Hell and Back (The 100)

08- Charlotte

Octavia plops down on the floor beside me with some of the panther meat held in her hand. She holds it out for me to take and frowns when I just shake my head. She glances at Jasper on the cot in front of us. "You should eat something."

I shake my head once more. "I'm not hungry."

"You starving yourself because you're worried about your brother is not going to make him heal faster." Octavia holds the meat out in front of me again.

Sighing, I reach out to grab the meat from her hand. "Thanks."

"Besides, Jasper would be angry if he found out that you weren't eating because of him." Octavia adds, resting her forearms on her thighs. She peers down at my brother, eyes flicking over his bangaged chest, thanks to Clarke. "Clarke knows what she is doing."

I bite into the leg of meat, letting out a soft sigh at how great it tastes. I feel like I haven't ate in days, which is probably true. I don't remember the last time I have eaten any food. I peek at the dark haired girl beside me. I don't know if she said that to convince me or herself. All of us- Octavia, Monty, Clarke, Finn, and myself- are worried sick about Jasper. Everyone else is just plain tired of his moaning and are completely inconsiderate. The only person that is neutral about all of this is Wells.

Clarke checks around the bandage, making sure that everything is still in place. Octavia and I watch her work, knowing not to say anything. Monty is in the corner of the room, nearly asleep, but trying to fight it.

When we made it back to camp with Jasper, Clarke was quick to clean his wound, while Bellamy took care of the panther we ended up using for food. I had followed them inside of the dropship, refusing to leave his side for anything. His moans of pain have been ripping my heart in two at every one that leaves his mouth.

I turn my head towards Octavia. "Would you mind getting me some water please?" I reach out for Jasper's hand. My heart sinks when his hand is warm against mine.

"No."

A frown slips on my lips. "Oh, okay."

"I mean, I'm not getting it for you because you've been stuck in this room ever since you got back to camp. You need some fresh air." Octavia shoos me away with her one hand and reaches for Jasper's. "Go."

"I-"

Octavia shakes her head. "Wren, get out. We'll watch him for you."

I sigh and push myself up from the ground. "Okay. Just keep an eye on him."

"Of course." Octavia smiles.

I walk towards the ladder in the middle of the room and begin to descend them. On the ground floor, people are trying to fall asleep in their sleeping bags, most covering their ears with their hands. I watch where I step, careful not to step on any of them as I make my way outside.

The air is warm. I walk down the walkway and notice a lot of people are still awake. Bellamy and Murphy are over by a tree, throwing their makeshift knives into it. I look away from the two of them, knowing that they will be the ones to get us killed out here. They don't think logically.

I start to head over to the tent where we keep the water system. I stop immediately when I hear a girl yelling. I quickly change my direction and rush over to a girl, fast asleep at a tree, appearing as if she is having a nightmare. She's curled up in a ball, hands pressed to her chest. Frantic yells and cries are coming from her. I drop to my knees, reaching out.

"No! No! No!" The little girl shouts in her sleep. Her blonde hair falling all over her face as she moves.

I gently rub my hand over her arm. "Hey, wake up." I say to her.

Suddenly, the girl jerks awake, arms flailing around in defense.

I hold my hands up. "It's okay. It's okay." I whisper to her.

The girl visibly relaxes against the tree, chest rapidly moving.

I sit down beside her, wrapping an arm loosely around her shoulders. "It was just a dream. I'm Wren."

The girl peers up at me, tears in her eyes. She fights back from crying anymore. "Charlotte." She says her name.

I smile at her, rubbing her arm. "It's okay to be scared. Do you want to talk about it?" I ask, referring to her nightmare.

The girl pushes a strand of hair away from her face. "Its- my parents. They were floated and they- and I see it in my dreams and I just..." She breaks out in a soft cry.

I hug her tightly, instantly feeling bad for her. "I'm so sorry."

Charlotte clings to me, sniffling.

"I can't say I know how that feels because I've been locked up my whole life, but I was born to die." I tell her. "Can I ask how you ended up down here?"

She sniffles again. "Well, we were taking my parents' things to the redistribution center and- I kind of lost it. They said I assaulted a guard."

I rub her shoulders, comfortingly. "I can't say I blame you. Those guards are the worst. I punched one in the face once because he was just annoying me."

Charlotte quietly giggles into my chest.

I stare up at the sky, seeing a bright light right where I learned the Ark is supposed to be. I tap Charlotte's shoulder before pointing up at the sky. "You see that bright star up there? That's the Ark orbiting above us. I learned that from my cell because the Chancellor believed I needed an education." I sneak a glance at Charlotte, who sleepily yawns. "I think whatever happened up there, you know, the pain- maybe we can move past that now. Maybe being on the ground is our second chance."

Charlotte peers up at the sky. "Do you really believe that?"

I bit down on my lip. "I'm trying to."

XXXXX

Okay. This chapter is short and I am sorry for that. Our wifi is down at the moment, so getting on the internet is very hard to do. Actually, it's been down for a week. Just know that I am not ignoring you guys or my stories.

I definitely wanted to update this. Although it is short and not much really happens. I just wanted to post something.

Wren and Octavia don't complete hate each other. I actually wanted the two of them to be good friends.

Wren has officially met Charlotte. Maybe even has a soft spot for the young girl.

Question: Thoughts?

So, yeah!