Free || The 100 [1] || ✔

O N E: earth

For years I have been locked up in the Sky Box wishing that my boots could touch the soft soil of The Ground instead of the cold metal floor of The Ark. I have craved to smell the pine trees, dirt and the ocean. Little did I know that my dreams would come true in less than twenty-four hours.

***

I was woken up by loud shouts and the all-too-familiar sound of heavy military boots parading down the halls of the Sky Box. Suddenly, my cell door was pulled open and two guards strolled in.

"Prisoner 300. Rose, Athena. Stand up," the guard stated.

I sighed and obeyed his orders. The guard yanked my wrist to him and then slapped a cold, metal wristband on it.

"We're being sent to the ground, aren't we?" I asked.

The guards shared a glance before pulling me out of my cell. They guided me out of the Sky Box and lead me to the loading docks. I cringed at the memories that resurfaced and feelings of anger, sadness and guilt washed over me. A sharp poke in my neck distracted me from my past and the last thing I saw before I blacked out was a small, empty syringe.

***

"Hey, wake up," a small voice whispered into my ear.

I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes. I looked around and saw other delinquents strapped down.

"Morning, sunshine," the voice that woke me up earlier greeted.

I looked to my right and saw a face I had not seen in a while.

"Finn Collins," I smiled wearily. "Where are we?"

He responded with a shrug, "Nobody kno-"

Before he could finish, televisions lit up the small space. On the screen, Chancellor Jaha greeted us. Finn and I let out a small groan at the same time.

"Prisoners of The Ark, hear me now. You've been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable," Chancellor Jaha started.

"I'm getting real tired of his shit," I said as I leaned my head against the headrest of my chair.

Finn chuckled and nodded, "Same here."

The Chancellor's speech continued as I ignored it. He was the one that locked me up in here for defending myself and that is something I will never forgive him for.

Before I could fall back asleep, Finn nudged me, "Watch this."

He proceeded to unbuckle his seatbelt. He slowly drifted into the air.

"Didn't you learn anything from the Ark, Spacewalker?" I laughed.

He rolled his eyes and drifted toward me and started to unbuckle my seat belt. I didn't resist and soon I began to float around the drop ship. I glided around with Finn, laughing. We soon spotted Wells, the Chancellor's son.

"Your father wanted to float me after all," Finn greeted the dark skinned boy with a smirk.

Behind us, two boys began unbuckling their seatbelts.

"Hey, you two, stay put if you want to live," a blonde girl sitting next to Wells ordered.

"Well, if it isn't the girl who betrayed both of our fathers, got them both floated and then got herself arrested," I greeted. "Clarke Griffin, how are you?"

She rolled her eyes at me and looked away. As Spacewalker and I continued to float, two more boys decided to join us. We performed tricks and flips for those who were too afraid to get out of their seats. Everything was going fine until the ship jerked and gravity was regained. I was thrown against some deliquents who let out a few choice words and then pushed me to the floor. The two boys who joined Finn and I were thrown against some important looking tubes that emitted a white mist after they crashed against them. The whole ship began to shake and rock until it landed with a loud thud. Finn, Clarke and I went to check on the boys.

"Finn, Athena, are they okay?" Clarke asked.

I checked one of the boys' pulses. Nothing. I shared a somber look with Finn and Clarke. Everyone else seemed to ignore that two of our own just died as they proceeded down the ladder to the door below. Finn and I were one of the last to join the crowd of the now ninety-eight delinquents. At the front was a tall, dark-haired, and handsome boy dressed in a guard's uniform.

"They sent a guard down here with us?" Finn whispered to me.

"Why only one? He looks a little young too," I responded.

"Bellamy?" a girl behind us asked as she clambered down the ladder.

The girl pushed her way to through crowd and hugged the boy in the front. It was hard to hear but I soon found out that the guard was Bellamy Blake and the girl was Octavia Blake, the only siblings that have been on The Ark for decades.

After what seemed like forever, the front door was open. Fear and excitement flooded my veins. We could all live or die in a matter of seconds.

A white light blinded the crowd for a second but was soon replaced with a beautiful deep green and the smell of fresh air. Everyone ran out the door. Finn grabbed my hand and we sprinted through the trees.

Fear was replaced with overwhelming excitement. The Ground was beautiful. It was everything I imagined. Finn and I stopped sprinting when we reached a cliff that overlooked even more forest.

"Your dreams came true, Princess," Finn said with a deep inhale and long exhale.

I nodded with a smile, "Yeah, I guess they did."