Chapter 1 -
Bellamy Blake let his eyes roam some of the faces of the 100 delinquents in the drop ship ready to venture down to Earth. Whilst examining, he began to take note on who the trouble-makers would most likely be. From where he was sat, he could see at least fifteen teenagers had been put to sleep so they could be moved from their cell to the ship. Bellamy guessed they were the ones who had put up a fight, the ones who needed to be controlled. He recognised a few faces, how could he not? His home had been theirs, he was bound to bump into everyone at one point or another.
The boy sat to Bellamy's right began to stir, his head full of dark hair lifting from its dropped position. Bellamy watched as the boys drowsy blue eyes opened and watched the shock grow on his features. The boy instantly began to struggle against his harness.
"It's better if you stay still." The older boy stated. The younger boy stopped moving, and turned to Bellamy, a snarl on his lips.
"What the fucks going on?" He questioned. He didn't continue his moving, but instead began to concentrate on what was going on around him, studying faces like Bellamy had only moments before.
"We're in a drop ship. We're being sent to Earth." It's all he could say, he knew more information would be given soon.
The boy besides him turned his head suddenly, his sharp features giving him a natural dark presence. He didn't speak, just stared. Bellamy could easily presume why this boy had been sedated, and not just due to his his sinister demeanour. He had an air of cockiness and violence about him. He seemed to be one to put up a fight. And not a fair one.
"What's your name?" Bellamy finally asked, his hands holding tightly onto the straps of his harness.
The boy seemed to register Bellamy more then, his eyes searching him up and down. Bellamy was thankful that the large harness covered most of his clothing; he doubted the boy would be happy to see a guards uniform. "Murphy." Was his simple reply. "Yours?"
"Bellamy."
Murphy nodded and turned back to the fellow teenagers in the drop ship, his eyes roaming every face.
"Are you looking for someone?" Bellamy asked.
"...Yeah." Murphy answered, not bothering to look back, too busy looking for a familiar face amongst the rows.
Bellamy sighed at went back to his own search, looking for the face of his sister. "Me too."
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust and even longer to realise she was no longer in the confined space of her cell. There were people, more people she'd seen in over a year, all sat in rows behind, in front and next to her. And they all shared the same uncertain look she knew she also wore. A dull stabbing pain brought her attention to her wrist, where a new thick silver band wrapped around it. She didn't remember how it got there.
Jennifer was being held down. She was strapped to the chair she was sat in, a red harness keeping her from standing up. She didn't like it, she wanted to be free of it. So, she began to struggle and search for the buckle which would set her free.
"I think you should stay still." A voice spoke from her left. Jennifer turned, finding that the voice belonged to a beautiful girl with long brown hair and bright blue eyes. Despite her racing mind, Jennifer paused and stared at the stranger, confused as to how she did not recognise her. Surely a girl as beautiful as this one would have been noticed earlier on and have some sort of popularity among the youth of the Ark, much like she had herself.
"Why? What's happ-" Jennifer didn't get to finish. The large metal room began to shake and the dull lights flickered. A few people screamed; Jennifer would have too if she wasn't so scared. She gripped hard onto the straps of her harness, her jaw set and eyes scrunched together. She bowed her head, her hair shielding her face from view.
After a few seconds she looked up. They were moving, the room the many teens were shoved into wasn't just a room. They were in a ship, and it was moving. The lights began to get their bearings and held onto a steady dim glow.
"Hey." The girl besides her prodded her arm. "Are you o-"
"Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now." A stern voice interrupted her, almost causing her to jump in surprise. Jennifer and the girl besides her turned their attention to a screen, a screen they hadn't noticed before. It featured the Chancellor's face, serious and hard-nosed. "You've been given a second chance. And as your chancellor it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us. Indeed, for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds for survival were better we would have sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you... expendable."
Jennifer took a moment to digest the beginning of the Chancellor's message. They were being sent to Earth, it was a mystery as to what they would be facing, it was too dangerous to send professionals, and she was 'expendable'? The Chancellor surely expected death.
"If, however, you do survive..."
"Your dad's a dick, Wells!" A voice echoed around the room. Surely the Chancellor's own son wasn't also on the ship? Jennifer leaned forwards and looked down the row and spotted the boy herself.
"... then those crimes will be forgiven... Your records wiped clean..."
Another commotion was happening in front of her, and Jennifer didn't quite know where to place her attention. A boy a couple of people down from her had set himself free from his harness and began floating around, another boy in the row in front also joined in. The girl next to her let out a cheer. "A drop site had been chosen carefully..." Her head was buzzing, the Chancellor's message and the commotion in front of her beginning to sound like background noise. "...Mount Weather..." All of a sudden a thought hit her. She was on a ship with fellow young delinquents. She instantly began to look around, search the many startled faces. "One responsibility... Stay alive."
"Hey." The girl besides her tried to speak to her again. "Are you okay?"
Jennifer turned, once again looking at the girl. She swallowed the unwelcome lump in her throat before replying. "I think so. Are you?"
The girl smiled a soft smile, obviously not expecting to be asked in return. "Yeah I am, we're going to Earth!" She grinned. "Whats your name?"
"Jen- Jennifer Murphy."
"I'm Octavia Blake."
Jennifer nodded, although somewhere in the back of her head she knew she recognised that name. "That's a pretty name." She simply commented before going back to inspecting the faces she could see in front of her.
Octavia smiled brightly. "Thank you."
Realising she had lost her new companions attention, Octavia studied her better. Jennifer had long dark hair much like her own, but hers was wavier and just a few inches longer. Her eyes were brown and her skin was pale. She looked clean and well groomed, almost doll-like, and Octavia wondered what the girl had done to get sent to the Skybox. Squinting her eyes, Octavia noticed that the girl no longer seemed as scared about being sent to Earth, and instead seemed to put her concentration on another task.
"Are you looking for someone?" She asked.
Jennifer nodded.
"A friend? A boyfriend?"
"No, no. My cousin. John." Octavia almost let jaw drop down. There were other siblings on the Ark?
Octavia smiled. She hoped Jennifer didn't mind, but she intended to make her, her new best friend. Something she never truly had before, not like she knew other girls on the Ark did. And who would be a better candidate than the equally beautiful girl who knew a little more about family than the simple father, mother and child.
"Don't worry, I'll help you find him." Jennifer smiled at the kindness.
Suddenly they were pulled back into their seats, heads banging and stomachs clenching. The bodies of the boys who had set themselves free flew across the room, hitting the walls and pipes with a terrifying amount of power. Screaming and yelling began again. Lights flickered, sparks flew, and all that Jennifer could do was wait until it was over. A hand, only a little larger than hers, reached out and grabbed her own. It was Octavia's.
And just as quick as it started, it was over. The lights became steady once more and the only sound was the deep breathing of the survivors. They had landed.
Jennifer and Octavia watched as others came to their senses, undid their harnesses and climbed out of their seats, milling around, looking for an exit.
"Come on, we better find out what's going on." Octavia finally said, slowly letting go of Jennifer's hand and releasing herself from her own harness.
"Yeah..." Jennifer murmured in agreement, copying the same actions. She tried to hide the shake in her hands.
"The outer doors are on the lower level! Let's go!" A male voice yelled over the crowd. A manic rush to the lower level began, Octavia excitingly pulling the sleeve of Jennifer's dark grey jacket.
They climbed down the small metal ladder, Octavia leading. They found a large group of people had already formed at the closed door, two people arguing at the front of them. Jennifer recognised the blonde girl; their mothers had worked together.
Octavia seemed to know the dark haired boy. "Bellamy?"
The boy in question turned. He was tall, Jennifer noted as she slowly climbed down, with dark hair and tanned skin. He looked a lot like Octavia, and was also attractive, just like her. He looked surprised, then relieved and around them whispers began. Octavia pushed her way through the crowd.
"That's the girl they hid under the floor..." One boy at the back began, and Jennifer instantly remembered how she remembered her name. Octavia Blake had been hidden away all her life, whether it be under the floor or in the small space of her cell, simply because she had been born.
Jennifer realised that she was more of a criminal than Octavia.
She couldn't hear what was being said from the back of the crowd so began to search for her cousin, but she couldn't see everyone from where she stood, being too small to see over everyone's shoulders.
Suddenly, however, the door opened, a hiss of air breaking through. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, a bright light stunning her for a second. She couldn't see much from where she stood, but she could feel a comfortable warmth enter the ship. There was a shout, a happy yell. Jennifer realised it was Octavia, and the large group of teenagers ran out of the door and into the open outside space. There was yelling and whooping and the excitement was addictive. Before she knew it, Jennifer was also running off the drop ship and down the ramp, making her first step on Earth's ground.
She grinned, her nose scrunching as she looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful light blue, Jennifer's new favourite colour. Boys and girls ran around her, and at one point and boy, tall and strong, picked her up and whirled her around whilst laughing before running off into the trees.
Trees. They were in a forest, a beautiful green forest.
They were home now.
Author's note - Simply a starter chapter, more character communication will happen next chapter, I promise. I know you're probably expecting a lot of Bellamy/OC, which will definitely occur, but this story is also going to focus a lot upon Jennifer and her journey as being one of the 100 and her relationships with other characters. I have strong plans about Jennifer's character, which will grow from from the quiet girl you see in this chapter.
I would absolutely love to hear your feedback, and I will answer any questions you have. My main query is whether you think this is simply going to be 'another Bellamy/OC' or if it indeed stands a chance among the others. So, if you could, a review or a PM would make me grateful.
Have a beautiful day. L.