𝟎𝟎𝟐. ❝ PICK A SIDE. ❞
— A FRANTIC PRAYER FELL FROM HER LIPS INCOHERENTLY BEFORE SHE REALIZED EVERYTHING WAS STILL. For the first time in her life, her ears weren't filled with a machine hum – something that she had fallen asleep to her entire life. The sound that had comforted her the most was gone, and everything on the dropship was still.
But the stillness lasted only a millisecond as Cleo's nimble fingers quickly moved to unhook the straps pinning her to her seat. Her stomach had been tossed around so much during the short journey here that during the stillness, it had announced loudly to her that it needed to empty its contents.
Leaving her friend behind, she scrambled uneasily down the metal ladder and found herself trapped in a metal box. She knew it wasn't smart to want to go outside, but she didn't want to throw up inside the dropship. Cleaning it up would be a bitch – not to mention, with how closely everybody was standing, she was sure it'd land on some unfortunate soul.
She pushed people out of the way gently, apologizing softly to everyone she touched. By the time she had reached the front of the crowd, it had only grown bigger and somehow – the guard she had left behind on the top floor stood at the door. She figured with his uniform and his now ginormous personality, he would've been ushered to the front quickly.
"Could you please open it?" She asked weakly, her right hand reaching around to clutch her stomach.
She swallowed down hard, inhaling deeply to try and fight the nausea dancing around playfully in her body. She knew that her normally fair skin was probably an odd shade of green, but she didn't care too much about her appearance. She needed to get outside before she hurled.
The guard looked down at her half amused, but his hand lifted to the lever. He was ready to see the Earth in person. Just as he was about to pull it, a voice stopped him.
"Stop!" A commanding voice fell over the crowd, shutting up the group of rowdy delinquents almost immediately. "The air could be toxic."
"If the air is toxic, we'd all be dead anyway," the guard responded, snark lacing his words dangerously.
Cleo inhaled deeply again, shutting her eyes and crossed her arms. She tried to think calming thoughts, mouthing the words her parents used to say to her every night.
"Bellamy?" A new voice spoke up, forcing Cleo to open her eyes and look for the source.
A stunningly beautiful girl stood on the ladder, wide-eyed and radiating energy. As the crowd part for her, she leaped onto the guard, engulfing him in a hug. Cleo mumbled a plead as she leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees as a few strands of hair fell into her face. She could feel the beads of sweat starting to form on her forehead as they caught up quickly.
"What the hell are you doing wearing a guard's uniform?" The girl asked curiously, stepping back to observe the guard.
Or – so called guard.
"I borrowed it to get on the dropship," Bellamy answered. He shot a wary glance to Cleo, who stared at him intently. She tuned out as he kept talking.
The Ark hadn't sent anymore guards because there were no guards. It was never their intention to send people down to help them at all. Bellamy was here because – why?
"That's Octavia Blake, the girl they found hidden in the floor," a boy next to her shouted.
Oh.
Cleo's eyes watched as Octavia lurched into the crowd almost as sharply as the dropship had. She knew Octavia had a brother, she just never knew his name. Octavia didn't like to talk much about her personal life in the skybox, she was a free spirit who liked to focus on the present. That's what she told Cleo the first time she met her, anyway.
Bellamy mumbled something to her and she nodded in response. Finally, he reached up to open the door and wave of cool air washed over the delinquents. The light was so bright that Cleo momentarily forgot her nausea. The air was fresh, not artificial and it was sweet. It was so good that Cleo didn't care if it was toxic – if she died, she'd die happy.
Around her, the other delinquents took their first breaths as well. They all sank in the sights and the smells of Earth before Octavia broke the silence.
"We're back bitches!"
Her battle cry echoed through the forest, bouncing off the tree trunks and find its way back to the group of delinquents. A smile appeared on Cleo's lips while she was pushed out with the crowd. Her nausea was all but forgotten as she breathed in deeply again, closing her eyes as she let her other senses recalibrate to the Earth.
It was astounding; so different from anything she had ever experienced, and Cleo was in love. She loved the Earth.
Harper appeared behind her and brought her in for a hug. "Not so bad for your eighteenth, right?"
Cleo let out a delightful laugh and nodded, holding Harper tight for a beat before pulling away. "It's amazing," she replied breathily. "I can't find the words to describe it."
"I'm gonna go explore, find me later?" Harper asked, a playful grin on her face.
She waved Harper off, watching her strip from her jacket and go off into the woods.
It was surreal to be on the ground. Just an hour ago, she had been in her concrete cell, certain that she was going to be floated. Instead, she had been given what she wanted – a second chance to live her life. This was the official restart of Cleo's life and she thanked whoever was watching for their grace.
"How are you doing?"
Bellamy approached her from behind, a smile of disbelief written on his face. An uneasy feeling appeared in Cleo's chest as she looked at him. He shared features with Octavia – the sharp jawline, the intense eyes. The Blakes were beautiful creatures, there was no doubt about it.
But she couldn't shake that he had lied to her. It was a small lie, a white lie to ease everyone around them at a time of fright – but Cleo's instincts were always right.
"I'm okay," she said with a nod. "How are you?"
The air between them was as awkward as ever, but Bellamy nodded. "This is the best day of my life." He gave her a smile and walked away, to find his sister presumably.
Cleo inhaled deeply. Her feet walked along the moist ground, sinking into the dirt just a fraction with each step she took. She was free, truly free for the first time in her life. Mankind hadn't known freedom since the apocalypse – and here she was.
She walked through the throngs of teenagers yelling and whooping into the empty beyond, a smile dancing on her lips as people greeted her, wishing her a happy birthday. Her good feeling halted almost immediately when she saw a face that she never thought she'd see mixed in with the criminals of the Ark.
Wells Jaha.
Her heart ached with a sharp flash of pain, realizing how much he looked like his father. The dark skin they shared was the same as their constant expression of solemness. The Jaha's never looked happy, not with the weight that they had to carry on their shoulders.
She couldn't be mad at him for being Jaha's son, or mad at his father for following through with the law. The rational part in the back of her mind told her that he had been right. Proof was needed and Cleo couldn't deliver – Moira could.
Cleo made a beeline towards him, to talk or to catch up, but she realized too late that he was making a beeline himself – towards Clarke. When they joined the blonde girl, it was like the Alpha Station trio all over again.
They had grown up together as children, but somewhere between seventh and eighth grade, Cleo had broken off. Clarke and Wells had a bond that she couldn't compete with, and she was too busy helping everyone else except herself to have consistent friends.
But with those two on the ground, she knew where her loyalty would lie.
"How long do you think we'll last without those supplies?" Clarke spoke with authority, reminding Cleo of the days of her childhood. Clarke was a natural born leader, just like her parents. "So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave. Now."
Cleo pursed her lips. It'd be hard to argue with her.
"I've got a better idea," Bellamy interjected, proving Cleo wrong. "You two go and find it for us. Let the privilieged do the hard work for a change."
A quiet scoff of disbelief left Cleo's mouth involuntarily as Bellamy and Wells squared up.
"You're not listening. We all need to go."
Cleo nodded in agreement before another voice spoke up.
"Look at this everybody – the chancellor of the earth."
Her eyes flickered from Wells to Murphy, the very guy Cleo tried her hardest to avoid at al times. He wasn't necessarily a bad guy, but he scared her. Tutoring him in the skybox was the hardest thing she had ever had to do, with his sharp tongue and his jarring words. He knew the correct words to say to hurt someone and Cleo had learned that the hard way.
She kept her mouth shut as a ripple of giggles went around the surrounding delinquents.
"You think that's funny?" Wells asked, stepping close to Murphy.
A swift fight broke out, Murphy pushing Wells down to the ground so roughly, a loud crack echoed in the immediate area. She jumped and took a step back from the crowd as a boy with magnificent hair swept down out of nowhere. He reminded her of one of the superheroes in the ancient comics they kept locked in the library.
She walked away as he told Murphy to back off, wrapping her arms around her body. Her mind raced, trying to comprehend the argument. It became apparent that the argument on the ground was the same as the argument on the Ark.
Privileged versus not privelged.
Cleo had to pick a side and she had to determine which one would be the right one.
— I THINK i edited
this but honestly i'm
not sure. if you find any
mistakes feel free to fry
me tbh? also??? thanks
for 300 reads i literally
can't wrap my head around it.
which side would you choose?
bellamy's or clarke's?