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[ PREVIOUSLY: Octavia and 99 other prisoners of the Ark were trapped inside a drop-ship that was being sent to Earth to see if it was still habitable for the rest of the human race ].

"You're sending us to the ground?" a panicked girl shouted from across the room once Chancellor Jaha finished his speech. "We'll die down there!"

"Do you think they care if we live or die?" a boy seated near her scoffed in response. "They're sending us down to the earth to die! They wanna get rid of us so the privileged will get more luxuries and space to live."

"YEAH!" "That's right!" "Screw you, Chancellor!" "How dare they do this to us!" "They can all frickin' die! I don't care about them!" "Yeah gal, preach it!" "Bastards!" "You feel happy sending us to our death, aye? Do ya?"

A chorus of angry voices erupted from all around me.

I shrunk back in my seat and twiddled nervously with my fingers. I had always known I was going to die. Even though being sent to my death didn't take me by surprise, being sent to the ground did.

"I - I thought the Earth was still inhabitable," the scared, confused voice of a little girl piped up beside me.

I turned my head and gazed sympathetically at her. "It's okay. We'll be fine," I tried to assure her.

The little girl shook her head and burst into tears. "I - I don't wanna die," she hiccuped.

A wave of rage pummelled through me. This was a little girl, 12 years old at the most, who was being sentenced to death for some petty crime. She deserved to live a life. She deserved to grow up and have a shot at being happy.

Clenching and unclenching my fists, I tried to calm my temper by asking her, "What's your name, sweetie? I'm Octavia."

The little girl wiped at her eyes as she sniffled, "C-Charlotte. My name's Charlotte."

I smiled as I stuck out my hand. "Nice to meet you, Charlotte. Hey, do you wanna know why I was sentenced to death?"

Charlotte glanced up at me and nodded her little brown head.

"I have a sibling," I told her. "His name is Bellamy. He was the first child born to my mother. I'm the second one. I'm being killed for being born."

Charlotte stared at me for a long moment before whispering, "T-that's awful."

I nodded as I playfully shoved her shoulder. "What about you? What could an innocent little girl like you possibly do that was so bad?"

"I - I ..." Charlotte hesitated. "M-my father was floated. I - I watched him die in front of me. I screamed and swore at the chancellor. I saw a sterilised knife from Mrs Griffin's medical equipment that was sitting on a table nearby. I grabbed it. I tried to kill the chancellor."

I was taken aback. "Wow. Charlotte, t-that's so brave of you."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, of course. You know, most people here would love to think about killing the chancellor but they'd never actually do it."

Charlotte's mouth wore a hint of a smirk. "I guess."

My next statement was cut off by a loud vibrating screech that shook the air around me and stung my ears.

"W-what's happening?" Charlotte cried out. Her hand shot forth and grabbed mine. "I - I'm scared," she whimpered.

"It's gonna be okay," I whispered comfortingly. "It's gonna be okay."

The floor shuddered beneath me as I heard the unmistakable sound of the missile firing up.

Then, the countdown began over the P.A. encrypted into the drop-ship.

"10 ... 9 ... 8 ..."

I leaned back against my seat and screwed my eyes tightly shut.

"7 ... 6 ... 5 ..."

I'm sorry, Bellamy. I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye.

"4 ... 3 ... 2 ..."

Goodbye Bell.

"... 1 ..." 

VVVRRROOOMMM.

The drop-shop launched from the pad, rocking the entire compartment and tearing the air with horrendously loud noises.

We were catapulted out into space, the rocket blazers attached to the drop-shop guiding it down towards the earth.

"Okay everyone!" a guy shouted out from nearby. "It's gonna get real rough when we hit the atmosphere so stay put and pray that we don't blow up."

"That's really comforting to know right now!" a girl screamed in response.

"O-Octavia ..." Charlotte trembled.

"We're not gonna blow up," I reassured her, sending a dark look in the direction of the boy who'd put forth such a suggestion.

"What?" he snapped as he eyeballed me. "It's true."

"Shut-up Bryce!" someone yelled at him from across the room. "Now is NOT the time or the place."

A woman's robotised voice spoke over the loud-system as she calmly declared, "The parachute will open in 3, 2, 1."

BAM.

The entire drop-ship groaned and shuddered with the additional weight as the parachute flew open, slowing down the metal contraption's fall-rate.

"We're about to land! We're about to land!" a girl seated near one of the drop-ship's windows screeched.

"Stay put if you wanna live!" someone else called out.

CCCRRRAAASSSHHH.

The drop-ship slammed forcefully into the ground in a whirlwind of noise and chaos. Then, all was still.

With baited breath, I looked up. The computer screens had blacked out. All the wires connecting to the P.A. had snapped. Our communication with the Ark had been broken. The smell of hot metal and the burning sear of flickering sparks reached my nostrils. A cloud of dust settled over me and everyone else as a few of the support beams holding up the roof collapsed. The entire contraption groaned and creaked as it tried its best to hold together.

"We've got to get outta here!" someone proclaimed. "Quickly, before this thing falls down on us!"

Leaping from my seat, I helped unstrap Charlotte and led her towards the ladder leading down towards the lower level of the drop-ship. However, everyone was swarming towards it, shoving, pushing, yelling, crying. Charlotte and I got caught up in the tidal wave of stampeding bodies as everyone fought for a chance to escape.

Finally, after a few minor injuries and some falls, everyone managed to exit and join the other throng of passengers that were swarming around down below us.

Charlotte and I were the last ones to get out of the stuffy hell-hole we'd been trapped in. I assisted Charlotte down the ladder, making sure she wouldn't be trampled amidst the angry mob, before beginning the climb down myself.

A deep, masculine voice, yelling for everyone to quieten down caught my attention. I froze halfway down the ladder. I knew that voice. I glanced around and saw a tall, familiar figure standing in the middle of the crowd below me.

"Bellamy?"

Bellamy, upon hearing my voice, paused in the middle of calling out instructions. He turned around and gazed at me, a hint of a smile flickering on his lips.

"O," he said. "Oh my god, O."

"B-Bellamy," I choked. I jumped off the ladder and landed neatly on the floor. Shoving my way past the other prisoners, I neared my brother and enveloped him in a big hug.

Tears blurred my vision as I felt Bellamy's strong arms encircle me in a warm embrace. After a few seconds I pulled away and inhaled sharply.

"What is this?" I demanded, pointing at Bellamy's jacket. "A guard's uniform?"

"I - I borrowed it to get onto the drop-ship," Bellamy explained. "Someone's gotta keep an eye on you."

I rolled my eyes and smiled as I hugged him again. I could hear Bellamy's deep throaty chuckle as he returned the embrace.

"Idiot," I shoved his shoulder as I stepped back.

"Hey, here's the door!" someone called out from across the other side of the room.

Bellamy and I exchanged quick side glances. Then Bellamy, yelling for everyone to make way, shoved his way through the crowd towards the indicated spot. "How the hell do we open this?" he muttered.

"Here," I pointed to a lever that was attached to the wall right above my head.

Bellamy gave me a nod of thanks as he stepped forward.

"Stop! We can't just open the doors!"

Bellamy and I turned around to face the speaker, who was making their way towards the front of the gathering throng.

"C-Clarke?" Bellamy questioned incredulously.

A girl, her dark blonde hair plastered onto her sweaty forehead, her breath coming out in uneven pants and her fists clenched by her sides came into full view of everyone as she stepped forward. "The air could be toxic!" she exclaimed.

"If the air's toxic we're all dead anyway," Bellamy returned in a somewhat annoyed tone.

I glared at Clarke as she continued to protest. I knew all about her from Bellamy. She was one of richest, most privileged kids in the Ark. Well, she would have to be; her mother was Abigail Griffin, the most prestigious doctor on the Ark.

"What are you doing down here, Little Miss Princess?" I mocked. "You're one of the privileged. Certainly didn't expect that someone as prestigious as you could be a criminal."

Clarke paused, turning towards me with a death glare in her eyes. "Do you mind?"

"Hey!" some chick shouted from the other end of the compartment interrupting the heated conversation between Clarke and Bellamy. "T-that's Octavia Blake! That's the girl they found under the floor!"

A ripple of awed murmurs arose from everyone gathered in front of me.

The girl under the floor? That's how I was known?

With a snarl of rage, I lunged forward, intent on putting an end to the gossiping rumours circulating about the drop-ship.

"Wait, Octavia, no!" Bellamy grabbed my arm and forced me to a stand-still. "Let's give them something else to remember you by."

"Yeah?" I bit my lip as I pulled away from him. "Like what?"

"The first person on the ground in 97 years," he returned.

My eyes widened as Bellamy reached up and pulled the lever. With a loud hiss and a shudder, the door opened. Bright streams of blinding light burst into the drop-ship, temporarily blinding each of us.

When our vision cleared up, however, none of us moved. All we could do was stand there and gape at our surroundings.

Green. So much green. Lush green grass. Tall green trees. Intricately patterned green leaves. Thick green weeds and bulrushes. Sunlight. Breathing into my soul, washing me with warmth, smiling kindly upon me. Water. Fresh clean water. Rippling streams. Drops of dew. Puddles of clear crystal goodness.

I stepped forward, inhaling a deep, big breath of fresh, invigorating air. Beautiful, glorious air. The Earth's air.

I took another step forward and then another one until I was standing right at the edge of the doorway.

"You can do this," Bellamy whispered encouragingly.

With a suppressed smile of excitement and eagerness, I jumped from the doorsill to the ground  a few inches below.

I closed my eyes and raised my arms up in the air as I shouted, "We're back bitches!"

Everyone screamed and yelled with excitement and new-found energy as they tumbled out of the drop-ship from behind me and dashed off through the grove of trees in front of us, hooting with laughter, delight and pure joy.

We'd made it. All one hundred of us. We were on the ground.

Gif: Octavia as the first to step foot on the ground.

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