𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠︱monty green

ix. coward

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"I LOVE YOU GUYS. SO MUCH. AND I'LL ALWAYS BE THANKFUL YOU TOOK ME IN WHEN MY PARENTS DIED."

Emily had her arms tightly around Riley, who embraced the young girl back. Her adoptive parents looked at her with tears in their eyes. She had finished telling them the story, and how she had to go, trying to keep out the details about her murders. She had carried a small bag with her, that she stuffed with clothes she could change into so she wasn't covered in blood anymore and more personal supplies. "Why can't you stay?" Emily whispered, quiet and dotting Riley's shirt with tears. "You'll be safe here. I don't want you to go."

Frowning, Riley gently peeled the young girl's arms off of her. "I'm not safe here, Em," she told her, the girl's cheeks stained with tears that Riley had tried to wipe them away. "President Cage is looking for me. If they find me, there'll be consequences for what I've done to help the ones we brought in," she tried to tell her. "I don't want to go either. But you stay here, be safe, and if they ask where I am.."

"We'll tell them we don't know," Riley's adoptive mother answered, finishing her sentence. The woman brushed her dark hair out of her eyes and wiped the tears at the same time. "Riley, please be careful out there. We love you."

"I will," Riley promised, even though it was empty. She gave Emily one last tight squeeze before walking over to her adoptive parents and threw her arms around them into a hug that involved three. Both of the adults hugged her back, as she attempted not to cry. This, including Maya, was her family. They took her in when her parents died, gave her a home life that she deserved. She was glad they understood she couldn't be there, but her heart broke as she was unsure if this would be the last time she saw them.

"I love you guys," Riley whispered again, hoping they understood and wouldn't forget if anything happened. They repeated the words and released her, letting Emily throw herself at Riley once more. She's always adored Riley, ever since she was adopted. They spent late nights talking too loud, playing checkers, and braiding each other's hair.

Riley squatted, giving the young girl a hug one last time. "I love you too," she spoke, her voice breaking as Emily tightened her grip, not wanting to let go. She didn't want to either. Eventually, she had to forcibly peel Emily's arms off. "I have to go," she told her. She used her thumb to wipe away the tears on Emily's cheeks. "You stay safe, okay? Don't break down. I'll see you soon, and I'll teach you how to do that new braid," she promised, trying to smile. Emily couldn't smile, and shook her head. Riley stood up, knowing this was going to be hard, but unsure of how to say good-bye.

"Bye, you guys," Riley finally whispered, hanging in the doorway. She looked at her family who were all in tears. "I'll.. See you soon."

-x-

It was a challenge making her way to Mrs. Ryan, who was hiding the last twelve. Riley was sent by Bellamy to be with her, where he figured she'd be the most safe. Mrs. Ryan would protect them all, and she even threw worried looks to Riley to see if she was okay. Riley had since changed out of her clothes, the ones that were covered in blood. She ditched them almost immediately, but even that didn't stop the guards from coming in and searching.

Riley thought she was a fucking coward. Cage and his people called her a traitor, and sure, she was that too. But instead of standing up, even when she was weaponless, she let the guards take the delinquents away, knowing what they were going to do. Riley had hid in a small opening in Mrs. Ryan's wall, her knees pressed to her chest and her head buried down. None of the delinquents were shot, given that they needed their blood, but Riley hadn't doubted that Mrs. Ryan was for shielding them.

The thought of it made Riley choke up. She was frozen in place when she heard footsteps in the room, scared to move. She had nothing to fend herself with anyways. She quietly leaned forward, trying not to make any creaking sound, and looked through the blinds. She breathed a large sigh of relief when seeing it was just Monty, Bellamy, Maya and Jasper and pushed the opening door off.

At the sound of Riley pushing it, the four had jumped in surprise and Bellamy pointed his gun at her. She quickly held her hands up in surrender before he shot her by accident. She was at a loss of what to say, but Monty had looked at Riley with wide eyes. "Riley?" He spoke. "I thought they.."

"Monty," Riley breathed out like a sigh of relief. She realized she was still cramped up, and scooted herself out from the shelter. She thought he was gone. Out of all the delinquents, Monty was the one she was the closest to. He was the one she felt most guilty for when she hid, she worried they forcibly took him along with the rest.

So Riley didn't hesitate in Monty being the first person she threw her arms around. She was tired of randomly hugging her friends when seeing they were alive, but it was her sign of quiet comfort from knowing the other was okay. However, Monty seemed caught off guard by the blonde hugging him and froze for a second before melting into it.

"Come on," Maya urged them, reaching out and touching Riley's shoulder who reluctantly let Monty go at the touch. "We have to go to the Harvest Chamber," she explained to her best friend as they left Mrs. Ryan's room. She didn't give Riley a chance to look at Mrs. Ryan's body, shielding her from that pain and directing her down a different hall with the others behind, following. "The guards are heading there. We have to check on the army of grounders being let out of their cages."

Riley snorted at that. She was still astonished with herself at the person that she's become, how she no longer needed the blood treatment. When that day came, she thought that maybe she'd be happy and lucky to be able to. But she wasn't.

The blue glow of The Harvest Chamber hit Riley's face first. Then, she realizes how empty that it is. Before, it was full of the outsiders locked in cages, prepared for the forcible blood transplant for her people. This wasn't right. The guards might have known about the army of grounders inside being prepared for the war, but there was no way they killed them all and dragged their bodies out in the short time they had this quick.

Then, Riley was frozen in shock. She tried to put her arm in front of Maya before she could see, but it was too late. "No!" Maya screamed, her eyes filling with tears as she pushed Riley aside and dropped to her knees in front of her father, who had a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. "No! No!" She sobbed again and again, shaking his chest.

Her own eyes welling up, Riley knelt behind her and put her hands on Maya's back. She couldn't look away from the deceased male's body, and had to put one of her hands over her mouth before she got sick, all while Maya's screams echoed in her ears. Vincent was like another parent to her, and he of all people didn't deserve it for protecting the delinquents and doing what was right.

'This is the war I'm facing.'