from the ashes (she will rise) ➸ octaven

chapter 19

And so, the last few weeks of their senior year drag on.

Clarke was right. Indra falls for the summer camp excuse, and their plan carries on without a hitch. It's nice to have something to look forward to, Octavia thinks. She's been feeling increasingly restless lately.

Raven tries not to bring up her dad, knowing it's an awkward topic for everyone involved. No one knows what to say in response. And although Octavia knows it's still on her mind, she's aware that if she pushes the topic, Raven will only distance herself.

But things are good for the most part, that is, until one Monday afternoon when Octavia doesn't meet them in the parking lot for lunch. Raven tries calling the house, but there's no answer. Clarke shrugs it off, though, convinced that she just went home sick. But that doesn't stop Raven from worrying. She's reminded of the time when Octavia drove off with Bellamy, nearly disappearing without a trace. She eventually found her way home, but Raven's always worried she may not return back one day.

Clarke's been serving detention all week after being caught skipping class, leaving Raven and Lexa to walk home on their own. It's a good day for Raven's leg, and even Lexa finds herself struggling to keep up with her.

"What's the rush?" Lexa jogs up beside the girl. "It's a beautiful day."

"I'm just walking," Raven half glares at her, but it's enough to make Lexa quickly realize what's going on.

"You're worrying over nothing," she notes, hopping over a crack in the sidewalk. "Clarke said she probably just went home sick."

"Clarke doesn't know Octavia like I do," Raven quips back, a bit too fast. She quickly curses herself when she sees the knowing smile form on Lexa's face. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" Lexa tilts her head, feigning innocence. Raven just glares at her.

"I haven't said anything, if that's what you're worried about," Lexa continues, bending down to pluck a dandelion from someone's yard. "I mean, it's pretty obvious from the way you look at each other," she rambles as if she's talking to herself, twirling the flower between her fingers and then tucking it behind her ear. "You're lucky Clarke isn't the best at picking up social cues."

Raven doesn't respond, mostly because she's afraid to say something that confirms Lexa's suspicions. However, her silence speaks for itself, and Lexa just hums softly.

When they make it back to the home, Lexa steps aside and lets Raven go first. The girl does her best to ignore the cheeky smile on Lexa's face, but she can't hide her urgency as she crosses the yard and quickly digs her keys out of her backpack.

The minute the door opens, Raven skids to a stop. Lexa hurries up to peer over her shoulder. And sure enough, there sits Octavia, slumped over on the couch. Her hair is a mess, half tugged out of the small braids that she'd tied back that morning. Half of her shirt is ripped, stretched and torn around her abdomen. But Raven focuses on the ice pack she has pressed against her eye, with her head resting her both of her hands, elbows propped on her knees. She doesn't acknowledge the two girls at the door.

Raven's bag slides to the ground with a thump, and she walks slowly over to the girl. She just stands in front of Octavia for a few moments, waiting for her to say something. But when she doesn't, Raven loses her patience, reaches down, grabs the girl's chin, and lifts it upwards to reveal her face.

The first thing she notices is Octavia's lip. It's busted, swollen, blood smeared around the corners of her mouth. And if that wasn't bad enough on it's own, Octavia's eye nearly matches. It's already bruised and puffy, a million different shades of purple melted across her face. There's faint traces of blood around her pupil -- at least, in the part of her eye that isn't swollen shut. Their gazes meet for a few tense seconds, and Octavia's eyes shy away from her own.