Chapter 29
The more time passes and the more ground we cover, the more the reality of there being no signs of my people starts to sink in. The very real possibility that I am the only one left starts to gnaw at me, because that's not a possibility I considered or want to consider. That just isn't an option. But if I don't catch a lead soon, I'll have to think it an option.
Rand is a friend now, someone who's helped me beyond repaying. It wouldn't have surprised me that much if hadn't all but abandoned the idea of there being that many good people who'd help without getting something in return. Those kinds of people are scarce, and the idea of me being blessed with stumbling upon them is simply wild.
But I have been blessed enough to stumble upon such people, that's the truth of it. Otherwise, I would have died. I would have never survived without the delinquents - without Bellamy and Clarke and Raven and everyone else. I would have died without Finn and Lincoln. I would have died without Rand.
But I don't want to go east with Rand, as much of a friend that he is. I don't want to start a life there, learn the ways of the Grounders, live as they do. Too much has changed already - I have changed too much already. If I lose this one last thread that ties me to who I once was and where I came from, I'll be lost myself.
Maybe, if I found Bellamy, we could go together. Maybe we'd even cross paths with Lincoln and Octavia. That would be different. That would be a bit better. But I don't think I'd ever be able to find peace knowing I'd done nothing to try and help my friends when they needed it.
Mount fucking Weather. I turn to it, gave it a good long look, as though I could just topple it down if I stare with enough fury.
''You're getting distracted, the mountain won't open itself to you if you stare hard enough,'' Rand says good-naturedly, ''Mela op. Loka au. (Head up. Eyes open.)''
''Nou get yu daun, Rand. Ain loka otaim au. (Don't worry, Rand. My eyes are always open.)''
''Look at you,'' he smiles wide, ''An actual sentence, and completely correct no less.''
''Well, since I'm stuck listening to you ramble all the time,'' I tease.
''What is that?''
I turn to where Rand was looking, a frown creasing his face - it's in the opposite direction of Mount Weather.
A breath catches in my throat.
''Oh, my God.''
It looks like a balloon, hovering in place up in the sky. It hovers over where we've roughly estimated a crash site should be, but we had left that one for last, since it's the furthest from where we are.
I feel I could cry tears of joy.
''My people,'' I breathe, it barely sounds like I have a voice, ''Rand, my people.''
''You were right.''
And then the beacon of saving grace just bursts and falls back somewhere onto the ground. I gasp, taken aback a bit. But it doesn't matter. It doesn't have to mean anything. I just have to get there as soon as possible.
As soon as possible would mean at least two days of hiking at a steady pace with barely any rest or sleep. I could do it. I just hope whoever is there would still be there by the time I arrive.
''I have to hurry,'' I urge.
''Be careful,'' Rand says, and that's when I realize this is goodbye.
I turn to face him. He stands there with a kind smile on his face, genuine good wishes reflecting in his eyes. A friend. An unlikely friend, with a tattoo on his face and braids in his long dirty blonde hair and beard.
''You can come with me. My people will take you in, after everything you did for me-''
''No, Natasha,'' he says, ''You may be on the path of becoming a warrior, but you're still very naive-''
''My people aren't trusting at first, but you'd be among friends-''
''Exiled or not, we are enemies. Your people know that as I do,'' he argues, ''And exiled or not, I would never betray my own. Coming to your camp would mean my death, if not by your people than by mine. The moment I stepped out of your territory I would be a dead man.''
It makes sense, but I don't want it to make sense. Whoever put up that beacon would surely be smart enough to realize we could use a Grounder to find out whatever we can if nothing else. But it makes sense, damn it; it would be treason and his life forfeit. After everything he's done for me, I would rather die myself than put him in that kind of danger.
So I hug him with all my might. It has him taken aback a bit, the suddenness of it, until his arms wrap around my waist in a squeeze too.
''Ste yuj. Yu gonplei nou ste odon kom nau. (Be strong. Your fight is not over yet.)''
''Thank you for everything, friend,'' I say, ''I will never forget it.''
''You take care now, Natasha kom Skai kru.''
''You too,'' I say, pulling back, sensing tears forming in the corners of my eyes, ''Best of luck. Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim. (May we meet again.)''
He grins at the use of my Trigedasleng, before he says: ''May we meet again.''
*
I walk all day, and I sacrifice the night of sleep too, though it's much more difficult to navigate the woods in the dark. Without the beacon, at night I have to keep my direction navigating according to the stars, and I can only hope I'm not on the wrong path after all and despite it. I rest a couple of hours only to be up at dawn again, trying to keep my eyes on the prize.
But it's not that simple. After a while there's no way of being sure if I'm walking toward where the beacon had hovered. The less distance between us, the more specific the location. Too many times I have to really stop and think - turning back a few times, considering everything, finding higher ground to stand and size up the territory. That, too, takes me more time than I thought it would. Days are growing shorter, and the sun goes down sooner than I really realize.
The day is uneventful though. The good news is that nothing has tried to kill me except a snake I managed to evade, but the bad news is that I am starving on top of being tired, sparing no time to hunt, having snacked my supplies away. All I could find was a handful of berries. I don't really care. I'll eat once I'm there.
And at night, the stars again.
*
In the morning, I know there's progress.
I've kept on in the same direction as I'd intended, and by noon, when the sun is at its highest, I am in a forest very similar to the one that surrounded our Drop-Ship. It's denser though, and more diverse; but as I walk through - machete in hand, staying sharp for any animals that could harm me - I hear people before I can see them.
I run, as fast as I can.
The forest becomes less dense, then the tall trees become shorter growth, and by the time I've reached the end of it, I think I have to have gone crazy.
In the clearing up ahead of me lies the Ark.
I stand there, dumbly, stupefied, and stare with my mouth half open. The Ark. Or most of it anyway, kissing the ground. A camp is built around it, walls and gates too. And the people - God, so many people - they are bustling about, hard at whatever work they are doing. So many survivors. I've forgotten to breathe. So many survivors.
I make one step ahead before a bullet flies right past my foot.
''Stay right there!!!''
I do, not exactly out of fear as much as it's out of confusion. I've completely forgotten about the fact that I look like a Grounder; I don't realize it at all. So when a group of Guards approaches me with their rifles trained at me, shouting orders, telling me to drop my weapons, I obey. I obey because I'll eat a bullet before I can explain myself.
The machete falls to the ground - one of them takes it immediately - and two men restrain me the moment the weapon hits the dirt, both arms behind my back. That's when I decide it's the smartest to start explaining.
''You don't understand, I'm from the Ark-''
But they don't listen at all, so when they roughly all but drag me back to camp, I decide it's best not to even bother until I'm there.
The woman that leads the party is Sgt. Byrne; I know her. She was one of the Chief Guards back on the Ark. Apparently, she's survived and kept the position on the damn ground too. The others' faces I've probably seen before too, but I don't know them.
Once the gate has closed behind us, people start running up to take a look at the prize automatically. They're crowding around like I'm a freshly hunted down boar they're particularly excited about. Some of them give me dirty looks, thinking I'm a Grounder; I may have even heard a few comments buzzing through. But surprisingly, no one outwardly does anything. It's as though the order enforced by the Guard back on the Ark has transferred down to the ground as well.
''You don't understand-,'' I start again. I am roughed up instead of a reply.
''Place her in custody,'' Byrne orders. The two men drag me onward, into the Ark, through the familiar halls. I almost don't care they're dragging me on tied up like a criminal once I see the inside of the Ark, the walls and the lights and my feet on familiar metal. I never thought the inside of the Ark would be a sight to love, but boy, do times change. I could kiss the damn floor.
''Tasha?!''
''Raven?''
She can't be real, and yet she stands there, at the entrance of a room to my right.
It's so good to see her I've almost lost my voice. The fact that she's alive and well has hit me like lightning, which is why it takes me a moment too long to realize she's limping her way over to me, a brace on her leg.
They try to keep her away when she makes to hug me, still restrained, but this is Raven, and no one fucks with Raven Reyes. She's used several synonyms of the word ''morons'' by the time she's through, but the poor men are still simply under orders and it's not their fault, so Raven goes on and drags Dr. Abby.
Abigail Griffin, whom I've also believed to be dead.
''Free her immediately,'' Dr. Abby growls, before she throws her arms around me in a hug the moment they obey, ''Let's get you to medical.''
''We saw your ship crash,'' I say.
''I wasn't on it,'' Abby smiles.
''Finn and Bellamy-''
''They're fine, they're out of camp now,'' Raven smiles, ''We thought you were dead. I'm glad you're not.''
''Six of you had made it back here,'' Abby says, as she leads me to medical, ''Then Clarke was the seventh, you're the eighth.''
''We lost Sterling in the meantime though,'' Raven explains.
''Seven,'' I breathe. Only seven. Everyone else is either dead or stuck in that mountain. But I am so relieved Bellamy and Finn are fine that I can't even fully grasp the fact.
''We have to help them,'' I say, shaking my head, ''The Mountain Men-''
''How do you know?'' Abby stops and turns on me, eyes wide.
''It's a long story, I escaped them by a hair, but Rand told me-''
''That Grounder,'' Raven notes.
''He saved my life,'' I nod, ''He told me everything he knew about the Mountain Men, which wasn't much, but it's not good and we have to get them out of th-''
''We will,'' Abby assures me, as we're about to enter the room, ''For now you need proper medical care and rest. We'll talk Mount Weather later.''
''Also, there's someone here waiting to see you,'' Raven grins from ear to ear.
I step into the room, and immediately think I'll crumble.
''Dad?''