OUR OBLIVION | BELLAMY BLAKE

ELEVEN| the one where bellamy saves the day

I prayed that time would tick by slower as my hazel eyes flickered to the digital clock sitting on the table beside my bed, but the seconds still rolled by at the same pace, and dread still ate at the pit of my stomach. The Star Festival was in two hours. Many people were already at the gathering hall setting up for it. Girls were getting ready together, putting on makeup and showing off their new outfits that they traded for.

I did not share the same enthusiasm. Even the name of the celebration made it unappealing. I would have to sit through speeches of how great everyone thought they were and Jaha running his mouth about how proud of the graduates he was when in reality, he was only proud of the ones he liked. He could care less about the ones from Factory Station or Mecha Station. 

Then awards were given out to the smartest students, the most well-behaved students, and the students that showed the most promise for a future. Aka the students from Alpha Station. I was included in that bunch because of Wells. Three years ago, before I met him, my dad and I were living in Mecha Station in a tiny little apartment with basically nothing.

My dad was always drunk. It was how he dealt with my mom not being around. I was forced to get a job in the cafeteria, cleaning up after people. It was one of the only jobs the Ark offered to thirteen-year-old girls from Mecha Station.

Then, I met Wells and everything changed. Jaha helped to get my dad back on his feet. They became best friends and eventually, Jaha told my dad that he was meant to be on the Council. That job offer came with a place to stay in Alpha Station.

My thoughts of the past were interrupted with the beeping of an alarm telling me it was time to get ready. I let out a long sigh as I dragged myself from the bed. I walked over to my closet and slid the metal door open. I looked through the back of my closet where my nicer clothes, well the ones without holes, were located.

I found a simple black dress with strings that crisscrossed in the back. It came down just above my mid-thigh. It was comfortable and fancy enough for this stupid festival. I put on a little bit of eyeshadow and eyeliner and pulled my hair down from the tight braid it was in. My hair cascaded in waves around my face and down my back as I glanced at the mirror and barely recognized the girl staring back at me.

This was a girl who wore pretty dresses and put on makeup and faked smiles for fake people. A girl that I didn't like being, but a girl I had to become to make it through the night without punching anybody.

"You ready Harley?" I heard my dad ask from the living room. "We need to leave if we want to get good seats!"

I pulled on some black flats and turned to leave, but then I remembered that I was forgetting something. I walked back over to my dresser and took my black pearl necklace out from one of the drawers. I instantly felt better once I had clasped it onto my neck.

When I exited my room, my dad was waiting for me by the door. His eyes landed on me and a wide smile spread across his lips. I rolled my eyes, "Just say it."

"You look wonderful, kiddo," My dad shook his head. "The older you get, the more and more you look like your mother. She'd be so proud of you. I know I am."

"Thanks, Dad," I replied.

He nodded as he opened the door and motioned for me to go in front of him. We began walking down the halls of Alpha Station behind several other people that were dressed nicely and laughing lightly to one another. I recognized one or two of the people we passed from my class. One of them was a girl named Nichole Pierce. She had slept with almost every guy in our class, and I wasn't surprised to see her wearing a little tiny dress that barely covered her ass and showed way too much cleavage.