THE GARDEN OF EDEN.

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LOST IN FIRE (book three).
°•        CHAPTER ONE        •°

"        WE'LL FIND A WAY
OR WE'LL MAKE ONE.       "

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SIX YEARS AND SEVEN DAYS LATER.

        The grunts from Echo and Raven training bounced off the walls of the ring. Harley had been observing from her seat across from Harper, legs crossed with her boots propped against the tabletop. The corner of her lips were upturned into a small smile, seeing her two close friends gaining the upper hand on one another. Raven seemed to like to train more like she refused to let her leg slow her down. By how intense it was, Harley would have been concerned, but after knowing the two for so long, it just seemed normal. There wasn't much to do in space, after all. Harley enjoyed doing so just as much.

"Soup's on!" Monty's call bounced off the walls of the ring. Echo, from where she had Raven in a tight chokehold, looked over her shoulder at the sound.

With her guard down, Raven's arm swung back, elbowing Echo in the side and managing to pin her to the ground. She had her arm pulled back in between her legs, up until Echo grunted in pain and patted her leg. Harley looked away as Raven laughed, victorious, as she released her and rolled away. "Yes! Finally!"

"Oh, come on. I let you win so we could eat," Echo countered stubbornly as they joined Harley at the table.

Harper spread out the bowls at the table, one at each seat. "This isn't eating, it's surviving," she pointed out. She nudged Harley's boot with her hand. "Move it, Harley," she instructed in amusement. Harley flashed her a smile before complying, pulling her crossed legs off the table and lowering them to the ground. Harper set a bowl where her leg was.

"Hey, the new and improved triple-G tastes better, and you know it," Monty argued, setting the bucket at the table. Harley remembered when her stomach churned at the taste, and although it still did, she at least didn't puke it up afterward.

"Did you just call our surviving meal triple-G?" Harley questioned, the name having caught her attention.

"He calls this one Green's green goop," Harper explained, making Harley laugh, not at all surprised by Monty's new name for it.

Monty nodded. "Better name too."

On Harley's left, Raven snorted, throwing a cloth onto her neck and wiping the beading sweat up. "And if by better, you mean doesn't want to make you violently hurl, then, yeah, it's an improvement," she agreed reluctantly.

Grimacing as a bowl was filled, Harley curled her lower lip. Even the looks and smell was bad enough. "Is it?" She asked Raven pointedly, who shrugged, knowing she was right.

"Speaking of green, how's Eden?" Monty called over to Bellamy. He was back at the large window that showcased Earth perfectly, along with the one green spot.

"Still just a dot," Bellamy answered, pushing himself away from the glass to join them. He made a quick stop at their system, tapping the top. "Emori, take a break." The girl's head popped up, nodding as she took off her headphones.

"I don't know why you waste your time," Raven said to her, rolling her eyes as Bellamy sat across from her. "I told you, atmospheric radiation blocks radio signals." She looked to Bellamy as Emori heaved a sigh, joining them as well. "They're down there. We just can't hear them."

Bellamy held up his hand. "We waste our time so they know there's a place they can live."

"Grounder radiation has been survivable for year." Raven cocked her head. "They can live everywhere."

A silence fell over the group. Harley bit her lower lip, feeling queasy, and not from the smell of Monty's algae. Arguments were rare on the ring; when everyone knew the only way they survived was staying together. She could feel how tense it was, knowing everyone here only wanted to go home, back to the ground, where they belonged. She suddenly scoffed, shaking her head when the others looked to her questionably. "Nothing. It's just funny, isn't it?" Harley propped her elbows on the tabletop when no one answered her.

They're quiet again, taking in Harley's unsaid words. Monty cleared his throat, breaking it, dropping a spoonful of his algae into Harper's bowl. "I think we can all agree that green is good."

"Yes, he is," Harper sweetly said, gazing at him with heart eyes before he leaned down to kiss her. She looked to the rest of the group. "But this stuff still sucks."

Harley raised her half-full bowl in mock cheers, agreeing. She sucked in a deep breath, preparing herself as she brought the rim to her lips. As always, it was slimy and disgusting as it filled her mouth. Her lips puckered as she stifled a hack, forcing herself to let it slide down her throat. Harley sputtered a cough with the rest, wiping at her lip with her wrist.

"Okay," Raven announced after her grimace. "Tomorrow I'll try to boost the signal from the antenna."

Both Harley and Monty's head snapped up with excited glints, but Emori quickly exclaimed; "Shotgun!" She grinned, pointing mockingly at them. By far, she was the one the most excited by space, especially in a suit without gravity. "Ha, spacewalk, yes!"

"I know the feeling, but I need an assistant who actually listens when I tell her to come in," Raven warned Emori.

"I will do everything you say, I promise," Emori vouched. "No fun of any kind."

Bellamy picked at the sleeve of his shirt, bored. "Or we could just figure out a way to get to the ground, and we could tell them about Eden ourselves," he suggested dully.

"Great idea," Harley commented sarcastically. "Like we haven't been trying that for the last year."

"And she just worked on the fuel problem all morning," Emori added.

Bellamy held his hands up in defense. "Six years and seven days."

"Hey, time violation. Dishes, latrine, or Murphy? You choose," Harper told Bellamy.

At the mention of her brother, Harley stiffened. She still couldn't believe he distanced himself from the rest of them after his break-up with Emori. Though, it was pretty funny that bringing Murphy food in his claimed side of the ring was considered a chore.

"I'm sorry," Bellamy apologized to Raven. "We said we wouldn't talk about it, and I know that you're doing everything that you can." Raven still looked hurt, but she nodded back.

"Seconds?" Monty offered, sliding a bowl across the table.

Harley scoffed. "Yeah, right," she joked, picking it up as she rose. "I'll bring it to John."

As she started to leave the table, rounding it, Bellamy touched her upper arm. "You don't have to just because he's your brother," he informed her. "I don't mind doing so."

Shrugging his hand off, Harley shook her head. "It's alright, I got it," she reassured him. The stares on her lingered as she left them alone.

The halls of the ring were dark as always, only small lights they had set up by Monty and Raven lighting her way. Murphy's spot chosen for himself was much farther than their rooms, near the next biggest window out to space. Harley thought he'd chosen it so he could gaze out at the stars, wondering about Earth and where they were stuck now, but he'd never answer. Murphy was much more closed off than he was before, like him and Emori splitting had flipped a switch in him that broke everything. Although she'd never admit it, especially to him, Harley hated seeing him in this state.

Suddenly torn out of her thoughts when a heavyweight landed on her back, Harley shrieked, the bowl in her hands clattering to the floor and spilling its contents. She stumbled, almost falling herself as she struggled to hold Murphy up as his arms draped over her shoulders. "This is my side of the ship, El, remember?" a voice warned her as Harley staggered, gripping Murphy's legs so he wouldn't fall.

"Son of a - " Harley grunted, her back aching and her legs wobbling. "Get your fat ass off me!" She jumped backward, slamming him against the wall hard enough to not hurt him but to make him let go.

Whirling around, Harley panted as Murphy looked up with a grin. "What's the matter?" He teased. "You wanted me to train, right? So let's do it. Brother versus sister."

"Please, I'd win," Harley shot back confidently, able to regain her breathing once more. "But if you're insistent, and when I do win... You come back to the group."

Murphy shook his head immediately. "No deal. Bellamy has too many rules."

"And what? Over here, there are no rules?" Harley asked, remembering his favorite phrase at their dropship camp. "Whatever the hell you want?"

"Exactly." Murphy pushed himself into a standing position. "Besides, there's no one to disappoint over here."

Frowning, Harley tilted her head, forming a pitiful expression she knew Murphy hated. "John..."

Harley was cut off by Murphy swinging his fist forward. Before it could connect with her face, she ducked, sidestepping underneath his arm, knowing he wouldn't have seriously hurt her but finding it funny he'd try to train now. "Would have been a good punch if it hit me," Harley complimented, the two eyeing each other. "Shift your weight when you throw it. And, make sure I don't see it coming." She tilted her head as if she was studying him closely. "You know what I think your problem is?"

"Oh, this should be good," Murphy drawled out. "Advice from the nice girl gone bad."

"We all went through hell, John," Harley fired back, suddenly full of venom. "I could only take so much. And I snapped." Her blue eyes flickered up and down as she circled him. "You're the one afraid of being worthless."

This time, Murphy reacted. He lunged at her, but Harley crouched again, grabbing his arm and bending it behind his back. She pushed him forward, shoving him against the window until he was pressed up between her and the glass. "I love you, John," Harley informed her brother calmly as he struggled to get out of her tight grip. "And you're not worthless."

"Wait, wait - " Murphy tried. "Harley, look."

Ignoring him, Harley pressed her other hand on his neck, craning it. "Say you're not worthless," she demanded, desperate for him to believe it. "And I'll let you go."

"I'm not kidding!" Murphy shouted hoarsely, catching Harley by surprise. "Will you look?!"

Harley's eyes dart to the dark space in front of them. She'd expected to see the billion dots of stars, but instead, she sees a long space ship, just hanging above Earth. Her clutch on Murphy loosens before she releases him, her gaze fixated on the ship. For six years, none of them had seen anything like this. "Come on." Harley tugged on his shirt, prepared to take off down the ring. "We have to warn the others."

Heart pounding in her chest, Harley raced down the hall, one thought flying through her mind. They may have found their way home, and she may have found her way to Octavia.

━━━━━━━━

Space did have its own perks. Harley and her friends were away from death and pain for six years, able to take a break and find themselves. She couldn't lie and say she didn't admire the stars either. But being in space did have its own faults too. One of them being Harley didn't have any contact with Octavia for six years. Each day and night that followed by in her life was full of a different kind of pain, being separated from a girl she loved again. Knowing that Octavia was alive, down on Earth leading her people was one of the few problems that destroyed the light inside of Harley.

Which was why the second Murphy pointed out the ship just floating by the ring to Harley, the pair had raced to tell the others. They were all equally shocked, having not seen anything like this in any of their years. The Ark was supposed to be the only ship in space, as far as any of them knew. Harley's blue eyes were locked on the wide glass window, and for once, not staring directly at Earth.

"Its been two and a half hours," Murphy commented in irritation, breaking the silence. "Why exactly are we sitting here in the dark? We should light up the ring, let them know we're here."

"Quiet, Murphy," Bellamy hushed him.

"I agree," Harley cut in. "We're just wasting time."

But Bellamy shook his head, arms crossed over his chest. "First, we find out who they are and then we ask them for help," he instructed. A pause follows, making Harley roll her eyes. Bellamy looked over his shoulder. "Raven?"

"Nothing," Raven called back from her position at their radio that still didn't work. "Radio silence. Their comms might be disabled."

"Or the ship could be unmanned," Emori added from her side.

"Or it's mannered by aliens who prefer anal probes to radios," Murphy stated, turning with a careless wave of his hands. "Doesn't really matter as long as they get us down to the ground." He stormed forward. "I'm turning on the lights."

Angered, Emori took off her headphones and rushed to stop him. "You know that? That's enough," she warned, pushing him back. "We make decisions as a team here. Even if we can't stand the sight of each other."

It was a bit harsh, even Murphy taken off guard. "Look, all I'm saying is, it wasn't there yesterday," he pointed out. "Now it's geosynchronous orbit, which means someone is piloting it, correct?"

"We won't know if we can't even get in contact with them," Harley responded.

"It could be an AI," Harper suggested.

Murphy scoffed. "I prefer the aliens."

Echo, who had been gazing out the window, quickly grabbed their attention in a panicked voice. "Something's happening," she announced.

The group rushed to avert their attention back to the window. Harley could still see the one large ship they had been admiring still there, floating, but with a new addition. There was a small glimmer falling below it. It reminded Harley of the ship she saw when Raven landed, looking like a shooting star. "A second ship," Harper gasped.

"That must be a transport," Raven thought aloud. "It's headed for the ground." She whirled around, running back to their system. "Emori, fire up the radio!"

"Now she wants to talk," Murphy mumbled.

Ignoring him, Raven slipped on her headphones and slammed a button. "Mayday, mayday!" She shouted, pulling up a seat. "I am hailing the dropship now on re-entry to Earth. We are stranded aboard the space station to your west, please respond!"

Nothing. No answer. The second ship Harley was watching continued hurdling to the ground while no one spoke to Raven. "Great," Murphy groaned. "Looks like we just lost our last chance to get back to the ground."

"No," Harley muttered stubbornly. "We'll find a way, or we'll make one."

Raven repeated herself, waiting for a reaction, before ripping off her headphones out of frustration and flipping the radio off. "Screw it. Harley's right, we're making our own way." She pushed herself out of her chair, sharing a determined look with the others. "We're getting on that ship."

With a slow grin spreading, Harley nodded. It was undeniable that she liked the sound of that; her people, finally returning home, to the ground.