Radioactive

Chapter Nine

I wake up, trying to hold in the screams caused by yet another nightmare as tears pour down my face. The once empty third level of the dropship is now about halfway full of sleeping delinquents. I throw the blanket off of me and stand up, trying to be as quiet as possible. I make my way to the ladder, studying the faces of the sleeping teens, looking for Finn. I sigh as I climb down and start looking for him in in the pile of sleeping people on the second level, not seeing hi there either. I climb the rest of the way down the ladder to the first level and walk outside. I let out an involuntary shiver as the cold air surrounds me and am shocked that there are people up this early. I scan their faces, still looking for Finn, and sigh as I don't see him. I sit down in front of one of the dying fires, quickly throwing another log in it to help it continue to burn, and sit down on one of the logs surrounding the fire, letting the cold dampness seep through my body. I let out another shiver as I look up at the sky.

It was already beginning to lighten, signaling it was almost dawn. I take in the silence as only a few people are up and awake. Still gazing up at the sky, I see a shooting star. I smile as I remember Finn telling me that if you wish on a shooting star, it will come true. As my eyes focus on the star, it looks less like a rock burning up in Earth's atmosphere and more like something hurtling to the ground. There's a slight whistling noise as it plummets to the ground and a loud thud. That was definitely metal hitting dirt. I quickly stand up as people come out of the dropship to see what woke them up. I run over to Octavia as she stands just outside of Bellamy's tent. "Bellamy, get out here." She yells but doesn't go in.

I whip open the flap to go in, but Bellamy is already coming out and joins me and his sister. Without a shirt on. And man is it hard to remember why I came over here in the first place. I try to keep my eyes off of his bare torso and on his face as I also try to contain a blush.

I move out of the way so he could leave his tent, and he stands next to Octavia and faces me. "They're coming to help us." Someone says. "Now we can kick some Grounder ass." Another someone says and is met with cheers and laughter. "Please tell me they brought down some shampoo." The voice of the girl makes me turn away from Bellamy and look at her. She has nothing on except for a blanket wrapped around her chest and same for the girl just now ducking out of Bellamy's tent. Something twinges inside of me, but I choose to ignore it and roll my eyes at the girl. "Screw the shampoo, I want food." I say, looking back to Bellamy. "Which we really need along with weapons and warmer clothes." I cast a look to Octavia as she stands next to him, shivering slightly as she pulls her jacket around her tighter. "Wanna come with me to check it out?" I ask the younger Blake who immediately smiles and nods her head excitedly. "No." Bellamy says and walks back into his tent. Octavia and I share a weird look with each other and I raise my eyebrows as Bellamy comes back out of his tent, now fully clothed, and walks towards what I like to call "the command tent." It's the tent that has nothing but a three-dimensional map made of sticks and metal and such on a table in the center of it.

I quickly follow after Bellamy and duck into the tent after another guy who follows Bellamy in. "Bellamy, we need whatever is in that pod." I say just as Octavia ducks into the tent. Bellamy and the guy are looking at the map. "If it cleared the ridge, it's probably by the lake." The guy says to Bellamy, who has his arms crossed and is completely ignoring me. "We should get moving, everyone's ready." Octavia says, standing next to me now. "No one's going anywhere." He says, his voice firm, but has a small wavier in it. I narrow my eyes at the older Blake, he's hiding something. "Not while it's dark. It isn't safe." He says, avoiding eye contact with the three of us in the tent with him. "We'll head out at first light. Pass the word." He says to the guy, who nods and hesitantly leaves the Blakes and I alone in the tent. "Bellamy," I start, but he just tries to walk out of the tent but stops when Octavia steps out in front of him. "Everyone for a hundred miles saw this thing come down. What if the Grounders get to it first?" She asks, voicing her confusion, and mine as well, to her brother. "Bell, we should go now." She finishes, but Bellamy looks past her and at me. "I said we wait until sunrise." He says, brushing past Octavia and giving me a pointed look as he walks out of the tent. I give Octavia another 'what-the-hell' look. "I know you love your brother, but something is wrong with him." I say as she goes to leave the tent. "Trust me, I know." She says and walks out, me trailing behind her.