Bellātor | BELLAMY BLAKE

four

ғᴏᴜʀ : ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅᴇʀs
⋆

Since the rain has turned the dirt into mud and all the sticks damp, all the teens gather into the drop ship to find sleep. All the teens but Clara. She still doesn't trust them enough to sleep feet away from them all. The rain has turned into a drizzle, so she decides to stick it out and lie under a tall tree. She leans her head against a log and covers her body with her jacket as her only source of warmth.

The cold, the mud, and the drizzle aren't why Clara can't sleep. Her mind keeps her up with worries about Rez out in the forest and their new life on the ground. As she has found out, living on earth is a lot harder than it was in her books. For one, the books she reads did not take place in a post-nuclear war world. They had houses, families, and resources. Her only family, besides Rez in the forest on a search for supplies, is her mother on a space station thousands of miles away that blends in with the stars in the sky. The only shelter they have so far is the drop ship, and it's filled with teens who smell like they have never showered before.

What bothers Clara the most is how hard she is adapting to life on earth. She was always at the top of her classes on the Ark, but the kids who were failing their earth study classes seem to be having an easier time than she is.

Clara lets out a huff and sits up, pulling her jacket over her goosebump-covered arms. She stands and ignores the mud on her clothes. Her feet crunch the leaves and sticks under her as she walks out of their camp, no destination in mind.

After meandering around for a while, Clara stumbles on a bush filled with dark berries. She picks a berry off its bush and brings it up to her face to see it better in the dark. She sniffs it, then decides to pop it in her mouth. The sweet taste fills her mouth, and she decides it's probably a blackberry. She doesn't eat more than the one, though, just in case she's wrong and it is a poisonous berry.

The sound of twigs snapping nearby draws her attention away from the bush. She follows the noise until she reaches a small clearing, staying hidden behind a tree. She pokes her head out and spots Wells and Bellamy, the latter holding a gun. Her eyes widen. He's going to kill Wells.

"That's far enough," Bellamy says, and Wells halts in his place, turning to face the older boy. "I don't want to shoot you, Wells. Hell, I like you, but I do need them to think that you're dead."

Clara snorts. It's very clear that Bellamy doesn't like Wells in the slightest, anyone could see that.

Wells sighs and raises his brow. "Why? Why are you doing this?" When Bellamy opens his mouth to reply, Wells adds, "For real, not some crap about getting to do what ever you want to do."

Bellamy sets his hands on his hips and looks away. "I have my reasons." His eyes find Wells again, his eyes becoming guarded. "I also have the gun, so I ask the questions, and the question is, why aren't you helping me? Your dad banished you, Wells, and yet here you are, still doing his bidding, following the rules. Aren't you tired of always doing what's expected of you? Stand up to him. Take off that wristband, and you'll be amazed at how good it feels."

He's not killing Wells, Clara realizes. He just wants Wells to appear dead to his father, and for everyone else up on the Ark. It was surprising enough to learn that the Ark's golden child has been condemned to earth, but it will be a real shock when they think he has died. She looks down at her own wristband, wondering if the council would bother telling her mother if she died. To them, she's probably just another random delinquent.