Helen Doull woke up to a washing light of blinding white. She thought that it, quite frankly, made her tan skin look extremely pale, however that was not the concern at the moment. Her concern was getting out of this strange man's bed and gathering the food he'd promised her in return for her...favors.

God was she ever starving.

Helen shed herself of his worn red blankets and didn't pay attention to his handsome face as she slinked away from his bedroom and made herself familiar with the package of dehydrated meat on his table, opening the bad and inhaling the scent of protein before stuffing three of the strips into her mouth. As she chewed she registered the pain in her legs and her state of undress.

"Shit," Helen muttered before running back into the little bed compartment and hastily chucking her clothes back on her body. Turning the sleeping man's wrist she saw the time was almost 4 in the morning and she cursed the rich little shit in front of her for not waking her up earlier. She had to be out of here by morning wake up, and she was cutting it close. Scampering from his elaborate little apartment Helen started on her long journey to the lower (And frankly much poorer) district of the Ark.

So beautiful the man had whispered to her last night as he laid her on his bed. She placed a hand on the wall beside her to steady herself as she started chocking up. The last time anyone had ever said that to her was when her mother was floated...

Mom tucked a long lock of hair behind Helen's ear as she whispered, more to herself than to her child, "You're so beautiful, baby" and pulled her in for a hug. Her twinkling blue eyes, ones that were identical to Helen's, shone with regret and remorse as she reared back. She ran a finger down Helen's nose as if trying to remember the exact way it swooped into a little ski-jump kind of tip. Like she was going to miss the smattering of freckles Helen hated. Tears pricked her mom's eyes, making them look as stormy as an ocean when the water was sad and grey. Not that either of them knew what an ocean looked like in real life.

Her hands ran down Helen's cheeks and cupped her thin and fragile neck. She took a deep breath and lowered her forehead to touch Helen's. "My baby" was the strained whisper created for only Helen's ears. "Don't let them hurt you" she said and stepped into the air sealed chamber. Jaha started his count down, one Helen faintly remembered from her father's floating, and she watched her mom fly into the night.

"You're okay" she whispered to herself. "You are fine". Peace flooded her body and she straightened her back to continue walking. Two seconds later, however, when a guard wandered around the corner at the end of the hall panic took its place. The man took in her disheveled appearance and her package of meat and started towards her.

"Shit!" Helen squeaked out before she took off down the hall, twisting her way through passages and corridors, all the while hearing the pounding of his feet grow louder and louder and-

Before she could react Helen was face-first on the ground watching his black boots as they shuffled around. Coolness embraced her wrists and she twisted her head back to look at the cuffs on her hands, such were so alien and fatal they were almost a death sentence.

No.

She couldn't get arrested...she was 17.

His voice came from above her, a mouth she couldn't see. "You're arrested for suspicious behavior, unauthorized possession of food, breaking curfew...and suspected prostitution."

Helen just rolled over and spit up at his face. His ugly features just smirked back at her. "And mistreatment of authority."

"Bullshit!" She cried as his colleagues joined the party and hauled her from the floor, all with her kicking and screaming. "You can't arrest someone for suspicious behavior!" The guard reached down to pick up the package of meat.

"No," he said. "But I can see where you got this from and arrest you for that." Helen swallowed. He leaned his head to the side to speak into a radio "Can you please tell me if there was a breach in Meat Storage, sector..." he read to print on the packaging. "112." A voice garbled back information and the guard smirked. "Thank you."

He looked at Helen. "Looks like your shady trade partner didn't exactly cover up his tracks. You're hereby arrested for stealing food, a capitol offense. Enjoy your stay in cell blocks"

This guard, however, didn't know that in almost one year exactly he'd be jealous of the girl he sent down to Earth, walking on soil as he sat in the confines of the ship in the sky.