CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

"Touch me again I bite your hand off." 

***

It didn't take long for Bellamy to catch up with me. 

 "Hey!" He shouted, grabbing my arm so I harshly flew back, stumbling but managing to catch myself. Bellamy switched his grip so he was pinning my wrists tightly against his torso, succeeding in stopping me from running into a room of heavily armed guards and getting myself like, shot or something. 

 "Let go of me!" I demanded, harshly yanking my hands back, and wishing that I was stronger. Bellamy's stupid strong arms didn't budge. "They have Fox- they'll kill her!" 

 "They'll kill you if you run in there!" He retaliated, his voice lowered to a whisper as Phia drew her knife and raked her eyes across the seemingly empty hall. "Listen, listen to me-" 

 He roughly pulled me again so I was forced to look at him, and his gaze softened at the frantic look in my eyes. I knew he was about to say something that he thinks would make me gain some sense, but that little idiot is in for a huge storm. Fox is innocent. Fox is a girl who hasn't had a chance to even do anything in life yet... anything that's not being locked up in space. She is one of the few actually good people left, and she doesn't deserve to die. She doesn't deserve pain. 

 So I raised my chin indefinitely, my eyes meeting his. I clenched my teeth, narrowed my eyes, and spoke as quietly as I could. 

 "I'm done listening." 

 I rose my eyes, and Phia raised an eyebrow. She sighed deeply, rolling her shoulders, and muttered something under her breath in Trig. When she spoke louder, her voice held a tone that would make you think she was done, but her lips were pulled up in what at close glance looked like a grimace. "Sorry, Blake. I stay by my word." 

 She reached her hand up, and slammed her elbow right into Bellamy's shoulder. The boy himself let out a small cry of pain, and I yanked my hands free, turning and sprinting down the hall. I heard Bellamy yell my name, and then something at Phia, but I was gone. 

 I have a lot of experience running from guards. I haven't done it in for quite a while, but it feels awfully natural now that I am. one foot in front of the other, toe to heel so you don't make as much sound, and breath through your mouth deeply. 

 I was listening so intensely I thought I was going to have a stroke. I heard it, though. A small voice from within one of the metal doors, "no, no!" 

 I turned my shoulder, and rammed it open, holding the cold black gun in my hands. 

 Pointed directly at Fox. 

 She froze, gasping in fear as tears streamed down her face. I narrowed my eyes, lifting my eyes just enough for her to see them, muttering an "'ello mates," before turning the gun up and firing a shot, somehow managing to hit one of the guards between the eyes, shooting at the other and missing, drawing the knife from the sheath and chucking it as hard as I could, the blade carving into his chest, and sending him down like a sack of potatoes. 

 I took a deep breath-- through my mouth-- and switched the safety on the weapon, tucking it into the sheath and reaching up to rip the hat off of my head, reaching for the small girl. "Fox-" 

 "Nate! Oh my God-" she sobbed loudly, crashing into me and wrapping her thin arms around my waist. I exhaled, the breath shaking, and embraced her tightly, trying to make sure she was in one piece. She was trembling like a leaf on a tree, and her tears were wetting my bullet-proof vest. 

 "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" 

 "No, no-" she cried out again, her nails digging into my back. I heard the door click open, so I turned around, grabbing the gun and holding it up, immediately lowering when I saw it was just Bellamy and Phia. 

 It's funny, because I say, "just", but Bellamy seriously looks like he is about to murder me. I chuckled nervously, gesturing to the girl clinging onto me. "Fox is okay." 

 "Bellamy!" The girl herself gasped, detaching herself from me to jump into Bellamy's arm. The brunet squeezed her back, but the entire time, his dark eyes were drilling holes into me in a death glare. I swallowed, not even finding the time to laugh when an emotional Fox hugged Phia, and the Grounder awkwardly patted her arm, muttering an "oh, we're doing this too, okay." 

 "What the hell were you thinking?" Bellamy hissed, stalking forward until he was literally glowering down at me. I swallowed, trying to smile, but not seeming to be able too. "You could have gotten killed-" 

 "Yeah, but I didn't." I pointed out the obvious, and Bellamy visibly stiffened from the resisting the impulse to strangle me. "Plus, Fox is okay." 

 "Those guys aren't," Phia mumbled, grabbing my knife from the man's chest and making a foul taste rise in my mouth. 

 Bellamy blanched, "exactly-" he lowered his voice again, leaning forward until there was no way anyone but me could hear him. "Nate, I don't want you to have to do that." 

 It was my turn to glare, the expression obviously taking Bellamy by surprise. "That's the thing, Bell. I don't want you to have to do it for me." I turned my head, crossing my arms. "I'm not a little kid, I can survive in this world as good as anyone else." 

 I saw Phia smirk from my peripheral vision, sharing a look with Fox. "Nathaniel, I don't think Bellamy really sees you as a little kid." 

The man himself flushed red. "Shut up!" 

 "No, you shut up!" 

 Bellamy pulled a face that looked so offended, I almost laughed. Instead, I fought to keep my expression stoic, and narrowed my eyes. 

 "Now where's Maya? I have a feeling we won't be alone for much longer." 

 ***

"That was such a couples quarrel." 

 I rolled my eyes, but ignored Fox's snarky statement as Maya lead us to a presumably safe place. I felt like glaring at everything, once again, because Bellamy apparently hasn't passed his phase of thinking I need to be babysat. That idiot really needs to wrap it around his fat-ass head that if he keeps on smothering me, I will shove my foot so far up his ass, that- 

 "Nate." 

 I rolled my eyes again, more intensely this time, but still didn't speak. Bellamy huffed indignantly, obviously not used too- or too keen on- the silent treatment. Maybe I need to stop doing stupid things that will get me killed, and then he will see that I can be responsible. Or maybe I just need to get him to talk to Clarke, because she'll defend me, right? Monty would defend me. 

 Wow, I am beginning to sound a lot like a little kid... I am beginning to see Blake's point. 

 No I'm not! Jeez, Nathaniel, stand your ground! 

 "Silent treatment, huh? How petty of you." 

 I was tempted to mock him in a high-pitched voice, but obediently kept my lips sealed. Maya turned to us, putting a finger to her lips, and twisted open a door. We filed in after her like ducklings, but things prove to be more difficult than anticipated, as she immediately shoved me back around the corner, making me fall into Bellamy. I slapped his arm, pouting and standing up straight. 

 "Dad... your home." 

 "Oh shit," I breathed under my breath, pressing my hand over Bellamy's mouth when he looked like he was about to say something. 

 "Yeah, the drill bit broke again-" 

 Drill bit? My eyes widened slightly, and my grip over Bellamy's face tensed, only succeeding in making us look even weirder to the man who knew us as fugitives. Maya's dad blanched when he caught sight of us, all the color draining from his face. "What are they doing here?" 

 "They're in trouble, they just need a safe place to stay." The girl hurriedly explained as I recoiled my hand, positive that I was blushing, and noticing how the man was eyeing the guns that two of four of us were in possession of. Actually, he was looking at Phia since she is naturally super damn scary. 

 His voice was shaky when he spoke next, "they need to leave now." 

 "Let me explain-" 

 "I'll let you explain where you got those uniforms." He cut in, shaking his head in disbelief at his daughter. "Maya, you know how dangerous this is... what are you doing?" 

 Her answer was confident, only reminding me further of Clarke as she raised her chin and let her eyes meet her fathers. "What mom would have done." 

 What mom would have done. 

 He looked to me when he addressed us, probably because I was the least intimidating out of all of us, his soft brown eyes boring into mine. "I need you to leave now." 

 "I'm sorry, we can't do that." Bellamy spoke for the group, his deep voice obviously putting Maya's dad on edge. I was on edge as well, praying that he wouldn't go report us right now... hopefully love of his daughter will prevent that. 

 "It's okay," the smaller girl assured when she heard his tone. "He's going to help us." 

 "Really? 'Cause I'm got getting that." 

 "My parents were part of a movement that was against using outsider blood," she rushed to explain, keeping one eye on her father and one eye on Bellamy at all times. "My mom refused the treatments and it killed her... she died standing up for what she believed." 

 My hard expression faltered. Oh the irony, her mom died from refusing treatment, my mom died from not getting enough. 

"Maya, you were five." The older man defended, crossing his arms gruffly as his cheeks turned red. "I couldn't leave you alone." 

 Her eyes blazed when she spoke the next sentence, "I'm not a little girl anymore!" 

 "They're willing to kill you to get them," he pressured, making me flash back to the days period when I was literally the most wanted criminal on the Ark... what a day that was.

 Ha, me acting like it wasn't the best day of my life. 

 "If you get caught-" 

 "We won't if you help us." 

 I was beginning to feel quite awkward now that the original fear was gone. I felt like I was intruding on a family issue, and kind of wanted to slide away from view. I didn't, though, thankfully.

 "Please." 

 We all turned around in almost perfect unison when Fox's small, trembling voice spoke up. Her hair was half-covering her face, and her big eyes were wide in fear. I instantly wanted to give her a hug, but again, didn't. 

 "Please, they're killing us." Her lip shook, and she sniffed once like she was about to cry. "We don't have anywhere else to go." 

 Maya's dad faltered when he looked at her, and for a moment, I knew exactly what he was thinking. Fox was a little girl, a little girl who looked like she hadn't done anything wrong in her entire life... so how bad can we be? 

 "Just this once. Just for one night." 

 "Here, this way." 

 Maya lead the girls down the hall, Phia making odd faces at their decorations and curling her lip at the older man as she passed, making him jump. I, however, stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on the man's arm, again, making him jump. 

 "Thank you," I spoke earnestly, "for protecting my family."  

 As I was about to pass, he grabbed my arm in return, making me freeze in place. His eyes were wide and slightly sad when he looked at me, but he spoke nevertheless. 

 "You know they'll never stop, right? If the rumors are true, and your bone marrow can get us back to the ground, they'll never stop." 

 I pursed my lips, regarding the man through narrowed eyes and raised an eyebrow. 

 "Good thing we won't either." 

A/N: Actual image of Bellamy Blake and Nathaniel Masteron:

I'm so funny... who would he be arm-wrestling though?

 Thanks for reading!