Chapter 34

~~~~~~~~unedited~~~~~~~~

Addison

Addison trailed behind Finn and Clarke, ignoring and tuning their conversations out. Finn was completely oblivious to the fact Addison was drunk off her ass when they found him by the outskirts of camp, to which she and Clarke were thankful for.

The night was soon over, the autumn sun peeking through the branches of the tall trees that kills the brunette's head. She no longer stumbled and gripped onto passing trees for support when Finn wasn't paying attention, but her head ached and pounded in her skull. She kept her head down most of the way, continuing to sip on the second canister of water Clarke had filled to the brim with water, and kept her groans at bay when turning her head to fast.

"Come on, we gotta hurry. We can't blow this," Finn says, hopping into a swift jog.

Clarke looks over her shoulder at Addison, who still trails them quite a ways. "You feeling better?"

"Uh, define better?"

"Headaches, puking...the usual hungover stuff," Clarke responds, the brunette stopping at her side on a small hill, and rests a hand on the nearest tree.

"Headache, check. Dizziness, sort of check, and puking, not at the moment." Addison finally looks up at Clarke, "Couldn't I have just stayed back at camp? I'm practically useless hungover."

"Hey!" Both girls snap their heads to Finn, Addison groaning softly and closing her eyes at the sudden movement. "Are you guys coming, or what?"

"I'll catch up," the brunette waves to Clarke.

She nods, yelling back to him, "Yeah!"

"Then let's go," he urges. "It's just up here."

Clarke nods again, averting her attention back to Addison, whose eyes are still closed, and head tilted to the ground. "Don't take too long," she tells the girl.

"Yeah, yeah...I know, go." Addison shoos her away, listening to her fast moving retreating footsteps.

The bile she's been dreading starts to rise, her lips snapping shut to contain it. She takes slow steps forward when the bile disappears, pausing every now and again to repeat the process.

She soon feels the ground change beneath her boots from mushy and soft, to the crunching of leaves on a hard surface. With the toe of her boot, she moves some leaves, finding cracked and weathered concrete. Her brows furrow, hearing voices soon after, and continues to follow the concrete buried in the leaves that crunch under her boots.

She trips over a fallen branch out the forest that once subsided most of her headache, groaning at the sudden brightness.

"Here," she holds out the now empty canister to Clarke, keeping her eyes closed.

She hears footsteps go to her, the canister being taken from her grasp and the sound of Clarke's backpack zipper opening before it's quickly zipped shut. The sharp pains subside to bearable pounds against her skull, her eyes squinting and surveying her surroundings.

Ferns and tall grass cover most of the old concrete bridge, a small path covered in leaves and its railings rusted and covered in a thick layer of moss that grow tiny white flowers on parts. Large rocks and logs mix in, blending in with the rest of nature's debris. Her eyes finally land on Clarke, Finn, and Octavia, who had began to converse again.

The urge to puke rises once again, this time stronger than the previous biles she get rising in the forest. "Oh, no..." she mumbles, ignoring their calls.

Addison stumbles to the railing on her right, hands reaching out and immediately gripping the thick moss that covers the rusted railings that creak under the pressure.

She hears Clarke sigh and a set footsteps before a hand's rubbing her back. "What's wrong with her?" Octavia asks in concern.

Addison heaves up Monty's Unity Juice, the clear liquid splattering. Some of it lands on the railings and over the bridge, but most of it lands by her boots. "Clarke, why did you bring her if she's hungover?" Finn asks in annoyance, a heavy sigh following.

"I thought she was okay enough to come," Clarke answers, collecting her muddy brown hair, and twists it, holding it back.

"Look at her, Clarke." Octavia says in slight anger, "Does she look okay?"

"Guys, stop." Addison snaps under her breath, closing her eyes and swallowing the bile she's attempting to keep down, head hanging low between her arms.

"Octavia—"

The brunette heaves up more of the clear liquid, cutting Clarke off. She coughs and spits out the remaining stranglers of Unity Juice, this time watching it hit the ground.

Addison takes heavy breaths, pushing any and all feelings aside for Octavia, and spares her a glance over her arm. Their eyes lock and Addison's immediately taken back to their heated make out session they shared two days ago. She quickly averts her eyes back to the ground, eyes closing in hopes to clear her mind of the memory.

"You shouldn't have brought her here," Octavia practically scolds Finn and Clarke, but mostly Clarke, in a hard and annoyed tune.

The brunette squeezes her eyes shut, body jolting as another wave comes. Clarke's hand is replaced with another, one Addison instantly recognizes. "I'm okay...I don't need—" she heaves again, coughing and spitting the bitter taste out.

"Just be quiet and let me help," Octavia says to the stubborn girl, her hands grabbing the girl's left hand and slips the ponytail holder off.

Addison reluctantly lets her, and even if she didn't, she wouldn't win—it didn't matter if she was puking or not. Octavia gathers the girl's hair and ties it off in a loose bun, her fingers tucking the stubborn strands—that always hang free around her face no matter what style her hair's done in—behind her ears.

"Remind me never to drink anything Monty makes, again." The brunette mutters, lips snapping shut at the bile she feels rising again, but nothing comes up.

Octavia's fingers draw circles on Addison's back, a small sigh coming from the Blake girl as the Unity Juice sneaks up the other girl's throat, and onto the ground.

"Really, Clarke? You saw how she was last night and you—"

"Leave her alone, Finn." Addison snaps, glancing at him over her arm, like she did with Octavia. "You didn't notice until now, so you're also the guilty one. Just saying," the brunette sasses in annoyance.

The boy scoffs, rolling his eyes at the girl, and mumbles something under his breath she barely caught a few words of. Two, to be exact—his girlfriend's name and stubborn.

"Worst. Hangover. Ever."

Octavia releases an airy chuckle, the circles on the brunette's back ceasing. "This is why I don't drink," she replies.

Addison glances over her shoulder at the girl, "Just wait...your time'll come."

The raven-haired girl hums, untying Addison's hair, and recollects it in her hands. "Doubtful," she says simply, flickering her eyes with both brows raised.

A twig snaps from the other end, both girl's heads snapping in that direction, along with Finn and Clarke's.

"Someone's coming," Finn says warily.

Octavia's the first to move, calling Clarke's name, but keeps her eyes to the other end of the bridge. Clarke's quick to come over, re-gathering Addison's hair from Octavia as her hand leaves the brunette's back, much to the youngest girl's dismay.

Addison ignores cold feeling from where her hand rested, and keeps her eyes locked on the bridge's other much darker but clearer entrance, in regards to shrubs and bushes blocking the path. Lincoln jogs out of the bushes, coming down the towards them. Octavia breaks into a jog, meeting him halfway, and he picks her up, their arms locked tightly around one another as they reunite.

Addison looks away, clenching her jaw in jealousy. She feels Clarke's hand rest on her back in comfort, the brunette's lips tugging into a small smile of gratitude. It's soon tensed on her back, but the brunette doesn't pay any mind to it, until noise is heard from where Lincoln had just came from.

The hand that rests on the brunette's back slowly removes itself, her muddy brown hair beginning to fall loosely down her back as Clarke lets it go. Addison slowly lifts her head and eyes the entrance past Lincoln's large frame. She straightens her posture slightly, brown eyes lighting up in astonishment as the uneasiness in her stomach disappears at the sight.

Horses. Real horses.

"No way," she whispers with a small chuckle, hands beginning to un-pry the railing.

"Oh, my god. Horses!" Clarke says just as astonished and excited as Addison feels.

Two Grounders on large black horses come onto the bridge first, stopping, before a third approaches from the middle.

Finn suddenly jogs forward, Clarke on his heels, "Hey, we said no weapons." He states, stopping next to Lincoln, and Clarke stopping next to Finn.

Addison keeps a hand in the moss covered railing as she walks to the group of four. She eyes the two Grounders on the black horses, one holding a spear and the other with a bow in hand.

"I was told there wouldn't be," Lincoln replies, his deep voice surprising Addison, and the fact that his English is pretty spot on.

She comes to a halt by Octavia, the girl's piercing green eyes snapping to Addison. "You okay?"

Addison meets her eyes, nodding, "Yeah. I think so, anyways." She breathes out, their eyes unlocking in sync, and move to the Grounders across the bridge.

There was a pause until Finn and Clarke start forward, but almost immediately get stopped by Lincoln. He takes a step forward, putting his large hand on Finn's shoulder, "She goes alone."

Addison turns her attention to them, taking a couple steps to be in front of them. "She's not going alone," she's quick to protest sternly, despite her recent heaving incident just minutes ago.

"And you, are not going at all." Octavia says, grabbing onto her wrist, and pulls her back.

Addison shakes her arm, fighting against the girl's iron grip. "No, Clarke—"

"I'll be fine." Clarke says quickly, nodding when her and Addison lock eyes.

"Clarke..."

"I'll be fine," said girl repeats slower, eyes bouncing to Finn when he began to protest. "It's time to do better," she says softer, the words sinking into his head when he backs off, and nods.

Clarke gives one last glance at Addison before walking towards the Grounder leader. Addison nervously watches Clarke's figure get closer, eyes flickering from her to the Grounder leader that dismounts their horse, and then too walk towards Clarke.

The two leaders meet about halfway, Addison realizing Lincoln's leader is a woman, with charcoal rubbed down her face from forehead to eyes as war-paint that pronounces her pointed nose. Her mid-length dirty-blonde hair's twisted and braided, not a single stray of hair waving in her face, wearing dark earthy clothing similar to Lincoln's.

"Addie," the Blake girl calls softly, attempting to pull her back again, and this time succeeds.

The brunette lets Octavia bring her back to her side, doe eyes still locked on Clarke and the Grounder's leader. She watches the Earthborn woman's face get angered, the uneasiness in her stomach returning. Her hands begin to get clammy, and the jumble of nerves and anxiety twisting in her gut.

"This is a bad idea..." the brunette mutters to no one in particular, watching Lincoln's leader get more angered, hands nervously twitching and fiddling.

"If we want peace, this is how we get it...through Clarke," Finn says confidentially from Lincoln's other side.

Addison remains silent, releasing a nervous and worried breath, for Clarke's safety. The comforting touch of Octavia barely liaises Addison's hand before it's suddenly ripped away, the brunette jumping when the Blake girl does.

"Clarke, run!"

Gunshots pop off from their side of the bridge in the forest, Jasper's figure out in the open and taking aim at the Grounders.

"Clarke!" Addison yells, ducking and covering herself with her arms. She soon recovers and gets used to the gunshots within milliseconds, uncovering her face to see the Grounder leader's arm raise above her head with a weapon in hand. "CLARKE!" Addison shrieks and jolts forward.

"Addison, no!"

The Grounder is suddenly shot back in, what Addison assumes, is her hand, and the brunette is abruptly yanked back too. "Clarke, get out of there!" Finn yells, his figure quickly coming to Clarke's side.

"Octavia, let me go!" Addison wiggles her arm, but Octavia's strong grip never lets up.

An arrow implants itself directly in front of Addison, landing at the toe of her boot. Her eyes widen, darting to Clarke, who now lays on the ground.

"You need to get off this bridge," Lincoln says urgently, gripping onto Octavia's arms that makes her release Addison.

The brunette uses the moment as an opportunity, and sprints to Clarke, ignoring Octavia's protests. "Addison!"

She stops in her tracks, following the voice through the railings where Jasper was, and sees Raven, gun tucked securely in her arms.

"Run!" The older girl yells in fright again, rushing to the other end of the bridge.

An arrow wizzes past Addison that nearly gets her, her brown eyes wide as she's brought back to what's happening around her. "Guys, come on!" she yells, coming back to Lincoln's free side, seeing Clarke and Finn rush towards them in her peripherals. "Octavia, Lincoln, come on. We need to go," she rushes out urgently.

Just as Addison snaps her eyes to Octavia, she's suddenly stumbling backwards. The cold feeling of where a large hand was on her shoulder for a split second makes her look at Lincoln in shock; an arrow sticks from near his left collarbone where Addison or Octavia could've been hit, but he took it.

"Oh my god, Lincoln..." Octavia trails off in concern, "You've been hit."

Addison comes back to his side, examining it quickly. "You're lucky it missed your heart. Nothing we can't patch up," she breathes out.

Lincoln grunts, leaning some of his body weight on Octavia, and grunts, pulling the arrow out and tosses it aside. "It's just a scratch," he replies, hunching over as him and Octavia apply pressure to the now opened wound.

Addison helps Octavia hold Lincoln up, glancing up when she hears Finn and Clarke's quick footsteps.

"Run, don't stop til you're behind your walls." Lincoln rushes out in what Addison detected was fear; fear for Octavia's safety. "Go, take her!"

He pushes Octavia into Clarke and Finn's arms as they rush by. "Lincoln, no!"

Octavia thrashes around in their hold, Addison's eyes remaining glued to Lincoln, and her arm still locked with his to steady him. Lincoln and the brunette make eye contact, him nodding in the direction her friends took off in. "Go...it's not safe," he says weakly, moaning in pain when he moves wrong.

She slowly releases him, still hearing Octavia's cries and pleas for Finn and Clarke to release her. Addison backs up, still keeping eye contact with Lincoln, before she turns in time to catch sight of Octavia breaking from their hold, sprinting back down the bridge.

Addison grabs her arm, yanking her to a stop. "Octavia, no!" the Blake girl still thrashes, but not as hard. The brunette wraps both arms around her waist from behind, getting a better hold. "Hey," she gets her attention. "You trust me, right?" Octavia's thrashes turn into small and weak struggles at Addison's words, her head nodding, but eyes still on Lincoln, who watches the scene. "Then trust me, when I say that he will fine, okay? But we have to go...please," the brunette pleads, glancing at Lincoln for a split second over Octavia's shoulder.

The raven-haired girl reluctantly stops, Lincoln's eyes shifting to the Blake girl. Addison's quick to move her eyes back to Lincoln again, who nods to each girl, each holding a different meaning. Octavia's was silently telling her to go with the brunette, while Addison's was a nod of gratitude, but she wasn't doing this for him...

Octavia stops struggling and wiggling completely, her breaths heavy, and goes back when Addison tugs her back gently. She turns around, clasping her hand with Addison's, and sprints past Finn to follow after Clarke. The four soon meet Bellamy, Jasper, and Raven; Bellamy takes the lead with Jasper behind him, Octavia just behind Jasper and Addison behind her while Raven trails just behind the younger brunette, and Clarke behind her and Finn bringing the rear.

Addison pumps her legs faster, trying to keep up with Octavia's exercise happy figure. Their hands begin separating, but Octavia slows slightly and tightens her grip, to which Addison's thankful for.

Fear courses through the brunette's veins, her head turning to make sure no Grounders followed and that Raven, Clarke, and Finn were behind her. The meeting wasn't anything she'd thought it was going to be. Jasper screwed up any chance of peace their people and Lincoln's people could've made, and the thought alone was enough to fully dissolve the uneasiness Addison was feeling from Monty's Unity Juice before the attempted peace meeting.

No matter what they did now, Addison knows any sort of peace was out of the window for sure. No amount of tough façades could hide how scared she is about the reality of a war that's just started between her people and the Grounders.

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