SWEET LITTLE LIES // BELLAMY BLAKE // THE 1OO

TWENTY-EIGHT

"There's no cure," Octavia said. More restlessness broke out under the crowd. "They use the sickness to soften the battlefield. Yes, you heard me right, the battlefield. They attack at first light."

Katherine's head was spinning. It was like she viewed the world from the perspective of a moving toll, twisting and turning until it made her nauseous and dizzy. From somewhere far away, she heard Bellamy's voice, but it sounded as if her head was underwater and he was miles away. She put a protective hand on her stomach, focusing all of her attention on her breathing until the whizzing in her ears ceased ever so slightly and her head cleared. She focused her glance on Octavia. "Help Finn get Clarke inside the Dropship."

Octavia nodded, quickly moving to Finn's side. Katherine watched the tree of them disappear in the Dropship and as she looked out on the dispersing crowd again, she noticed Nate standing in the middle with Panther to his side, both of them observing her worriedly. She gave him a weak smile and she even dared to put her thumb up to him, though she felt everything but. 

"Katherine," Bellamy said, immediately catching her attention. 

He stood way too close for her liking, almost as if he didn't care if he caught the virus. Carefully, she took a step back, raising her eyebrows in question. "What is it?" she asked. She felt her throat tickle and for a sweet moment, she was able to suppress her coughing until it came out with a force twice as back. She was in time to turn around and an ugly puddle of thick blood ended in her elbow. She took a moment to catch her breath, wiped some of the blood from her mouth and turned around to face Bellamy again. 

The expression on his face could only be described as pure horror, the worry so clear in his eyes that it couldn't be mistaken for something else. "Are you okay? Is there anything that can make you feel better?" he asked. He took a step in her direction, barely aware of the possible consequences. 

"Yeah, an inhaler and some icecubes would be nice," she replied. Though she'd meant for the words to come out playful, sarcastic at the very least, they only sounded weak, like she was balancing on the edge of death. "But since we won't find either of those, what did you want to ask?"

"If it's true that the Grounders will attack at first light, I need you for a strategics plan," he replied. His eyes scanned her face, that horrified look still slightly present, though he obviously tried his best to cover it up. "That is, if you're able to."

"I'm flattered," she said, letting out a low chuckle. She motioned for Bellamy to take the lead, making sure that she always stayed at least three steps behind him. Normally, when she walked behind him, she observed his wild curls, the way he held himself, how he walked, but now, with him looking over his shoulder every two seconds, she didn't dare to. "A girl for war tactics. Sounds kinds of ironic, doesn't it?"

"Does it?" Bellamy asked. He looked over his shoulder with his eyebrows raised, their eyes meeting. Though she was barely able to put on foot in front of the other, her body was able to make her heart skip a beat. "Pallas Athena is the goddess of strategic war, a woman."

"Yet it is a god who represents war and pugnacity," she said back, smiling softly. She loved that she wasn't the only one who knew the stories of the ancient Greeks and Romans and that out of all people, Bellamy shared in this knowledge. Once again, her head was spinning, but this time for a different reason. She didn't know what she hated more, the virus from the Grounders or his. 

Just as he wanted to reply, they reached Raven's tent and Jasper greeted them noisily. For a split second, his eyes flew from Bellamy to Katherine, before returning to the gun he was holding. She greeted Monty with a small smile, or else she would expose her probably bloodred mouth. She made sure she held a safe distance from all of them, though once again, Bellamy was standing closer to her than she liked.