97 Years Ago
There were cries from the fence behind her. She closed her eyes to try to drown out the wails from the voices, begging for help, to give them a chance, they would be useful. Just please don't let them die.
A tear fell down her face. They were all going to die.
Her friends were going to die.
Bellamy was going to die.
The war was becoming catastrophic. There had already been bombs dropped and now they were trying to get survivors evacuated from the city before the cloud of radiation came tumbling in from the east. Once it did it a dome of toxic radiation would suffocate them all.
She opened her eyes and turned to face them as she clutched the bag on her shoulder so tightly her fingers dug into her skin. She could feel the scene seeping into her memory. They wouldn't just haunt her nightmares but everything she did. Their faces would be the first thing she saw when she woke up and the last memory before she fell asleep. Even if she could come across a moment of happiness it would be left with the weight of all the lives who didn't have the opportunity she did.
Why was she so special? Why did she get to live while they stayed on Earth waiting to die?
Because of money? And power?
But that is what it came down to. The wealthy and the powerful had the chance of survival only to leave the rest of the world behind. Her ticket to safety had really nothing to do with who she was as a person, just the family she had been born into; a political family who had used money to buy the rest of their lives.
And that's why she would get to survive while all of her friends died.
She looked over at the spacecraft in front of her. Despite its largeness it only held a grain of the population. Maybe not even half. It was one of thirteen but that didn't change the fact that most of the human race would be left behind.
She looked at the people in line in front of her. They seemed almost excited about the new adventure ahead of them. She didn't understand it. How they could be optimistic and happy while thousands stood behind the fence begging just for a space on the aircraft. Begging to not be left to die.
She stared at the couple a few feet ahead of her. The woman had her arms wrapped around the man tightly. She was sobbing. Clarke was almost relieved just to see that someone was finally showing some humanity.
"She's my sister. How am I supposed to live a life up there knowing that she's gone? That she died while I got to live?!" The woman said looking up at the man. Clarke assumed they were married. He must have held some office and she was only getting a ticket to space because of their marital status.
Then again she was only surviving because of her parents.
She took a deep breath. They had already been scanned into the space craft earlier that day. Clarke had decided to come later so she could say her goodbyes.
She could still see Bellamy's face.
"It's okay" he whispered holding her close. His hands were holding her face while his thumb wiped away her tears. "You have to go. You get to live Clarke. You have to live". He pushed a kiss to her forehead.
She couldn't stop crying. This wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want to leave him behind. She didn't want to leave any of her friends behind. It wasn't fair.
"I can't. I don't want to go without you" she sobbed grasping his shirt. He was warm and the smell of him soothed her. She took a deep breath and choked out "You all deserve to live too".
He pulled her away and looked at her seriously "I know but we can't. I want you to live. I want you to have a life. You can become a doctor, help save the human race. Fall in love again, have a family."
She gasped out a half laugh; half cry "How am I supposed to love someone as much as I love you?"
He shrugged nonchalantly despite having tears of his own in his eyes. "I mean there's gotta be someone ALMOST as great as me".
She rolled her eyes "Someone to piss me off".
"You need someone who challenges you" He smirked "Otherwise you'll become an unbearable know-it-all".
She rolled her eyes again but a small smile formed on her face. She pulled him in for another hug. "I don't know how to say goodbye to you".
"Then don't" he whispered.
She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that for but eventually he pulled away and took out a letter for her.
"Here" He said "Just something for once you're in space".
She held the letter to her chest allowing her tears to dampen it "I love you".
"I love you too" he pulled her head towards his kissing her hair. Then he moved her chin up and kissed her softly on the lips. "Go" he whispered as he pulled away, his voice cracking "And don't look back".
She nodded and turned tears pouring down her face. She broke into a run.
And she didn't look back.
The line moved closer to the spacecraft and she pulled his letter out of her carry-on bag. She couldn't help but smile. In the age of technology only Bellamy Blake would be old fashioned enough to write her a letter. She was surprised he didn't also try to stuff a copy of The Odyssey in her hands just to ensure that it survived the war. She had always joked about him being such a nerd but now she would do anything just to hear him rant about the historical inaccuracies every time they watched a movie.
She could feel herself starting to cry again. Though she let the tears fall in silence this time. She looked down at the letter. He had told her to open it in space but she needed something from him now. She slipped it open and pulled out the singled ripped in half piece of paper.
Clarke,
I don't like to admit when I'm wrong. You of all people know that. But today I'm going to choose to believe that I am wrong. I'm going to believe that this isn't the only life we'll live. And I'm going to believe that someday somewhere we will meet again. And I'm going to believe that all of our friends will be there with us. Maybe history and science don't have proof that this could exist but I'm going to choose to believe it anyway.
Maybe I won't be there for the rest of this lifetime. But someday well be together again.
I love you.
May we meet again.
Bellamy
She looked up from the letter. She bit her lip and stared blankly for a moment. Maybe she still had a life in front of her, but it didn't change the fact that so didn't millions of others.
"PLEASE"
She turned as a woman screamed loudly. She was holding a child, he couldn't have been older than five. She locked eyes with Clarke "Please Miss! Please take my son! He's only a child."
A security guard crossed in front of Clarke. "Ma'am please. We can only take those who have tickets. I'm sorry."
Clarke looked down at the ticket in front of her. A ticket she didn't even feel she deserved. She was twenty-two. Most would say that's still young. Yet looking at the little boy in front of her she couldn't help but think about how much more of his life he had in front of her than she had. He wasn't a baby but still many of his memories from his life would pass him by at his age. He wouldn't remember the world the way she would. Maybe he could still find hope for his future.
He wouldn't think about the people he left behind every day for the rest of his life. He wouldn't think about how he was only allowed to live because of money. He wouldn't remember the faces in the crowd.
He could focus on the future. He could help shape the future.
He was a child.
Before she could even think she stepped out of her place in line.
The security guard called to her but she ignored him as she walked towards the woman and her son. It felt like everything else around her was a blur. Her parent's would be devastated but she just couldn't do this. She couldn't let her privilege put her above the rest of the world anymore.
"What's your name?" She asked the child. The mother looked at her shocked with her mouth agape.
"Simon Griffin" the boy said shyly.
Clarke nodded "My name's Clarke".
"That's a boy's name" he giggled and his mother shushed him.
Clarke smiled "Well I think it's pretty cool." She looked down at the ticket. "Simon I want you to take this ticket." She looked up at the mother. "I'm sorry there's only one."
The mother had tears running down her face "But what about you?"
Clarke shrugged as she looked down at the child, "Safe passage on your travels".
She turned and walked away without another word.
It took her about a half hour but she found herself at his door. She knocked shakily but as soon as he opened the door she jumped into his arms.
"Clarke!" He looked at her surprised. "What are you doing? You shouldn't be here!"
She looked at him then at the group of people in his living room. Her friends. No her family. She looked back at him "There's only so many life boats Bellamy. I can't get on one while there are millions who can't. I gave my spot to a little boy. I don't want to die. But I also don't want to take away the chance for someone else to live. I just couldn't."
He looked down at her sadly and pulled her close "There was a missile just shot Clarke. It was on the news."
She nodded slowly in his chest. She knew what this meant. But she also knew that right now a little boy was souring to space. He was going to grow up and have a chance to change the world. She gave him the chance to live.
She knew even though she was about to die she could die knowing she saved someone else's life. She wasn't sure she would've been able to say that if she went to space.
"In another life" she whispered remembering his words from the letter.
"In another life" he repeated.
There was a crash and it all went black.
…
97 Years Later
Clarke woke up to the whole vessel shaking. She turned and instantly saw Wells sitting next to her. What was happening?
Earth
That's what her mother had said to her before she fell unconscious. She wasn't being executed. Instead she was going to Earth, the place where the human race had lived almost 100 years ago. The place where her great grandfather Simon Griffin had been born.
Her father had spoken highly of his grandfather's story. He had boarded the spacecraft alone as a poor child. All because a girl named Clarke had given him her ticket at the last minute. He had declared that the first daughter in the Griffin line would be named Clarke after her.
She had gotten the privilege. She only hoped she could live up to the woman who had saved her great grandfather's life.
The drop ship landed bumpily onto the ground. The crowd of delinquents around her rushed to get out of their seats and head for the door. She felt nerves rise in her chest. They had to be careful. There could be radiation still soaking the planet.
She climbed down the ladder to see a guy with slicked back hair in front of the door. "STOP!" she yelled rushing down "The air could be toxic".
"If the air's toxic we're all dead anyway" he said with a roll of his eyes.
Clarke bit her lip nervously and noticed a cut on his hand "You're hurt" she said pulling it towards her.
"I'm fine" he grunted but their eyes met.
She felt a jolt through her like she was having some kind of memory. She had never met this guy before to her knowledge. Yet he looked so familiar. Like they had known each other in another life.
"Now I'm opening this door" he said but his voice indicated he had felt the same sensation she had.
She sighed "Fine. Together?"
He nodded slowly "Together."
…
A/n – Hope you enjoyed. I can see Clarke being the type to give up her seat on the titanic for someone else so that's kinda where I got it from. All heroic and about others. And obviously then ending was them meeting again. Thanks for reading.