《Common Ground ⇥ Bellamy Blake》[ seven ]
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[edited 7 January 2017]
•••
she sat upright. She glanced at Octavia before both girls scrambled to their feet, desperate to see what the loud noise was that was engulfing the night. Octavia flicked back the tent flap and the girls poured out, Raine's eyes catching a bright object in the sky, plummeting downwards.
"What is that?" she asked no-one in particular.
"Bellamy! Bellamy, get out here!" Octavia yelled to her older brother, and Raine turned around just as Bellamy stepped out. She felt her jaw go slack at the sight of him shirtless; his flat chest and stomach muscles rippling as he walked. Quickly, she closed her mouth and spun around, grateful that it was dark and he couldn't see the blush on her cheeks.
"What?" Bellamy asked, unfazed by the fact that he was shirtless.
"There!" Octavia pointed at the object, watching as a large parachute deployed and it slowed down considerably. Bellamy's eyes widened when he realised that it was a ship, from the ark.
"It's a ship!" someone yelled.
"Now we can kick some grounder ass." A boy whooped, and everyone agreed.
"Please tell me they bought down some shampoo." A girl whined, and Raine looked at her incredulously.
"Seriously? What about food, medical supplies, clean clothes?" Raine laughed mockingly, raising an eyebrow. The girl sneered at her, but didn't respond. Bellamy, however, was too busy watching the ship disappeared beyond the tree line.
If the ark could send down people, then there was no stopping them from all coming down. That meant that Bellamy would have to pay for his crimes, and unlike Murphy, he wouldn't be so lucky. No, he would be killed for what he did. He was not going to let that happen, which meant only one thing.
He needed to find that ship.
•••
Raine approached Finn and Clarke, speaking loudly, "Did you see that? It had to be from the ark."
"Grab your stuff, let's find out." Clarke responded, forcing a smile.
Raine sniffed, "Bellamy ordered everyone to wait until sunrise."
"Do you know where he is?" Clarke asked and Raine nodded her head.
"He's probably back asleep, lazy asshole." She muttered, turning and marching towards Bellamy's tent. Clarke and Finn followed, Raine pulling aside the tent flap to reveal a girl standing in her underwear.
"Ever hear of knocking, bitch?" she snapped, grabbing her clothes and trying to cover herself. "Oh great, it's a free show. Anyone else want to take a look?" she added when Finn and Clarke came in.
Raine's eyes landed on a second girl lying in Bellamy's bed and jealously surged through Raine like wild fire. For what reason, she didn't know. She snarled at the girl, "Don't worry, it's not much of a show. Where the hell is Bellamy?"
The girl smirked smugly, and Raine wanted to slap it off of her face. "He took off a while ago."
"His gear's gone." Finn announced, and Raine saw he was right.
Realisation dawned on Raine, and she spun around, "He's gone to the ship."
Clarke nodded, "He told everyone to stay; whatever's in that thing, he wants it.
Anger washed over Raine like a current washing over a pebble; he had lied to her. She had thought that by now they had come to respect each other enough not to lie to each other's faces. Obviously Raine was wrong. Her face was twisted in a scowl as she followed Clarke and Finn out of the tent.
"I'm coming with you." Raine told Clarke firmly, allowing no room for protest.
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"You're the only one he listens to, of course you're coming." Clarke responded, walking towards a table covered in knifes.
"Me?" Raine laughed in surprise. "I have to scream in his face for him to even realise I'm there."
Finn turned to her, "You'd be surprised."
"But how are you sure that he went to the ship?" Raine found herself defending Bellamy.
"Because, he's spent every minute since we landed making sure that no-one on the Ark knows we're alive." Clarke spoke, picking up a knife. Raine grabbed one also, needing one after she had given hers to Murphy.
"That doesn't mean you can predict what people are going to do." Finn told her, having to jog to keep up with the determined girl.
"That's exactly what I have to do." Clarke responded. "I screwed up; let myself get distracted."
Raine noticed that Finn slowed down at this comment, his eyes widening in shock and pain. Raine knew immediately that Finn had been Clarke's source of distraction.
•••
Bellamy jogged through the forest, his sisters harsh words still fresh in his mind. He had come down here to protect his sister, and yet she repays him by calling him a selfish dick. Anger washed through his veins but he shook it off.
And what about Raine? He knew that she didn't want the ark coming down, because then she would have to deal with her mother. Octavia had told him, and he couldn't help but feel bad for the girl.
His eyes landed on the smoking ship, sitting in a clearing, and he sped up. He could hear the radio before he even reached the ship, a static filled voice seeping through. He lifted the door to the ship up, and he spotted a person, their body falling limp.
Blood was smeared on the side of their head, and he pulled out his knife just in case. When the person showed no sign of moving, he moved his knife the radio, and hastily began to cut the wires. Pulling the radio free, he stepped back and slammed the door shut.
He needed somewhere to put it, somewhere that if Clarke and Finn found it, it wouldn't be useable anyway. His mind drifted back to the river he had passed on his way there, and he took off in that direction. The water flowed steadily over the rocks as he approached, and he stopped on the shore line. He knew he had to do this, otherwise when the ark came down he would be killed and his sister left alone.
But his heart told him to stop, to give the radio to Raine. He wanted so badly to be the good guy for once, to make her happy instead of angry. But then his face hardened, and his grip on the radio tightened. He was Bellamy Blake, and the only person that mattered to him was his sister, Octavia Blake.
So he drew back his arm and threw the radio, sending it flying through the air before it sunk into the river. He stood and watched for a few moments, before nodding his head once and taking off, leaving the radio to be swallowed in the currents of his guilt.
•••
The trio were jogging through the forest, knowing that if they didn't find the radio soon, they would never be able to talk to the Ark again. Raine's staff knocked against her hip and it reminded her of when she and Bellamy were in the cave and Bellamy was carving the lines into the staff, proclaiming that he had saved her three times.
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He might have saved her then, but his actions today had killed everyone, including himself. Finn panted as he ran, "Should we split up?"
"Yeah." Clarke agreed, coming to a stop. "I'll go this way, you go that way. Raine–"
Clarke stopped talking when Raine ran past her, disappearing silently into the forest. Raine felt that if she could find Bellamy, she might be able to talk to him. The forest ahead of her broke into a clearing, and Raine spotted the small ship lying in the midst.
It was blackened and dented; the journey to Earth hadn't been a very pleasant one. She made her way over to it, seeing movement inside the pod. Maybe Bellamy was still there. She opened the ship door, but instead of seeing Bellamy her eyes found a girl about her age with olive skin and dark hair. Blood had seeped down her forehead and across her face.
Raine's face went slack as her eyes met Ravens. Raven stared back, equally surprised, and she muttered, "I made it?"
Raine nodded, bitter about the fact that it wasn't Bellamy. A quick look over the dashboard revealed some frayed wires, and Raine knew that he had been here and cut the radio out.
Raven groaned as she moved, and Raine stepped backwards to give the girl some space. Raven pulled the ancient astronaut suit off and slid out of the ship, her mouth opening in awe. She looked to the ground, placing her feet gently in front of her, as though she might damage the fallen leaves.
She opened her arms wide and spun around, breathing in deeply. "I never dreamed it would smell like this... is this rain?" the girl asked, pointing up to the sky, from where little droplets of water were beginning to fall.
"Yeah." Raine spoke, just as Clarke burst through the bushes. She looked alarmed, but a smile quickly slid onto her face.
"Welcome home." The blonde spoke, Raven giggling as the water hit her face.
"Raven?" Finn called, trotting over to them.
Raven's face lit up and she cried, "Finn!"
She ran into Finn's arms, Clarke's smile quickly disappearing when Raven kissed the boy. Raine's eyes widened and she turned away, looking for any signs of Bellamy. Meanwhile, Clarke's heart was slowly crumbling, watching as the boy she had grown attached to kissed another girl.
When they finally broke apart, Finn glanced guiltily at Clarke, who was on the verge of tears, before asking Raven, "How did you get here?"
"You know that old pod on the K-deck?" Raven boasted, watching as Finn's eyes widened.
"You built that from scrap?" Finn questioned in disbelief, and Raven nodded.
"More like re-built it. Please, like that's hard. It just needed a couple of parts and some love." She shrugged nonchalantly.
"You're insane." Finn laughed.
"I'd do more for you and worse. Just like you would for me." Raven responded, gazing up at Finn adoringly.
Raine stood next to Clarke, who's eyes were glossy and she was swallowing heavily. Raine nudged her, whispering, "Are you okay?"
Clarke didn't respond as Raven collapsed in Finn's arms, her eyes rolling into her head. Finn looked at her in concern, leading Raven over to a rock and sitting her down. It was then Clarke moved, unzipping her backpack and reaching for something.
Finn watched her jog over, his eyes filled with guilt. "I'm sorry–"
"Let's not talk about this." Clarke ground out in response, ignoring his gaze. He looked hurt as he opened his mouth to say something, but Clarke cut him off, brushing past him, "She needs to put pressure on the wound."
"Clarke," Raine called, the blonde looking over her shoulder at her. "I'm going to go find Bellamy."
"Who's Bellamy?" she heard Raven ask as she headed into the forest. Raine needed to deal with her own problems, and from the looks of it, Clarke did too.
•••
"Hey!" Raine snapped as soon as she spotted Bellamy, walking stiffly back to camp. When Bellamy didn't respond, she latched onto his jacket and spun him around, hissing, "Where is it?"
"Aye, Mist, can't I take a walk in the woods?" Bellamy smirked, and Raine sniffed.
"You lied to me." Raine spoke, her tone carrying a hint of hurt. Bellamy noticed, but shrugged to hide it.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're full of shit, and we both know it." Raine barked, shoving him roughly, "I thought we respected each other enough not to lie to each other's faces, but I was wrong. You're a coward, Bellamy, and what you just did only proves it. You can parade around and say that it was for Octavia, or for the rest of us, but in truth it was for you. Because all you ever think about is saving your own skin. My mother is up there, Bellamy!"
She was out of breath by the time she had finished, and Bellamy was looking at her with wide eyes. Clenching his jaw, he spoke, "Maybe you should go and join Murphy–"
Raine cut him off, her fist connecting with his jaw. This time, he hadn't seen it coming and even though pain exploded through Raine's fist, a weight was lifted from her shoulders. She had wanted to punch him since they landed and now she had, she felt relieved.
Bellamy's head snapped to the side and he was forced a step backwards. He grunted as he cupped his jaw, looking at Raine darkly. Before any of the two could speak, Clarke was running up to them, yelling, "Where is it, Bellamy?"
Bellamy spat at the ground before saying, "Where's what, Clarke?"
She huffed at him, "They're getting ready to kill three hundred people up there! To save oxygen! And I can guarantee it won't be council members, it'll be working people – your people!"
"Bellamy." Finn hissed, walking towards him. His hands shot out and shoved Bellamy roughly backwards. "Where's the radio?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Bellamy shoved him back.
"Bellamy Blake?" Raven laughed in surprise, "They've been looking everywhere for you."
"Shut up." He growled harshly.
Raine frowned, "Looking for him? Why?"
Bellamy's hand gripped Raine's bicep in a silent warning, but she slapped him hand away. She sent him a look, and he returned it with what hopefully was a pleading one. Raven tilted her head, seeing that she had a little piece of gossip that no-one else knew. "He shot Chancellor Jaha."
Raine's world seemed to stand still as Raine turned around and looked at older boy. His eyes confirmed it; they were swimming with guilt and anger and hurt all at the same time. "Bellamy, tell me that's not why you took the wristbands... why you didn't want anyone coming down here, because you want everyone to think we're dead. What about 'whatever the hell we want', Bellamy? You just care about saving your own skin."
Bellamy's face remained blank, but on the inside he was feeling ashamed. Raine took her wristband off; why was she so quick to turn on him? Raine was still holding onto a small sliver of hope that everything she just said was fake, but deep down she knew it true. It was Bellamy Blake after all, the king of saving himself.
So when Bellamy turned around silently and began walking away, Raine didn't chase after him. But Raven did, shooting forward and calling, "Hey, Shooter! Where's my radio?"
"Get out of my way." Bellamy growled lowly.
"Where is it?" Raven persisted, and Bellamy snarled at her.
"I should've killed you when I had the chance."
"Really?" Raven asked sarcastically, "Well I'm right here."
Bellamy snatched Raven's jacket in his hand, throwing her against a tree. Raine knew that she should try and stop it, but why should she? She was practically invisible when it came to Bellamy freaking Blake. But what surprised her was when Raven pulled out a blade from the jacket pocket, holding it up to Bellamy's face menacingly.
"Where's. My. Radio." She asked lowly.
It was Clarke who stepped in, looking at Bellamy. "Stop it."
Bellamy stepped backwards, glancing at Clarke, before taking a few steps away. "Jaha deserved to die."
"He's not my favourite person either," Raven started, "But he isn't dead."
Horror washed over Bellamy's face, and Raine felt her heart clench. It was almost a whisper when Bellamy responded, "What?"
"You're a lousy shot." Raven jutted her chin out.
"Bellamy," Raine walked forwards to the older boy, "Don't you see what this means? You're not a murderer." She spoke softly, placing her hand on his bicep. He stared down at her intently, unblinking as she continued. "You've only done what you have done to protect your sister. That's who you are... and you can do it again, by protecting the three hundred people up there." She cupped his chin softly and tilted his head so he was looking at the sky. When he looked back down at her, she asked, "Where's the radio?"
He swallowed heavily before saying, "It's too late."
Raine shook her head, "No, it's not. You can still save them, Bellamy."
"That's not what I mean." He muttered, "I threw the radio in the river."
•••
The water was cold as Raine wadded into it, it swallowing the bottom half of her legs. After Bellamy had told them where he had put it, they had rushed back to camp and gotten as many people they could to come and help them search for it. Bellamy had been silent the whole time, and Raine knew that seriousness of the situation had only just dawned on Bellamy.
If they didn't find the radio, soon, three hundred innocent people would die, and Bellamy would believe that it was his fault for the rest of his life. Raine didn't know why, but she felt some sort of responsibility for finding the radio and making Bellamy didn't feel that way, but he certainly wasn't making it easy for her. He had been sitting on the river bank ever since they had arrived, and hadn't moved at all.
"Bellamy," she said loudly as she reached the bank. It was steep and Raine struggled to climb up it with wet feet. Bellamy held his hand out in assistance, and she grasped it. It was large and warm, and enveloped her hand in a way that made her feel fuzzy and comfortable. She shook the feeling, unknowing that Bellamy was silently feeling the same way.
"What?" he asked her.
"Are you going to come and help or not?" she asked, a slight smirk playing on her lips.
"You seem to be doing a pretty good job, Mist." He replied. The nickname had become a term of endearment, yet only a few weeks ago it made Raine want to scream.
"We'd find it quicker if you helped–" Raine started, but she was cut off by a boy down the river shouting.
"I found it!"
Bellamy's face went hard, and Raine watched as he sighed before walking past her. She followed him silently, wishing that he would talk to her about the situation. Raven took the radio from the boys hands, and Finn and Clarke walked over so it was the five of them. Raven shook the radio, water dripping out, and a look of anger crossed her face.
"Can you fix it?" Clarke asked immediately.
"Maybe." Raven shrugged, "It'll take half a day just to dry out the component system and check if it's broken."
"Like I said; it's too late." Bellamy said gruffly, his arms crossed. Raine bit her lip in distress, hoping that it wasn't. She didn't want Bellamy feeling like it was his fault.
Clarke stormed over to Bellamy, sneering, "Do you have any idea what you did? Do you even care?"
Raine scowled at the blonde, cutting Bellamy off, "Why don't you get off your high horse, Clarke? He told us where the radio was, he obviously cares. And weren't you supposed to warn everyone on the ark about the failing oxygen? I guess you got a little distracted." Raine threw a pointed glance at Finn who narrowed his eyes in response.
Clarke took a deep breath, visibly shaking in anger. "Don't, Raine."
"Leave her alone." Bellamy snapped in Raine's defence, "And you asked me to help. I did."
"Three hundred people are going to die today, because of you!" Clarke yelled.
Raine's hand lashed out and she shoved Clarke roughly, the girl stumbling backwards a bit. Automatically, Finn went to steady her. Bellamy's hand curled around Raine's wrist, stopping the girl from doing any more.
"Hold up." Raven spoke, and everyone looked at her. "We don't have to talk to the ark... we just have to let them know we're down here, right?"
"Yeah, but how do we do that with no radio?" Finn asked, gesturing to the piece of metal in Raven's hands. The girl only smiled in response.
•••
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