Tragedy ✧ John Murphy

• Chapter 1 •

Third Person's POV

The day had started out like any other. Well, at least it did for Julia Blake. She had gone to breakfast in the Sky Box's cafeteria and then was returned to her cell, like every morning.

Sky Box was the name people used to refer to the Ark's prison; the lockup they sent juvenile delinquents to stay in.

Most people in the Sky Box got to go to the cafeteria for the two meals a day: breakfast and supper. Only those in solitary confinement were given their meals in their cells.

The cells in the Ark weren't like prisons back on Earth in the days when humans still lived there. These cells didn't have bars, they were just rooms with one or two beds and a big metal door that kept them locked inside.

Once Julia got back to her cell after breakfast, she spent the time talking with her cellmate, Finn Collins.

There wasn't much else to do and he had become her friend in their time as cellmates, so that's what they spent most of their time doing. Just talking and playing games, basically anything to pass the time.

When they first met, after her last cellmate was floated and he was sent in to replace her, Julia wondered why they let guys and girls share a cell together.

She had been cautious at first, but soon found out that Finn was literally one of the nicest people ever, which helped her relax about having to share a room with him.

At the moment, they had been talking about their lives before prison. Julia was telling him about her brother and sister when their cell door opened, revealing two guards on the other side.

"Prisoners 278 and 334, face the wall." One guard spoke as Julia and Finn both looked over at them. They did as they were told and stood up to face the wall.

"What's happening?" Finn questioned the guards. "Quiet. Hold out your right arms." One guard spoke and they complied.

"Finn's not eighteen for another few months and I'm not sixteen for another few weeks." Julia spoke, her voice tense.

Prisoners didn't get reviewed and/or floated until they were eighteen years old, but Julia was thinking that something was happening and they were getting reviewed early. She couldn't think of any other reason this would be happening.

"Quiet." The guards responded, cuffing a metal wristband onto each of the prisoner's right arms. Julia flashed Finn an anxious glance, but Finn couldn't do anything but give her a comforting smile.

Once the wristbands were on, a guard took each of the prisoner's and led them out of the cell. Julia noticed as they exited, that it wasn't just them. Pretty much every cell she saw was being opened and guards were escorting the prisoners in one direction.

After a few more moments of just watching the other prisoners as she was led along, Julia glanced back towards Finn. But he wasn't there. In the confusion with all the different guards and prisoners, they had gotten separated.

Julia looked forward again as the guard led her towards a hallway and then a different room. In this room there was a line of prisoner's being forced into a room that Julia recognized as a drop ship.

Her eyes widened in shock when she realized what it was. Why were they being herded into a drop ship? She glanced around the room for anything to help her or any way to escape, but only saw the line of prisoners and a few council members.

One of these members included Marcus Kane, whom she locked eyes with. She was surprised when she saw him looking at her with a twinge of guilt in his eyes. Oh god, what was the chancellor and council doing to them?