Wounds [Bellamy Blake]

Parlay [Chapter 40]

                Another day came and went, and Murphy and I were still hostages; no sign of Bellamy or anyone coming for me.

                My heart felt heavy, but my bones felt weak. I was beginning to feel the strain of the lack of food; the Grounders gave us only what would keep us alive, but barely. Since I wasn’t eating my meat portion, Murphy taking it without a second thought, I was hardly eating anything (though they had added some more fruit to my bowl each day). Grounders came and went through the ward, never lingering for more than a few hours. I cherished the moments that we were brought outside to get some fresh air, move around, and use the facilities. The sun on my face was nice, but when I was around the other Grounders, I only focused on what they were saying.

                Hearing any word of the hundred, or their plans for us was enough to either give me hope or suck it all away from me.

                “There’s been little action from them.” A man in all black said to another.

                “Anya thought our new captive would bring them.”

                “Perhaps one casualty is nothing to them.”

                “Then we’ve given them less credit than they deserve.”

                I bowed my head, picking up my speed. The words that were exchanged were not the ones I had wanted to hear; if no movement had been made from the hundred, then no one was coming looking for me. And while it took all my willpower to convince myself that I would make it through this, assisted or not, the creeping thought of Bellamy sleeping with some of the other women made my stomach churn. Would he move on that fast? Or perhaps he was glad I was gone, as he could sleep around as much as he wanted without the nagging chain and ball that I had become.

                “Stop it.” I muttered to myself as I crouched down to pee.

                It was not so awkward anymore with Dani watching over Murphy and me while we got our outdoor time, though I still wished I had some privacy. I hiked up my pants and glanced around at the large camp; this couldn’t be all of the Grounders. I wondered where they lived, as Anya had mentioned something about a village burning down. Perhaps they were not as savage as I had made them out to be, but when I glanced at Murphy again in his haggard state, I decided otherwise.

                As I walked back to our prison cell that was the medical ward, Murphy by my side, I spotted a familiar face. Lincoln.

                My eyes dropped; what was I to him? Had he contacted Octavia since he had been freed from the hostage situation Bellamy subjected him to? I didn’t want to give anything away by showing that I recognized him in case that put him in danger.

                Anya side stepped in next to Lincoln; my eyes drifted towards them again as they leaned close and spoke quietly.

                “You.” She pointed at me, and both Murphy and I came to a quick halt.

                She and Lincoln strode up to us, and I looked into his dark eyes for some sign of emotion, but he held sturdy.

                “Your people have called for a parlay.” Anya said, then glanced untrustingly at Lincoln, “We will speak to them, but we will not make amends.”

                I felt so hopeless, this was going nowhere.

                “They have also requested that we bring you; to prove that you are still alive and well.”

                Relief flooded me, but I knew that this didn’t mean I would be going home, back to the hundred and to Bellamy. But perhaps I would see him, even from afar, and hope would blossom in my chest again. The possibility was slim, but I had to cling on to anything now.

                “Dani, you watch over this one.” Anya nodded to Murphy, “Get Felicity; the flower of a child needs more training. She is weak, and cowers at violence.”

                She looked at me, studying me.

                “You can thank Lincoln for this.” She rolled her eyes towards him, “You two have already met, I presume.”

                “Yes.” Lincoln said.

                “Was she one of the ones who maimed you?”

                “No.”

                Anya seemed displeased with that, but strode off. “We leave before dusk.”

                Anya left and Lincoln stood awkwardly in front of me, both of us clearly wanting to speak to the other, but unsure where to start. Perhaps he wanted to know if Octavia was okay, though I had a feeling he already knew, and that he knew more about the state of the hundred than I did at this point. His eyes suggested all of that.

                Murphy stepped behind me, his chest brushed against my shoulder and his mouth by my ear, “You’re leaving me behind just like they did.”

                “I’m coming back.” I told him, “They won’t just hand me off that easily.”

                “Your end will come too; just like Bellamy’s, Princess, Octavia… and the rest.”

                “Come.” Lincoln reached out his hand and gestured for me to follow.

                Dani grabbed Murphy’s shoulder roughly and brought him back to the concrete building that had obviously survived the brutal nuclear war, as it was half underground after years of Earth consuming it, taking it back. I worried about Murphy; had he gone over the deep end or was he revealing some truth in his harsh words?

                The minute Lincoln and I were away from most ears, I turned to him, “Have you spoken to anyone?!”

                “Octavia, yes.” He said, “Finn as well.”   

                “And?!” I needed to know about the people I cared about, the people I considered family now.

                “They are well.” He wasn’t a man of many words.

                “Lincoln… I’m… I’m in love with Bellamy.” The words fell from my lips for the first time, and I had hardly enough time to realize that I meant it before they were revealed to none other than Lincoln, the man who probably hated Bellamy more than anyone.

                The man looked unimpressed, but softened after a moment. “He’s fine.”

                “Thank you.”

                “Don’t thank me yet.”

Alright, so when I was writing this chapter I sat there thinking of a word for "parlay" for so long! I messaged my friend and she came up with parlay, and when I thesaurused that, it gave me some pretty pathetic alternatives (Piggy back? Come on, Thesaurus...). Anyways, if anyone can tell me the word I was looking for, that would be awesome. It is still bothering me. Also, loved the comments on the last chapter, please keep it up guys!