Shadow and a Dancer ➵ monty green

05

(PREPARE YOURSELVES)

05.
Stay calm. Even in the face of chaos.

Juliet laid on her back with one leg bent at the knee and the other crossed over. Her head was propped up on a pillow as she read intensely at the lines laid out before her. She loved to read about anything from fiction to non-fiction. She loved hearing stories of the time their people lived on Earth.

She was supposed to be meeting Wells for an afternoon game of chess, but she was late as usual. Juliet was notorious for reading during times her attention should be elsewhere. Her father would always say how much she resembled her mother not just in looks, but also in her passion for reading.

She was too wrapped up in her book that she didn't hear the door opening. She was just about to turn a page when the book was snatched out of her hands. She looked up at the culprit and glared. She reached out for her book, but Wells took a few steps back grinning.

"Wells, I was just getting to the good part." Juliet whined sitting up properly.

He let out a snort. "You've read it about a dozen times." She narrowed her eyes at him and held her hand out for her book. "Jules, you were supposed to meet me over 30 minutes ago."

She glanced at the clock on the table next to her. She gave him a sheepish look when she realized he was correct. "Hey, but now Clarke can join us." She pointed out hoping to brighten his mood. She frowned when she noticed him fidget. "What, did she not like the pencils?"

He sighed taking the seat next to her. He rubbed his hands down his face. "I don't think she likes me..." Juliet laughed shaking her head. He stared at her offended that she would laugh.

"Sorry. It's just..." She adjusted herself so she was facing him with her legs crossed. "You're her best friend Wells, I mean aside from me, you don't get a prize for being nice." He rolled his eyes having heard the same speech over a dozen times. "Plus, we both know that even if she never sees you the same way, you'll still love her."

He stared at her wide eyed. "I don't love Clarke."

Juliet laughed with all she could. "Wells, I know you like my favorite novel. You love her."

He crossed his arms and grumbled in his seat. She smiled at him and took the opportunity to reach for her book. She smiled in triumph just as Clarke walked in. She threw her hands in the air. "Doesn't anyone ever knock these days?"

Juliet followed after her blonde friend in silence. She was used to being silent, she craved the silence, but somehow this was different. A part of her was hurt by the fact that the woman who she saw as a surrogate mother was the reason for her father's death. The only family she thought to have left was, again, ripped from under her. When she told Clarke she needed time she wasn't lying. She sat on a rock by the river staring into nothingness. Her brain tried desperatly to grasp onto the concept that she was officially alone. There was this voice in the back of her mind screaming at her that she wasn't alone that she still had Clarke and Wells, but it was largely ignored. They weren't the same kids they were a year ago. They weren't the same kids they were when they landed.

Juliet was too wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't realize that Clarke stopped walking until she bumped into her. Clarke reached out to steady her and she gave her a grateful nod. She looked back to her feet when she noticed the look Clarke was giving her. It was like watching someone try to put a puzzle together that was missing a few pieces. That's essentially what Juliet was, a puzzle.