Mortality

༄Flares༄ ***

{ s e v e n }

♛ ❦༄

"We need to launch those flares ASAP if we have any hope of saving those people. Finn, get the control panel to camp. You, pull out those fire circuits in one piece or they won't work. Clarke, can I have a hand?" Raven marches around the pod, taking charge. Clarke and I share a glance before she goes to see what she needs help with. Finn passes me on his way to camp. He looks as if he wants to say something, but I ignore him. I walk over to Jasper, who's sorting through some buts and bolts like Raven told him to do.

"Can I help?" I ask, sitting beside him. He splits the pile, nodding.

"Just put the ones that look like this in this pile and vice versa," he explains. I nod, getting to work. We sort in comfortable silence. I think about how my parents are running out of air and may not come down because Bellamy is an idiot. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, why?" I lie. He pulls the last bolts from my hands, sorts them quickly, and then turns to me.

"You're uncharacteristically quiet." I shrug, staring at the ground.

"Just tired, I guess."

"It's not just that," he insists. "Is it your parents?" I settle for a nod, not trusting my voice. "I'm sorry. But hey, we'll get those flares up in time, and then you'll see them when they come down." I smile softly at him.

"Thanks, Jasper. I appreciate it." I stand, dusting myself off before holding a hand out to help him up. "We done?" He takes it, and I hoist him up.

"Yep. You carry the red ones and I'll carry the gold." I pick up the handfuls of red bolts and start walking back toward camp. Jasper walks beside me, nudging me playfully. I giggle, doing the same to him. "Hey, Everlyn?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." I look up at him in confusion.

"For what?"

"Keeping me alive."

"Well, you don't make it easy, do you?" I tease. Jasper chuckles and shrugs.

"Still, thank you." I smile up at him.

"You'd do the same for me."

"That I would," he affirms. We reach camp and set the bolts on the table in the dropship where Raven has all the parts to make the metal braces for the rockets. I look out at all of the delinquents working together to save the people they didn't care about a mere few days ago in awe.

"You know, maybe we have a chance."

"What do you mean?" Jasper asks, joining me in watching them all work.

"I thought that all of the unrest and distrust floating around camp would kill us all before the rest of the Ark got down here. But looking at them now, we have a chance. We have a chance to survive." Jasper wraps an arm over my shoulder and squeezes.

♛ ❦༄

"Light 'em up!" Raven shouts. We all stand around as a few kids light the flares up. We watch them take off and make their way into the sky.

"I hope we aren't too late," I whisper to no one in particular.

"You think they can see it from up there?" Bellamy asks, not looking away from the sky.

"I don't know. I hope so."

"Can you wish on this kind of shooting star?" Clarke asks Bellamy and me. Bellamy gives her a weird look. "Forget it."