Queen ♔ Flarke ❷ {Wattys2015}

Chapter 5: Raven

Chapter 5: Raven

A thick snow coats the ground and I hear the strangely satisfying crunch of the frosted leaves under my feet. I'm pretty sure this is where he told me to meet him. I don't know his name yet, so I'll just call him "he" or "him" for now.

I can clearly remember meeting him, let's hope he recognises me. I would recognise him in a heartbeat, the swishy, black hair that bounces ever so slightly on his forehead as he walks, his dull brown eyes that glance around his surroundings, his fast pace.

And the way he stares at me. Right now.

"Hello." His usual greeting. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Not really. I still don't understand why you wanted to see me again." His eyes are still fixed on me, like he's concentrating on something important or interesting. Am I interesting?

"So we can get to know each other. A brief encounter in the woods doesn't really give away much, does it?" He smirks playfully.

"It revealled one thing, and that is that you're a grounder, isn't it?"

His smirk is wiped off his face. "Aren't you?"

"No, I'm with the hundred. I thought you knew that."

"I thought you were from another tribe."

"The last tribe that was here have most likely been killed off, unless it's still here and you're working for Anya."

"I don't know any "Anya"s."

I feel my insides shift. "So, you're an entirely different tribe? You're new here?"

"Yeah." He shrugs it off like it's nothing.

I pace towards him and grab his collar, clearly startling him. "Where's your base? Where'd you come from?"

"Whoa, we're just getting to know each other right now, I think it's a little to early for plotting death." He laughs nervously.

I loosen my grip a little, but still holding on to him tight enough so he can't get away. But, if his tribe is the only tribe here, and Malcolm was shot with a grounder arrow... Then...

"You! You killed Malcolm!" I leap onto him, both of us falling on top of each other. "We couldn't even save him!"

"That's the point of it!" He raises his voice.

"So you admit to shooting the arrow?"

"I didn't, but someone from our tribe did."

I get up quickly and grab him just below the shoulder. I immediately notice the muscles in his arm moving as I pull him up forcefully. He could break my neck in a fraction of a second.

"Where are you taking me?" he asks.

"Back to camp." I start moving quickly through the forest.

He swiftly swings his arm out of my grasp. "What's in it for me?"

"Torture." I reach for him but he pulls back further.

"Torture?"

"That's most likely." We've stopped walking now. "When they find out what you've done."

"You're telling them?" I can see the innocence in his eyes, the same kind of innocence you see in a child. Coming to think about it, he looks like a teenager, about seventeen, maybe eighteen years old at the most. He looks harmless for a moment until he stands up straighter and clenches his fists. "I mean, I don't care if you do."

"Fine, your choice." I try to pull him again but his feet stay planted on the ground.

"What will they do to me?"

"Well, last time a grounder hurt one of us I electrocuted him." I smile teasingly.

"You electrocuted him? Why?"

"He stabbed Finn, my ex, but at that time I really cared about him."

"Right. Anyway, why are you even taking me to your camp? It's not like they would have any interest in me."

"Oh, I'm sure Bellamy will have an interest in finding out why you guys killed Malcolm."

***

Oh God. What have I done? I can hear his pained screams behind the door of the drop ship; I shouldn't have taken him to Bellamy. I should have left him in the woods where he belongs.

"Please. Stop," he begs, resulting in what I assume is a punch in the stomach from Bell.

"Not until you give me answers," Bellamy growls.

"I'll do anything."

"We'll start with your name. Track you down to your tribe."

"Sure."

"What is it then?" Another blow.

"Z-Zak," he stutters. "My name's Zak."

Well, Zak, how things are going to change for you."

I hear one more pained scream, and then silence.