Chapter Text
Chapter 1 - The SkyBox
Clarke’s POV
I feel the sun on my face, I see trees all around me. The scent of wildflowers in a breeze, it's so beautiful. In this moment I’m not stranded in space. It’s been 97 years since a nuclear apocalypse killed everyone on Earth, leaving the planet simmering in radiation. Fortunately, there were survivors. 12 nations had operational space stations at the time of the bombs, there is now only the Ark. One station formed from the many. We are told the Earth needs another 100 years to become survivable again. 4 more spaced locked generations and man can go home, back to the ground. The ground, that’s the dream. This is reality. And reality sucks.
My name is Clarke Blake (or if you are like my mother and refuse to believe in my marriage) - Clarke Griffin. Yes, that Blake, the ones who hid the girl under the floor for almost 16 years. No, I’m not from under the floor, my sister-in-law Octavia is. And yes I did know about her, no matter how hard my mother tries to pretend that I didn’t. I haven’t seen Octavia since she was 16 at the masquerade ball, I tried to get her out of there just as much as her brother (my husband) Bellamy did. But we failed and she was found and placed in prison, just for being born but that’s not the reason I’m in this place.
The SkyBox, the prison here on the Ark. I am in here because my husband and I were framed and I took the fall because they would have floated Bellamy right away. Floated is how we say executed up here, any and all crimes committed by someone over the age of 18 is punishable by death. I still have 3 months till I turned 18, Bellamy is already 21. So I confessed to save my husband because there is a small chance that I will be pardons when the time comes to review my case. I’m a doctor and my mother and father (may he Rest In Peace) are important members in the counsel. I could survi-
The door was wretched open and a stream of guards with shock batons came in.
“Prisoner 319, face the wall.” The first guard ordered. I stood up and did as he said.
“What is this?” I questioned, ‘its too early to be my review, don’t panic’ I told myself.
“Quiet. Hold out your right arm.” He ordered again.
“It’s too early, I have another 3 months before I turn 18,” I said trying to keep the cool tone to my voice.
On the Ark every crime no matter how small is punishable by death unless you are under 18.
“Take off your watch,” the guard grabbed my arm.
I panicked.
“No, this is my fathers!” The other guard, the quiet one, reached for me. “No!”
I elbowed the one behind me in the gut and when he let me go, I reached for the quiet ones baton. I grabbed his wrist that was still holding the baton and turned it in on him, stunning him in the chest. I shoved the first one away when he recovered and shot out only cell and shut the door behind me. When I reached the railing, I stopped in shock. The entire SkyBox was being emptied, prisoners being pushed and shoved out of cells, even one or two being carried away. Another guard came out of the empty cell next to mine and stopped when he saw me free from my guards.
“Prisoner 319 Stop!” He yelled.
“Clarke! Stop!” I actually listened this time.
It was my mom, Dr. Abby Griffin. A couple of things about my mom, she is the best doctor on the Ark and is one of the highest ranking counsel official below only Chancellor Jaha and Marcus Kane. She refuses to acknowledge my marriage and thinks that she can make things go away if she believes in it hard enough. Oh and she killed my father, Jake Griffin.
Even knowing that, seeing her was a moment of reprieve for me. ‘She won’t let them kill me,’ I thought. But there was that little voice in the back of my head to ‘your dad trusted her too, look how that turned out.’ Turns out it didn’t matter if I trusted her or not, she wasn’t going to give me a chance.
“Wait here,” She told the guards, holding up a hand.
She pulled me into her arms, and I didn’t fight her. I didn’t want to die and I hoped she might help me.
“What’s going on? What’s happening? What is this?” I sobbed into her shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a guard grab another prisoner, a boy, a force him down a hallway.
“They are killing us all aren’t they? Reducing population to make more time for the rest of you?” I tried to compose myself, I wasn’t going to die being a blubbering mess.
The Ark is dying, and to keep it a secret my father was killed. The oxygen that we have left can only sustain us for a few more months and my father wanted to tell the people and my mother disagreed. She turned him in for treason and he was floated just a few hours later.
“Clarke, you are not being executed.” Mom ran a hand down my face, I guess trying to be comforting. It wasn’t really working.
“You are being sent to the ground. All 100 of you prisoners.” She said this like it was good news, I didn’t think so.
“What? But its not safe,” I was back to panicking and trying to hide it. “No...but we get reviewed at 18.”
“The rules have changed. This gives you a chance to live, Clarke. Your instinct will tell you to try and take care of the others first, just like your father. But be careful, I can’t lose you too, Clarke. I love you too much.” She caressed my face again.
If it was any other time and I wasn’t about to be sent to my death, I probably would have slapped her and yelled at her for even mentioning my father and acting like she loved him, or me for that matter. But I didn’t have the time apparently. I saw my mom look over my shoulder and the next thing I knew I felt something pinching in my back. Blackness started to ting my vision and I collapsed into my mother's arms.
The last thing I heard was my mother whispering to me.
“Earth, Clarke. You’re going to Earth.” Then nothing.