So, yay! An update! I'm about five chapters ahead right now (we'll see how long that lasts). I also made a rough plot line, so I know where I'm going and such. I think I'm going to try to get these chapters out every 7-10 days. No promises, but it's good to have goals.
I want to thank all my reviewers for the overwhelming popularity this got with the second chapter. Maybe to you it's not a lot, but going from one review to like ten the next chapter is so incredibly awesome. It would be equally as awesome if you could keep up the good reviewing, maybe?
Thanks to my reviewers for making me want to update this again: sydcasy, teamtoretteosupporter, Michelle215, heth, foxcharin, Nessie2000, Guest, JCarabaguiaz, and ManonVarendaz.
Heth: I think so too! I think it's going to be interesting (for myself as much as you) to see how different they are, and others from the 100, had they met people to love younger and such!
The program was overwhelmingly successful. Thelonius was pleased to report back to Abby and Jake that it seemed almost everyone had responded it with positive attitudes. There were the few negative naysayers, but those people were present at any situation ever. There were hundreds from the lower stations, as he'd expected, but what he hadn't foreseen was the support from the more well off stations.
"It's thanks to you two." He said, "People trust you and your judgment. I had more that one person tell me that hearing my own son would be in the program was nice, but hearing Clarke would be as well truly made them believe that this could work."
"So, you think you have enough applications?" Abby asked.
"At the time of the closing of the applications today, 38% of the youth population has been entered." Jaha was beaming. Although the number was not even half, he considered this a colossal victory. He'd expected the number to be 7 or 8 percent, if he was being generous. But 38? That was mind-blowing, "The families that are not chosen will receive a consolation gift for being so generous to help the better of the Ark. While the amount may not make much of a difference to a person in a higher station, it will be very well received to those in lower ones. These people offered their children knowing they might not be picked with the hope of something better. They deserve a little back in return." Jaha continued.
"I think that's right." Jake said, nodding, "When will you have decided?"
Jaha let out a long breath. "These things take time. We need to be extremely careful. I would like you, Abby, to go through medical histories and decide which children would not be applicable for this sort of program."
Abby stared at him, and let out a strangled chuckle, "You want me to go through about 200 medical histories?"
"As I said, these thing take time. Optimistically, I give it 5 months to pair things properly. Realistically, 8." He handed Abby a pad, "I don't expect you to do it all in one day, obviously, or for it to take away from your job. You can just do it when you have time. Also, this way you know anyone your daughter will be paired with will be of good health." He pointed out.
"Fine." Abby agreed, "Only because you asked."
It took 5 and a half months to figure everything out, get all the couples squared away. In the end, there were 22 couples. The first hundred or so people had been whittled away for various reasons; bad health history, history of problems within that family, or psychological tendencies, and a million more. After that, Jaha locked himself away, only bringing in an expert of some sort every couple days, trying to craft the best matches he possibly could. He made a point to observe the parent or parents and the child to see what they were like. He tried to make sure that there would be an opportunity for these children to grow up compatible.
He only found 44 people worthy and in right enough state, as he informed Abby and Jake privately. To the public, he said that it was because this was the first run, and he didn't want to over-fill the experiment. Perhaps, he said, if this went well the idea would be brought up to be done once every generation. 22 couples were hard enough to track as it was.
The couples were not announced publically to everyone, mostly because Jake and Abby asked him to. They didn't want to tell Clarke at all, but hoped that Jaha's match would be on the mark. After considering their appeal, he realized that it might be best after all, so that the children had every chance of growing up with a semblance of normality surrounding them, instead of stardom or jealously or even hatred. On the day of a couple's marriage, he would release the announcement they were part of the project.
He also helped the secrecy of it all would help embolden those not within the program that fell in love with someone in a different station, as it would be normalized and hopefully get to a point that those in the program could just as well be those out.
If a parent or a child wished to make it known, that was his or her own choice, but for now it was held under tight secrecy. Everyone that submitted an application, chosen or not, received a small sum to make sure that someone couldn't deduce other than Wells and Clarke- who were obvious participants- who was partaking in it. Jaha made careful visits to parents to announce the news.
The last pair of parents he was visiting was Abby and Jake.
"I think it might be helpful to have a group of the children in the program, just an after-school sort of situation. We cannot possibly pretend to understand what they will go through, and it might be nice for them to have a support group."
"We still don't plan on telling Clarke. Wouldn't it be obvious if almost all the children were paired up and she and her partners were left? She's not dumb, Thelonius." Jake said.
"I never thought she was. But as it is, most parents seem to share similar sentiments as you, the hope their children will fall in love naturally. If at most, it seems one or two parents intend to tell their children right away. One or two pairs out of 44 students? Hardly obvious."
"It does seem like a reasonable idea." Abby was nodding, "A network of others. Well thought out."
"It will also encourage bonding among the stations. I will create other groupings of parents that wish to push their children out of their comfort zone in the same way, but obviously not with them in the program." Jaha said, thinking out loud.
"I suppose..." Jake frowned, "I have been wondering what you think the success rate for this will be? We have far more people in the lower stations than the higher, so it's obvious that most of the participants will be from those places. Also, by the numbers, those stations produce the most delinquents."
"I do hope that perhaps they will be told when they are older and the prospect of a better life down the road will assure them they don't have to turn to felonies such as stealing or selling illegal items. As we also know, most of the delinquents or offenders were doing it for harmless reasons, like feeding a family or getting medicine for sick children. If we were in a kinder world..." Jaha shook his head, "I truly couldn't guess. I just hope that this will be enough."
Jake grunted in agreement.
Jaha pulled a sheet from his bag. "Every family has one, for reference, and all have been very reasonable and promised not to let anyone see the list. They are of course parents, first and foremost, and their main concern is their children."
Jake and Abby grabbed the paper anxiously, their eyes ravenously eating through the page to find their daughter's name and the name that would one day-God willing- be their future son-in-law.
"Bellamy Blake?" Jake read out loud, "Where is he from? Do you remember, honey?" He turned to Abby.
"I scrolled through 203 histories, Jake. I couldn't even recall Wells' by this point." She said, laughing. Jaha was prepared. He had a table with the boy's information ready for them. The pair of parents fell into silence as they absorbed everything about him.
"Whose his father?" Jake said, frowning, as the area where the parents were listed only had a singular name.
"I think I recall this." Abby said, putting the tablet down, "A woman came in, clearly anxious and distressed, pregnant. She had no husband. I asked her as kindly as I could if it could have been an assault, but she very firmly wouldn't talk about it. I always had a feeling the child was conceived in poor circumstances, but she already seemed like a good mother. I get feelings of that, you know?"
"Are you sure this boy is the best match for Clarke?" Jake asked, his eyes still glued to the singular parental name.
"His mother is the hardest worker I know. She was recommended to me a couple years ago on very good assurance she was the best seamstress on the Ark, and I couldn't agree more. She is a good person, and does her work diligently and it is always well done. It is not many mothers that can single-handley control a ship, but she does it well."
"And the boy?"
"From every teacher he ever had, I heard the same things over and over. The mountains of praise. He is unwaveringly respectful, incredibly intelligent, a harder worker than his mother-, which I didn't quite think possible, but most of all the kindest soul, they've met in a very long time. Between you and me, I truly think I gave you the best choice of all the boys we got. The circumstances of his birth station are unfortunate, but nothing that could have been helped. I think that now that he has doors opened and opportunities laid out he could do something big. His teachers even laughed about him being Chancellor, and I know they don't say that about just any student."
He let the two think about what he said.
"I look forward to meeting him." Abby finally said, smiling, "I do think that this is a very good choice, Thelonius. Hopefully it will play out in our favor."
Miles away, at the Blake room Aurora couldn't believe her luck. Jaha had only just left after giving her possibly the best news of her life. Her son not only had been chosen for the project, but he was to marry Clarke Griffin of Alpha station. She could have never hoped for something more prosperous than this.
She knew of Clarke's parents and found them, besides the current Chancellor, to be two of the most honorable people aboard the ARK. Abby Griffin was known by trade to treat almost anyone, despite their station, and had gone to lengths more than one to save someone who other doctors might not deem worthy. She'd actually met Jake Griffin once; she'd patched a rip in his work jeans for him, although she doubted he recalled. Although the job had been laughably easy and not more than a ten-minute fix, Jake had been so kind and bright and had insisted on giving her a bigger tip than she could ever deserve for that small of work.
She had no question in her mind that the daughter of these two star people would be anything but kind and compassionate and lovely. She didn't know if Bellamy would be able to fall in love with her, but this girl gave him a damn good shot at that.
Bellamy carefully opened the door and shut it quickly behind him, returning home from school. They never let their door swing too widely open, in case Octavia was out and about for some reason.
"Mom, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" He questioned, and Aurora wiped her eyes. She hadn't even realized she'd been crying happy tears until he said something.
Octavia, hearing her brother's voice, shoved back the floor tile. "A voice I don't recognize was in here. I couldn't her what he was saying though. It sounded boring though." She said, detangling herself from the knot she twisted herself in to stay comfortable in her small space under the floor.
Panic ran across Bellamy's face.
"No, mom, is Octavia-," He asked, his first thoughts that the man in here had found out about his sister.
"We're still safe, Bellamy. I was getting some good news, that's all." She assured, taking her son's hands in her own, "Some very good news."
"Oh," He relaxed, "What is it?"
She contemplated telling him, for a brief second. Then she recalled Jaha had told her that Clarke's parents wanted it a secret. She could understand their hesitation to tell her, Clarke was only five after all. Bellamy-and Clarke for that matter- did deserve to know, but not today. One day in the future.
So, she instead brought out the small sum of money Jaha had gifted them so no one would be able to tell who was in the program or not; everyone who applied got a thank-you gift of money. Perhaps for Clarke, this sort of money was just enough to get trinkets or something to save for a dark day and spend all in one. But she could stretch this gift for months, starting with a special dinner.
"We get a nice dinner tonight. Anything you want, Bellamy." She said, holding up the bag.
"O can decide." Bellamy said quietly, his eyes widening, "Where did you get that?"
"I won a contest." She said, which was true, "And you should decide tonight Bellamy. You deserve a moment of what you want." She said, which letting him pick the dinner choice was the least he could do now that she was signing his adult life away. She hoped one day he'd understand what she did and why.
"If you're sureā¦" He frowned, tapping his foot, "Do you think you could get us Turkey and Gravy? Like that meal we had once for Thanksgiving?" He asked softly.
She patted his cheeks, and kissed his unruly black hair. "That sounds wonderful Bell, I'll go right now."
As she was closing the door, she was accosted by a sometimes friend. They were friends only because they ran in the same circle of, well, outside business. And, if Aurora was being perfectly honest, she couldn't stand her. Friendship indeed was a very lose term.
"Jaha made rounds today. Bell a lucky winner?" She asked, right in Aurora's face. On one hand, Aurora was extremely tempted to brag. What mother didn't want to tell everyone she knew about how great their child was? But she withheld her bragging, thinking of not herself but her son and her future-daughter-in-law.
"Seems not." She said, and that was all she said.
"Awe, real shame, you know." The woman snapped her lips; somehow she had bubblegum, "Too bad. Don't feel too let down, though. Not everyone can as perfect as my son, Dax-he was picked, don't you know? You do well anyway, so, you know, you'll still be fine."
Aurora forced a smile, "You're right. We'll be perfectly fine." And indeed, she had no doubt about that. Her son was marrying the Alpha Princess; there was only one, so obviously Dax had matched with someone else. And this was the victory she silently rejoiced in her heart all the way down to the food distribution center.
So, next chapter, Bellamy and Clarke meet for the first time as a couple to marry (although they won't know that at all!)
Please remember to leave a review! It really means a lot to me!
