Songbird ~ Bellamy Blake

Earth Skills

After a long trek through the sinister woods, the remaining five had made it back to camp. The small relief that Lyra felt was tossed away when she heard Clarke shouting up ahead, "Wells! Let him go!"

"Oh, what now?" The two brunettes finally came upon the camp and saw Bellamy holding back the same hook-nosed boy who had been fighting Wells the day before.

"Whoa. Hey! Enough, Murphy." Noticing that Lyra had been carrying Octavia on her back, Bellamy ran to them, relieving Lyra of the extra weight. "Octavia. Are you all right?"

"Yeah."

Bellamy looked to the group of disheveled teens, "Where's the food?"

The panting teens exchanged looks. Finn sat down on a nearby log, Lyra sitting next to him, "We didn't make it to Mount Weather."

"What the hell happened out there?"

Lyra let out a dry laugh, "Want us to start from the beginning or just today?"

Clarke spoke up, "We were attacked."

"Attacked? By what?" The concern for his friend was clear in Wells' voice.

"Not what. Who. It turns out, when the last man from the ground died on The Ark, he wasn't the last Grounder." Lyra bent over as much as her injury would allow and clasped her hands together, staring at the soft ground that was wet from the rain.

The tension in the air was palpable and thick, "It's true. Everything we thought we knew about the ground is wrong. There are people here, survivors." Nervous murmurs broke out among the delinquents. "The good news is, that means we can survive. Radiation won't kill us."

Lyra looked up letting out a scoff, "Yeah but the Grounders will."

Wells briefly scanned the area around him, noticing the group of six had become five, "Where's the kid with the goggles?"

"Jasper was hit. They took him." Noticing Wells' wristband was missing, Clarke grabbed his arm. "Where is your wristband?"

Ripping his arm from her Wells turned to Bellamy with a menacing glare, "Ask him."

Lyra glanced between Bellamy and the blonde, "How many?"

Murphy answered the fuming blonde with a smug grin, "Twenty four and counting."

Feeling her anger rise Lyra spoke up, "Leave it, Clarke, we have bigger things to deal with."

Her warning fell on deaf ears, "You idiots. Life support on The Ark is failing. That's why they brought us down here. They need to know the ground is survivable again, and we need their help against whoever is out there. If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them. you're killing us!"

Lyra held her head in her hands. She wanted to get to Jasper, they would have time for motivational speeches later.

"We're stronger than you think. Don't listen to her. She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same? We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm? It makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore! They say they'll forgive your crimes. I say you're not criminals! You're fighters, survivors! The Grounders should worry about us!"

The delinquents let out cheers, Bellamy had won most of them over. Lyra stood up in frustration, slightly wincing because of the irritated wound in her side. "Enough. I don't give two flying shits about the wristbands right now. I'm getting Jasper back. Whoever wants to join, meet me in the dropship," with that she stalked off, Clarke and Monty following close behind.