𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄─𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞¹ (𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠)

93. frenemies

My eyes opened with a jolt, my whole body being sent into overdrive as I tried to gage where I was. Pain encompassed my every limb as my eyes continued scanning my whereabouts. A furious cough ripped through my lungs as I struggled for air.

Wherever I was, I was in bad shape.

As more of my senses came to me, I realized I was no longer in Mount Weather, but outside of it...or what was left. The sun was high in the sky as was beating down on me, the mixture of the light and whatever trauma I had ensued causing my head to pound furiously.

A mangled sob escaped my lips as I slowly came to realize what had happened- Mount Weather was gone, reduced to rubble. Another cough left my body as I attempted to push to debris that was covering me off of myself. Luckily, I had been so close to the exit that upon the explosion, the force had pushed me out, rather than keeping me in.

All things considered, I had escaped lucky.

The minute I had freed myself from the rubble, my mind shifted elsewhere. Panic consumed me as my friends filled my thoughts. I had no idea how many, if any of them had made it out. My hand instantly reached for the radio that had been resting on my hip. Luckily, it was still there. Unluckily, it was smashed with no hope of reaching anyone.

An agitated cry left my lips as I looked around my surrounding. The entire mountain was destroyed. Anyone that had been inside was gone, and there was no sign of anyone else here. I was alone.

The guilt that overwhelmed me almost made me collapse. I had left all of those people in there. I had run away while they all died.

I stumbled backward, my foot catching on a piece of fallen mountain, sending me to the ground harshly. My entire body screamed in pain as tears blurred my vision. I didn't know how long I had been buried in the rubble, or how long it had been since Bellamy and Octavia left for the Summit, hell I didn't even know if they were alive.

I knew that if I wanted to confirm whether or not I had lost everyone, I needed to get off my ass and start the long trek home. But the exhaustion and pain made it almost impossible to do so.

I was so close to just closing my eyes again, when something arrive in front of me, casting a shadow over my body.  I slowly opened my eyes, squinting as rays of the sun shone from behind whatever was in front of me.

"Are you okay?" the voice asked. It was a man, I could tell that for sure. And by the looks of the shadow, he was on a horse.

Grounder.

My heart sped up as I scrambled up and moved away to the best of my ability, fear striking inside me. I had no idea where were stood with the Grounders as of now, but judging from the destroyed mountain to the left of me, not great.

He jumped from the horse, holding out a hand in front of him as if to calm me down, "I'm not going to hurt you." he promised.

The closer he got, the better I could get a look at him. He was younger than most Grounders I had encountered, probably around my age if not a bit older. His shaggy blonde hair fell in his face as he got closer. He was only a few steps away from me when recognition dawned on me. He was the same Grounder that had been in our group the night of the attack, the same one that had given me a bow.

He must have noted the look on my face, because a small smile came to his face, "I know you." he commented, his own eyes studying me.

I gathered enough courage to speak, "What do you want?" I demanded through a hoarse voice.

He shook his head, pointing toward his horse, "I want to help you, take you back to your people."

I didn't move from my spot as I kept my eyes locked on his hands, ensuring he wasn't going to try and reach for a weapon. Truthfully, I knew that if he was going to kill me himself, he probably would have done it already. "Why should I trust you?" I inquired, trying to make my voice sound steady, but it only came out shakily. "Your people did this." I bit out, lifting an unsteady hand to point to what was once Mount Weather

He nodded, acknowledging my concerns. He wasn't angry or defensive. He spoke softly, but assertive, "Ice Nation did this, not Trikru." he waited for me to interject, but when I didn't he spoke again, "The Commander will punish those responsible."

I clenched my jaw, "Why do you want to help me?" I squeaked out, "I'm Skaikru."

He gave me a small smile, "You're human."

---

I gripped on tighter to Everett as I learned his name was, as his horse raced through the forest. I had decided to take a leap of faith and let him help me. I knew it was either that or make the trek back alone through the forest, in less than adequate condition. I had no broken bones as I could tell, but that didn't mean I wasn't hurting.

I knew full well that he could be taking me somewhere that wasn't Arkadia, but I also knew that this was my best option if I wanted to get back to Bellamy and my friends as soon as possible.

We had remained mostly silent for the duration of the trip, save for Everett explaining to me in full what had happened in the past day or so, considering that's how long it had been since the explosion.

He explained to me that while there had been an Azgeda assassin, but they weren't headed for the Summit, the target had been Mount Weather all along. The Ice Nation member had set off the self-destruction command, effectively killing everyone in the mountain.

He also ensured me that every Skaikru member in Polis had left alive, somewhat relieving my stress.

As the wind whipped through my hair, and the smell of the forest filled my nostrils, I couldn't help but let my mind wander. Despite our coalition with Trikru, I was still worried about what was to come. Ice Nation had carried out an act of war, one I was sure would be reciprocated in some sense.

I was so caught up in my worries that I almost didn't notice that we had stopped. We weren't at Arkadia yet, and my anxiety began to rise. Everett turned to me, giving me a small smile before dismounting, "I have to let you off here." he explained, holding out a hand to help me down.

I stared at it for a moment, hoping he would explain further. When he noted my confusion, he elaborated, "Things are weary with Skaikru and Trikru...I think it's best if I keep my distance."

I felt myself relax as I placed my hand in his, allowing him to ease me off of the horse and back to solid ground. I felt myself grimace slightly at the memory of the last time I had ridden a horse- the day I had been released from Grounder captivity. That day on the bridge when the true war between us started.

Pulling myself from those thoughts, I gave Everett a small nod, "Thank you." I whispered.

He released my hand, pointing ahead of us, "Your camp is about a mile that way." he explained.

My eyes followed his hand and I nodded, "Thank you Everett, really."

A grin came to his face as he remounted the horse, "If I'm correct, I believe you owe me-times two."

I let out a small laugh as I turned and began the trek back to camp, "You know where to find me when you need a favour."

I could hear Everett's laughter as I disappeared into the trees.

-an-

hey guys...just checking in to see how everyone is doing. I'm always here if you need to chat!

hope you enjoy this chapter

-maddy xoxo