Bygones

~{Chapter 24}~

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Flashback

"Don't touch the floor or you'll burn!", exclaimed Daniel.
I squealed as I jumped from couch to couch in our living room. He did a low growl and stood up on the tip of his toes on the edge of the couch.
"Oh no! Help me, prince! The lava is getting too hot!", he girlishly said as he laid down on the couch.
"I'm coming, princess! Don't you worry!", I confidently said.
In my hand was a fork, which was my sword, and I was fighting a mighty-fire-breathing-flesh-eat-imaginary-dragon.
"I'm coming, Princess! Don't worry!" I shouted over an imaginary dragon roar. Daniel let out a girlishly faint scream. Then suddenly there was a loud banging on the door. We froze immediately.
"Inspection," our mother said quietly. I got up, scared, and took Daniel's hand.
"Hey everything's going to be fine. Just a couple of seconds and they'll be gone," he knelt down. He looked ridiculous in my pink tutu. The banging continued.
"Inspection! Open up!", a muffled voice shouted.
"Go!", mother urged.
We went to the back of the kitchen; I unscrewed the vent as he took off the tutu. He climbed in and I re-screwed it.
"Sloan! Let's go," my dad came into the kitchen and picked me up.

"Lane," a commander nodded at my dad as we walked in.
I burrowed my head in the nook of my dad's neck.
"Nyko", the vibration of my father's deep, yet comforting voice tingled my frail body.
A few men went around our cubical and checked as my mom, dad, and Nyko chatted. I peeked over my dad's shoulder and saw a guard looking in the kitchen near the vent. I tighten my grip on my dad's shirt, but quickly released it when Nyko mentioned me.
"How old is she?"
I was set down on the couch between my mom and dad.
"...Six", I looked down and fiddled with the hem of my shirt.
"Kids these days, growing up so fast and we barely get to see them do it!" Nyko chuckled.
One of the guards came to us and reported that everything was clear. As soon as they left, I ran to the kitchen and peered through the vent.
I whispered loudly, "Daniel?"
No answer.
I opened it and climbed in. My body knew these vents so well that it took me directly my hide out spot. He was just lying there on his stomach playing with something.
"I thought something happened!" I whisper-yelled as soon as I saw him.
"Oh hey, it was taking a long time so I thought I'd kill sometime time here."
I sat myself next to him and let out a big sigh.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing... I just don't like those people..."
"They won't do anything to you. Dad wouldn't let them. And neither would I."
"Thanks," I looked down at my lap and smiled. "They're gone by the way... Why does it take so long now?"
His facial expression changed slightly, as if he knew something that I didn't, but I caught it.
"Maybe something happened. I overheard dad talking about it with Commander Nyko a few days back. Nothing serious." He got up and crawled past me. "Lets go back."
Hesitating for a few second, I thought about how much longer I could take this. Seeing Daniel hurt, but him not admitting it, I mean.

Flashback ends

"How does it feel?" Bellamy asked me.
"Fine. The nausea is just starting to kick in, but it's tolerable."
I was laying on one of the stretchers in the medical tent. This medical tent was different. It wasn't in our old camp or the one we moved to. The Ark came down a few months ago and we recently got reunited with the survivors. Dr. Griffin walked in with a cherish look on her face.
"Good news, you seem in good condition. Healthy enough to sustain this baby... Your mother would be proud."
"Thank you, Dr. Griffin."
"Abby. Just Abby," she helped me off the stretcher, "No strenuous activities from now on, yes?"
"Will do," I reassured her.
She said to Bellamy, "If she tries to do anything, you're in charge of monitoring her. She's like her mother."
She winked at me.

"Abby and your mom..." Bellamy started as we were walking back to our meeting tent.
"My mom and her were good friends once. They worked together in the medical field; Abby was my mom's apprentice at the time."
"Once, huh."
"After she had me, things changed..."
He sensed my tone and stopped asking me questions about it. Talking about our families wasn't so easy for the both of us.

"So? When's the bun in the oven ready?" Raven asked as we entered.
"Don't know just yet. I still have one more check up."
"Hey, why so gray?", Finn leaned against a main post holding up the tent.
I avoided his question because it was about the necklace and the print on it.
I cleared my throat, "What's new? I fixed up the vectors you ask me for, Bel. Raven has the a layout for the signal tower."
"I have most of the material gathered up for it so we should be able to start working on it. The sooner the better." Clarke said.
"Alright then, let's go." Bellamy swung his gun on his shoulder and went out. The rest of us followed.

"Alright," Raven said as she screwed on the last bolt on the base. She called to me, "How's the panel parts?"
"Not so good. The parts are tin, they're too weak, but I can get some iron one's in the bunker."
I started to walk towards the back; Raven caught up.
"Hey", she breathed out, "What's going on with you?"
"Going on with what?"
"Exactly. You're starting to push people away. And every time we mention how you feel or about that necklace, you change the subject."
We got to the back bunker and I started to rummage through the scrap pile.
"I don't mean to push everyone away. I'm just... used to, you know, being alone."
"But your not anymore," she was more gentle now, "Who's necklace is that, Sloan?"
I didn't answer. I was... afraid to. Scared that if the name slipped from my tongue, the person would appear in front of me. And I wasn't ready to face him.

Flashback
"Enough! I am sick of you treating him like this!", I shouted at my dad, "Nothing he does meets your satisfaction."
"Do not talk to me like that young lady!"
He stood up angrily from the dining room chair. I couldn't bare standing in the same room as him anymore. He just watched as I gathered a first aid kit. I then crawled into the vents and went to my hide out spot from when I was younger.
"Hey," I whispered softly to Daniel lying there.
"You didn't have to, you know."
"Shut up and let me have a look at you," I smiled, "What are sisters for?"
"Wow, since when did you become so brave. Ow!" he winced.
"Hold still," I dabbed his bleeding lip with a wet cloth. "How far can you turn your neck?"
He turned it slightly, "Not very much."
I clicked open a flash light from the kit and shone it on his bruised neck. It was swollen and black.
"You should be fine if you ice it for about twenty minutes. Then rest for ten and ice it again. Don't put any pressure on it and try staying laid down.
He just looked at me with awe.
"What? I've been spending a lot of time with mom in the clinic."
"Who are you?" he laughed. "The last time I remembered someone who hated being around people and always came up here to spend her free times even though she barley fits in here anymore."
We both laughed.
"Let's just say I have two awesome best friends," ,I pulled out a small box from my pocket, " I got you something."
"Aw, there you go again with surprising me."
"Open it."
He shook the box first and then opened it. He then held up a necklace.
"Dang... You made this?"
I nodded, "It's an elephant."
"Just curious, why elephant?" he put it around his neck.
"Remember when we were younger, we learned about Earth animals? Elephants were always nurturing and always stuck together as family," I said keeping my voice from cracking, "Anyways. Happy Birthday, Dan."
"Come here," he held out his arms and we hugged.
"I promise that he'll never hurt you like this again."
"Hey," he ruffled my hair like he used to when we were little, "Don't sweat it."
But I did. Even though he was my older brother, I still felt responsible. Like I owed him.

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