Grounded

Chapter 1- the plan

GOALLLLL!!!!!!

"Once again I win and you lose". Teasing my dad never gets old, my team always win and he should have learnt not to bet against me by now. 

"The games not over yet Clarke just you wait", of course he doesn't give up.

"Well technically it was over 150 years ago, but nice try dad".

I love these moments. Everything on the Ark is usually far too serious, no fun only rules because we are 'the last of humanity' but sometimes I just wish I didn't have to live in this hell. Honestly, I would give the rest of my days to have just one day on the ground, surrounded by beauty and peace but my dad keeps me hoping, he keeps everyone hoping.

These last few days I have barely seen him, he has always been working. He says it is just a minor problem with oxygen like we have had many times before, but this time it seems worse, more urgent. Usually he would confide in me on how he hopes to fix it but now he refuses to, almost like he is scared to.

A few days pass

I finally understand. My dad had started to get worse, distancing himself from me and my mom more each day so me and my mom came up with a plan. He usually does some form of research on the laptop in his room so we waited until he left for work and called Raven. She has been my closest friend through childhood and is like family to us all after her mom died. She is the smartest person I know, aside from my dad of course, and should be able to hack into his computer. After a few hours we finally discovered the truth. There is a fault. There may be many geniuses on the Ark but this is not a problem that they can fix. We have guessed that he plans to soon go public with his findings but there is a catch, the council will never approve of this. He will be floated. So all we have left to do now is wait for him to return home.

Once again he didn't return until past midnight and mom could barely keep her eyes open after surgery. The door cautiously creaks open and when he steps in his stressed face says everything. He knew what we found out and he isn't even trying to deny it.

I am trying to keep myself together but eventually I break, "what the hell are you thinking?!"

"Sweetheart.....they deserve to know the truth", he calmly states, how the hell can he be so calm?!

I am close to screaming but I begin to slightly relax when I feel Raven's gentle hand on my thigh and I know I need to control myself. Gradually losing hope I glance desperately at my mom but she continues to stare into his eyes, as if trying to understand what's hiding behind them and eventually her quivering voice fills the silence, "Jake...they'll float you".

Still he shows no sign of breaking down "I know baby but they need to know" sighing he continues, "The council are losing it, they know what they are facing but they continue to destroy whatever remaining humanity they have left by sending 100 innocent kids to the ground".

"Hold up, they're doing what now?" Raven finally chirps "kids? What the fuck".

As my dad continues I begin to see a pain in him I never thought could exist in one person, "yes Raven, they are becoming more desperate everyday, they want to find out if the ground is survivable and think those in the box are expendable. If that doesn't work they'll begin population decrease to make more time to find a solution......but there is no solution to this."

As a thousand thoughts swirl through my mind eventually I give in to my tears and allow them to flow freely. When he notices he instantly rushes to my side and pulls me into a suffocating hug.