The 99

Chapter Fourteen: Bellamy

They made it back to the storage chamber unseen. Bellamy's hair clung to his forehead and he wiped at it with his sleeve, out of breath from the run. From the fear of being spotted. Luckily for them both, they hadn't been, but they had come far closer than his liking.

Bellamy went over to the supplies he'd collected from Jaha and took a long sip from one of the water packets. Then he leaned against the wall, letting the steel cool his damp back. He looked at Clarke.

Bellamy had already taken notice of her state-the glistening of her eyes, the tangible sadness that hung on the air around her. But she didn't cry, and for some reason, Bellamy felt almost proud of her for it.

The feeling quickly evaporated the longer he watched her, her gaze transfixed on her hand. She held something in it, something small he couldn't make out, but he thought he caught sight of an object- compact and silvery.

"What's that?" he asked, gesturing to it with a nod of his head.

Clarke seemed to suddenly notice him. She took a seat on the floor and pulled out a tablet. "I'm about to find out," she murmured, as she inserted what Bellamy now saw was a hard drive. The translucent screen suddenly lit up, bathing Clarke in a spectral glow.

Bellamy crept forward, whether out of curiosity or suspicion, he didn't know. "I can't afford you privacy," he said, when he realized he'd come closer than intended.

But Clarke seemed unfazed. "It isn't my secret anymore. It never should've been one from the start."

Bellamy wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but then she pressed something on the tablet's surface, and a set of files appeared at her fingertips.

Bellamy leaned closer.

(Most Recent) Current Life Support status-July 5th, 2148.

"What is this?" Bellamy asked, casting a look at Clarke she couldn't see. But her attention was on the small image of someone, and she enlarged it. Sandy hair Light eyes filled the screen. Bellamy watched Clarke as she raised a hand, fingers hovering over the face of the man, as if she wished she could reach through and touch him.

Sound came over the small speaker, and a deep voice broke out around them.

"My name is Jake Griffin," the man said, and Clarke inhaled sharply.

"I'm the Senior Environmental Engineer and Deputy Resource Officer. Today, I need to talk to you about our future." He clasped his hands before him. "The things I need to tell you are serious. The Ark... is dying. This city in space that has been our sanctuary has approximately one year left, before our air reserves are gone. Time is running out. this is an undeniable reality, but we have pledged our lives to make sure that humanity does not share that fate. Now, while there is still time, we must come together and face this crisis head on. I believe it will bring out the best in us-our strength, our humanity, our faith,-that we will come together in this time of uncertainty."

"Dad?" A familiar voice sounded and the man abruptly shifted away from the screen. The video ended there, the image frozen with his face turned in the direction of the voice; a ghost of a smile touching his lips.

"I walked in on him when he was filming this," Clarke whispered, so quietly Bellamy barely heard. "It was just before he was arrested."

Bellamy shot her a pitying look and was instantly glad she hadn't seen it. He didn't take her as a girl who welcomed pity.

Bellamy looked back to the screen, still holding the picture of her father, and he shook his head. "What does that mean, the Ark is dying?" Though he asked it, Bellamy already knew. He'd heard the same thing she had, and now, her earlier words made sense. It's not my secret anymore. It should have never been one from the start.