Before I had managed to make it into the Ark following Pike's speech, I was stopped by Kane. He had instructed me to meet him in an hour in one of the vacant corridors. I had no idea what he had planned, but nonetheless an hour later that's where I was headed.

As I rounded the corner, my eyes fell on Kane and Octavia who were standing, speaking about something. Kane handed Octavia her sword and as I got closer I could hear their words.

Octavia was looking at Kane in shock, "You want me to go see Indra?"

Kane nodded, his eyes then turning to me upon my arrival, "With Avery."

I looked between the two of them, "What's going on?" I questioned, my eyes meeting Octavia's as she gave me a small shrug

"You girls," Kane explained, pressing a gun into my hands, "Are going to meet with Indra. I'd do it myself but Pike's watching everything I do now."

I looked back at him in confusion, looking down at the gun in my hand, "Why me?" I asked, briefly glancing toward Octavia, "If I walk in there holding a gun they'll-"

Octavia placed a hand on my arm, "You'll be fine Aves, I've got you."

Kane nodded, "It's safer if you both go."

I let out a small sigh, slinging the strap of the gun over my shoulder, "How do we even get out? The gates are being guarded like-"

Turning around, Kane lifted a piece of the wall, revealing a hidden passage that I assumed lead out of camp. Octavia and I shared a look before both of us stepped forward, looking into the passage.

"Crawl space door in 20 feet drops you outside the camp wall." Kane looked up, causing us to meet his eyes, "Get out there. You find out what the hell happened and then you report back here, you got it?"

I felt a grin come to my lips as Octavia and I slipped into the passage. A similar expression covered Octavia's face as she turned back to Kane, "We were born for this."

---

Octavia and I remained mostly silent as we headed toward the grounds where the Grounder peace keeping troop had been stationed. Our silence was mostly due to the fact that we were on high alert, but it also had something to do with the emotions we were both feeling.

We weren't far from our destination when I spoke up, "Pike's manipulating him." I muttered, my eyes scanning the forest, "It doesn't excuse what he did, but there's more to it than meets the eye."

Octavia nodded, her jaw clenching, "He needs some sense knocked into him. Pike can't get away with this."

I looked to her with sad eyes. She was right, but at this point it felt like us against all of Arkadia. I didn't have anything else to say at the moment, but if I had of, the words would have been knocked out of me in shock at what I saw next.

As we pushed through the final line of trees, the sight of a graveyard met my eyes. I felt my heart drop as my jaw slacked in shock. There, in front of us, were hundreds of murdered Grounders, men and women, young and old alike. It was clear no mercy had been shown. This hadn't been a battle, it had been massacre.

Octavia mirrored my devastation as the two of us slowly walked across the fields. The smell of death assaulted my nostrils as flies buzzed overhead, taking advantage of the decaying bodies. I felt like I was going to be sick as we continued through, each body I saw taking a toll on my mental state.

Bellamy had played a role in this.

I felt myself stumbling a couple of times as we neared the Grounder tent that had been set up. I was in utter shock at the sight in front of me. Maybe this is why Kane wanted me to go. He wanted me to see what Pike had done, incase there was ever any chance I was going to side with my boyfriend.

There had never been that chance, and now I knew for sure there never would be.

I tried to shake the look of horror of my face as Octavia and I pushed into the tent. I needed to hold it together.

As we entered, my eyes landed on Indra who had clearly been wounded in the attack, she looked like the only survivor.

"Octavia? Avery?" It was Clarke who spoke our names, turning from tending to Indra to look at us in shock, "Where's Kane?"

Octavia looked around the tent, "He sent us."

As Octavia dropped down beside Indra, I stood in place and studied the look of Clarke. I hadn't seen here since she left our camp after we saved our people from Mount Weather. She looked different, much different. Her hair was longer, her clothes were different and the way she carried herself was off. She looked like a Grounder.

"How did this happen?" Lexa barked, her angry eyes looking between Octavia and I.

I glanced over at her, trying not to cower at her glares. Octavia and Clarke both stood, Clarke stopping beside me to give my hand a tight squeeze. I could tell it was her way of saying "hello" amidst all the chaos, and so I returned the gesture.

"Kane lost the election to Pike" Octavia answered, her eyes casting to me for a moment, "Everything is different."

A look of disgust covered Lexa's face, "Your people voted for this?" she snapped.

It was Clarke who answered, "No." she replied, turning to Octavia and I, "No. I don't believe that."

I looked over at her, shaking my head, "You haven't been there, Clarke." I argued, biting down on my lip, "People are afraid, they don't know what to do so they're turning to Pike."

Clarke's eyes darted between Octavia and I, "Listen to me," she demanded, "The Grounder army is going to be here in less than a day. I need to see Bellamy."

At the mention of his name, my eyes fell to the ground, mortified at what he had done.

"Bellamy was apart of this! He's with Pike" Octavia explained. "What makes you think he'll help us."

Clarke didn't break her gaze, "He saved Indra's life."

My eyes travelled to the wounded Grounder, and for the first time since this all started, that sounded like something the Bellamy I know would have done.

"If what Octavia's saying is true, then Pike trusts him," Clarke now had her attention directed at Lexa, "If I can get to him, he can get to Pike."

"You can't just walk in there, Clarke" Lexa shot back, "You've been living with their enemy. If it were me I'd kill you right on the spot."

My eyes met Octavia's for a brief moment, before I looked back to Lexa, "We can get her in."

---

By the time the three of us had made it back to camp, the plan had been set. I would sneak Clarke into one of the rooms in the Ark, while Octavia coaxed her brother into said room, where Clarke would be waiting.

We had decided that it would be best if I wasn't openly part of the plan, better to keep Bellamy thinking he hadn't fully lost me as an ally...yet.

"In here." I muttered, pulling open the door and ushering Clarke inside. She gave me a small smile as she entered, quickly glancing around at the items littering the room, most from Mount Weather.

She didn't say anything about it, but instead took a seat at the small table that was position in the middle of the room.

Silence settled over us for a moment, and I was about to get ready to leave when she spoke, "How are you doing?" she asked, her voice soft and guilt ridden.

I chewed on the inside of my lip, debating what to say to her, "I'm fine" I finally answered, using the same answer I had given everyone for the past three months.

She nodded, looking down at her hands, "Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye."

I shook my head, "It destroyed him when you left." I muttered, no longer referring to myself. I had watched Bellamy take Clarke's departure hard. He had been dealing with the same grief and guilt she had been, but he had stayed, he hadn't run.

I could tell she wanted to reply, to argue her case, but I didn't have the time to let her do that right now, "I should get going." I whispered, turning toward the door. With my back turned, I spoke again, "Stay safe, Clarke."

My heart felt heavy as I left the room and in that moment I realized just how much I had missed Clarke. She may have been a pain in my ass most of the time, and for a while I had seen her as my brother's murderer, but she was my friend, and I wished she would come home.

-an-

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