𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 ∘ Bellamy Blake (on hold indefinitely)

1 • prisoners of the ark

Octavia Blake had been locked in the Sky Box just for being born.

The Ark had a law against having more than one child. The space station we lived on distributed enough oxygen to keep a specific number of people alive, and having a second child was depriving others of what the leaders believed to be their oxygen.

I felt bad for Octavia. I mean, at least what I was convicted of called for incarceration, but being born?

Then again, it's not like what I did had been black and white, the Council had just decided that they didn't care. What you see is what you get when it comes to Council law.

But that didn't matter anymore, because things were about to change for all of us.

The morning had started off quiet, our usual Earth survival skills class with Pike after breakfast and then being taken back to our cells. The classes were the only thing about being a prisoner that I enjoyed.

I did, however, wonder why they had us learning Earth survival skills when we were in space.

The classes only started about a month ago, but it was nice to be around people who weren't guards for once. And one of those people just happened to be Jasper Jordan. We had grown up together, thick as thieves. We met in school when we were paired on a science project. He was awesome at the subject, me not so much.

When we arrived at our first Earth survival skills class and I saw him walk in, I almost cried. I had ran up to him and basically jumped in his arms, almost knocking us both over.

But then I was laughing after he told me he had been arrested because he and his friend Monty had been caught for smoking medicinal plants.

I wasn't laughing at the fact that he had been locked in the Sky Box, just the fact that I didn't expect it. He told me they started screwing around with the stuff when he was around seventeen, about two years after I had been incarcerated.

He also said he was jealous that I got to be Octavia's roommate, at which I punched his arm.

"Do you hear that?" Octavia asked as she climbed off of her bed and walked towards our cell door. Her voice interrupted my thoughts, but then I concentrated and could hear what she was talking about.

Shouting and cell doors opening. What was going on?

As if arriving to answer my question, our door buzzed and slid open. Two guards stepped in, one holding a gun and the other holding two metal bands.

"Hold out your right arm," the guard holding the bands demanded.

Were they executing us early? None of my cellmates had left to go to their floating like this. Plus, I hadn't turned eighteen yet.

Octavia didn't put up much of a fight, warily holding her arm out. She was as tired as I was. Trusting her judgement, I did the same.

I had accepted my fate at this point; I was ready.

One at a time they closed one of the bands around the wrist we held out. It hummed as it clamped shut, sending a small current through my arm.

From there they led us out of our room and herded us with the rest of the underage prisoners.

"Octavia, stay with me," I called to my friend, not wanting to be alone.

After walking through the Arc we finally slowed down as they lined up. One at a time we were being boarded onto a Drop Ship.

✦✦✦✦✦

After everyone was boarded and strapped down somewhere, I finally got a chance to look around. There were so many kids. A lot looked scared, while the rest just looked bored.

Octavia was seated beside me, a small smile on her face, "We're finally gonna be free."

"They're sending us to the ground. Unless the air has reverted or something, we'll be dead the second we open the doors" I answered honestly. Something about the idea of it was rather calming.

Shifting in my chair to have a look around, I noticed a certain boy strapped to the wall behind where I was seated. We smiled as we caught sight of each other.

"Theo, I didn't see them board you. Are you okay?" Jasper asked, readjusting the large goggles on his head.

I nodded with a sigh of relief, "I'm not alone, so I'm good." My eyes fell onto the boy beside him, "Is this Monty?"

The Asian boy gave a small wave. "Monty Greene. I've heard about you."

"Not all bad, I hope," I replied. It was meant to be a joke, but I found myself meaning it. Others on this ship had just smoked weed or had stolen something - I had killed someone. Not that everyone knew that, and when they did, I doubt they would all be welcoming of the idea of having me around.

Before he got the chance to respond, screens built into the walls hummed to life, the Chancellor appearing on them.

"Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now."

The whole ship fell into silence as Chancellor Jaha spoke.

"You've 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. 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."

"Your dad is a dick, Wells," One of the boys inside the ship shouted, resulting in a small ripple of laughter amongst the prisoners.

Looking around, I spotted said boy beside a blonde girl who I didn't know. I'd only ever seen her once, and that was when we were being boarded onto the ship. She had been unconscious, however.

Why would the Chancellor send his own son? Was he that heartless?

"Those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean," The Chancellor continued; the video feed must've only been one way. Our crimes forgiven? Surely not.

"The drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain. It was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain three hundred people for up to two years."

As the Chancellor's video played, people began to get distracted. Mainly by the boy who had removed his straps and was floating in the middle of the ship.

Finn Collins; the spacewalker. I had heard about him from Maeve Clemmons; a girl I'd met in class and become friends with. He had wasted a month's worth of oxygen on an illegal spacewalk.

Next to me Octavia cheered him on, her smile widening. She was excited to finally be going somewhere where she wouldn't be locked away. Even before our cell she was in a prison, not allowed to leave her home because she shouldn't have existed.

Shaking my head, I focused back in on the screens. Sure, I had accepted that they were going to kill me, but if there is a chance we'll survive down here I'd like to take that.

"Your one responsibility is stay alive," Jaha instructed us. He kept talking, but I couldn't hear anything as the ship went into orbit. The whole ship shook violently as we got closer to the ground. Boys who had taken off their straps like Finn were catapulted in all directions, each hitting the wall with force.

After a few minutes, the loud noises died until it was completely silent.

"Listen," Monty told us all. "No machine hum."

And he was right. The ship was stable; no movement, no noise.

Buckles began to click as we all ripped off our belts, trying to find the exit.

"The outer door is on the lower level," Someone informed us all. "Let's go."