UnderStanding (Clexa)

Chapter Eight

I own nothing
TonDC - Things that linger

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Only a few minutes had passed since Lincoln uttered his words, but it felt like hours to those in the room, waiting with bated breaths. Only Lincoln had been part of this trial before so the others were anxious at what may happen as they curiously watched Clarke's breathing slow, almost as if she were asleep, except that those blue eyes were dark and unfocused at a point in the back of the room.

Octavia looked away from Clarke to glance at the other two women in the room before settling her gaze on Lincoln. "How will we know?" She barely whispered the words when Clarke's body tensed and they watched as her hands clenched into tight fists on her lap.

Lincoln just looked at the woman he loved with a sad smile before leaning back to keep his eyes on the blonde.

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A nine year old Clarke giggled as she ran around the hallways of the Ark. She was hiding from her best friend Wells and knew she had lost him. She had just started to make her way back to the mess hall when voices caught her attention. Ever curious, she turned and snuck to the end of the hall and peered around the corner.

She saw Chancellor Jaha and some men from the guard near one of the air locks. Inside she could see a sad man, tears in his eyes. Clarke was confused because he wasn't wearing a spacesuit. He couldn't go outside without one. She was about to remind them when suddenly the sound of the outer door opening seized her voice in her throat as she made eye contact with the terrified man before his body was sucked out into the vastness of dark space.

She didn't realize she had screamed until one of the guards grabbed her as she ran for the airlock. "He wasn't wearing a spacesuit! He'll die!"She cried out, looking to Chancellor Jaha, her best friend Wells' father, trying to understand. "What did you do?" she cried. He walked over to her and slowly took her hand, "I think it's best if we get you home, Clarke. Your parents can explain it to you."

She felt cold at the feel of his hand. She didn't understand. Her mom and dad always told her they were on the Ark rather than the ground to survive, so why would they send a man out into space without a suit? They knew he would die. They killed him. "You killed him." She whispered sadly. "I want my daddy."She said as she took off running back to her room.

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Octavia lowered her head and sighed, realizing Clarke's first memory was that of her seeing someone floated for the first time. She recalled her and Clarke talking about it once when they landed. Octavia knew what floating meant, but had never seen it until her mother was floated, but Clarke had just been a child her first time and hadn't known about it until then. She understood, but Octavia knew it had left a sour taste in the blonde's mouth after the explanation her parents had given her. Especially when she found out the man's crime was simply taking more medication to try and save his sick son's life.

She cleared her throat and glanced at Clarke, seeing her breathing had slowed some. "She was remembering the first time she saw someone floated on the Ark. She was 9." She said, not making eye contact with them. "All crimes were capital punishment on the Ark. A man had taken more than his share of medicine for his sick son, and he was released into space. That's how the guilty were executed."

Everyone was quiet but tense. Lincoln had been told of this by her before, so it didn't come as a surprise to him, however he did see the understanding on his Heda and Echo's faces.

"Not so different from here," Echo commented softly, "except space did the job for you, rather than a sword or knives."

"But not all the crimes were worthy of death." Octavia spat and then calmed, apologizing. "While she's calm, there's something you should all know about us. The 100 that came down first. We were chosen, because we were all prisoners." She glanced to her Heda, seeing her jaw tense and her eyes dart from Octavia to Clarke in confusion. "Everyone had a different reason for being locked up. Mine was simply for just being born. On the Ark, you were only allowed one child. My mother had two, and was floated, and I was locked up."