Chapter 14

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"Jasper!" Monty sprang up from his spot against the dropship wall, racing to his best friend's side.

Octavia and Finn immediately followed, Finn grabbing the white makeshift bag of water. "Let's start with the soft stuff," he joked, smiling.

Smiling in relief, Addison got to her feet, "No bloody way .  .  ." she trailed. As quickly as possible, she climbed down the ladder to look for the one person that needed to know he's alive. It didn't take long for her to be found, standing outside the dropship. "Clarke!" She snapped her head to Addison. In one breath, Addison rushed excitedly, grinning, "He's awake. Jasper's awake, and alive!"

Just saying those words in one sentence filled Addison with a sense of joy she needed; the same joy Clarke needed too. A grin surfaced on Clarke's lips as she quickly ran up the ramp of the dropship and inside, passing Addison on the way in. Addison spun on her heels, following after Clarke and climbed back up the slim metal ladder to the middle level.

"Was that a dream, or did I get speared?" Jasper asked weakly, a smile evident in his voice.

Clarke finished the climb, "You'll have a very impressive scar to prove it," she breathed out.

Addison's head popped out of the hatch just as Jasper smiled, responding to Clarke, "My Saviour," his head bobbed up to look at Clarke. She chuckled and joined the others that gathered around him.

Addison grunted as pulled herself into the middle level. She came on Clarke's right and rested her hands by Jasper's waist on the makeshift table he's laid upon. "I wish I had a scar to show off like you'll have," she smiled, leaning on her hands as she looked down at Jasper.

He lifted his head a little and raised a dark brow as he met her doe eyes, smiling weakly, "Hey, Addison."

She chuckled softly, grabbing his hand and gave it a squeeze to let him know she's there for him, just like the others are. Addison's glad at least something good's come out of this day.

"Thank you for not dying," Clarke said softly, voice full of gratitude, but Addison could hear the seriousness laced behind her words. "I don't think I could've taken that today."

Addison's free hand instinctively reached for Clarke's,. She gave it a comforting squeeze, and Clarke returned the squeeze, keeping her grip tight.

I'm glad he didn't die too, Clarke . . . Addison said to herself. "I'll try not to die too, if that's cool." Each and every one of them lightheartedly chuckled at Jasper's response. Octavia reached across the table and placed her hand over Addison's that's atop of Jasper's. His smile widened when he saw her, his face practically lighting up, "Oh, hello."

Octavia grinned as she gave both Jasper and Addison's hands a squeeze. Jasper's head slowly relaxed, his eyes shutting as he drifted back into a deep sleep.

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Addison sleepily pushed away the hands that shook her awake, groaning and tugging her jacket closer to her face. She turned on her other side, away from them. "Go away .  .  ."

"Addison, you need to get up. Now." Dawson demanded urgently. This grabbed her attention.

Her eyes fluttered open in confusion. She sat up and faces his knelt figure as his hands removed themselves from her shoulder. Addison's brows knit while she studied his worried face, "What is it, Dawson?"

"It's Wells .  .  ." he said quietly, then sighed softly, ".  .  . he's been murdered.

Addison's eyes widened in shock, definitely more awake than before. She quickly got to her feet, "What? By a Grounder?"

Dawson nodded, and followed her lead as he stood in front of her, "Yeah."

She sighed heavily, moving her hands behind her head and released her ponytail before quickly braiding her hair to somewhat tame it. She flickered her gaze to Dawson as she moved her quarter-braided hair to the side, and continued to braid, "Does Clarke know?" Addison feared the answer.

"Yeah .  .  . she's at his grave now."

Addison tied the end of her braid and brushed past him, exiting her tent and coming into the sunlight. "I need to see her."

Dawson latched his hand onto her arm, ceasing her movements, "No." He lowered his voice to not draw any unwanted attention from the other delinquents, "Not alone you're not. Who ever killed him could be out there, right now, watching us."

A small smile formed on Addison's lips, and her heart swelled from his caring words. She had no idea why, in this moment, he affected her this way. She almost liked it. She definitely liked the way Octavia made her feel. Addison mentally shook her thoughts away, all while holding her smile, "I'll be okay—"

"Hey!"

Dawson's hand immediately left her arm as he's shoved to the ground, hard. "Liam!" Before Liam could swing at him, Addison caught his arm with wide-eyed and placed herself between the two boys. "Liam, don't." Dawson stood while Liam started forward, but she pushed him back and called to him sternly, "Liam."

He stopped, his jaw clenching. Addison shifted her gaze between the two boys that stared each other down, their hard eyes never leaving one another's figure. Breaking the tense air, Liam demanded in a hard voice, nostrils flaring in anger, "Who the hell is he, Addison."

In an equally hard voice, Addison replied, "He's a friend, okay? Now back off." She glanced over her shoulder at Dawson, "Both of you." Dawson stepped back, and soon, Liam reluctantly did too, taking the same number of steps back as Dawson did. "Good, now .  .  ." Addison turned her attention back to Liam. "Liam, this is Dawson. Dawson .  .  . my best friend, Liam." She introduced, all while flickering her eyes between the two boys that still stare at one another. "Now, if you two could play nice, that'd be greatly appreciated."

She quickly disappeared into the crowds of working delinquents afterwards, before Dawson and Liam could utter a word to argue.

Within seconds, Addison found Clarke in front of Wells's grave. Her knees dug into the soil, head hung low in mourning. I'm the blink of an eye, Clarke's on her feet, and a knife is held to Addison's throat.

"Clarke!" Addison' s eyes widened, her hands shooting up in the air. Clarke immediately retracted the knife, her face softening as she dropped it.

"I-I'm sorry, Addison . . ." she muttered, turning her gaze to the ground as she slowly backed away.

Lowering her arms, Addison shook her head, "It's okay. You just gave me a mini heart attack." She bent down, picked the knife up, and held it for Clarke to take. Clarke took the small knife from Addison's hand and knelt back in front of Wells's grave. Addison knelt beside her and broke the small silence that swept between them, "I'm sorry about Wells."

"I was so angry at him, and now . . ." Clarke trailed, sniffling. Addison stayed quiet, eagerly listening to whatever Clarke had to say, but she had gone silent, staring at Wells Jaha's freshly covered grave.

"How Wells's death affects you is your choice, and your choice alone, Clarke." Addison softly broke the silence again.

Clarke's sad blue eyes stayed glued to the wooden cross that marks Wells's grave as she asked quietly, "What are my choices?"

"You can let it define you, destroy you, or strengthen you."

Clarke remained silent in thought as Addison's words sank in. With a small sigh, Addison stood and placed a gentle hand on Clarke's shoulder from behind, giving it small squeeze before she took her leave.

Addison entered the main area of camp, surveying the multiple stations that've been up and running for the past few days. Absentmindedly, she shifted her gaze to the little girl that accompanied Bellamy in the forest the day Atom died.

The small blonde-haired girl —that looked to be no older than 13 or 14— struggled to tie two pieces of wood together in an 'X' with a slim black rope.

Addison strode toward her, "Try pulling the slack out of rope then tying it."

The young girl's head snapped to Addison, her wide brown eyes scanning Addison from head to toe. She slowly looked back at the rope in her hand and tried Addison's method, but ultimately failed.

Addison smiled and chuckled softly, "Here, let me show you."

The young girl nodded, "Okay." And handed the rope to Addison.

Addison pulled the rope tight and kept it tight as she wrapped it around the wooden beams then easily tied it tight. "A couple more pieces of rope and no one'll be breaking this baby down." She shook the two beams as the blonde-haired girl's lips formed a small smile.

She bent down, grabbed a new piece of rope, and wrapped it tightly around the beams like Addison had done, then flickered her eyes to Addison, "Like this?"

Addison leaned over to inspect her work and smiled, nodding, "Exactly like that."

The young teenager's smile slightly widened. She finished the knot, copying Addison's action and shook the bream, smiling widely. "I did it!"

Addison chuckled softly. "Good job. Charlotte, right?"

She nodded, "And you're Addison."

Addison's brows raised in shock, "You know me?"

"Yeah. Everyone knows you," Charlotte replied simply, bent down and grabbed a new piece of rope. Addison kept her brows scrunched; she hadn't realized she's well known around camp like Clarke and Bellamy are

"You son of a bitch!"

Addison's head snapped up in time to witness Clarke angrily shove Murphy. "Oh no .  .  ." she mumbled, leaving Charlotte alone. With on swift movement, she clasped her hand around Clarke's arm, stopping her angry friend. "Clarke," she whispered sharply, her bows slightly raised.

"What's your problem?" Murphy casually asked, a cockiness in his voice that's as permanent as that sly smirk of his.

Without sparing a single glance in Addison's direction, Clarke ripped her arm free from Addison's grip and held up the makeshift knife. "Recognize this?"

"It's my knife. Where'd you find it?" Murphy reached for it, but Clarke yanked it back and stepped back.

"Where you dropped it after you killed Wells."

Silence engulfed camp, every delinquents' task having been forgotten at Clarke's accusation. Addison's wide and shocked eyes moved to Murphy; confusion's written all his smug face, but whether it's fake or not, she couldn't tell.

"After I what?" he breathed out in confusion, and stepped toward Clarke.

Addison pushed him back, "I don't think so."

Murphy sighed in annoyance, flickering his eyes back to Clarke, "Look, the Grounders killed Wells. Not me."

Clarke brushed past Addison and got in Murphy's face, while Addison sighed in defeat. She back away from them and out of the circle, but stayed on the very edge in case something happened.

"I know what you did, and you're gonna pay for it." Clarke seethed.

Coming to Addison's side, Liam asked quietly, "What the hell is going on?" Dawson appeared on Addison's left, just as confused as Liam.

"I think we know who killed Wells," she replied just as quiet, and flickered her gaze between Dawson and Liam.

"Really?" Murphy looked over Clarke's shoulder, "Bellamy, you really believe this crap?"

Addison followed Murphy's gaze. Bellamy folded his arms across his chest and lifted his chin, agreeing with Clarke. Addison met Octavia's gaze, who stood between her brother and Jasper, their eyes never leaving one another until Clarke spoke.

"You threatened to kill him. We all heard you. You hated Wells," she matter-of-factly stated.

"Plenty of people hated Wells." Murphy then raised his voice to make his next statement known to all of camp, "His father was the Chancellor that locked us up—"

"Yeah, but you're the only one who got in a knife fight with him," Clarke cut, she too easing her voice an octave louder than his.

"Yeah, I didn't kill him then, either." Murphy plainly replied, not once phased by Clarke's word, but he also happened to be about as right as Clarke is. At least in Addison's eyes.

"Tried to kill Jasper too." Octavia stated loudly, and multiple shocked whispers spread like wildfire between the delinquents.

"Come on, this is ridiculous," Murphy backed away from Clarke, "I don't have to answer to you .  .  . I don't have to answer to any of you!"

Bellamy narrowed his eyes with a smug look, "Come again?"

Murphy ceased his movements, brown eyes meeting Bellamy's own. He walked toward Bellamy, stopping directly in front of him, "Bellamy, look, I'm telling you, man .  .  . I didn't do this."

Addison's forehead creased, her head titling as Bellamy leaned closer to Murphy as he quietly spoke to him. Clarke spun around, "Is this the kind of society that we want? You say there should be no rules. Does that mean that we can kill each other without—without out punishment?!"

"Look, I already told you, I didn't kill anyone!" Murphy defended himself as he rejoined Clarke in the circle.

"I say we should float him," a dark-skinned male delinquent called out for punishment, and several of the delinquents agreed in loud "yeahs".

Clarke snapped her head to him. "That's not what I'm saying," she corrected.

"Why not? He deserves to float," the same delinquent stepped out of the crowd. "It's revenge."

"Addison . . ."

She ignored Liam's protest and joined Clarke. "She means justice, not revenge. Floating him isn't justice!" she yelled sternly.

"It's justice. Float him!" The boy started chanting, and it didn't take long for the entire camp to chant along.

"Clarke . . ." Addison drawled lowly. She looked around the sea of delinquents hat pumped their fists in the air and chanted "float him".

Murphy made a move to run, but he didn't get far. Two boys shoved him to the ground, punching and beating him senseless. Addison's pushed back along with Clarke as they attempted to get through the crowd, to stop the madness.

"No! Get off him!" Clarke yelled over the shouts, but it merely fell deaf to their ears as they continued to beat Murphy. Addison sighed heavily and met Clarke's gaze; she knew what she had to do. As she moved forward, Clarke protested, "Addison, don't!"

Addison punched the nearest kid as the protest rolled off Clarke's tongue. She shoved them aside into some girl, creating a path for herself, and Clarke if she wanted to follow, which was likely.

The boys that beat Murphy grabbed him, dragging him to the nearest tree as Murphy continued to be beaten while Clarke tried protesting again. But the delinquents are out of control.

They boys pinned Murphy down and tied something around his mouth, muffling his own protests —a gag.

"Hey!" One of the boys lifted his head. Addison clenched her fist and punched him square in the nose, easily breaking it.

Before she could reel her hand back and nail the other to free Murphy, she's reeled backwards from behind. "Float her too!"

Addison snapped her head to the dark-skinned boy that caused this mutiny, "What? I'm trying to stop something that's morally wrong!"

"You're a murderer, just like him," he pointed to Murphy. Murphy's gagged and his hands are bound behind his back, while a rope's around his neck. "Float her!"

Addison struggled in the strong hold from some boy's iron grip. "This is wrong and you know it! If you kill us, you're no better than we are!" The instigator waved her off, completely ignoring what she'd said.

"Stop. Addison!" Clarke tried reaching for her, but the dark-skinned boy pushed her back, "Get off me!"

The dark-haired delinquent boy that held Addison pushed her beside Murphy as he's strung up momentarily, wiggling around and choking. The boy bound Addison's hand while another placed something under Murphy before he's lowered on it, gasping for air. The same boy slung another set of rope over the same tree limb and tied it around Addison's neck tightly.

"Addison!" Octavia tried running to her, but she's grabbed by some blonde-headed boy and pushed back.

Addison's blood boiled. She bared her teeth in anger as she desperately tried to reach Octavia. Octavia broke free and slipped past the delinquent, coming to an abrupt stop in front of Addison.

"Octavia, get back." Addison darted her gaze behind Octavia as the same boy came toward them. She snapped her eyes back to Octavia when she gently cupped her face. "Please, Tavia .  .  . go," she whispered in desperation.

Tears brimmed in Addison's eyes as she stared up into Octavia's green ones.

Octavia shook her head, her eyes flossing over. "No, let me go!" Her hands left Addison's cheeks as she's dragged backwards.

Struggling in the tight hold she's in, Addison's eyes widened. But she almost instantly stopped, realizing it's only Liam and Dawson that had Octavia and not that blonde-headed boy.

She gratefully nodded, the eyes of her best friend sad and desperate to do something, but he knew it was no use. Liam's grip tightened around Octavia, "Octavia—"

She spun around, ripping her arm free from his and Dawson's hold, and hit Liam's chest before shoving him back, "She's your best friend! Do something!"

"I-I cant! Your brother is the one in control, not me!" Liam yelled back, nostrils flaring.

"Liam—"

"Get off of me!" Liam ripped his arm out of Dawson's grip, then slowly backed away. "Just .  .  . I can't be here," he added quietly as he and Addison met each other's gaze.

Addison nodded, tears in her doe eyes. Liam rapidly blinked, returned the nod in understanding, and pushed his way out of the crowd. Addison watched him leave with sad eyes, but she's thankful he left; she didn't want him to see her like this any longer than he already had.

She met Dawson's gaze, his expression and eyes just as sad and desperate as Liam's, but something else filled his blue eyes —something Addison couldn't quite place. Their eyes are broken when the dark-haired delinquent that held her easily hoisted her up into a crate like Murphy.

Addison and Bellamy met each other's gaze, his expression unreadable from the events that unfolded before him. "You can stop this!" Clarke pushed Bellamy's chest. He turned his gaze to Clarke, "They'll listen to you!"

"Bellamy!" The dark-skimmed boy hollered, "You should do it. Bel-la-my, Bellamy!"

The crowd chanted his name even louder than their previous chanting of "float him". Clarke grabbed Bellamy's arm, "I saw you in the woods with Atom. I know you're not a killer."

Bellamy initiated the eye-contact with Addison this time. The look in his dark brown eyes said everything Addison needed to know that's going on in Bellamy Blake's head. She also knew Clarke's right; he's no killer.

Addison remembered the hesitation, the same hesitation Clarke had seen, but Bellamy knew one thing for certain —Addison is a killer. A true killer. She nor Bellamy knew for certain if Murphy had actually killed Wells or not, even with the proof, but Bellamy knew Addison's taken a life. She nearly took Atom's life too, right in front of him and Clarke too, and she's pleading for Addison's life —a murderers life.

He'd kick that crate out from under Addison's boots in a heartbeat to protect Octavia from her. Bellamy knew how close she and his sister are, and he did not approve.

"You can't do this, Bellamy!" He ignored Clarke's plea as he walked toward Murphy, and kicked the crate out from underneath him.

"No, Bellamy. No!" Clarke's voice broke as she grabbed his shoulder.

Bellamy quickly faced Clarke and got in her face, "This is on you, Princess! You should've kept your mouth shut!" He snapped his head over his shoulder.

Bellamy eyes darkened in rage as he spun on his heels and marched up to the one person he disliked more than John Murphy. "Bell, don't!" Octavia bursted through the crowd. She planted herself in front of him, blocking his path to Addison.

"Get her out of here," he ordered lowly. Bellamy averted his gaze from his little sister and to the delinquent with a rope necklace , ready to be 'floated'.

Two male delinquents grabbed Octavia and took her near Clarke. "Please, don't do this. Bellamy!" Octavia shouted louder.

Addison heart pounded faster each time Bellamy stepped closer. "Bellamy, stop, please!" Clarke protested again.

"Bellamy, stop!" Dawson's hand latched onto Bellamy's arm, and he spun him, face-to-face. "You keep this up, and the Grounders will come. There are more them then there are of us, and killing two of us will get us killed!"

Bellamy shoved Dawson back, "You wanna be with them, huh?!" Dawson clenched his jaw. "Thought so, Hale."

Bellamy turned back to Addison and continued forward, stopping in front of her, jaw and fist clenched. "Do it, Blake. You've been waiting for the opportunity since I first talked to Octavia." She seethed through gritted teeth, the words she had said that day in the forest before Atom died having gone out the window. "What are you waiting for? Do it!"

Within the blink of an eye, the surface under her boots disappeared, the tension on her neck tightening. She chocked and gasped, her lungs desperately screaming for air as the pressure blocked her airway.

The pain from the rope necklace around her neck quickly subsided, dizziness soon following. Everything blurred into a large mostly green blur. The delinquents' chanting muffled, along with the familiar yelling of Clarke and Dawson. Octavia's scream was the last thing Addison heard before the inevitable darkness consumed her.

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