READY, AIM, FIRE [B.BLAKE]

CHAPTER TWO

At first there was just white.

And then a burst of diverse colors were overwhelming Hazel as she stood in frozen awe. The blazing light shone on her lightly freckled face, and the girl couldn't look away as she let her illuminated skin take in the heat of the sun, a feeling so foreign and blissful she couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up from her throat.

She hadn't realized that she was still rooted to the same spot until she heard Murphy's voice beside her, "if you're going to faint, don't expect me to catch you."

"Please, you think I expect your puny muscles to catch me?" Hazel asked, looking up at Murphy with a sarcastic smile on her face. She ignored her best friend and left him standing at the dropship doors. No way was anyone ruining this moment for her.

       Spotting Octavia playfully shoving her brother in the chest, Hazel ran up to them, squealing with excitement when she met Octavia's eyes. The girls laughed and shrieked as they hugged again, Octavia screaming, "we're not dead!"

Similar chants and cheers were shouted all around them as the hundred delinquents savoured these first moments of pure freedom.

"Bellamy!" Octavia called suddenly, and Hazel followed her gaze to find her brother standing with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. Octavia laughed, "this is Hazel, remember?"

The pinch between his brows deepened, but a hint of a smile rigged up the corners of the Blake's mouth as he watched his sister, "why would I remember her?"

"Because I'm so memorable," Hazel grinned, snaking her arm behind Octavia's torso to pinch her side in a silent message to say shut up. The girl shrieked but Hazel acted as though she hadn't noticed. "Not that we've met."

Rubbing the spot her friend had pinched, Octavia giggled, "right."

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Despite the euphoria of being the first people on Earth in nearly 100 years, Hazel was smart enough to realize something had give very, very wrong during their journey. Scraps of metal—which, upon further inspection, Hazel discovered to be solar panels—were strewn around their landing spot, which not to mention was in the middle of nowhere.

The brunette looked around, blocking out the lush green trees and wildlife for a moment and tried to find a way to get on the roof of the crashed ship, knowing that's where the rest of the solar panels would be. Hazel spotted a tree that was deeply bent, leaning on the drop ship. It looked strong enough to hold her, so Hazel made her way to the tree, pushing past delinquents running around like mad-men.

She reached the base of the trunk and reached up to one of its sturdy branches, grasping it and using all her might to pull herself up enough to grab hold with her legs. Considering her complete lack of upper body strength, Hazel thought she did fine, despite the protesting in her limbs and the fact that she was sweating profusely.