twelve - What Is This You Do To Me?

She reached on her tippy toes to attach the skinned meat on any of the hooks provided. Sweat was produced, having her skin glisten from the humid air given of the small pit inside of the wooden shaft.

The meat shed was a four man job today, that included Brandi, Octavia, Murphy and Del.

''Let's get this party smoking.''

Speaking of Del. He came in with a much larger pile of sticks that he started tossing into the fire.

''You don't want the fire too big, so maybe you should just try to knock it down with some wet leaves'' Octavia suggests while fixating the hanging meat.

''You get that from you're boyfriend, grounder pounder?''

''At least she get some'' Brandi retorts back while wiping her hands against her jeans.

Del chuckles dryly. ''So now that you share a tent with Bellamy, you think we should all bow down to you're pleasure?''

Brandi shakes her and shrugs her shoulders while her lips flatten into a straight line. ''No Del, because any other day, you'd still kiss my ass.''

''You know, a hot fire won't preserve the meat as well'' Murphy defends, trying to keep everything on work related topic.

He scoffs at him. ''Speaking of kiss ass. You can't take the heat, get out of the smokehouse. Should be kissing our asses for being aloud back in this camp. Just keep working.''

Brandi turns back to the meat with a roll of her eye's and grimace mustered upon her face.

''You're brother couldn't get you two a better job? Would think anything would be better than working in the meat furnace.''

''He takes limping as a sign for weakness. Took a lot of compromises to get me in here'' Brandi says, separating more of the meat.

''Well, at the the end of the day, somebody has to get the job done'' Octavia reminds, pulling out a knife from one of the animals before walking out.

Brandi didn't mind the silence that filled between her and Murphy. It wasn't a lie that he wasn't more tolerable now, because he is.

But that doesn't mean he's fully change. He could just be playing nice to get what he wants.

''You and Bellamy seem to have grown close while I was gone'' He implies out of the blue.

She lets out a breath. ''Miss being in his shadow?''

He pursed his lips and lets his arm fall to his side. ''I was just trying to start a conversation.''

''How about discuss something else that doesn't relate to my personal matters.''

Behind both Brandi and Murphy's back, a single flame flew to top of the shed. The single flame grew into a bigger one around the structure and neither didn't it until it started coming down.

Brandi dropped the meat in her hands and was ready to limp out of the burning hut when Murphy pulled her arm around his shoulder and carried her outside, where people on base started calling fire.

He pulls her beside Octavia as both pant out the smoke inhaled in their lungs.

''You two okay?'' Bellamy questions after running from being on guard on the outer area of the gates.

''This is all you're fault'' Murphy blames, charging after Del who kept looking back at the fire with guilt. ''We told you it was too much wood!''

''Get the hell away from me!''

Murphy was able to throw in one punch while Del was just holding him back from another.

That is until Bellamy got in between. ''Hey, Stop! Save it for the grounders.''

''Well, now what the hell are we gonna do? That was all the food!'' Octavia yelps, angered that not only did she work hard to maintain they're supply but that if they don't think soon her and her people will starve.

× × ×

''Each group, take someone with a gun. They're for killing grounders, not food. We don't have the ammo. Use the spears for hunting and get what you can. Be back by nightfall'' Bellamy's voice boomed from the main level of the dropship as people came in and out with gear.

Brandi came walking in, making sure to walk as normal as she could get without getting any suspicion from the others, heading towards the back to retrieve a spear.

''Brandi, get out.''

She looked up with an exasperated sigh slipping past her lips as she turns to Bellamy and Clarke eyeing her knowingly.

''I'll leave you two, to it'' Clarke points at the two before heading back in the direction Brandi was heading to.

''Come on, Bellamy. I have the best aim here.''

With his arms crossed against his chest. ''I don't care. You're still limping around camp, meaning you can't go out there even with a group.''

Brandi looks down and scoffs before looking back up at him with challenging eyes. ''Okay, you can't just keep pinning me against that one injury. And compared to things I've been through, this is nothing.''

Seeing his shoulders fall knew he was giving up in defeat. ''There is no winning with you, is there?''

A smirk grew as she shakes her head. ''Nope.''

His brow curves as he trains his focus at the front. ''Fine. But you stay with me. You hear?''

She nods quickly before dipping towards the various options left of gear.

× × ×

Bellamy's group was ahead and heading towards the river for high hopes of catching fish.

Meanwhile the leader and Brandi kept themselves in the back in a steady pace.

There was a river close by base and there was still daylight to spare, so there wasn't much of a rush to get to.

''Okay, seriously. Tell me about the Ark. What was it like up there?'' Brandi asks with a slight chuckle.

The two were easily able to engage in conversation with not much harmful comebacks in between.

But, knowing Brandi, one or two has past for her sake of humour.

His smiles reaches his eyes as he shakes his head. ''They're not much different than the grounders.''

She arches a brow while lazily stepping over a log. ''Weak.''

''The Ark is a very petty society. Rules were almost impossible to live up to without slipping up every once in a while. Like, you couldn't have more than one child. There just wasn't enough supplies to give for extra.''

Brandi contorts at this. ''But, you have a sister. What did they do?''

''They locked her up. As for my mother, she was floated.''

''How come they locked her up instead of doing the same?'' She asks as the two past through the opening that displayed the open area of the small river.

''She wasn't eighteen. Once you are, that's when expectations are taken similarly.''

''Well that's one thing grounders don't tolerate.''

He cocks a brow curiously as she walks down the path of the stream. ''And what's that?''

A shadow swivelled under the surface of the water that was floating stilted in one place. Brandi raised her spear and was within seconds out of her grip into the fish that was quickly trying it's best to swim away.

She looks back at Bellamy who was still waiting for an answer as she breaths out ''Equality.''

× × ×

At once, every group that was set out to hunt today met at the front gates, entering with at least one reliable source of food in their hands.

''Can I talk to you?''

Brandi turns to see Octavia standing not that far away from her. She nods, handing her share to Bellamy to hand over to whoever was in charge of skinning the animals.

''Yeah?'' She asks on her way over to her.

Her serious features soften into a smile. ''You and him been getting a long lately.''

Brandi sheepishly smiles with a scoff leaving her lips as she rolls her eye's. ''He wouldn't let me leave his side if I was hunting.''

Octavia raises her head a bit. ''Let me guess, you can say the same for last night.''

''That's different. I didn't wanna share a room with Murphy.''

Octavia rolls her eye's. Though Brandi was holding up good points and convincing arguments, Octavia knew what was going on.

It was like an unspeakable bond that hasn't really been clarified.

''Well, Harper and I are on watch tonight. You should join us.''

She bites on her lower lip and nods. ''Yeah, I'll see if I can use Bellamy's gun.''

Octavia's eye's enlarge as she almost yelps out ''Bellamy's gun?''

''I'll be right back'' Brandi says quickly, before heading off into the direction of his tent.

She was about to enter without asking when she heard Ravens voice from inside.

''I've never been with anyone but Finn before.''

Her positive vibes falter as she furrows her brows,listening onto the silence that fell between them.

Brandi had heard when Finn and Raven broke up. He was with her all morning the next day, pouring out how he felt bad that he kept all this time instead of letting her go in the first place.

Even from her last check in with him, he was still trying to see a silver lining with her. If him and Raven were on good terms.

I guess Raven was far from it.

''Take off you're clothes.''

It was silent again but this time it was brief.

''Fine. I'll go first.''

Clenching her jaw, she looks away and couldn't move. There was never a time in Brandi's life where she felt this heavy pressure of stupidity.

She ran a hand through her locks in distress and looked around camp with eyebrows furiously furrowed.

Brandi chose to block out any further noise from around her as she looks at the dark camp in front of her.

Nobody notice her weird behavior stance. They just kept on moving, dealing with they're own things on what they needed to do to survive.

She didn't know how to describe these feelings. All she knew was that she liked the way she felt around Bellamy. She liked how safe and relax she is whenever when talking to him.

He was treating her a way she's never been treated before, and as selfish as it sounds, she wanted to be the only girl treated that way.

Not giving into any of the spinning emotions that came all at once, she lets out a shaky breath before heading back into the dropship to grab another but better spears.

''Hey, what took you so long?'' Harper asks as Brandi appears at the end of Octavia's side.

''Murphy needed my help with something on my way there'' She lies as she stares sightless into the darkness.

''Why do you have spears with you then?'' Octavia asks, implying that she knew something wasn't quite right.

''I was closer to the dropship. Figure to avoid any noise that'll draw attention to use them.''

As Brandi gnawed on her bottom lip, Octavia stares at her curiously.

For once that seemed to be rare with Brandi, she smiled. A real smile.

Now she's here, returned to the same Brandi who kept everyone around her on the outside with hatred.

''So.. You and Bellamy?'' Octavia eggs on, seeing on the reaction Brandi will give her.

If she reacts a certain way, then Octavia just might have her answer.

Harper scoffs with a slight chuckle being heard. ''You and Bellamy got a thing going on.''

She smiles, but only Octavia notices it was only forced compared to the one before. ''We're just friends. We understand each other and share things that nobody else knows. Because that's what friends do.''

Brandi internally cringe at the constant term. She'd never felt the need to call any of the sky people her friend.

Though, she did feel Octavia and Raven were close to that.

Well, Octavia to say the least.

She doesn't even know why in hell she was telling any of this to Harper.

''What type of things?'' Octavia asks.

''Feelings. As to how unfair life can be.''

While Brandi was letting these words slip by, her mind was somewhere else.

''Hey!''

The trio turned to see Raven standing fully clothed and a riffle in her grip.

''I need you two'' She says, pointing her head at Octavia and Brandi. ''Clarke, Finn and Myles aren't back yet.''

Octavia nods and the three look at Brandi. She couldn't help but stare at Raven differently.

Sure, she didn't know how close Bellamy and her were. But she still felt hurt.

''Okay.''

Bellamy and Monty appeared and Brandi had to look away, resisting the urge to cringe.

''If we're gonna go looking for them, we're gonna need these'' He says, tossing the small group they're own walki-talkies.

Brandi and Octavia climb down from the gates, sharing quick goodbyes with Harper before heading out.

''Octavia, you stay with Raven. Brandi, you stay with Monty.''

Although she was thankful about those arrangements, she couldn't help but cock a brow and ask ''And what about you?''

''I can protect myself. Stay with Monty in case he needs back up.''

She shrugs her shoulders. ''How about you pair with Monty and I'll search by myself?''

''Guys, we don't have time for this'' Raven snaps and Brandi looks away from her after one glance, rolling her eye's in the process.

''We need to go. Now.''

× × ×

''I thought you said you were heading West? Where are you?'' Monty asks through the contraption.

''Just keep the moon on you're left, and you'll find us'' Bellamy replies.

''Is anyone else hearing this signal?'' Monty asks and Brandi was far too confused and lost that she was agreeing with him.

They're walki-talkies signal was quivering that easily annoyed Brandi's ear drums to death.

''Just keep you're eye's open'' Raven says, cutting off shortly after.

''I think it's the same thing we heard in the black box.''

''Damn it, Brandi. Keep him in check that's the whole point of you with him.''

''Shove it, Bellamy'' She replies, actually putting a use to the item since receiving it.

''Do you see anything?''

Monty and Brandi's features fall at the sight that's in front of them. ''Report.''

''Oh, my god.''