CHAPTER ONE.
of course you're still alive.

━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━

          Agony and discomfort were the initial sensations surging through her body when Sage Noon awoke. She had not long ago participated in a strenuous battle against an army of violent grounders out for delinquent blood. The chaotic war was irrational really and was over the claiming of the land upon earth. A place Sage wasn't all that fussed to be upon anyway.

           A gut wrenching pain seared through Sage's entire left side as she tripped out of her hiding spot.

          When she had first heard the sound of hissing and the smell of a gas she instantly dove for the ladder leading to the upstairs region of the drop ship. Despite the treacherous pain within her collarbone and shoulder Sage pushed herself up the ladder and slammed the hatch shut. She intended to bring others with her however it was impossible as they had already begun collapsing around her. Sage collapsed also although not due to some foreign gas but the mere exhaustion and pain of battling against men and women twice her size and strength.

          But that was hours ago and now she was alone. Sage hadn't exactly figured out what her next step would be. She supposed she would simply lay there and die alone and as depressing as it was, it would be much easier than having to tolerate the still agonising wound across her upper chest and shoulder. The curly haired teenager pushed herself to a sitting position against the metal wall of the drop ship and analysed her injury. The cloth she had wrapped around her wound was soaked in a deep crimson as a sign she needed to rewrap and attend to her cut.

         Despite the torturous pain, Sage peeled off her jacket and carefully lifted her shirt from her torso. Her bare chest heaved unpleasantly before she unravelled the soaking cloth and aided the deep slash with another piece of material she discovered situated not far from her position. She reached for said cloth and strained her body in order to retrieve it. Tearing away the fabric, Sage adjusted it to her wound in the tightest knot she could bear. The bandage was messy and wouldn't last very long however Sage was unsure of what more she could do on her own. Without ease she slowly placed her shirt back on and attempted to slip her jacket on once more. She slowly slipped it on, each movement providing her with a new wave of immense pain.

          A series of deep and heavy breaths escaped her chapped lips as the crown of her head knocked against the wall behind her. Sage was convinced she would die alone and at this point she accepted it. She didn't mind really. She was thankful for the friends she had made and the experiences she had enjoyed but there was little she could do.

          Sage's eyelids felt heavy as if the burden of all she had undergone was sat atop of them. Letting out one final sigh she accepted her fate, alone and pitiful.

          The image of a honey and orange sky flashed by Sage's dark cedar eyes as she reminded herself of all the astounding sights she had admired on earth. The way the sun reflected upon the ponds she was forced to bathe in and the soft breeze which guided not only the leaves upon trees but also the locks attached to her head.

         And just as she began to lull herself into a hopefully final sleep a gunshot fired in the section below. Sage jumped abruptly at the sound before scrambling to her feet. Pausing for a moment, the teenager considered the idea of travelling downstairs to a potential killer. The other option however meant she would never know whether her friends survived or not.

         The unsatisfactory thought led Sage to carefully open the hatch door and listen in on whatever was occurring beneath her. The voice and sight of Raven Reyes cause Sage to let out a sigh of relief.

        The injured female lay idly as a gun lay at her feet. The corpse of a grounder by her was evidence that it was she whom had fired the gun Sage heard. She carefully climbed down just as the footsteps of an additional person sounded. She jumped infront of Raven's lying figure, frightening the mechanic in the process.

        "Sage?" Raven whispered.

         The younger girl didn't answer before she was told to move aside in order for Raven to aim her gun at the entrance of the drop ship. The large red and white sheets were pushed aside as a figure entered.

         Ah, then there's this fucker. Sage thought to herself.

         John Murphy stood before the injured pair and raised his hands in surrender upon noticing the missile in the hands of Raven.

         "W- whoa! It's okay. It's okay, Raven, don't. Don't shoot. Please" Murphy begged.

        "Why not? You shot me." Raven deadpanned.

        The mechanic cocked her gun and fired it causing Sage to gasp audibly. When the boy flinched and a clicking noise sounded through the room Sage unknowingly flooded with relief. Raven's gun held no bullets as she had utilised her final one on the grounder now laying dead before her.

        Murphy sighed and limped into the drop ship's lowest level over to the right wall where he watched the two wounded females. Raven uncomfortably along the floor in agony and Sage who formerly lowered herself against the ladder she previously climbed down.

          "Yeah I would've shot me too." Murphy muttered.

          Raven's features barely altered as she held her death glare aimed solely at an extremely tattered Murphy. Sage pitied his predicament. His pale face was decorated with an array of deep cuts and slashes causing his face to appear only crimson and other various shades of red.

          "So how is everyone?" Murphy asked sarcastically. Sage's eyes rolled on instinct while Raven's glare only hardened.

          "Alright. I deserve that." Murphy admitted distastefully.

          The two girls remained silent before Murphy looked towards the door in which he had entered. Sage sorrowfully gazed to the floor where she traced a vent over with her finger. During the process she reminded herself of the previous events. When she had assisted Raven in her plan to establish and fire rockets from the remaining rocket fuel in the drop ship, Sage had burnt both her palms in her efforts to splice a wire for Raven's sake.

          Sage winced slightly at both the pain in her collarbone and upon her palms. Murphy noticed her discomfort but bit his tongue when Raven addressed him.

          "What are you doing here Murphy?"

          "Dying. Same as you two." He responded solemnly.

"Speak for yourself." Raven defended causing Murphy to chuckle at her stubborn persona.

"How many more are out there?" Sage inquired softly.

   "None. Reyes fried them all. The only reason this one survived is because they left him behind to guard me." Murphy explained, referring to the carcass laying across the drop ship floor.

          Sage nodded in understanding while Raven remained emotionless.

          The trio fell silent again mostly due to the fact that none of them were really in the mood to speak. Only did the speaking resume when Raven began to choke violently causing both Murphy and Sage to freak out.

          The pair glanced at each other in alarm as they were both unsure of how to help. Since it was blood she was coughing they knew it was vital she removed said liquid from her airways.

"Raven. Lie on your side. Lie on your side. Come on." Murphy instructed. He quickly rushed over to her alerting Sage to do so also.They both scrambled to their feet and headed to Raven's aid only for the mechanic to push Murphy away.

          "Fine. Let Sage do it." Murphy directed.

          Sage crawled forward and assisted Raven by guiding her onto her right side and rubbing her upper back soothingly. A splutter of blood escaped her lips and splattered onto Sage's leggings however she disregarded this and searched for a cloth to wipe her mouth with. Murphy intercepted and leaned in close enough in order to swab away the remaining blood upon her lips.

"You okay?" Sage asked gently as she caressed the top of Raven's hair.

          The mechanic nodded slightly before eyeing her other care taker and frowning.

"Why are you helping me?" She struggled out, her deep frown settled on Murphy.

"I don't want to die alone." He shrugged.

"Bullshit. You'd still have Sage." Raven muttered through her heavy breaths.

"Doubt it. I'm on my way out." Sage sighed. She shuffled back until she was pressed against the ladder. She leant her head against one of the bars and released a deep sigh.

"Why? What happened to you?" Murphy questioned. His messy eyebrows pinched together as he eyed the exhausted delinquent.

   "Nothing. Some grounder gave me a cut during the fight." Sage dismissed, brushing off the injury which was in reality anything but minor.

"Can I see?" Murphy inquired, obviously not convinced by Sage's nonchalant response.

   "I guess." Sage shrugged.

          In order to bring her injury into view of Murphy, Sage stripped away her jacket slowly, wincing at the strain across her collarbone and left shoulder. Her eyes found Murphy's as he studied her wound. Once again, his eyebrows knitted together before he cringed at the sight.

"That doesn't look like nothing to me." Murphy deadpanned.

          Extending her neck to glance down at her cut, Sage finally takes in exactly what it appears as. The grey piece of fabric is a dark shade with red ooze seeping through and the lousy knot does little to hide the lengthy gash decorating her chest. Crimson liquid also trickles down her arm in correlation to the dried blood which seem to cause Sage to feel an itching sensation.

   "Sage, that looks horrible." Raven piped in, gazing at her surrogate sibling.

          "Well it hurts like a bitch so." Sage drawled out. Suddenly the makeshift bandage she developed slipped from her shoulder and fell down her arm. The cool air of the drop ship seeped into the gash causing her to wince and bite her lip in agony.

          Taking note of this, John inched his way closer to the girl, frightening her because her eyes were shut. His eyes analysed her injury before meeting her eyes which were squinted due to her discomfort.

   "May I?" He asked. Murphy's hand hovered over her shoulder as his eyes, barely visible behind the scars adorning his profile. Sage nodded weakly, she didn't have the strength to attend to the slash and it was in need of attention therefore she was content with having Murphy aid her.

          It was only when his hands actually touched her punctured skin did she flinch. The curly haired girl played it off as if it was due to her injury however deep down both parties understood her withdraw was due to Murphy's violent past. The hands that were about to tend to her wound were the same hands which held a delinquent in the face of the fire, the same hands which fought Wells, the same hands which shot Raven, leading to her outcome of possibly never walking again.

          "Relax Noon." Murphy chuckled. His hands found their place on her shoulder causing Sage to instantly groan in pain.

          "Sorry." The boy muttered.

          "It's fine." She mumbled slightly before letting out a deep sigh.

"I'm going to cut away your shirt okay, so I can actually work on the injury." Murphy stated firmly.

          Sage nodded carefully and watched warily as the boy retrieved a knife from his back pocket. Sage gulped at the sight of the same knife moulded from the drop ship metal which had previously served as the death weapon which killed Wells Jaha. Murphy carefully guided the blade through the centre of her top before ripping it off completely. Cool air surrounded Sage's torso however she didn't mind since it eased the hot blood imploring her upper body in it's entirety.

          Murphy's cool hands brushed against her warm skin as he released her previous bandage. He carefully untied it before examining her cut. Courtesy of his close proximity, Sage could feel the warmth of his breath wafting upon her skin causing her heart rate to unknowingly quicken. His hands worked gently which shocked Sage really, she was perplexed how someone so violent could hold her so tenderly.

          Once Murphy had removed her former bandage he glanced up at her as if to ask what he should do next. Sage chuckled softly at this but soon directed him to the section of the drop ship where Clarke had stored her medical equipment. When Murphy returned limping with a small bottle of Monty's moonshine, Sage was pleased. If you had asked the dark skinned teen a month ago what to do in a situation such as this she would have just about the same idea as Murphy. However since being on the ground she began to double as an assistant for Clarke who somewhat adopted her as a trial student. During her time spent watching and aiding Clarke, the younger teen soon discovered the intricacies of the medicinal world.

          Murphy quickly poured a small portion onto his hands and then onto a cloth which he held inches away from Sage's wound. Stormy blue eyes meet Sage's worriedly, she knew he had little to no idea what to do however he knew his next step would definitely sting.

          Sage nodded softly before licking her lips and confirming for Murphy to go ahead. The disinfectant soaked cloth stung horribly as it touched the gash. Sage winced and flung her head back in agony as Murphy muttered a series of sorries beneath his breath.

          "Okay what now?" He asked, waiting for his next instruction with large eyes.

          "Now you need to rewrap the wound." Sage breathed out, still pained from the stinging sensation gracing her collar.

          Murphy nodded in understanding before picking up a small role of bandages. Carefully unrolling said material, his hands began to wrap a much cleaner bandage around her upper torso. He gently weaved the material between the straps of her training bra before securing a tight knot strapping the bandage around the right side of her neck and across to her left underarm. Azure blue eyes trailed over his work before Murphy collapsed down beside her.

         "Thanks dipshit." Sage muttered, resting her head against the metallic poles.

  "Happy to help someone as long as they're shirtless." Murphy smirked, smiling slyly.

          Raven scoffed loudly and muttered an offensive phrase incoherently so the pair couldn't understand. A burning sensation arose upon Sage's neck and ears, partially due to her overall body temperature but also courtesy of the embarrassment of Murphy's perverted comment.

         "You know I was waiting for that." Sage stated.

         "For what?" Murphy asked rather rudely.

          "You to be an asshole." Sage chuckled dryly.

          Raven let out a breathy laugh despite the strain it inflicted upon her body and chuckled at the boy's expense.

          "I deserve that. I have been a bit of a dick." Murphy acknowledged.

          "Yeah, how did you become such a dick, Murphy?" Raven questioned.

          "I'm sorry for shooting you okay? Is that what you wanna hear?" He responded.

          "Let me guess. Mommy and daddy didn't love you?" The mechanic asked rudely.

          "No, they loved me." Murphy responded, Sage couldn't help but notice that the boy's head dropped in shame, showcasing the impressive braids plaited upon his hair. The crown of his head moved up displaying his face, saddened and pathetic as his eyes altered into a lighter blue as a sign tears were forming.

          "Are you gonna cry, Murphy?" Raven asked, her voice held an amused undertone causing Sage to frown. It was as if she took pleasure in seeing his despair. In a way Sage understood her childhood companion, considering he was the one whom shot her in the leg.

          "Screw you, Raven." Murphy insulted.

          "No, tell me. I want to know. How does a kid who's loved by his parents turn into a murdering psychopath?"

          Murphy looked away for a moment, Sage was sure he was looking back on a memory, his glassy eyes stayed frozen before he glanced back at the two girls awaiting for his response.

          "He gets the flu. His father steals medicine that turns out wouldn't help anyway. Gets floated for it and his mother, she starts drinking pretty heavily after that and last words she says to him before he finds her in a pool of her own vomit is that- is that he killed his father." Murphy explained. His voice wavered during particular points in the elucidation.

          Sage felt sorry for him really, well until she recalled on all the horrid things she had witnessed him doing.

   "Boo-hoo." Raven replied harshly.

          The saddened boy let out a strained smile before a tear slipped from his eyes and he glanced down in shame once more.

          Raven's head turned to face another direction as she pondered the memories of her family. Sage knew they were what she was thinking of courtesy of Raven's habits. Sage often picked up on quirks, especially ones which typically gave away particular things. Such as Raven's usual eye squint whenever she recalled her past.

         When Raven was quite young her mother developed an alcohol addiction. It was the same addiction which had driven the woman to her death.This left Raven as an orphan and no knowledge of her biological father. The council soon discovered the girl's parentless state and placed her in the custody of a family whom were close friends with the Reyes family. Also known as Sage and her parents.

          Despite the fact that Raven rarely spent time with them and often devoted her time to hanging out with Finn Collins her friend turned boyfriend, the Noon family always welcomed her into their home. They provided her with a roof over her head and food on the table each day however her lack of participation in the family, though understandable was also discouraging.

          Raven's backstory was tragic, as many of the delinquents were, it was initially what prompted their rebellious lives and typically, the heavier the impact, the more tragic the outcome.

          A low moan sounded from beside Sage causing her coffee coloured to trail to her left side. As the Noon girl suspected it was Murphy whom formulated said sound and the groan seemed to be a symptom of his leg injury. Sage observed the situation before reaching for an old seatbelt and handing it to Murphy whom frowned at the red fabric.

       "It's for your leg dipshit." Sage explained.

         "Or your neck." Raven piped in.

          Murphy turned to Raven before pulling a childish sarcastic face causing the only sane one in the room to roll her eyes in annoyance. How did she, as the youngest of the three seem to obtain the most maturity.