( two )
The initial shock and excitement of being on Earth was subduing for everyone, even Harley. She was sitting, leaning against the dropship with her deck of cards in her hand. She was shuffling them quietly, to herself. The group of delinquents had began to spread out, and Harley lost track of where Murphy went. She figured he was with his friends, still celebrating. She was beginning to wonder if she could get at least one person to play a card game with her when Clarke had approached with a loud noise by flattening a map on the flat of a dropship.
Curiously, Harley perked up before rising to her feet. She snapped the rubber band around the deck pack into place and shoved them back into her pocket where they belonged. It was the only thing she had in The Ark, it's what meant the most to Harley. "Is that a map?" She asked as Clarke began drawing circles and lines with certain measurements on it. "A map to Mount Weather?" They weren't on a mountain with a military building, so Harley assumed they were dropped in the wrong place.
Clarke nodded in response. Before Harley could ask another question, Wells Jaha, the son of their chancellor approached with a long expression. "We got problems," he told Clarke, making Harley listen in. "The communications system is dead. I went to the roof, a dozen pads are missing. Heat fried the wires," he informed them.
Disappointed, Clarke shook her head. "Well, all that matters right now is getting to Mount Weather. See? Look." She paused to point to an area on the map; Harley leaned in to see. "This is us. And this..." Clarke trailed her hand from the spot to another place on the map, following a black line she made. "Is where we need to get to if we want to survive."
"That's far," Harley noted, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked from the large space from Clarke's marking in between where they were and Mount Weather. "Do you think that we'd make it?" It was a long trail, and without any food or water to support them, it'd make it that much longer and more difficult.
The three were interrupted by a boy with large goggles on his forehead and a happy grin approaching them, with a friend trailing behind. Harley recognized them as Jasper and Monty, two best friend's nearing the brother mark that were always together back in the Sky Box from the moment they were arrested for forgetting to replace a plant they smoked. Harley smiled when seeing them; she's only spoken to them once on visitors day but with their upbeat personalities and fun remarks, they were great to be around.
"Ah, cool, a map!" Jasper exclaimed, looking at it before looking over to flash a small dorky smile at Harley. "They got a bar in this town? I'll buy you a beer."
"Oh, you are so sweet!" Harley cooed, gently tapping Jasper's cheek with the tip of her fingers after he hit on her to show some type of kind affection touch. "Unfortunately for you, I like girls." It was a blunt way to put it, but at least she was honest. Harley has always known she had a preference for girls over boys, and hadn't been ashamed of it.
A voice from behind the, now group of five, stopped Jasper from replying. Not that he probably would have, due to the look of surprise. "Hey, he's with us." It was a calm, yet slightly rude, voice and Harley had recognized it immediately.
John Murphy was standing in front of Harley, nearly close enough to touch with a small army of males behind him in support. Harley would have cornered him in the Sky Box and demand that he cleared her name, but the problem was, she never saw him leave his cell. Not once, not even on visitor day. "You!" She exclaimed, pointing at him. "You're the.. The dick that got me arrested!"
There was no forms of any regret on Murphy's face. Instead, his lips curled into a slow grin, as if Harley's accusation was a type of joke they'd laugh over. "You shouldn't have been there," he told her, as if it was somehow Harley's fault that he set the quarter's on fire.
"Wait, let's relax," Wells offered, holding his hands in between Harley and Murphy, like someone was bound to strike the other. Not that Harley would; she didn't advocate violence. "We're just trying to figure out where we are."
Wells was right. Harley's bone to pick with Murphy wasn't over just yet, she'd have much more to say later, but she also had some to be thankful for. She was alive, and on the ground, and she wouldn't have been if she wasn't there during the arson arresting. There was something more important to worry about now, and that was finding supplies they needed if they wanted to live any farther.
Not too far away, Bellamy called out. "We're on the ground. That not good enough for you?" He snapped at them.
"We need to find Mount Weather. You heard my father's message!" Wells exclaimed, slowly walking forward as a group began to form around them, seemingly interested. "That has to be our first priority."
Beside Bellamy, Octavia snorted in disbelief. "Screw your father," she argued, challenging him. "What, you think you're in charge here?" She questioned rudely, glaring at Wells. "You and.." Octavia moved her gaze from him to Clarke. "Your little Princess?" Her voice grew hushed, yet threatening. Harley shuffled her feet, wanting to step back from the argument bound to break out.
Clarke stepped forward bravely. "Do you think we care who's in charge?" She asked the siblings. "We need to get to Mount Weather not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get and the harder this'll be," she spoke urgently. "How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a twenty-mile trek, okay? So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave now." Her gaze moved from Octavia and Bellamy to the delinquents, that had somehow began to split into two.
"I got a better idea," Bellamy countered, taking Harley by surprise. Did he not understand how serious this was? "You three go, find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change."
Not everyone on The Ark was equal. The privileged, the ones who usually lived in Alpha Station such as Harley were treated much more fairly than anyone else. Now that they were on Earth, the ones who weren't treated so equally wanted the higher title. Harley's chest stirred when the delinquents behind the siblings began agreeing with nods and with a loud "Yeah!" They were on the ground now. She thought The Ark's laws didn't matter to any of them anymore.
"You're not listening!" Wells recoiled, attempted to make them listen more urgently, more so Octavia and Bellamy than the other delinquents. "We all need to go!"
All of a sudden, Murphy pushed past Harley by nudging her aside and nearly making her tumble to shove Wells harshly. "Look at this!" Murphy boasted as Wells barely caught himself before he fell. "The Chancellor of Earth." The delinquents began laughing at his joke, except for Harley and Clarke who more so looked worried.
"Do you think that's funny?" Wells asked, calmly, but was definitely offended by it. Swiftly, Murphy used the back of his heel to kick Wells' in the ankle and knocking him over, making the boy cry out in pain.
"Hey, stop!" Harley blurted out at the same time Clarke exclaimed Wells' name. Murphy's friend, John, put his arm in front of the girl to keep her from lurching forward to help Wells who groaned in pain on the ground as he attempted to get up. The delinquents began chanting taunts, some even cheering Murphy on for wounding Wells.
Satisfied, Murphy even smiled. "No, but that was." Tough and stubborn, Harley watched as Wells finally managed to stand up with a limp. Even Harley was surprised that he managed to stand back up from the hit, and watched as Murphy looked him up and down. "All right.." He muttered when Wells put his fists outwards, ready to defend himself. Murphy faked a hit, making Wells flinch and nearly fall over again. "Come on, come on," he urged Wells further, even putting his own hands up.
However, before Murphy could strike, a body jumped down from the top of the dropship and landed on his feet between them. Harley quickly saw who it was. She pushed John's arm away, who reluctantly let her, to get a better look. His name is Finn, a boy that she saw a lot during visitor days, always visiting a pretty girl. He was arrested for an illegal spacewalk that wasted a month of oxygen for them. He kept to mostly himself and the girl, even found Harley to be annoying when she did talk to him. "Kids got one leg," Finn told Murphy, stopping him with just a look. "How about you wait until it's a fair fight?"
Reluctantly, Murphy complied. He only gave Finn a single glare before walking off, his loyal friend John trailing behind him when he touched his shoulder. Octavia, however, stalked forwards towards Finn. "Hey, spacewalker!" She called out. "Rescue me next."
Glad that it was over, Harley didn't hesitate in helping Wells. "Here, you should sit," she offered, seeing he was in pain. She held her hand out, allowing Wells to grip onto her wrist to lower himself as he outstretched his leg with a sharp wince before letting go and leaning back against the dropship.
"I'll take a look at it," Clarke offered. Harley remembered that Clarke's mother is a surgeon in the dropship, and assumed that the girl learned some medical information from her mother that could be useful. Clarke knelt down in front of him as Harley leaned against the dropship wall herself. Her hand went into her pocket and touched the deck of cards, remembering they were there, for comfort. They made Harley think of The Ark, and how happier she was before.
Clarke, as carefully as she could, turned Wells foot to the side, testing if his ankle was broken. He winced sharply, but he didn't scream out in pain and no bones seemed to be popping out, so it most likely wasn't. "It just seems sprained," the blonde informed him.
Finn approached then, his hands in his pocket as he arrived standing next to Harley. "So, Mount Weather," he announced. "When do we leave?"
"Right now," Clarke answered. She put her hands on her knees to help lift herself up into a standing position. "We'll be back tomorrow with food," she said, promising Wells. "Do you want to come, Harley?" She invited.
Harley was taken back by the offer to join them. She didn't expect Clarke to ask her, and she was still upset with Murphy, and wanted to argue with him further, but was more so excited to explore more of Earth. There was a whole planet that was waiting for them to look at; an endless place of trees that Harley couldn't wait to see. "Yes!" She answered happily.
However, that wouldn't be so easy, and Wells knew it. He looked up between the three, confused. "How are the three of you gonna carry enough food for a hundred?" He asked, a well point.
Finn thought it over for a second and realized Wells was right. He turned around and grabbing Jasper and Monty by their shoulders and turned them away from the friends they were talking to before patting them. "Five of us," Finn corrected, and Jasper and Monty shrugged after exchanging a look, agreeing.
"Sounds like a party!" A pitched voice disturbed their conversation with a clap. "Make it six." Harley turned her head at the offer to join them, to see Octavia. Jasper seemed excited by her inviting herself, but Harley may have been slightly more.
Bellamy attempted to stop her, but Harley was more interested by Clarke's outburst from seeing Finn's wristband slightly damaged. "Hey, were you trying to take this off?" She asked, grabbing the boy's wrist and lifting it. Harley could see it clearer now, the part that held it together looked like it had been tampered with. "This wristband transmits your vital signs to The Ark," Clarke continued when Finn answered carelessly. "Take it off, and they'll think you're dead. Do you want the people you love to think you're dead? Do you want them to follow you down here in two months?" She asked, harsher. "Because they won't if they think we're dying."
Slowly, Finn nodded. He dropped the reckless act just by the expression on his face and understood how serious it was that the delinquents kept their bracelets on. Nobody noticed the thinking look on Bellamy's face, like he was hit with an idea by the talk of the wristbands. "Now let's go," Clarke urged them.
Finn led the way, then Jasper and Monty, before Harley and Clarke followed. Bellamy gave Octavia permission to attend, and she grinned before kissing his cheek. Harley was ahead as she head into the woods behind the three boys, but she wasn't far enough to not be able to hear the conversation between Octavia and Clarke. She tried to pretend she didn't care, but the odd pit in the bottom of her chest told a different story.
"Before you get any ideas, Finn is mine."
"Before you get any ideas, I don't care."
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