Fearless (Bellamy Blake - Book 1)

Chapter 6.

A few hours have passed since Finn, Clarke—which I learned is Blondie's actual name—and the others left for Mount Weather. Safe to say no one really knew what to do once they left.

There's no one in charge and no one giving orders, which is a first for us. Everyone is just...enjoying being on Earth, they're walking around and talking, laughing.

Wells is the only one in 'survivor mode', as he keeps circling the trees picking up fallen branches or logs, despite his limp. He has a good idea, since it'll soon be getting dark and a lot colder, but it seem no one else has clocked onto that fact. Or they just don't care.

Either way, I sit at the top of the drop ship and watch as Wells drops another pile of wood down.

"Find any water yet?" Murphy asks as he and John Mbege approach.

"No, not yet but..." Wells trails off when he sees it was Murphy asking, and looks at the side of the drop ship when he follows Mbege's not so subtle smirk towards it, "...I'm going back out if you wanna come."

I'm not sure what Murphy wrote, but whatever it is has young Jaha looking back at him very unimpressed.

"You know my father, he begged for mercy in the air lock chamber when your father floated him." Murphy's eye harden, but Wells just throws down one last piece of wood before shoving past the pair.

"You spelt 'die' wrong, geniuses."

I roll my eyes at Murphy's lame attempt at a threat, just as Bellamy walks towards them.

"If you're gonna kill someone its probably best not to announce it."

Murphy chuckles awkwardly, "You're not really a member of the guard, are you?"

"No. But the real guard will be here soon unless we stop it." He pauses and glances between them amusedly. "You don't actually think they're gonna forgive your crimes?"

I shift my position to listen better. Bellamy has a good point, this was exactly what I was thinking earlier. At least someone else here has a brain.

"Even if they do," He continues, "then what? Guys like us, we're gonna become model citizens now? Get jobs? If we're lucky, maybe we'll pick up their trash."

"You got a point?" Mbege demands.

"No, I got a question. They locked you up, dumped you down here like lab rats to die, so why're you helping them?"

"The hell we are." Mbege frowns whilst Murphy stays silent.

"You're wearing those bracelets aren't you?"

I look down at my own wristband, remembering what Clarke said about them. I also remember Finn trying to take his off with no luck.

"Right now, those things are telling them whether or not it's safe to come down."

"Okay—you said we could stop it." Murphy says, "How?"

"Take them off." Bellamy says simply with a shrug. "The Ark will think you're dead, that's it's not safe to follow. You follow?"

Even John Murphy should be able to follow that.

"Right." Murphy glances back at Mbege, "And if we do, I mean, what's in it for us?"

"Someone's gotta help me run things."

"Well then." I jump down from the roof of the drop ship, crouching my legs so they absorb most of the impact, when I straighten up I smirk at the three boys and hold up my wrist. "I guess I'll be the first test run."

"And here I was thinking you'd be against the idea." Bellamy's eyes flicker between me and the top of the drop ship.

"That was your first mistake, Blake. Thinking you know anything about me." I shake my head at him, "Because you don't."

He nods, "All right then."

He goes to leave but I stop him, "Same rules apply though. If I help you with this, I want in on running things around here."

"I don't really think--"

"There you are with the thinking thing again, didn't we talk about this?"

Bellamy narrows his eyes and I can tell I'm starting to agitate him. "You sure are a piece of work, aren't you?"

"That I am." I fold my arms across my chest with a proud smile. "And I won't even bother lying to you, whether you let me help you run things or not... I'll end up at the top anyway."

"How so?" He asks, intrigued and amused.

"You see all these kids out here? Five minutes ago they didn't even know your name, and if you had come aboard that drop ship without that jacket, they wouldn't even spare you a glance. But me? They know my name—every new kid that gets put in lock up learns my name on day one." I glance down at his empty wrists. "You wanna scare them with a threat that doesn't affect you, go ahead. See how far you get." I pause. "You need something that will actually scare them. You need me, Blake."

"She's right." Murphy shrugs when Bellamy gives him a look. "Reputation and loyalty spreads like wildfire, man. You've got none...Carter has ours."

Bellamy looks back at me and seems to have an internal debate with himself, and I shift to cock my hip.

"Remember, with or without you, I'll end up at the top."

Bellamy smirks, "Maybe we should be calling you Princess."

I scoff, "Princess? Bellamy Blake, I'm the fucking Queen."