ONE.   god rest my soul

They talk of the seven deadly sins and how they ruin what is pure.

Anger is an incandescent fire. Lust welcomes you with open arms while greed kisses you on the cheek, all fine silks and gold jewels. Gluttony has the bearing of a king attending a royal feast. Envy is the color of a forest in the early morning, with dew on the leaves, and pride says of course we're beautiful, how else would we make you fall? She swore to her parents she would always be virtuous, but the things she has done come to her at night and whisper you lied, you lied!

All her grief says at the same time: This isn't how it's supposed to be. This isn't how it's supposed to be. But the world laughs and holds her hope by the throat and says: But this is how it is. To breathe and yet feel dead is worse than to be a ghost and not feel at all.

In another universe she's a thirteen-year-old girl with soft hands and kind eyes. She tells her father about her day as the fold laundry together — her father smiles. The metal walls do not suffocate her — her father laughs. In another universe, her hands were allowed to be hers, but instead, she's trapped inside the night of four enclosed walls like splinters stuck under the skin. She's a caged animal with sharp claws. She can't be trusted to be let out.

Tatum Adler's not a girl. She's a killer. Someone with blood stained hands and rotting flesh. Incarnadine sticks to her nose and makes it hard to breathe. She's trapped in her cage with no air. There was something soft in her — she killed it and it rotted away. The rot would always be there, just under the surface, waiting to decay.

She can't help but think of her friends. Jasper and Monty, her best friends since childhood. She grew up with every kid on the Ark. She had so many memories that she cherished and now they'd been taken from her. Did they miss her? Were they thinking about her? Did they cry at night thinking she could be dead? Or were they moving on with their lives like nothing happened?

They wouldn't do that. Not to her. Would they? She wouldn't do that to them.

It's been a year since she murdered Riley in their bedroom. A year since she was thrown into the skybox, forced to live in solidarity until her eighteen birthday where she would be floated into space. She'd been with her father, floating with the stars, finally free of the chains that kept her in place. Death used to scare her but now she waited for it. God rest her soul.

It was a cruel way to live. But as time went on, Tatum no longer cried. She didn't sob or wail. Her grief was horribly discreet but as persistent and almost as silent as bleeding from an unstitched wound. She was numb to the effects of feeling pain. She awaited for the day she turned eighteen so she would be floated. She prepared herself for death.

Her back was pressed against the stone wall. Her legs crossed and a book rested on her lap. She should be somewhat thankful to Marcus Kane for bringing her books over the year to keep her from going insane, but she also wanted to kill him, along with President Jaha, for it was his brilliant idea to throw teenagers into the skybox to await their death. One day she'd get her revenge.

Into her book, the cell door opened, and in came in the guards. "What are in for today boys? Our daily walk among the criminals?" She spoke sarcastically, not meeting their eyes.

"Prisoner 1-1-3. Please stand and come with us."

She lifted her head, tearing her eyes from the book. "Well, that's not a happy tone."

Suddenly, they were pulling her up by her arms and dragging her out of the skybox.

"Wait, what's going on — OW!" Tatum was pushed out into the hall, one of the guards keeping a tight grip on her arm. "Wait, what's happening?" Her voice picked up in a state of panic.

"You'll find out soon enough." Said one of the guards.

The further they got down the hall, the quicker the realization settled in. "W-Wait, I'm not eighteen yet. You can't do this!" She started thrashing in their hold. "No! No!" She begged.

Their grip on her tightened. The guard behind her stuck his weapon to her back. Tears spilled from her fire blue eyes. She gritted her teeth. "Please don't do this." She spoke shakily but again, she was ignored. They started dragging her again. "No. No, please!" She cried out and jerked around. "PLEASE!"

Her cries slowed down when a needle pierced into her neck. Her vision clouded and grew dark, and Tatum fell to the ground, her body limp.