/ haunted/
• showing signs of mental anguish or torment
"She was fierce. She was strong, she wasn't simple. She was crazy and sometimes she barely slept. She always had something to say. She had flaws and that was okay. And when she was down she g...
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[PREVIOUSLY: Octavia is faced with a heart-wrenching decision as Finn's life is put on the line. She had one thing to do and she failed. Now, Spacewalker is going to die].
The dim glimmer of the torch's light flickered across the room, casting long, luminous shadows along the length of the floor.
I was sitting with my back up against one of the earthen walls. The case of vials was by my side. A small knife was in my hands. I had drawn my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I stared absent-mindedly at the blade as I twirled it around my fingers.
Even though it was evident by my red and puffy face, I had stopped crying long ago. My tears had shrivelled up as each minute stretched by. I had been in this room, smelling of dried blood and reeking of death, for hours. Without a doubt, Finn's execution would've been carried out by now. If only he hadn't followed me out of the camp! Then his life would've been spared!
"I love you!"
His earlier words echoed over and over in my mind. Had he truly meant it? Or was that just something you said when you were looking death in the face? He was with Raven. He had grown up with her. They were childhood sweethearts. Me? I was probably just one of his many flings. It didn't mean anything to him. He just liked how I made him feel at the time: special, loved, important. I never had that deep connection with him or those funny memories to share with him. I had only known him for a mere few weeks. He had known Raven his entire life. Raven was, by far, the more preferable option.
But it wasn't Raven he searched for. It wasn't Raven he was worried about. It wasn't Raven that he had sacrificed his life for.
It was me.
"Hey."
Slowly, I lifted up my head and glared at the grounder who was sitting across from me. When Finn was taken away, Anya had summoned a continent of guards to remove the girl's body and escort her out of the tunnels. She had assigned one of the warriors to keep watch over me while she completed the dirty work that she had set out to do: kill Finn.
"What?" I growled.
"Anya will take no pleasure in your friend's death," he told me pointedly. "Prove your worth and you will be welcome here."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Are you kidding me? I couldn't save that girl. Why would you want me to stay here?"
"We told you," the grounder responded sternly. "Our healer is gone."
I swallowed hard as the situation began to dawn on me. The grounders weren't planning on letting me go ... ever.
"W-will I be able to go back and see them?" I whispered. "My friends? My brother? My home?"
