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...
Chapter twenty-seven: Twilight's Last Gleaming (Part 2)
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VIVIENNE watched in awe as the girl, whose name she'd learnt was Raven, twirled around the clearing, breathing in the fresh air and the damp leaves. Leaves rustled beneath Raven's boots and she shut her eyes with a sigh of relief, reminding Vivienne of their first day on the ground, how free and light she'd felt once the initial panic subsided.
"I dreamed it would smell like this," Raven's eyes fluttered open, facing towards the tops of the vast trees surrounding them as a light drizzle washed over the forest. "Is this rain?" she queried, turning to the two blonde girls watching her.
Clarke nodded with an admirable smile. "Welcome home."
Emerging from the woods and rounding the corner, Finn locked eyes with Raven, a flash of recognition igniting between them. "Raven!" he shouted, momentarily frozen in disbelief at the sight of the girl he never thought he'd see again standing right in front of him.
"Finn!" Raven called back, her face lighting up with a radiant, toothy grin as she sprinted towards him. She threw herself into his arms, their lips crashing together in a desperate, regretful kiss.
Watching the scene unfold before her, Clarke's smile vanished, replaced by an expression of shock. Her mouth hung open as she processed what she was seeing. Betrayal was etched across her face as Finn—the boy she'd given herself to just the night before—tightly embraced this newly arrived girl.
Vivienne's gaze flicked between the couple and Clarke, noticing the pained grimace on the blonde's face as she stared at them, unable to look away. "Clarke..." Vivienne nudged her gently, trying to pull her back to reality as Raven, clearly disoriented and weak from the rough landing, stumbled against Finn.
Jogging over, Finn muttered an apology as Clarke handed him a piece of fabric for Raven's wound, her expression unreadable despite the painful knot tightening in her chest. She brushed him off, choosing to ignore the hurt for the moment. Eager to escape the awkward tension, Finn hurried back to Raven and helped her sit down. He handed her the fabric and she firmly pressed it against her own forehead, soaking up the blood that still seeped from her flesh.
"This is Clarke and Vivienne," Finn introduced as the two blondes followed him over, standing above the injured girl. "They were on the dropship too."
"Clarke?" Raven repeated, standing up from the rock she'd been perched on, letting her hand fall from her head. "This was all because of your mom," she said.
"My mom?" Clarke echoed, tilting her head in confusion, her brows knitting together.
Raven nodded. "This was all part of her plan. We were supposed to come down here together, but if we waited—" Her voice trailed off as realization dawned on her, eyes dropping to the ground. "Oh my god. We couldn't wait because the Council was voting on whether to kill 300 people to save air."
