Esperança 》B. Blake

1.04

[C H A P T E R  F O U R]
The Opportunity of a Lifetime

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WHEN CLARKE SAID THAT the group should probably find a spot to rest for the night, Roseline was relieved. Her body ached all around from the numerous times she'd had jumped over fallen logs and climbed over rocky hills. The thought of sleeping in a radioactive forest didn't bother her one bit, and the bright green moss looked inviting.

Though, her mind couldn't shake the fact that she did nothing to help Octavia. To try and ease her mind, Roseline walked beside the limping girl and let herself become Octavia's crutch. The others would offer to trade spots with Roseline, but each time she declined, despite her left side being numb to Octavia's grip.

"You know, I'm really sorry for not helping out back there," Roseline said about a mile into the trek. "I think I was just in shock or something, but either way that's not a good enough excuse--"

"It's fine, Rose, I get it. You were scared. Hell, I was too," she winced as her foot caught a branch, yet she still gave a smile to Roseline.

"Are you sure? I just feel awful about it and--"

"You know what would make me feel better?" Octavia cut her off again and Roseline hummed in response.

"Catching up to the others. I mean, at this rate, we'll never make it," Octavia grinned and Roseline nodded, picking up her pace with a grin to match.

☆☆☆

That night, Roseline couldn't sleep a wink, and despite her tired eyes, she just couldn't seem to close them long enough to actually rest. Her mind was scattered, and her ears listened to every single noise in the dense forest. Every now and then, she would doze off but only to wake up to the sound of the wind blowing the trees or a bird calling out in the distance. Fortunately, she managed to distract herself momentarily with the glowing moss and flowers around her. Roseline's eyes wandered around the area, taking in the neon colors of blue and green. She wanted to wake up the others and tell them her theories on why they glowed, but she knew that they wouldn't have cared and that they needed all the sleep they could get.

Beside her, Octavia snored softly, her eyes darting around behind her closed eyelids. Next to Octavia was Jasper and Monty, both snuggled into their jackets. Roseline didn't know where Clarke or Finn were at, but she had a sneaking suspicion that they took a walk to admire the landscape. Roseline wanted to do the same, but her body was so exhausted from the day of adventure that moving seemed like a distant memory. Instead, she made the most of watching the breeze swaying the leaves and wishing her parents could see Earth's natural beauties.

A while later, she watched Clarke came back from her walk, a smile perched on her lips. When she looked up, she was surprised to see Roseline still awake. 

"Where's Finn?" Roseline asked, glancing around. Clarke took a seat next to her and shrugged.

"Still exploring. Why are you awake?" This time it was Roseline who shrugged.

"Can't sleep. I think I'm going crazy with all these sounds." She waved her arms in exaggeration.

"Yeah, I get that, it's a lot to take in."

The pair sat in silence for a moment, and Roseline silently wondered if Clarke was interested in her theories on radioactive plants. Before she could ask though, Clarke spoke up again.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what's up?"

Clarke turned her head to face the girl. "How did you get locked up? I mean, you seem like such a nice person, so I don't understand what you would've done to get locked up. And even if you did, aren't you over eighteen?"