𝟎𝟎𝟏. ❝ HUMMING HAPPY BIRTHDAY. ❞
— THE SKYBOX WAS USUALLY SILENT BEFORE BREAKFAST, BUT THAT MORNING, EVEN THE GUARDS WERE MAKING SOME NOISE. A somber smile danced across Cleo's lips when a soft, unanimous hum crept into her cell room. She joined in with the last few notes, humming happy birthday to herself with everyone else.
Her birthday marked one whole year in the skybox. One entire year of not being heard and not being believed, one year of wishing she had just stayed or kept Penelope by her side instead of sending her home. Harper liked to remind her that there wasn't anything she could've done. Life unfolded the way it was supposed to and one day, Moira would face the music.
"Happy birthday, Cleo," her cellmate mumbled. "You've got the entire skybox singing for you."
A soft laugh fell from her lips as she turned her head to look to Harper. Her blonde hair was a rat's nest, her face drooped with exhaustion. They both sat in their beds, heads flat against the concrete walls that surrounded them every single day. Harper was a good cellmate, she could only imagine how different her life would've been had she been paired up with someone like Dax or Murphy.
"Why?" She whispered barely loud enough for Harper to hear. A hand went up to pull her dark locks up into a ponytail, her head shaking. "I don't deserve it."
"Shut the hell up, grace." The familiar nickname lingered in the air. "You're everyone's saving grace. You've been here for one year and yet you've helped all of us more than the guards ever have. Clarke in solitary almost got colored pencils because of you, Jasper and Monty got roomed up because of you, Octavia got to see her brother because of you and-"
"I get it." Cleo held a hand up, a sad smile growing on her lips. "It's called human decency, Harper."
"Human decency? On The Ark?" Harper laughed loudly enough to garner a 'shut up' from somewhere on their floor. "Good one."
This time, even the birthday girl laughed. It was true that the space station might have brought out the worst in people. But Cleo refused to believe that only evil remained among the human race. People were kind, that's how every human started. Their environment and the people surrounding them shaped their natures, and she knew that with love and support, everyone could be the best version of themselves.
"Hey, keep your head up, okay? It's review day, right?" She questioned. "Come on, let's hear your speech again."
The anger that flared up in her stomach was immediately pushed down. Cleo Wendell didn't get angry, it wasn't something she liked to feel, so she just never dealt with it. Besides, she didn't have a right to be angry anymore. It was one year later and she was friends with everyone on the council – or their children, at least. All she needed to do was appeal her case and play to their emotions.
"I deserve a second chance because all my life, I've been a caretaker. I would never hurt a child, I would never hurt a soul. You all know me, you watched me grow up taking care of my peers and the younger generations of mankind. I-" she faltered.
"You're the prime example of what a good human being is and if they kill you, the ark will riot." Harper paused. "Or, the skybox, anyways."
"I don't know," Cleo said sadly, defeat sinking into her bones. "If they didn't believe me before, why would they believe me now?"
The cell fell quiet as the girls shared somber eye contact. This would probably be the last time they saw each other – ever. Tears blurred Cleo's vision and she squeezed her sapphire eyes shut, trapping the tears behind her eyelids. She never imagined that her life would be so short.
"If there's an afterlife, Grace, you're going to the highest place possible," Harper said quietly. "I haven't met one person who hates you."
She paused and Cleo's lips grew into a smile.
"Except that bitch, Moira!" They yelled together, laughing wildly afterward.
The second they stopped laughing, the door slid open and two guards appeared in the doorway. Mint, Cleo's favorite guard stood on the right, chewing his mint gum like he did every day.
"McIntyre, Wendell," he spoke gruffly. "Stand and face the far wall."
The cellmates shot each other confused looks. Harper was far from eighteen, she couldn't have been getting reviewed like Cleo. Neither of them wanted to be tased, though, so they obeyed silently. Cleo stuck out her right arm at Mint's orders, wincing when she felt a series of needles pierce the fragile skin around her wrist.
"Ouch, what the fuck?" Harper swore.
"Mint, what's happening?" Cleo asked in a calmer tone, turning around to face the old guard.
"They're sending you to the ground, kid." He gave her a solemn look before escorting her out of the cell.
Around her, chaos reigned as juveniles were simultaneously escorted out of their cells. Some fought, some resisted, some kept their heads down and followed the guards. Cleo followed that, keeping her head down as Mint led her towards the exit.
She had been so sure that she'd be able to plead her case one last time. Even if she didn't win, she could've gone out with a bang, with an 'I told you so' to Jaha. As the delinquents were led out to what must've been their deaths, a million thoughts ran through Cleo's head.
She wanted to apologize – to her parents, to all the kids she left when she got arrested, to everyone she let down. She wanted to hug her dad and hear him tell her everything would be alright. She wanted her mother to braid her hair and reassure her that she was helping humanity find its' light again.
But none of that would happen again.
She was ushered into a processing room where she had her picture taken, her wristband activated and was handed a recycled jacket and pair of boots.
"Well, at least they gave you some clothes on your birthday," Harper mumbled beside her.
Cleo laughed, lacing up her boots. "Yeah, just some ol' hand me downs."
"One man's trash." The other girl shrugged, standing up.
She followed suit, following her out of the room and into the hallway. The walls were lined with guards carrying guns. They rarely carried guns, but it seemed that the situation was dire enough to carry them. The guns sent out a message to the juveniles – one wrong move and they were dead.
When a dropship came into view, Cleo's heart dropped into her stomach, her legs becoming weaker with each step she took. If there was one place she didn't want to go, it was on a dropship. The thought of going to Earth was worse than getting floated. At least it was a quick death in space, radiation poisoning wouldn't be so kind.
"Holy shit," she swore under her breath, eyes widening as Harper shot a look back at her.
They were escorted on what looked to be the second floor of the dropship. Kids were strapped to chairs, even to the walls, the red straps making them look like they were being marked for death. She could hear her heart beating in her ears as Harper led them towards a pair of empty seats. She sat down, not able to feel her body.
Her entire body felt numb from anxiety and fear. It was creeping over her skin, sinking into her pores as her lungs began to struggle for air. A good old-fashioned panic attack was what everyone wanted on their eighteenth birthday.
"Are you okay?" A voice asked, drawing Cleo out of the thorns in her head.
She looked up, meeting the gaze of a guard. He looked out of breath, like he had just run onto the ship. As he sat down and strapped himself in, he repeated the question one more time. His dark hair was slicked back and his eyes were filled with concern – and maybe another emotion Cleo couldn't quite place her finger on.
"Are there more of you coming?" She asked warily.
"What?"
Cleo shot a look to Harper, then to the door where Clarke Griffin was being rolled in on a stretcher. Her eyes washed over the faces of the kids on the dropship. Some were terrified, others were stoic. Jasper and Monty seemed ecstatic as they strapped themselves to the wall. She spotted some children as well – real children.
Her mind couldn't comprehend the situation she was in. Was the council really going to send their children to the ground? Some of them couldn't have been older than thirteen and yet, they'd have to face the hardest challenge of their lives.
"More guards." She looked back to the guard.
By then, Harper and the nearby kids were all listening intently. It'd be horrible of The Ark if they sent down the children without protection or an adult figure, someone to watch over them.
"No – no more are coming," he replied, his features shift with confusion and fear.
"They only sent one guard to protect one hundred delinquents?" She asked in disbelief.
"Yeah." He nodded back to her, not meeting her eyes. "Sit tight."
Before she could respond, the dropship lurched dangerously. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt Harper grab her hand. They gripped each other's hand tightly, feeling the ship move about in space.
She breathed shakily, feeling another sharp lurch.
"That was the atmosphere." She could hear the whispers being spread throughout the ship.
Whispers were exchanged throughout the delinquents and Cleo's stomach erupted in fear just as the ship staggered dangerously to the side. Screams were let loose as her stomach sank deeper and deeper through her body.
She was hurtling to her death and there was nothing she could do about it.
— GUYS i literally
can't believe we have
200 reads already on
this i'm???? crying??
uhhh idek what to say
like i'm literally so shook
tbh.
what's your opinion on cleo
and harper because wow prison
cellmate goals.