Nothing Gold Can Stay [1]

Two

Earth Skills

   The five of them ran through the forest, their feet pounding heavily on the ground. None of them had wanted to run but seeing someone get speared tended to do that.

   As they were increasing the distance between them and whatever attacked Jasper, Monty tripped, falling face first in front of a pile of bones. Human bones.

   "What are they?" Blondie asked.

   "We are so screwed." Octavia said.

   They heard a loud, echoing scream from the distance and Clarke dropped the deformed skull in her hands.

   "Jasper," Nova exclaimed.

   "He's alive!" Clarke seemed surprised. They all were.

   All five of them ran back towards the edge of the river, their eyes scanning the shore. Jasper was nowhere to be seen.

   "He was right there," Finn said, confused. There was no way Jasper could have moved himself, not without help.

   "Where is he?" Monty asked. Nova could feel his anxiety, evidently worried about his best friend.

   "They took him." Blondie's words resounded around everyone, her brevity intense.

   "We have to get him," Monty said, determined.

   "We can't." Everyone turned to face Nova. "We're unarmed, unequipped, and I highly doubt any of you can actually fight. We don't even know what we're going up against. We go back to camp, arm ourselves, get more people to come, and then we find Jasper."

   Nova's words were filled with the truth that the others didn't want to admit. However, they couldn't escape the truth, so they trudged back to the drop ship, their hearts heavy.

   Except camp was not how they had left it. A fight between Murphy and Wells had broken out, and honestly, Nova wasn't shocked at all. As soon as Murphy decided to dislike someone, he wouldn't change his mind.

   Except, instead of Murphy winning, which is what Nova had expected, Wells had his arm locked around Murphy's neck.

   He's gotten sloppy, Nova thought. She remembered when they were on the Ark and she wasn't in solitary confinement, she went to a few Earth Skills classes. One of them involved learning how to fight and Murphy was only second best to Nova herself.

   "Wells!" Clarke yelled. "Let him go!"

   Wells let go of Murphy, who went to attack Wells again, clearly upset that he was bested by the Chancellor's son, but was stopped by Bellamy. His hands on Murphy's chest, his eyes flickered to the right to see Nova and Monty supporting Octavia down the hill.

   "Octavia!"

   Nova noted the close bond between the two, as Bellamy worried over Octavia and made sure she was okay. Nova had to admit she was jealous. She had never had that kind of relationship with her parents. She only hoped that Bellamy's protectiveness wouldn't diminish their chances at survival.

   "Where's the food?" Bellamy asked as soon as he realised his sister was okay.

   "We didn't make it to Mount Weather," Finn admitted.

   "What the hell happened out there?" Bellamy demanded.

   Nova crossed her arms, glaring at Bellamy. "We were attacked."

   "Attacked?" Wells was in disbelief. "By what?"

   "Not what. Who." Finn explained. "Turns out that when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, he wasn't the last Grounder."