— CHAPTER THREE,
the years after.

SIX YEARS AFTER PRAIMFAYA.

"SOUP'S ON!" Comes the small voice of Eloah Carson-Blake. She bounds into the main room beside her Uncle Monty. When she reaches the table, she pulls herself into a chair while her Aunt Harper sets a bowl of Monty's algae in front of her. Eloah can't help but make a face of disgust as she looks down at the green goup.

No matter how many times she eats this stuff, it'll always taint her tongue. Even if it's the only thing she's eaten in her five years of life.

She can't wait to go back to Earth and eat something that actually tastes good. She told her parents she wants to try all the different Grounder foods.

From where she stands beside her husband, Ruby Carson-Blake turns away from the window, looking back at her family.

"Speaking of green, how's Eden?" Ryland looks over at Ruby and Bellamy as he limps into the main room.

"Still just a dot." Bellamy replies. He then looks to where Emori works on the radio in attempt to get their radio signals working. "Emori, take a break."

Eden.

The only stretch of green left on their home planet. The rest of Earth? It's nothing but wastelands. Praimfaya destroyed all of it. It truly showed not mercy. Death Wave.

Bellamy takes his place beside his daughter. He drops his large hand on top of her small head, ruffling her hair. She hits his hand away. With a grin, he removes it. "What's up, little troublemaker?"

"Hi, Daddy," she sends him smile. As she does, Bellamy can't help but laugh at her missing front tooth. "Hi, Mama!" Eloah greets her mother as Ruby sits down across from them.

"Hey, baby," Ruby smiles at her daughter.

Ryland settles in a chair beside Ruby, leaning his cane against the table.

"I don't know why you waste your time," Raven calls to Emori, "I told you, atmospheric radiation blocks radio signals. They're down there. We just can't hear them."

"We waste our time so they know there's a place for them to live." Bellamy looks to Raven.

"Ground radiation has been survivable for a year. They can live everywhere." Raven retorts with a shrug.

"I think we can all agree that—" Monty stops talking as speckled eyes cut over to him.

Ruby glares at him. "If you say green is good, I swear to God, I'm going to kick your ass, Monty."

Monty can't help but send one of his best friend's a sly smile , "sorry, Ru. . . but green is good."

Ruby groans, slapping her the palm of her hand against her forehead. Eloah giggles, finding humor at her mother's reaction.

"Eat up, kid." Bellamy tells their daughter.

Everyone at the table raises their bowls to their mouthes. With the usual hesitation, they all down the disgusting algae.

Ruby coughs as the algae passes through her throat. She sets the bowl down. Eloah gags at the horrific taste and texture of the algae. When she sets her bowl down, she shoves it as far away from her as she can.

Ryland looks to Monty, "you call that better?"

Monty shrugs with a smile.

"Okay." Raven starts. "Tomorrow I'll try again to boost the signal from the antenna."

"Shotgun!" Emori is quick to call. She then points at Monty, laughing as she says, "spacewalk. Yes!"

"I know the feeling, but I need an assistant who actually listens when I tell her to come in." Raven gives her a stern look.

"I will do everything you say, I promise, no fun of any kind." Emori states, a look of lies in her eyes.

"Or we could just figure out a way to get to the ground, and we could tell them about Eden ourselves." Bellamy says.

Ruby's eyes snap to her husband. "Bellamy," she says, her voice short. Bellamy glances over at her, heart speeding up at the mean look in her eyes. He knows he's in trouble. "We've talked about this. We all have. We don't talk about the ground around El."

"And she's worked on the fuel problem all morning." Ryland adds quickly, always ready to defend Raven.

"Six years and seven days," Bellamy reminds them of their time in space. A time they all know.

"Six years and seven days of the best years of our lives." Ruby's nostrils flare in anger. She casts a glance at their daughter. She then lowers her voice to a whisper. "Shut up, Bellamy."

"Hey, time violation." Harper says. She looks to Bellamy. "Dishes, latrine, or Murphy? You choose."

"I got dishes!" Ryland hits the table. "Last time I went to take Murphy this stuff, he gave me a giant goose egg." Ryland reaches up and rubs the back of his head, as if remembering the pain of the hit Murphy gave him. He then looks to his found sister. "Thank you for that, by the way, Ruby. We are all so grateful you taught him Grounder combat."

"Oh, shut up." She smacks his arm.

"I'm sorry," Bellamy apologizes, "we said we wouldn't talk about it and I know you're doing everything you can."

Raven nods. Bellamy holds out his empty bowl for Monty to take. Monty smirks, "seconds?"

Bellamy scoffs, "yeah, right. I choose Murphy."

Monty fills the bowl with algae.

"Good luck, Daddy!" Eloah calls out as he stands. He looks over his shoulder and gives her a wink. Everyone at the table watches as he leaves. Once he's out of earshot, Eloah turns to Ruby, "he's gonna need it."

Everyone at the table laughs at her comment.

Everyone except Emori.

The Grounder woman looks down at her hands, "yeah," she whispers so quietly that no one expect Ruby can hear her. "You two are the lucky ones. You're the only one's allowed on his side of the ship."

─────────

Ruby stands beside her husband, her arms crossed over her chest as she looks out at the im unknown ship.

"It's been two and half hours. Why, exactly, are we sitting here in the dark? We should light up the Ring, let them know we're here." Murphy asks from where he's come to their side of the ship for the first time in months.

"Not until we find out who they are." Ruby says, eyes still locked on the ship. "I'm not risking it."

Murphy knows why she isn't risking it. He glances over his shoulder at the little girl that sits with Raven and Emori at the radio panels.

"Raven?" Bellamy turns back to them.

"Nothing." Raven shakes her head. "Radio's sound. Their comms might be disabled."

"Or the ship could be unmanned," Emori suggests.

"Or it's manned by aliens who prefer anal probes for radios," Murphy turns to face them. "It doesn't really matter as long as they get us down to the ground."

"Shut up!" Ruby hits her brother's chest. At the sharp pain her rings give him, he sends her an offended look.

"Aunt Raven, what's an anal probe?" Eloah questions, her brows furrowed in both confusion and curiosity.

"You stupid idiot, John." Ruby groans.

"I'm turning on the lights," Murphy announces, ignoring his sister.

He starts to walk away to turn the lights on. Emori speaks up, "you know what? That's enough," she stands up, moving to block his path. "We make decisions as a team here, even if we can't stand the sight of each other."

"Look, all I'm saying is that it wasn't there yesterday. Now it's in geosynchronous orbit, which means someone is piloting it, correct?" Murphy asks.

"It could be an AI," Harper suggests.

"I prefer the aliens," Monty pipes.

"Me, too," Ruby agrees.

"Something's happening," Echo suddenly announces from where she and Ryland stands side-by-side.

All eyes turn to look back at the ship.

"A second ship," Harper gasps. Eloah stands up from her stool, rushing to the window to see what's happening.

Her little brows crease as another ship detaches from the mother ship, soaring down to the home she's never stepped foot on.

"That must be a transport," Raven says. "It's headed for the ground. Emori, fire up the radio." The two women rush back to the radio panel.

No one responds to Raven's mayday.

─────────

"I don't want to leave." Eloah says from where she sits on the bed. Tears fall down her cheeks as she watches her parents pack their bags.

Ruby folds up one of her shirts, placing it in one of her two bags.

"I know, baby." Bellamy says, his voice sad. He moves away from his things, starting to pack Eloah's belongings. He puts all of her small clothes and her drawing book in the backpack.

"What if there are bad people on the ship? What if they hurt us?" Eloah questions, anxious.

"If there are bad people on that ship, we won't let them get near you, okay, babygirl?" Bellamy looks over at his little girl, "your mom and I will never ever let someone hurt you."

The little girl with her brown eyes and brown haired braided down her back looks at her father with wide, innocent, and tear-filled eyes, "do you promise?"

"We promise, baby," Ruby promises.

The girl turned woman places her case of charcoals and pens into her shoulder, followed by a small, old leather bound book that holds perhaps hundreds of memories, an old wrinkled letter, and a picture of her smiling parents. She then lays her other notebook on top of it followed by an old dagger that hasn't taken any lives in six years.

"Did you pack Miss Poppy, Bell?" Ruby asks, turning to look at Bellamy. He nods as he zips up Eloah's bag.

Miss Poppy is a thrown together stuffed bunny that Bellamy had attempted to make when he first found out Ruby was pregnant. It's put together messily, as if a child made it. At nearly six years old, the bunny is missing an eye and some stuffing. But none of that matters to Eloah though. She still cherishes Miss Poppy all the same.

Ruby twists her wedding ring around her finger. It, also with her four other rings that Lincoln and Luca made, are scattered across her fingers. Anxiety crawls up her throat. Bellamy reaches out, grabbing her hand and stopping her nervous fidgeting. "Hey. . . we're gonna be okay."

She sighs. "I know, Bell. I'm just. . . I'm scared."

Bellamy's eyes scan his wife's face. "I am too, Sweetheart. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know," she says. "This is home now, Bellamy. It's all El has ever known. Are we really ready to put her at risk?"

Bellamy shakes his head. He's never ready to put his little girl at risk. "No." He has nothing else to say so he turns to his daughter, "you remember what we practiced, Ellie?"

She nods with a sniffle. "I have my suit on already, Daddy."

"I see that, babygirl." Bellamy smiles weakly at her. "You ready then?"

Eloah only shrugs with a sniff, unable to answer her dad's question. Nervousness, sadness, excitement are all things she feels. She feels too much for her age. She shouldn't feel like this at five years old.

She lifts her small hand to wipe her tears. As she does, she looks over at her mother.

Ruby sits in the chair, a beautiful weapon laid across her lap. Eloah's eyes fall onto the sword. The stealth sits on the floor. It's the one thing she's always been told to never touch. Under no circumstance is she to touch Ruby's sword that rested in the corner of the room.

The light reflects off of the metal, casting a glare. The handle is crafted beautifully. It's still as sharp as it was six years ago when it was gifted to Ruby in the cave home of Amara kom Trikru. Of the Tree Clan.

It's a sword that has taken many lives.

It's a sword with a story to tell.

________________________________

word count: 2,002
episode: eden

we're officially in season five!!! i'm so insanely excited to rewrite this season and add more to it. it's such an interesting time to write for ruby and her family.

i absolutely loved rewriting this chapter. i love how domesticated they all are. they're just one big dysfunctional family. i can't wait to write (and rewrite) more of them.

ruby is such a protective mom. ugh, i love her so much. and i love her baby girl too. el is the cutest little girl ever and she means the world and more to her family on the ring.

also, ruby and eloah being the only two allowed on murphy's side of the ship was something i planned before i ever started to write the original write of this book (which was 2021). so that's something small but something extremely special to me.

i don't have much else to say really.

but guys, i'm sorry for how long it took to update this book. i've been so freaking busy for the past two weeks with softball, and prom, and a trip i went on. it's been very busy but i don't have as much going on for the next few days so hopefully i can get another rewritten chapter out.