Beautiful Demon

Thirty

Third Person POV

Alone in the Arena, Octavia tries vainly to remove the chain enclosed around her ankle. Her frustration mounts higher with every rattle it makes- a taunting sound letting her know she won't be freed. It rattles once more when she roughly tosses it back to the floor, fingers raking through her hair as a beeping sound fills the area and the door opens.

"What do you want?" She questions first before looking up to see who was there.

No.

"Leave me alone!" She growls

This had to be another form of hell. It was the only explanation as to why of all people he was here.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." Pike says confidently stopping a few feet from her. "We've got unfinished business, you and I."

"Wrong, Pike." She says with a snarl. "You killed Lincoln, and you died for it. End of story."

"Was it?" He questions, folding his arms over the other. "You think murdering someone in cold blood, even someone you have reason to hate, is justifiable?"

"Yes."

For what he did- for the future he took from her- absolutely.

"And yet it turned you into this."

"Think what you want," she tells him. "I'm not here for you."

He was a ghost, nothing more.

"No. You're here because of me. The path to the future goes through the past, Miss Blake." He says kneeling down so they'd be eye level. "Psychology 101. We are what we've done and what's been done to us. Now, you've had a rough go, I'll give you that." He says with a nod. "And it's made your dark side strong. I suppose you need that to protect yourself under the floor. But what about now? Who are you now?" He presses. "What do you want, Octavia?

"I want you gone!" She hisses as she moves towards him only to come up short when the chain prevents her from going any closer.

"You tried that. Didn't take." He responds standing back up. "It has to be something else."

"I'm here because this is where it began. I'm here because this is where Kayleigh left me!" She seethes. "That's why I'm here."

"Is that what you think?" He asks with a sarcastic laugh. "Here's what I know. I know is you chose the red box, so stop wasting my time and answer my damn question. What do you want?" She glares at him unabashedly. "Ok." He says nodding his head. "Class is in session, allow me to facilitate the discussion. How does it feel to know that...everyone hates you, everyone you care about, even your brother?"

"Not good." She finally replies through gritted teeth. If she had to go through him to get out of here then so be it.

"Oh, I expect not. But that's not the worst part, is it?" He prods further.

Octavia shakes her head as her lip begins to quiver.

No it wasn't the worst part.

"You hate yourself, too." He answers for her as she begins to cry. "Good. One more time. What do you want?"

"Forgiveness." Octavia acknowledges with watery eyes.

No matter how hard she tried she couldn't understand how Kayleigh could carry the weight she did inside of her and not crumble under it. The things she did, the choices forced upon her to ensure Wonkru survived..

"Deeper. Much, much deeper." Pike encourages. "Forgiveness is for minor offenses. You murdered people to get them to eat their friends and families. And then you burned the farm to get them to march because you couldn't live with the idea of not getting to that Valley, even when there was another way." He pushes. "You got 400 people killed in that gorge. You caused the world to be destroyed. What you want needs to be earned. Now say it!"