And I'm so sick of seventeen. Where's my fucking teenage dream? If someone tells me one more time "enjoy your youth" I'm gonna cry.

— brutal, Olivia Rodrigo

━━━━━━ October 26, 2149

CLARKE AND BELLAMY WAITED for Abby to leave her council meeting outside of the room. In the meantime, Clarke explained that she and the others weren't held captive by Grounders, like Bellamy and Finn thought, but trapped inside Mount Weather. The same mountain Jaha had intended for the dropship to land.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke tried to assure Bellamy that his friends were fine. They weren't in literal cages—unlike the Grounders she found being drained of their blood—but if they didn't toe the line, it could happen. (She grimaced when she said those three words. Bellamy didn't ask why.) Clarke seemed to suspect there was a reason they were assimilated into the population of the mountain rather than thrown to the side.

⠀⠀⠀Why waste their resources if they didn't need the delinquents for something?

⠀⠀⠀Jasper was completely enamored by Mount Weather, in particular a girl, Maya. His infatuation with both her and the mountain's society definitely made it hard to get through to him that things were definitely off. But Clarke knew that if anyone could make Jasper see sense, it was Casey.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy wasn't so sure. While Casey could hold her own, she was a loose cannon between four walls, just like her brother. He could just imagine her saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, and there wouldn't be a chance to change anything. She and the rest of their friends would be strung up for treason and sucked dry of their blood.

⠀⠀⠀As Bellamy mulled over the idea of his friends being tortured, Abby exited her meeting. She looked between them with a grim expression as the rest of the council filed out.

⠀⠀⠀"We're cutting Finn Collins and John Murphy loose. We have to focus on the kids in Mount Weather and the Chancellor," she said, her mouth pulled into a taut line, but her eyes were weary of what she felt she had to do.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke shook her head, shocked, as she said, "What? No, you can't just cut them loose."

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy sighed as he paced the room behind them. This is exactly what he had expected with the Ark coming down. Suddenly, the kids were no longer important enough to save. Even when they had been the ones to send them on these missions!

⠀⠀⠀"Sweetheart, we don't have the manpower to send out two separate rescue missions and protect our camp," Abby said softly, begging Clarke to understand.

⠀⠀⠀"Mom, they're in trouble," Clarke said, as if Abby didn't understand the severity of the situation. Her words had sharpened, always the leader of her people, and glared daggers at the authority that stood in her way. "They're either gonna get themselves killed or they're gonna make things worse with the Grounders, who we need to get our people out of Mount Weather."

⠀⠀⠀"I know you feel this is unfair, but our priority has to be with Chancellor Kane if there is any hope for peace."

⠀⠀⠀The Grounders had captured Kane and been missing for days now. Too many problems happening at once, spreading them too thin.

⠀⠀⠀"If you wanted peace, you shouldn't have killed the only Grounder who was gonna help us," Clarke snapped.

⠀⠀⠀Abby's face fell at the mention of the Grounder, Anya, that had escaped Mount Weather with Clarke. She was Lincoln's leader, the woman they had met on the bridge and sparked a war against. Getting her on their side was huge, and now she was dead.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm sorry. The decisions been made," Abby said, final, her words unsympathetic.

⠀⠀⠀"You're sorry?" Bellamy sneered, stepping forward to break into the conversation.

⠀⠀⠀How many times would they be put into the 'few' to save the 'many?' Why are my people always seen as the ones worth sacrificing, no matter what the cost?

⠀⠀⠀"Finn and Murphy are out there looking for your daughter with guns you gave us, and now she's home, and—" Bellamy shrugged, distressed by Abby's lack of remorse, but how fitting for someone from Alpha to not care of any other station. Though, he expected more from a doctor. "You're just going to abandon them? If you can't spare the guards, we know the terrain, we have a map. We can do it ourselves."

⠀⠀⠀Clarke looked back at him, determined, and nodded in agreement. At least he had her.

⠀⠀⠀"Absolutely not," Abby hissed.

⠀⠀⠀"Mom!"

⠀⠀⠀"I just got you back," Abby said quickly, confirming to Bellamy exactly what he believed.

⠀⠀⠀"Abby," Eric Jackson, Abby's medical assistant, called as he jogged into the room. He paused, feeling the tension in the room, but turned to her. "I'm sorry. We need you in medical."

⠀⠀⠀"You better go," Clarke said bluntly, fire in her eyes.

⠀⠀⠀Abby frowned, reading between the lines enough.

⠀⠀⠀"Byrne?" she called, catching the guard's attention from the hall. "No one leaves this camp."

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, ma'am."

⠀⠀⠀Abby left the room in a rush. Clarke stood rooted to the spot for a moment before she turned and approached Bellamy with a deep-seated frown.

⠀⠀⠀"We're gonna need guns."

JASPER LAID IN THE hospital bed beside Maya, dressed in the standard yellow hospital gown, and a needle stuck in his arm. Casey paced the length of the room, chewing on her thumbnail as her eyes pinned to the doctor. While Monty tried to talk some last-minute sense into Jasper.

⠀⠀⠀"You sure about this?" Monty asked, his voice low as he leaned toward his best friend. His eyes flickered to Maya, lip curling upward. "Look at her. I know you like her, but her blood is about to go into your body."

⠀⠀⠀Jasper turned to Maya, her face a moody red with patches of black over the skin like she had run face first into a fire. Jasper didn't respond right away. Casey's eyes darted to him, silently hoping he'd coward his way out of this hero mission, when Maya's back arched and she seized.

⠀⠀⠀"What is it? What's happening?!" Jasper asked, panicked.

⠀⠀⠀Tsing produced a needle and slammed the clear liquid into Maya's arm, relieving her of whatever symptom had caused her to react.

⠀⠀⠀Tsing turned to them and claimed, "We need to do this now."

⠀⠀⠀"Jasper," Monty whispered.

⠀⠀⠀"I can't just let her die," Jasper claimed, his resolve sharpening. He said to Tsing, "Let's do this."

⠀⠀⠀Casey walked over to Jasper, taking his hand in hers, and squeezed softly. He smiled as Tsing put a needle over the skin of his neck and covered it with a bandage.

⠀⠀⠀"This will sting a little," Tsing warned before sticking it in.

⠀⠀⠀"OW!" Jasper flinched, his hand reflexively squeezing Casey's as he stared in disbelief at Tsing. "A little?!"

⠀⠀⠀Tsing ignored him, turning to the machine resting between the beds. The tube connected to Maya drew blood from her arm, the red liquid coming closer and closer until it entered Jasper's veins. His blood was then drawn from his neck, swirling toward Maya. Jasper's eyes crossed, his neck falling forward, catching himself, then doing it again.

⠀⠀⠀"What is it? What's wrong?" Monty asked worriedly, scanning his friend for any symptoms.

⠀⠀⠀"Nothing," Jasper assured him, skating between words as a goofy grin spread across his face. "I feel nice."

⠀⠀⠀"Maya's been heavily sedated," Tsing explained to the two (sober) teens before turning her attention to Jasper, and stated, "You will, of course, feel that, too."

⠀⠀⠀Monty and Casey were appeased by her answer and the fact that Jasper hadn't immediately broken into hives. There wasn't much else they could do but wait. The pair went to leave when Tsing's next words stopped them in their place.

⠀⠀⠀"It's perfectly normal."

⠀⠀⠀Monty turned on his heel, a curious look on his face as he stared at the doctor. Casey's hand immediately reached out, gripping Monty's arm as she silently told him to 'toe the line.' She could sense them pushing it, just like when she stood against Jasper doing this. Asking more questions now would make them liabilities. But Monty was on edge and desperate for answers.

⠀⠀⠀"If you've never done this before, how do you know?" Monty asked.

⠀⠀⠀"You're right," Tsing said with a humble nod. "I should have said 'it's to be expected.'" She turned away from them, her tone fleeting in her attempt to dismiss them. "This will take a while. Why don't you two head back to your room? I'll send for you once he's awake."

⠀⠀⠀Monty held up two fingers and slowly sat in the chair just to spite the doctor's orders. Casey joined him, leaning against the wall. Not in the mood to argue, Tsing sighed, but said nothing else to push them away.

BELLAMY TOOK FIRST WATCH as the sun drifted down the horizon. He wouldn't be able to sleep anyway as his mind spun with thoughts of Finn and Murphy, what Abby said, and his friends trapped in Mount Weather. Everyone was scattered and out of touch, and it was the first time he felt like he didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel. Every other roadblock, even when he was hung by Murphy, had a way out. Perhaps the closest he had felt to this was when Charlotte jumped off the cliff.

⠀⠀⠀He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. His gaze turned to Octavia, wondering what exactly happened to her and Lincoln. Then he turned to Clarke, thinking along the same lines. Although Clarke had told him what happened to her and it still felt unreal.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke's eyes opened and immediately caught him staring. He frowned and turned to the fire.

⠀⠀⠀"Last time I saw you, you were closing the dropship door," he said. Her face fell with guilt, but he nodded at her. He would've done the same, at least, he told himself he would. "Had to be done."

⠀⠀⠀Clarke sat up, clasping her hands between her knees.

⠀⠀⠀"Last time I saw you, you'd sacrificed yourself for Casey," Clarke said. A smile lifted to her lips, her eyes glimmering in the firelight, as she teased, "Something you'd like to tell me?"

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy rolled his eyes.

⠀⠀⠀"It was her or me. That's all," he muttered, though his mind liked to remind him of the kiss they'd shared. But it was just a matter of being so close to death, nothing else.

⠀⠀⠀"Right," Clarke said, but didn't press it further. "Did you get any sleep?"

⠀⠀⠀He shook his head. "It's okay. I'll sleep when we find Finn."

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy blamed himself for letting Finn go. He had gone manic with desperation to find the others—more like only Clarke—while Murphy, of all people, was somewhat sane. Bellamy never would've believed that Murphy would be the voice of reason, but he prayed he could keep Finn in line until they got there.

⠀⠀⠀"You haven't seen him, Clarke," Bellamy sighed. "Losing you, the others, the war... it changed him. He executed the Grounder that drew us the map. Pulled the trigger without evening blinking and walked away."

⠀⠀⠀Clarke shook her head in disbelief. "That doesn't sound like Finn."

⠀⠀⠀"No, it doesn't," he agreed. "I saw what he was capable of and, still, I let him go with Murphy and two automatic rifles."

⠀⠀⠀"I'm sure that had to be done, too," Clarke said, soothing as she held his gaze.

⠀⠀⠀"When we got back to the dropship, and no one was there, we assumed it was the Grounders," Bellamy told her, that guilt knotting further even when he knew Finn's mental state wasn't his fault.

⠀⠀⠀"Of course you did," Clarke said softly. "You couldn't have known it was the Mountain Men. No one could have."

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy had to scream in his head that Clarke was right. They had only known the Grounders existed. How would he have made the leap from Grounder to Mountain Men when they thought the mountain was empty? Although, the truth of their survival wasn't any more easy to bear.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy frowned, head back to his friends on the mountain, trapped inside. They were safe now, and they had good people in there, like Miller and Casey. But they were also still teenagers sent to the ground by their own people. They weren't leaders or warriors like Bellamy so desperately tried to tell them, but kids.

⠀⠀⠀"How long until chocolate cake turns into being hung upside down and drained for blood?" Bellamy asked her, his voice low and caught in his throat.

⠀⠀⠀"I don't know," Clarke admitted. "But we don't have much time."

⠀⠀⠀"Okay. First, we find Finn, then our people in Mount Weather," Bellamy said, more for himself than her. He needed to focus, and having his head in two places at once would get everyone killed.

⠀⠀⠀"And Lincoln," Octavia spoke up, staring at them like she had never been asleep. She sat up, brushing her hand through her hair, and said, "Think we've slept long enough."

━━━━━━ October 27, 2149

FINN WAS ACTUALLY CRAZY. Like before, Murphy thought he was just riled up with Raven's loss of feeling in her leg and Clarke going missing. A weird mix of guilt, heroism, and pulled between two women that turned from peacemaker to pragmatic savior (with just a pinch of 'what the fuck is wrong with him?').

⠀⠀⠀Now, it was morning, and Finn had led them into the Grounder village and herded the residents like cattle. He darted around, checking every shack for their friends, but it looked like there was nothing more than Grounders there. Murphy did his part, though, keeping the Grounders inside the fencing before Finn had a reason to kill someone else.

⠀⠀⠀Then, Finn came out with one of their friend's jackets, claiming they had been there, and throwing a woman down on her stomach when he didn't get the answer he was. So, yeah, Finn was fucking crazy and Murphy should never have come! Even when Murphy tried to tell Finn that these people were probably just scavengers, Finn didn't listen.

⠀⠀⠀"Finn, don't do this," Murphy begged, noticing Finn getting antsy for answers and trigger hungry. "Let's just walk out of here while we still can, okay? Finn. Please."

⠀⠀⠀To have Murphy, of all people, tell you what you're doing is wrong... that's next level psycho.

⠀⠀⠀Finn had a moment of clarity as he removed his boot from the woman's back. Their leader, Nyko, helped her up and held the woman as she sobbed. 

CAGE WALLACE, THE PRESIDENT'S son, had summoned Doctor Lorelei Tsing to the restricted area of Mount Weather, away from prying ears. He led her down the hall where his father waited. President Wallace was a fair and kind man, a little too soft when dealing with certain matters, in Tsing's opinion. But anyone who crossed him had to be ready for the deep cuts he could lash, and she was about to receive them.

⠀⠀⠀"What do you think you were doing taking Jasper's blood?" the President asked, his tone nearly shaking in anger as he glared down at her.

⠀⠀⠀"It was an emergency. We couldn't reach you in time," Tsing answered plainly.

⠀⠀⠀Although, that hadn't been the entire truth. She kept her eyes from flickering to Cage, their goals aligned, but they needed to appear separate on this matter. Cage was his father's son right now, not the man looking to get his people to the ground.

⠀⠀⠀"You expect us to believe that?" Cage snapped.

⠀⠀⠀Tsing ignored him, and calmly explained to the President, "Sir, I apologize for going around you, but it worked."

⠀⠀⠀"How is the patient?" Wallace asked, dismissive of her apology.

⠀⠀⠀"Her recovery is miraculous," Tsing said, a smile crossing her features. Maya's wounds had healed almost immediately and her skin was turning back to its normal color in no time.

⠀⠀⠀"I was referring to Jasper," he corrected her with a glare.

⠀⠀⠀"He'll recover, as I assured you he would."

⠀⠀⠀"That's not the point," Cage snapped. His tone could be so grating at times. "You disobeyed a direct order from the President not to experiment on those kids."

⠀⠀⠀"Mr. President, why bring them here if not to use them?" Tsing asked. They had pulled apart every other Grounder they found like spare parts. It made no sense to her why they wouldn't do the same to these children. Instead, they walked among them, eating their food, breathing their air, and risking their lives.

⠀⠀⠀"That's none of your concern," Cage said dismissively.

⠀⠀⠀Annoyed, Tsing turned to him and childishly asked, "Shouldn't you be in the dungeon with your monsters?"

⠀⠀⠀"They're not monsters. They're soldiers," Cage corrected her with a scowl. "And the reason why you get to play doctor in your ivory tower."

⠀⠀⠀"That's enough. Both of you," the President scolded them. "We all have jobs to do. Mine is to be obeyed."

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, sir," Tsing said, bowing her head. "Can I just say... the first human trial was a success. After what we saw tonight, in my opinion, we have no choice but to move ahead with the forty-seven."

⠀⠀⠀President Wallace only gave her a stern stare before saying, "That'll be all, Dr. Tsing."

"LOOK, JUST BECAUSE THEIR clothes are here doesn't mean anything," Murphy said, using every instance of Casey trying to talk sense into him on the Ark. He wanted to get his sister to safety, but even he wasn't delusional enough to think she was trapped in a poor Grounder village.

⠀⠀⠀"He told us our friends were here. Why would he do that?" Finn demanded, his brows furrowed with stubbornness.

⠀⠀⠀"The guy with one eye?" Murphy spat at Finn like he was stupid. "Maybe because you had a gun to his head, Finn."

⠀⠀⠀"A man with one eye?" Nyko asked, raising his hands for them to see as he stood slowly.

⠀⠀⠀Finn turned, pointing his gun at Nyko, but Murphy tugged him back before he did something stupid.

⠀⠀⠀"You saw Delano," Nyko continued, his eyes bouncing between Murphy and Finn. "A snake. A thief. He and his men were cast out. You are his revenge."

⠀⠀⠀And it was like all the pieces clicked into place. It was like the time the guards had 'forgotten' to lock his cell and he made it back to the dropship camp in one piece carrying biological warfare. He could've believed he freed himself until everything was made clear as people dropped like flies.

⠀⠀⠀"It makes sense," Murphy agreed. "Finn. Okay, we need to go. Now. Now! We need to go," he snapped at him until it finally sunk in.

⠀⠀⠀They were just a short walk away, their backs turned, and if it had just been a minute longer, no one would have died. But then, an old man hopped over the fence, trying to make a run for it. Finn turned, his gun spending bullets faster than an alcoholic.

⠀⠀⠀"He was just trying to get away!" Nyko screamed at Finn.

⠀⠀⠀Murphy tried to pull Finn back. There was nothing they could that would help, and leaving was the only option to give these people any sense of peace. Then a boy who had attempted to jump out earlier tried again. In seconds, Finn's bullets made a home in the boy's chest. He fell to the ground, dead.

⠀⠀⠀Finn killed anything that moved with no regard of man, woman, or child. They were all the same, a means to an end until he found Clarke. Murphy tried to stop him, drag him out, but he was a madman with a machine gun. He wouldn't stop until the bullets were gone.

⠀⠀⠀When half the village was dead, three figures crested the hill. Bellamy, Octavia, and the goddamn princess herself, Clarke. Finn stopped upon seeing her, but none of them were as keen to see him. Clarke's face was horror-struck as she walked among the bodies, staring down at their lifeless forms. Bellamy joined Murphy, quietly asking what happened. Murphy clenched his jaw and shook his head. He could hear about it later. They just needed to leave these people alone to grieve.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke stood in front of Finn. He took a few steps forward, and she took the same amount back. He stopped, wide-eyed and delusional, as he said, "I found you."

THE MED BAY WAS quiet except for the hum of machines and the faint beep of Maya's heart monitor. The overhead lights cast a sterile glow on everything, making the scene feel surreal. Monty stirred awake in the chair beside Casey, rubbing his eyes groggily. Casey sat on the floor, her back pressed against the wall as she watched Jasper. He had been half-awake for a while, mumbling to himself as his head lolled side to side.

⠀⠀⠀Tsing had left moments ago after delivering the news to Maya, 'Jasper saved your life.' Maya hadn't responded. She just stared at Jasper, her expression a blend of awe and something close to guilt.

⠀⠀⠀"How's our knight in shining armor?" Monty asked, his tone dry as he gestured toward Jasper.

⠀⠀⠀"Still loopy," Casey said, glancing at Maya. "He's been having a full-on conversation with the ceiling about how much he loves cake. It's been riveting."

⠀⠀⠀"Cake is amazing," Jasper chimed in dreamily, waving a hand in the air. "Who wouldn't love cake? I'm a cake hero." He let out a content sigh, turning to look at Maya lazily. "Right, Maya?"

⠀⠀⠀Maya gave a weak smile, though her expression was tight. "Yeah, sure."

⠀⠀⠀"You okay?" Monty asked, leaning forward and squinting as if looking for something she was hiding. "You're, uh... you're looking better."

⠀⠀⠀Her skin had returned to its normal pallid skin tone like a miracle. Only red spots remained, fitting her cheeks like freckles. Maya healed in no time and Casey felt it was nearly ridiculous how quickly she returned to normal. However, Casey wasn't versed in medicine like the doctor or even Monty.

⠀⠀⠀"Better's a low bar," Casey muttered, tapping her fingers against her knee.

⠀⠀⠀"You're right," Maya whispered. "But, I am better... thanks to Jasper."

⠀⠀⠀Jasper perked up, his foggy eyes struggling to focus on her. "You're welcome," he slurred, grinning. "I'm the best blood donor ever! Super blood. That's what I got."

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, well, let's not make a habit of that," Monty said with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest. "One heroic donation is more than enough."

⠀⠀⠀Maya's grip on her blanket tightened, her knuckles turning white. Her eyes flickered to the door Tsing had left through, then back to Jasper as he drifted off again.

⠀⠀⠀"What's up with you?" Casey asked, keenly aware of Maya's sudden nerves.

⠀⠀⠀Maya shook her head, forcing a smile. "Nothing. I'm just... tired."

⠀⠀⠀"Bull," Casey shot back, standing up and brushing off her pants. "You've been tired since you woke up. Now, you look like you've seen a ghost. What is it?"

⠀⠀⠀"It's just..." Maya trailed off, staring at her hands. "Dr. Tsing said Jasper saved my life."

⠀⠀⠀Monty's face softened. "He did."

⠀⠀⠀"I know," Maya said quickly, her voice trembling just a hair. "And I'm grateful. I just... I wish he hadn't."

⠀⠀⠀"Why? You'd rather be dead?" Casey asked, crossing her arms. That same feeling she got staring at the citizens in the mess hall trailed goose bumps down her neck. Something wasn't right, and it was screaming at her to realize what it was.

⠀⠀⠀Maya flinched at the bluntness of her words, eyes darting to the floor. "It's not that simple," she whispered.

⠀⠀⠀"Sure it is," Casey shrugged, her eyes narrowing as she zoomed in on the cracks. "He saw someone he cared about dying and he did what he had to do to save you. End of story."

⠀⠀⠀"It's not the end," Maya snapped, her voice rising unexpectedly. She took a shaky breath, staring at Casey, begging her to see something she couldn't. "What if... What if something happens to him? What if my blood hurts him?"

⠀⠀⠀"If it did, it would've happened by now," Monty assured her cautiously. He exchanged a glance with Casey. "Besides, Jasper's... stronger than he looks."

⠀⠀⠀Maya's fingers twitched, her expression haunted, and suddenly Casey didn't know the definition of 'toe the line.'

⠀⠀⠀"You're still not telling us something," Casey claimed.

⠀⠀⠀"I said it's nothing," Maya said quickly, her voice cracking slightly. She glanced at Jasper. He was asleep, his breathing slow and even. "I just... I hope I can be worth what he did for me."

⠀⠀⠀"You're alive, that's enough," Casey said, her tone softening even if she didn't necessarily believe Maya's evasion.

⠀⠀⠀Maya turned to her, a smile breaking against her chapped lips, as they let the silence settle over them. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Casey & Maya besties incoming!!! I really enjoy writing their friendship and I'm excited to finally get to it as things sadly start to come to light. 

If you weren't a big fan of seeing Tsing's perspective, don't worry, it was a one time thing. The scene was included more as a curtesy to those who haven't watched the show in a while. I just wanted to kind of remind people of what's going on behind the scenes between Dr. Tsing, Cage, and President Wallace. And this scene incapsulated all of their positions really well.

Also, as I said in a previous chapter but will reiterate again, we won't be diving into the Finn arc coming up. There are only one or two scenes that come out of episode 9 that will be included but that's because they discuss Mount Weather.

I don't like separating episodes and this one was getting long so double update! I get so excited about the next episode that I hate to split them. But I do so once I hit about 8k words.

I've started working on a Meet My OCs book. Is anyone interested in something like that for more stuff on Casey?

CHAPTER TIME FRAME: Season 2, Episode 5: Human Trials

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you'd like, they keep me motivated! However, this is an all kind of reader safe space. So, even if you ghost read or comment on every chapter, I hope you know it means the world to me that you've come to spend your time in this fic ♡

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NEXT TIME: It's been a week since Casey initially met with Dr. Hassan and now she has to go back for her diagnosis. Maya comes to them and reveals the truth about Mount Weather.