Esperança 》B. Blake

1.01

Rumbling could be felt throughout the entire spacecraft and Roseline gripped her red straps with white knuckles. She wanted to unbuckle and run out, but it was too late. The ship had already departed from the safety of her family and the Ark.

It became peaceful, a dull hum from the Ark machinery and the light chatter of the former prisoners was what calmed Roseline. She forced herself to think and uncover why in the world she was considered one of the hundred Ark prisoners. Nothing made sense, she could have sworn that she was crime-free, so landing herself a one-way ticket to Earth itself seemed implausible. Then again, she thought, Nathan said I was probably heavily drugged.

Her thoughts were cut short due to the loud drum and the flickering lights of the drop-ship entering the atmosphere. Then, all the lights on the spacecraft turned on, and joining them were monitors located on the walls with Chancellor Jaha's gloomy face.

"Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now. a you have been given a second chance, and as your chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself."

Roseline watched in horror, gripping the cold wristband to try and numb the pain. Her chancellor had just confirmed that she was going to Earth, and that this wasn't some sort of stress dream caused by the placement test. She was leaving her family behind unwillingly and traveling to a planet with radiation that could kill her and the rest of the delinquents.

"We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable," Jaha continued to drone on.

His voice became a white-hot static in her ears. I'm expendable? We're all expendable? She swiped her eyes timidly around her surroundings, listening to the teenagers call out Chancellor Jaha for being a "dick". Her mind was frazzled and she felt lost sitting in that sea of chaos.

"You have one responsibility: stay alive."

That was the last thing the Chancellor of the Ark said before the camera cut out. The drop-ship echoed with panic as the old technology blasted into the hands of gravity. A large lurch in the ship jerked the poor fugitives around and Roseline could only assume it was the parachutes deploying. Roseline's hand tried grabbing onto the closest thing, which happened to be Nathan's hand. The pair were equally terrified, for they were almost positive they would not survive the landing. Nathan leaned his head toward Roseline's as the clashing continued.

"See you on the other side, Rose," he shouted before a boom erupted from the bottom of the ship. With even more rumbling and sparks, the yellow lights flashed and popped, causing the screams from others to only grow louder.

The drop-ship hit the earth with a massive jolt, sending Roseline's aching head against the wall behind her. She groaned as the low buzzing of the tech died down, leaving the hooligans with a stunned silence and blinking bulbs. A click emitted throughout the ship, signalling that the restraints were now unlocked. Everyone quickly untangled themselves from their seats and made their way down the hatch.

"Hey, Rose, you good?"

Roseline opened her groggy eyes to see Nathan's brown ones rising with concern. She winced as she brought her hand up to the back of her head, already feeling a small bump forming.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she muttered before removing the buckles that held her down. Nathan tugged her out of the seat and together, they made their way down the hatch to the first floor, hearing a male voice speak over the crowd.

"Octavia, Octavia, no!" he said, pulling back a young girl with fire in her eyes. Roseline tried to make out who the man was but her eyes couldn't adjust to the dim lighting. The man then murmured something to the girl before turning to the large lever on the side panel. With one last nod, the man pulled it, a blast of white light shining through the door.

Roseline gazed in awe as the door fell completely to the ground. Like some others, she too had to cover her eyes for a moment to adjust to the piercing glare of the sun. Her eyes wandered to the trees, their skinny branches covered in lime green moss and dark leaves. A breeze passed by, sending cool, smoky air into the stuffy ship. Somewhere in the distance, a bird chirped, sending shivers down Roseline's back.

"We're back, bitches!" the girl who Roseline had guessed was Octavia cried, sending the others in a war-cry as well. Like a herd of sheep, everyone ran out of the drop-ship to experience the freedom that Earth had to offer.

Roseline stood motionless inside the ship. It had been her dream to walk the soils of Earth, but now that the dream presented itself, she couldn't seem to move. Her mother and father's radiation experiments clouded her memories. Seeing the statistics for surviving Earth with the high levels of radiation terrified her immensely. Roseline didn't want to die, especially by the hands of something she cared about more than anything, Earth.

She looked to her right, expecting to see Nathan and for him to make some snide comment. Instead, he had already bolted out, leaving Roseline in the dust. She took a deep breath, trying to release the nerves that had built up inside her heart. With wobbly steps, Roseline walked down the ramp and stopped at the yellow line, signifying that the dirt was just one more footprint away. Hopping off the metal ramp, she inhaled the sweet aroma of damp soil and fresh pine needles. A smile broke out onto her face and she giggled, spinning in circles with her hands flowing around her waist.

Earth, that was the dream, and it had finally come true.

☆ ☆ ☆

A/N: hey waddup! i just wanna say that i love nathan miller with all my heart and that he deserves the world!!
also, any guesses on how rose ended up on earth??
anyways, happy reading!
- kate