missing, the whole thing's broken?"

— Trenton Lee Stewart, The Mysterious Benedict Society

➳ ➳ ➳

NAOMI DREW.

Her pencil sketched long lines across the page, creating a mass of dark colours. Long braided hair fell around dark broad shoulders, lips twisted into a wide grin and eyes crinkled.

Serena's life was captured in the pages.

She faced slightly away from the front, capturing the shape of her gentle nose. She was clearly laughing at something someone had said, expression soft in some kind of way.

Naomi's fingers stopped moving abruptly as she was halfway through sketching the slope of Serena's shoulder. Pain crashed through her chest, grief and failure. It pumped hard against her veins. She raised her head to look into the trees

"You okay?" Octavia's leg pressed up against her knee, the two's legs crossed over each other. She sat with Amira on her lap. Kasey huddled against Naomi's side, one foot pressed into Bellamy's waist, who was sitting across from them.

Noe dropped the piece of charcoal beside her and tilted her head backwards so it pressed against the tree. She exhaled loudly and pressed a hand over her eyes. The Blakes watched her, eyebrows crinkled in the same expression of worry. Her fingers moved down to tangle in Kasey's hair and she looked back. "It's just hard." Her head tilted so it rested against her shoulder.

Bellamy extended a welcoming hand and she took it, gazing into the branches above. Their fingers intertwined gently and Naomi used her other hand to stroke through Kasey's hair. Kasey stirred, resting her chin over Noe's hip.

"The poor girls," Naomi mumbled.

"They have you," said Octavia. "You've always taken care of everyone." Bellamy nodded in agreement.

Naomi twisted her mouth downwards, cupping Kasey's face. She sighed out, eyes searching the child's sleeping form. "This is different. They're just children without parents. I can't possibly look after both of them. I can't do what Serena asked."

Octavia sat up. "Which part of it?"

"All of it. I can't be Graunshila, I can't be a mother to them, I can't be a leader."

"You don't have to be," Bellamy told her. "Come back with us."

She shook her head. "You know I can't do that either."

"I think you could do anything."

Naomi closed her eyes, slumping back against the cold bark of the tree behind her. She rolled her head and gazed towards the village pathways. The village was still in a shell-shocked state, but it wouldn't be soon until they wanted revenge. Bellamy and Octavia were quickly outwearing their stay.

Wind blew through the village walls, filtering through the soft woods and against Naomi's hair. It ruffled through her cloak; Kasey's shirt; stirring the two pieces of jewellery that hung from the hilt of her sword. Charlotte's silver necklace chimed against the owl pommel. Her sword stuck blade-down into the dirt, mirroring a cross. Noe watched as the necklace swung in the breeze. The pages in her sketchbook flipped, stopping on a picture of Aurora Blake and Charlotte.

How many more of her family were going to die?

She wouldn't let that happen. Not anymore—not ever. She wouldn't let more people slip through her fingers. She was Graunshila now, whether she wanted the title or not. And that meant she had power no one else had, not even the Commander. Together, they would take down the Mountain. All of them.