chapter 6 - hostage
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Loud, roaring thunder erupted from outside, making the drop ship shake and causing the boys surrounding Dakota, to stumble.
"What the hell was that? Are we under attack?" Bellamy asked as he got back on his feet.
The boys looked just as confused, and it only then occurred to the grounder girl that this might be the first violent storm that they'd endured since landing on the ground.
"It was just storm damage, we're okay." A boy stated, upon entering the upper room.
Bellamy nodded and directed his attention back towards Kota.
"We're gonna try this one more time. What's your name?" He questioned her.
But she didn't respond.
"Where's your camp? How many of you are there?" He asked, stepping closer.
Again, no response.
While he interrogated her, Miller was in the middle of rummaging through her belongings.
"Hey. Check it out." He stated, catching the other boy's attention.
They all gathered around her bag of supplies. Miller picked up a container that held various medicines and antidotes, handing it to Bellamy who examined them closely.
"What is this stuff?"
The boys shrugged in response as they observed them too. The only one who could give him an answer was Dakota, but she had already decided earlier that she wasn't going to talk and risk giving them any helpful information.
Bellamy placed the container back in her bag, before taking out her notebook.
When Dakota saw what he was touching, she grew agitated and started trying to jerk away from the restraints, only making them clatter against the poles.
"I think we found something she doesn't want us to see, Miller." He grinned.
And he was right. That book was filled with multiple drawings and sketches of things Dakota thought were important or intriguing, including parts of the forest and illustrations of their camp. If they were to see them, they would know that she had been spying on them all this time.
Bellamy opened the book and started flipping through the pages despite her wordless attempts of protest.
"These aren't bad," he said but paused once he came across a page with his sister's face on it.
Dakota had forgotten she had sketched a portrait of Octavia, as she was lying in her cave unconscious. It wasn't until Bellamy turned and gave her a deadly stare, that made her suddenly remember.
After seeing that, he flipped a few more pages before landing on another sketch.
"It's our camp," he told them, before focusing on the tally marks on the connecting page. "I'm guessing if I counted all those marks, it would add up to one hundred and two. Ten are crossed out. That's how many people we've lost."
He closed the book after realizing that Dakota had been keeping track of all the delinquents that had died.
"They've been watching us ever since we got here." He gritted, getting closer to her.
Just then, a girl with blonde hair, whom Dakota remembered seeing the other day, climbed up into the room. Once they let her through, she walked up to where Bellamy was standing and she took sight of the girl being held up by chains in front of her.
"Well, if she didn't hate us before, she does now." The blonde stated before Bellamy grabbed her and dragged her away from Dakota.
"How's Finn?" He asked, trying to change the subject.
She sighed, directing the conversation back to Dakota. "She's alive. Her people will care. How long until they figure out where she is? And what happens when they do? I mean, when they come looking for her?"
"Relax, Princess. No one saw us take her." He replied, opening the notebook and placing it in her hands. "In case you missed it, her people are already killing us. How many more of our people need to die until you realize we're fighting a war?"
The blonde glanced down at the pages he held in his hands.
"We're not soldiers, Bellamy. Look at her." She said, motioning to Dakota and her warrior-like physique. "We can't win."
"You're right, Clarke. We can't. Not unless we fight." He argued.
Their discussion was interrupted once she was called back downstairs to help a seizing Finn.
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Before Bellamy could lay another hand on Dakota, the sound of loud pounding could be heard from the other side of the door. Once they opened the hatch, the blonde stormed back in with Octavia trailing behind her. She didn't give Bellamy a chance to speak, as she pushed her way towards the exhausted yet determined Grounder.
"What's on this?" She questioned, holding up a blade. Kota recognized it as one of the several Lincoln gave her. The same one she plunged into one of the boys at her cave.
"What are you talking about?" Bellamy asked her.
"She poisoned the blade!"
Quickly, Clarke turned her attention back to Dakota. "All this time, you knew Finn was gonna die no matter what we did. WHAT IS IT?!" She exclaimed. "Is there an antidote?"
"Clarke, she doesn't understand you," Octavia spoke up.
Bellamy ran to her bag, however, and picked up the container of vials from earlier.
"Here, she had these on her." He stated, handing them to Clarke.
She tossed the blade on the ground and picked up the vials, inspecting each one.
"You'd have to be stupid to have a poison around this long without an antidote. Which one is it?" She said, searching the container.
But Kota still didn't answer, though she was battling in her heart. She didn't want their friend to die. Especially if it meant that they'd view her more and more as the enemy. But she told Lincoln that she wouldn't allow them to break her. No matter how hard, she refrained from speaking their language.
All of a sudden, Octavia locked eyes with her and once again her heart stopped.
"Show us. Please." She begged.
"Our friend is dying down there and you can stop that!" Clarke shouted.
She closed her eyes and tried to block out their pleas. They didn't realize just how much she wanted to stop him from dying. To show them that she wasn't cruel like the others.
But she simply couldn't.
"I'll get her to talk," Bellamy muttered, heading towards the corner of the room.
"Bellamy, no!" Octavia tried to stop him, but he shoved her off, throwing his arms in the air.
"SHE WANTS FINN TO DIE! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?" He yelled at her, before turning to Clarke. "Do you want him to live or not?"
When she hesitated, Kota knew that meant she was thinking of letting him go through with whatever tortures he was about to unleash on her.
"Clarke, you even said it yourself." Octavia cut in. "This is not who we are! She was protecting me, she saved my life!"
But it was too late, Clarke had already made up her mind knowing Finn's life was on the line.
"Do it." She nodded, letting Bellamy continue.
Immediately, he went over to the corner and cut off a strap with a hard, metal edge at the end of it.
"Just tell us!" Octavia begged, obviously not wanting her to have to endure what was about to happen. Miller and the other boys pulled her back, giving Bellamy room.
He strode up to the Grounder girl and brought a knife to her throat, only to drag it down and rip open her shirt, tossing it aside. She was left only in her undergarments with her torso exposed, making her feel as if her scar and all of her tattoos were on display, which in turn, made her grow nervous and uncomfortable now that she was completely vulnerable.
"You're gonna show us the antidote or you're gonna wish you had," Bellamy said before the room went silent.
"Bellamy, please! No!" Octavia begged one last time, but of course, he ignored her.
Instead, he raised his arm and hit Dakota across the face with the makeshift weapon in his hand.
She yelped at the contact, as the sharp pain quickly made her lose balance and struggle to find her footing.
When she found it, she didn't have time to catch her and compose herself before he hit her with it again.
Another stinging pain shot across her abdomen and she couldn't help but let out a small cry.
Before he could get another hit in, Clarke jumped in front of him and knelt on the ground, fanning the vials out on the floor.
"Please. Which one is the antidote?" She asked, frantically.
Kota closed my eyes, trying to block out not only her again but also the unbearable pain she was experiencing.
Don't let them break you. Don't let them break you. She replayed in her head.
"Just tell them." Octavia urged, as tears formed in her eyes.
But she refused.
So, Bellamy pulled Clarke out of the way and delivered two more painful hits across her face.
"Aghh!" She cried out in pain, as tears started falling down her bruised cheeks.
Bellamy's striking was getting harder and harder with each hit, and she could feel the mix of sweat and fresh blood dripping down her face.
"ENOUGH!" Octavia shouted, just as Clarke was notified from downstairs that Finn was getting worse.
"Which one is it?" Clarke asked once again, pointing to the vials. "If you tell us, they'll stop!"
Her continuous attempts to make her talk were pointless and a waste of time, knowing that her decision to stay loyal to her people was final. She rubbed her head, clearly irritated and about to give up.
"If that didn't work, maybe this will," Bellamy stated, throwing the strap to the ground. Before Kota could let out a sigh of relief though, he picked up a sharp object and stabbed it through the palm of her hand, causing her cry to turn into a scream as her whole hand began to tremble.
Never in her life did she think that she would be tested that much.
Just three days ago, she was living in her village with her brother and the rest of Trikru.
She was eating plenty of food and sleeping in a warm tent with furry blankets and cozy pillows.
Just three days ago, her only job was to serve the Commander. Bring her meals, sharpen her blades, and occasionally fix her baths. It was simple.
Easy.
Yet, as she lived that comfortable life, her mind was always focused on not living that sort of life.
She wanted to experience more and be tested beyond her limits.
And now, she finally was.
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