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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
HOURS had passed since the flares had faded from the sky, yet Vivienne lay restless in her tent, unable to find even a moment of peace. Every time she closed her eyes, she was haunted by the image of Charlotte taking those final, tragic steps off the cliff's edge. And now, she imagined faces of three hundred people who might still be sacrificed for air loomed in her mind.
"Octavia!" Bellamy's voice echoed through the camp, grating against Vivienne's already frayed nerves. She pressed her rolled-up jacket over her ears, desperate to drown out his incessant shouting. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't block out the one thing that haunted her more than the dead—the pain that hammered her chest every time she felt Bellamy's gaze or met his eyes.
Abruptly, tearing Vivienne from her thoughts, the flaps of her tent were yanked open. "Octavia!" Bellamy's voice called out once more, his head intrusively poking into her space, his presence as imposing as ever.
"Bellamy! Get out!" Vivienne's voice was sharp as she rolled over, sitting up with a harsh glare.
"Have you seen Octavia?" Bellamy asked, brushing aside Vivienne's cold look as he stepped into her tent, letting the flaps fall shut behind him.
Vivienne scowled at him, then shook her head. "She's probably off chasing butterflies or something. I'm sure she's fine," she said, noting the deep worry in his eyes. They were soft and genuine—a look she had only seen from him before with Charlotte.
"Kane, I've checked the camp, she's not here."
A moment of silence enveloped the small tent, with Bellamy's presence making the space feel warmer. After a beat, Vivienne stood from her cot, sliding her jacket on with a resigned sigh. "Okay, I'll help you find her," she offered reluctantly.
"Thank you," Bellamy said as she brushed past him, her shoulder shoving against his as she left the tent. Bellamy followed swiftly after.
"I'm not doing this for you; I'm doing it for Octavia," Vivienne said, keeping her gaze fixed ahead, deliberately avoiding Bellamy's worried eyes. "You check the dropship. I'll search the rest of the tents. I'm sure I'll be less imposing than you," she added sharply, her words laced with venom.
•••
AFTER thoroughly searching the camp, with no sign of Octavia in the dropship or any of the tents, Bellamy's worry deepened. He knew his sister well—Octavia wasn't reckless, but the more he tried to protect her, the more she seemed determined to defy him. Now, Bellamy feared that her rebellious streak might have finally led to something serious.
"Hey, everybody! Gather around and grab a weapon," Bellamy commanded, dropping a pile of makeshift weapons onto the ground. A crowd quickly formed at his order. Across the heap of weapons, Vivienne stood with her arms crossed, watching him intently.
"My sister's been out there alone for twelve hours," Bellamy continued, his voice hard with determination. "Arm up. We're not coming back without her."
At Bellamy's command, camp members immediately stepped forward, each grabbing a weapon from the pile. Whether it was respect or fear that drove them, Bellamy had always had a way of controlling them. Either way, it worked for him.
Vivienne crouched down, her fingers curling around the handle of an axe. She bounced it in her palm, swinging it lightly as she tried to adjust to its weight, the cold metal feeling foreign in her grip.
"You don't have to do this, Vivienne," Clarke's concerned voice came from behind her, noticing the way Vivienne hesitated with the weapon, her eyes betraying a flicker of uncertainty.
Swallowing the lump of nerves in her throat, Vivienne turned to face Clarke, the axe hanging tensely at her side. "We're not losing anyone else," she said, her voice steady. Without another word, she walked past Clarke, not even sparing her a glance as she made her way toward Bellamy.
"We need a tracker," Bellamy said, his eyes flicking between the two blondes beside him. "Finn! Get out here." When Finn didn't immediately emerge from his tent, where he'd been with Raven, Bellamy crossed his arms, impatience flaring in his expression. "Finn! We're leaving," he called out again, his voice demanding.
"Alright, I'm coming!" Finn finally called as the crowd Bellamy had gathered prepared to move out, weapons and torches gripped tightly in hand. But before they could take a step, a sudden cascade of glowing light poured down from the sky, freezing everyone in place as their heads turned upward.
Vivienne's heart sank as she stared at the descending lights. "The flares didn't work," she murmured, her voice barely audible, her lips trembling as she watched the celestial display.
Bellamy, glancing at her with a skeptical eyebrow raised, questioned, "A meteor shower tells you that?"
"It's not a meteor shower; it's a funeral," Clarke said softly, her gaze fixed on the sky. "Hundreds of bodies being returned to the earth from the Ark," she continued, her voice heavy with sorrow. Her cheeks flushed red as tears welled in her eyes. "This is what it looks like from the other side. They didn't get our message."
Horrified and mesmerized, Vivienne couldn't tear her eyes away from the spectacle. She knew those sacrificed were likely the working class—people who cleaned the council's shit—but a small, unsettling part of her wondered if her father might have been among them. A dark part of her almost wished he had been.
"This is all your fault!" Raven shouted, her voice choked with anger and grief. Tears threatened to spill down her face as she stormed forward and shoved Bellamy hard in the chest.
"I helped you find the radio!" Bellamy protested, as Clarke and Finn struggled to hold back the enraged Raven. All she and Abby Griffin had worked for on the Ark felt like it had been for nothing.
"Yeah, after you stole it from my pod and wrecked it!" Raven shot back, her voice cracking with frustration and betrayal.
Placing a hand on Raven's shoulder, Clarke gently guided her back. "He knows," Clarke said, her voice soft but firm. Her teary eyes met Bellamy's. "Now he has to live with it."
Bellamy's gaze hardened as he looked up at the consequences of his actions, a steely determination in his eyes. "All I know is that my sister is out there, and I'm going to find her. You coming or what?" He turned to Finn, who nodded in response.
Surveying the silent crowd, Bellamy threw his arms wide. "Then what are we waiting for?" he bellowed. "Move out!"
