Esperança 》B. Blake

1.09

[C H A P T E R  N I N E]
Toleration Explanation

☆☆☆

BUILDING THE TENT WITH NATHAN didn't completely fix Roseline's frustration, but it did help a lot. It allowed her to take her mind off of things and laugh at the stupid jokes that Nathan would make to cheer her up. It was even more satisfying when she set all her little knick-knacks on a table she made next to her makeshift bed. Nathan thought it was odd that she had random household objects on display, but she didn't really care what he thought. She knew that each thing had its importance to the human race a hundred years ago, and she didn't want to forget that by discarding them.

"Thanks for helping me," Roseline grinned at Nathan, her hands on her hips. The boy chuckled.

"Anytime. But now I gotta go. I saw Sterling over there almost cut his finger off with the knife I gave him." He waved before jogging off to Sterling and his terrible coordination. Roseline sighed, still admiring the tent. It was a little sideways, and if she didn't secure the flap, the door would fly in the wind, revealing everything inside. Otherwise, the girl loved it. She wanted to show it off to someone, but hearing Jasper moan in pain made her realize that there were more urgent matters to attend to. 

Going up to the third level, Roseline was greeted with the foul smell of sweat, dirt, and something else that she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Monty was in the corner fiddling with broken wristbands and a control panel while Octavia had a wet rag pressed against Jasper's forehead. 

"Hey," Roseline smiled through the odor. "Do you guys need any help or something?"

Octavia glanced around, checking to see what they could need. "Um, yeah. Could you get some water for Jasper? The cup is over there." She nodded her head to the shelf by Monty's head. Roseline gave a thumbs up and grabbed the cup.

"Okay, be right back!" she grinned as she descended down to the bottom level. 

The tent with the water inside was quiet and empty. In the middle was a large basin that someone had filled with water from the river. The girl then wondered if the water had any remains of the monster snake. Shuttering, Roseline dipped the cup into the basin. She was about to leave when screams came from the campers outside. Roseline froze in her spot as she heard people crying out in pain.

"Get inside!" someone shouted. Roseline panicked, her thoughts going straight to Grounders. Were they attacking? Oh, God. I don't wanna die in the snake water tent. 

Suddenly, a yellow fog began to seep underneath the tent, breaking Roseline's frozen trance. It reached her lungs and skin, causing her to cough violently while itching her hands. The stench of sulfur burned her nose as she struggled to catch her breath. With Jasper's water still in her hand, she dashed out of the tent only to be met with more of the burning fog. She shielded her eyes and made a break for the drop-ship where people were frantically trying to get inside. 

Reaching the end of the drop-ship door, her foot missed the ledge, and the girl crashed onto the metal door. The cup rolled away into the dense fog that was coming in more thick with every passing second. She tried to get up, but a coughing fit came and she couldn't seem to find her balance. 

"Son of a bitch," a male voice said. In the blink of an eye, a hand grabbed onto her jacket and pulled her to the safety of the drop-ship where everyone was fumbling to get the door closed. As the natural light died out, Roseline adjusted her watery eyes to see who had saved her. Her face fell pale as she saw the angry eyes of Murphy glaring daggers into her. Coughing some more, Roseline wobbled to her feet and made eye contact with Murphy again.