KING, the hundred

twenty-six: not dead yet

"I feel the pages turning
I see the candle burning down
Before my eyes, before my wild eyes"

breathe by fleurie 

At the exact same time as Avery took her first breath, Murphy managed to blow a hole in the side of the dropship.

There were people standing above her, and for a second she thought she was dead. But then the pain returned, and she figured death would be a bit less awful. The presence of a familiar voice of a person she knew was definitely alive solidified that thought.

"Hey, don't try to speak yet, okay?" She heard a kind voice say from above her. Squinting her eyes to adjust to the light, she recognized Sarah, the closest thing they had to a nurse.

Bellamy made his way down the ladder. Murphy was gone. He thought Avery was too until he saw her blink. And then she blinked again.

And then he was on the ground, almost on top of her, cradling her body in his arms. And Jasper was there too, smiling down at her. Octavia let a little tear slip as she gripped her brother's shoulder in relief. Miller dropped to his knees beside the group, letting himself take a deep breath for the first time in minutes.

"I-I'm so glad you're not dead." Octavia was the first one to speak. Avery let out a very croaky laugh.

"Gonna take more than that to kill me." She said, her voice hoarse. She brought a hand up to her neck, but moved it away quickly when it hurt to the touch. Sarah came back in the door with a cloth and water in her hands.

"Here," She said, handing the wet cloth to Avery for her neck. "This'll help."

"Thank you." Avery croaked out, smiling at the girl. She looked up at Bellamy, who was still above her. His eyes were still filled with tears. The rest of the group, the rest of the world seemed to fade when she looked at him.

Fuck it.

Avery rested her hand on his jaw and pulled his face down to hers until she felt their lips meet. It wasn't a passionate kiss, but she needed him to know that she was here, she was still alive. The room around them was silent until they both emerged, breathless. Bellamy smiled down at her.

"Don't ever do anything like that to me again." He whispered, pulling her into his chest. Avery let out a small laugh and smiled up at him.

"Not planning on it." She said, her voice slightly less hoarse, but talking was still difficult. She took note of Jasper, who was standing above her with a sorrowful look on his face.

"Avery I -" A tear dropped down his cheek. "I'm sorry." Avery quickly moved herself to a sitting position and put her hand on Jaspers knee.

"It's okay." She said, sending him a smile. "It's okay." And all was forgiven again.

But it seemed the world had not forgiven them yet.

After a few moments of happy reunion, the group heard shouts from outside the dropship.

"Go." Avery gestured to Octavia and Miller, her voice slowly returning back to normal. The pair nodded at her, and gestured for several other surrounding delinquents, including Jasper, to follow them out of the dropship. Bellamy made to follow them out, but was quickly stopped by Avery.

"Sit down, dipshit." She said hoarsely, an annoyed look growing on her face. She gestured to Sarah. "Let her take a look at your wrists."

For a moment, Bellamy looked conflicted, but with another small glare from Avery, he conceded. He sat down next to the girl, and held out his wrists for Sarah (and Avery) to examine.