little phoenix rising

chapter four

Cassie watched as the Octavia, Clarke, Jasper, Monty and Finn all left the camp without her. Bellamy watched them too, his eyes following Octavia. He turned back and met Cassie's stare, but she looked away and returned to sharpening the stick in her hands with a piece of shrapnel.

She understood why Bellamy had wanted her to stay. He didn't want to worry about both her and Tavia, but she didn't need him to be protecting her all the time. She was perfectly capable of doing that herself, after all, she was the one who had taught him the basics of self-defence. Her father had been the one she had relied on, the one who had been there through everything, who had taught her to shoot, to protect herself and how to make a weapon out of anything she could find. He and Bellamy had been similar, he was always overprotective of his little girl and as much as she didn't like to admit it, she loved Bellamy for that. When her father had been floated soon after her mother, she had been distraught and on the verge of emotionless, but Bellamy and Octavia were the ones who brought her out of it. They had been there for her when no one else was and she was eternally grateful. They were her family now and she'd do anything for them.

She had been so far in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed that she'd sculpted the base of a bow out of the large stick she had found. Now all she had to do was find some sturdy string. She let out a low breath to calm herself down and stood up from her rock, leaving the handmade bow leaning against it.

Walking around the camp, she was surrounded by all kinds of criminals. Some were in for petty theft and others she had no idea, but had no intention of finding out. She recognised a few familiar faces within the sea from when she wasn't locked up, but she wasn't that close with any of them. She trudged past them, trying her best to avoid any kind of conversation, or worse, Bellamy. The dropship sat a few feet away and she was sure she'd find something useful in there. She was wrong. Bellamy's back was turned to her, fiddling with something she couldn't quite see. As quietly as she could, she tip-toed to the other side of the ship, avoiding anything that would alert Bellamy to her presence. She kicked a can and it went rolling along the floor. Her eyes followed it as it rolled, and stopped right at Bellamy's foot. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice. She turned back to the side of the ship and her eyes narrowed in on a band of nylon rope. She started towards it when a voice stopped her mid tracks.

"You know, if you don't want to talk you could've just said so instead of trying to creep around."

Cassie cursed and glanced over her shoulder to see Bellamy leaning against a table and staring straight at her, the can in his hands.

"Fine, I don't want to talk." She grabbed the nylon rope and started out the door, but in two large paces, Bellamy was in front of her, blocking her only exit.

"Are you mad at me for not letting you go?" He asked, his broad chest preventing her from leaving.

"Not everything is about you Bell." She sighed, trying to push him out of the way. He refused to budge and shrugged off her comment. His hands wrapped around her shoulders and kept her still.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes gleaming in the soft light shining through the doorway. Cassie stared up at him, tears starting to form in her eyes. This was her best friend, her childhood. She couldn't hide anything from him, even if she wanted to. He sat her down on one of the seats and knelt in front of her, his eyes still locked on her face. He could be an ass when he wanted to but he was also one of the most caring, sweetest people she knew.

"I'm fine, Bell. I was just thinking about my parents." She replied, wiping away the rogue tear from her cheek. Bellamy's gaze fell and he sat on the ground between her legs, a deep exhale leaving his body. His back leant against the chair and Cassie's hands draped over his shoulders. Bell shrugged her off, but still sat there, so close she could feel his chest rising and falling against her legs.

"When you were locked up, did you blame me for it?" His voice was soft, so low she could barely hear him.

"I'm the one who attacked that guard Bell, it was never your fault." Cassie replied, her hands returning to his shoulders. He didn't shrug her off this time as she rested her chin on his shoulder, her arms linking over his chest. He took her hands in his own and smiled lightly. This is what she missed, just being able to relax with Bell before everything went to hell. She missed the fun they used to have.

"I missed this." Bell murmured.

"Me too."

"Do you think we can go back to how we used to be?" He asked as he played with her fingers.

"I think it will be different, but it'll still be us. You're still my best friend Bell and I love you." Cassie kissed the top of his head lightly and intertwined her fingers with his.

"I love you too, Cas."

The light was starting to fade when Cassie lifted her head from Bell's shoulder. He had fallen asleep between her legs with her arms still wrapped around him. Slowly, she took her hands away and stretched, lifting her arms up and rolling her neck. Her dark blue tank rode up her waist as she stretched, but she couldn't be bothered pulling it down. Bellamy shifted in front of her and it wasn't until she put her arms down that she realised he was awake and watching her. Her jacket lay on the chair beside her and she moved to pick it up. Bellamy rose to his feet and held a hand out for her, a small smile on his face. She took it gratefully and he helped her up, pulling her close to his chest. His strong arms wrapped around her and he gently kissed her forehead as grinned. She slipped on her jacket as Bellamy pulled her shirt back down for her.

"Come on Angel, better go see if they've killed each other yet." Bellamy chuckled as he took Cassie's hand and led her outside.