DON'T LET ME GO ► BELLAMY BLAKE

21

Exhaustion rolled over Loxy all at once like a massive wave. She collapsed into the floor, desperately trying to grab something for support. Her vision blurred out of focus and the voices around her became nothing but muffled sounds coming from miles away.

Then, in an instant moment, everything was gone.

Next time Loxy awoke sunlight greeted her as it streamed in through the tent opening. She almost forgot where she was, until a familiar pair of almond brown eyes looked into hers.

"God, I was so worried," he mumbled halfway under his breath.

Loxy wasn't aware of Bellamy's hand on her shoulder until he moved it away. She sat up, gasping at the pain racking through her body as she moved. "How long was I out?"

"Not long. Fifteen minutes." Bellamy responded, shifting awkwardly next to her on the bed. "Clarke and Finn are back."

Loxy's ears perked at the names of her friends. "They are?" She began making her way off the bed, moving at an extremely slow pace. "I need to see them."

"No, no," Bellamy held out his hand, placing his palm on her chest to hold her back. "You should rest. And I need to finish explaining what we talked about."

Loxy gnawed on her lip, reluctantly obliging and laying back on the thick blankets. "What's the plan?"

"Clarke and Finn said there's a huge army of Grounders coming our way," he began.

"We know this," Loxy cut in, confusion rippling through her. "That's why we've been preparing."

"That's what I said," Bellamy gave her a small nod. "But apparently it's unlike anything we've ever seen. Bigger and far worse than we can imagine."

"Okay, and?" Loxy cocked an eyebrow as she stared at the roof of Bellamy's tent. She couldn't meet the questioning eye of her boyfriend. "Where will we go?"

"They said there's an ocean east of here," he paused, a small gulp coming from his throat. "We're leaving tomorrow and they don't want you coming with us. But I'm not going to let that happen."

A huge pang of regret burst inside Loxy as she remembered what happened with Murphy. The horrific faces of the delinquents as they watched her throw the boy against the wall with her mind. There was no way she could cover up for that.

"I guess they don't. How could they trust someone who could kill a human being just with one use of their brain?" Loxy retorted, sitting up again and trying to ignore the constant pain.

Bellamy pursed his lips together. "You've helped all of us in so many ways before they knew and you didn't kill any of us." His eyes shifted uncomfortably to the floor. "At least not with your powers."

Teeth grazed the inside of her cheeks as she instantly knew who Bellamy was referring to. "I get it, I'm a fucking monster. Believe it or not my actions haunt me everyday. No need to remind me."

"Sorry," he murmured, hesitating before putting his hand on her knee. "I'm trying to convince them you're not the monster. You're not the one we're trying to run from. It's the Grounders."

Frustration coursed through her veins. "Why are we running anyways? I can help, if anything. You've never seen me use my powers to kill Grounders." She began to feel eager at her own words.

"No, Loxy," Bellamy vigorously shook his head. "I don't want anything happening to you."

"Bellamy," Loxy protested, scooting closer to him on the bed. She placed her warm hand on Bellamy's knee. "I'm stronger than you think. A lot stronger after everything I've gone through," she tried to convince him, but he didn't budge.