Get my pretty name outta your mouth. We are not the same with or without. Don't talk about me like you might know how I feel.

— Therefore I Am, Billie Eilish

━━━━━━ September 14, 2149

THEY WERE RUNNING, RUNNING, running, running until Casey could barely feel her legs, her lungs. The scenery she had admired was now a barrier between the danger lurking behind and the false sense of security ahead. Casey could hear herself counting aloud, but no one noticed it. They weren't quiet on their sprint back to camp, so if the attacker followed her voice, it wasn't like they couldn't hear their loud footfalls, either.

⠀⠀⠀Monty tripped and fell face-first into the dirt. Octavia and Finn skidded to a stop and pulled him up where he lay without struggling to move. Casey worried he had given up, but he had been focused on the bones littering the clearing. Everyone stopped as they realized what they were standing in a graveyard. Casey felt like they needed to just keep moving and ignore the display

⠀⠀⠀We aren't safe. We aren't safe. We aren't safe. We aren't safe.

⠀⠀⠀"Who are they?" Finn asked.

⠀⠀⠀"It doesn't matter!" Casey snapped, catching his surprised gaze. "We need to keep moving, no matter how interesting it is!" she exclaimed breathlessly, knocking the skull Clarke had picked up out of her hand. Casey nearly dragged them back to the dropship herself when they heard a scream from the river.

⠀⠀⠀"Jasper," Clarke whispered, blue eyes wide and wild. "He's alive."

⠀⠀⠀Clarke darted back with Finn and Monty behind her. Casey stayed back, her hands pulling at the ends of her hair as she started to count again. They needed to get out.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey, hey," Octavia called, about to run when she noticed Casey not moving. "We gotta go. We can't split up."

⠀⠀⠀Casey looked at her, a slight frown on her face. She nodded solemnly and repeated it for her own sake, "We can't split up."

⠀⠀⠀Octavia gave her a sad smile, took Casey's hand, and sprinted to meet the three behind a bush overlooking the river where Jasper had been. He wasn't there anymore.

⠀⠀⠀"No. Where is he?" Monty muttered, scouring the tree line to see if he'd missed any sign of life.

⠀⠀⠀"They took him," Clarke concluded, turning the blood in their veins cold.

CASEY WAS TIRED AND exhausted, running all the way back from the river until her wound became unbearable, and she could barely stand anymore. They walked for another half mile with Finn and Octavia holding Casey upright. She bled through the torn piece of Jasper's shirt—the only thing they had left of him—then stopped for a few minutes. Clarke assured her it didn't look infected yet, and she'd patch her up when they returned.

⠀⠀⠀Outside of the camp, they could already hear the chaos within. There was screaming and grunting, and then a guttural scream from Murphy, claiming, "THIS IS FOR MY FATHER!"

⠀⠀⠀Inside the camp, Murphy and Wells were circling each other again. Casey could hardly see what was happening as she tried to rip away from Finn and Octavia, but they held her steadfast.

⠀⠀⠀"Please, let me go, please, please, please, please," Casey cried, bending forward to slip out of the knot of arms. "He's going to kill him. He will. He'll kill him."

⠀⠀⠀"Wells!" Clarke shouted, storming past the three and into the belly of the fight. Wells had Murphy in a headlock with the edge of his blade on Murphy's neck. "Let him go!"

⠀⠀⠀Casey sobbed. Finn bent down and calmly told her, "Clarke's got it handled."

⠀⠀⠀Casey watched, her head a total wreck from the day in the woods. She'd gotten attacked by a monster, Jasper was taken dead or alive, and her brother was on death's door.

⠀⠀⠀Wells stepped away from Murphy like an obedient dog. Although, Murphy was not so easily tamed. Years of untreated anger issues, piled on resentment, and an abusive mother created his worst self. Casey could see it exasperated down here where no one could tell them what to do.

⠀⠀⠀Murphy was set on a warpath, but Bellamy stood in his way. He looked willing to kill Bellamy just to get to Wells, and Bellamy knew this. Bellamy's jaw clenched, and he jutted his head toward the side where Casey stood.

⠀⠀⠀Murphy followed his line of sight and found his sister, broken and afraid. His face fell, and all the anger subsided as he took in how awful she looked. Finn left Casey's side as Murphy approached, but Octavia stayed to keep her upright.

⠀⠀⠀"What happened?" Murphy snapped, turning his attention to Octavia.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey, I'm alright," Casey said softly. She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back, silently telling him to relax.

⠀⠀⠀"Alright?" Murphy scoffed, taking a step back. "You look half-dead!"

⠀⠀⠀"Well, the other half of me is fine," she said in a blunt tone, exhausted. "I'm not the one we need to be worrying about," she claimed.

⠀⠀⠀Casey's eyes darted from Murphy to Bellamy, and her teeth ground together at the sight of him.

⠀⠀⠀Casey had never blamed Octavia for what her brother did. At least, not in her time on the Ark. However, with Bellamy here stirring emotions and Octavia's blasé attitude, she did blame her for a moment. But having saved Octavia's life, a moment's understanding passed through them.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy wouldn't be so easily forgiven. He had done it before and now he was doing it again. It was his fault Jasper was speared through the chest and stolen from them. If he had relented and sent more than six people to search for supplies for a hundred hungry teenagers, they wouldn't be stuck in this mess!

⠀⠀⠀"We were attacked," Clarke explained, gaining the attention of those lingering around.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy caught Casey's glare with his own. His eyes were dark, tired, and seeking why she was so adamant about holding her reasoning to her chest. He could tell even without her saying it.

⠀⠀⠀"Attacked?" Wells asked, taken aback by Clarke's words. His eyes racked over her for injuries but came back with no obvious sign. "By what?"

⠀⠀⠀"Not what," Finn corrected him. "Who. It turns out when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, he wasn't the last Grounder."

⠀⠀⠀"It's true," Clarke followed. "Everything we thought about the ground is wrong. There are people here. Survivors. The good news is that means we can survive. Radiation won't kill us."

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, the bad news is, the Grounders will," Finn concluded, destroying any hope of survival the hundred had left.

⠀⠀⠀"Jasper was hit. They took him," Clarke said, her voice radiating to ensure she was heard. However, Wells caught her attention. "Where's your wristband?"

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, who the fuck cares right now?!" Casey exclaimed. Her eyes peeled from Bellamy and toward Clarke. A frown sunk into her features as she ignored the pain in her leg. "We need to go out there and find him, but we need the backup you didn't want to give us," she spat, walking out of Octavia's grasp and toward Bellamy. "Why didn't you back us up? Because you felt picked on? Thrown out by some privileged kids who are in the same boat you are?"

⠀⠀⠀"Not because of that," Bellamy stated, dangerously quiet. "If I had sent out more with you, how many more would have gotten hurt or died the same as him? Same as you?"

⠀⠀⠀"None! Have any of you been speared down in this camp?" Casey asked, loud enough for the others to hear the silence that answered. "My poi..." Casey stumbled on her words as her leg gave out beneath her. Murphy shot forward and caught her. "Exactly my point," she reiterated, placing her arm around Murphy's neck. "We're better in numbers."

⠀⠀⠀"How many wristbands?" Clarke interrupted.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, my God," Casey muttered.

⠀⠀⠀"Twenty-four and counting," Murphy said smugly.

⠀⠀⠀Casey looked at Murphy sharply. She didn't think it was the time to discuss the issue with the wristbands, but his words were like a hot knife to her already stinging wounds. He knew her mom was up there, his mom was up there, and he was trying to kill her.

⠀⠀⠀"I can't believe you," she hissed into his ear.

⠀⠀⠀Murphy didn't have time to react as Casey nodded Octavia over. Octavia moved through the small crowd and pulled Casey from Murphy's arm.

⠀⠀⠀"Let's clean your wounds," Octavia said softly. The disheartened and betrayed look on Murphy's face didn't go unnoticed by either teenager.

⠀⠀⠀Octavia set Casey down beside the dropship and unwrapped the bandage to clean the area as best as she could. While Octavia worked, they continued to listen to Clarke and Bellamy argue over the best course of action.

⠀⠀⠀"You idiots! Life support on the Ark is dying," Clarke desperately yelled at them. "That's why they brought us down here. They need to know the ground is survivable again, and we need their help against whoever is out there. If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them... you're killing us!"

⠀⠀⠀"We're stronger than you think!" Bellamy countered in a demanding, authoritative tone. "Don't listen to her. She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same? We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm? It makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore! They say they'll forgive your crimes. I say you're not criminals! You're fighters, survivors! The Grounders should worry about us!"

⠀⠀⠀The Hundred cheered in unison, and Casey was left with a bitter taste in her mouth.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Casey asked, her voice flat as she kept her eyes trained on the puncture wounds Octavia was redressing.

⠀⠀⠀"I think I figured out your problem with me," Bellamy claimed, shifting from foot to foot.

⠀⠀⠀Casey slowly looked up, squinting her eyes as the sun sat just behind him. She smiled mockingly and asked, "And what's that?"

⠀⠀⠀"You think I'm on the Guard," Bellamy said as he waved his hand down his uniform. "I'm not. I know a lot of you guys have been hurt—"

⠀⠀⠀"That's not it," Casey stated simply, lowering her head back down so she wouldn't have to look at him.

⠀⠀⠀"Then what is it?" Bellamy snapped, frustrated.

⠀⠀⠀Casey laughed, turned her head to the side, and shut her mouth. She adjusted her jaw as she debated how to respond.

⠀⠀⠀"I don't have to explain myself to you," Casey claimed, shaking her head.

⠀⠀⠀She caught Bellamy's gaze out of the corner of her eye, burning with rage at her response. He huffed and readjusted his stance, standing with square shoulders.

⠀⠀⠀"Despite our differences," Bellamy continued through grit teeth. His gaze shifted to Octavia, and she urged him on. He returned to Casey and found her amber eyes on him. He stumbled on his words briefly before catching himself and concluded, "...But you saved my sister. So, thank you."

⠀⠀⠀"Don't worry," Casey whispered to him. "I didn't do it for you."

⠀⠀⠀"Right," Bellamy scoffed.

⠀⠀⠀Casey's eyes darted to Clarke approaching them. She stood to her feet as Octavia pulled the bandage to tighten it on her thigh.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm ready when you are," Casey said.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm sorry," Clarke apologized, a frown flickering an inch down her face. "But your leg's just gonna slow us down."

⠀⠀⠀Casey returned the frown, wanting to argue, but knew Clarke was right. She sighed and sat back down beside Octavia.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm here for you," Clarke said, turning to Bellamy.

⠀⠀⠀"Clarke, what are you doing?" Wells hissed. He stood a few feet away from the group but looked ready to intervene at any second.

⠀⠀⠀"I hear you have a gun," Clarke continued, ignoring Wells.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy stared at Clarke, briefly considering her words, before he lifted his shirt to show off the gun resting between his hip and the hem of his pants.

⠀⠀⠀"Good," Clarke nodded. "Follow me."

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy chuckled and set his shirt back down.

⠀⠀⠀"And why would I do that?" he asked.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke had taken on leader well. She was direct, level-headed, and knew exactly what needed to be done to get people to fall in line behind her. Despite her occasional absent-mindedness from matters that were not important at the moment, she could be a good leader for them.

⠀⠀⠀"Because you want them to follow you, and right now, they're thinking only one of us is scared," Clarke stated matter-of-factly, her thin brow quirking up.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy took in her words before making his decision. He turned to Murphy, who had slipped into the crowd, and nodded him over.

⠀⠀⠀"Murphy, come with me. Atom, my sister doesn't leave this camp. Is that clear?" Bellamy asked, turning to a teenager with a square jaw, thick black hair, and a scowl.

⠀⠀⠀"I don't need a babysitter," Octavia told her brother quickly.

⠀⠀⠀"Let's go," Bellamy called, ignoring her, and headed out with the group of teenagers behind him.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey!" Casey called as Murphy attempted to pass her without notice. She grabbed his hand before he could completely ignore her and pulled him back. He turned to her, his face blank of any emotion. "Stay safe. If you die, I'll kill him."

⠀⠀⠀"Casey," Octavia snapped, but she waved her off. She was joking if Octavia was asking, but Murphy knew his sister. She wasn't.

⠀⠀⠀"No promises," Murphy teased.

⠀⠀⠀His face was a little brighter to know she wasn't mad at him. Like she could ever stay mad at him for long. Casey smiled as Murphy hugged her tight, kissed the top of her head, and then ran into the woods after Bellamy.

CASEY SAT IN A ripped from the dropship to support her injured leg while she played dots and boxes with Octavia. When a pair of boys passed, Octavia was quick to pull them into the game and started to casually flirt with them as they played. Casey found watching Octavia flirt more entertaining than the game at hand.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey!" Octavia exclaimed, laughing excitedly as she pointed her stick at one of the boys. "I saw that! You cheated!"

⠀⠀⠀Behind Casey, Bellamy's little toy soldier, Atom, approached. "Hey, guys, the wall's not gonna build itself," Atom said firmly.

⠀⠀⠀The boys hardly looked up to see who had spoken before they stood and sprinted off to the other side of the camp in fear. Casey watched them with amusement. Octavia was off limits, seeing as her brother was storming around camp with a murderous glare for anyone who looked at her the wrong way. It seemed they also recognized Atom's authority and that he'd likely be taking that information back to Bellamy.

⠀⠀⠀"Walls won't stop what's out there. We need weapons," Octavia claimed as Atom stepped into Casey's line of sight. He had a roll of wire pulled over his shoulder, stripped from the dropship, as he scowled at Octavia.

⠀⠀⠀"So, build weapons," Atom retorted, rolling his eyes. "Look, you brother wasn't kidding about that. He'll hurt them."

⠀⠀⠀"Come on! We were just talking," Octavia assured him. Her eyes darted to Casey before whipping a hand out toward her. "And Casey was even here to cock block."

⠀⠀⠀Casey snorted, catching Atom's attention. She could tell by the look on his face that he wanted her to get lost but held back. She did have a reason to be there, unlike the boys who were undeniably slacking off. There was also a look in his eye as if he was slightly intimidated by her. The look Casey had given Bellamy was one Atom did not want to be on the end of.

⠀⠀⠀"You're too hot to be my brother's bitch," Octavia said, pulling Atom back to her.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm no one's bitch," Atom said quickly.

⠀⠀⠀Too quickly.

⠀⠀⠀It made Casey grin as she watched the emotions play across Atom's face. Arrogance and doubt were the most rampant. Casey twirled the stick in her hand, dragging lines into the dirt as she sang teasingly, "That's what they all say."

⠀⠀⠀Octavia stood. She pressed her toes to Atom's, her hips close to his, her mouth angled toward him with a flirty smile. She whispered, "Mm, good. Then prove it."

⠀⠀⠀Then, she pulled herself away and walked across the camp to the first boy she found. She pulled him close and beckoned him to follow before eyeing Atom as the two walked into the dropship for privacy.

⠀⠀⠀Atom stood beside Casey and watched without moving an inch. She glanced up at him, noticing the faraway look in his eye, and raised a brow.

⠀⠀⠀"So, are we gonna continue having this thrilling conversation, or are you gonna go after the hottest girl in camp like she wants you to?" Casey asked, placing her fist under her chin as she looked up at him in mock curiosity.

⠀⠀⠀Atom's eyes darted to her then the dropship. He hesitated for a moment before he jogged after Octavia without another word.

⠀⠀⠀Casey was left alone in the middle of the camp with nothing to do. She couldn't even be useful because she was too slow, complained too much, and was overall annoying when in pain. Plus, Clarke had gone around to everyone in camp and told them she had to take it easy.

⠀⠀⠀So, she sat, rocking in her chair, left alone with her thoughts. Unfortunately, Casey was an easy target for overthinking.

⠀⠀⠀She rocked back with her good foot and looked to the sky. The Ark was orbiting somewhere beyond the atmosphere. Her mom was up there. Casey wondered how much oxygen was left. How long would it be until they were dead? Until her mom was dead?

⠀⠀⠀Then, she rocked back so her gaze drifted to the trees. Murphy was out in the woods searching for Jasper. She should've never let him go out alone. Look what happened to her. It had only been a day and she nearly lost her leg. Murphy could as soon be killed or taken away before anyone at camp had reason to go looking.

⠀⠀⠀Before she knew it, Casey had spun herself into a dreadful silence. Her head rocked between the sky above and the trees before. She wasn't supposed to worry about any of this anymore. She was supposed to be matter among the stars, dust forever traveling between worlds and void, no longer worried about life and death. Now, she was stuck in this strange limbo, wondering how much longer was left to live. No longer knowing almost seemed harder to bear.

⠀⠀⠀Her mind refocused as she caught sight of Atom stalking out of the dropship without Octavia. She pulled herself up from her chair, leaving the negative thoughts to linger behind her, and limped over to Atom.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey, where's Octavia?" Casey asked, concerned.

⠀⠀⠀"I locked her in the top of the dropship where she can't hurt anyone," Atom said with little remorse.

⠀⠀⠀"You're an idiot," Casey claimed, knocking her hands against his chest. The force knocked her off balance, and she landed in the dirt. Atom only stared at her, unfazed. "Stop staring and help me up, dumbass."

⠀⠀⠀Atom stuck his hand out for her despite looking ready to walk off and leave her there. He likely only did it because Clarke would never stop lecturing him. Casey huffed as she stood and wiped the dirt off her clothes. She forced her hands to stop working and turned to Atom. She sighed, running a hand through her hair to keep herself from erupting.

⠀⠀⠀"Can I at least keep her company? There's nothing I can do but feel sorry for myself out here," Casey said.

⠀⠀⠀Atom paused. He took a moment to consider it before reluctantly nodding and leading the way to the dropship. With her bad leg, she took over a minute to get up the first ladder, then the same for the second. She unlocked the hatch and pulled herself inside before it was yanked back down with a sharp slam, and the lock clicked into place.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey," Casey greeted, finding not only Octavia but Monty as well. "What's going on?"

⠀⠀⠀"I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?" Monty asked, furrowing his brows.

⠀⠀⠀"I had nothing better to do, and Octavia was my only company," Casey said with a shrug. She limped over to them and slid down the wall opposite Octavia. "You?"

⠀⠀⠀"I'm trying to find a way to contact the Ark, but I need a wristband to test it," Monty explained.

⠀⠀⠀Casey stiffened at his statement. The idea seemed complex, and she wasn't sure if Monty was that good at tech to be able to do it. Besides, taking her wristband off would signal to the Ark that she was no longer alive. It would steal all hope her mom might have of her safety if she was even informed of what was happening.

⠀⠀⠀"He's taking mine," Octavia said with a small smile, quietly reassuring Casey.

⠀⠀⠀Monty worked to remove Octavia's wristband, trying to find a weak point in the clasp. He needed to do it in a specific way that kept the signal intact, even just for a moment.

⠀⠀⠀"He may not be my brother..." Monty said, settling on what had been most prominent on their minds since the river. "But he's always been there. Every memory I have, there's Jasper." He faltered in his work for a moment, his shoulders slumping forward. "I should be out there."

⠀⠀⠀Casey understood Monty's feeling like an old friend. She constantly worried that her mom was going to be floated while she was in the Sky Box. All Casey had ever done was try to protect her, and suddenly, she was split from her family just because of that. Now, she feared her mom would die because the Ark was running low on everything. Her eyes watered at the thought, tapping in fours against her wristband.

⠀⠀⠀"You're not gonna cry, are you?" Octavia asked, her question directed at Monty. Casey wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes as if Octavia had been speaking to her.

⠀⠀⠀"Shut up," Monty said half-heartedly, a smile coming up to his lips. He turned back to her wristband. "You sure about this? Your brother won't approve of you helping us contact the Ark."

⠀⠀⠀"He's not my keeper. Let's just do it," Octavia said, holding her wrist out to Monty. Her other hand reached for Casey's as Monty found the weak point. He pried the wristband open, the prongs inside digging into her flesh before it unclasped.

⠀⠀⠀"Sorry," Monty muttered, taking the wristband delicately in his hands and setting it down. The electrical currents faded almost immediately. "Dead... damn it!"

⠀⠀⠀"If we can't even take it off, how do you expect to turn it into a radio?" Octavia asked softly.

⠀⠀⠀Monty didn't have an answer for her.

⠀⠀⠀Atom popped his head back through the hatch, turning to the three before disappearing again, leaving the door behind him open. Octavia turned to it and then Monty and Casey, who watched her in amusement.

⠀⠀⠀"Go on," Monty encouraged her. "I have Casey to keep me company and work to do."

⠀⠀⠀Octavia smiled, climbed to her feet, and descended the ladder halfway before turning to Monty.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey, Monty? Jasper would understand why you stayed," she assured him.

⠀⠀⠀Monty, moved by her words but not wanting to show what it meant to him, asked, "How is someone raised beneath the floor not a total basket case?

⠀⠀⠀"Who says I'm not?" Octavia asked, grinning before dropping down the ladder.

"DO YOU NEED MY wristband, Monty?" Casey asked after an hour of silence. Each minute had come and gone with a series of pros and cons flooding her mind on whether she should just rip the last tether to her mother. She tapped her wristband four times. The sound echoed in the room every time a con passed through her mind.

⠀⠀⠀"No," Monty said softly, focused on Octavia's wristband. He paused, then said, "At least not yet." He glanced at Casey curiously, raising a brow as he asked, "I thought you had someone on the Ark."

⠀⠀⠀"I do," Casey said. She pulled her good leg up to her chest and rested her head on her knee as she studied him. "But if using my wristband gets my mom down here, I think she'll understand."

⠀⠀⠀Monty nodded as he peeled himself away from the wristband. There was nothing he could do for now with a dead one. His brown eyes were understanding as he looked at her. The tiniest smile flickered to the edges of his lips.

⠀⠀⠀"I understand. My parents are up there. I haven't seen them since the last Visiting Day," Monty said, running his hand down the length of his pants.

⠀⠀⠀"Me, too," she said. "Except, just my mom."

⠀⠀⠀"So," he began as he eyed her. A small smile crept up his face, but it wasn't warm this time. Instead, it was sly and curious. "You and Murphy?"

⠀⠀⠀"No, no," Casey said quickly, waving her hands in front of her raised leg to dispel his assumptions. "No, best friend. After his dad was floated and his mom died, my mom kind of took him in. He had nowhere else to go, but we were there."

⠀⠀⠀"Jasper is like a brother to me, too," Monty mused, bowing his head. "I don't know what I would do without him."

⠀⠀⠀"Guess it comes with Farm Station territory," Casey said with a broad smile, which Monty returned. "By the way, I think we should discuss farming—"

⠀⠀⠀"THEY'RE BACK!" a voice shouted outside of the dropship.

⠀⠀⠀The suddenness shocked the both of them upright. Monty rushed out of the dropship without hesitation, easily dropping down the double set of ladders. Casey followed, albeit a lot slower. Outside, she made her way to stand beside him just as Clarke passed from the woods. Finn and another kid carried an unconscious Jasper behind her. He looked paler than before, a gaping wound in his chest from the spear lodged into it. Casey held a hand to her mouth, unsure if Jasper was dead or alive.

⠀⠀⠀"Is he...?" Monty began, unable to voice it, as he stared at Jasper's lifeless body.

⠀⠀⠀"He's alive," Clarke assured him. From her clipped tone, not everything went to plan. "I need boiled water and strips of cloth for bandages."

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy and Murphy followed them into camp with a large sheet between them. They dropped it, removing the fabric to reveal a dark-furred animal. Casey wasn't sure what it was, but its jaw resembled that of felines from textbooks.

⠀⠀⠀"Who's hungry?!" Bellamy yelled out to the camp with a broad smile. The delinquents screamed back in excitement. They'd had nothing to eat since they landed. "If you want to eat, you have to remove your wristband!" he concluded.

⠀⠀⠀Casey scoffed, but no one was around to hear her complain. So, she left and entered the tent Murphy set up for them. She laid down on the cot as her stomach churned. She'd rather starve than waste what her wristband could do for them.

AN HOUR PASSED, AND the shadows that whipped past her tent dulled along with the fires. Most of the delinquents retired for the night while a few sat up whispering to one another. Casey continued to stare as she watched them move, listened to them mutter, and stayed as still as she could while her stomach twisted in pain.

⠀⠀⠀The front of the tent crinkled as Murphy slipped in. Casey didn't turn. She just listened to him as he sat on his cot. It was silent for a moment.

⠀⠀⠀Then, he said, "Hey, I know you're awake."

⠀⠀⠀Casey hadn't been hiding it, but she didn't want to talk either. She turned on her side and glared at him instead. When she settled, a stick pointed into her face with a hefty portion of meat left on the end. Casey looked at it and then back at him. Murphy smiled, his lips thin without showing his teeth, and the edges of his eyes wrinkled.

⠀⠀⠀"Come on," he muttered, jerking it forward again.

⠀⠀⠀Casey sat up, feet firmly planted on the floor. She didn't take the offering and kept her fingers gripped tightly around the edge of her cot.

⠀⠀⠀"I thought we had to take our wristbands off for this," she said bitterly. Her eyes darted down to his wrist, the band gone, then back to him. Her glare darkened, and her chest tightened. Their mom would think he's dead now.

⠀⠀⠀"I could never let you go hungry," Murphy told her sincerely. His smile widened where she could see his canines. He leaned forward, opened her hand, and rested the stick in it. Then, he leaned back and took a bite of his own. "You're grumpy when you don't eat," he said off-handedly.

⠀⠀⠀Casey rolled her eyes at his comment.

⠀⠀⠀Murphy stared at her expectantly. She would've lectured him further if her stomach hadn't erupted into a loud growl. His brows raised, knowing that she couldn't talk herself out of this one. She frowned and started to peel the meat off. She'd rather eat it slowly than gulp it down.

⠀⠀⠀The flavor was salty, slightly metallic, and incredibly tough. She'd chewed through it ninety-eight times before she was able to swallow it. It tasted awful, her stomach tensed from how long it had been since she'd eaten.

⠀⠀⠀"You know," Casey mused. "We've never eaten meat before. Just the fake shit."

⠀⠀⠀"I say this is way better than the bullshit they called meat up there," Murphy snorted.

⠀⠀⠀Casey stared at him, slightly annoyed he didn't catch onto her meaning.

⠀⠀⠀"We can't survive on this alone, John," Casey chided. She stared at the meat in front of her rather than eating it. She wasn't sure if she could stomach much more. "We need plants. It's what most of our diet consists of. We'll get sick before we know what to do with ourselves."

⠀⠀⠀Murphy glanced at her, then nodded.

⠀⠀⠀"You're right."

⠀⠀⠀"I'm what?" Casey asked, laughing, as she leaned over her knees to cup her hand over her ear. "I don't think I heard you right."

⠀⠀⠀"You should run it by Bellamy," Murphy continued.

⠀⠀⠀"Run what by Bellamy?" Casey asked, still amused by Murphy to catch what he was saying.

⠀⠀⠀"It's a good idea, Casey, but you have to tell Bellamy. People listen to him," Murphy explained, a knowing look behind his eyes that surprised Casey. He had never been the type to follow. Murphy always had an agenda and a way of doing things. "He's smart, and he knows how we'll survive."

⠀⠀⠀"Starting with cutting all contact with the Ark?" Casey asked under her breath. She returned to the stick in her hand. She tapped it against the ground sixteen times. It didn't help to calm her, so she kept going.

⠀⠀⠀"I mean, yeah," Murphy said as easily as the breeze blew by.

⠀⠀⠀Casey's head snapped up and glared at what Murphy was insinuating.

⠀⠀⠀"Listen, Case," Murphy said, the laughter gone replaced by a sorrowful comfort. It felt like oil against her skin, and she just wanted to wash it off. Her hand pressed against where it metaphorically landed and rubbed it away. "I know Rian is up there, but so is everyone else. They locked us up and helped bring us down here. When they come down, we're not gonna get a fresh start. We're gonna be cleaning up their trash."

⠀⠀⠀"I don't see the problem," Casey shot back, digging the stick into the dirt. "I'd rather clean up trash for the rest of my life if it meant I had you and Mom here."

⠀⠀⠀Murphy frowned, looking disappointed, which upset her even more. He sighed, setting his stick down on the ground, the meat gone. He patted his thighs, stood, and bent down to kiss her forehead.

⠀⠀⠀"Good night," he whispered.

⠀⠀⠀Then, he crawled into his cot and turned his back toward her. She did the same. Neither slept well that night.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello! Not my favorite chapter, but definitely one with a lot of set-ups for future stuff such as Casey's passion for gardening! Ahh! Yes!!! I love my girl having PASSION!!!!!! Also, some discussion on her mom! Yay!

I love Casey and Monty. Just two little Farm Station nerds.

Also, Casey and Octavia are my brotp. They are besties!!!! <3 Though, I'm worried for the Blodreina era, what about you guys???

The scene where Bellamy lifts his shirt to show Clarke the gun I accidentally had a typo that said "a fun between his hips" and this was about to be a whole different fic lmao!

CHAPTER TIME FRAME: Season 1, Episode 2: Earth Skills

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you'd like, they keep me motivated! However, this is an all kind of reader safe space. So, even if you ghost read or comment on every chapter, I hope you know it means the world to me that you've come to spend your time in this fic ♡

FIND ME: AO3: peachpick | Tik Tok: peachpick.wp | Pinterest: peachpick

NEXT TIME: Jasper is keeping everyone up and Casey can't stand it anymore. She goes to take a walk and ends up tackled into a cave.