Stirring in her sleep, Nora became acutely aware of the sound of someone murmuring in their sleep. A pained cry broke through the children's centre and she knew she couldn't fall back to sleep.
Moving the covers from her body, she rose and placed the cover over Kyra instead. Jimmy lay sleeping in the bed beside them, peacefully and neither children have awoken from the sound. In fact, it seemed it was just her who had heard the child.
With light footsteps, she wandered through the centre, casting her gaze over to the main doors. They were locked and secure. Seeking out the pained, silent cries, she found the noise coming from a young girl who couldn't be any older than 13. She had come into the centre recently in the past few days and had had a hard time settling in. It was a strange setting for older kids to come into, especially if they had previously come from loving homes.
Bending down to crouch beside her bed, Nora touched her arm softly, trying to calm her but the girl bolted awake, her eyes wide in fear. "It's okay, you're safe here." The redhead murmured. "You were having a bad dream."
"A-a nightmare." The girl choked out.
Sweat was beading on her forehead, as she stuttered and peered around the room and the sleeping people in it. "Come with me," Nora extended her hand to her, giving her a gentle smile. "Maybe a change of scenery would be good for you." Wrapping the young girl in her blanket, she kept her warm and feeling safe as they came into the main area. Nora settled into the large sofas they had running down one side of the room, with the girl sitting beside her. "Do you want to talk about your dream?"
She bit her lip, her eyes cast downward. "It's my parents," The blonde girl choked out, "they were floated."
Reaching across the sofa, she felt her heart clench for the girl as she took hold of her hand in hers. The girl stilled before relaxing back into the cushion.
"They broke the law, but it wasn't even that bad. It was just something stupid, but they were floated for it." Her bottom lips trembled. "He pressed the button and took them away from me. I hate him." She growled out, her teeth bared. "I see his face every night. Haunting me."
Nora knew who he was immediately, the one who pressed the button the majority of the time. The one responsible for enforcing the law, Chancellor Jaha. He was the source of a lot of people's pain here on the Ark.
Nora swallowed tightly as memories of her own father being floated flooded her. But it wasn't Jaha who had pressed the button for him. It was Shumway and to this day, she wanted him dead. It was a hard pill to swallow, losing your parents, but she knew exactly how the girl felt.
"I know how you must be feeling." Nora murmured.
"No, you don't." The girl turned to face her sharply, a face full of thunder. "You don't know anything."
Refusing to rise to the angered bait, Nora softly smiled at the girl. "My dad was floated. Someone pushed the button him for breaking the law. I never knew my mother, she died when I was born." She continued to hold the girls hand, refusing to lose that connection with her. She noticed immediately how the frown on her brow relaxed when she told her own story. "My Dad got floated at 13. I know exactly how hard it is, especially at your age. But it does get easier over time. You just have to fight your fears." She murmured the same words that Bellamy had said to her once.
"How?"
"Don't focus on the bad moments, that's where the fears and nightmares come from. You need to focus on the good times you shared with your parents, happy times you had together. That's the only thing that keeps you going for a long time. Like when my dad learnt how to braid hair, he felt bad because I never had a mom, so he tried his best to fill the gap." Nora's face screwed up, "mind you, it wasn't always great. He tried! It didn't look pretty though."
A smile touched the girl's lips. "Did he teach you?"
"Tried to. I was quite a bit better than he was." A smile pulled her lips up and around her teeth. "He always said it was because I had smaller hands and that made it easier to weave."
"My mom used to braid my hair." Nora spared a look at the dark blonde hair that now sat in a limp ponytail at the base of her neck. "First thing in the morning, she braided it before breakfast."
"Do you want me to braid your hair for you?" Nora asked quietly, not sure if it was a step too far for the younger girl. But the moment she had spoken the words, her brown eyes lit up. She didn't say anything, but she nodded, forcing a smile on her lips. "Okay." Nora smiled back at the girl, gesturing for her to turn around on the sofa. Pulling her hair from the band, she separated it out and began to pull the strands together into a french braid.
Humming softly, she saw the girl's body relax. The song had the same reaction on her when she was younger. Her father's voice would instantly soothe any worries or troubles away from her mind, relaxing her into a deep sleep. Finishing the braid and tying it off, she lent forward and pressed a kiss to her head. "You ready to get some more sleep?" Turning, the girl nodded, her hand ghosting up to feel the intricate braids on her head. "You come find me if you get anymore nightmares, yeah? And we can braid your hair any time you like."
The girl scooted over the sofa, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, "goodnight."
"Goodnight, Charlotte." The redhead watched the girl wander through the doors and back to her bed. Hopefully, she would sleep better. It was not unfamiliar for the children to have a hard time settling in to the centre. But with little touches, herself, Gwen and the other volunteers tried to make it as easy and pleasant as possible for them.
When the morning came, Nora and Gwen were up first, as always, preparing breakfast for the kids. The redhead spotted Charlotte in the corner, keeping to herself, until another older kid came by and sat beside her. They quietly spoke between them and Nora had to consider that progress for Charlotte. It was the first time she had spoken to another kid since she had arrived here. Her hair was still braided, slightly messier from sleep, but still intact.
It would be baby steps with Charlotte. She would take time to settle into the routine and just being in a different environment that wasn't her home. But she hoped one day she would get comfortable and relaxed here, just like the other kids were.
Jimmy was the perfect example of that; so happy and excited for life in general. He dreamed of Earth and learning more about the green world they watched from above. He had thrived in the centre, socialising with other kids and helping them when they were slow. But he was a rare case, not all of the kids were like him.
It was especially harder for the older kids, those of Charlotte's age and becoming teenagers. They never adapted so quickly and a handful had ended up in trouble numerous times. Some were just stuck in their ways and were too stubborn to get out of them.
But maybe she could work on Charlotte. If she worked with her, maybe she could creep out of her shell and thrive in the centre like Jimmy had.
"Is Bellamy coming today?"
The little voice pulled her gaze from the teenage newcomer and down to see the boy in question stood next to the kitchen counter.
Giving him a smile, Nora ruffled his hair. "I don't know, buddy. It'll be a surprise if he does."
"Can you ask him to come by? I want to ask him about training."
"Training?"
"For the guard!"
A feeling of dread sunk to her stomach. On one hand she wanted the best in life for the boy, but on the other hand, she didn't trust guards. Well, all but Bellamy and Jones. "Next time I see him, I'll ask him."
"Good." He nodded, as if the answer were good enough for the nine year old.
"You like Bellamy, huh?"
"Yeah, he's cool. He's nice to me." A smile touched her lips at his reply. She knew it was more than that. Jimmy looked up to him, wanted to emulate him, the training was even more evidence of that.
Jimmy continued to hover around the redhead, holding the plastic toy tightly in his hands. The dark haired boy wore the jacket she had got him for his birthday; the badges on either side of his shoulders were still holding on by the thread pretty well. But still the little boy stood beside her, loitering around when he could have been happily playing with others.
"You alright, bud?"
Looking up, he mindlessly twiddled with the toy astronauts helmet; opening and closing. "I miss my mom."
Pausing in food preparation, she turned with a frown to the boy. Her heart breaking at the upside down look he wore. Jimmy very rarely spoke about his mother, only ever when he felt sick or unwell. Crouching down to his level, she asked "are you not feeling good, Jim-bob?" Gently, he shook his head before returning to look back at the astronaut in his hands. "How about a cup of water and a cracker?" Hooking her hands under his arms, she lifted the boy up to sit on the counter beside her as she got the food ready. Nora reached for a cup and turned the sink on, it gurgled in protest before releasing water into the cup. Grabbing a small cracker from her opened ration pack under the counter, she handed it to the boy who quietly thanked her before accepting it.
"You know your mom is watching over you right, bud?" He nodded. His sickness was probably coming from the reduced oxygen supply on Mecha. "Your dad too. They'd be so proud of you." She relaxed against the counter beside him, never straying far.
"Can we go see them today, please?"
"Of course we can." She answered a beat later. "After breakfast, we'll go for a walk and say hey and have a chat, yeah?" He nodded to her, taking another bite of the cracker. "Then maybe we can pop by goodwill and see if Rose has any good stuff for us? You can be my little helper for the day. How's that sound?"
A smile crept onto his face, instantly brightening her mood tenfold. "Yeah."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." He said a little bit louder, taking a sip of the water.
"Good. You can sit up there and watch until you feel a bit better, bud." His dark hair shook as he nodded his head. He would need a haircut soon, she made the mental note as she gathered the kids dishes for their first meal of the day.
She couldn't help the sinking feeling of an unwell Jimmy. She didn't know what she would do if something were to ever happen to him. Nora treasured her moments with the sweet little boy and would do anything to keep him happy.
A couple of years ago she had made a promise to his parents and she refused to ever break it. No, she would protect him with her life if it ever came to it. Which is why It crushed her to see him not be his usual self, not bouncing around the centre high on energy, not chattering a mile a minute or even scoffing down a cracker.
That afternoon, she called for him as she let Gwen know they were leaving. Hand in hand, with both of their jackets wrapped around each other, they left the children's centre for their spot. Jimmy knew the way there like the back of his hand. The little boy guided her along, humming to himself as they went.
Until they came to a stop in front of a large clear glass window. It stretched up to the ceiling, curving at the top. In the distance, the stars shined brightly, almost twinkling in the dark sky as the moon stared back at them in the distance. Other sections of the Ark were visible here, Jimmy was always fascinated to watch them carry out maintenance outside the Ark.
But it was the moon they came to see.
Jimmy's hand slipped from Nora's as he took a few slow steps to the base of the window were a small ledge was. Sitting in the corner, he pressed his face to the glass and spoke, "Hi mom and dad." The words that fell from his mouth, the more tears gathered in Nora's eyes. He had never seen her cry, never seen her break down. But whenever he spoke to the moon, it crushed her so deeply inside as if someone was tearing out her heart.
After he had come to the centre, Nora had found a way for Jimmy to heal the loss of his parents; talking to them. She found the perfect spot and told him the story of where they had gone, to live on the moon. The redhead had always told him that they loved him very much and were never far from him, and that they would always be watching over him.
Nora did a quick head count of the children as they made their way to the education centre the following week. It was a special trip for them, organised by Gwen as she utilised her good connections on Mecha.
They always enjoyed any chance they got to escape the children's centre and explore the Ark more. Some of the kids went to school already, but they were limited in comparison to those with families. Which was why Gwen had pulled for the kids to have more classes, mostly in Earth science and skills.
The smile on Jimmy's face was enough to fill her to the brim with happiness and –
"Wait..." The redhead muttered to herself, her eyes scanning and doing another head count. One short. She had lost one. Frantic eyes scanned the children's heads again. Still one missing. Raising her fingers to her mouth, she wolf whistled, a clear signal to Gwen. The older woman stopped the kids, catching her eyes. Nora raised one finger up and then swiped her hand across her neck: 'one gone'. With the kids distracted and chattering to each other, the older woman did a head count too and frowned at the result.
Gesturing for the woman to walk on to the education centre, Nora signalled she would look. She had an idea of who it was that was missing. She had been dawdling earlier on when they had left.
Carefully retracing their steps, she spotted her immediately.
Stood stock still was Charlotte as she stared on at the doors of the redistribution centre. "Charlotte!" Nora called, approaching the girl and crouching down to her level. "You worried me." Frowning, Nora checked the girl over, but still the blonde girl didn't say anything. "Why'd you stop?"
Her face was blank and emotionless as she looked on straight ahead. "Those are my dads things." Pointing, Nora's eyes followed to find a guard helping another lift a crate of belongings and shoved them in front of the doors. They moved to lift another heavy crate from a trolley. "My mom's clothes..." A glint of something shiny in the first crate caught the light and attracted Charlotte's gaze.
Before Nora could do anything, the girl had shot off to the far end of the hallway like a rocket. "Charlotte!" Calling after her, she was too late to catch her as the girl snatched a necklace from the crate, clutching it tightly in her fist.
"Hey! Get your hands off!" The guard called out, a hard look upon his face. Charlotte shrugged off his grasp from her shoulder, before turning to run back to Nora. But the guard grabbed hold of her arm.
"She didn't mean anything by it." Nora reasoned as she reached Charlotte's side, breathing heavily. "It's her mothers." Trying to appeal to the older guards sympathetic side failed when he snarled at her.
"It is property of the Ark now, give it back, girl." He squeezed Charlotte's arm tighter while his other hand extended out for the necklace, his body bending down.
"Charlotte."
Nora watched the blonde girl squeezed her eyes shut, her jaw clenched, before launching a fist round to attack the older guard. Her nails then raked at his face and Nora watched in horror.
Charlotte's small arms were moving at lightning speed as rage took over and she lashed out. Her hazel eyes spotted the guard retaliate, launching an arm at the younger girl and her protective side came to the front. Reaching out, she blocked the guards hit but an alarm had been raised. Charlotte tried to steal more items from the crate while the older guard was distracted and the younger one had gone for help.
The older guard shoved the redhead to the side, her body slamming against the wall, before grabbing Charlotte's wrists tightly in his hand. Rubbing her shoulder, she watched in with wide eyes as Charlotte swiped at the guard again as he lifted her and tried to restrain her. Thunderous footsteps were heard coming down the hallway; more guards.
A pair of hands pulled her up to standing from her slumped position against the wall. Shrugging their gloved hands from her skin, her eyes remained fixed on the angry little girl who couldn't contain her anger at the guards who were giving away her parents belongings. A scream came from her small body, a gut wrenching sob mixed with a yell of anger. "Get off of me! They're mine!"
For such a small girl, she had so much strength, but the older guard had already over powered her. He just hadn't managed to silence her yet.
"Nora." A soft voice spoke in her face, the hands squeezing her arms again. It was only then that she was jolted from watching Charlotte to the guard before her. But he wasn't a guard, no he was a cadet, he was Bellamy. "What happened?" His voice cut through the girls yells. He wore a hard frown, his eyes full of confusion.
"She lost her parents. She just wants their things back." Her voice was a quiet whisper, as helplessness coursed through her body. She couldn't do anything for this child. There was too much anger in her; she was older, more set in her ways, she couldn't change her. It seemed Charlotte hadn't let go of the anger like Nora had thought. She had worked so hard with her, to help her. But it had failed. "She just wants them back."
"Get off!" The girl screamed before another guard approached with a syringe with a white liquid inside. In mere moments, the young girl went limp in the older guards arms.
With a gruff sound, he passed her off to someone else. "Take her to lock up." Groaning, he shook out his arm and wiped a hand down his scratched face. Turning to the guards, "clean this up" he instructed, gesturing to the belonging that were strewn around the hallway. His eyes raised and caught sight of Nora and Bellamy to the side. "And you," he pointed directly at the redhead. Bellamy turned sharply, half covering her and protecting her from the older guard. But Nora still stood emotionless as the feeling of failure had swept through her. "Don't ever get in my way again." He growled low, his cold eyes boring into her.
Nora could add him to the list of guards who didn't like her.
"Sir, she didn't mean anything by it."
"You better hope she sure as hell didn't, or she'll end up with that little brat." With one last searing look, the older guard turned to walk away. "Keep your girlfriend in line, cadet."
When Bellamy turned to face Nora, he saw how despondent she had grown; her eyes blank, her shoulder slumping and a frown pulling her full lips down. "Nora." The cadet spoke softly, trying to get her attention. He placed his hand on her cheek and angled her face up to meet his. "It's alright."
When her eyes met him, the look in her eyes was a shot to his gut. "No, it's not." Her red locks shook as her head moved, "I failed her. She's going to spend the rest of her days until she's 18 in that skybox. She'll die because I couldn't help her. She—"
"Hey, hey, hey." Bellamy cut her off instantly, "you didn't fail her. You tried your best." His other hand raised to rest on her other cheek, his thumbs automatically brushing across her cheek bone. "Some people can't be saved."
"But it was my job to look after her." Her eyes pleaded with him to understand.
"I know that. You did all that you could."
Taking a deep breath, she released all the worry that was built up inside her as one of Bellamy's hand snaked around to the back of her head and pulled her into his chest. The redhead rested her forehead against his uniform, her arms gripping his jacket.
His fingers massaged her scalp, as his other arm held her tight to him. "You couldn't do any more for her." Bellamy's voice was soft and gentle as he eased her worries away.
Nora took another deep breath, drinking in his soothing musky scent. She let it consume her as she tried to not think about the little girl who had let anger consume her. Maybe Bellamy was right, maybe some people can't be saved. Maybe Charlotte was one of those people.
"And can you stop pissing off guards, please?" Humour laced his words and Bellamy bit back a laugh. "You're making my job of watching over you very difficult." A small laugh bubbled out of her as her body relaxed into him, allowing him to take her troubles away.
A/N: A little bit more back story, a little bit more heartbreak... tell me what you think! ;)
