𝐃𝐔𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐘 ── bellamy blake ¹ ✓

[ 07 ] the thanks they got

''So, thank you all so much for saving my life, and forgive me, please, if I just hurt your feelings, but everyone in this room, including you three, heroes, knows that I'm right,'' I then manage to get my voice to become leveled, but it still hints at a certain amount of sarcasm, before Octavia jumps up, silently queueing our leave as her arm slips around me the second she sees me wince in pain once I take another step. With Monty and Jasper still silently hot on our trail, we exit the dropship and I let the warmth of the sun wash over my skin in an attempt to relax my muscles, having left the room where two girls and a man stand in stunned silence, speechless.

''Look at the thanks they got,'' I hear Jasper mumble behind me.

___

''Wow, that's kind of embarrassing. I might have made a fool out of myself,'' I chuckle dryly, sudden awkwardness settling back into its rightful place instead of frustration when I finally come down from the high of the outburst.

''You didn't, you stood your ground. Why do you always say that after talking to people?'' A lost expression etches onto Jasper's face.

I merely shrug in response, hugging my jacket closer to my body as the chilly night air engulfs us all, the stars and the crescent moon shining brightly in a sharp contrast to the dark entirety of the sky.

Hours have passed since the confrontation in the dropship, the night now fallen over the camp of delinquents. There are barely any teenagers outside, most of them already tucked in and sleeping in their tents, having already caught up to the amazement of nights on the Earth's actual surface in the days before. Jasper, Monty, Octavia and I sit outside in front of a blazing fire in hopes of seeking comfort against the cold air. I shift closer to the fireplace, welcoming the heat it brings with open arms. I glance at a young pairing a couple of yards away from us, maybe around the age of fifteen. They exchange hushed chuckles before the boy places a kiss on the girl's forehead, a grin stretching across my face as their friends around them playfully shove the lovebirds, all erupting into a series of lighthearted laughs.

''How are you feeling?'' The voice of Octavia Blake suddenly cuts through the distant laughter, directing my gaze to her.

''I'm fine, I guess. Side's just stinging,'' my shoulders briefly bounce up, then I gaze off to nowhere in particular, ''Do you think I overreacted?''

''No. I'm sure they understand now, Emily,'' Monty assures, a comforting smile forming on his lips.

''I feel like I should be, I don't know, afraid of the grounder? Or mad at him for attempting to kill me?'' I have my hands wrung together, puzzlement evident in my fidgeting, ''But torturing is so... messed up. I mean, so is killing, but do we have to fry up a human to prove something of ourselves?''

I glance at my three friends that are all exchanging amused glances now, humored even in the urgency of the situation at hand. Octavia's smile slowly dims, though, ''I don't think he is with the grounders. He saved my life multiple times. He let me have the antidote and I don't even think he wanted to kill you.''

''I think he just tried to protect himself? Back in the cave, he.. I watched him as he was–'' I make air quotes with my fingers, ''–passed out on the ground. His eyes were closed the entire time when Bellamy said he wanted to get rid of him. He knew what Bellamy wanted to do without watching. He was listening, he has to know English.''

Jasper and Monty are half asleep on each other against the log and the sight causes me to grin widely. I push the goggles that sit half on top of Jasper's eyes back onto their usual place – on the top of his head – and take the stick that Monty was holding from when they were playing Tic Tac Toe earlier, as it now sits almost embedded into his cheek. Then, my attention is back on Octavia.