Esperança 》B. Blake

1.18

[C H A P T E R   E I G H T E E N]
Same Old Mantra

☆☆☆

"WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG?" RAVEN CALLED as she came up the ladder. "He stopped breathing."

Clarke seemed to have a mini heart attack. "What?"

"He started again, but next time he might not."

"He's not telling us anything," Clarke sighed, running a hand through her tangled blonde hair. 

Raven looked at the sweaty Grounder and then glanced around the room, spotting an open panel on the wall near Roseline.

"Wanna bet?" she asked, making her way to the exposed wires.

"What are you doing...?" Roseline trailed off as she watched Raven rip cables from the walls.

Raven touched the ends together, creating sparks that sent chills down Roseline's back. "Showing him something new."

"Raven wait--" Roseline immediately went to grab Raven before she would do something she would soon regret.

"Hey!" Raven said, ripping her arm away from the scientist. The two stared at each other for a moment, and Roseline saw how broken she was. "I can't lose him" Raven murmured.

"This isn't the way to go about it," Roseline begged. "We can find another way."

Raven gave her a solemn look and Roseline knew there was no changing her mind. Before she could stop the mechanic, Bellamy had stepped in and wrapped his arms around Roseline's waist, preventing her from moving.

"No, Bellamy, please--" She struggled in his grip. "This could kill him!"

No one else said a word as Raven clicked the wires together once more, sending sparks flying toward the Grounder. His eyes pooled with fear as he watched Raven come closer with the sparks. Roseline squirmed in Bellamy's arms, whimpering ever so slightly at the sight before her. With one final look to Clarke, Raven stuck the wires into the Grounder's abdomen, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Which one is it?" Raven demanded, stopping for just a second. When the warrior said nothing, Raven huffed and hit him with another round of electricity. Roseline, not being able to stomach it, turned away into Bellamy's shoulder. His arms adjusted themselves so rub small circles into her back while still maintaining his grip on her.

"He's all I have!" the girl screamed, stopping again. The Grounder panted from the pain, trying to catch his breath. His body twitched from the electricity and Roseline buried her head deeper into Bellamy's shoulder, causing him to squeeze tighter. 

Raven went at it again when Octavia stood in the middle of the group, the poisoned knife in hand. "No more!"

Stopping, Raven whipped her head around. "He's letting Finn die!"

Everyone, including Roseline, stared at Octavia, wondering what she was going to do next. Then, before anyone could stop her, the blade went and sliced a line down her forearm.

"Octavia, no!" Both Roseline and Bellamy cried out, letting go of one another.

"He won't let me die," was all she said before walking up to the Grounder, who had stopped whithering and instead looked at Octavia with concern.

"Octavia, what the hell did you--" Bellamy started, going for her wounded arm. Octavia pulled her arm away from him, kneeling down on the ground in front of the Grounder and the vials. She began to point at each one, waiting for his response, and much to everyone's surprise, he began to shake his head at each of them until Octavia got down to the very last one. His head nodded in agreement and Octavia handed it to Clarke who raced down the ladder, Raven hot on her heels.