Homecoming

He sat on a wooden bench on the village green, a small grassy area in the center of Sasha and Max’s town. He watched a group of kids a few years his junior walk by on their way to the schoolhouse. Three boys punched each other on the shoulders. He could hear their teasing tone. One took off running, and the other two chased him, laughing. An older boy and girl held hands, drawing out their good-bye, sharing a private joke and a blush-inducing kiss.

But then again, he’d had no idea that the Colony was running out of oxygen and that they’d been weeks away from an emergency evacuation. And it’s not like some nineteen-year-old nobody from Walden would’ve been first in line for a spot on the dropship. Forcing his way to Earth had been the right decision. He’d been able to keep an eye on Octavia. And he’d met a beautiful, intense, intimidatingly smart girl who made him start and end every day with the same goofy grin on his face. That is, when she wasn’t driving him totally crazy.

He lifted his head and looked around for Clarke, who’d been asked to examine a kid’s broken arm. Under other circumstances, staying in this town wouldn’t suck. It was both orderly and relaxed. Everyone had a place to live and enough to eat, and there were no power-tripping guards running around, scrutinizing everyone’s movements. Sasha’s father was clearly in charge, but he wasn’t like Rhodes, or even like the Chancellor. He listened closely to his advisors, and from what Bellamy could tell, most important decisions were put to a vote. The other bonus was that here no one even thought it was weird that he had a sister—they all had siblings, lots of them.

Yet the peacefulness had an ominous quality in light of recent events. What if Rhodes came after them? What if Bellamy accidentally turned the Earthborns’ quiet village into some kind of war zone? He’d never forgive himself if innocent people got hurt because of him.

Bellamy bounced his leg nervously. His stomach had been in knots since they’d arrived here three days ago. He didn’t know what to do. Max, Sasha, and their people wanted him to stay. They wanted to protect him. And it wasn’t all that bad, staying in a place with a real roof over his head and delicious food that he hadn’t had to track, kill, and skin himself. Bellamy couldn’t deny it: A little kernel in his chest longed for a life this simple. He wanted Rhodes to forget about him, for his past to go away, for his life to be as easy as it was for those kids.

He scanned the tree line and the path leading into town, searching for signs of intruders. Nothing. He’d hardly been able to sleep since he got here. He was too busy straining his ears in the overnight quiet, listening for the sound of approaching footsteps, the rustle of leaves that would tell him they were about to be attacked—that he was about to be taken.

This was no way to live. The anticipation and dread were getting to him, and even the little town was starting to feel like a prison. Since he’d been on Earth, Bellamy had gotten used to spending hours of every day out in the woods by himself. Being confined to the village was certainly better than being stuck on a ship in space, but still.

He leaned back against the bench with a sigh and looked up at the blue expanse above. What the hell was he going to do all day? He couldn’t hunt; he couldn’t even wander off by himself. The kids were in school, so he couldn’t play ball with them. Everyone else had something to do. He looked around at the people busily going about their tasks—building, fixing, washing, tending to the animals, and so on. And they were all so pleasant; it made him kind of uncomfortable. Every single person he passed wished him a good day. He didn’t know what to say or do with his face—was he supposed to smile back? Say hi? Or just nod?

At least he knew Octavia was okay. Sasha had been back to the camp twice to check on her from afar and had gotten a message to Octavia letting her know that Bellamy was safe. For whatever reason, Rhodes had chosen not to take out his vengeance on Octavia, at least not yet. There was only so long Bellamy was willing to stay away from her, though. He couldn’t rely on Rhodes’s goodwill, if that’s what it was, for long.

“Morning.” Max had approached without Bellamy realizing it.

“Morning,” Bellamy replied, happy to be shaken from his miserable thoughts.

“May I join you?”

“Sure.” Bellamy scooted over, and Max dropped onto the bench next to him. Steam rose from a metal cup in his hand. They sat in silence for a long moment, watching the last of the children running late into school.

“How’s the shoulder?” Max asked.

“Better. Thanks for giving Clarke all that stuff to use. I know it’s pretty valuable, and you’ve done so much for us already.” He paused, wondering if it were noble or foolish to share his concerns about sticking around. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay here, though.”