Compulsion [J. Murphy]

C H A P T E R O N E

Victoria's POV

YEAR 2149

I have managed to survive ninety-seven years on the Ark. I compel the humans here to let me drink from them, heal them, and then not remember anything.

I've compelled everyone into thinking that it's normal for me to look the same age for this long, and the fact that I'm parentless. They still force me to go to school, but I honestly only go because it's nice to see everyone here. In a strange way, seeing the same people everyday doesn't get tiring.

Sometimes, before they float people, I'll compel them to let me drain them first. Only if that person is a real dirtbag and has no family there to see them go.

I sit in a council meeting, I compelled them to let me be here. I'm not officially on the council, but they let me since I force them too.

"We floated Jake Griffin about a year ago because he was going to go public about the flaw in the oxygen supply," Jaha starts, "we have pushed this aside long enough. It's time to make a decision about what to do. We've tried fixing it, but nothing has worked so far. Now, if we send one-hundred kids to the ground, that'll buy us another month. It'll also give them a chance to live."

A council member scoffs, he's a shithead, "why give them a chance? They're criminals, we should give our people chances."

Jaha nods, "I know, but their crimes also make them expendable. They're all going to die anyways, so if they die on the ground, then there's no loss there."

Wow, what if his son was on that dropship? Bet he wouldn't say all of this then.

"All votes on sending one-hundred kids, raise your hand. All votes on telling the public and picking people at random, don't raise your hand," Vice-chancellor Kane says. Kane would be an alright guy if he would get the stick out of his ass.

The majority of people vote to send the one-hundred to the ground. "Then it's settled. To be sure that the ground is safe, we'll need trusted people from mecha station to build us some wristbands so that we can see their vitals," Doctor Abby Griffin says. I can't stand her, she lets her daughter hate Wells because she's actually the one that ended up getting Jake killed. Grow a pair and own up to what you did.

Everyone agrees to it, but now all I'm thinking about it getting to the ground. I mean, I'm doing no good here anymore, so it doesn't matter if I die.

Who cares anyway? It's not like anyone I actually love is going to be saddened by my death. They're all dead.

I decide to compel my way onto the dropship, it'll be the easiest way for me to do it.

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