"...This is our home now. We built this from nothing with our bare hands! Our Dead are buried behind that wall in this ground! Our ground! The Grounders think they can take that away. They think that because we came from the sky, we don't belong here. But they've yet to realize one very important fact: We are on the ground now, and that means we are Grounders!" Bellamy shouted to the entire crowd.
Several people cheered and one even shouted back, "Grounders with guns!"
"Damn right! I say let 'em come!" Bellamy yelled.
"Bellamy's right. If we leave, we may never find a place as safe as this... and God knows, in this world, we could be face with something even worse tomorrow. But that doesn't change the simple fact that if we stay here, we will die tonight, so pack your things. Just take what you can carry, now!" Clarke spoke with passion and reason in her voice.
The crowd started to disperse while Raven and I rounded the makeshift wall, and I could only sigh. Healing her would take a lot out of me and I would have to rest for a while, but it would be impossible if we were leaving camp. At least Clarke was back so that meant someone would vouch for me when I revealed my crazy powers.
"Help us!" I shouted, which turned the main group's heads.
"Raven! Raven!" Finn yelled as he raced in front of the others and picked her up.
"Murphy shot her," I explained as Bellamy looked me over. "I'm fine, Bellamy."
"Get her into the dropship," Clarke instructed.
"Clarke, leaving here is a mistake," Bellamy said, grabbing her by the arm.
"The decision's been made," she replied confidently.
"Crowds make bad decisions. Just ask Murphy. Leaders do what they think is right."
"I am."
Clarke followed us into the dropship with Bellamy right behind her. While Finn carefully placed Raven on a bed, I saw a familiar sword on his back and a sinking feeling washed over me.
"You saw Lincoln," I said quietly. "Where is he?"
Finn did not answer me right away and pulled off the sword then handed it to me. "He saved our lives so that we could get you out of here."
"Of course, he did," I said bitterly, taking the sword, then sat down next to Raven.
"Clarke, what do you need to get her ready to move?" Finn asked as Clarke walked over to the other side.
"What can you do?" Clarke asked, looking straight at me.
"Octavia? She doesn't know anything about medicine," Bellamy said.
"I think I have a way to get the bullet out without doing too much more damage, but it's going to hurt like hell. Even if I push myself until I pass out though, my healing can only do so much at one time," I replied.
"What the hell are you two talking about?!?" Bellamy barked.
I did not reply with words, and instead, I drew my stone knife from my belt with my mana alone. Both Bellamy and Finn took a step back as it floated through the air and then landed in my hand.
"I've changed a lot since we made it to the ground, big brother," I replied with a bitter smile as I took off my stone ring.
"Get the bullet out and heal what you can, but you need to be able to walk when we leave," Clarke instructed.
"What are you going to do to me?" Raven asked.
"Do you trust me, Raven?" I asked, looking into her eyes.
She hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. I placed my knife to the side then moved my ring to the palm of my hand while I infused it with more mana than normal to make sure I could control every bit of it. Since my ring was what I used to practice my Stone Cover spell, there were traces of my mana left in it which would make things easier, but I was still worried. The spell was never meant to be used like this, but I had no choice.
"This is going to hurt," I warned as the ring broke apart into tiny shards that floated over my palm.
Clarke placed a hand on Raven's shoulder, and she gave me a nod. Under my control, the tiny shards of stone flew into the bullet hole as I placed my hand over it so that I could control it better. Raven gave a cry of pain and Clarke had to keep her in place while I closed my eyes as I focused on the connection that I had made with the stone. It was not easy, and it was a very unpleasant sensation, but I could sense the different textures and resistance inside her body. That was how I was able to navigate the wound and find the bullet. Covering the small object was easy enough after I found it, but pulling it out was more painful, unfortunately.
"I got it!" I exclaimed as I felt the bullet against my palm. I placed it next to my knife then put both of my hands over the wound. "This won't hurt as bad, I promise. Clarke, where should I focus on? If I don't, it will just spread throughout the entire wound and won't do much."
"Can you tell if any of her organs or spine was hit?" Clarke asked.
"No, but... I did feel bone," I said with a queasy expression.
"Her spine, focus on her spine," she replied.
I nodded my head then closed my eyes again. I channeled my energy into Raven's body, just like I had done for Jasper and Clarke, but this time, I did not let it spread throughout her entire body. Instead, I forced it deeper and focused only on her spine. I could not see the light show that I was creating, but someone gasped softly. I kept going, probably longer than I should have, and I could not help but slump to the side as the lack of sleep and healing caught up with me.
"Octavia!" Bellamy said with concern, catching me.
"I'm fine... just tired," I replied.
"How did you do that?" Finn asked.
I smirked, "Magic."
"O, why didn't you tell me about this?" Bellamy asked.
"Because you've been the easiest person to talk to since we've been here?" I mocked weakly.
"She's still bleeding!" Finn said.
"I did as much as could, but you'll be carrying me out if I do anything more," I said.
"It's enough for now. Heat up that knife, I'll cauterize the wound. It's the best we can do for now," Clarke said.
"How did Murphy even get a gun?" Finn asked as he carried out Clarke's instructions.
"Long story," Bellamy replied.
"We got lucky. If Murphy had hit the fuel tank instead of me, we'd all be dead," Raven said.
"Wait, there's rocket fuel down there? Enough to build a bomb?" Clarke asked, shocked.
"Enough to build a hundred bombs, if we had any gunpower left," Raven replied.
"We don't have time for this," Finn said as he passed Clarke the glowing red blade. "Can she walk or not?"
"No, we have to carry her," Clarke said.
"The hell you will. I'm good to go," Raven said stubbornly as she tried to sit up, but I held her down.
"Hey, listen to me. Octavia bought you some time and possibly saved your back, but there is bound to be internal bleeding and I haven't even stopped the external yet. We're not going to let you undo what she already did to save you. Is that clear?" Clarke argued.
Surprisingly, Raven nodded her head which made me let out a sigh of relief. I needed something to go right today.
"I'll go get the stretcher," Finn offered.
"Can't run away fast enough, huh? Real brave," Bellamy remarked.
"Dying in a fight you can't win isn't brave, Bellamy, it's stupid," Finn snapped back.
"Spoken like every coward who's ever run from a fight."
"Alright, that's enough. It's time to go," Clarke said, stopping the fighting.
"If they follow? It's a hundred and twenty mile walk to the ocean," Bellamy argued.
"Look, we're wasting time. If he wants to stay, he can stay," Finn said then headed for the door.
"No, he can't," Clarke replied. "We can't do this without you, Bellamy."
"What do you want me to say, Clarke?"
"I want you to say that you're with us. Those kids out there, they listen to you."
"They're lining up to go. They listen to you more."
"I gave them an easy choice. But five minutes ago, they were willing to fight and die for you. You inspire them... and I'm afraid we're gonna need that again before this day is through."
"She's right, Bellamy," I said as I stood up and put Lincoln's sword across my back. "We need you. I need you."
"You and I need to have a talk," he retorted angrily.
"We make it through the night, and I'll even keep my mouth shut the whole time," I replied with a smirk.
He sighed as he walked out, "I'll get the gunners set up in formation."
"Thanks," Clarke said to me before leaving as well.
I let out a sigh and turned to Raven. "Whenever we stop, I'll come back and heal you some more. I've hidden my powers long enough and I'm not going to let you carry this wound for the rest of your life. It takes a lot out of you, so rest while you can."
Although I started to turn away, she grabbed my hand and asked, "What else have you been keeping from us?"
I sighed and turned back to look at her. I could not resist the urge, so I stroked her cheek and replied, "If you decide that there is something more than just a one-night stand between us, I'll tell you as much as I can."
Finn and another guy entered the dropship, so I pulled my hand away. Raven gave me a complicated look as she let go of my hand and I smiled back.
"We still have to make it through the day before you need to worry about that," I said then walked away.
The whole camp was already ready to move, so they were just waiting on stragglers like myself and those who were carrying Raven. Bellamy had men with guns surrounding the majority of people who looked to be carrying all of the supplies. He gave me a nod towards the front of the group, and I made my way there without any complaints.
It took another minute or two, but then we started moving out. The tension radiating off of everyone was palpable and it did not ease after thirty minutes of walking. Bellamy migrated to the front of the group as we walked and the two of us slowly increased the distance between us and the group.
"I need to know what you can do, O. Specifics of those powers," he said quietly.
"Right now, aside from the healing, I can sense things in the ground around me up to six feet away even if I'm not looking that direction. I can also use the ground in that range to create stone knives that have about as much strength as a thrown weapon," I replied without lying.
"Right now?"
"Those are what I have been practicing, but I can also wield fire, water, and air," I explained while leaving out the fifth element since I would not intentionally use it any time soon.
"For how long?" he asked angrily.
"Since we landed maybe... I first noticed them when Jasper got hit with the spear."
"And you're not lying to me?"
"I'm not, but it's not like I ever got to play with dirt on the Ark either."
"Why didn't you tell me, O?"
"Because there have been enough things going on with the camp, and the Grounders... and you still treat me like that kid under the floor. I know that you're my big brother and will always do what you can to protect me, but I'm not a child anymore," I said, which was about as close as I could get to the truth without revealing that I was not really his sister.
Bellamy slowed to a stop as he gave me a hard look and I stopped as well, looking back at him. He was about to say something, but I noticed that the bird and bug calls were slightly off. I scanned the woods around us while Bellamy picked up his rifle and did the same.
"What is it?" he asked.
"The bird calls aren't right," I whispered back.
As if I summoned it, a blade came flying out from in front of us and impaled the head of a kid to our left.
"Grounders!" Jasper yelled.
Screams broke out from all over the group as everyone fell into a panic. Bellamy tried to get them back into formation, but it was already too late. Only a few of his men stayed behind to protect the rear while the rest of the group ran back towards camp. Harper and I helped carry the dead kid with Bellamy, Miller, Jasper, and two others watched our backs, but thankfully, the Grounders did not continue their attack and all of us made it back behind the walls of our camp. Bellamy and Clarke were the first to jump up onto the walls and search for any signs of the Grounders.
"Where are they? Why aren't they attacking?" Bellamy asked while looking down through his scope.
"Because we're doing exactly what they wanted us to do," Clarke said with realization.
"What are you talking about?"
Clarke turned away from the wall and looked at Finn. "Lincoln said the scouts would be the first to arrive."
"If it's just scouts, we can fight our way out. For all we know, there's one scout out there," Finn said.
"One scout with insanely good aim," Jasper retorted.
To my surprise, though perhaps I should not have, Clarke gave me a questioning look, almost as if she wanted to know if I had some magical way to save us from this, but my current strength would do little to change our fate. I could only give a slight shake of my head and a shrug for an answer.
"Looking to you, Princess. What's it gonna be?" Bellamy asked. "Run and get picked off out in the open, or stand and fight back?"
Most of the camp was gathered around, waiting for Clarke's decision. I felt bad for her because I knew the weight of over eighty lives were on her shoulders right now and that was no easy burden for an eighteen-year-old to bear, even if she was not alone. She scanned the trees again then jumped off the platform against the wall.
"Clarke, if we're still here when Tristan gets here--" Finn started, trying to convince her.
"Lincoln said 'scouts', more than one. He said, 'Get home before the scouts arrive.' Finn, they're already here," she said, cutting him off, then she turned to Bellamy, "Looks like you've got your fight."
"Okay, then. This is what we've been preparing for. Kill them before they kill us. Gunners, to your posts! Use the tunnels to get in and out. From now on, the gate stays closed," Bellamy instructed and the whole camp sprung to life to carry out his orders.
Finn looked like he would be sick, but I did not think it was because he was a coward, rather he was more of a pacifist. Despite the danger that we were all facing, the mood throughout the camp had changed. They were still scared, but now they had a plan and were focusing on that instead of their fear. There was little that I could do to help prepare for the upcoming fight, so I headed for the dropship where Raven had been carried off to.
"I got her. Go help with preparations," I said to the girl who was getting water for Raven.
She gave me a nod and left the cup on the table next to Raven. I walked over to the canisters of moonshine and poured myself a cup which made Raven chuckle.
"That good, huh?" she asked.
"Well, I sure as hell don't wanna die sober," I taunted while I moved over to her side.
"Give me some."
"Nope, sick and injured kiddos don't get alcohol. Besides, it will weaken my healing if you do," I replied then downed the rest of the cup.
"Is there any point?" she asked, dejectedly.
"Of course. You're the brains of this place, we just need you to come up with another miracle."
"I thought you were the miracle worker."
"Parlor tricks... You, and that incredible brain, is what's going to save us," I said, picking up her chin with a finger.
There was a look in her eye, and I started to lean forward to kiss her, but then we heard footsteps coming up the ramp of the dropship. We separated as Bellamy, Clarke, and Finn walked in with grim expressions all around. They headed for the table which had a makeshift map of the camp with the dropship, the walls, and the foxholes all placed properly.
"I was going to heal her as much as I can before getting some sleep before nightfall. I doubt they will attack before then," I explained.
Clarke nodded, "That sounds good. Thank you, Octavia."
"We've got twenty-five rifles with twenty rounds each, give or take. Roughly five hundred rounds of ammo," Bellamy explained as he circled the table. "While you two were gone, we made some improvements. Thanks to Raven, the gully is mined."
"Partially mined," Raven corrected then added, "thanks to Murphy."
"Still, it's the main route in. If the Grounders use it, we'll know. She also built grenades," Bellamy continued and held up one of them to show the others.
"That's not many," Clarke said with some disappointment.
"Again, thank you, Murphy," Raven said bitterly.
"We'll make them count," Bellamy tried to encourage. "If the Grounders make it through the front gate, guns and grenades should force them back."
"And then?" Clarke asked after Bellamy was silent for a moment.
"Then we close the door and pray," Raven replied.
"And pray what; that the ship keeps them out? Because it won't," Clarke said.
"Then let's not let them get through the gate," Bellamy stated then picked up his radio. "All foxholes, listen up. Keep your eyes and ears open. Inflict casualties, as many as possible. You can hold them off long enough to make them turn back. That's the plan."
"That's always your plan, just like the bomb at the bridge," Finn retorted.
"Damn right. You got a better idea?"
Clarke was looking over the table with the layout of the camp and I could practically see the gears turning in her mind. "It can't be that simple," she whispered, causing the two men to give her questioning looks. She turned around and looked at Raven as she asked, "You said there's fuel in those rockets, right? Enough to build a hundred bombs."
"I also said we've got no gunpowder left," Raven replied.
"I don't want to build a bomb. I want to blast off," Clarke explained.
Raven actually smiled a little at that and agreed, "Draw them in close. Fire the rockets. A ring of fire."
"Barbecued Grounders, I like it," Bellamy also agreed.
"Will it work?" Finn asked, still questioning the idea.
"The wiring's a mess down there, but yeah. You give me enough time, I'll cook them real good," Raven said confidently.
"Don't heal her yet, Octavia," Clarke warned.
"But she--" I started.
"I know, but we need her conscious and telling us what to do, and she can't do that if your power knocks her out," Clarke explained.
I wanted to argue but Raven placed a hand on my arm, and I looked back at her.
"We need my brain to save us all, right?" she said softly.
I smiled bitterly as she used my own words against me, but I kept my mouth shut about it and answered simply, "I still need to get some sleep before dark."
I did not wait for anyone else to say anything and got up and left before I started a fight. I may have gotten the bullet out of her, but my healing was not that strong yet. She was still bleeding internally, and her life was still in danger, yet she was willing to risk her life to save the rest of us. Anything that I could say now was just an insult to her dedication. We all have our own choices to make, and I would have to live with hers... at least, for as long as we survived.