2,456 words
Raine had always done as she was told, never misbehaving or acting out against her fathers words. After all, he was all she had ever had in her life. Her own mother had died in childbirth, a rare occurrence and yet, that had been the case. She had grown up on the Arc like everyone else, taking favor in the politics that surrounded the metal ring.
Her father was a council member and they told each other everything. Including, the secret of the air failing on the arc. Raine knew she should have warned others to try and save people, but her father had made her promise not to say a word. He even told her about the plan to send the 100 to the ground, of course, she didn't know that that would include a particular brunette boy. Atticus, had been her best friend ever since Annabeth had gone to the skybox.
The two had bonded over their love for electronics and the ways of the Arc. Ever since they were kid's they had been close and than when Atticus's dad was floated, she'd been his shoulder to cry on. Raine was always there for him and he in turn for her, even if she never had problems. Atticus has always joked that Raine had the perfect life.
When Atticus has shown up drunk at her doorstep, Raine had been the one to nurse him back to health. She still remembered that night as clear as day, it had been one of their last nights together :
Raine was sat at her dinning table, the one that sat next to the bunks, hard at the task in her hands. Her dad had managed to tear a hole in his uniform, yet again, and Raine had offered to mend it for him. It wasn't anything big, just a small patch would cover it and luckily enough, they still had a few left.
A loud bang rang out through the room, causing the young teen to jump and prick her finger with the needle. She yelped and placed the finger inside of her mouth as she turned towards their door. When the sound came again, Raine pushed the clothes away from her and made her way towards the doorway, hitting the button for them to slide open. With her finger still in her mouth, she watched as the metal retracted from their stationary position and opened to reveal a disheveled Atticus.
He was slumped up against the wall and a tin bottle swayed in his hand as he gave a wave to the girl. Concern flared inside the girls head and she quickly grabbed him, getting hit with the stench of alcohol. Which had meant he was upset, Atticus only ever drank when something was bothering him. It was rare, the last time he had been this bad was when his dad had been arrested.
Her brown eyes scanned the halls, making sure no one had seen the drunken boy. The last thing they needed was someone coming to arrest him right now. Raine hit the button to close the doors as she made her way inside with him, sitting him down in the chair she had just been. Pulling up a new one, she sat in-front of him as she timidly asked, "you wanna talk?"
Atticus rolled his neck as he thought over her question, he looked around the room and than gave out a breath, "dad gone tonight?"
"Uh," Raine nodded her head, "yeah, they are planning something major."
"Ahh," Atticus nodded before taking a swing of his bottle and than leaning in to whisper, "to save the arc?"
"Atticus," she reprimanded, "I told you about the arc after you promised never to say anything to anyone."
"I haven't," he sat up and held up his hand, "scouts honor."
He was stalling, she knew that. It was his thing, he never wanted to let her in on his problems. He didn't want to taint her and drag her down with his issues. She was so innocent and pure in his eyes, the light.
"What happened," she reached out, squeezing his knee.
Tears began to well in his eyes, "my mom."
Raine scooted to the edge of her seat, "is she okay?"
"She's fine," he scuffed, "she's the biggest liar but she's fine."
"Liar?" Raine shook her head, "that doesn't sound like your mom. She's always been so nice to me."
"Don't believe it," he snapped, "she is a liar, just like Jeremy."
"Jeremy," she asked him. This was beginning to become too confusing, he wasn't making any sense to the brunette. It didn't help that he continued to sit here and drink, slurring his words together and glaring at the wall behind her head.
"Yes," he nodded, "Jeremy. Ugh the pig, Annabeth's dad."
His eyes widened as if he had suddenly realized something, "Anna. Beth. Annabeth. That fucker!"
"Atticus," Raine moved her chair closer, trying to get the boy to look at her, "what is going on? You're not making any sense."
"He fucked my mom!" Atticus yelled as he stood and knocked the chair out from behind him, "that asshole, cheated on his wife and screwed my mom."
Raine froze at his outburst, never seeing this side of him before. Sure, he had gotten angry around her before, but never had he screamed. It made her jump and caused all the hairs on her body to stand up, she couldn't look him in the eyes. A silence fell over the two and than when she heard the sound of her best friend sniffling, she looked. Her heart broke at the sight of him, his eyes were red and puffy, tears begging to be released.
The girl stood and threw her arms around him, squeezing him, giving him the comfort he needed.
He stood there unresponsive, as he whispered before letting himself crumble in her arms, "he is my dad Raine."
Raine looked around at the others around her. None of them knew the secrets that she knew, they didn't know the struggles of the boy. The very boy that had left her to save the sister he never truly got to know. After his confession, Raine had let him cry in her arms, and than she had helped him get back up. It was because of Raine, at least she liked to think, that he got over the initial shock. Raine had told him, not to think of this as a way of losing his dad Joshua all over again, but as a way to gain a new one. He was getting a dad and a sister.
Raine would have killed to have that much family. All she had was her dad and although Atticus had crumbled in-front of her, she couldn't help but be envious of the boy. He was getting a second chance of having a dad, if was in a way, a gift.
After Atticus had joined the others and went to the ground, Raine had spent as much time as she could to volunteer in the control room. From getting drinks for the adults, to mopping the floors and simply lying to her dad about wanting to follow in his footsteps. She needed to know that he was alive and okay. When the day came that his transmission had singled he was dead, she felt as if she had died herself.
Her body ached and she'd lost her breath, like someone squeezed all of the air out of her lungs. Her best friend had died and she didn't know if she could have continued on without him. She had stopped caring about the issues of the Arc or how others were going to die in hopes of saving oxygen. Raine just let her life blur by, moving around her as she remained locked inside of her bed.
She couldn't escape from it, the pain of the loss of her friend. Raine hadn't even realized how much Atticus had meant to her, not until the day she was visited by his mother. Beth Rhodes had sat on her bed and told her the wonderful news, that Atticus was in-fact alive. That day, Raine knew what it meant to breath again.
She had made it up inside of her head, that she was going to do everything in her power to get to the ground and see her best friend again. To hug him and hold him in her arms.
|no return|
Now, here she was; on the very ground that Atticus walked. The trip to the ground was hot, everyone huddled together, strapped into the wall with padded sheets around them to help with the impact. Raine had been next to her father, his arms wrapped protectively around her and Doctor Griffin was to their left.
When they had landed, they went straight to work, making sure that everyone had made it out of the ship alive. The council, or what was left of it, gathered and made a plan of action. A group was going to go look for the kids, using their coordinates that they had last given the Arc and the rest of the people were going to stay at Alpha Station.
"I'm coming with you," Raine ran up to Doctor Griffin, who had been given instructions to those around her.
The women looked over the child for a moment before shaking her head, "your father would kill me."
"Why," she rolled her eyes, "he will be there and he will have guns."
"Raine," Doctor Griffin sighed, "I understand why you want to come, my daughter is out there. But, I can't let you go out there and potentially put yourself in danger."
Raine grew silent as she knew there would be no way she was going to win that argument. She had been raised to nod and comply with whatever her elders told her. It had been programmed inside of her and even now, as every fiber in her being was wanting to go against Doctor Griffins orders, she couldn't.
So instead, she went to work. Blocking out the worry of Atticus and if he was alright; focusing at counting medical supplies that had survived the trip to the earth. Once she was done there, she moved on to taking a census; figuring out how many of them had made it. What station they were from, their names, how old they were and if they were missing anyone.
It was tireless work, but it kept the day going fast. Before she knew it, a crowd had gathered at the gate and and Raine had found herself pushing her way through to the front of the group, trying to gain a peek at what was going on.
The group that had gone out to find the children had came back, only what was supposed to be a large rescue party, was simply four boys badly beaten, a girl being carried on a stretcher, and a boy and girl who appeared to be covered in sweat. Gasps were heard from all around her, but Raine couldn't focus on anything other than the four that were covered in blood and bruises.
Something was pulling her in, demanding she study them. Her quizzical gaze, wander over them from head to toe as they stumbled into the gates of Alpha station. They all seemed as shocked as the adults and yet, she could feel the tension radiating off of them.
The way the one on the left walked seemed to be familiar; like she had seen that walk countless times. Hope surged through her and as if by a miracle his eyes met hers. Atticus. He was right there in front of her, he was alive! Before she knew what she was doing, she had broken off into a sprint, racing towards the boy and he appeared to be doing the same. They flung their arms around one another and Raine couldn't help but give out a sigh of relief.
He was here, in her arms.
She giggled as she felt her feet being lifted off the ground by him, he squeezed her as if he never wanted to let her go and she didn't want him too. Raine would have given anything to remain in his arms, however, he eventually sat her down and pulled away.
It was then, after the initial shock began to settle, that she got a good look at his face. It was covered in blood and dirt, dark bruising was beginning to form and his right eye had been swollen shut. His shoulders dipped in pain, hunched over and he seemed to lean to his left, as if the right side was injured.
"W-What happened," she whispered as her hand reached to touch his cheek.
Atticus grabbed her hand and brought down to their side, interlacing their fingers, "I'm fine."
"Atticus," she shook her head, she wanted to argue with him. To tell him he was being foolish and that he was in no way shape or form fine, to tell him that looking at him almost broke her heart but she knew now was not the time. He needed comfort and she needed his presence, there was no point in upsetting him and potentially causing him to leave her side, so instead she just smiled and nodded her head.
"Come," she tugged at his hand, "let's clean you up?"
He smiled and than stopped, "Raine, I need to see my mom."
Raine gulped and smiled, knowing the two would need to talk alone and he would being leaving her, "sure. I'll, uhh, take you to her."
|no return|
It'd been hours since Raine took Atticus to his mother. She had been working inside the drop ship, clearing out supplies from rooms to count blankets and cots, etc.
The women had froze at the sight of her son, instantly crying as the realization, that he was actually here, set in. She had walked over towards the two, who were still locked at the hands, Beth than tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder. She seemed so timid, like she was afraid that at any second he'd disappear.
Much like how Raine felt.
The brunette had left the two after that, knowing that they needed time together. It wasn't her place to be there, her place was outside working. She was only his friend, he needed to be with his family and Raine wasn't selfish enough to disagree and demand she be there. She wanted too, she wanted to never let go of him, but she knew she couldn't. He wasn't hers to hold onto.
Despite how much she wanted him. All to herself.