The Ground : Part One

one : first day

(quick a/n - bold is flasbacks!)

"Briar Rose! Dinner!" I walk to the door to accompany my parents to dinner.

"It took you long enough. What were you doing, kid?" My dad asks while we walk to the cafeteria wing.

"I was... getting ready." I say hesitantly.

Mom stops and looks at me with unbelief written all over her face.

"Well, there's this boy, Gavin. He asked me to the gala in a few weeks and I said yes. So I'm excited and I need to look my best."
Mom just looks at me in shock.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing! It's just that I never thought you would be drooling over a boy." She explains while starting to walk again.

"Wait! What is that supposed to mean?" I jog up to walk beside her.

"I thought you might swing the other way. y'know. I thought you liked girls." She says sheepishly.

"Well, um. I like both, I think. I don't really know." I hide my face to conceal the redness. I feel someone hug me.

"That's fine, honey. I don't care who you like as long as you're happy"

I smile and wrap my arms around her. Then we continue walking to dinner.

My cell is pretty bland. It has a bed, a window, a sink and toilet, and a bench. I usually sit around thinking about how my life used to be: fun. Then I had to go and ruin it, which I don't regret. Not even a little bit, but I just want to see Mom and Dad again. Along with Octavia and Bellamy. Even, Gavin.
Gavin was my boyfriend. I mean, I guess he still is, we never technically broke up, but I'm locked up and get floated in a few weeks.

Getting floated sounds awful, but I don't think it would be bad. You can only go 15 seconds without a suit in space, or you would die of asphyxiation or freeze to death.

I've never really given much thought to dying. I just knew it would come eventually.

A guard comes into my cell and I hop out of my bed. A quite uncomfortable bed if you ask me, but it's better than the floor.

"Prisoner 311, I need you to come with me."

The guard who said this was the normal one. He usually brought me food and water, let me take showers, and was usually kind of nice.

"I'm not 18 for a few more weeks."

I say while crossing my arms over my chest.

"You're not being floated."

He has a bracelet looking thing in his hand. He puts it on my wrist, and it punctures my skin, making me wince. He grabs my arm.

"You and the other delinquents are going to Earth. The chancellor thinks that you'll survive, but a lot of people have doubts."

He says while walking me out of my cell.

"What do you think?"

"I think that if the radiation doesn't kill you, you'll do fine." He replies in a hushed voice.

We walk in silence the rest of the way. I step into the Exodus ship. Mom told me about these before, but only that they would be used to send people to Earth many, many years from now.

The guard straps me in then walks off.

Two guys are sat down beside me. One I recognize, John Mbege. He's a thief. The other one is named John too, I think.