The Burning » Bellamy Blake

And The War Has Just Begun.

Epilogue:

Time came to a sudden stop. Bellamy's entire body was numb from the beating he had suffered, but that pain did not compare to the agony that had overcome his entire being as he stood before the grave of a girl who, when they had first met, he thought to be nothing more than like those who had attacked Jasper on their first day on Earth.

Blood seeped from Bellamy's palms as he dug his nails into his skin. The skin she had touched, once. The skin she had sacrificed herself for – the skin of a young man who didn't believe he was worth saving. He had screamed at her limp body, not caring in the slightest that there was a war going on around him. He had yelled at her, begging the girl to open her eyes and just... breathe.

"Quinn, wake up!" Bellamy cried, holding her lifeless body; blood seeping from the wound in her stomach. "Open your eyes, please!"

The boy was so heartbroken that he hadn't even noticed the female Grounder who slew any of her own that came close to him as he cradled Quinn's body, holding her so tightly, as if he were afraid that if he let go, she'd shatter like glass. His shoulders had shaken so hard; he felt the loss right deep down into the marrow of his bones.

A tear dripped down his face, following it, countless others. His shoulders shook even now; his body aching from the blows he took to his ribs and the scratches and bruises that inked his figure. If only he could see her once more. If only he could hold her once more. If only he could tell her for the rest of his years to come how truly sorry he was for everything bad that had happened between them.

Quinn had promised to fix everything when the war was over. Quinn had told him to wait, that she would find him when she got there. And she did... but she was taken from him before Bellamy could explain to her how much she had come to mean to him in such a small amount of time. All he wanted, all he wished, was to see her one last time.

To tell her: I'm sorry, and I love you.

Yes, that's right, he loved her. But he only discovered so when it was too late. He had held the words on his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say them. Because of what happened – what always happens. She understood it, too, he knew. The feeling of loving someone and then letting them go too soon. It had begun with his mother, then his younger sister, and now Quinn.

Bellamy was so caught up in his thoughts, that he did not hear Gyda come to stand beside him. The Grounder stared down at the grave, her eyes just as clouded in heartache and regret as Bellamy's. Gyda let out a small chuckle, biting back tears.

After seconds of not noticing Gyda's presence, Bellamy glanced over at the sound of her chuckle. She caught his gaze, noticing his tear-stained face but not mentioning anything about it as she said, "When I first met Quinn, I wished her dead." Gyda sniffed, looking back down at the grave. "Now she is, and I—" Gyda paused as her voice broke, gathering herself together so not as to appear weak in front of the foreign boy who had fallen from above.

Clearing her throat, she continued. "I hate myself for ever wishing such a thing."

Bellamy stared at the Grounder woman – the woman who had saved him from her own people and helped him carry Quinn's body from the wreckage of battle, escaping the flames just in time.

Her face was swollen and bruised from the cut she had earned by fighting off her own people. It was a large cut – one that would scar her face permanently – but Gyda only thought she deserved it for the murder of her childhood friend, Khai. He was a threat to not only Quinn and Gyda, but to Lexa, too. For if they obeyed Khai, Tristan would not have been killed and many, many more lives would've been taken. But in the end, Gyda hated herself just as much as Bellamy hated himself, for she could not save Quinn.

"Quinn told me something before she died." Bellamy's voice was raspy from the smoke and the crying; it hurt to simply swallow.

The Grounder glanced over at the boy that her friend had cared for. "What did she say?" Gyda asked with genuine curiosity.

"Ai hod yu in," Bellamy's pronunciation was far off, but Gyda could make out what he meant.

The woman clenched her jaw. Lying to Bellamy would only cause more distress and heartache as he would wrestle with himself to find out what the girl had whispered to him as she lay dying in his arms. But telling him...

Gyda stepped back from the grave, giving Quinn a silent goodbye before she walked to the tree where her blade rest and slipped it into its holster without looking at the foreigner. She felt his eyes follow her the entire time, waiting for a response. Gyda blinked, tearing her attention from the blade on her side and focusing it on the boy before her. His eyes were wide, looking utterly lost as he searched the woman's face for answers.

Gyda began to leave, but didn't get very far as Bellamy called her back, "Wait, where are you going? I know you know what it means. Tell me what she said... please."

Slowing in her steps, Gyda glanced down at her feet. It took her a moment to regain herself before she turned to face Bellamy. "Ai hod yu in," Gyda repeated. "She told you she loves you."

Bellamy Blake went utterly silent. Colour left his face and Gyda knew it was not from the blood loss. She could practically hear the sound of his heart shatter. Hoping to say something reassuring, she opened her mouth to speak, but she could not think of any words that could mend this type of wound. So, without another word, she turned back around and continued on her path to the citadel – back home, to her sister.

The war had only just begun.

Quinn's story had ended, but the story of those who still kept above ground was nowhere near finished.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The End.

It was a wild (and long) journey; one that consisted of ups and downs, but a journey that has now come to an end. I'd just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who read and voted for this book. It was my first (and only) fanfiction I've written, and I've loved almost every bit of it, haha. I hope you all enjoyed the read and loved Quinn's beautiful, sassy self just as much as I do.

Thank you again for all your support and love towards this book.

It's time to pew-pew outta here.