❝life is about growth and change. but you, my dear god of mischief brother, just want to stay the same.❞

-thor odinson, ragnarok

♛

THE OLD MAKESHIFT WALL of our dropship camp brings back a surge of nostalgia rushing into me as we walk toward it. Caleb's eyes wander around the mechanisms of it, most likely observing the many logs, metal shafts, and other scraps we'd used to build it. I'm shocked that, even after five months, it's still standing strong.

Kane stops us at the entrance. His automatic rifle is aimed at the back of Bellamy's head, but he sweeps it around the empty camp as he tentatively calls out, "Monty?"

There's no response. The camp is hauntingly silent.

"We got here first."

We take several more slow steps inside the camp. It's completely empty except for the looming ship we'd crashed into Earth in. Every tent, every campfire, every piece of life had been burned long ago. The ashen skulls and remains of what we'd built had disappeared from the winter months. It leaves a weight settling on my chest that I try my best to shake away.

"No we didn't," Octavia grumbles as she yanks Bellamy and Caleb toward her, sword at their necks.

"Hey, what are you doing—" Kane tries to hiss. My heart leaps into my throat as Caleb swallows instinctively, the blade inches from his collar. Bellamy appears relatively unbothered. After all of this, he's been acting emotionless and numb.

"Get outside!" the girl commands fiercely. "Now!"

Her eyes are trained on the open door of the ship, where the cloth is still drawn, though torn and dirty from age. I squint at the material. Sure enough, the tiniest flicker of movement catches my eye near the corner.

"She's right," I whisper to Kane. "Someone's here."

"Draw your weapon," he orders quietly. I grasp the handgun from its holster on my belt and raise it toward the dropship. My heart beats unsteadily, a low hum in my ears.

The cloth is pushed aside to reveal Monty. As he steps out, Octavia's head tilts to the side and she relaxes her stance in the slightest. However, he appears tense, and I soon realize why.

A pistol appears behind him. I clench my jaw and continue to hold my own steady as Pike emerges from the ship as well. The two stand on the ramp with Pike aiming the gun at Monty's head.

"They followed me," he informs us shakily. I glance down at his hands, noticing they're restrained as well. A flare of anger rises in me that Monty had been used for bait. "I'm sorry."

"Let him go!" I order, my eyebrows pinched together in both frustration and concentration. My aim moves in the slightest, but Pike knows what he's doing by covering his body with that of his hostage's. I can't risk a shot— it could hit the wrong target. Even if I did manage to get him, it would have to be an extremely precise headshot. I couldn't do that from so far away.

"Can't do that," Pike answers dismissively. He raises a radio to his mouth and mumbles something else that I can't catch.

A millisecond later, a bullet lands mere inches from Kane's foot.

I turn my attention back to the Chancellor with a scowl. Octavia switches her blade to Bellamy's throat instead, holding him firmly by the shoulder to keep him in place. Her entire stance is filled with rage. The threat is clear.

"It's over," Pike continues. "Put down your weapons."

"Shoot him," Octavia orders lowly, turning to face us.

Kane shakes his head. "Monty's in the shot."

"Come on, Marcus, Fallon."

Another bullet, this one right behind me. I jump out of the way and clench my jaw tighter. If he would just move ever-so-slightly, I could get a shot in his shoulder. And even that's a stretch.

"I promised Monty's mother that I'd bring him home alive. Don't make me a liar."

My jaw drops. Hannah had turned her own son in? Had risked his life...for this?

"That bitch," I mumble under my breath.

From beside me, Kane lowers his rifle. Octavia's head swivels to look at him incredulously. "Kane, no."

But the older man simply removes the gun from his body and raises his hands in defense. Then, slowly and fully aware that Pike is watching him like a hawk, he tosses it away from him to prove his surrender.

"Whoever wants to go next," Pike says to Octavia and I. Monty's frightened eyes widen at the realization that his plan is working. He's been caught, his own mother sent Pike after him, and now we're giving him what he wants.

My heart jumps as Octavia grunts and shoves Caleb closer to Bellamy, reaching over her brother's shoulder to rest her sword across both of their throats at once. I didn't think it was possible to do such a thing. But she's determined.

Since Caleb is a good three inches taller than Bellamy, it makes for a slightly uncomfortable stance he's forced to be in. He's slightly bent at the knees with his body pressed against the shorter man's side. I can't see their expressions from here, but they're complying with complete ease.

Pike's gaze flickers to me. I move my eyes from that scene back to him, forcing my feet to stay planted. Octavia wouldn't actually kill them... would she?

Pike raises his radio to his mouth, and that time, I actually hear him. "One in Rivers' leg. Then the sister."

A beat of silence. I realize I'm out in the open, standing diagonally to the boys and am clear shot. Just as I'm about to move, hell breaks loose.

Bellamy shoves Caleb backward and ducks out his sister's hold. The taller man falls to the ground from the force of it. Bellamy then twists Octavia's wrist to disarm her, tossing the sword in the dirt. He holds her arm at such an angle that she's forced to kneel, attempting to claw at him with her free hand.

Pike whistles. Immediately, an entire band of people emerges from their hiding spots. A man pops out of the other side of the cloth. A woman from out of the surrounding forest. More people from either side of the dropship.

Caleb's confused gaze flickers around before he remembers himself. A beat later, he pops to his feet and yanks the gag from his mouth with a relieved sigh. In my state of shock, he manages to knock the gun out of my hands and twists my arms so they're behind my back.

"Caleb?" I question, but he walks me backward so quickly I almost trip over my own feet to keep up with him.

A woman steps forward to clamp restrains onto Octavia's wrists as she cries out in anger. Another man approaches me with identical bounds that make my heart leap into my throat.

I wriggle and squirm to get out of Caleb's grasp, but he's stronger than I'd peg him for. He manages to keep me relatively still as the man clamps the cuffs onto my wrists so tightly they already begin to ache.

Caleb releases me just quickly enough to snap Harper's weak handcuffs in two. He does so with a grunt, forcing his arms outward as hard as he can so the chains between them break. A trickle of blood runs down his arm and into his jacket sleeve. He doesn't pay any attention to it, instead taking the next split second to press me against him in a choke hold.

It's firm, but not so firm that I'm gasping for air. He could have broken those cuffs at any point. I glance at Bellamy's stance— calm, unapologetic.

A trick. But what's the goal?

"Now, you don't look so good," Pike says to Bellamy in reference to his bloodied face. The blood has stopped flowing, but he'll have those wounds for a while. The dried cuts are extremely prominent in the daylight.

"Nah," he shrugs, then glances back at his sister. "I'm fine."

"You got about five seconds to make me believe you're still with me."

Bellamy pauses, then takes a deep breath. "All the others are in a cave not far from here."

Octavia swings her arms back to hit the guard holding her, screaming, "You son of a bitch!"

But, in the end, it does nothing. Another male already has his electric baton out. He quickly presses it against Octavia's stomach as she lunges forward, sending her sprawling to the ground lifelessly as the electricity surges through her.

It's ironic. This is the very same place that Kane did the same to me.

Octavia's shuddering body soon goes still. Monty's gaze switches to Bellamy, whose eyes are on the floor. The Asian boy's mouth is open in a small gape. I wonder if Kane can see all the hints I can, or if he's just as clueless as Octavia.

"Give me the coordinates," Pike demands.

"I don't have the coordinates," Bellamy replies. A lie, and an obvious one. "We can take you there."

The Chancellor's eyes flicker to Caleb, who nods in agreement. His brown eyes twinkle with something almost like pride. "Nice to have you back, son."

—

The ground is uneven, causing the handcuffs to rub against my wrists and aggravate the sensitive skin there. Many of the wounds I've gained have scarred due to improper healing. The uneven circles on my wrists are one of them, along with a hole in my hip, a slash across my stomach, and a bite mark on my calf.

The sensation of being bound again sends a strong wave of discomfort through my body with every passing second. My speech is prevented via a makeshift gag, which is also so much like Murphy's torture that I could laugh.

Monty walks alongside me with Kane in front with Octavia. Bellamy leads the group, Pike and Caleb right beside him. The others must have noticed by now that we've gone in the completely wrong direction. Instead of heading toward the cave, we're wandering through the forest almost aimlessly.

"You sure about the route?" Pike questions. "We're getting close to the blockade line."

Ah, so that's their call.

"That's why Kane sent us out here," Bellamy replies casually. "He didn't think you'd risk it."

"Well, he was wrong."

My gaze turns toward Kane. I can't read his expression from where I walk, but I'm certain he's caught up to their plan.

"What's going to happen to my sister?" Bellamy questions. He quickly adds, "I know she has to answer for her crimes, but—"

"I'll tell you what," Pike interrupts. "I'll make you the same promise I made to Monty's mother: immunity for all past actions, but if she screws up again—"

"She won't, I'll make sure of it," Bellamy promises. I can feel the heat of Octavia's anger radiating from her. "And Fallon?"

"Likewise," Pike answers, albeit hesitantly. "She has a few more crimes up her sleeve than your sister, but I'll let them slide in exchange for good behavior."

Good behavior. I would scoff if I could. Those words are nowhere in my vocabulary— once a delinquent, always a delinquent.

After a few more moments of walking, Pike holds up a fist to stop us. "Hold on."

We've reached a drop-off. The earth slopes downward at a steep angle of loose dirt, but there's a path that's more packed down from many people walking on it. It leads to nowhere: an area covered in leaves, shrubbery, and dense trees so the opposite side of the ditch is hardly visible. Clever.

"The cave's just on the other side," Bellamy informs the Chancellor. His steps are careful yet confident as he makes his way down the slope, eyes sweeping the area for Grounders.

Pike turns to his guards. "Keep a sharp eye out."

The rest of us move gradually down toward Bellamy, who continues walking, trying not to make it seem like he's looking for the edge of our boundaries. He soon discovers them the instant he steps past a nondescript log on the ground. A horn sounds in the distance, filling the air with noise as others join in to create an abrupt chorus of noise.

"The bloackade!" Pike shouts with Kane's rifle aimed at the trees. The branches are bare, no sign of Grounders looming in them even though they must be. "Anybody got eyes?"

"I got nothing," a man named Gillmer replies.

"Back to higher ground," Pike orders, but Bellamy swipes down and takes the gun from the man's holster. In the next second, he has it raised toward his head.

"Drop your weapon," he commands firmly.

"What the hell are you doing?" Pike demands in an outraged tone.

"Drop your weapon!"

I have to fight the smirk that's coming onto my face despite the gag. Another click sounds from the opposite side of Pike. My eyes shift to see Caleb aiming my pistol at the Chancellor, an unapologetic grin on his face.

"Sorry, boss," he says sarcastically, "but I'm not your son."

Octavia swings her restrained fists around to knock into two people at once. I catch her drift and kick at Gillmer's shins, knocking him to the dirt. One shoe rests on his back to hold him down.

"We bring you Chancellor Pike of the Sky People," Bellamy announces to the invisible Grounders surrounding us. His voice drops to a normal volume as he pleads, "O, Fallon, someone, translate."

Octavia lifts the gag from her mouth and shouts, "Osir lid yo in Chansla Paik kom Skaikru!"

"You've killed us all," Pike sneers to the boys aiming weapons at him.

Bellamy ignores this statement and continues to Octavia, "Take him. Lift this blockade."

"Taik em in. Ban disha treiblocka we!"

Just as she finishes her translation, arrows fly into Pike's faction from out of nowhere. Two hit home in their backs, one hitting deadly close to my foot planted on Gillmer. I jump back in surprise and remove the gag from my own mouth.

Grounders ambush us. They appear from somewhere behind, dropping down from the trees, coming from all directions with shouts of determination. A good majority of them stop at the other side of the ditch we're in. They all have arrows notched into their bows, ready to strike once more.

Octavia, who'd ducked down once they arrived, yanks a knife from one of the fallen guard's sheaths and lunges toward Pike with an enraged cry. Kane catches her by the shoulders and forces her to look him in the eyes.

"Hey, no. No. No," he protests, firmly keeping the bloodthirsty girl still. "The Grounders are going to need him alive. They didn't get justice for Finn. We won't get away with that again."

"In that case..."

Pike jumps toward Bellamy as if to strike, and Caleb fires his weapon into the man's calf. An arrow hits the Chancellor in the chest at the same time. The man falls to the ground with a groan. A burly, masked Grounder with heavy armor steps forward and hits him across the face when he attempts to stand. With one more punch, he's immobile on the dirt, blood gushing from the arrow wound, bullet hole, and his nose.

Two other armor-clad Grounders pull him to his feet and begin transporting him away. Kane steps forward. "Where are you taking him?"

The one who'd punched him turns around and speaks in a deep voice, "To the new Commander."

"May I join you?" Kane rolls up his sleeve to reveal the Coalition brand on his forearm. It's no longer smarting and red, now a dull brown. "We're the thirteenth clan."

The man narrows his eyes. "Don't slow us down."

He turns away. Monty, who'd been utterly silent until now, asks, "Are you sure? We know nothing about the new Commander."

"I'm sure," Kane replies confidently. "Go home. Tell our people what happened here. Tell Abby..." he pauses, "I'll look out for Clarke."

Monty nods in understanding and walks toward Octavia, who's busy plucking weapons from the unmoving guards at her feet. Caleb wordlessly hands me back my pistol.

"Sorry for any damage I caused," he says as he removes the restraints from my wrists. "I couldn't warn you about what happened without risking it. Bellamy and I pretty much came up with a silent agreement on our way to the dropship."

"It's fine," I tell him honestly, sighing in relief once the cuffs pop off. I rub at the skin around them. "But, hey, we're going back to Arkadia. We'll see Raven again, make sure she's alright, okay? That's the first thing we'll do."

Caleb nods somberly and tosses the restraints to the side. We turn toward Monty and Bellamy, who are having their own quiet conversation among themselves.

"You're family," Bellamy tells him quietly; they must have been talking about Hannah. "We'll work it out."

He pats Monty assuringly on the arm. Then, turning back to Octavia, he appears like he's about to say something when Gillmer begins to stir. The girl clenches her new knife in her hands before leaping over one of the bodies and diving the blade into his back. He dies instantly, going slack.

Octavia stares at her brother. "Jus drein, jus daun."

A message. Bellamy wordlessly stares at her with realization in his eyes— the realization that the relationship that they had before has turned to dust.

———-

*rubs hands together evilly* the next episode is my favorite!!! right next to demons (episode 12) and they're both the darkest ones of the entire season...oops? i've had these ones planned ever since they aired, so they'll be better written, i promise!

look at bellamy and caleb becoming bros (':

i was actually really scared to publish the last chapter because i thought i'd get attacked for fallon's reaction but y'all know she couldn't just stand by as her boyfriend was beaten by his own sister. but a lot of you actually agreed!

also when octavia spoke trigedasleng all i could think of was the blooper where marie was like "BAN DISHA SJAJQJJSNEWJ BLOCKA WE.... WHATEVER!"

-kristyn