At last

Chapter Thirty Six

Clarke's point of view

And thus, the digging finale began.
I couldn't get out and help, thanks to Madi and Bellamy's fussiness, and so I contributed in a much less strenuous fashion: manning the rover with a nervous yet excited Madi to keep me company.
Everyone seemed to be working on overdrive. The sooner we got this done, the sooner our people would be free.
We were working for two hours before we heard the sound of a fist pounding against metal coming from under the thin layer of rubble.
Bellamy signalled for us to stop, and the air hung heavy with silence as we waited for the sound again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Madi and I watched from the rover as the others hurried over to the noise, which was coming from underneath a large slab of debris that we had yet to move.
Someone was pounding on the bunker door.
I was filled with relief, my previous worries washing away.
They were alive!
This revelation crossed my friends' faces as they looked at each other in disbelief and excitement.
"Hey!" Bellamy called to the mystery person underground. After a few moments, he called out again, "Can you hear me?"
A muffled voice responded, the words indistinct due to the layers separating us.
"The bunker door is just underneath this piece. We need to move it," Raven said.
Bellamy nodded at her determinedly, and they set to work tying the cord connected to the rover around the piece.
It had taken extra manpower along with the rover to shift the large piece, but we finally removed it.
I laid my eyes upon the sealed bunker door, feeling my excitement and curiosity rising. Our digging was over.
Madi and I exited the rover, joining the others as we gathered around the door.
I watched as Bellamy ran his fingers over the door, as if he was searching for a way to open it.
"They can only open it from the inside," I told him.
His gaze whipped to me, noticing my presence. He shot me a brief scolding look for walking by myself, and then he turned his attention back to the door.
"Hey! You still there?" He made a second attempt to talk to the person on the other side.
Several seconds of silence passed. Bellamy raised his fist to knock on the door again, but he was halted by a painfully familiar voice coming from underground.
"Bellamy?"
Almost everyone here had heard that voice at at one point.
Bellamy's eyes widened, processing the voice of his sister. He quietly responded, "O?"
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Bellamy's point of view

I can't believe it. My sister is right behind this door.
The sister I haven't seen in six years.
The sister I've dreaded leaving behind every single day for the past six years. She is right behind this door.
"Bellamy!" Her voice cried. It sounded hoarse and dry, almost like she wasn't drinking enough.
"O, I need you to open the bunker door... I can't open it from out here!" I yell, a smile plastered onto my face.
Then, taking a step back, I watch the bunker door slowly open. Then, my eyes meet hers.
I freeze in my spot. I feel like I can't move. Just like a grinning child.
Luckily Octavia does the moving because before I can process anything, Octavia's body slams into mine. Tears well into my eyes as Octavia sobs into my shoulder, holding me tight.
I wrap my arms around her and hold her as close as possible.
"I've missed you so much," She sobs.
"I missed you too," I smile, tears flowing down my cheeks.
I look around, everyone watching in awe, and Clarke has the biggest smile on her face.
Octavia lets go of me, pulls away and places both of her hands on my cheeks.
"I love you big brother."
"I love you too," I grin.
Finally she lets me go and backs away to go hug everyone else. I look over to Clarke who is in a tight embrace with her sobbing mother. She looks over her mom's shoulder at me, a tear filled smile spread on her face.
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Clarke's point of view

I watched the two siblings as they were reunited after six years with a smile that refused to leave my face.
After Octavia had left the bunker, however, many others began to stream out one by one. I recognized most faces, except for children that must have been born inside of the bunker. I observed them as they emerged from underground, noticing with amusement that the very first action almost all of them did was squint or shield their eyes from the sunlight.
Suddenly, I felt a familiar pang as I laid eyes on the next person climbing up the stairs. I watched her as she stopped on the stairs, squinting at the sun - just like everyone else - turning her brown gaze towards the crowd of people, searching.
Her eyes landed on my tear-filled ones, and she let out a shaky breath of relief.
Desperate to get to me, she almost tripped in her haste to get up to the ground, running over to me with her arms open and an expression very similar to mine. I met her halfway, and we collided into a sob-filled embrace.
"Clarke," my name spilled from her lips in a whispery breath.
"Mom," I echoed.
In that moment, I glanced over at Bellamy, and our gazes met. My smile grew wider, as did his.
My mother pulled away to take my face in her hands, taking in my appearance with the adoration that a mother's eyes always held when looking at her child.
"I've missed you so much," she murmured, running her fingers through a strand of my short hair.
"I've missed you too, Mom," I sniffled, still recovering from our sobbing session.
Her eyes drifted past me as she dropped her hands, running them down my shoulders and arms to entwine my fingers with hers. Her expression turned interested, "Who's this?"
I followed her gaze to Madi, who had appeared by my side. She stood silent, staring up at my mother curiously. The little nightblood was overwhelmed by all of the new faces, I could tell from her tense posture.
I stepped away from Abby so the two could see each other better, smiling as I introduced them, "Oh, this is Madi," I turned to Madi, "Madi, this is my mother, Abby."
Abby bent over, propping her arms on her knees so she was closer to Madi's height. "It's nice to meet you, Madi," she smiled warmly.
Madi shyly returned the smile, "It's nice to meet you too, Abby."
Abby's brows furrowed as she studied Madi's features further. "Wait..." She trailed off, looking over to Bellamy through the crowd, who was currently greeting Nathan Miller. She looked up at me, raising an eyebrow quizzically.
I realized what she was silently asking (if Madi was mine and Bellamy's daughter, good Lord) and my eyes widened. I was quick to correct her, "Madi wasn't born on the Ring, Mom. We found each other a few years ago."
This made my mother stand up again, looking even more puzzled, "What do you mean, "you found each other"? How...?"
"I never made it onto the rocket."
Abby's first reaction was disbelief. She was too shocked to utter a sound, and so I went on to tell her about the dish that I had to realign, and my sacrifice to save my friends.
As I finished, she clapped her hand over her mouth as my words sunk in, "Oh my God." Her eyes filled with tears once again, and she wrapped her arms tightly around me.
"Hey, I'm okay, Mom. My nightblood saved me. It's in the past, anyways. It's all over with now," I comforted her quietly, stroking her hair as I would with Madi whenever she got upset.
"I can't imagine what you went through, honey. I'm so proud of you," she sniffled, pulling away and giving me a soft smile. "Your father would have been proud, too."
I smiled back at her, my heart swelling at the mention of my father.
As I took in the sight of my smiling mother, I started to notice something... off. The way that my mother's body looked frail, fragile. The paleness of her skin, which could be blamed on the lack of sunlight in the bunker, but I had my doubts. The tired gloss of her eyes. Her uneven breathing.
I was immediately concerned, "Mom, are you feeling okay?"
Her smile faltered for a split second, but I noticed. "I'm fine, Clarke."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, yes. Stop fussing over me; you're beginning to sound like Marcus. Speaking of which, where is he? Let's go find him, he'll want to see you again."
I swallowed my suspicion at the way my mother had quickly changed the subject, glancing back at Madi, "Come along, Madi. We're going to go see Marcus Kane."
Madi nodded and took my hand, not wanting to lose me in this crowd.
I turned back towards where my mother had disappeared in the mass of people, hurrying to catch up with her.