THIRTY TWO. I don't recognize you anymore

      There was screaming coming from outside. Tatum shot up out of her sleep and they became more clear, loud and piercing shrieks of fear. She quickly ran out of the hut she was in with her sword in her grasp. She saw the village grounders running around like mad, mothers grabbing their children to keep them safe, and they were all running away from something. Tatum sprinted to follow them and the smell of smoke filled her nose. She spotted Nyko. "Nyko, what's going on?" She asked over the loud screams.

"Someone set fire to the food!" He shouted back and he took off running with the others.

She was baffled. "Fire?" She said to herself and she sprinted again, running faster that time. It was completely dark outside which made it hard to see where she was going until she turned a corner and she came to a halt when the bright orange flames of a fire came to sight.

"Faya! Faya!" The village people shouted in terror. Fire! Fire!

Tatum watched with wide eyes as woman and children and ran by her with buckets full of water. She came to a realization. "Dominic!" She shouted out loud. She spun around quickly and her blue eyes wondered around the night for the young boy. "Dominik, where are yu!" Dominic, where are you?

There was a sheer panic in her heart when she couldn't find him. She kept spinning around and looking all over, growing dizzy in the process, but then she spotted a head of curly blonde hair. She sighed with relief. "Dominic!" She shouted his name again.

The boy spotted her. "Teitom!" He shouted and ran toward her.

When he got close enough, Tatum wrapped her arms around him and kept him close. "Oh my gosh, I was about to have a heart attack!" She exasperated with wide eyes.

"What's happening?" The grounder boy asked and he looked around his village with terror in his green eyes.

"Somebody set a fire." She answered what she knew. She pulled away from him and grabbed his arm. "Come on!" She urged and pulled him away with her.

Suddenly, the sound of gunshots went off in the air and she instinctively pulled him into her again. The villagers screamed louder. "What the hell?" She muttered.

"Who's in charge here?"

Her whole body went completely numb. She felt as if the air in her lungs evaporated and her ears clogged at the familiar voice. It pierced through her like a knife but she didn't turn around. She was scared to because if she turned around and he wasn't there, that meant she was losing her mind. Her sanity was the only thing keeping her alive. But then she heard it again and Tatum forced herself to turn around. She let out a shaky gasp.

"I'll say it again! Who's in charge?"

She slowly let go of Dominic's arm and she stepped out. What she saw in front of sent her into a state of shock, despair, and bliss all rolled into one. "Finn. . ."  She exhaled and her eyes shifted. She felt the knife pierce one more. "Murphy?" Her eyes watered with tears.

John Murphy felt his entire world shift and the gun he had in his hands lowered ever so slightly. "Tatum. . ."  He let out shakily and he blinked, not believing his eyes.

Finn Collins's eyes filled with disbelief as he stared at his best friend. "T-Tate?" He stuttered in shock.

Tatum shook her head as she saw what they were doing. They had one of the village men on their knees and Finn's gun was pointed at his head. "W-What are you guys—What's going on?" She stammered to find the right words. 

As she spoke, Nyko stepped out from the crowd of terrified villagers. "Our leader isn't here," he spoke to them. He looked at Tatum. "Chit ste disha?" He asked in his language. What is this?

All she could do was shake her head. "Ai don't get in."  She responded. I don't know.

Finn and Murphy looked at each other with their brows pinched together. 

"You can deal with me." He said to them again.

"Nobody has to get hurt. We just want our people back," Finn uttered and he looked at Tatum. "Tatum,  you're coming with us."

She narrowed her eyes. "Finn, what are you doing?"  She pointed behind her at the fire. "Did you guys do this?"

"We don't have your people." Nyko told them before they could give her an answer.

"You're lying!" The spacewalker shouted with gritted teeth and he motioned his head to the girl. "You have our friend. She's right there!"

Tatum stepped forward. "Finn, you don't
understand—"

But the boy didn't listen, for there seemed to be something bigger on his mind. He let go of the grounder and threw him to the ground. He clutched his gun in his hand. "Round them up," he ordered Murphy before looking at her again. "Tate, where's everybody?" He quickly asked.

She shook her head again. "Finn, I'm the only one here—"

"Why are you covered for them? They kidnapped you!"

"I'm aware of that!"

The spacewalker took off running with his gun. Tatum turned to Murphy, whose gun was still raised. "John."  She spoke and walked up to him,  causing him to lower the weapon. "Y-You're alive." She uttered and her voice cracked.

"Tatum, we don't have time for this. Finn's going crazy." He quickly told her.

"Wha–" she started to say and turned her head, seeing her best friend running around like a mad men and scaring the village people even more. "I don't understand."

Murphy reached forward and he put his hand on her shoulder, making her face him again. His eyes scanned her face, which was still healing. His stomach twisted painfully and he visibly softened. "I thought you were dead." He spoke and swallowed harshly.

Her eyes widened again and her face twisted into a painful sadness. "I thought you guys were dead." She responded weakly. "Does that mean that—"

"They're alive, Tate."

He'd been waiting for this moment. All three of them had. It's what they came for. Murphy had been begging the world to be on his side for just once and he prayed that they would find her safe and alive. She was in front of him and she was alive. But he couldn't celebrate the way he wanted because he had to worry about Finn not spiraling out of control any more than he already was.

It was only a couple hours later that the sun came up. Tatum felt sick to her stomach. Finn and Murphy were alive, which meant everyone else was alive, but she couldn't be happy about it. There was something wrong with Finn. He wasn't registering what they were telling him and his brown eyes were wide and crazed.  He was almost dangerous. She felt completely conflicted as she stood by Murphy's side and eyed the grounder hostages Finn rounded up and put in a cage so they couldn't get out. Their hands were tied behind their backs.

She kept her eyes on Dominic and he stared at her back, completely terrified. He was kneeled beside Artigas, both of their hands tied. She was shaking like crazy, swimming with guilt

Nyko caught her eye. ""Natrona." He said spitefully. Traitor.

She quickly shook her head. "I'm nou. Ai didn't get in." The scar on her hand was proof enough that she wasn't a traitor but they didn't know that. All the knew was that she was a sky girl and her people just invaded their territory once more. I'm not. I didn't know.

Finn was still running around like crazy checking inside the homes for their friends. He hadn't said anything to her, for there was someone more important on his mind. She swallowed harshly to keep herself from tearing up. All this time she thought he was dead and she spent so much of her time missing him, and now he was here but he wasn't. He was somebody different.

Guilt was eating at her heart and she felt Murphy's eyes on her from where he stood. He couldn't understand why she looked to remorseful. The grounders kidnapped her and they were going to kill her. That's all he knew. He didn't know the strength she had found in herself while she was in the village. She proved herself strong. She was not weak. She didn't want that to be ruined.

The thudding in the background caused her to flinch. "Murphy, please tell him to stop." She begged him.

"You think I haven't tried?" Said Murphy. He moved from where he was standing and he walked up to her. "Why are you defending them? They took you, Tate."

"I know, okay?" She hissed under her breath. "But you don't get it. I fought for my life, Murphy. I proved myself to them. I made a promise—"

"Whoa, whoa, what promise?" He interrupted her, narrowing his eyes.

Tatum sucked in a breath and she looked at the hostages from the corner of her eye. "I promise to not betray them," she whispered and looked at him again, her eyes pleading. "There's children here, John. They're innocent."

Murphy stared at her as she begged him. There were few things that Tatum was passionate about. Growing up with her, she was the daredevil of their friend group. She was always the one getting into trouble. She was smart and stealthy. But she also had a good heart, especially when it came to kids. He eyes the village people once more before moving past her and he began to walk to the home where Finn was.

Tatum looked back at the villagers again and she saw Dominic shake his head at Artigas. She quietly walked back to them. When they caught her eye, she shook her head firmly. Nyko pulled the boy back down. "Sitta!" He ordered quietly. He lifted his head and saw the sky girl watching. "Tell bilaik kru gon bak daun." Tell your people to back down.

Murphy turned and faced them.

"I told you. We don't have your people." Nyko told him again.

He turned his head to Tatum and she titled hers, giving him another pleading stare. He knew they weren't lying, that she wasn't lying, but he also knew that Finn wasn't going to back down.

Dominic shuffled on his knees and Tatum looked at him. He still had a scared expression on his face. "Don't be scared. Ai won't let anything happen gon yu." She whispered. I won't let anything happen to you.

Murphy watched the interaction. He kept quiet. The both of them noticed Finn come out of the hut again and quickly went to another one. Murphy leaned his head back. "You find something?" He called out. He got no response. "Finn!" He shouted again and raised his gun higher.

Tatum's eyes filled with worry. "Finn, what are you doing?" She shouted to her friend, desperate for an answer.

"Finn, answer us! Are you all right?"

While Murphy was distracted, she looked back at Nyko. "Ai promise i'll get Yu au kom hir." She whispered to him. I promise I'll get you out of here.

"Ha na Ai trust yu?" He spoke as well in his language. How can I trust you?

She didn't know how to properly answer. She knew what would happen in the next five seconds. So she simply raised her hand and showed him the growing scar on her palm. He looked at it.

When Murphy shouted for Finn again, Dominic acted on impulse and he rose to his feet. Before they could stop him, Murphy pointed his gun at him again. "Hey, on your knees. Down!"

Like her heart was going to jump out of her chest, Tatum raised her sword and pointed it at him. "Hey, no. Put it down!" She shouted with a right jaw.

Her friend looked at her like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Artigas and Nyko pulled Dominic back down, the grounders freaking out again, and Tatum stepped in front of them while keeping her sword pointed at Murphy. Her face hardened to a threatening glare. "Tatum," he muttered and blinked his eyes.

Her blue eyes darkened. "I said no."

Suddenly, Finn came running out with a jacket in his hand and he ran forward, jumping into the pit of villagers.

"Finn!"

He shoved the jacket in Nyko's face then threw it to the ground. "What have you done with them?" He shouted in the grounders face. They stood on edge and when Nyko didn't answer, he raised his gun.

"Hey, Finn. Finn!" Shouted Murphy.

Tatum jumped into the pit and raised her sword again. "Back off, Finn!"

"Their clothes are here. They were here!" Finn shouted and he pointed at her. "You lied to us!"

"I haven't lied about anything! You just won't listen to me!" She shouted and thrusted the sword forward again.

But he didn't listen to her and he took the safety off of his weapon. When he pointed it to Nyko, she raised her sword high.

"Guys, stop!" Murphy tried to order them.

"Don't do this, Finn." She warned desperately with a heavy heart.

The boy in front of her was not Finn Collins. Finn Collins was sweet, he was generous, and he was her best friend. He was a complete different person. She didn't recognize him.

Nyko ordered the villagers around him to stay where they were and to not get up. It was a hectic scene. Finn pointed his gun at him, Murphy's was pointed to everyone else, and Tatum's sword was pointed at Finn. She never imaged herself in a situation like this. She never imaged the spacewalker becoming someone so violent.

"Your friends were not here," Nyko repeated to him again. "We saw two, Octavia and Tatum, but the other one is gone," he explained and looked at Tatum. "Tatum proved herself here."

"You kidnapped her! You were going to kill her!" He yelled with a red face.

"But they didn't, Finn, okay?" She butted in. "I'm the only one of our friends that have been here. Listen to us when we tell you that!"

"These people are scavengers, Finn. They could've just found that stuff," Murphy stepped in and, too, tried convincing him.

But there was a shift in Finn Collins and there was something clouding his good judgement. He roughly grabbed one out the grounder women by her shirt and he threw her to the ground, creating gasps from the others.

"No. Hey, hey, Finn, stop. Stop. Listen to me!" Murphy stammered quickly.

"Finn, that's enough!" Tatum shouted teary eyed. She looked over her shoulder at Dominic. "Don't move." She whispered to him.

Finn pressed his boot to the woman's back. He clenched his jaw and even his friends could see that he was trying to retrain himself but he wasn't allowing himself to. "What are you trying to prove, Finn?" She questioned sorrowfully.

"Don't do this," said Murphy. "Man. Let's just take Tatum and walk out of here while we still can, okay?"

The woman let out a terrified noise and Tatum lifted her sword again. "I know you, Finn Collins. You're not a murderer. Please don't do this." She implored and her emotions started to unravel.

He shook his head at their words and his lips rolled back tightly.

"Finn."

"Finn, please."

Finally, he released the woman and backed away from her. Nyko grabbed her arm and pulled her back next to him in the line up. Sorrow filled Tatum's face and she shared a look with Murphy, seeing how regretful he was becoming. Something inside of them was changing. The world was causing them to change. Tatum wasn't the same girl she was a year ago. She was stronger, she was remorseful, and she was a fighter. She was also loyal and she would never betray Finn and Murphy. They were her everything. But when she looked down and saw Dominic staring at her with scared eyes, she was scared the loyalty she had for them would change as well.