One

Lauren

These four walls have been my only company for the last eight months, I used to count my time in here by days but now I have decided just to focus on the months. I stared up at the ceiling at the millions of stars clearly visible from the round circular window, always being amazed at how beautiful space was and it had a purity and innocence that couldn't be changed by mankind. The night sky was all I knew, considering I was born in space and never set foot on real earth of breathed real air… The Ark was all the remaining human race knew. It's been ninety-seven years since a nuclear war killed everyone on earth, leaving the Earth filled with radiation and the remaining survivors to be evacuated into space on several space stations that later became one.

Apparently Earth needed another hundred years before it was safe to return, which was everyone's hope and something that was a fairytale to me - even if it was safe to go back, I'd be dead and floated by then. Nope, my reality was the Sky Box (AKA the prison for under eighteens, if you're over that age it's death and it's unimportant how big or small the crime was), but I was seventeen and my crime was kept confidential and I would definitely be killed for it when I turned eighteen… my fate was to be the same as Mum's.

Tears burned my eyes as guilt and betrayal filled my chest, knowing that my mother's death was partly my fault because I put my faith and trust into the wrong person - Clarke Griffon. That bitch was supposed to be my friend, practically a sister and she betrayed me to save her precious father's skin and let my mother take the fall for his mistake. The only problem with that plan was that Jake Griffon was executed with my mother, leaving me an orphan and locked up while the Ark was slowly dying and they'd rather keep everyone oblivious to this fact. I knew Clarke must have been arrested but I had never seen her here, neither had I heard from Wells. He was my oldest friend and it was his father the Councillor who had executed Mum, Wells was there when Mum died and I had to witness her being sucked into space and oblivion. I loved Wells, but my hatred for his father was clouding my feelings for the guy I had always cared for. This is what I hated most about confinement, you were left with your own misery and heartache.

I leaned back on my bed and brushed my long brown hair behind my ear, but the sounds outside suddenly had me sitting straight back up as I heard the doors of other cells opening and slamming mixed with the shouts of teenagers. My heart jumped into my throat as my cell door slid open and two soldiers marched in, one carrying a small box and both had unfriendly gazes focused on me. For months I had wished to see another person, now that I've seen this guys glaring at me I was sincerely wishing I was alone.

"Prisoner 587, move to the wall." the red haired soldier ordered as I reluctantly got up and walked to the opposite wall. It was usual for there to be random checks to make sure none of the juveniles weren't doing drugs or had anything illegal in their cells, but I knew in my gut that this was something totally different and I balled my hands into fists as I heard the metal box opening.

"What's going on?" I demanded as I tried to sound braver than I felt, my British accent sticking out like a sore thumb.

"Hold out your arm," the black soldier snapped, grabbing my wrist and forcing a silver bracelet on it. I winced as I felt tiny needles enter my skin and the green light glowed at a steady pace, mirroring the pace of my heartbeat. No, this can't be right - I'm not eighteen!

"It's not my time, I'm only seventeen!" I shouted as the guard took me by the arm and panic and adrenaline pulsed through my blood "NO!"

My right arm swung and my fist connected with his face, a crunching sound clearly audible as he loosened his grip and I bolted for the for the door. The other guard sized me round the middle and lifted me off my feet, ignoring my kicks and screams as he dragged me out onto the balcony. I looked around wildly as I saw other teenagers being taken out of their cell - some going along quietly while others (like me) were putting up a valiant fight.

"Lauren, calm down!" a familiar voice said coolly and I looked up to see Abby Griffin standing in front of me as the blonde girl who made my life hell bolted from the cell two doors from mine and came face to face with her mother "Clarke!"

"Mum?" Clarke breathed tearfully, clinging to her mother for dear life as they embraced and I felt a hollow emptiness in my chest that could never be filled by a mother's love again "they're killing us, aren't they? Making more time for the rest of you?"

"No," Abby said firmly, gripping her bawling daughter's shoulders reassuringly "you're being sent to the ground."

Wait, what? The ground as in soil ground that only comes from the Earth?! This has to be a joke, it's not safe to go down there… it's a suicide mission.

"No, it's not safe," I said weakly as I struggled against the guard holding me "we get reviewed at eighteen."

"The rules have changed," Abby said seriously before turning to Clarke, who still hadn't seemed to notice I was standing there or was choosing to ignore me "This gives you a chance to live. Your instincts will tell you to take care of everybody else first, just like your father. But be careful, I can't lose you, too. I love you so much."

Clarke broke down into hysterical sobs as she hugged her mother and I actually sympathised with her because apart of me still saw her as my best friend, but she had a mother to love her and I didn't and never would - all because of her. Clarke's body suddenly slumped against Abby and I jolted with shock as I saw a tranquilizer was shot in her back, realising they had knocked her unconscious.

Now we were being sent to Earth and I could see my life going in two directions - dying on the Ark from lack of oxygen or dying on a radioactive world. At least it might be quicker dying on Earth, but there was apart of me that wanted to fight for survival instead of accepting a dooming fate.

I kept quiet as I was lead down the corridor to the drops ship, not knowing what was going to happen once this ship takes off for Earth.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading the new chapter of my latest story and I hope you liked it, a review to give your thoughts and feedback would be awesome as I love hearing from you guys and it lets me know that this story would be worth updating. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Lauren, I did enjoy writing her and I wanted to write the cannon characters true to themselves (now I am a fan of Clarke and I think she's a great character, but I wanted to create a new character who dislikes her to add a different perspective).

Now this story is going to be a Lauren/Wells pairing (I loved Wells' character and I'm planning to keep him alive in my story) and I might add a third love interest for Lauren which I'm undecided about so I wanna know who you'd like to see showing a romantic interest in Lauren.

I'm going to stick to the main plot of the TV show, with a few of my own original plot twists and I'll be writing from five characters POV (Lauren, Wells, Clarke, Bellemy and Octavia).

Thanks again for reading and I can't wait to read your reviews :)