Fallen

Chapter Eight: Forgiveness

Ash walks up to the communication tent, taking a deep breath.

"Are you sure about this?" Bellamy asks. She nods her head before entering. With the radio, it was possible for them to create a video chat between the Ark and them. Poor Miller have been telling parents about their children's deaths. Now it was Ash's turn to speak with her family. She sits on the seat in front of the monitor and put on the headset for the mic. Her dad sits down on the other side of the screen. He has wavy dark brown hair and same brown eyes as his daughter. 

"Dad," she responds. "I thought Nanny was going to be here."

"She had to do a ceremony," he informs her. "How are you doing?"

She chuckles softly.

"How do you think? You sent me down here with other people thinking we're going to die."

He sits up straighter.

"I knew you would survive."

"Bullshit. You didn't bat an eye when we were forced to go to Earth. You then agreed to three hundred people being killed."

"All of you helped with that decision. Every single one of you took off the bands."

"How were we supposed to know the Ark is dying? More information does change how people look at a situation. But no, you just sent a hundred delinquents down to the surface to survive on their own."

"You were promised that your records were to be wiped clean-"

"Just because you said that doesn't mean others would agree. They will still see us as outcasts, thieves, and assaulters."

Marcus falls silent as he considers his daughter's words. 

"I doubt parents would see their children as that."

"You did. You left me in that cell to rot."

"You broke the rules."

"I was protecting someone that was innocent," she snaps, her voice breaking a bit. "I did what you and Mom had always told me to do. Only for you to abandon me." 

He sits there, unsure what to say. Ash could feel the sting of tears building up. Eventually he speaks.

"I will be going down soon to help you," he states. "Then you don't have to-"

"To what? Worry about my next move because someone may end up dead? Question if what I am doing is right because there are others down here as well?"

"You did what needs to be done to survive."

"You don't know  what we have been through," she barely mutters. Tears start running down her cheeks as she thinks about those that have already died. About what she has seen. "Tell Nanny I'll talk to her another time. Others want to see their family."

She quickly takes off the headset before he could protest. As she goes to leave, Clarke enters the tent. Bellamy is heading towards the dropship; probably about to head up for his turn to watch the Grounder upstairs.

"You alright?" he asks.

"I'm fine," she lies, using her sleeves to wipe her cheeks. 

"Your obviously not."

"Don't you have a prisoner to watch?" she snaps before walking. The temperature is starting to lower as winter gets closer. Ice started sticking to chairs and tents. People are rushing about, trying to prepare enough supplies in time. Ash switch out with another person in the line to help bag some nuts some people brought back during a hunt. Her fingers work through the cold to wrap up the rations. Soon Clarke walks over to her.