from the ashes (she will rise) ➸ octaven

chapter 6

"So that's why no one's messed with her today," Raven notes.

Octavia groans and leans against the wall, her shoulders dropping in defeat. "It's also why no one sat beside me in history." She rolls her eyes. And then, on a last minute's impulse, looks to Raven hopefully. "Can we leave? I hate it here."

"You want to skip?" Raven raises an eyebrow, an amused smile forming on her face when Octavia nods.

"Follow me," Raven laughs softly, nodding towards the door and then hurrying to blend into the sea of students. Octavia sticks close behind her, eventually reaching out to grab a hold of her backpack so she doesn't get lost. They catch Lexa at her locker, and Raven leans beside her.

"We're leaving early today," Raven gains Lexa's attention, who hugs a textbook to her chest and tilts her head to the side. "Wanna come?"

"You're just... not going to class?"

"Yep," Raven nods. "You coming or what?"

"I..." Lexa hesitates, pausing to glance up and down the hallway. "I mean... I'd rather not have to walk home alone..." Octavia can see the slightest of smiles tugging at her lips. And Raven reaches out to squeeze the girl's shoulder.

"C'mon, kid, you deserve a day off," Raven laughs, nodding to the end of the hallway.

And so, with that, Raven's digging through her backpack and holding up a keycard in victory. Octavia raises an eyebrow when she scans it next to the back exit, and it works. The locks click off and Raven smirks, holding the door open as they make their way outside.

"How?" Octavia laughs, glancing back at the building.

"It's all magnets," Raven shrugs, tucking the card back into her pocket. "Pretty easy to manipulate if you have the know-how," she points to her head jokingly. Octavia rolls her eyes.

"If we go home Indra will be mad," Lexa notes, kicking a pebble as they walk. She glances at her watch. "She doesn't leave until 12:43."

"We aren't going home yet," Raven shakes her head. "I figured we'd walk down to the tracks."

Lexa nods quickly. "I'm fine with that," she smiles softly, kicking an empty can across the parking lot.

-----

After ducking behind a dumpster, hopping a fence, and taking a shortcut through someone's backyard, the three girls end up wandering down a seemingly-endless set of train tracks. Lexa's a ways ahead of them, balancing on the metal rods, while Octavia and Raven trail behind.

Eventually they sit down on the tracks by a small pond, where Lexa skips rocks absentmindedly. Octavia leans back on her hands, closing her eyes and feeling the sun warm her face. This beats being in school any day.

"Octavia?" Lexa tosses another rock in the pond before turning to look at the girl.

"Hm?"

"What was your mom like?"

Octavia's taken aback by the question, but she just shrugs. "She was cool."

"Yeah, but what was she like?" Lexa prods. "Was she pretty? Was she a good mom?"

Octavia nods. "Yeah. I, uh... I don't know how to describe her. She was always patient with us. She never really yelled or raised her voice. Always made sure to tell us how much she loved us..." she trails off. "She was basically the opposite of everything I am."

"I doubt that," Raven speaks up. Octavia just glances over at her and shrugs. Lexa tosses another rock.

"What about you, Lexa?" Raven changes the subject. "You nervous to see your mom?"