Hi guys! I was really happy about the amazing response to the last chapter. I'm really glad so many of you like the idea! I just wanted to tell you that new chapters will be up every 3-6 days. I also want to apologize beforehand for any accidental spelling/ grammar mistakes. Here's chapter 2 for you :) Hope you like it.
Chapter 2
It was amazing how much better you felt when you didn't look (and smell) like a wild animal, Clarke thought as she emptied a box of her belongings onto the floor of her tent. With the Ark had come most of her former possessions (and clean clothes!), things she'd thought she would never see again. It had been a little over a week since the ship had arrived on the Earth, and the feats the Council had achieved since then were astounding.
The camp had been shifted to where the Ark had landed, a few miles north of their previous location. Tents had been set up around the Ark for the 2000 something people on board and the station now served as the Council's headquarters and the place where all provisions, machines and weapons were stored. The builders had already started constructing a wall around the encampment to keep out Grounders and other potential dangers.
Surprisingly, Jaha had stayed true to his word and pardoned The 100, most of whom had gone back to their old lives like the past two months hadn't happened. She remembered with a grimace, how, just yesterday, she had seen Monty and waved to him, and he had looked at her like she was a complete stranger and walked away. And she had actually thought they were friends. People were so unpredictable.
She had also seen Finn and Raven around a few times, glued to each other. She fled whenever she caught sight of the two kissing, which was literally all the time. It wasn't a pleasant sight, especially for her, considering what had gone down between her and Finn. She pushed the thought out of her head. It was in the past, and it wasn't something she liked to dwell on.
In fact, now that Clarke thought about it, the only two people she hadn't seen this past week were Bellamy and Octavia. She stiffened whenever she thought about what Bellamy had said to her. Yet, she had found herself wondering, more than once, if he and Octavia were doing fine. She let out an exasperated sigh. Something was seriously wrong with her. He had been a complete jerk to her, and she was actually worried about the idiot.
Just then, an announcement rumbled through the camp's newly installed speaker system, and she went outside to listen better.
"Could I please have everyone's attention? I repeat, I require everyone's utmost attention."
It was Jaha. Everyone stopped what they were doing to listen, and he continued.
"As you all are well aware, we have succeeded in setting up basic requirements on the ground. I must thank each and every one of you for your collaboration and assistance in the matter. Without you, none of this would have been possible."
Clarke heard a few cheers and claps from around her. She rolled her eyes. Were they seriously clapping for themselves?
"The Council has now agreed that the next step in our progress should be repopulating the Earth."
Wait, what?
People exchanged confused glances and started whispering amongst themselves.
"All unmarried individuals above 16 years of age have been paired with a suitable partner. As members of our community, you and your consort are bound by duty to reproduce as soon as possible. The names of the matches have been put up outside the main Ark door. Please identify your partner and wait for further instructions on how to proceed with the situation. Thank you for your cooperation."
At first, Clarke thought it was a joke. She waited for the people around her to start laughing, to somehow indicate that what Jaha had just said wasn't actually happening. But no one did anything of the sort. Instead, there were exclamations of "What the hell" and "They can't be serious", and a whole lot of swearing.
When she finally found her feet, she rushed to the Ark's door, around which a huge crowd had already gathered. Even from afar, she could see the paper plastered onto the door, filled with names. People were trying to push past each other to get a glimpse of who they'd been involuntarily partnered with.
Clarke elbowed her way through the hoard of people. It took a while for her to find her name on the long list. When her eyes found the name beside hers, her eyes widened.
All hell was about to break loose.
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She finally found her mother in the infirmary. She was listening to a little girl's heartbeat, and smiled when she saw Clarke come in. The smile faded as soon she saw the expression on her daughter's face.
"What the hell, Mom? What's going on!?"
Her mother grimaced. She asked the girl to wait outside and placed her stethoscope around her neck.
"He made the announcement?"
"Yes, Mom, he made the announcement. Now do you mind telling me why you're doing what you're doing?"
"Clarke, honey, it's not that simp-"
Clarke felt something inside her break. Suddenly, she was tired of being controlled by her mother and the Council.
"DON'T TELL ME IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE. It's pretty damn simple, mother. You're taking away our choices, manipulating us!"
She paused, taking a deep breath.
"Bellamy. Bellamy goddamn Blake."
She almost laughed at the ludicrosity of it.
"In what world, do Bellamy and I make a "suitable" pair? You know Mom, if you were so adamant on ruining my life, you could have at least chosen a better person to do it."
Her mother almost looked sorry for her. Almost.
"Thelonious thought it was a good idea. He saw the way you handled him last week, thought you could keep an eye on him. He still doesn't trust Bellamy completely."
"Who freaking cares what Jaha thinks!? But just let me get this straight, you're marrying me off to some guy so that I can keep an eye on him?
"Well, it's not exactly marria-"
"You want me to keep an eye on him. Make babies with him. If that's not marriage, Mom, what is?"
Her mother looked at a loss for words. Clarke sighed.
"Can you fix this?"
Abby shook her head.
"You don't understand. Even if I wanted to, I don't have that sort of power anymore. I lost my seat on the Council when I sent Raven here."
Clarke's eyes widened. This was news to her. She wondered why her mother hadn't mentioned it sooner.
"Still, you don't think you could convince Jaha? I mean, the guy is practically in love with you."
"I'm sorry, Clarke. I can't do anything. And if you think about it, this is the best thing for our community right now."
Clarke was silent for a moment.
"People are angry, Mom. Really angry. You didn't see what I saw these past two months. If you're not careful, you may have a rebellion on your hands. Hell, if you're not careful, I'll be the one leading the rebellion."
Her mother looked shocked.
"This isn't like you, Clarke."
"What did you think, Mom? I was locked up for a year. I was sent down here against my will to die. Did you still expect me to be your perfect little girl?"
Suddenly, she was tired of arguing. There was nothing more she could say to her mother that would convince her to try and change the Council's mind. She went out of the room without another word, shutting the door behind her.
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It took some asking around, but she finally found Bellamy's new tent. She went inside, still without a clue as to what she was going to say to him. It looked as if a bomb had exploded inside. There was stuff everywhere. Bellamy, clearly flustered, was kneeling on the floor, picking up things at random and throwing them into a rather large duffel bag.
He didn't even bother looking up when she came in. As if knowing what she was about to ask, he said, "Octavia and I are leaving. I've had enough of this bullshit. And don't even try and stop me."
She had no intention of doing so. In fact, she was pretty inclined to run away herself. She didn't get a chance to say so, however, because at that moment Octavia burst into the tent. Either she didn't see Clarke there, or she didn't care, because she spoke only to her brother.
"Hey, what's going on, Bell?"
"We're leaving. Pack your things."
"No."
Bellamy went completely still. He finally turned his attention from the duffel bag to his sister.
"What did you just say?"
"I'm not leaving. You can't make me."
Bellamy looked at her like she was crazy.
"Octavia, these people killed our mother for having more than one baby. And now, they're forcing us to have babies. With people they've chosen for us. Do you realize how messed up that is?"
Octavia, shook her head, looking as stubborn as ever.
"They're still our people. And what's out there is a million times worse than what's in here. We won't even last a week in the forest without backup. So, no, Bellamy, I'm not leaving. And there's nothing you can do about it."
There was nothing more to it. Bellamy had clearly lost the argument. She left, leaving Bellamy alone with Clarke. He still refused to look at her as he emptied the contents of his almost full bag onto the floor. When he finally spoke, his tone was bleak.
"Interesting situation we've gotten ourselves into, isn't it, Princess?"
And so it begins! Please do let me know what you think.
