ACTING BY SECOND NATURE
Moonshine was clasped in Cassie's hands, her staring down at the liquid. She hadn't touched a drop of it, the expectant, heavy gaze of her peers weighing down on her. She still hadn't taken even a sip. Even Jay had some - and spat it out right away, coughing and turning red in the face.
It was one of the few times she found herself laughing with people. She liked the feeling.
Her hand shook as she raised it to her lips, the cool metal caressing her lips. Cassie tilted it back slightly, bringing it back down before any of it escaped. She gulped.
They'd bought it.
She sighed in relief, leaning back against the wall, her limbs loosening. Monty, who was sat beside her, took the moonshine from her offering hand and drank it heavily. "You okay Monty?"
He only nodded, taking another big gulp. She understood in a way - his best friend, the closest thing he had to family, was possibly dying not even five meters from them and their fellow criminals didn't want to help.
Silence fell. Cassie bit her lip, looking at Jay sleeping on her left. Drool was dangling from the corner of his mouth and he kept twitching, yet he carried on smiling. Even when he was asleep he created a warm bubble of hope.
"Do you guys miss the Ark?" Cassie whispered, careful not to wake Jay. She didn't wait for an answer. "I do. They were dicks but at least it was familiar, you know?"
Octavia scoffed, waving the moonshine away. Monty shrugged and offered it to Cassie. She pretended not to notice. "Yeah because nothing screams freedom like being locked up for being born."
Hot, ferocious anger surged within Cassie. The words slipped past her lips before she could control them, flames erupting. "At least you remember your parents."
It was like time had frozen. Cassie found that she could barley breathe, halting on her breath. Octavia's frown dissolved slightly, and Monty looked on at her with interest. She wanted to keep it from them, she really did; she knew the curiosity would cause a rift. She wanted to survive, and to survive you need people to trust you. To earn trust you must spill your secrets.
Cassie wished it wasn't like that.
She sighed, and snatching up the moonshine she took a quick swig. It burned her throat on it's journey down, leaving a tingling, warm sensation behind. "They killed themselves when I was six."
Swig. Cassie downed another mouthful, despite the bitter, lingering taste. All that could be heard was the smack of her lips against the cap of the bottle, and occasionally a painful groan from Jasper.
"See this is why I don't open up. People get awkward."
The awkward silence continued. Cassie played with the lid of the bottle, flipping it on and back off the bottle, praying that it hid her shaking hands. She wasn't sure why it had such an effect on her to tell someone, it was something she'd to dealt with for eleven years and become accustomed with. Maybe it was the fact that it made people think she was weak, maybe it was because it brought back feelings she had buried deep within for years. She knew the real reason as to why it made her heart race so much - these people knew something about her. It was one step closer to breaking the barrier between her and others, and just the mere thought of that made her palms sweat.
Cassie offered the drink to Octavia. She cast a cautious glance at Cassie as she gingerly took the drink out of her hand. "You haven't drugged it, have you?"
She couldn't help but let a laugh rattle out of her body. "Trust me honey, if I had you wouldn't know about it until it was too late."
Octavia muttered something under her breath, shaking her head as she tilted her head back and chugged. Cassie's eyes widened; she quickly recovered, a smirk slipping on her face. "That eager for death, huh?"
"I think you and I both know that the drink wasn't spiked." Octavia held Cassie's unwavering gaze, a gentle smile sliding it's way onto her face. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm willing to put it all behind me, if you are?"
Cassie involuntarily frowned. "This better not be because you heard my sob story."
She was shocked it had an effect this quickly. Cassie expected that she'd need a few more heart to heart moments with the girl before she became a potential ally. Yet something about it made her feel uneasy. She didn't want to become someone's friend because of something that happened eleven years ago.
She wanted to make allies, potentially friends, because of something she was to do now.
"I judged you too quickly. I hope you can forgive me," Octavia looked up at her with hopeful eyes. Cassie couldn't hold her gaze, already knowing what she was about to do.
Like an actor falling into character, she dropped her friendly face. "You judged me right, Octavia. Trust your instincts and don't make friends with those who could slit your throat."
Monty gaped at the two in shock. Cassie paid him no mind, leaning back against the wall and gritting her teeth. "Let's just hope this storm passes soon so I can get out of this hell hole."
"I'm praying my damn hardest," Octavia murmured. Cassie barely picked up the words, placing a smile on her face at her remark. On the inside, she felt a twisting in her gut. She always planned to make allies, and this was the perfectly chance to do it. So why couldn't she find the strength to let by gones be by gones?
Because of her.
Cassie came close to physically reeling back at the thought. No, no we don't think about that, Cassie reprimanded her mind. Anytime that name crossed her mind just for a fleeting moment, it felt like a dagger was twisting in her heart. Even when she wasn't thinking of her, the blade was still there, constantly ripping her heart to shreds.
The one time she made an ally, a friend. The last time she did.
She cast a glance at Jay's sleeping form. A slight snore would slip past his lips every now and then, the noise that would usually irritate her, soothing her. Why wasn't it different with him? Why didn't she push him away?
She tried.
She tried constantly putting him down, cutting him off, ignoring his existence.
But he persisted. He was a stubborn son of a bitch, and in the process he managed to weasel his way into her heart. Telling him intimate things had never been a problem because she never told him anything intimate. They weren't just friends. They were more. They shared a bond unique to only them - something she imagined having a sibling would feel like. The realisation hit her like a truck.
He was like her brother.
She didn't have as much of a problem opening up to family. As she knew they were obligated to care for her too, and not playing her like she played other people.
As for Wells, she wasn't sure. There was something about being in his presence that let her muscles relax and the truth to come out without their being a secret agenda behind it.
The drop hatch opening brought her back to reality. Clarke, Wells and Finn all clambered through the hole, rushing to Jasper's aid. Instantly Clarke was getting to work, Finn by her side. And Wells, being the loyal dog he was, lingering behind the pair, begging to help.
It didn't surprise Cassie all that much when they snapped at him. He gloomily stalked away, head hanging low as he climbed back down the hole. Cassie looked at Jay out of the corner of her eye still sleeping peacefully, a spare jacket bundled under his head. She hesitantly stood up, following Wells and leaving the people who she knew had forgotten about her.
It didn't take long to catch up to him, her grabbing a hold of his arm and stopping him in his tracks. She spared a smile for him, dragging him over towards the woods. He didn't need to ask where she was taking him, knowing the exact spot she was pulling them to.
The undergrowth crunched beneath their feet as they made their way further into the forest, searching for their clearing. Wells cleared his throat, snapping Cassie's focus on him. "Isn't it dangerous to be out here?"
"And what did you say to me when I asked you that very question?" She playfully winked at him, dragging him further. "Besides, the fog screwed them over just like it did with us. I doubt they'll be out to play for a while."
When they found their spot, Cassie stared expectantly at him. He shrugged, dragging his foot across the ground, smearing the dirt. She tried to brush it off, sitting down and looking up at him. "So how was your night with her royal highness?"
"Tense."
Cassie snorted. "I bet that's the biggest understatement of the year. Why does she even hate your guts? You don't look like you could hurt a fly."
Wells sighed, realising he couldn't get away with one word answers as he'd hoped. "She thinks that I ratted her father out to mine. He was going to tell the Ark about the malfunction, and well, he got floated for it. Clarke's hated me ever since."
"Thinks?" Cassie raised a singular brow at the teenager.
"I was the only person she'd told about it." Wells avoided Cassie's searing gaze. Immediately she knew that wasn't the full truth.
"So who did?"
"Her mother."
Cassie nearly choked on her spit. Her eyes became bug like, and her jaw was hanging low. She had to recover, reeling at the fact that Abby Griffin would do something like that. Cassie didn't know the woman personally; she never seemed like the type of person to sell out her husband for a couple of brownie points.
"That's why you let her hate you." Wells' eyebrows scrunched up, sneaking a glance up at Cassie. She continued after a pause. "You thought it'd be better for her to hate her best friend than her mother."
"It's so exhausting," he admitted, slouching forward. Hesitantly, Cassie reached out, placing a reassuring hand on his back. Through the clothing she could feel the sharp curve of his spine - it was affecting him physically too.
"You're the one who has to live with her from now on, I think you should tell her. It's not like she's going to see her mother." Wells sent Cassie a sharp glare. She caught her tongue, correcting herself. "She'll see her in a long while. But in that time, you have to put up with bitchy Blondie, and she's barely tolerable as she is."
Wells was silent for a long time, contemplating what she'd said. "Do you really think so?"
"That Clarke's an irritating brat?"
"No," Wells backtracked, shaking his head. "Do you really think I should tell her?"
"Yeah, personally I would." Cassie took a deep breath, tilting her head up and fixing her gaze on the sky above her. It felt like she hadn't done it in so long - she missed it. "You clearly care for her, for whatever reason. You shouldn't waste the time you have with over this, you never know when your time could run out."
"Is that you speaking from personal experience?"
"I guess I am, yeah. The last time I saw my dads, we were fighting over my... hobby. I would die to even have one more second with them, and to think that I wasted time arguing when they were clearly trying to protect me... I miss them."
She found her eyes locked on one particularly bright light in the sky, grabbing her attention like none of the others had. It was the Ark.
"I'm sure they know that you love them," Wells assured her, climbing to his feet. "Come on, I've got to dig a grave and sitting here isn't going to make that happen."
Cassie grumbled as she stumbled to her feet, walking beside Wells. She felt content. His footfalls were a lot heavier than hers, thudding against the ground, and for some reason that made her feel relaxed. Knowing she wasn't alone made her feel good.
"If you want, I can help you dig the grave?" Cassie yawned, covering her mouth with a shaky hands. Her limbs felt weary all of a sudden, as though they were made of lead.
Wells laughed, ruffling her hair. "It's okay, you should get some sleep. I'll talk to you later."
They carried on walking side by side in silence, the sounds of the forest being the only soundtrack. It was peaceful, a nice oxymoron to what the day before had held for them.
They'd been lulled into a sense of false security - the chaos was soon to reign again.
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hey guys! sorry for the late update, i'll try to resume to normal updates this week!
thank you all for reading, see you all soon!
-thirdwheelchurchill