Love & War

2199 Days

I stand on the rock, throwing spears into the river, catching fish. Once I have enough I head back to the village, our home. The last six years have been hard but they have also been good. I set the fish in a pot as I hear laughter behind me. I turn looking at her.

"Hello, Nomon." She smiles. I catch her as she runs up to me. I swing her around before stopping, looking at her. I know she is too old for this but I can't help it, she's my little girl. I kiss her cheek before setting her down.

"Wash up, time for supper." I say. I turn to make supper when she pulls on my arm. I look down at her.

"The berries are out."

"That's nice." I pull my arm out, going to the fish.

"Please, Nomon. You said last year there wasn't enough, but this year there is lots." I smile looking at her. 

"I promise to wash dishes for a week." 

"Two weeks." I say.

"Deal." She smiles running to the rover. I shake my head following her. We get to the field, picking berries. I look over at Madi, watching her pick the berries that look good. From the back her hair looks like his. Sometimes when I watch her she looks so much like him. The way she acts when she gets mad. Her posture, even though she's five, is his. The only thing she got from me is that she is stubborn and my eyes. 

She turns, a huge berry smile on her face. I walk over wiping the berry juice off. 

"I think we have enough. Let's cook supper and then look at the stars." She nods following me back to the rover. We get the supplies out. Once the fish I caught earlier is done, we eat and then go to the berries.

She sits behind me, smearing the berries in my hair. I can feel her determination. She is concentrating on making my hair red. Once she is done she sits in my lap as I dye her hair. She flips through my sketch book. 

I hadn't drawn since I was little but after the others left me I needed to draw again. Draw them so that I remembered them. She flips to a picture of Bellamy. I haven't told her much about him. She doesn't even know that he is her father. I've told her stories of us but not about him. I don't know why. I should, maybe when they come down I can tell her. She flips to the picture of Octavia, smoothing her hand over her face.

"Octavia was a fierce warrior, right Nomon?" She turns looking at me.

"Yes. She was. She won the conclave and saved everyone instead of just Skiakru." She looks back at the book.

"She'll get them out." I smile nodding. I finish with her hair. She lies on my lap, looking up. I look up at the stars.

"What about them? Do you think they'll come back too?" I look down to see her asleep. I look back up, thinking of him. 

Bellamy POV

I stare down at the earth, seeing the small green spot. I hear fighting behind me. I look to see Raven and Echo practicing again. She has been helping Raven get better. I look back out. I continue to watch when I hear Monty come in. 

"Speaking of green. How's Eden?" I look at him as I walk towards them, looking at the dot. 

"Still just a dot." I pass by Emori on the radio. "Emori, take a break." She takes off her headphones following me.

"I don't know why you waste your time. Atmosphere radiation blocks radio signals. They're down there, they just can't hear us." Raven says for the billionth time.

"We waste our time so they know there is a place they can live." I say.

"Ground radiation has been survivable for a year. They can live everywhere." I look down, not wanting to have this argument. We have it all the time.