{CURRENTLY EDITING/SLIGHT REWRITE.}
Ainsley Ashter was a freak-show. A psychopath. An absolute and utter maniac.... Or so they thought.
She was imprisoned at the age of thirteen when she murdered her parents using nothing but the metal leg of her b...
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* * *
THE trio had found a cave in the woods, Emori having led them there. John was out searching for food while Ainsley helped Emori with the fire. After a couple of minutes, Ainsley collapsed her head on Emori's shoulder with a deep sigh. This was a signal of her absolute boredom along with the pangs of hunger. Emori pat the top of the girls hair sympathetically with a small smile.
“John will be back with some food,” Emori told the girl with a teasing grin. “Think you can survive that long?”
Ainsley widened her eyes in mock offense. “I'll have you know that we didn't exactly eat when we took the chip!” She defended her own hunger, Emori throwing her hands up in mock surrender.
“Scratch that,” John interrupted, walking into the cave empty-handed. “I thought you said there'd be food here.”
“There should be,” Emori said, turning to look at him, before lifting a rock to look underneath it.“These woods have always been good to me. Now, there's not even bugs.”
“Woah, hey, I wouldn't have been desperate enough to eat bugs,” Ainsley piped up with a shiver of disgust.
“Yeah,” John agreed. “I'm not hungry enough for that to be upsetting yet either.”
John sighed, bending down in a crouch beside of Ainsley. He put an arm around her waist, before he asked her if she missed Polis as much as he did. Her throat tightened at the memories of the place, but she forced a smile on her face anyway. The words felt thick in her throat as the two told Emori all about Polis, the drinks that were made out of sheeps milk. It was one of the happier things about it, even if the two were prisoners for Ontari, it didn't always seem that way.
Emori seemed surprised at the fact that Ontari was the one to give them the drinks, but deep down, Ainsley thought Ontari could have been good if given the chance. John stood up with a heavy sigh, moving slightly towards the entrance of the cave.
“I'm going to go to Arkadia,” John told the two confused girls. “I'm a better thief than I am a hunter.”
Ainsley stood up. “I'm coming with you and don't you dare argue with me,” she told him, knowing he most likely would have told her no.
John sighed through his nose. “Fine, but we'll draw less attention on our own. Think you can hold down the cave?” his question aimed at Emori.
Emori looked as if she might argue, but instead she nodded her head. Ainsley smiled, pulling her in for a hug, before she turned and followed John out of the cave and into the sun.
* * *
AS the two walked towards Arkadia, Ainsley couldn't help but feel content. She hoped things would be calm enough there for her to have a word with Bellamy, and Raven if it was possible. It probably wouldn't appease her guilt, but she has missed them. She hasn't forgotten that Bellamy was one of the first to take a chance on her. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she recalled him telling the delinquents of her innocence until proven guilty. She recalled Raven, who never once judged her past.
“Well, if i knew you were going to zone out the whole trip I would have brought Emori,” John teased her, shaking her arm in a joking manner. “Oh, come on. What can be that important?”
Ainsley shot him a look, but her mouth tugged upwards into a smile betraying her. “I was just thinking.. Do you think we'd have a chance to see Bellamy and Raven?”
He looked at her, then, leaves crunching underneath his feet as he came to a stop to face her. He could see the guilt clear on her face.
“Hey, hey,” John said, placing his hand on her chin, gently lifting her face up to look at him. “You did what you had to do, Ley. They can't fault you for that. We'll see them if we can, alright?”
As she looked at him in the eyes, she couldn't help but believe him. It was moments like this that really made her love John Murphy. He had a heart of gold, if only other people would take a chance on him for him to show it.
* * *
NIGHT had fallen by the time the two reached Arkadia. John had taken to whistling the entire trip up to the gate, Ainsley joining him after a few minutes of watching him with a small smile. The gate was being watched by Miller and his father.
“Well, look who's back,” Miller said. “Thought you two ran off to elope or something with that grounder girl.”
“You jealous Miller?”
“I think he is, John!” Ainsley laughed as the two looked at Miller, not yet entering the gate. “Aw, come on, Miller, there's enough of John to go around. I mean, Bryan would probably kick his ass but —”
“You two here to stay, Ainsley, John?” David asked the two, and if Ainsley didn't know any better she'd say there was a hint of amusement in his tone.
“Until something better comes along, yeah,” John said with a shrug.
The two pushed past Miller, walking further into Arkadia. Ainsley took a moment to breathe it all in, it underwent a major change since the last time she had stepped foot inside of here. After all, Arkadia had a different name back then.
Ainsley paused in her steps, pulling John to a stop beside of her. She carefully explained how it would look best if he went to get the supplies while she posed as a distraction. If she stayed where others could see her, then he wouldn't get caught as easily. He nodded his head, kissing her forehead before taking off in the direction he needed to go.
It seemed like she wouldn't get a chance to see Bellamy, but she couldn't focus on that right now. Instead, she turned on her heel and headed off in the direction of medical. There was one person she wouldn't halfway mind being around if she couldn't talk to who she really wanted. Jackson had always been kind to her, even if he was actually afraid of her.
