Only three little reviews :( But i understand that the previous chapter wasn't the most 'Bellarky' which is obviously why you're all here, but still was a little disappointing. It made me love those of you that reviewed even more: CheriEstella, heidi1245401, and catcatcar.
The photobucket is up! Link in bottom notes :)
Six Years After Start of Program
It was after that that they began to see death more frequently, like Alex Murphy had been some sort of catalyst. Many adults would have told them they were lucky to be spared until over ten to understand death on the personal level most now did, for a lot of people saw it at a much younger age.
No one could really ignore that one of their own had lost not just a friend, but also a father. Now, almost six years and counting in this after-school group, there was a sort of kinship between the people, an invisible thread that connected them all, despite the varying personalities.
There was only one photograph of Alex onboard the ARK, and that was his council sanctioned work photo, like everyone got when they started their assignments. It was understandable why Murphy wouldn't have wanted that to be the only reminder of his dad, so Clarke took the matter into her own hands. His father's final smile had haunted her for months after, the smile he gave when he hugged Murphy and whispered his final love into his ear, and so it was all too easy to draw it out in perfect detail. She sacrificed one page of her sketchbook to hand him it, and although at first he just stared at it with half-anger and half-pain, Raven assured Clarke that he never went anywhere without it anymore.
"That was a nice thing you did." Bellamy told her, knowing more than anyone how special the notebook was to her.
"He deserved it." She said, never taking her eyes off the movie they were viewing, "It as his dad…"
And although Bellamy didn't understand fully what it meant, for he never had a father, he liked Jake Griffin well enough at this point to realize the despair Clarke would feel if he was floated. In some ways, when he let his dreams get far ahead of himself, he found Jake to almost be like a dad to him as well.
Clarke thought about that day often, and how it had started to change her view of everything she'd been raised to think. She couldn't understand how her mother did this so often, and how the faces and last sounds of those that were floated didn't horrify her.
For the good of the Ark was beginning to simply not be a good enough reason for her.
She was glad to find later that others had similar feelings. The story of the execution of Alex got around their group soon enough, what led up to it and how Murphy himself almost died. In the quiet moments, when the teachers weren't near and no one had passed by the door in an hour, they whispered. Clarke heard most of it, and she was relieved that maybe to think such things weren't as crazy as she thought.
"You gotta wonder," Monty whispered once, breaking the silence while Wells and Jasper played chess and the others watched, "how that could be right?"
"When I'm on the council," Aloysius, or Al as most called him, a capricious child who had grand dreams to be a politician one day, "I'm going to try to fix that. There has to be a middle ground, you know?"
"Not fair, no way. Murphy can be a little out there, but his dad was a great guy. He didn't do it to be selfish, and that should count, right?" Stasia Huron proclaimed louder than most.
Even Bree had a comment on it, "I understand why it was done, but that doesn't mean I agree with it." She was shaking with anger when she said this; the closest to exploding with emotion anyone had ever seen her.
Bellamy had, by far, the most unsettling comment, which he only shared with Clarke in private, a night where both her parents had gone to a meeting. He'd seen them leave, and Clarke had asked him what was bothering him, since his brow was so deeply knit.
"I've been replaying that night. How they just executed those sick people and then slowly I heard the families getting notices about how they'd died under the illness. It was sporadically done, at least it seemed. They were all too good at making the people believe there was nothing that could have been done, and that they weren't just thrown into space. If they've lied about these things before, and they can do it without even flinching, what else have they been lying to us about?" His eyes met Clarke's, and she shivered under the intensity of his gaze.
"I don't want to think about that." Her throat was dry, "I imagine there are a lot of secrets on the Ark we can't even phantom. The worst might be done by my own parents." Her eyes clouded, and Bellamy sighed, swearing under his breath.
"Clarke," He murmured, "I didn't mean to…your parents are good people. Some of the only council members I trust implicitly. I didn't mean to imply that they'd-,"
"My mom was the one that visited families. She lied, I know she did." Clarke cut him off, twiddling her thumbs, "I would have come to that conclusion myself, and only the stars know how much I've been thinking about that day anyway. I think it would be stupid of me to assume they're perfect, you know?" She chewed on the end of a small pencil, "You got to realize eventually that even your parents have flaws."
Bellamy didn't point out that heavy lying was a little more than a 'flaw'.
The most surprising conversation she had about it happened with Wells. He was always stoically silent when someone was expressing their views, so she thought that all that time he was biting his tongue against fighting them. That he sided with his dad, as would be naturally assumed, and he might dislike the way they all had lost a little bit of faith in his father and the system.
But once, when it was just the two of them alone like the time before the groups and such, he caught her off guard. All they were doing was making cookies for their after school group (at Clarke's insistence; she wasn't sure he loved everyone there, and probably wouldn't have made cookies in his free time) and so it wasn't even like Clarke was asking him to pony up his views on the matter. It just came out.
"I think my dad and the rules are wrong." He said, so out of the blue that Clarke dropped the cookie she was icing.
"Darn it." She muttered, looking sourly at the now ruined circle. She set it aside; perhaps she'd eat it. Nothing should be wasted on the Ark, "What were you saying?" She'd heard him, but she almost wanted him to have a moment to redact it, in case it wasn't really what he thought.
When she looked into his eyes, she saw he was dead serious.
"My dad taught me from the day I was born that the survival of the human race as a whole, getting to the point when we can go back down again and touch the ground, is more important that the lives of any one individual person." He repeated, a textbook phrase that by the time you grew up, you'd heard two million times at least.
"I used to believe it." He seemed deeply troubled, "Used to think that nothing could change it. But this? The way they just…" He swallowed, "I don't know Clarke. I…he's wrong."
Clarke watched him carefully, thinking about it.
"So when you're chancellor, you're going to change all this, huh?" She questioned. As much as one disagreed, what could a couple kids truly do other than hope for a better future. Wells seemed to relax, his shoulders sagging.
"I guess." He muttered, "But maybe I wouldn't even get elected, since I don't think I agree with the biggest thing about us and the Ark that there is." He sighed, dejected. In a way, Clarke understood. Wells had always been groomed and he had naturally assumed he would one day sit on the council, and perhaps lead them all. He'd taken the assumption in stride, and maybe he wanted it too. But to learn everything your views are based on are faulty? It sort of shook up your whole plan, didn't it?
"I've been thinking about it a long time. How I don't agree with things my father does. Like-," Wells cut off suddenly. Wells was articulate; he almost never misspoke. Yet now he frantically frosted cookies, glancing at Clarke and hoping she didn't ask.
"Like what?" Wells should know Clarke better than that.
"It's nothing."
"Well, if it upsets you, it's not nothing." Clarke took the cookie from him, placing a finger under his chin and gently lifting his face, "Wells, we're best friends. I would trust you with anything, and you can trust me."
"I can't." He shook his head, "It's not…" He pressed his lips together.
"Wells." She used her most authoritative voice, "It's not healthy to keep secrets!"
He looked at her, still unsure, and opened his mouth.
"If I t-," He never finished, because Benny smashed in the door.
"Guys! Come quick. Something's happened."
Immediately, they abandoned their cookies and all thoughts of the previous conversation, for the anxiety in Benny's voice wasn't anything usual.
"What's the matter?" Clarke jumped to catch up with Benny's long legs.
"Bell and I, we were just hanging around, you know?" Benny said, "And then we saw some guards carrying off a kid, and Jovanna was sobbing behind him. Some shit went done, Clarke." He sounded terrified.
They reached a small alcove near Benny's house, and already a small group of their after school people had assembled around her. Jovanna Weizoreck was on her knees, sobbing on her hands. Bellamy was at her level, trying to talk softly to her.
Clarke elbowed her way to the front. She obviously wasn't a great friend with Jovanna, her being a year older and having a different group of friends, but to see someone that she knew in a more intimate way so upset was painful, plus as Benny had so eloquently put, 'shit went down'.
"Jo." She whispered, "Hey." She put a careful hand on Jovanna's arm. Jovanna startled, blinking up at Clarke with wide eyes.
"People are starting to notice," Bellamy whispered softly to Clarke, as he got up to peer over the crowd of just their friends, "We need to get her somewhere else."
One of Jovanna's better friends from the group, Kieran, pushed forward and put Jovanna's arm around one of her shoulders, while Clarke took the other. Wells and Bellamy helped move the crowd as they brought her back to Clarke's house.
They only let a few people in; Wells, Bellamy, Kieran, and Benny because Jovanna looked a little overwhelmed. Clarke got her a glass of water, and Kieran whispered softly to her.
"Do you know what happened?" Clarke questioned Bellamy, who followed Clarke into her kitchen.
"No. But she must have known the guy the guards came from." Bellamy was frowning, "They were close, I gathered."
"Did you know him?"
He sighed, "Recognized him from a class or two, he's my age. His name is Kevin or Melvin or something like that."
Clarke nodded, bringing the water back to her.
"What happened?" Wells knelt by her, "Hey, it's fine."
"Nothing's fine." Jovanna gasp out, trying to collect herself as she took the glass from Clarke's hand, "They took Marv. He's going to the SkyBox."
"Whose Marv?" Benny asked bluntly, scratching his head. Jovanna drank the water, taking deep gulps of air. She was able to speak a little clearer now.
"My friend. We're neighbors, even if he's 15 and I'm only 12. He's really good at computers, and-," She broke off, fiddling her thumbs, looking cautiously at Wells.
"Hey, whatever you say, total confidence. I won't tell my dad. We just want to know what happened." Wells said assuring her, and Clarke nodded with relief at his words. She didn't want Jovanna clamping up because the son of the chancellor was there.
"Well, he's really good at finding ways into places and all on the mainframes. I mean, I guess it's not exactly legal, but it's all really stupid stuff that why would they care about anyway? But yesterday he said he found something really big, and he needed to tell me about it. It was a huge secret of something. We met at the place where we usually talk about quiet stuff, but before he could tell me, guards appeared out of nowhere, saying he committed treason." Her lip quivered and she began sobbing all over again, "They took him away, and they won't tell me why."
"And you don't know anything about this 'secret'?" Bellamy narrowed his eyes.
"No. Well, it apparently had something to do with me, but he never got the chance to finish." She finished her water, "If it's all the same to you guys, I don't really want to talk anymore." She said sullenly, and Clarke nodded to her, and pulled everyone but Kieran away from her.
"Let her mourn." Clarke said, although it seemed Benny was dying to ask more questions.
"You're not curious?" He asked, throwing his hands toward her, "What if it's about us too; this 'big secret'. Why would it just be about Jo? She's not exactly extraordinary." He scoffed.
"I'll ask my dad." Wells said, scowling, "Maybe it's all a mistake. It has happened." He said. He excused himself, and Benny and Bellamy left soon after, taking Jovanna back to her room with Kieran.
It was two days before Clarke was alone with Wells again, and she was all too curious. She wasn't going to be obvious about it, like Benny was, but she did want to know if this was something she might be concerned about.
"It wasn't a mistake, apparently." Wells said as they walked home from section, "Worse, he's in solitary. Apparently whatever it was…that secret…" He let out a long exhale.
"Shit." Clarke rarely swore, but the circumstance demanded it.
"Yeah."
Clarke let them walk three more steps before she asked, "I think I recall you were telling me a secret too?"
"I can't." Wells stiffened immediately.
"Oh, come on, we've been through this!"
"I can't, and not just…" He bit his lip angrily, and almost looked close to tears, which was unfamiliar for Clarke, "They took Marv away so they might-" He broke off, kicking the side of the hallway.
"Take you away?" Clarke finished for him, "No way, I mean, you're dad is the chancellor! Plus, I mean they probably tagged him a while ago for his actives, and they knew when he opened something sensitive. Who am I going to tell?" She said, "We're safe."
"It doesn't matter if my father's the chancellor." Wells said in a low even voice, "He would lock me up, I know it. He would have to." His lip quivered, "I'm sorry Clarke, but I just can't tell you. It's safer if you don't know either. They might figure it out and come for you."
"I don't care."
"You would though. I can't do that to you." Wells reached the door of his house, "Please, Clarke, just forget about it. For me, your best friend?" Damn, he played the BFF card.
"Fine." Clarke bit out, angry, and she spun on her heels, "Don't tell me." She wasn't truly angry with him, but she was frustrated at the situation. She'd never seen Wells look so terrified of something, and so sure that if he told her, his father would have to arrest him. She trusted him, and if he was positive of the outcome, she knew she couldn't budge him. He was unsuspectingly solid in that sort of way. So, although she never again asked him about it, she never stopped wondering either.
I think we all know what Marv found out. Poor Marv!
Anyway, like I said, the photobucket is up and all :) Here's the link (take out the spaces for it to be functional)
w w w . s61. photobucket user /frostedgemstones22 /library /Project%20Iphigenia?sort=3&page=1
The 'partner' and 'job' places are currently empty, and will be updated with the story. There are some little tidbits there to know and all! Let me know what you think? Did certain OCs look how you expected them? Tell me!
Also, for those of you that have tumblrs and would like to follow me (and feel free to ask me anything on tumblr! I love connecting with my readers) my tumblr is frostedgemstones22. I mostly just reblog nerdy 100, HP, and Marvel stuff, so If y'all like that, I'm the blog to follow XD When I get asks about my stories, I answer those too!