F I V E

The speckles of guards, holding their guns up, as she approached wasn't intimidating to her, as it should've been. Somehow she didn't fear their fire. She didn't believe they'd shoot her. A lone girl, looking too much like one of the delinquent kids they'd sent to die for them to open fire.

The gates opened and several of them rushed out to meet her, headed by a stern-faced, blonde woman.

Althea wobbled on her feet, slightly overwhelmed but happy. Happy to see the faces of these people, her people. The people who had fallen from the sky just like she had all those weeks ago, just praying that they weren't going to be obliterated in a ball of fire, clinging to life.

And, even now, they clung to life in a bid to survive the trials of the ground.

"Who are you?" The woman asked her, looping an arm around her to hold her up. She must've seen the stumble. Though Althea did not hide it, the woman seemed to be the perceptive sort.

"Althea Barnes," She replied, dry-mouthed.

"And you are one of the delinquents, yes?"

"Yes."

She nodded to the other two guards. "Bring her in. She's one of us," She confirmed, helping Althea into the camp.

"It's alright," She said as they made their march. "I've walked this far, I can walk the final stretch. I'm quite capable."

The woman hesitated, but must've seen the determination in the girl's face for she nodded and released her, remaining close by should she need to be caught.

"And who are you?" Althea asked, filling the gap between them with words.

"Major Byrne," The guard replied, rolling her shoulders beneath her uniform. She turned to one of the other guards with them and murmured, "Fetch Kane. He will want to speak with her."

The guard nodded and jogged ahead, calling for them to bring out Kane because another survivor had emerged, not that they'd been looking for them. Althea was sure of it. She would've been found if they were. Instead, she came to them. Bitter.

As soon as they entered the Camp Jaha, all eyes were on her. Seeing the name of the camp made something inside of her twist. For all he'd sacrificed, he was still the man who'd sentenced many more to their death.

And she'd witnessed every single one of them.

Kane was there, arms folded across his chest. He walked to meet her, already forming a thousand questions in his mind. It was written all over his face. Althea wasn't sure she had all the answers he wanted to hear.

"What's your name?" Was his first question. An easily answered one.

"Althea Barnes," She replied.

"And you are a survivor of the hundred?"

"Yes," She said. "Are there any others here?"

"A small amount, but yes," He told her.

"Can I see them?" She asked, stepping forward eagerly.

"Not until you've been through medical," He said, then looked to Major Byrne. "Take her there now and, when she'd been cleared, take her to see her friends."

Byrne nodded and gestured for Althea to follow her. She did. Ignored the stares on her back as she entered the Ark, thankful for the cover. But she knew who she was about to come face to face with. There was only one person it could be. Fate was cruel and she could feel the wrath building within her with every step as she pictured the face of Abby Griffin.

But picturing her face and actually seeing her face with her own, shining green eyes was completely different. Incomparable, even.

The wrath tripled. Her hands balled into fists and her face went hot, heart rate increased.

It seemed Abby recognised her too. "Althea," She had the nerve to begin, "nice to see you again."

Her voice was what tipped her over the edge. Sent her into a blind path of anger with only one thing on her mind: Abby Griffin's death. In three steps, she was upon her and her fist connected with her jaw in a firm uppercut, knocking her head back. The surprise was what toppled her more than the pain, sending her stumbling back into the wall.

"Althea, stop!" A familiar voice shouted, their hands pulling her back away from the doctor, spinning her towards him. "You need to calm down!"

Her blurry vision cleared, focusing on Finn's face. Her mouth opened and closed for a few seconds as she looked at him before she flung her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder.

"You're alive," She said against his body, voice muffled. "She killed them, she killed them," She repeated, her body trembling with fury and with shock. Knuckles aching, heart pounding so loud it rang in her ears. "She killed them," She whispered.

Finn squeezed her tighter against him. "Take deep breaths, okay? Close your eyes and calm down. This isn't you."

"This isn't me." She copied his words and tried to make them her own, blocking out the sound of Abby Griffin telling Jackson she was fine. She wished Abby wasn't fine. "This isn't me."

Gently, Finn put his hands on her shoulders and held her at arm's length. "You okay?" He asked.

"I'm alive," She replied. "Thank you."

Major Byrne ripped her away from him in her moment of gratitude, taking her opportunity to restrain her. Althea barely reacted. It was Finn who objected, but he was shut down. Althea had assaulted someone and she was to be punished for it.

"Jackson," Major Byrne said, "check her over whilst she's restrained. If she'd all good, she goes away with the rest of them."

Jackson did every check there was. From her eyes to her reflexes, but concluded that, apart from being a bit dehydrated and a few bruises, Althea was in good health. And, so, she was escorted by Byrne to where the rest of the prisoners were being detained.

As they walked up to the room, the guard outside perked up at the sight of a new 'inmate'.

"Hartley, this one's quiet, but don't let that fool you. Be cautious and don't let her too close," Byrne commanded, forcing Althea to walk forward so that Hartley could get a grip on her.

"Doesn't look too threatening," She replied, "but I'll take your word for it." Althea felt her hand between her shoulder blades. "I'll take it from here, Major."

"Thank you, Hartley," Byrne said before she marched off, back as stiff as ever.

Hartley opened the door and forced Althea in, sadistically delighted to have a new prisoner to toy with this shift. The other ones were getting stale.

But the girl seemed to go rigid, not moving, even as Hartley tried to nudge her forwards. "Get moving," She tried, but the girl wouldn't move until Hartley yanked her across the room, securing her.

Those swampy green eyes were fixed on one person and one person only: John Murphy.

He was battered and bruised, but alive. Most of her was relieved to hear his heart was still beating, but that only made things more complicated. Now, she had to face him and all the things he'd done, and deal with the fact that she very probably loved him.

Why else would it hurt so bad that he'd left her behind like every other person she'd ever cared about? At the thought, her fingers clenches into tight fists, nails cutting into grubby palms.

A smirk drifted onto Lilla's face as she gripped Althea's chin, forcing her to look her in the eyes. "So, what d'you do? A pretty girl like you doesn't seem like the aggressive type."

Althea declined to respond. Her expression empty, stern as the guard rose from her crouch and sat down on the chair she'd left in the middle of the room, elbow resting on her thigh.

"Not gonna talk, huh?" Hartley laughed lowly. "Well, we've got an hour and a half until I get off shift and it's gonna feel like the longest time of your life if you sit here in silence."

"I was in an isolated cell for almost a year of my life," Althea said, speaking quietly. All eyes in the room were on her, a stunned silence prevailing. "A hour and a half will be a breeze, thank you."

"What'd you do? Musta been pretty bad for 'em to lock you up like that."

Althea wondered if Hartley was just trying to get her to bite or whether she was genuinely curious.

Either way, there wasn't a chance she was getting a rise out of her as she settled against the wall, wrists uncomfortably bound, and let herself fall into a meditative state, which took longer than usual to find with the constant clang of Hartley's voice in the background, taunting them all.

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PART 3 OF UNEDITED CHAPTERS