SOLDIER
book one
It's been 97 years since a nuclear explosion radiated life on Earth and life support on The Ark is now failing. In a desperate attempt to grant the citizens of the SpaceCraft more time, 100 juvenile delinquents are sent down to the...
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LISTENING to the peaceful whirring of The Ark, a sound that could only be heard clearly at night, thirteen-year-old Vivienne Kane gossiped mindlessly with Clarke Griffin over their telecoms. Lying comfortably on her stomach with her duvet sprawled over her body, Vivienne's feet swung lazily behind her.
"So..." Vivienne's high-pitched voice hummed. "How's Wells been?" she asked teasingly, raising her eyebrows at the blonde girl on the small screen she held loosely in her hands.
Clarke rolled her eyes, but nothing could hide the rosy blush that colored her pale cheeks. "Wells is fine. Why don't you just ask him yourself?" she replied, her voice tinged with frustration at the constant pestering about Wells Jaha.
"Because I wouldn't get to see that disgusting blush on your face!" Vivienne teased, her grin widening. The two blonde girls broke into blissful laughter, rolling back on their beds until their chests ached.
Suddenly, Vivienne's laughter halted, and she bolted upright at the sound of glass shattering loudly in the kitchen. "Clarke..." her voice trailed off, her eyes fixed on her closed door. "I have to go... I'll see you tomorrow in class," she said hurriedly. Just as Clarke began to reply, the call ended abruptly, and Vivienne's telecom lay discarded on her bedroom floor.
Quietly, as if her tiptoes could preserve the last remnants of peace, Vivienne slipped out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. The lights were dim, the only illumination coming from a lamp casting a soft glow from the living room. The whole apartment was eerily silent, except for the faint cries of her mother, Adelaide. Hunched over the kitchen sink, Adelaide clutched half a shattered bottle in her hand, the other half lying in shards at her feet.
"Mum..." Vivienne's weak voice broke as she took in her mother's fragile state. "Mum..." she repeated, stepping closer as she noticed the silky red blood seeping from Adelaide's flesh, pooling around the neck of the broken bottle.
"Go back... go back to bed, Vienna," Adelaide Kane's words slurred together, her eyes fixed anywhere but on her daughter.
Cautiously approaching, Vivienne placed a gentle hand on her mother's back. "You're hurt, Mum. Let me help," she whispered, her voice barely audible, fearing that any sudden noise might upset her mother further and make things worse.
"Come on," Vivienne murmured, gently leading Adelaide away from the sink. She carefully slipped the broken bottle from her mother's hand, placing it in the red-stained sink.
As Vivienne guided her mother towards her bedroom, Adelaide suddenly stopped walking and spun around, pulling Vivienne into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, Vienna. I'm so sorry," tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, her words choked with emotion. Though her mother was clearly intoxicated, as usual, Vivienne sensed the sincerity in her apology. At least, she hoped it was sincere.
Adelaide Kane hadn't always been reduced to a drunken mess, relying on her thirteen-year-old daughter to care for her. There was a time when she was a vibrant woman, thrilled to welcome her sweet baby into the world with Marcus Kane, the love of her life. But over time, things had changed. Marcus started working later and later until he barely came home at all. On the rare occasions he did, the evenings once filled with love turned into arguments and fights—conversations they thought Vivienne couldn't hear.
But she could.
So, Vivienne pitied her Mum. She understood the pain her mother felt—the loss of the one good man in her life, knowing he wasn't really working late. After all, Vivienne was losing her father too.
And so, like clockwork every night, Vivienne would gently guide her heartbroken mother to bed, setting out a glass of water and a pill on her bedside table for the morning, along with a bin nearby just in case. Then, Vivienne would stay up late into the night, her tired eyes heavy with anxiety, unable to bring herself to sleep.
Vivienne Kane could only rely on every birthday wish, every stray eyelash, and every last dream, hoping against hope that tomorrow would bring a change. But it never did.
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A/N: sorry for such a late update, I had really bad writers block.
