Who We Are [Bellamy Blake]

Chapter 13

The minute that they were back at the camp, Aslan lurched off of his horse, having caught up to them quickly after going back to fire at whomever shot Athena. He grabbed her by the hip and helped her off of her horse. Landing on her right leg, Athena hopped a few times before steadying herself. She held onto Aslan, then leaned on him as he guided her somewhere that was relatively sanitary.

“We have to get that out.” Aslan said, his voice gruff as if to hide his worry.

“Why did you go back?” Athena asked, grimacing as she tried to walk.

“They shot you.” He stated.

“Do you... know which one it was?” She asked, hoping that Aslan didn’t hear her fretting. She worried that it was Bellamy who had shot her, but she could not confirm. If it had been, it meant that any possible trust there was between them was over, even though Athena had nothing to do with the incident at the bridge. She truly had hoped it would work, even though it was unlikely from the get go.

“The woman.” Aslan said.

“You killed her?” Athena didn’t know who the woman was, but she had seen her beside Bellamy and the other boy with a gun.

“No.” He shook his head, “Aimed for the other, Lincoln stepped in.”

“You shot at Octavia?” Athena saw Octavia as the most level headed of all the Sky People she had met so far.

“Yes.” He said, “Lincoln took the arrow.”

This was not going well, and Athena was almost glad that she had a bullet in her leg to distract her. As she lied on her side, her head propped up on her hand, she studied Aslan. His strong movements always suggested protection, but there was something about him that was missing, something Athena didn’t know she longed for just yet. That burning feeling in her chest when she saw Bellamy firing at her people came back, at a lesser degree, as Aslan began to pull the bullet from her leg. The old tools he was using were large, and they extended the size of the wound.

Once her wound was bound, she swung her leg over the concrete ledge she had been lying on. “I’m going.”

“Where?” Aslan asked, curious about why she would want to go anywhere at this hour. Night was coming, the darkness always a friend and a foe.

“For a walk, to clear my head.” She lied; never before had she lied to Aslan like this. He was the person that she told everything to; her thoughts, her worries.

“Rest your leg first.” He said, his brown eyes caressing her skin while his hands remained at his side. She could almost feel his touch, but it didn’t feel right. In that moment, Athena felt as though she were a child; she wanted to push past Aslan, the one person who would stand beside her and keep her head level in dire times, and disappear for a while. She really did want to clear her head, but she needed to know why the Sky People had fired first. What had inclined them to do so? Perhaps Anya had planned the backup to kill them on that bridge, and Athena was not told. She hated not knowing all angles.

Just like in a battle, she had to know who she was against, how many, their skill level, the territory, and with all that knowledge she tuned out everything else stirring in her head. Everything fades when life and death is dancing around, taunting. Athena shut her eyes and envisioned being back on the mountain, training and fighting for her life. It seemed so much simpler. Up there it was a hierarchy. Down here, there were politics and ethics that were being ignored.

“What has happened?” Aslan asked and Athena realized that he was sitting next to her.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve changed since you went to the Sky People.”

“I have not.” She growled, pushing herself off of the concrete bench and walking to the open door; the moonlight poured light upon the forest like a waterfall of luminescent gold. She glanced up at it and for a moment it was almost too bright. When her eyes adjusted, she remember what Bellamy had said, about living up where the moon was. When it was this full it seemed so large, so close, but she knew it was farther than she could ever imagine. They had come a long way to be here, on Earth, and they were going to be slaughtered. This was probably not what they expected.

Aslan gave her some space, a few minutes to breathe in the cool air, before he came and leaned against the concrete door frame. “Whoever it is, don’t get too attached.”

Athena breathed in through gritted teeth. “I am not attached to anyone.”

Aslan didn’t look hurt, even though he could feel that he had been included in that statement. But then again, he never showed anything. Athena had liked that about him; they both hid everything that didn’t need to be revealed, and it kept things perfect for them. They shared what they had to, emotions never bubbled up between them unless necessary.

A communal mutter filled the air and Athena glanced around; people were pointing to the sky, and she followed their index fingers, looking up at the familiar glow of light; a falling star. Reinforcements. Athena glanced down at the dirt, though everyone else was entranced by the glorified plummet of Sky People to Earth. Athena took this time to slip away from Aslan, Anya, and the rest. She ran, as well as she could with her muscle torn in her thigh, towards the bridge where the ‘truce’ had gone down. By the time she reached the bridge, the falling star was burning brighter and closer. She stopped to watch in complete awe as it hit the planet.

When a large, unmistakable explosion echoed through the mountain, Athena knew two things. The falling star with reinforcements (or whatever/whomever was in there) did not land safely, the people within probably burning as she stood there, watching as orange balls of fire flew up in the air in the distance. The second thing she had learned was that if the Mountain Men weren’t involved yet, they sure would be now. That thought sent a chill up Athena’s spine, but she had to continue.

She slowed once she had crossed the bridge; no one would follow her beyond the bridge, and she had to be more careful. The few Sky People who trusted Athena and various others of her kind, probably had a different opinion on them after the incident at the bridge. She had to make every step with a calculated thought. She left all her weapons tucked away, as if to show she was not a threat, but it also left her completely vulnerable.

She looked ahead to where she could see a faint glow from the Sky People camp; she had to speak to either Bellamy or Octavia, anyone else would demand her head. How she was going to get either of them, she did not have time to worry about, as she saw the front gates of their camp open, and a tall man slip out; Bellamy.

Full Bellamy chapter next chapter! Please vote and comment, you guys are awesome <3