undertow | bellamy blake (book one)

14 | i'm a murphy

Jovie rummaged through her tent to collect everything she would need for the trip. She bagged the portions of food she had managed to steal without anyone noticing (which was easy for her, considering she had done it her entire life on the Ark), her canteen of water, and a tent in case the fog decided to show up again. She threw on her black jacket and slid her throwing knives into the holster around her waist and the one on her thigh.

She knew what dangers she could be facing out in the woods, especially alone and especially at night, but she had to do this. It had been almost two days since her brother was banished from the camp. After her anger at him for what he had said to her dissolved, she realized there was no way she could just sit back at camp and hope he was okay. Yes, she knew what Murphy had done was wrong, but she never said he was the smartest or kindest. In fact, he was selfish and hardheaded, but she loved him despite his flaws.

She looked over and frowned at Octavia's empty cot next to hers. She hadn't seen her friend all day and was starting to get a bit worried, but for all she knew, she was off somewhere on camp, possibly rebelling against her brother or goofing around with Monty and Jasper. She hoped that was the case anyway.

She was using Raven's flares as a distraction so no one would notice her sneaking out. She knew Bellamy would never let her leave, especially if he knew what she was trying to do. She didn't want Octavia to try to come with her, so she was almost glad that she wasn't here to ask her what she was doing. The only person she trusted to keep this quiet was Finn, but he was too busy being with Clarke and Raven for her to tell him. So she went off without saying anything.

It was quiet as Jovie ran through the woods. She had no idea where she would even begin to look for Murphy, but she figured the best place to start would be near the cliff that the incident had occurred at. As she made her way through the darkness, she made sure to mark on her map the landmarks she was passing. Getting lost in these woods was the last thing she wanted to happen, and although she had gotten good at learning her way around, it was always a possibility.

When the blonde reached the cliff, she sighed. She figured it would be stupid of him to stay here, but there wasn't even a sign of which way he had gone. Jovie slid down onto the ground, leaning her back against a hard rock to catch her breath. She stared off into the emptiness that was the cliff's edge and thought about Charlotte. The girl was too naive for this world. It's what got her killed and it wasn't fair, but then again, nothing ever was. Jovie began to think maybe Charlotte jumping off that cliff was the better choice in the end. At least that way she wouldn't have to learn to fight and have to suffer in the world they were living in.

"May we meet again," Jovie whispered into the air before pushing herself to her feet. She searched around the ground, trying to find anything that indicated which way he could have gone. She had learned a few things from Finn, so she had an idea of what to look for. It was a few crushed flowers that ended up catching her attention. She followed the subtle trail through the woods, pausing every so often when the moon stopped peaking through the trees which made it hard to see.

She didn't know how long she had been walking for when she heard voices nearby. Jovie immediately pressed herself against a tree, slowly pulling out one of her knives. In the distance she could see a small herd of Grounders. They were speaking their language, so she didn't know what they were saying, but maybe they knew something about Murphy. Her feet were quick yet nimble as she followed them through the woods. She made sure to avoid stepping on any sticks and kept close to the trees, using them as cover. If they caught her she wasn't sure she would make it out alive.

She kept her distance as to not alarm them of her presence, but close enough so that she could observe them. These ones looked more deadly than the ones that she had seen at the village. They had tattoos adorning their bodies, dark clothes that clung tightly to their bodies, and their usual black paint smudged along their eyes. They were definitely intimidating, she would give them that. She watched the way they moved, how they held their weapons. She looked for strengths and weaknesses. The more she knew about them, the stronger she would be. She had already learned their style of fight, but each Grounder was slightly different.