A Twisted Reality

Chapter 13

As the woman in charge sets out to leave the room, the guards usher Clarke to follow her, leaving the rest of the children to fend for themselves in the room, with a select few guards on the outside. For what reason Clarke didn't know, but it was strange she was being separated from everyone else. She turns her head as they walk the narrow halls, an attempt to see what was happening from behind, It looked as if a guard had entered the room again, but before Clarke was certain a hand forced her too look forward and continue on their way. It didn't take a genius to realize it was the Sydney forcing her to look away.

Clarke follows her direction and is taken into another room. There was nothing inside except a table and two chairs facing each other from across the metal structure. There was one door to enter and leave. No windows or mirrors in sight. Diana gestures for Clarke to sit and she does. After doing so the door opens behind her and a guard enters with a tray of food. Clarke's mouth waters at the sight. Diana sits opposite of her and smiles as she notices the child eye the food hungrily, her small stomach grumbling quietly in the silent room..

"You must be hungry. Eat, I insist." Clarke's eyes the food being put in front of her then to the woman. Not moving.

"Is it poisoned?" Sydney's smile widens a little at the child's question.

"You tell me." Clarke moves the tray in front of her as Sydney nods towards it. "It's perfectly edible, child. From what I hear it must have been a week since your last meal. If not longer."

Clarke's thoughts whirls as she hears this, her mind doing the math of how long they've been here. Cage was deliberately forgetting to feed her for days at a time, which means they've been here for four days since he sold her away. Diana moves the tray in front of Clarke, a gesture to eat once more. The child reaches out cautiously and nibbles on a slice of bread. She swallows and stares down at the tray, silently waiting. Sydney notices and chuckles.

"See? Perfectly fine."

"Where am I? What is this?"

"You have been selected for a greater purpose, Clarke. You have no friends and no family. Outside of this building you are no one. Nothing. Soon you will learn that." Clarke blinks back tears as she forces herself to speak, her voice tight.

"What is this place?" The woman across from the young one smirks wickedly, a chill runs up Clarke's spine as she notices it.

"You ask a lot of questions."

"And you kidnap and starve little kids." Diana leans back, surprised by the child outburst.

"I kidnapped no one. I rescued all of you. Before me, you and the others would be street trash. Food for the flies or a creepers little pet. Here I give you purpose. A home. You should be grateful, Clarke."

The child says nothing as she takes another bite of the food given. She eats away, cautiously, but doesn't finish what's in front of her. Instead she pushes it away and ask when the others will be fed as well. At this Diana smirks. Clarke seemed to not only be brave, smart, and strong, but a leader who cared about others. A set of personality requirements needed to be the perfect asset in the future.

After Clarke is done they take her from this room into another. It is stock piled with metal framed bunk beds and mattresses as thin as cardboard itself. There was just enough for the hundred children taken to be placed here. Even with the amount of space, Clarke was left by herself for a long time. Hours, days, pass by before anyone else returns besides the guards entering and giving her bread or soup. Rather than it being a guard entering the room a flood of children swarmed inside. Each and everyone looking around and taking n the new room. However only 94 went through the door.

Luna, Lexa, and Nylah spot Clarke from afar and make their way towards her. Several more of the smaller children died, two from dehydration and starvation, the others in a stampede from a riot of fights between the older kids. Even Gaia couldn't keep them safe. She stayed to herself and took the farthest bed from the crowd, her gaze harsh towards one person in particular as he came through he door. The same boy who had seen Clarke and sneered her way- Dax. The girls notice and block his view of Clarke.

"Don't worry about him. He tries to be more of a jerk then he actually is." A voice comes from above the girls and they look up to see a dark skinned boy with equally dark brown eyes his hair black and shaved into a small mohawk. "I'm Lincoln." He smiles. They girls smile back and sit on the lower bunk opposite word him.

"Dax may be an ass, but he doesn't have the guts to actually do setting bad." Another voice comes and Lincoln hops down.

"And if he give you girls trouble, we'll help." The four look between the two boys, unamused.

"Thanks but we can handle ourselves." Clarke says.

"Yeah. We saw. You put Dax down really fast for being so small." The other boy says. Clarke throws daggers in his direction.

"And you are..?"

"Roan."

"Great." The other girls smile, Niylah chuckling with Lexa as Roan loses his smirk.

The remaining children all settle in and claim their own bunks. No one comes in to watch over them, which leaves the room filled with 94 hungry, upset, and confused children in a new place where they have absolutely no idea what is going to happen next. A stomach growls and the small group looks at the source. Lincoln, Lexa, Niylah, Luna, and Clarke all turn their heads to Roan.

"What? I'm hungry."

Before anyone could utter a word the doors swing open and in came a flood of guards with the blonde woman leading them. A Russian command is given and the children look around immediately, their eyes landing on the woman in charge, confusion taking over look confused.

"He said stand." She translates. The children do as they're told as she walks down the rows of beds, passing by each and every child. "Many of you have passed the first trial. Hunger and patience. The next phase will be less clinical. You will start your education here and your training within the following week. This is life or death, so do not expect things to be easy.

The room grows with an eerie silence. Several young ones whimpered and trembled as they stood, the woman's words settling in the air around them. Diana looks at Clarke across from the room, the child's chin held high as she pushes down the anxious fear of the pending future for not only herself, but for them all.

"We are The Order of the Shadows. And this is your new home."