Chapter 5

The tension at the beach was unbearable. With Clarke and Bellamy barely speaking, Raven looking like she was about to kill both Clarke and Finn at any given moment, and with classes starting up again in a matter of days, the tower was completely silent when they all walked in to begin their shift.

Finn, Octavia, Clarke and Bellamy were all to patrol the water today, while Lincoln and Raven monitored the surrounding sand. Monty and Jasper were left in charge of the tower.

There was deathly silence over the comms throughout the morning, while usually it would be filled with witty banter between the co-workers.

Clarke just sat in the buggy staring out at the vast ocean with her binoculars, while Bellamy stood up on the seat beside her, shouting warnings at the swimmers outside the red and yellow flags through the bullhorn.

"Can you all move over this way?! This is a dangerous current that will carry you out to sea, so stay between the flags here! Thank You." Bellamy shouted for the umpteenth time before sitting back down in the driver's seat.

Clarke sighed loudly, putting down her binoculars and wiping the layer of sweat that had formed under her eyes away. She was still in awe of how hot it can be in California this late in the year.

She propped her arms up on the buggy's dash, sitting her chin on top of them.

Her walkie-talkie was resting on the dash beside her when Monty's voice crackled over the speaker.

"Guys, we've got a situation. A woman just came up to the tower saying she saw someone floating face-down in the water on the south end." He said, worry tainting his voice.

Clarke shared a look with Bellamy before picking up her binoculars and peering out towards the south end.

"Copy That, Mon. How far out?" Clarke replied as calmly as she could while Bellamy revved up the engine.

"'Bout three hundred yards." He answered abruptly.

"Copy That." Clarke confirmed. "Drive, Bell."

Bellamy complied, speeding down the coastline as fast as he could.

"Can you see anything from your position?" Clarke asked, holding down the button on the walkie-talkie.

"Hold that thought, Clarke." Jasper replied this time.

Clarke gripped the device tighter as Bellamy did the same with the steering wheel.

"Hold on! There's something out there, but you better hurry, they're pretty close to the rocks."

Bellamy sighed. Those rocks were a notorious place to be stranded near. They had caused three deaths and countless injuries in the last thirty years.

He pulled the buggy to an abrupt stop as Clarke jumped up to get a better look. "They're there. Doesn't look too good. Get out there, Bell."

Bellamy jumped into action, stripping off his shirt and glasses as he pulled the board free from the buggy.

Clarke reported to Monty and Jas in the tower. "Guys, we got them. Bells' gone in. Get down here, and bring a recuss kit."

"Copy that." Someone replied as Clarke heard another buggy pull up. Finn and Octavia leaped out, running to the side of Clarke's vehicle.

"What do we have?" Octavia asked, her sunglasses-clad eyes looking up at Clarke for an answer.

"Not too sure yet. A woman reported a body face down in the water, Bell's gone out after them. He's really close to the rocks." Clarke replied, monitoring the events unfolding in front of her.

Bellamy, meanwhile, was paddling at an unreal speed towards the casualty.

No.

"No, no, no." Bellamy said as he paddled faster.

He had hoped this day would never come. The person injured in front of him was a young girl- no more than twelve.

Her body was limp and lifeless, making it a lot harder to pull her up. He felt the adrenaline flood his veins as wave after wave of salty sea water engulfed him. The rocks were getting closer and closer, the rip below them pulling them further out to sea.

Bellamy felt is foot get caught on a rock below him. He winced in pain, only for a second.

He waved his hands dramatically, calling Clarke to come and help him. He saw the blonde jump off the buggy, so he returned to the patient in front of him.

He felt around for a pulse. Thankfully, there was one, but it was weak and thready. No doubt about it, the girl had taken water into her lungs, unable to breathe.

There was no way that Bellamy could perform CPR while they were out at sea, especially since the victim was hanging off the board.

He looked around desperately, frantically searching for something where he can anchor them.

Nothing. Where the hell is Clarke?

Just as he thinks of her, she materialises in front of him. She looks at him and gives him a reassuring smile.

That's all he needed. "Help me get her up." He told her, reaching for the casualty.

She nodded, positioning her board beside him. She reached under the water and pulled the girl's legs up onto her own board, before flipping her over and positioning her correctly on Bellamy's board.

The immediately began paddling back to shore, grabbing the nearest waves to help propel themselves forward. "How is she?" Clarke asked.

"Pulse is weak, she's not breathing. Probably taken in a lot of water." Clarke nods and returns to paddling.

They reach the shore thirty seconds later, where Jas has joined them with the first aid kit, a back board and the defib.

Collectively, they lift the girl from the gushing waves, placing her nearby. Out of the corner of his eye, Bellamy sees Jasper unpacking the defibrillator, while Octavia is walking around the casualty, looking for any sign of injury.

"She's got a nasty gash on her head. Looks about an inch and a half deep." O says, throwing her voice into the growing chaos.

"That's the least of our worries. No pulse. Get the defib." Clarke says, moving beside the victim.

"O, keep these crowds back. You too, Spacewalker." Bellamy orders, pointing towards the slew of people who have already crowded around their rescue effort.

The pair nodded. Octavia whirled around, screaming, "Everyone back! They need space! You! Get back!"

Clarke had already started compressions, but on her stomach, trying to pump the water out of her system.

"Bell, hold her head still, just in case there's a spinal injury." She said, still compressing.

Bellamy complied as water began spewing out of the child's mouth.

"Get her on her side!" Clarke shouted, beginning to put him in the recovery position and flipping him over.

The water cleared, and they flipped her back. "Still no pulse," she said, starting CPR, "Jas, defib."

Jasper began placing the pads on the patient while Clarke kept compressing.

"Charging! Everyone clear!" Jasper shouted, and everyone jumped back.

"Shocking, clear!" The body jolted. "Pulse?"

Bellamy felt for a pulse, and shook his head sadly.

"Go again." Clarke ordered.

"Charging." Jasper said, holding his hand out, keeping everyone back. "Clear!"

The body jumped again. Everyone scrambled back to their places, Clarke once again resuming compressions.

Jasper looked at Bellamy with all the hope in the world. Bell shook his head.

Clarke kept compressing, her breathing becoming more ragged at the physical exertion.

"Go again." She said, panting.

"Clarke-" Jasper replied, interrupted.

"Just do it, Jas!" She yelled.

He nodded, sighing. "Charging." He told them, looking at Clarke, who's eyes were fixed on the little girl. "Shocking."

Clarke moved back as the young girl convulsed again. "Pulse?" She asked hopefully.

Bellamy felt around for one, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Clarke."

"No! No!" She yelled, returning to her earlier ministrations. "We still have time! Still...have...time." She panted.

Bellamy put one hand on her shoulder. "Clarke,"

"Don't you dare say it." She warned him, not even looking up at him.

"She's gone." He said gently as Clarke's movements became slower and slower.

Clarke leaned back, falling into a slumped kneeling position. "No..."

Around her, dismay clouded everyone's face. The crowd's faces turned white, while Finn ran a hand through his hair and Octavia clasped a hand over her mouth. Jasper pulled his legs out from underneath him, turning towards the little girl's face.

Bellamy and Clarke were collapsed in a heap beside the girl's body, a tear rolling from the princess' eye.

The paramedics came later. "Time of death, 3.19pm."

"The girl's name was Charlotte. She was twelve." Lincoln said to the group when they came in the next day. "She was living in a foster home a few blocks from here and had left to have a swim. They think that the rip carried her out and she hit her head off a rock."

No-one said anything, there was just nervous shuffling and the sigh that came from Octavia's lips.

"There is grief counselling available, should you feel you need it." Lincoln told them. "There's nothing we can do for her now, except make sure it never happens to another patron of this beach again. So let's get back out there and do what we do best."

With that, everyone got back to work. Lincoln decided to put Clarke in the tower with Finn, distancing her as far away from yesterday's incident as possible, putting her in the hands of someone she trusted.

Clarke didn't say a word all day and it was worrying everyone. Sure, they all had to deal with yesterday's aftermath, but Clarke was the one most affected by it.

Finn had tried to talk to her, seeming genuinely concerned, but Clarke was having none of it.

In the end, Lincoln sent Clarke home with the order, "get some rest."

She wished she could.

With college starting in a few days, Clarke decided to get her mind off work with her textbooks. She opened her bulky anatomy book, flipping past the contents page to the first chapter, Intro to Anatomy.

She spent an hour or two at that before hearing a knock at her door.

"Finn?" She said, opening the door to him.

"Look, I know you said you were fine and all, and you said not to call or text or show up unannounced-" He began, "-but I needed to check on you. I needed to make sure you were okay."

Clarke smiled weakly. "I'm okay, Finn. Really."

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure." She tells him.

"Y'know, I have some time before I have to go back to work, maybe-"

"Finn, you do know we broke up, right?" She reminded him.

"Yeah-Yeah I know, it's just-"

"You're trying to help. It's okay. I'm fine." She repeated.

"Clar-" He started, attempting to step into her apartment.

"I just need to be alone right now. Thanks for checking up on me." She said, shutting the door in his face.

Clarke crouched down on her side of the door.

And she broke.

"Clarke?" She heard, along with a soft knocking on the door she had fallen asleep against.

She moved from her comfortable position on the floor, wiping away the remnants of the tears that had stained her face.

"Clarke?" The soft female voice floating through the wooden door repeated.

Clarke opened the door to her friend. "Hey O." She greeted, smiling weakly.

"I tried calling your cell but you weren't answering." She told her.

"Right, I uh- must have fallen asleep, I guess." Clarke replied, moving to the side to welcome Octavia into her tiny apartment.

"Good." O sighed. "I just came over to see how you were doing." She smiled. "And I brought food!"

Clarke raised an eyebrow at the dark-haired woman. If there was anything Clarke learned about Octavia Blake in the few months she had known her, it was that there was no problem that couldn't be solved by a triple-chocolate chip muffin.

Octavia handed her the brown paper bag before crashing down in her usual spot on Clarke's couch.

Clarke was starving, she realised. She immediately began devouring the gift Octavia had brought her, chocolate smearing her face.

Octavia chuckled. "Jeez, Clarke, it's not going to run away on you."

Clarke covered her mouth. "I know, I was just so hungry."

"You're always hungry." She laughed.

Then something amazing happened. Clarke smiled. Like actually, genuinely smiled.

Mission Accomplished, Octavia told herself. "Come on," Octavia said, jumping off her seat, "let's watch a movie."

"Octavia..."

"Don't say it, Clarke. I know you know what I'm trying to do, so we are going to sit in our pj's watching whatever movies we feel like with a massive bowl of popcorn between us because that's what friends do."

And that's exactly what they did.

Thanks for reading! So sorry about the late update, but please don't forget to leave a comment or something! :)