DISCLAIMER:

Unfortunately, as much as I would like to, I do not own The 100 or any of its scenes or characters. I do, however, own Fallon, any of my own scenes and/or lines, and other characters I may throw in. Maybe I can become a writer for the show one day and actually own it.

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❝don't walk behind me; i may not lead. don't walk in front of me; i may not follow. just walk beside me and be my friend.❞

-albert camus, philosopher

♛

I RUN THROUGH THE corridors of the Ark as soundlessly as I can, my feet barely making any noise as I swiftly move on the metal floor. I have taught myself to walk and run this way over time, even through the adrenaline coursing through my veins; it's one of the things that prevents me from getting caught.

I slow to a stop in front of a gray door that would be identical to everyone else's if it wasn't for the name Griffin in a card slot on the front. I'm in Alpha Station — where the Privileged live — which is quite a distance away from where I live in Walden. Running all this way is necessary, though— it's my best friend's birthday.

I rap my knuckles on the heavy door, wincing as I do so. My hand is scratched and a bit bloody from my recent adventure, but it's nothing. I can't even feel whatever pain I should because too much excitement clouds any other sensations. I think I might actually explode if I have to wait any longer and find myself bouncing on my feet, unable to stand still even for a moment.

The door creaks open slowly. I tilt my head upward to see Jake Griffin. He looks around for a moment, a confused expression on his tired-looking face. His salt-and-pepper hair is pushed all over the place, stubble dotting his chin and pale cheeks. Then his eyes cast downward and his demeanor immediately brightens. A smile takes over and the stress evaporates at the sight of me.

"Fallon!" he exclaims. "Sorry, I didn't see you. What brings you here?"

I don't know why he bothers asking anymore. We both know the answer— I'm here to see Clarke.

The 'not seeing me' doesn't even bother me nowadays. I'm twelve and I haven't hit my growth spurt yet, leaving me at the unruly, embarrassing height of four feet nine inches.

I smile politely at him. "That's alright, Mr. Griffin. I'm here for Clarke."

He steps away from the door, allowing me to enter with a gesture inside. "Come right in."

I slowly walk into their massive living quarters, seeing Abby, Clarke's mom, getting ready for her workday in Medical. She spots me and I know she is about to say something, but I immediately shush her by putting a finger to my mouth. She nods in understanding and instead silently greets me with a wave. The beginning traces of wrinkles in the corners of her eyes deepen as she shoots me a knowing wink. 

Clarke is at her drawing table— I know that without even looking. As I creep around the wall with my body facing her desk, I find my assumption is correct. Clarke's blonde hair is braided to perfection in a neat plait that ends at the middle of her back. She and I have been in a competition to see who can have the longest hair. I am proud to say that I'm winning.

I sneak up behind Clarke, which isn't very hard at all. My feet hit the floor soundlessly and I control my breathing to make it as quiet as I can, something that also comes as second nature to me. Luckily, Clarke is completely immersed in her work as always so I doubt she even heard me come in. Typical.

Grabbing onto her shoulders, I quickly bring my mouth close to her ear and shout, "What do you think you're doing?"

Her blue colored pencil skids across the paper as she jumps in fright. Her reflexes cause her to turn and nearly hit me in the face. Luckily, I'm much quicker than she is and move out of the way in time, laughing at her wide blue eyes and lips parted in a scream that never came out.

"Fallon Rivers, I am going to kill you one day!" she warns, putting a hand to her forehead as she calms down. I'm still laughing, though the bellyache has turned to mere giggles, and I swoop down to hug her tightly.

"Happy birthday!" It takes a second due to her surprise, but Clarke hugs me back just as enthusiastically. I pull away and beam at her. "You're thirteen— a teenager! How does it feel?"

Clarke laughs softly with a huge smile plastered onto her ivory face that almost fades into the background of the colorless walls. "Like I'm another year older."

I roll my eyes at her typical response. "You're no fun." Barely able to contain myself anymore, I turn to Clarke's parents, who are watching us with amused expressions on their faces. "Do you mind if I have a moment alone with Clarke?"

Abby nods while she fixes the collar of her work shirt. "I have to go to Medical; the Chancellor is waiting. I'll see you girls later."

Abby is a doctor and works alongside my mom, but that is just about where the similarities end. The Griffins are Privileged because Abby is on the Council and Jake is the Chief Earth Engineer, meaning they get better treatment than the rest of us. They have bigger living quarters, much more rations, and a lot more freedom than the rest of us. I'm lucky that our families are extremely close despite these factors.

Once both of her parents are gone, I turn to Clarke with excitement shining in my dark eyes. "I have a present for you."

Clarke gasps. She knows I don't have the ration credits for that. "You what? What is it?"

I smile and reach into my pocket. "Close your eyes." She does so and I grab onto the object in my pocket, feeling the coolness of it and pulling it out. "Hold out your arm." Clarke's pale wrist reaches out so I can hook the bracelet around it, pleased that it fits. "Open."

Clarke blinks open her eyes. They immediately widen at the gift: a black leather bracelet with a bright blue, shimmering stone attached to the middle. A slightly messy letter 'C' is carved in cursive in the center of the stone. Or, at least, as centered as I could make it.

"It's beautiful!" Clarke gushes with a smile spreading across her pale face. Pride swells within me at her reaction. I'd worked for weeks on them, and seeing that the work paid off takes a weight off of my shoulders. I knew it would be something she'd appreciate. 

"Look," I say, holding out my own arm. "I have one too."

The bracelet I have is almost the exact same as Clarke's, except the stone on mine is green and an 'F' is carved into it. I chose our favorite colors because I knew that she would definitely love them.

"Where did you get the supplies for these?" she asks, wonder spreading across her face. I look sheepishly at her and the smile starts to fade. Now she appears more troubles than elated, her thin eyebrows drawing in close. "You did not. Fallon, please do not tell me you stole to make me a birthday present."

I grin devilishly, holding up my hands and wiggling my fingers. "Fastest hands in the whole Ark."

Clarke groans. "Fallon, will you ever stop?" When I shake my head in response, she sighs. "I'm worried about you. Ever since last year..."

I shrug, pretending that the memory about the previous year doesn't sting even as my heart pinches. "I know, but I'm an expert burglar at this point. No one can catch me."

"And someday, someone will."

"No, they won't."

And, not surprisingly, three years later, I was caught.

_______

as another wattpad author has said, "because not all prologs have to be sad."

i hope you liked it! i'm so excited for this book. i'll be posting the first chapter asap, so stay tuned.

2019 edit: i would like to point out that some of the "elementary" words used in this chapter were specifically chosen to reflect fallon's age and youth. she's twelve here, so she won't be using huge words and extremely long, complex sentences while she's narrating. i promise that the writing becomes more advanced next chapter when she's seventeen!

-kristyn