Fault Line (Bellarke)

• 35 •

Bellamy

I still remember the treacherous land like it was yesterday, trekking day and night through toxic wasteland.

I've tried so hard, but it's difficult to remove such a memory from my mind. The terrified looks on those little children's faces when we raided their camp. They were just innocent kids trying to survive the new famine that had engulfed their country.

They would look at me, wide eyed with terror and all I could see a young version of Octavia staring back at me. Just trying to survive. Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. I deserve to suffer for every beating heart I stopped.

"When my mother died, we were sent to live with our aunt Marlene. She was a monster, she treated us like slaves and all she cared about was money. She barely looked after her own child Alice," I explained.

"You're cousin Alice? The one with the little boy Quinn?"

"Indeed. She was so horrible that one night, Octavia and I ran away because we would rather be homeless than live under aunt Marlene, the horrendously evil woman. We were on the streets, battling starvation, hyperthermia, and all kinds of diseases. But nothing mattered to me more than my sister. Everything I do, is always for her." I shook my head in disbelief.

"I couldn't take it anymore. Watching Octavia getting sick all the time. I knew it was time to do something. The army was recruiting soldiers, and so I tried my luck and got in."

"But...you're so rich now." Clarke frowned, trying to connect the dots. I knew she wouldn't be able to without the full story.

"I had to leave Octavia behind to fight in a war that wasn't mine, just to get by. We managed to afford a small apartment and food. The pain in her eyes every time..." I bit my lip. "...unbearable. While I was out killing innocent people, I gave my food to a really old man. His face was all shriveled and he was homeless. I knew how hard it was for the homeless to get by. In exchange he gave me a box."

"What was in it?"

I chuckled. "A whole load of diaries and old letters. They were quite entertaining to read in my spare time, but mainly useless. There was one piece of paper in there however, that changed my route in life completely."

Clarke raised her eyebrow. "A really kinky diary?"

I laughed, "no way, I wish." I got up and reached into my sliding wardrobe, revealing a safe. Twisting the knob, it clicked open an I took out the box. In it, there was the precious paper rolled up, stained yellow with age. I handed it to Clarke. "Open it."

She unrolled it delicately. Her facial expressions shifted, "a land title?"

"I didn't think much of it at first, but that land was the most valuable thing anyone could come across."

"Why?"

"Do you know what Blake Industries does?"

"You mine oil." Clarke's eyes lit up. "Wait, the mine...under this land?"

"Bingo, the land had shitload of oil underneath. With a few connections, I managed to extract the oil from the ground and make a lot of money from it," I motioned, waving to the mansion around me.

She carefully handed me back the paper. "You're so successful, why are you so depressed?"

My throat closed up and I couldn't speak anymore. I quickly shoved the box back in the safe and looked out my window at the clear night sky.