trepidation |BELLAMY BLAKE| [1]

CHAPTER 54

"DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER STORY?"

Avery laid in her bed, Bellamy sitting across the tent, gathering her things that she threw. She didn't want to close her eyes, to see her father's face. Or Dax's.

She was scared.

Bellamy sighed, moving over to lean his back against the makeshift bed, "How about a poem?"

Avery smiled at him, "A man of true literature."

He smirked back at her, "Shut up." He cleared his throat, "At the instant of drowning he invoked the three sisters. It was a mistake, an aberration, to cry out for life everlasting."

Avery watched as he gazed up to the ceiling of her tent, as if he was trying to remember the words to the poem, "He came up like a cork and back to the river-bank, put on his clothes in reverse order, returned to the house."

The brunette girl moved from her bed to sit next to him, wrapping an arm around his and laying her head on his shoulder, "Go on." She mumbled as he paused,

He smiled down at her for a moment before continuing, "He suffered the enormous agonies of passion. Writing poems from the end backwards, brushing away tears that had not yet fallen."

"Loving her wildly as the day regressed towards morning. He watched her swinging in the garden, growing younger, bare-foot, straw-hatted."

"And when she was gone and the house and the swing and daylight. There was an instant's pause before it began all over, the reel unrolling towards the river."

Avery had a small smile gracing her face as she playing with one of her jacket sleeves, "What's it about?"

The low baritone of his voice lulled her to sleep as he explained the poem, about the man who has to relive his day over and over again.

"Bellamy?" Avery mumbled, opening her eyes.

The bright lights blinded her for a moment before her eyes adjusted, "Uh, no, it's Beck."

"How's Mason?" She asked as she sat up,

"He's going to be okay." He answered, "Dr. Tsing is with him right now. Monty is with Jasper and Maya. Once she's done, she'll come and release you. If you feel okay, I mean."

"I'm fine." Avery mumbled, before feeling nauseous, "Actually..." She grabbed the bucket from next to the bed and puked in it, with Beck holding her hair back,

"It's probably from the radiation. Kinda like chemo." He explained.

Once Avery was released, she spent the rest of the day on bed rest. Not even in the mood to eat, she just laid there.

She shouldn't have done it. It was exactly what they wanted from them. They did it to the Grounders, it wouldn't take much for the Mountain Men to turn on them.

The next day, she was brought to President Dante's office, "Hello, Avery, I've been wanting to speak to you."

Avery shrugged, "Well, I'm here now."

He nodded, "Well, I just wanted to say that I'm very impressed by your and Jasper's courage."

"I was just doing what I had to do to save Mason. I'm sure Jasper would say the same about Maya." Avery responded, keeping a straight face.

She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

Dante cleared his throat, "I'd like to believe that's true." He sat down in his chair, "After what happened to Maya and Mason, I'm sure it won't come as a surprise to you to learn that we're not entirely safe here. Mount Weather wasn't built to last this long. Over time, trace amounts of radiation seep inside. The breach in the dorm is an extreme example. We have methods for dealing with this, but frankly, those methods pale compared to what we saw with you and Jasper."

Yep. She knew what he was getting at.

"Sir, I... I don't think I could do that for everyone." Avery said nervously. She had to shut the idea down. Otherwise, they'd all be in danger.

"Of course not, but if you could inspire your friends to follow your example, imagine the difference you could make here."

Avery shook her head, "Sir, no offence, but I'm not going to force this idea into their heads. I'm not gonna use my authority for your benefit. Now I don't mind us helping out around here, we should since we're in your debt, but I can't allow this."

Dante nodded, "I see."

she stood, "I'm sorry, sir, but unless you have explicit permission from one of my people to use their blood, you can't take it." 

"Understood."

"I'm glad." Avery told him before leaving the office,

She had to warn the others. Avery knew that they weren't going to take no for an answer.