ryder
i had gone to my tree to think for a while, leaving the others back at camp. after seeing what i first thought was a shooting star, i raced back to the camp. after it landed on the ground making a loud thud i knew it had to have been from the ark. i needed to go back and make sure i wasn't the only one who saw it, though i doubt i was considering how prominent the scene was.
when i got back to the camp everyone seemed in mass hysteria signaling me that they had witnessed tonight's events. i scanned the camp grounds searching for bellamy wondering what his orders would be. to my surprise he was nowhere in sight. i figured he would be instigating the crowd trying to rally up a search party.
Hey, have you seen bellamy?" I asked A group of people that were standing by a tent. they all shock their heads.
I was getting worried. I thought that he might have gone to investigate the ship without anyone. He was either going to get hurt or do something he'll regret later. I saw Clarke looking around for him too so I went over to where she was. she was talking to finn about from what i could understand how bellamy left to the pod from the sky.
"This isn't your fault, Clarke." Finn said as i approached.
"I should've known he'd go for that radio." the blonde yelled in a hushed manner not to alert others.
"How are you supposed to know something like that?" i asked Clarke who was jumping to conclusions. "what makes you think that he would go after a radio that may or may not be on that ship?"
"Because he spent every single minute since we landed making sure no one on the Ark finds out we're alive." she accused. she had a point about him being anti-Ark but that still doesn't mean that he was going to do what she just assumed.
"That doesn't mean you can predict what people are gonna do." finn joined my side crossing his arms.
"That's exactly what I have to do. I screwed up. Let myself get distracted." she told him making him look guilty. something must have happened but i honestly didn't care in the slightest so i ignored it.
"well if you're so sure then let's go." i offered walking off the camp site discreetly followed by the two others close behind.
*
after a good two hour hike we had gotten to the general location of where we had saw the ship land. the trees were thick making it hard to see very far past.
"Should we split up?" finn asked.
"Yeah. You go that way." i told him pointing to my left then looked to clarke. "i'm gonna check over here." i looked to my right.
"I'll check the bottom." clarke then jogged down the hill while Finn and i parted ways going in the opposite direction.
i walked for a good 5 minutes before hearing a rustling in the trees. my first thought was grounders but from what we have seen so far they are too skilled out here to make so much noise. my next thought was maybe the person in the ship had woken and walking around. i ran over and to my surprise was bellamy.
"bell!" he looked up seeming as guilty as could be. "please tell my you didn't do what i think you did. please tell me you didn't steal the radio and trash it somewhere." i pleaded.
"i can't." he avoided eye contact with me. i sighed in disappointment combing my hand through my hair.
a thought popped into my head. the first day i met him he was wearing a guard's uniform, but he never said how he acquired such an outfit. how would he have gotten the uniform and sneak onto the drop ship?
"what did you do to get that guards uniform bellamy?" i asked terrified of the answer.
"i shot the chancellor." he paused waiting for me to respond but i honestly didn't know how to reply. "ryder you have to understand, shumway offered me a deal. he said if i shot the chancellor he would get me on the drop ship and i needed to protect octavia. it was the only way-"
"it was the only way to save her."i finished for him with a sigh. i knew exactly what he was going through. i was arrested for stooping my sister for resiving a life she didn't deserve. She was only trying to be like me and I blame myself. we all have our vices but ours were to protect the ones we love. "i understand."
"if the council comes down then they'll flout me. i messed up, i know that, but now i have to try and stay alive for Octavia."
"bell i get it, i do, but we need that radio. the ark is dying and even though you and everyone else down here would much rather the council rot up there, there are still innocent people who deserve to live. we need to tell them that earth is survivable."
"i can't, im sorry." he said starting to walk away, that is until clarke came storming over with finn and some other girl I hadn't seen before following close behind.
"Hey! Where is it?" she yelled to him grabbing his arm to stop him. i fell back to where finn and the new girl stood. "They're getting ready to kill three hundred people up there to save oxygen, and I can guarantee you it won't be council members. It'll be working people. Your people." she tapped on his chest. i mentally punched her for repeating the words i had just said to him, but let it go since this was not the time.
"Bellamy, where's the radio?" finn stepped in.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." he denied looking at me probably hoping i wouldn't rat him out. even if i didn't though it was quite obvious he was lying.
"Bellamy Blake? They're looking everywhere for you." the girl said with a sly grin.
"Shut up."
"Looking for him, why?" clarke asked.
"He shot Chancellor Jaha." both clarke and finn's eyes widened with realization while i stood back and watched everything unravel for the curly hairs boy.
"That's why you took the wristbands. Needed everyone to think we're dead."
"All that 'whatever the hell we want'? You just care about saving your own skin." finn was about to get in bellamy's face when he started walking away.
"Hey! Shooter! Where's my radio?" the girl asked getting in front of him to stop him.
"Get out of my way." bellamy was getting irritated not wanting all of the accusations that were true.
"Where is it?" she asked again with a firmer tone.
"I should've killed you when I had the chance." bellamy said gritting his teeth.
"Really? Well, I'm right here." with that bellamy throw the girl against a tree but the girl quickly pulled out a knife, putting the tip of it to his neck seeming unfazed by his aggressiveness. "Where's my radio?" anger dripping from her tongue.
"guys, stop it." i stepped in this time not wanting either of them to get hurt. the girl looked down at her hand for a moment then dropped the knife to her side as bellamy let go of the girl walking away for the third time.
"Jaha deserved to die. You all know that." bellamy tried to reason.
"Yeah, he's not my favorite person either, but he isn't dead." the girl spoke throwing bellamy off a tad bit and he froze.
"What?"
"You're a lousy shot."
"Bellamy, You're not a murderer. You always did what you had to do to protect your sister. That's who you are and you can do it again by protecting three hundred of our people. just tell us where the radio is." i asked hopefully.
"It's too late."
*
bellamy had brought us to where he had supposedly thrown the radio which was a stream not too far from the crash sight. bellamy was looking by the rockier side of the stream, Finn and clarke were down stream and i helped the new girl look up stream.
"im ryder by the way." i introduced myself as i splashed through the water to get closer to the center of the river. the water was up to my waist now that there was a deeper drop here. "ryder tate."
"Tate? as in Derek Tate?" i nodded cautiously. i couldn't tell by her tone of voice if she was going to say something good or bad. "he was one of my old mentors, before i became a zero-G. i'm raven reyes." she smiled kindly.
"so do you know how he's doing? have you talked to him recently?" i bit the inside of my check waiting for and answer in anticipation.
"im sorry. i haven't spoke to him in a while."
i sighed knowing that it was foolish to think that they would speak constantly and she would be able to report how he was. i continued searching, walking back and forth using my feet to navigate underwater in the possibility that it could have sunk.
with luck, i managed to feel what could have been a metal box. without hesitation i dove under not caring about my inability to swim and reached for the cube object. i resurfaced holding the radio and taking a deep breath.
"Hey! I found it!"
i waddled my way over closer to shore as raven made her way towards me. she took the box from my hands and examined it over checking for damage. the others made their was over joining in on watching the girl examine the radio.
"Can you fix it?" i asked as i watched raven scan the item over. I rang out my pony tail of water as I waited in anticipation.
"Maybe, but it'll take half the day just to dry out the components to see what's broken."
"Like I said, it's too late." bellamy stated as he joined what was the four of us.
"Do you have any idea what you did? Do you even care?!" Clarke yelled getting in his face.
"You asked me to help. I helped."
"Three hundred people are gonna die today because of you!" She grit her teeth in anger.
"Hold up. We don't have to talk to the Ark. We just have to let them know we're down here, right?" Raven suggested giving a little hope. it was clear from the look in her eyes that the wheels were turning in her head but what exactly did she have in mind?
"Yeah, but how do we do that with no radio?"
