Love to Hate [1]

They strung up a man they say who murdered three.

Song: Hanging Tree // Jennifer Lawrence

Nessa's POV

Wells was dead.

A Grounder had snuck up on him right outside the wall and slit his throat. No one seemed particularly upset that he was dead, but everyone was scared that someone had been killed so close to camp by Grounders. I felt bad that he had to die like that - alone, probably terrified. I wasn't the biggest fan of his dad, but from what I had gleaned in my few short days with him, Wells seemed like a nice guy. A little to upstanding for my taste, but his heart had been in the right place. Clarke seemed to be taking it the hardest - they had been best friends since they were kids, even though they hadn't been on great terms when he died. I felt bad for her. I didn't know her that well, but I knew what it was like to lose someone close to you. 

I opened the flap of my small tent. It was early morning and people were just beginning to wake up. It was cloudy and a slight mist hung over the camp. Since Wells' death, everyone had become extremely motivated to form some sort of protection around the camp and had worked together to form a crude wall of metal, wood, and other material from the drop ship. Nothing like a tragic death to inspire teamwork, I thought grimly. The gate stood ajar, and I could see our makeshift graveyard through it. A blonde-haired figure knelt in front of Wells' grave. I knew it had to be Clarke. I felt like I should go to her, tell her I knew what she was feeling. But then I saw Finn walk up to her and I hesitated. Didn't want to kill their moment. Plus, I probably wouldn't help anyway. I was still getting the hang of human interaction, and I definitely was not experienced enough to help with comforting someone who had just lost a loved one. 

Instead, I headed into the drop ship, where Monty was bent over a work station with dead wristbands, wires, and other electronic-looking things. (I knew next to nothing when it came to engineering.) 

"Hey, Monty, what are you up to?" I asked, plopping down next to him. Ever since Jasper had recovered his mood had significantly improved, but his face was still pinched and worried. I missed the goofy kid I had met when we first crash landed here. The harshness of the ground and the threat of the Grounders had taken a lot from everyone, and it was beginning to show. 

"Oh, hey, Ness. I'm just trying to see if there's a way I can use the transmissions on the wristbands to somehow get in contact with the Ark. Like do more than just transmit our vital signs, which to be honest was a dumb idea. Who gives a bunch of delinquents wristbands that are their only way of telling whether we're alive or dead, and tells us specifically to not take them off? What did they expect us to do?" he smirked. I laughed with him. I had to admit, the fact that the wristbands couldn't tell the difference between someone dying and someone just taking it off was a huge oversight on the Council's part. I was also glad to see some of Monty's sarcasm returning. Just as I was about to reply, however, Clarke stormed in. There was a scary look in her eye that I hadn't seen there before.

"Heard you need a working wristband," she said shortly to Monty. She held out her wrist. "Use mine."

I gaped at her. This was the same girl who a few days ago told Bellamy she'd get her wristband over he dead body. And now she was just offering it up? What the hell happened? "Clarke, wait, I thought-" I began to say. 

Monty cut me off. "Yeah, what about the Ark? Your mom? They'll think you're dead."

Clarke's eyes only narrowed. "Do you want it or not? We need to contact the Ark and tell them about the Grounders. You need a working wristband to try and contact them. Anyway, if this works then I'll be able to tell them I'm not dead. I don't see the problem."

Monty sighed and nodded, gesturing Clarke to sit on the bench so he could work at getting her wristband off. I got up so she could take my place, still stunned at her sudden change of heart. There had to be more behind it than what she was saying. Monty worked on it for a few minutes before he was finally able to pry the wristband off. Something he did must have worked, because the needles on the inside still glowed blue while the rest of the dead wristbands didn't. "I did it," he breathed, smiling and looking up at Clarke. "It's still operational." Clarke smile, rubbing her wrist. She then got up and made to exit the drop ship but was stopped by Finn. He did not look happy.