WRONG JIGSAW PIECE
As much as she tried to not be distracted by the nature around her, she failed. She'd find herself staring at the trees a second too long and bumping into somebody as a result, or crouching down to look at a plant in more detail and nearly lose the group. She'd again been distracted by another flower, and she bent down to look at it closer. It was purple, it's petals curling in on themselves. Finn saw this plant, reaching past Cassie and plucking the plant. Cassie had to rein in her disappointment.
He twirled it in his fingers, then decided to slot it behind Octavia's ear. She ducked under his attention, her cheeks crimson. Cassie again rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand how someone could flirt with someone else because of their looks. For her, personality was more extraordinary.
"That, my friend, is game." Jasper pointed to Finn and Octavia. Cassie lingered behind them, curious as to what they said next. They were an interesting pair of individuals. They seemed like good allies.
Monty smiled, remarking. "That, my friend, is poison sumac."
Instantly Octavia squirmed, shaking her head desperately trying to get it out of her hair. Cassie released a low chuckle, watching as Monty plucked it from her hair and chewed on it. "Don't worry, they're not poisonous. They're medicinal, calming actually."
Cassie made a mental note of what the plant looked like, wondering if she could give it to Jay one time to see if it would make him any quieter.
Her thoughts were cut off by Clarke's voice draining the fun out of the situation. "Can you guys keep up?"
Finn speeds up to be closer to her, spreading his arms wide. "How can you block all of this out?"
Clarke placed her hands on her hips, her back straight. "Well, it's simple. I wonder, 'why haven't we seen any animals?' Maybe it's because there are none. Maybe we've already been exposed to enough radiation to kill us. Sure is pretty, though. Come on."
"Or maybe your droning voice is driving them away?" Cassie teased, smirk growing on her face. She hadn't had this much fun since way before she'd been locked up.
"Someone should slip her some poison sumac," Octavia muttered. Cassie snorted, the very sound surprising her. It had tickled when it left her nostrils, and it wasn't a feeling she'd experienced in a long time.
Clarke ignored the comment and continued to march on. The group let her, all absorbed in their own conversation. Finn turned to Monty and Jasper, smiling. "I have to know what you two got locked up for."
The two boys exchanged a cheeky look, Monty wittily replying. "Well, poison sumac isn't the only herb in the garden, if you get what I mean."
Cassie drowned out the rest of the conversation, moving at her own pace. When Octavia shoved past her shoulder, all she could do was stare at the guys. "What did you do?"
"It doesn't matter." They carried on in silence for a few moments when Jasper spoke up again. "Are the rumours true?"
Cassie realised that his gaze was fixed on her. He was asking her. Confusion instantly brewed within her. "What?"
Jasper didn't look at her directly in the eyes, shuffling on the ground. When he spoke up, his voice was small and it took a minute for the words to make sense. "Did you fight for medicine?"
She was taken aback for a moment. No one had ever asked her a question that direct before. Cassie wanted to sass him, or make him regret asking. She found she had no energy for either of the two options. She only quoted something someone she used to know was said, which had been a famous movie quote. "The first rule of fight club - don't talk about fight club."
Monty opened his mouth to ask something else, then closed it after thinking it over. She was grateful that he did - she wasn't a big fan of talking about her past. She ignored their prying eyes and hurried on, moving closer to Clarke. She was bent down behind a tree trunk, frozen in admiration. Cassie frowned, following the line of her gaze.
It was a deer.
She'd read about them. They were just as majestic as the books said. Being in their very presence was enough to make her speechless. The others filed in behind her, watching it with the same emotion.
"No animals, huh?" Finn smartly retorted. It was quiet - not quiet enough.
The deer spun around. A second head sprouted from the first, attached by bubbles of flesh. Everyone fell backwards, as though they'd been physically hit by the animal. Cassie felt bile rise up her throat, and allowing it to be released she turned to the side, throwing up all of the contents of her stomach. "That wasn't in the books," she breathlessly muttered, spitting the sour taste out of her mouth.
Monty awkwardly patted her back while staying as far back as possible. She sent a grateful smile, rubbing her hand across her chin to wipe the rest of it up. He offered her a hand to get up, and after debating it she took it, taking in a deep breath. "This is turning out to be a very eventful day."
"I have a feeling that there's more to come," Monty added, the two lapsing into silence. "What did you mean before? What you said, what does it mean?"
She knew what he was talking about without him having to clarify. Her legs felt like lead and her throat burned - she had no effort to evade the question. "I would fight people for rations, which is why I have these." She displayed her scarred knuckles in front of him, and then pointed to a tiny scar above her eyebrow. "I got that in my first fight, I lost terribly. But she was proud of me, and honestly, I was proud of me too."
"I guess that's where the nickname 'Callous Cassie' comes from?"
"Yeah, I did get pretty good at fighting. So good I would win every match. It still wasn't enough though," she sighed, looking up at the group a distance away. "Come on, we should catch up."
Monty appeared to have more questions; he understood what she said as a way of showing that she wasn't going to answer any more. As they reached them, Finn inquired, "What I don't understand is why send us down to Earth after ninety seven years? Why now?"
"Who cares? I'm just glad they did. I woke up rotting in a cell, and now I'm spinning in a forest." Octavia swung herself around a tree, tilting her head so her hair would tumble. The flirtatious smile decorated on her lips fell when Finn walked past without a second glance.
Monty piped up, giving a logical explanation. "Maybe they found something on a satellite, you know, like an old weather satellite or it wasn't a satellite."
Cassie smirked, folding her arms as she remarked. "Maybe they got impatient and decided to kill us all now, and send us down to Earth to watch us suffer. Like shitty reality TV people used to watch."
"The Ark is dying."
And just like, Cassie's world crumbled around her. She didn't hear anything else that Clarke said, mind drifting to her parents on the Ark. At the thoughts of their lungs constricting as the oxygen levels fell. At the thought of their eyes staying forever open. The world around her became fuzzy, and liquid sloshed onto her cheek. She wiped at it furiously, grateful no one saw her cry.
She snapped out of it when Octavia said the one phrase that ignited fury through her entire being. "Float them all."
"They all aren't like that!" Cassie burst out, glaring daggers at the girl. Octavia seemed slightly taken aback, but stared back at Cassie despite the heat of her gaze. She would've held some admiration for her if she hadn't said something so heartless.
Octavia broke the connection between them, rushing off in the direction of a cliff. Cassie stared after her, blocking out what Finn and Clarke were saying, curiosity winning the battle. She grabbed the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head and shuffling out of her pants. She had to roll her eyes at Jasper's reaction, who's tongue practically fell out of his mouth and dreamily spoke. "Damn I love Earth."
Monty awkwardly looked away from the half dressed girl whilst his friend carried on staring at her openly. Finn only laughed at what she was doing. Clarke wondered what had caught their attention - when she saw it she wasn't impressed. "Octavia what the hell are you doing?"
She carried on, and leapt off into the water. Everyone gasped. They all rushed to the edge, with Cassie lagging behind, searching the water desperately. In the middle of the water her head was floating.
Monty cried out, "Octavia! We can't swim!"
Octavia giggled, "But we can stand."
Cassie watched from the sidelines as everyone began stripping, desperate to get into the water. She pulled her shirt down further, and zipped her jacket up despite the roasting heat. Finn turned around, beckoning her to join them in going in. She shook her head, looking smaller than any of them had ever seen her. He didn't pressure her, but halted in getting changed as Jasper's voice cut through the happiness.
"Octavia! Get out of the water now!"
Cassie caught sight of the dark shadow in the water a moment before Octavia did - still too late. It sunk it's teeth into her leg, dragging her into the water. Her screams drilled into Cassie's ears, and she wanted desperately to cover them so she didn't have to hear the inhuman noise again. She frantically splashed in the water, all of them frozen.
"We need a distraction. Fast." Clarke ordered, eyes locking on the rock. "Help me push that in the water."
The group hurried to it, pushing on it with all of their might. Cassie felt her muscles begin to burn under the weight yet she carried on, knowing she couldn't let these people down. They'd never trust her, and she needed their trust.
At last it collided with the water, the noisy splash it made taking the monsters attention away from Octavia. It swam away from her. Jasper wasted no time jumping in, wading through the water to get to her. He grabbed a hold of her, carrying her to the shore.
"Wait guys it's coming back!" Finn warned. Cassie got closer to the edge, shouting encouragement for them to hurry up in her head. They finally got to the edge and she grabbed a hold of their hands, pulling them to the shore just in time.
Immediately Clarke attended to Octavia's bleeding calf. She kept repeating 'thank you' as though it was a mantra, the words getting stuck in her head. "Don't thank us, your stupidity almost got you and Jasper killed," - this is what Cassie wanted to spit at the young girl. She bit her tongue to stop the words from flowing out. They all breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging smiles.
"Note to self," Monty piped up, "Save the girl."
*
Cassie couldn't sleep. What Clarke had said about the Ark dying had been playing on her mind, like a record with a scratch in it. No matter how hard she tried to think of something else, her mind always wandered back to the fact that her parents were going to die. Again.
She turned her head to see the others sleeping soundly. They were far enough away to be specks in the distance - a reminder that she wasn't one of them. She didn't fit in the unit as well as they did. It was a jigsaw, and she kept being forced into the wrong place. She didn't mind it, it had always been like that. Fighting had been the only place she belonged, and she sometimes worried that she would never be able to find somewhere as good.
A snap of a twig straightened her back. She clenched her fists, her eyes darting around. They landed on two figures sitting close to each other, talking amongst themselves. Tendrils of laughter reached her ears. Another reminder that they were happier with her not being there. The only people who smiled when they saw her were her parents. And now they may never smile at her again.
She sighed, laying on her back. She needed sleep, even if her energetic mind didn't comply.
*
Finn had the rope loosely in his hands, staring at the daunting gap before them. He kept stalling, letting his fear take control of his actions. Cassie was growing impatient - they hadn't even gotten their supplies yet and it had been a day. She just wanted to get back to the drop ship and have a nap. Her sleep had been riddled with thoughts of her parents dying. She didn't get much sleep.
"This is nothing compared to an illegal space walk, right? Or is it? If it's too much I can handle the ropes - literally." Cassie taunted him, making a grab for the rope in his hands. He dodged out of the way, still holding on. His eyes darted back to the expanse before them again, and his took a deep breath.
"See you on the other side."
Just as he was about to make the jump Jasper's hand shot out to stop him. "Wait."
Cassie nearly threw her arms in the air. She just wanted to get over there and get this done with. She deeply regretted coming with them - all it had done is make her heart and feet hurt. She hissed. "What?"
"Let me. I can do it." His shaking hands betrayed him; she had to admire his courage. Finn passed the rope over with no arguments, clapping him on the back.
"It's okay to be afraid Jasper. The trick is not fighting it." Finn wisely admitted.
Cassie couldn't stop the sarcastic remark slipping past her lips. "Next thing you know, Finn will grow a white beard and have to wear spectacles."
He pulled a face at her, and she couldn't hide the closed mouth smile that spread across her lips.
Jasper let out a trembling breath, "See you on the other side!"
Her eyes couldn't comprehend the skinny boy swinging across the gap, whooping in excitement as he made it over. He landed with little hassle, and he grabbed the old, rusted Mount Weather sign, and lifted it up into the air. "Yeah! We are apogee!"
Cassie let the excitement rub off on her, letting out a single whoop herself. She shouted down to him, her hands cupped around her mouth. "Not as big of a pansy as I thought!"
He only nodded and continued to wave the sign about in response. She didn't care that she didn't get a direct response - she felt happy. They'd done it.
Finn gestured to Clarke, "You're up next, Princess."
She grabbed a hold of the rope with a smile, preparing herself when it happened.
One moment Jasper was gleefully dancing with the sign. The next, he was pinned to a tree with a spear through his chest. Cassie's eyes widened in surprise, and her hand rose to her mouth. He didn't move a muscle.
He was dead.
Her fight or flight instinct took over, and she ran away from the scene, grabbing onto as many of the group as possible. None of them would budge, and she had to tug on the material of their jackets. "We can't help him now!"
This seemed to bring them out of their trance, them following Cassie behind a rock. She gasped for breath, leaning her head against the back of the rock.
Monty seemed broken, his voice distant as he muttered everyone's thoughts. "What could've done that?"
"Maybe the animals are rising up," Cassie said breathlessly, gulping down as much oxygen as possible.
Clarke glared at her. "We're not alone."
-
hey guys! i have quite a few chapters of this pre written so hopefully updates will be consistent, at least for a short while.
i'm wondering if anyone reading this has read the mortal instruments series. i've had some ideas of what my fic would be about but i'd love to talk to someone who's interesting in helping!
hope you guys enjoyed reading, see you soon!
-thirwheelchurchill