WILD HEART • COMMANDER LEXA [1]

xiv. OBLITERATED

Erica was pacing the lab, awaiting any kind of news from Bellamy. She was driving herself crazy, she had barely slept or eaten in days.

Lexa had assigned her a guard, Kol, to watch over her, who stood patiently by the door.

"You don't have to do this, Kol. Tell your Commander that nobody's going to hurt me here." Erica stretched her arms out and leaned on Raven's desk. She was stressed, she was on edge.

"Maybe it's not them she's worried about," He countered, standing firm in his position.

Erica let out a dry chuckle. "I wasn't planning on hurting anybody else, either,"

"We are allies now," Kol began. "This means it is the Commander's duty to protect you, as it is yours to protect her."

"I will," Erica hopped up to sit on the desk, criss crossing her legs and motioning for him to come sit in the chair in front of her. "Come, sit. If we are to be together all day, every day, we must get to know each other."

Kol was a large man, he had dark skin and long dreads, which had been pulled back into messy braids. He seemed to be older than Erica, but younger than her father. His features were sharp, and he had menacing warpaint covering them. Behind this warpaint, though, were kind eyes. Dark, warm eyes that gave Erica hope that she and this man might get along.

He reluctantly came over, sitting in front of her as she examined his appearance.

Erica grabbed a scrap piece of paper, a pencil and a stray book from the desk's surface, placing them on her knee. "So, tell me about yourself." Erica began scribbling lines on her page, glancing up at him now and then.

He hesitated, as if no one had ever asked him this before, then began to speak. "I am Kol. I am one of the Commander's guards, proud to be Trikru."

"I know all of these things," Erica looked up from her drawing. "Tell me something I don't know. I'll go first. In my free time, I like to draw and explore the forest. Your turn, what do you like to do?"

"Serving my Commander is my life, Erika kom Skaikru. It is my duty, and I am proud to live and die for her for the rest of my life." His posture had relaxed, he was becoming more comfortable around her.

Erica smiled softly at this, continuing her drawing. "That's very noble of you, Kol, but you need some hobbies. I'll help you find at least one good one, that's all you need."

Raven burst into the lab, and Kol immediately jumped to his feet, back to his stoic, expressionless self and returning to his original position.

"It's okay, Kol, it's just Raven." Erica smiled and stood up, placing her drawing on the desk. "Hi,
Raven. This is my new friend, Kol."

"Yeah, he seems so friendly." Raven looked at him cautiously, approaching the desk, standing as far away from Kol as possible. "Have you heard anything from Bellamy?"

"Not yet, but it isn't time yet, is it?"

"It will be pretty soon," Raven looked up from the radio to her friends face. Erica's eyes were sunken in, she had dark circles underneath them, and she looked paler than usual. "You need to eat, or sleep, or both."