"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light." Clarke remembered reading that quote by J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. The Harry Potter series was among the most tattered of Clarke's book collection. As a child, her father would read them to her. As she grew, the series was enjoyed time and time again. The books were a path that Clarke could take if she felt like escaping the cold metal walls of the Ark. Through books, Clarke could go anywhere, even the ground. Clarke had attempted to find happiness, even in these dark times. The Ark was dying, her father was dead, and her only friend had killed him. All of her happiness was secured in her room. Her father had installed a small airtight module within the walls of her quarters that could hold her books and paper without the risk of them disintegrating. When she was engrossed in a book or had chalk covering her hands, she was at peace and her impending Unity Date and Expiry Date were forgotten.

When a child is born on the Ark, they are imprinted with a permanent ink that reads their Unity Date and their Expiry Date. Overpopulation was becoming a big deal, now that the Ark was quickly running out of air. The life expectancy on the Ark was vastly lower than it was on the ground. The small spaces, radiation- filled food, and stale air (despite the filtration systems) changed the average life expectancy from eighty-five (on Earth, as of 2020) to thirty-seven. Often times, once adults reached their mid-thirties they begin to corrode quickly. Their bones become brittle due to lack of calcium in their diet, they become very pale, and their muscles begin to slowly fall apart. This is a very painful way to die, so about five years before Clarke was born, the Council decided to create Unity Dates and Expiry Dates. The Unity Date for women is on their seventeenth birthday in which the girl must form a bond and find a spouse. For men, the age is twenty-five because they are able to reproduce until a later age. The radiation levels on the Ark made women unable to reproduce by the time they are twenty-six. Although some oxygen and de-radiation treatments could be utilized, they wasted valuable resources, and were rarely used. Once the Ark's residents were on the ground, the life span wuld hopefully return to it's usual state. This date is to ensure that we keep the population level steady. If the person has not found a spouse by their Unity Date, they are either assigned one or floated. If the person has committed a crime any time before their Unity Date, they are expelled off of the Ark. The Expiry Date is exactly thirty-five years after the person's date of birth and it is the date in which the person is put away peacefully, in order to avoid the pain of a slow death. Although, either deed could be done before the date.

Clarke's Unity Date was quickly approaching, and she had no potential spouse in mind. Throughout her childhood, Clarke had thought that Wells would be her spouse on Unity Day, but the circumstances made Clarke question his loyalty. She would rather be floated than marry the boy who killed her father. Because of Wells, Clarke would probably get floated. After all, it was hard to find a spouse from the walls of her room. Because she was Abby Griffin's daughter, rather than being held in a confinement cell in the Sky Box, she had been sentenced to 60 days in solitary confinement. 58 days passed since her father was floated, so only two days more to go, and only 3 days until her Unity Date.

Although Clarke felt comfortable in her quarters, she knew that in order to continue living, she had to marry. That means that she had to go out and face all of the people that watched her get locked up for treason after her father's floatation. That means she has to face Wells. Just the thought of seeing her disloyal childhood friend made Clarke sick to her stomach. He better not try to talk to her, or else she knew that she would do something that would get her floated for sure. The black numbers on the inside of her wrist peeked out from underneath her frayed long sleeved shirt. As a young child, Clarke would trace the numbers with her pinky finger and imagine her Union Day. A tall, dark, handsome Wells would always appear in her mind when she thought of her future spouse. Although Clarke never experienced feelings for Wells, she knew that she would grow to love him. He loved her, after all. Considering she was stubborn and difficult, Clarke thought she found the jackpot marrying her childhood best friend. This was not the way her life was supposed to turn out.

As the lights began to illuminate on the first and only day of Clarke's quest to find a spouse, the halls and common rooms of the Ark began to fill with people on quests to find breakfast. It had been a long time since Clarke had felt the echoes from underneath the floor in the hallways. The people she recognized from school and from the medical ward had all changed drastically. Within the thirty days, many of the older doctors had already been put away and the once lively faces of her classmates had turned into sunken faced adults. Clarke was always a 'one-friend' type of person, so she rarely talked to anyone but Wells. Now she would reconsider that side of her personality. It was time for a change.

It was like being possessed; talking and smiling with everyone. Everyone around her noticed it also. That meant that it must be near her Unity Date.

Clarke Griffin was known for being the daughter of one of the most prestigious women on the Ark, Abby Griffin. Clarke was best friends with the Chancellor's son, which means she could have gotten away with nearly anything. Clarke was a beautiful girl, but she was intimidating and she struck fear into the hearts of anyone she looked at. She walked with authority before her sentence, but the day before her execution, her eyes held a sense of begging and humility. Clarke wished she had one of those love potions that Harry Potter made. That would make the quest a whole lot easier.

Clarke filed in behind others in the line to receive her morning ration of rice pudding from Vera Kane. As the slop was poured messily into Clarke's bowl, she heard more people arrive at The Agro Station for their daily morning mush.

"Clarke." A familiar and honeyed voice addressed her. For a moment, Clarke forgot about his wrongdoings and wanted to run up and wrap her arms around him. The image of her father being ejected into space cleared her head, and suddenly flames devoured her mind. Clarke put her tray down on the nearest table and turned around to face Wells. He was standing a mere yard away from her, with a slight smile on his face and his eyes wide. The Chancellor's son lost his baby fat and he looked stronger. Everyone loved Wells, or everyone was afraid to dislike him; he seemed to believe that forgiveness was an easy thing to be given.

"May I help you?" Clarke kept her stone cold face. If she acted upon her feelings of anger, she would never have a chance to find a spouse.

"Clarke, I'm sorry about what I did. I really am." Wells' big brown eyes were begging her to accept his apology. He knew that Clarke's Unity Date expired tomorrow, and that it would be his fault if she got floated. Wells would never be able to live with himself if that happened.

"An apology is not going to bring back my father." Clarke picked her tray back up and dismissed him as she walked towards her quarters. At least she could eat in peace there, maybe get one more painting in before her impending death tomorrow. Clarke could feel Wells' eyes searing the back of her head as she walked away and she knew that he would try to catch up with her. Wells was not one to have the last word, but neither was she.

Clarke quickened her pace and the watery rice pudding spilled onto the tray and coated the pad of her thumb.

"Clarke! Wait! Please…!" Wells was running to catch up with her, but she didn't want to run. That would cause a scene.

"Clarke." Wells put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to slow her down. Wrong decision. Clarke's anger had finally emerged after the effort to be pleasant and calm.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

The tray of rice pudding tumbled to the ground as Clarke's palm collided with Wells' cheek. Everyone in their vicinity turned to watch the two teens. That was exactly the opposite of what Clarke wanted. Wells was still hunched down from the blow. His hand slowly reached up to touch the place where she hit him on his right cheek. A nearby Guard spoke into his radio and slid his hand back to retrieve his shock baton.

"Stand down, Miss Griffin, or we will be forced to confine you." Clarke ignored the guard's empty threat. They wouldn't arrest the daughter of Councilwoman Abby Griffin in public. But, she had to say everything she needed now, before anyone had the chance to react to her mild act of violence.

"I will never forgive you for what you did." Her eyes bore a hole into Wells, who looked so pathetic in that moment. Like a puppy who had disobeyed its master. "You killed my father. You sentenced me to two months of confinement and you broke all of my trust. I will never forgive you." Clarke's hands were balled into fists as she attempted to restrain herself. She couldn't hit Wells again in front of all these people. "I would rather float than marry you." That statement was what Wells was afraid of. He dipped his head into his hands and started sobbing. Clarke shook for just a second as she watched him cry, but no amount of tears from him could equal the hurt that she felt after her father's death.

"Clarke… Clarke, p-please." His words were slurred by his emotions. Clarke couldn't take it anymore. She stepped over her fallen breakfast and marched down the hall while his cries echoed within the metal walls behind her. People swarmed Wells to try and comfort him.

"C-Clarke, Stop. Please!" Once again, Wells was behind her. Insistent that she stop and confront him again. His wails became closer and closer.

"Leave me alone, Wells. You've done enough." Clarke called over her shoulder. She couldn't take this anymore.

"No, Clarke, Please." His footsteps became closer and closer. His hand reached for her left hand. "Clarke, please. I love -" This time, it was Clarke's fist that collided with Wells' cheek. Clarke had never punched anyone in her life, and she didn't know that she possessed that much strength. The boy crashed to the ground with a bang.

"You don't love me." She said. Bystanders gasped and guards jogged towards her. Mild stinging pain pulsed through her hand, but Wells' face probably hurt more.

"Clarke Griffin, put your hands above your head and get on your knees." A tall, dark, older guard ordered. She obeyed, and the guard restrained her hands in handcuffs.

Now she would never find a spouse.

The guard led her past the preying eyes of the witnesses. Wells was beginning to rise from where he fell. "Clarke…" His whisper was barely audible. People surrounded Wells and tried to get him to his feet. "Wait.. Clarke…" His voice was flushed out by concerns of the crowd.

"Aren't you taking to my room? Its that way." Clarke motioned with her head. Her quarters were behind them.

"Nope." The guard answered. His hands, rough around her wrists and back, were leading her to a part of the Ark that she had only been to in order to heal the sick prisoners. "You're going to a confinement cell. This is your second offense."

Clarke's eyes widened. She didn't want to spend her last day in a cell.