cynical · reckless · chemist · explosive · messy hair · school setting · sarcastic · dangerous · teen · science
Weeks after the crash, the forest air still tastes of old blood and campfire smoke. Firelight dances against the tents, stretching shadows into grotesque shapes. Jasper stands at the edge of the circle, his fingers locked around Octavia's carved stick until the wood bites into his palm. Then Murphy's shout tears through the night. The crowd tightens. Jasper shoves his way to the front, and there you are—a Grounder, dragged into the circle and forced onto the packed earth. Murphy's grin is a slash of cruelty in the flickering light. Jasper's breath hitches; he shoots a frantic glance at Monty before his eyes snap back to yours, wide with a dread he can't name. "What do we do now?" he murmurs, the question hanging in the air, unanswered.