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You'd be lying if you said life on the ground hadn't jaded you. You're self-aware enough to recognize it, but in your mind, there's nothing you can do about it. You could try to change it, see the bright side, but why bother when it will be ripped away from you in the next instant? You've seen too much death and destruction to see any hope for a better tomorrow.
You're happy that people rarely notice you as it is, because you're not sure how you would talk to someone normally after everything that's happened. After Mount Weather, you retreated into yourself with no desire to reconnect with anyone. Every face you see reminds you of what happened in that mountain and who didn't make it out with you.
At least, that was until an old friend of yours from the Ark, Raven Reyes, approached you while you were making weapons one day and asked if you wanted to go on a walk. Though jaded, you're a pushover and don't like saying no to people's faces, so you said yes.
Which leads you to now, taking a walk with Raven and discussing everything that's happened in the past few weeks.
"How's your leg doing, by the way?" you ask. She looks down at it, shrugging as she limps beside you.
"Honestly? Shit," she laughs. You don't laugh with her, genuine concern filling you. "Oh, don't get that look. I'm a big girl. I can deal with it."
"I know you can. If anyone can it's you. It just sucks that you have to." Raven lets out a huff.
"Yeah. Not much you can do but just push forward." You don't say anything, not wanting to drive her away with your depressing outlook. Despite not wanting to be close with anyone, you can't deny that you enjoy her company. "What's up?"
"What?" you ask, looking at her.
"When you have something to say you get this look on your face like you're trying to push the words away," she says casually. You almost stop walking at her observation. She waits for you to speak, but you're not sure what to say.
"It's nothing," you say, trying to thwart her questioning.
"Bull," she deadpans. I ignore her callout and keep walking, but Raven stops. "Why don't you ever way what's on your mind?"
"Because no one wants to hear it."
"I do." You turn to her, seeing nothing but earnest curiosity.
"You don't. Not really."
"Who are you to presume what I do and don't want?" she questions, crossing her arms. Your lips quirk a little at her defiance, remembering the same attitude on the Ark.
"Fair. But really, it's nothing interesting."
"I'll be the judge of that." You sigh and nod back toward the Ark. You two start walking back while you choose your words carefully.
"I just don't see the point," you start. "I mean, you've seen how the Grounders despise us. Peace won't ever happen. We'll just wipe each other out, and that'll be it. History always repeats itself. We never learn, so what's the point?" Raven examines you, but you don't have the heart to look at her and see the disgust at your line of thinking.
"Come on," she says, turning around and walking in the opposite direction of the Ark.
"What? Where are you going?"
"I want to show you something."
"It's gonna be dark soon."
"Just humor me." Whether it's because you struggle saying no to people or just Raven, you follow. You can tell her leg is bothering her, but she never once complains, and you don't know what to think about that.
About fifteen minutes later, she leads you into a small opening in the trees. You look around, confused as to what's so special.
"Just wait," she says quietly. You do, watching as the sun lowers behind the trees.
Suddenly, the forest starts glowing.
You can't help but gasp as you walk further into the clearing, looking at the bioluminescent trees and flowers.
"Oh, my God," you whisper. "It's beautiful."
"It is, isn't it?" she replies, stepping up beside you. You stand together in silence, admiring the ethereal atmosphere. "This is why."
"What?"
"This is why I keep pushing forward. If we gave up, we would never see beauty like this again, and I don't want to imagine a time where I can't stand here and look at something that weeks ago, I never would've dreamed of existing."
You try to see her point of view desperately, but everything leads back to Mount Weather.
"I don't know if I could see it that way," you admit quietly.
"That's because you have tunnel vision. You need to read in between the obvious."
"Tunnel vision," you repeat. Stupidly, you imagine yourself digging your way out of a tunnel instead of moving along it. The thought makes you giggle, and you catch Raven's smile.
"What?"
"I just imagined myself breaking out of a tunnel." Raven laughs, and you look over at her subtly, watching her eyes glow-- not just because of the forest, but because of her outlook on life and the hope she chooses to hang onto.
A feeling you don't want to feel stirs in your chest, and you take a deep breath.
"We should head back." Raven looks at the darkening sky and nods.
"Agreed."
Twenty minutes later, you walk through the gates of Arkadia just as night falls. Miller gives you both a disappointed look, but you could care less. You and Raven make your way toward the Ark, but you stop outside of it.
"Why did you ask me to go on a walk?" you blurt. Raven doesn't look shocked by your question. Instead she looks like she expected it.
"Because I know what you're doing. You're shutting yourself away because you don't want to get close to anyone you could lose. I did the same thing after Finn."
"What led you to opening back up?"
"I realized I would rather know love and lose it than never love at all."
"And how's that going?" you question seriously. Raven smiles a little and shrugs.
"Go on a walk with me again tomorrow and I'll tell you."
Your heart nearly pounds out of your chest as you nod meekly.
"Okay." Raven's smile blooms.
"It's a date."
With that, she retreats into the Ark, leaving you standing dumbfounded at the fact that in less than a day someone tore down your walls.
