Clarke comes to in a small room in quarters that are unfamiliar to her. The walls and floor are gray like the blanket she was resting her head on. She sits up in a panic as memories flood her mind. The dance. The solar flare. Her soulmate.
Her eyes land on a sewing kit with red thread spilling out of it on the floor, a blue uniform hanging up on the back of a door, and then a stack of brown books by the bed. Clarke sighs. She could still see color.
"How do you feel?" a low voice sounds in the empty room. Clarke looks up to see her soulmate standing in the doorframe. His broad shoulders barely fit in the door and his curls brush the top of the frame.
Clarke tries to swallow but her mouth is dry. Her fingers go up to rub her temple where her head is throbbing.
"I'm fine. How long was I out?"
"Ten minutes."
"Why did you bring me here? Where are we?" Clarke looks around the small room. Beside the few items she had seen, there were two bunks made into the walls, and not much else in the space.
"We're in Farm Station," he says and she notices the abbreviation of the Station written on the back of a door.
"The halls were crowded from the Solar Flare Alert but I can take you to Medical if you feel like you need to go."
"I'm fine," Clarke says and goes to jump down from the bunk, but her legs are still weak.
Her soulmate rushes into the room to catch her again. His arms slide around her waist and he helps her into the main living quarters. He pulls out a chair for her to sit down in. He doesn't sit himself, but stands with his arms folded assessing her from across the room.
"I thought you were just helping us create a distraction, not blacking out for real."
"I saw your brown hair so I knew it was you. I didn't exactly plan on passing out, you know," Clarke says staring up at him and then glancing around the room quickly. No one else was there with them.
"You knew it was me?"
"Yeah, you're my soulmate," Clarke says and slowly gets up from her chair and reaches her hand out, "I'm Clarke Griffin."
Her soulmate doesn't uncross his arms to shake her hand.
"Princess of the Ark," he says with surprise. "Well, Princess, my name is Bellamy Blake. But you are not my soulmate."
"W-what?" Clarke falters at his words as her hand falls at her side.
"What color are my eyes?" Bellamy asks her.
"Brown," she answers automatically.
"What color are my eyes?" a female voice says and the girl from earlier pops up from under the floor. Clarke slides her chair back in fright and yelps in surprise. The girl climbs out of a hole in the floor and Bellamy reaches down to pull her up with one hand and pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration with the other.
"I told you to wait until we left, O."
The girl stands in front of Clarke waiting on a response. Her hair is long and brown, but not curly. Her face doesn't hold any freckles, but the similarities are hard to miss.
"Are you brother and sister?" Clarke whispers looking between the two. The realization is shocking. The Ark had a strict one-child only policy, but tonight's events were beginning to click into place and make sense to her.
"What color is this?" The girl holds up a stuffed animal.
"It's gray," Clarke says absentmindedly still in shock from the revelation, though no one else in the room confirms or denies it.
"You're lying. Mom always says it's slate blue."
"Slate is like a grayish color. Like a storm cloud. Or mountain rock. And your eyes are blue green."
"Mom always—"
"Hazel," Clarke cuts her off.
"That's enough, Octavia," Bellamy says firmly. His sister huffs and places her hands on her hips but doesn't say anything more.
Clarke is fascinated by them. And her eyes bounce back and forth watching their interaction.
"I'm not your soulmate," Bellamy tells her again. She stares at him.
"Yes, you are. I can see color now. Can't you?"
"No, I can't!" Bellamy says his voice louder than he means it to be. He finally takes a seat at the table and props his elbows up on the metal and folds his hands together. His face is unreadable as Clarke searches it for some sign that he's lying.
He doesn't meet her eyes and she shivers suddenly becoming aware of how over-dressed she is in the room. Her plum dress looks like a blemish surrounded by all the gray around her. She runs her hands up and down her arms.
"Here," Octavia says handing her an oversized gray sweater out of nowhere. The elbows are worn thin and there are holes in the sleeves, but at least she'll be warm. Clarke thanks her and wraps the sweater around herself.
She pulls her chair back to the table, close to Bellamy, and sits down.
"I first saw you when I was five. Just the back of your head. I've been searching for you ever since," Clarke tries to explain.
"And you saw the color of his hair? I didn't think it worked like that," Octavia says and joins them at the table.
"Neither did my mom or the eye doctor, but I could see it," Clarke says and shrugs at Octavia.
Bellamy doesn't speak, so Clarke changes the subject back to them.
"How old are you?" she asks Octavia.
"Sixteen."
"Wow. And your parents have managed to keep you hidden all this time?"
"It's just us and our mom," Bellamy speaks this time. His face is soft as he looks over at his sister.
"My mother never had a soulmate either. She fell in love with a few different men through the years. Had me. Had Octavia. I joined the guard so I could help protect her."
"Bell thought everyone would be distracted enough tonight that I could just blend in," Octavia chimes in rolling her eyes.
"I shouldn't have taken you. It was reckless," Bellamy grumbles.
"You can't keep her hidden forever."
"I have to. They'll float us all if the Council finds out about her."
Clarke looks over at Octavia who says nothing. Her eyes are lowered. The conversation doesn't appear to be anything new to the girl.
"How will she meet her soulmate though?" Clarke asks. It's a childish thing to say and Bellamy scoffs at her.
"I hate to break it to you, Princess, but soulmates aren't all they're cracked up to be. Look at us."
Clarke can't help but smile a little at his words. His acknowledgment that they're soulmates even if he still can't see color.
"I can help you hide her," Clarke offers.
An alarm sounds before Bellamy can answer and the P.A. system blares into the quiet room.
"Solar Flare Alert. Remain in your safe zone. There is a Solar Flare Alert."
As soon as the alarm stops ringing, there's a loud knock on the door and Bellamy and Octavia spring into action.
"Inspection. Open up, Cadet Blake."
"An inspection during a solar flare? We're safe in the living quarters. Why would the guards even come here?" Clarke asks in confusion as she watches Bellamy open the latch to the secret space for Octavia. Octavia grabs her bunny from the table and jumps down.
As Bellamy shuts the hatch he motions for Clarke to tuck in Octavia's chair. Clarke is surprised by the random guest, but Bellamy isn't.
"Shumway was at the dance and saw us. I guess now's a good time to help me hide my sister. You ready?"
She looks at him with wide eyes and tries to nod, but he's already opening the door before she can compose herself.
"Lieutenant Shumway. Come in. Do you need any help out there with the Solar Flare?" Bellamy's face is once again unreadable, but Clarke can see his fingers twist around each other behind his back.
"Blake. I just wanted to check up on you and your...soulmate." The way the Lieutenant strides into the room, Clarke knows he's not expecting to find her and when his eyes land on her she transforms her face into a delighted smile and bright eyes.
"Hello," Clarke waves at him.
"Miss Griffin, how are you feeling?"
"A little light headed. I think I may have caught a glimpse of the solar flare before the alert went out. Do you think we could get someone to page Dr. Glass? I know it's late, but…" her voice trails off.
Bellamy looks at her with astonishment. Like maybe he doesn't need to see in color for him to believe Clarke his is soulmate. Her ability to cover for him is so natural.
"I can escort you there," Shumway nods. Fake inspection forgotten as he turns out of the room.
Bellamy grabs his coat and Clarke follows behind the two men shutting the door firmly behind her and leaving Octavia under the floor.
Out in the hallway, Bellamy convinces Shumway they're okay to head down to Medical on their own. And Shumway promises to page the eye doctor.
"Thanks," Bellamy says to her when they're the only ones left in the hallway. It's late and the lights are dim. The width of the hallway feels smaller walking beside Bellamy. The presence of him beside her feeling larger now that they're alone.
"No problem," Clarke waves him off and her hand brushes his forearm. His skin is hot under her touch like energy crackling to life. Like a moth to the flame she wants to touch him again so she steps closer to his side letting her arm graze his as they walk.
"I'm really glad I finally met you," she says and bumps his arm. He bumps her arm back and smiles down at her.
"How does it feel? To finally see color?"
"It's amazing. It's not like anything anyone ever describes. The colors are alive and they have this dimension to them," Clarke explains and waves her hands in front of her.
"Wish I could see it," Bellamy sighs. Clarke looks at him sadly.
"It's not all that different," Clarke backtracks as they walk along the gray halls. "The Ark is pretty dull. But I can only imagine how it must have felt on Earth. All the colors everywhere you looked."
"You would probably die of a heart attack," Bellamy laughs loudly. His voice echoes down the empty hall as they approach the Ark Medic Station.
"I'm sure you'd bring me back to life though."
"You're my soulmate. I'd cross the River Styx and back to bring you back from the Underworld."
"Big mythology fan?" Clarke asks remembering the books in his quarters.
"Yeah," Bellamy says ducking his head, "My mom read them to me and I read them to Octavia. The Iliad. Ovid."
"What does she do?"
"She's a seamstress." Bellamy places his hands in his pockets and they slow their steps.
"How does she do that without a soulmate?"
Bellamy looks at her with a mix of contempt and surprise on his face. He didn't seem as obsessed with soulmates as Clarke was. And he definitely didn't hold the position with high regard.
"I mean, how does she do that if she can't see the colors?"
"She has a pretty space-tight system. Where the colors go. What uniform needs what. People live their whole lives without a soulmate, you know?"
Clarke knew it was possible, but it was unheard of her. Everyone she knew had a soulmate. She had grown up with the belief that she would find hers one day. The promise of Iris' curse had always ended with hope.