Serendipity-Bellamy Blake

{Chapter 1}

The Ark

September 13th, 2149

Marlow Davis hated The Ark. She hated everything it represented, from the four pale gray bland walls that confined her existence to the dictators that lived among them. She hated the way people on the vast spaceship claimed to be trying for a better life, and doing every act out of survival for humanity, but most of all she hated the way The Ark failed her and left her confined in the notorious Sky Box for three years. The only thing that kept Marlow clinging to her sanity was her cellmate, Octavia Blake.

Octavia Blake saw her world through a lens of optimism and joy that Marlow only dreamed of envisioning. When Marlow would sit around all day accumulating new knowledge that she would never use through the dozens of books that were skewed among their cell, Octavia spent it daydreaming of a better tomorrow. Every day Octavia would mention that they were one step closer to being on the ground, and every day Marlow would remind the young girl that they were also one step closer to death.

Today was no different, Marlow Davis was nineteen days away from opening her arms to the cold embrace of death and nothing the Blake girl could say would relieve her of that fate. It wasn't like Marlow was afraid of dying, she ventured to say she was one of the few people who truly was looking forward to her eighteenth birthday. After being locked up for nearly three years, two of which she spent by herself, which left her mind to wander aimlessly and soak up any amount of guilt the girl had, Marlow had truly given up hope for a better life. After all, someone who was deemed dangerous and psychotic shouldn't have envisioned any sort of happy future at all.

Those were the thoughts that invaded her mind as she gazed up at the gray monotone ceiling of her shared cell, while Octavia blabbered on about stories of her brave big brother. Stories that if anyone asked Marlow, she believed to be heavily exaggerated. It wasn't until the door to their cell opened with a beep that Marlow realized that this day was entirely different.

"Prisoner one-one-five, prisoner one-six-seven, face the wall." A guard yelled out holding a lashing stick waiting for the girls to turn around.

Octavia began to open her mouth, obviously about to demand what was going on, but a strong grip on her wrist and a subtle shake of Marlow's head told her not to.

Immediately the guards put giant bulky wristbands on the girls, which sunk needles into the girls, causing them to both cry out in pain, before shoving them out the door. The first thing Marlow noticed upon exiting her cell was the number of prisoners, who also carried the same wristbands and were also being escorted out. It wasn't until she snapped out of her trance, that she noticed the small brunette that was standing next to her disappeared along with the guard that was holding her. Marlow own guard grabbed her arm forcefully before shoving her into a long line of teenagers. She scanned her surroundings fearfully looking for one guard in particular, silently hoping he wasn't on shift, and by some miracle, she didn't see him. While the long line in front of her began to move slowly she tried to think of any possible explanation as to what was going on. One small glance at the drop ship in front of them gave her all the answers she needed. They were being sent to the ground. Marlow could only assume from the bits and pieces of conversations she overheard from guards and doctors over the years, that the dreaded spaceship was finally running low on resources, and this was their ultimatum. Sending children to their deaths.

The line in front of her slowly began to move as more kids were beginning to get ushered into the spacecraft. She took a small step forward, ready to accept her fate, when suddenly a hand grabbed onto her arm. Marlow looked up in a panic to find a guard grasping harshly on her arm and beckoning her forward.