In the wake of Mount Weather's demise, Arkadia struggles to survive. Jaha never discovered the city of light. Praimfaya never happened. Instead of trying to defeat A.L.I.E and prepare for another nuclear disaster, they're attempting to move forward...
"Every time I see your face, my heart takes off on a high speed chase." - Lifehouse
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Marina spent the rest of the day feverishly setting up her room. She grabbed any spare item she could get her hands on. From chairs to books to paper. It was much different than the room she had spent so much time fantasizing about. It wasn't clean or organized. It wasn't sparkly or colorful. It wasn't anywhere close to perfect, although, nothing was perfect the ground.
She heard someone clear their throat and jumped slightly before turning around to see Bellamy standing in the doorway. He was leaning against the doorframe, his right arm outstretched to hold the weight of his strong body.
"Kane told me that I might find you here," He stepped into the room, surveying as he walked over to her. "Looks nice."
"Thanks." She said blankly.
The room fell quiet as Marina went back to sorting the collection of books that she had placed on the metal table in the front of the room. She refused to look at him. Looking at him made it hard to breathe.
"I'm not a bad guy," His deep voice cut through the awkward silence. "I know you think I am, but I'm not."
Marina finally looked at him. His fingers were trailing down the map that she had hung up on the wall. She watched him examine it, as if he was trying to find something on it.
"I didn't say that." She said in a soft, shaky voice.
Bellamy pulled a chair over with his foot and sat backwards, crossing his arms and resting them on the head of the chair. It was an oddly attractive move.
"Let me put things in perspective for you. Octavia is the only family that I have left. I've never met my dad, and my mom's body got sent to drift through space until a black hole finally sucks her up. Shooting Jaha wasn't my first choice. Hell, it wasn't even my last choice, but it was my only choice. There was no way that I could let Octavia be sent on a death mission by herself. I didn't have control over what happened to my mom, but I knew that if I followed her down here, I would have control over what happened to her. I could keep her safe... I could keep her alive."
Marina had always played by the rules. She did whatever she was told to do. She never argued or did something different, so the mere thought of doing something as drastic as that was completely mind boggling. However, she had never been put in a situation where that was even an option she would have to contemplate. She didn't know how it felt to want nothing more than to keep her sibling safe. She didn't know how it felt to have to make such a rough decision, but she did know what it felt like to lose a parent, and knew all of the emotions that came with it. Despair, anger, desperation. All attributes that can make someone do crazy things in crazy situations.
Marina watched the painful memories play out across his face. A pang of sympathy shot through her chest and she immediately felt guilty for all of her previously negative thoughts. Maybe he wasn't the bad guy. Maybe he was just misunderstood.
"I never looked at it that way."
She closed the textbook that she had been aimlessly skimming through and put it back in the pile. Bellamy's face lit up at her words. It was as if no one had ever said that to him.
"Most people don't. They see me as a bad guy. They hear about the things that I've done and automatically jump to conclusions. It's hard living up to my reputation."
The last sentence really struck her. She knew exactly how it felt. Back on the Ark, she was known for being a prestigious student. All of her teachers would always tell her how smart and gifted she was. Her parents praised her for being so talented. Her friends envied her for always being able to pass whatever test was given to her. She liked being the smart girl, but sometimes it felt like an impossible feat. There was much pressure on her to be perfect, to be the impeccable person that everyone imagined her to be. It was exhausting sometimes.
"Well, I don't think you're a bad person. I think you're a great person actually."
Her voice was clear for the first time since they had met, and Bellamy had never heard a sound so beautiful. It was angelic and smooth and so incredibly lovely. She had the kind of voice that made him want to listen to her read anything and everything.
"I like to think I am too." He said with a slight chuckle as he stood up from the chair.
He placed it back into it's original position and walked over to Marina. She felt herself holding her breathe as he stopped in front of her.
"So, now that I read my life memoir to you, I think it's your turn."
"Oh is it? Says who?" She questioned, throwing him a playful glance.
"Me."
Such a powerful one liner. Marina raised her eyebrow and laughed
"I'll consider it."
"When you're ready, let me know. I'd love to hear it."
He winked before walking out the room, leaving a trail of lust and sensuality behind, causing Marina to nearly suffocate on her own nerves.
