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If not for the Grounders, the Sky People would have frozen to death when the weather started turning cold. Indra and Anya came, a handful of their people behind them, and taught them how to make clothes. Of course, the Sky People knew how to make clothes already, but they didn’t know how to make clothes that could withstand the harsh winter temperatures that they now had to endure. After that they helped them expand Camp Jaha, constructed tight wooden homes for them to live in, each housing four people, with enough space for some miscellaneous things. Indra taught them how to hunt efficiently and Anya showed them how to make their fires last through the snow, though there had been no snowfall yet. Apparently it would happen twenty days into the winter.
Everyone was excited for it, the first snowfall, everyone except Raven. She spent most of her days inside the Ark, working on project after project to keep her mind busy. They left her alone, mostly. Except, strangely, for Murphy; the man was always in the lab with her, sometimes talking, usually just watching. It annoyed her at first, but she quickly adjusted to it. Secretly she enjoyed the company. The two of them couldn’t have been more different, but likewise they couldn’t have been more alike; Raven had more in common with Murphy than she’d ever realized, and it was comforting in a way. She’d never tell him that, though.
The one day Raven happened to leave the Ark, the Grounders were nowhere to be seen in camp. She exhaled a sigh of relief as she stepped on the grass, took in a deep breath of the cold winter air, looked around at the progress everyone had made. She was impressed; the huts looked steady, the expansion made everything roomier. People walked around in their bulky fur coats and thick leather pants, smiles on their faces. She even saw Jasper smiling with Monty and wondered how that happened; the last time she’d seen Jasper, when they’d gotten back from Mount Weather, he didn’t want anything to do with his best friend. But now they looked like they did when the Drop Ship landed: happy.
Over towards the fence she saw Octavia and Clarke standing together, holding hands and laughing, and wondered when the hell they’d made up. As far as Raven knew Octavia held contempt towards the blonde woman, but obviously not anymore, because Octavia leaned in and kissed Clarke on the cheek.
“What the fuck…” Raven muttered under her breath. She guessed staying cooped up in the lab 24/7 caused her to miss out on some pretty huge things.
“Nice to see you’re still alive.” She drew her attention away from the two girls and saw Bellamy walking up to her, his hands behind his back. He looked good; his hair was a curly mess, but his clothes were clean and he looked healthy, much better than he did the day they arrived back at camp after the hell they’d been through was over.
Raven nodded, walked towards one of the bench tables in the middle of camp and sat down. Her leg was acting up slightly. “You, too. Surprised the Grounders haven’t offed everyone yet.” She grumbled.
Bellamy sat down beside her, his eyebrows raised. “They’re…not so bad.”
Raven’s eyes grew wide. “Yeah, right!” She nearly shouted. “Have you forgotten all the shit they’ve done to us?”
“And look what they’ve done for us now.” He waved his hand, motioning all over camp.
“Yeah, whatever.” She rolled her eyes, stood back up.
Bellamy stood up, too, worry in his eyes. “Where are you going?”
She waved him off. “Back inside.”
“But, Raven,” His voice trailed off. She turned back to see why he’d suddenly stopped mid-sentence and realized that there were small, white puffs falling through the air. Bellamy raised his head towards the sky and she did the same, eyes wide and mouth slack.
Snow.
It was snowing.
She’d read about it and seen pictures of it in the old text books that were salvaged in the Ark, but of course seeing it and feeling it was a whole different experience. She held her hand out, caught a few puff balls in her palm. They were soft and cold and melted the instant they touched her skin.
A wide grin spread over Raven’s face as she caught more. She held her tongue out and a few landed in her mouth. She didn’t realize she was crying until Bellamy wiped his finger over her cheek. She smiled at him a little and he smiled back, their eyes searching each other’s, and that’s when she kissed him. She didn’t know why she kissed him, but he kissed back so it had to count for something. He was taken aback at first, stepped backward a little, but as soon as her hands touched his face his arms were around her back and the kiss deepened and her head spun but it was the most human she’d felt in weeks.
When they pulled apart they were laughing softly. “What was that for?” Bellamy asked, keeping his hands locked around her back, holding her against his chest.
She shrugged, hugged him tightly around the shoulders. “Don’t leave.” Was all she said.
He nodded, kept his words to himself, didn’t let her go. He’d stay as long as she wanted him to.