IN A SNAKE PIT
Rustling filled the room as Cassiopeia Walker-Simmons turned another page, the words being devoured. The flow and mysterious beauty of poetry kept her mind distracted from the fact that she was going to die in less than twenty four hours, the cryptic phrases putting her into a trance. It wasn't that she enjoyed how the letters slotted together to create a masterpiece - it was the meaning behind each syllable. They could make a lovers poem violent or a vicious tale peaceful. She liked to believe that about people too. That a single moment could warp someone into blossoming or decaying from the inside.
She liked to think that's what happened to her.
Cassiopeia continued dragging her eyes along the page, analysing each sentence until there was nothing left. 'Time is nothing but a curse.' 'Curse' could imply that there was someone up above in control of your life, or perhaps it could suggest that living is painful. She bit her lip. Gnawing at the soft skin of her mouth instantly soothed the butterflies rising within her.
She had twenty four hours to live.
Careless, she tossed the book to the ground, not even taking note of the soft thud it made when it connected with the ground. She no longer cared about the puzzles inside it begging to be solved. There was no point. There wasn't a point to anything. All she could do was stare at the constellation she poorly drew on the wall, the one connection she had left with her birth parents.
The hiss of the door opening caught her attention. Before she could even question it guards stormed into her room, raising their guns at her. "Prisoner 241, face the wall."
Instantly Cassie's scarred hands clenched, her posture rigid. "You're going to have to make me," she took a step closer, preparing herself for what was about to happen. Almost seductively, she whispered, "officer."
Her fist met his gut, cutting off any reply he would've had. In a flash, she had managed to wriggle the gun out of his hands, not wasting a second in hitting the second officer with it. They both stumbled backwards. Cassie embraced the adrenaline pumping through her veins, powering her leg to kick the guard in his midriff. He tumbled backwards into the body of the guard behind him, falling like dominoes. She swallowed her laugh, jumping over the two collapsed bodies. Freedom was so close - she only needed to get a little closer.
Her joy was short lived. A hand shot out, grabbing onto her ankle with a vice like grip. Her heart began thundering in her chest as she tripped, plummeting closer to the ground. "Get off of me, jack ass!"
She began kicking out to no avail. She screamed at the top of her lungs, struggling to get to the freedom that was taunting her. Cassie scrambled backwards, dragging the guard with her, her body shuddering with the effort. Sweat dripped down her back. Her breaths stumbled as they passed her lips.
"I need assistance with Prisoner 241!" The guard yelled down his radio, still holding onto Cassie's leg as though it was his life line.
Fury boiled within her, fuelling her next words. "We have names! We are human!"
Footsteps grew louder behind her. The corridor was more packed than before, and she could sense the end of the fight. Still she gave it one last shot. She twisted back, jabbing the guard in the throat. He coughed viciously, his grip instantly lost on her ankle. Cassie felt a small smile grace her face as she struggled to get to her feet, dizzy on euphoria.
A dull ache bloomed in her lower back. Her eyes immediately drooped, her muscles feeling as though they were made of jelly. Strength sapped from her, she fell to the ground, a puppet with it's strings cut. The Ark disappeared behind a veil of darkness.
*
A gentle pressure was on her skin, her thundering heart beat answering the touch. Cassie's eyes snapped open. Her breath caught in her throat. Instantly she squirmed from the touch, her hand shooting out before consulting her brain. It made contact with soft flesh, a harsh cry meeting her ears. "Hey! No need for that!"
Her eyes swivelled towards the sound of the croaky, low voice. Beside her, a pale faced, gangly young boy was sat, smiling like a mad man despite having just been hit. A hat slumped on his head, covering his chaotic brown hair. Before she could open her mouth to demand his name, he spoke so rapidly that she barely caught any of the words. "I'm Jay. Like the bird, which is why I guess my parents named me that. My dad is a huge bird fanatic, he would be so jealous that I'll see one before he ever did. That's if the radiation hasn't killed them all, or kills us."
"Radiation?" She furrowed her brow, fear gripping at her. Without even realising, her teeth had begun caressing her lip.
Cassie hadn't realised it was possible for his smile to get even wider. "We're going to Earth. I wonder if the trees are still there, I'd love to see one. If there is any would you like to climb some? It's worth the risk to be that close to nature."
She was at a loss for words. Earth. The place that was meant to be inhabitable. And they're sending children to it. This is going to end brilliantly, she thought sarcastically to herself. Her eyes fell, almost immediately catching the metal contraception attached to her wrist.
"What the fuck is this?"
Jay didn't react in the way she thought he would. He laughed at her profanity, a few snorts escaping. "You're funny, you. When I realised I was sat next to the Callous Cassie I didn't expect a sense of humour. I love how that happens, don't you?"
Cassie's brows pulled together - she had lost track of what he was saying. It all had come out in a jumble of letters she couldn't decipher. All she caught onto was the fact that he knew who she was. At least there wasn't a need for an awkward introduction. Rolling her eyes, she huffed. "Can you just answer my question? I'm not in the mood for joking around."
"You know as much as I do. While you were out we got through the atmosphere - which made me think you were dead because that sure was bumpy - and Chancellor Jaha told us what was going on. They're dropping us on some mountain to help us get supplies, and if the place is survivable they're coming down." Jay inspected his nails, digging out invisible dirt from underneath.
"So we're the guinea pigs," Cassie sighed, rubbing at her face. She could sense that survival was going to be a lot harder than the Ark suspected.
Jay shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess so. The only difference is that they're innocent, or so the Ark thinks anyway."
Her ears perked at this, and she turned fully to look at him directly. "What do you mean 'innocent'?"
He laughed again, shaking his head. "Look around you. Recognise the faces? We're all from the Sky Box. Why waste sending good people down to a potentially deadly planet when you have a prison full of criminals?"
Honestly, Cassie hadn't paid attention to her surroundings. She was preoccupied getting the answers that she needed, the things she needed to know in order to feed her curiosity. Now, she tore her eyes away from the teenage boy, glancing at all of the faces around her. Straight across from her was the girl who always used to threaten to cut her eyeballs out if she kept reciting poetry during the night. Next to her was the person who restrained Cassie from giving the girl a black eye. Her eyes kept raking over the faces, recognition sparking in her mind. None of them were friendly.
Her attention was diverted from the faces, and her eyes found the ladder further in the room. Indistinct shouting and laughing came from above - there were more people up there. She highly doubted any of them would be willing to help her. She didn't exactly make any friends while in the Sky Box.
Muttering, she bowed her head. "I am so screwed."
A familiar weight landed on her arm. It was the same one prodding at her neck earlier on. Quickly she slid out of his grip, refusing to look at him.
His hand landed on her arm again. She couldn't muster the energy to shrug it off. "Hey, are you okay? You seem a little down heartened. Why aren't you happy?"
Cassie shook her head in disbelief, letting out a laugh dripping with sarcasm. "Oh no, I am really excited to go to a planet that's going to slowly kill me from the inside out!"
Jay kept a hold of her arm. His mouth opened to say something when a crash shook the ship. Everything was shuddering, as though the ship itself was petrified of what Earth had to offer. Cassie felt all of her breath leave her body, her heart rate rocketing. Her palms began to sweat. Jay let out a tiny scream, his hand being ripped from Cassie's arm. The lack of contact was dizzying - nothing was stabilising her anymore, she could no longer focus on one thing.
Just when she believed that she would pass out, it stopped. It seemed too quiet - there was no machine hum and everyone on the ship had been silenced. The reality of what was about to happen hit her harder than she expected - she was about to die.