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THE LAST TIME MARLEY AND BELLAMY HAD FALLEN ASLEEP NEXT TO EACH OTHER, it had been whilst they were ill. Weak, hallucinating and barely conscious, they'd settled beside each other on the floor downstairs and, soon, Marley had fallen into an uncomfortable sleep while Bellamy stayed alert and scanning the room for potential danger. Now, they sat a level above, side by side, backs pressed against the wall.
Marley had drifted in and out of sleep all night; every little noise seemed to startle her, from the gust of wind to the shuffle of Lincoln's chains to the low hum of voices as Octavia and Nyko whispered amongst themselves. She'd realised quickly that she didn't like being back there — the old camp held too much darkness, too much violence and sadness and anger — and, ever since she'd settled down to sleep, there'd been a suffocating weight pressing down on her shoulders.
She had no idea what time it was when she woke for the last time, roused by a gentle thud, neck jammed awkwardly to the side, slumped halfway down the dropship's wall, with one hand pinned uncomfortably between her and Bellamy. She groaned lightly and rolled her neck; she must have been sleeping hunched to the side for a while, given the stiff jolt of pain that thrummed up her spine.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," a soft voice called softly from across the dropship.
Marley's gaze fell towards the source of the voice. Octavia had closed the hatch; she was carrying a bucket full of fresh water with ease, like it weighed nothing at all. She set it down beside Lincoln and then settled down against the opposite wall, knees tucked up against her chest, twirling a knife between her fingers. Something about her seemed restless. She was watching them both — mostly Bellamy as the peaceful call of sleep smoothed his usual war-torn expression — with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Nyko was huddled into the corner, his arms crossed; he was scowling, staring at the wall, just waiting until Clarke and Finn returned from the Commander with an update.
Marley blinked a few times, eyes still clouded from sleep. "Don't worry about it." She stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. "How long have I been asleep?" She'd woken up so many times, it felt like she'd slept for the entire day. Her voice was groggy when she spoke.
Octavia shrugged. "A few hours, maybe?" She looked between Marley and Bellamy curled up beside her. His head was leant back against the wall. "I didn't want to wake either of you."
Marley stretched her legs out in front of her, the dull ache of sitting, and sleeping, cross-legged on the flat, metal floor splitting through her bones. She'd grown so used to the luxury of her cot back at camp — which was only a metal frame with a thin piece of canvas stretched across it, that rocked and creaked whenever she moved — that sleeping on the floor now was uncomfortably jarring. "Are Clarke and Finn not back yet?" She'd expected to wake to see them there but, unless they were down below, they hadn't returned to the dropship. Marley furrowed her brows.
