Ready, Aim, Fire

Chapter Fourteen

The moment I made it back to Camp Jaha, I went straight to Engineering. Mom caught one sight of my hands and told me to head back to camp with Kane and the others. I reluctantly agreed, one because I'm exhausted and two because it's been a day and a half since I last talked to Bellamy.

I made my way through the halls, nodding to the few people still awake in the late hours of the night. I walk into the room, halfway glad that no one else was in here. I slump my way over to the radio and sit down at the stool still in the same position it was in when I left two days ago. I pick up the receiver, but my finger just hovers over the button. He could be asleep. I chew on the inside of my cheek. To hell with it.

"Bell?" I whisper into the radio, resting my head in my hand and my elbow on the bench.

"Carter?"

I breathe a sigh of relief. "I didn't wake you up did I?" I ask, keeping my voice low.

"No, I was already awake."

I sigh as I roll my eyes. "You should be sleeping." I mutter into the radio.

"Probably, but so should you, Princess."

I let out a small chuckle, closing my eyes.

"Yeah, probably."

"I'm glad you're okay." A small smile falls on my face.

"I told you I'd be fine."

I hear him sigh.

"When I found out that there were going to bomb Tondc, and I knew you were going to be there..." He trails off, and I feel my chin tremble. At least someone was worried about me being blown up. "I'm just glad got there in time to warn you." I purse my lips as tears spill from my closed eyes.

"Bell..." My voice cracks, and I try to cover it by clearing my throat, but Bellamy caught it.

"Carter, what is it?"

I open my eyes and look to the ceiling, blinking rapidly as I come to terms with what happened.

"She didn't warn anyone."

There's a long pause.

"What?"

I take a long breath.

"Clarke got to Tondc, walked right past everyone, right past me, and went straight to Lexa. She then convinced Clarke to just walk away and leave everyone behind, including me, Kane, Octavia and..."

"Wait, Octavia was there?" Bellamy interrupts, and my eyes go wide. Clarke and Raven didn't tell him?

"Ye-yeah, she was there for the war council as Indra's second." I say quickly, running a hand through my hair and bouncing my leg in anxiety. "Clarke didn't tell you?"

I hear a humorless laugh. "She said she was still at Camp Jaha." My anger with my sister flared to the highest it has ever been.

"She was willing to let all of us die, and she used you as an excuse." I say, slamming my hand on the table.

"What do you mean?"

Tears slip from my eyes. "She said that if the Mountain Men saw us leaving, then they would know that we knew about the missile and the only way that we could know about the missile would be if we had an inside man. She said she did it to keep you safe." I end up whispering the last part and laying my head down on the table.

Silence.

"I didn't ask her to do that, I didn't want..." He trails off, his own voice cracking.