Picking Up the Pieces

8. Death and Slow Dancing

As we arrive at the camp I heard a faint scream uttered in the distance. The others look unbothered but when I glance at Nick he looks unsettled as well. I catch his attention and nod in the direction of the sound. He just nods solemnly. I sneak off in the direction of the feminine voice I heard only moments before.

I'm running through the trees until I come to a clearing and see Clarke humming a lovely tune hovering over a... body? I look up from the charred and blistered body I've come to identify as Atom's and see a little girl and a vulnerable Bellamy. I walk up behind him and entwine my fingers in his. His head whips toward me as though I've snapped him out of a never-ending trance but then relaxes in realization that it's just me. He looks at me with eyes filled with sorrow and a sort of lifelessness but smiles a little. He then turns to his friend's lifeless body and his eyes glaze over. I squeeze his hand in reassurance and then speak.

"In life and death, the highs and lows, in love and hatred we shall remember. Remember to forgive the bad and remember to cherish the good. Remember to hold close the memories worth holding onto and release those of which were never worth your time in the first place. Atom, we will never forget to remember. Until we meet again." "Until we meet again." Clarke, Bellamy and the girl repeat after me.

I was never close with Atom. Hell, I didn't even know the guy's name until Octavia told me about her little butterfly excursion. But that doesn't mean he wasn't family. We are all a family now and it's damn time we realized it.

As we all wander back to camp, Bellamy and I still holding hands, I can't help but wonder what's going through his head. He and Atom were close, so I can understand that he'd be upset. I just wish he'd be more open and that there was a way I could help. I think the reality has just struck not only Bellamy but us all, that there will be death. It's inevitable. People will die and there is nothing we can do except try to extend our lifetimes by thriving on this planet.

When we get back to camp I can feel the eyes on Bellamy and myself, glancing at us in curiosity but the only thing I can worry about right now is him. He pulls away from me to talk to Octavia. He grabs her arm to stop her from discovering her dead boyfriend's body.

"O, just.. just stay." He tells her. She pulls away and discovers the deceased body of her first love. "O, there was nothing I could do." Bellamy tells her. She stays silent, examining his body. She then stands and Bellamy tries to hold her but she pulls away. "Don't." She tells him, tears welling in her eyes and storms off. "Octavia." I call after her but she's long gone.

Murphy stalks over to Bellamy and obviously strikes a nerve because within minutes Bellamy is shoving him and he looks as though he would gladly stab him over and over and over. "My what?!" He shouts in Murphy's face. "Your sister." He replies. "That's right, my sister. Anything else you wanna say about her?" He's silent for a moment but then says, "nothing. Sorry." Bellamys steps back and tells one of his guys to take Atom's body away. I then pull him away towards his tent to calm down and unwind.

"Hey, it's okay. It'll be okay." He doesn't look at me and remains silent. "Bellamy, baby, talk to me." He gives me a half smirk. "Baby? That's new, sweetheart." "I'm going to tell it like it is because right now, I think you need it. I know you're hurting and you're using you're cocky little facade as a defence mechanism. It's not going to work with me." He stands up and paces back and forth with a rather pissed expression.

"I can't deal... with this, with all of this bullshit! I never should've come down to this hell hole!" "You don't mean that. You came to protect your sister. Octavia? Remember her?" "She's been just fine without me." He spits, harsh venom dripping from every word. "That's horse shit and you know it." I tell him. "Oh yeah?" He laughs. "Sure doesn't seem like it." "She appreciates you and you know it." "What do you know about her anyway?" He asks. "Oh yeah, that's right, nothing." "There's a line Bellamy and you're very close to crossing it." "Oh shut up. Hop off your high horse, queen Jada. Quit acting like you're better than everybody else. Those kids out there? They don't need a mom, they need a leader." "Watch your tongue, shit head." "What would you be doing if I weren't here, hmm? Screwing some other bad boy authority figure with a screwed up past? Or just some other douche who happens to look your way?" "Okay, listen up, Blake. I don't have to sit here and be your punching bag. I came to console you over the loss of your dead friend, I don't have to take this, whatever this little masculinity show is. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to leave you without an audience."