WILD HEART • COMMANDER LEXA [1]

ii. DISCORDANCE

Erica was sitting on the bunk above where Fox had slept the night before when she heard a chorus of cheers from around her.

Erica jumped off of her bunk and looked around for a moment, trying to see what the commotion was about.

"Hey, Pretty Lady!" A voice called from behind her, and Erica turned to her friend Nate Miller looking her up and down, his arms open for a hug. "Miller!" She tackled him, making him stumble backwards.

Erica and Nate had gotten very close during their time on Earth. He had initially be apart of Bellamy's crew, and developed a soft spot for Erica when Bellamy appointed him to watch over her.

Soon after, they became great friends, and they told each other everything.

Fox had moved to the opposite side of the room, so Miller had claimed the bunk underneath Erica's. He had climbed up to her bed and the two were sitting quietly, whispering about their situation.

"I don't know what we should do," Erica confessed. "We're safe here. Everyone is clothed and fed, but we have people on the outside still. They deserve to be taken care of too,"

"We'll figure it out, together."

Erica took a deep breath. "I just want them to be okay,"

"They will be. We've survived everything up until this moment, we can survive a lot more,"

After several moments of silence, the boy spoke again. "He still cares about you, you know." Miller blurted out, changing the subject entirely. A small smile came to Erica's lips and she looked up at him from where she'd been sketching a flower on the notebook Wallace had given her. She knew exactly who Miller was referring to, but she didn't really want to have this conversation with him. "I know. I still care about him too. I always will." She replied absentmindedly, smudging a few of the lines on her paper with her finger to soften them.

"That's not how I meant it and you know it." He smirked, taking her pencil from her hand so she could focus.

Erica let out a shaky breath and looked up at him. "Do you think he's okay? Do you think any of them are? I mean, I know that they're strong and stuff. And I know that Octavia and Lincoln left for the east, but, what if they're de-"

"They're not." He cut her off. "Lincoln would die to protect Octavia, and Bellamy and Finn are strong enough to protect the others. Raven's a fighter. It'll all be okay."

Miller twirled the pencil around in his hand for a minute before finally returning it to his friend. "I know, I'm just worrying."

"I know," The boy let out a chuckle. "It's what you do best."

"He's right." Harper interjected from the bunk next to them, joining the conversation as she clambered up the ladder. "You're the mom friend." She laughed, only to receive a pillow to the face, courtesy of Erica.

"I am so not the mom friend." She scoffed, trying to hide her laugh.

"You are! You're the mom friend, Bellamy is the dad friend, Octavia is the rebellious daughter friend, Clarke is the smart daughter friend, Finn is like the older brother who judges everyone, Monty and Jasper are like the twins who are always in trouble, Raven is like the cool aunt, and the rest of us are normal." Miller told them, trying to hold back his laughter. "We're a family. That's just how it is."