sub rosa (Bellamy Blake x reader)

lxxxviii. hesperides (7.04)

5 years until Absolution Day

You're the first to wake up, the others still fast asleep.

There are two rooms in the cabin; one was Hope's, and one was a room that Octavia and Diyoza shared. There was a lot of discussion the night before on who would take what room, but by that point you were exhausted, your near death experience draining the energy from you. So you ignored the others and trudged into the room on the left, plopping into one of the beds and falling asleep almost immediately.

Now that you're awake and the early morning sun is filtering through the window, you see that Gabriel has taken the other bed in the room. He's fast asleep, his feet hanging off of the too small bed, though he doesn't seem to notice. You quietly slip from your bed and tug on your shoes, peeking into the other room before you leave the cabin. Hope is curled up in her childhood bed, and Echo is asleep on the floor, a pile of folded clothes and blankets beneath her in an attempt to make her more comfortable.

You let the curtain fall closed before sliding out the front door of the cabin, letting your feet carry you to whenever they want to go. Unsurprisingly, they take you to the lake, your eyes finding the soft glow of the Anomaly beneath the water, calling out to you in a taunting way. But your body reminds you of the last time you answered the Anomaly's call, your lungs burning slightly as you breathe in the cool morning air. You shake your head and drop your gaze, your eyes passing over your hand as you do.

Your knuckles are split, scabbed over with dark blood, framed by bruises. You flex your hand, the movement pulling on the wound, the pain yet another reminder of what you have to face here. You blow out a breath of frustration, not wanting to go down that road. Every thought of the five years you will have to spend on this planet, it makes you desperate. You're practically ready to crawl out of your skin when you hear the words five years, and the reminder is not one that you want to think about.

Luckily for you, a distraction arrives.

A twig breaks behind you, and you spin, your hand already reaching for your knife, but you drop it when your eyes fall on Gabriel. He holds up his hands in surrender, closing the last few feet between the two of you before he comes to a stop at your side. You turn away from him, your eyes roaming out to the lake and seeking the glow of the Anomaly again, which must make Gabriel uneasy, because he asks, "You're not gonna drown yourself again, are you?"

"No." You glance up at him, his eyes already on you, searching your face for any sign of turmoil. But all he finds is a serene coldness that worries him even more. Your gaze lands on his left brow, and the wound that runs through it. "Sorry about your eye."

"Don't be sorry." He reaches up and touches the scab, his voice light with amusement. "In fact, I should be thanking you."

You give him a confused look and he adds, "Chicks dig scars."

Any other time, the joke would have made you laugh. But any other time, Wanlida is stored away in her box in the back of your mind. Today she is standing front and center, and Wanlida doesn't laugh at jokes. She's here to remind you that she has a plan, more important things for you two to worry about, and this isn't one of them. You give Gabriel a look, and mutter, "Echo needs a bed, and we need food."

And without waiting for a response, you turn and head back towards the cabin, ready to work on your plan.

-

You're the first to start gardening, aware that the four of you need food to survive, and getting the garden fixed up is a nice place to start. Gabriel comes back to the cabin a few minutes after you leave him, picking up a hoe and beginning to dig up the dead plants beside you. You both work in silence for a while, the sun continuing to rise, and Hope and Echo join the two of you not long after.