WARNINGS: swearing, violence.
I'm in a dark room. Well, it isn't exactly a room. All I see is darkness when I look around but I'm standing on a floor so it must be solid. I take a step forward but nothing changes about my surroundings. Nothing except a table that suddenly appears in front of me. It's made of a dark wood and it's round. On top sits a green vase filled with pink and yellow flowers. I reach out my hand to touch one but the table vanishes again.
"Pretty, aren't they?"
I turn to my right to find Marcus standing there. "Dad? Why aren't you on the ship? What are you doing here?"
"I came to tell you something," he says, taking a few steps toward me. "I'm dying, Camari. I'm dying and there's nothing you can do to stop it."
"What?" I breathe, shaking my head quickly. "No, no. Abby is looking for a cure-"
"She won't be able to find one. She won't save me. I'll die," he says, nodding.
"No," I say, stepping toward him. "No, you can't die. I need you."
"Camari, you do wonderfully on your own. You got yourself a job here, you helped your friends relax for the first time in a long time. You don't need me. And even if you do," he says, smiling softly, "I'll always be with you."
"No. I'm not...I'm not ready to lose you," I say, shaking my head frantically.
"You're strong, Camari," he says, grabbing my arms so I'm looking at him. "You can do anything."
"No," I say quietly, hands cupping his cheeks.
"If you can't move on for yourself, promise me you'll move on for me. I can't be at peace if you don't move on," he says, eyes searching mine. "Please."
I nod for his benefit. "Okay. I promise."
He evaporates suddenly and the room morphs along with him. Tall trees expand from the newly constructed dirt ground. Leaves cover the surface of the woods. I recognize this place. These are the woods just outside of camp. Our first camp. In fact, these are the woods where John was almost hanged.
"Cam!! Cam, I need you!!"
"John!?!?" I shout back, hearing his voice somewhere to the west.
"Help!! They'll kill me!!"
I break into a sprint, trying desperately to find the source of his screaming. My feet land roughly on the ground as I run and run and run. He has to be close now. He has to be.
"Cam!!"
One shout to my right, closer than before. I take off in that direction, now hearing more shouts. These ones sound angered and enraged. When I reach the shouting, I find a mob of the hundred they sent to the ground together. Above them, John is hanging from a noose.
"Stop!!" I scream, pushing through the crowd to find Clarke and Bellamy in the centre. "Please!! Take him down!!"
"He killed Charlotte," Bellamy says almost robotically, grasping my arms and holding me in place.
"Let me go, Bell!!" I scream, trying to rip free of him. It's no use. He's stronger for some reason.
"He deserves this, Cam," Clarke says, keeping her expression as neutral as everyone else.
The hundred of them all turn to me at once with that same unwavering expression. I pause my writhing for only a second as their hive mind creeps under my skin. I have this queasy feeling in my stomach. Then there's a soft crack heard from above me. Even though I already know what it is, I turn my head up anyway. John is hanging limp from a broken neck.
"No!!" I scream, jolting upward and clutching whatever I can in my grip.
I'm back in the room I was supposed to sleep in the night before. My chest is heaving and I can feel the sweat on my forehead. The room feels like it's a hundred degrees. My eyes widen as I remember what happened. That's when I feel the hands on my waist. I turn in the arms to find John sitting up to comfort me.
"You're okay," I breathe, cupping his cheeks and smiling wide. "You're okay, you're okay."
"Of course I am," he says quickly, touching my waist lightly.
"Thank god," I say quietly, pulling him close to me and burying my face in his shoulder.
"Why wouldn't I be okay?"
"Is everything alright? I heard screams-"
I pull away from John to find Bellamy in the doorway. "It's fine, Bell. I just had a nightmare. Go back to bed."
He nods, shutting the door.
"Why wouldn't I be okay?" John asks again.
"It's just the dream I had. They were hanging you again," I say, laying back again.
He turns to lay so that he's looking down at me. "I'm okay."
"I know," I say quietly, touching his hair. "It just felt so real."
"I'm okay," he repeats, kissing my forehead.
I stare at the door for a second. "He's going to die, isn't he?"
He doesn't need me to tell him who I'm talking about.
"Abby's looking for a cure. She's doing the best she can," John says.
"It isn't good enough," I say quietly, keeping my eyes from his.
"Hey," he says, gripping my chin and turning me to look at him, "that's all she can do. If he dies, he dies. She'll have tried everything."
"I don't want him to die," I say even quieter, shaking my head slightly.
"Death is inevitable," he says.
"I just don't want it for him," I say, pulling myself from bed and starting to change. "He may not have been there but he did his best when he was."
"That's more than I can say," he says, smiling softly at me.
I gulp, looking down. "I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologize to me, Cam. You have nothing to be sorry about," he says, standing too and getting dressed.
I nod, pulling on a grey tank top and a pair of baggy jeans that fit loose on my hips. My stomach is showing just a bit. I pull on a brown leather jacket on top of my shirt. When I turn around, I see John wearing jeans and a tee. I grin to myself and walk to him, gripping his neck.
He grins back. "You're really up for round two then?"
"Well, I would be if I didn't have work," I say, kissing his cheek quickly before turning and walking through the door.
I turn down the hall and then down the stairs. Jordan is sitting at a table with a troubled look on his face. I smile, walking over and sitting next to him. His eyebrows raise when he sees me and he attempts a smile.
"Girl trouble?" I ask, crossing my legs.
"How'd you know?" he asks.
I smile. "Girl trouble is my specialty. Though usually I'm the one giving the trouble. Anyway, what's the problem?"
"Delilah's acting differently," he says, shaking his head.
"Right. I noticed that too. What do you think that's about?" I ask, tilting my head to the side.
He sighs after a second, turning to face me. "I think they did something to her in there."
"Well, obviously. But what?" I ask, eyebrows raising.
"I don't know yet."
"Woah. Yet?" I ask, shaking my head.
"I intend to find out," he says, shrugging.
"Listen, kid," I say, shifting so I'm facing him too. "We are guests here. On a technicality. They could kick us out whenever they want. Please don't give them a reason."
"I can't just let them get away with whatever they did to her," he says, shaking his head hard.
I smile. "You're just like your dad."
I stand after that, walking to the door. Before I can leave, Clarke steps inside. She has her shoulders back and a small smile on her lips. My eyebrows raise high.
"How'd it go with doctor man?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Right, Cillian. Let's just say he won't be recovering anytime soon," she says, nodding.
I laugh. "Why do you seem more tolerable today?"
"I don't know. Are you drunk or something?" she jokes, shaking her head a bit.
I furrow my eyebrows, keeping a soft smile on my lips. "What?"
"Sorry. Didn't realize you were touchy about that," she says, rolling her eyes a bit.
I clench my jaw. "Touchy about my addiction?"
She goes quiet.
"You know what? I revoke my tolerance," I say, walking past her and through the door.
After wandering the grounds for maybe a half hour, I end up back at the tavern. Even though I don't want to be, I'm still here. There's nowhere else I can go. I went to see Russel and he told me to take the day off so I've been walking around. But now I'm back in the tavern. Thank god Clarke isn't here or I think I'd punch her. I have no idea why she brought up my addiction. She's being more bitchy than usual.
I walk inside to find John and Bellamy sitting at a table. They're both drinking from glasses. I quickly sit next to John and pull the cup from his hand, smelling it. It smells like scotch. I slam the glass down in front of him, frowning.
"How'd you get alcohol?" I ask, slapping his shoulder.
"I'm resourceful," he slurs, leaning closer to me.
I lean away from his breath, shutting my eyes. "Jesus, John. When you're sober, I'm gonna kick your ass."
"Why not now?" he asks, smirking.
"Because if I do it now, you won't remember it, will you?" I say, scowling.
"Probably not," he agrees, still grinning.
"If everyone could come outside to offer Rose to the woods."
I turn to see a woman in the doorway, eyes wandering cautiously over everyone in the tavern. Most everyone gets up and walks out the door. I move in my seat to face Bellamy and shake my head slowly.
"You're insane if you think I'm going to a funeral with this sack of shit," I say, jabbing my thumb at John.
"Where's Jordan?" Bellamy asks suddenly.
"Didn't he say he wanted to find out what they did to Delilah?" John says.
I groan, standing. "Can I ever catch a break?"
"It's the curse of the hundred," Bellamy says, grinning and leading us out the backdoor.
We end up sneaking around the back of the castle and jimmying the back entrance open. When we get inside, a room comes into view. A dark, circular room with low, orange lights and skeletons lined up to the centre in a circle. They have names written on plaques in front of them. I walk between a row and to the middle where Jordan is standing.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" I ask, slapping his arm.
"They did something to Delilah," he says, shaking his head, "and I'm going to find out what it is."
"Have you ever considered the possibility that maybe she just wanted to fuck you?" I ask, eyes going wide.
"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" John's voice asks me.
I spin around and point at him. "Just because you're drunk doesn't mean I'm letting that go."
He raises both his hands. "Sorry, sweetheart."
"That's a cute nickname," Gaia says, walking in.
"Shut up," I say, pointing at her now. I turn back to Jordan. "Look, I'm not trying to be an asshole but maybe she just isn't into you."
"Harsh," Bellamy says.
"True," I say, copying his tone.
"What are you guys doing in here?"
I find Clarke walk through the door and I roll my eyes. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Don't you?" she asks, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"No, I got the day off," I say, nodding and turning back to Jordan.
"You could lose your job," Clarke says, frowning a little.
I snort. "Like I care."
"These skulls have the symbol of the Commander on them," Gaia says, running her finger lightly over one. "Do you think they were all Commanders?"
"Can't be," I say, shaking my head.
"They must've all been in the Eligius III Mission," Bellamy says, walking between the aisles.
"Maybe you guys should respect their traditions," Clarke says, nodding.
I snort again. "What traditions? Keeping creepy skeletons of their ancestors? That's a little much, if you ask me."
"What's this?" Jordan asks from the wall.
This is when I realize he walked away from me. He's standing in front of the wall where he's just found a door. He walks inside and we follow him in. My eyes widen when I enter the space. Mostly everything is white. A long chair sits in the centre with a light above it. There are counters along the walls with cupboards above them. It looks like a lab.
"Holy shit," John says, stepping further inside.
"What do you think they do in this thing?" I ask, sitting in the chair and feeling the soft leather.
"We shouldn't be in here," Clarke says from the doorway.
"Calm down," I say quickly, standing and looking at the charts on the walls.
"What the hell?" Jordan says, leaning over a computer.
I stand and move behind him like everyone else. A man with a beard is on the screen. He has wild eyes and he's explaining something in a hurried manor. He sounds a little paranoid in his speech.
I turn to John. "Don't test me or I'll leave you for him."
"Please," John scoffs. "I bet he's not half as good as I am."
Clarke mumbles something that I ignore.
"Time to test our theory," the man says, moving out of the camera's view.
A girl is sitting in that same chair. She has bright, blonde hair and a very skinny build. Her skin is very pale, almost as if she's never seen the sun. She's also struggling against binds that hold her down in her seat. Another man is by the seat, this one with a greyer beard but the same lab coat.
The first man (Gabriel) starts talking about how he needed to wipe the "host's" mind before attempting to upload a new mind onto her. He takes a needle from the counter and injects the girl with it. In just a few seconds, she ceases her movement. Gabriel takes a small object from the counter. It looks a lot like the flame with the blue but it has to be twice the size. He flips the girl over with the help of the other man and cuts down her neck. They implant the drive inside her before sewing her right back up.
In just a few moments, the girl's eyes are shooting open and she's screaming loud. She topples off the chair and stumbles to the ground. She pushes herself into a corner as Gabriel starts trying to soothe her. He calls her Josephine. Her breathing calms a bit as she wraps her arms around his neck. She is afraid of the other man for a second before Gabriel explains that he only killed her because of the Red Sun. She hugs him too and Gabriel ends the video.
"Holy shit," I say quietly. "That was...disgusting."
"Horrible," Gaia agrees, nodding.
"They just killed that girl...so that Josephine could live?" Jordan asks, scowling at the monitor.
"Wasn't Josephine a Prime?" I ask, turning to Bellamy.
His eyes go wide. "They're immortal."
My eyes copy his as I look back at the computer and the frozen image of the bearded man. They're monsters. How dare they kill someone else just so they can live forever. Though immortality obviously doesn't sound like the worst thing in the world, their means of achieving it aren't ideal.
"That's what they did to Delilah?" Jordan asks, standing up straight. "They erased her and then put someone else in her head?"
"Why would these people volunteer to die?" I ask, shaking my head.
"They don't think they're dying," Bellamy says, frowning. "They think they're becoming one with the Primes."
"What a load of shit," I say, scowling at the walls of this place and storming back into the skeleton room.
Everyone follows me.
"They have to only use Nightbloods then, right?" Bellamy says. "The Flame only worked with Nightbloods."
Gaia and I lock eyes and say, "Madi."
"I'll go get her from school," Gaia says, rushing out the door.
"I'll come," Clarke says, following her out quickly.
I shake my head, sitting crosslegged in the middle of the skeletons. "That's why they kept us. To see if any of us were Nightbloods. What sick pieces of shit."
John sits across from me and I notice his eyes are significantly less glazed over. He can actually focus on me when he's speaking and his words are clearer than before. He seems like he's sobering up a little.
"I don't know if it's so terrible," he says, shaking his head. "The Grounders sent children into battle, the Mountain Men drilled into people. If the hosts are willing, is it really so awful?"
"They don't have all the facts, John. They think they're achieving some kind of divinity. God, the way they do it just makes me want to throw up," I say, running my fingers through my hair.
Jordan storms out while Bellamy sits next to me. He shakes his head. "I agree with Cam. It's sick."
"I'm not saying it's not wrong," John says, shuddering as he looks at the skeleton that can't be over three feet. "I just think we've done worse for worse purposes."
I can't disagree with him there. Our people haven't been the most innocent when it came to the hard choices. I'm not sure I'd be able to let someone kill themselves for me. Not unless they were a terrible, terrible person.
We don't stay here long. We head back to the tavern silently. No one notices our outing. I think everyone is still mourning that young girl who died. I'm just lucky I don't need to worry about dying because of my blood.
When we reach the tavern, I quickly walk up the stairs. Clarke is down there with Madi but I don't particularly feel like talking to her. She's been a real asshole lately. So, I go to mine and John's room where I fall down on the bed. I feel exhausted for some reason. I can't be certain why. Maybe because of that terrible dream or maybe for some other reason but I'm tired. I think I pass out right there.
WORD COUNT: 3101
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