OUR OBLIVION | BELLAMY BLAKE

EIGHTEEN| um...oops?

Should I have told my dad that I was going to a Factory Station meeting to try and clear Bellamy's name? Probably. Should I have expected that as soon as walked through the door, hand in hand with Bellamy, that I would get several weird and mean looks? Definitely.  

I felt Bellamy give my hand a reassuring squeeze as we pushed our way through the dense crowd. I heard someone speaking at the front of the room explaining why the meeting had been called.

I was definitely out of place. Everyone there had on clothes with several rips and holes and stains. Most people had bags underneath their eyes and tired looks on their worn faces. It smelled like sweat and fuel and being in such a cramped room didn't help.

We found Bellamy's mother towards the front of the crowd. She was standing with her arms crossed over her chest as she gave Bellamy and me an alarmed look.

"Bellamy, it's not a good idea for Harley to be here."

"She's the one that overheard everything from the Council," Bellamy answered. "Besides, she's not like most of the people in Alpha Station."

Aurora glanced over me, "I just hope you know what you're doing."

The three of us turned our eyes to the woman at the front of the room. I recognized her as the person that was Chancellor before Jaha, Diana Sydney. She looked older. Her blonde hair had a small tint of grey and a few wrinkles marked her face. She spoke in a calm tone that seemed to make everyone give their undivided attention to her.

I looked around at how intently the people were listening to her every word. They seemed to respect her; to follow her, and I couldn't help but realize that there was something off about her. She definitely fit the profile of being a suspect.

"I know all of you want justice. I know you want to be treated fairly, just as all the other stations are. I know you work twice as hard as everyone else to provide for your families," My gut told me she was the person I was looking for. "But, the Council is never going to treat us fairly unless we make them." And my theory was confirmed. "They don't take us seriously, and even if we sent someone to talk to them we all know how it would end."

"No you don't," I stepped forward from the crowd, and I heard murmuring all around me. "There are people on the Council willing to listen. They want to help you and do everything they can to improve the situation here on Factory Station."

Diana Sydney raised her eyebrows, "And how would you know? You don't understand-"

"I understand perfectly," Maybe I shouldn't have interrupted her. Oh well. I turned around to face the people of Factory Station. "My father has always believed that everyone on the Ark should be treated equally. He has been doing everything he can to try and get Jaha to start improving Factory Station, but if you all turn to violence there will be nothing more he can do. If you send someone in to talk to the Council, I can guarantee that my father will make sure everyone listens with an open mind."

Silence hit the room for a few moments before a man with ginger hair stepped up from the crowd, "And why should we trust one word that comes out of your mouth? You're not one of us. You're one of them."

"You're wrong," I answered. "Alpha Station doesn't own me, and they don't own any of you. You have every right to go to them and express your complaints and demand for what you want. Here on the Ark, we shouldn't have sides. We should all be in this together to survive, and do what is best for everyone. No matter what Station you're from."

Bellamy came to stand beside me. He laced his fingers through mine and gave me a confident smile as he turned his head to the crowd, "Harley is right. Violence will get us nowhere. We have to send someone in to talk to the Council. That's our best option. Alpha Station shouldn't be our enemy. They should be our ally."