Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me. But I do, I think I do.

— Your Best American Girls, Mitski

━━━━━━ September 20, 2139

CASEY KING WAS EXCITED for her first week at school, she'd already gone four times so this would be the last for the week. She had just turned eight, one of her front teeth had come out, and her mom had gotten a new job with the fruit ladies. Casey got out of bed at 7:15 on the dot, recited the poem her mom said to her every night before she went to bed, then turned to sit on the edge of the bed. She tapped her right foot on the floor four times, set it down, did the same with her left, set it down, and stood.

⠀⠀⠀She walked to the bathroom, opened the door, and flicked the switch twelve times before stepping inside to use it. Then, she brushed her teeth back and forth in segments of four and put the brush back in its jar. As she left, she repeated how she flicked the switch and turned the lights off fully once she was satisfied.

⠀⠀⠀Casey went into the kitchen and found the plate of food her mom had left out for her on the counter. She smiled and went to the sink to wash and dry her hands. Then, she picked up her fork and ate the rations in even bites. After that, she rinsed her plate, set it down in the sink, and moved to her room.

⠀⠀⠀Casey flicked the lights on and off again before entering. On her desk chair, her mom had laid out her outfit for school. She smoothed out any wrinkles in the fabric before changing. She collected her pajamas, put them in the laundry, and picked up her school bag. She headed for the door but stopped to check that she had everything for the day. She went over the items eight times, just making sure she had everything before nodding in content.

⠀⠀⠀Before leaving for the day, Casey checked under the bed, in her closet, and in the bathroom to make sure no one had been there. There were only Casey and her mom in the small housing unit, but she needed to ensure her mom wasn't somewhere Casey missed. Once she checked twelve times, she left, flicked the lights, and checked the rest of the house four times.

⠀⠀⠀Once she was sure Rian wasn't there, Casey slipped on her shoes, tapping her heel four times against the floor, then her toes. When both shoes were on, she left the housing unit and locked the door behind her. All Casey had to do was press her finger against the keypad for it to lock, but she checked the door, and it had done its job sixteen times before leaving.

⠀⠀⠀Casey followed her usual path to school and walked into her classroom. As she approached her seat, she realized something was terribly wrong. There was a boy in her seat! He had a pointed nose and bright blue eyes that were spaced widely against his features. Her brain began to fry as she watched him laugh with her seatmate, Nathan. He barely acknowledged her until she stormed across the room and shoved his shoulder.

⠀⠀⠀Slowly, he turned to look at her with a stupid smirk on his lips. Casey knew him as the class clown, John Murphy. He was stupid and annoyed her every time he interrupted the teacher. Especially when she was talking about how plants work. That was her favorite subject.

⠀⠀⠀"What?" he asked, turning his body to face her, too.

⠀⠀⠀"You're in my seat," Casey claimed between clenched teeth.

⠀⠀⠀"No," Murphy rolled his eyes, then pointed at the front board. "It says 'sit where you want."

⠀⠀⠀"But... it's my seat," Casey huffed, stomping her foot.

⠀⠀⠀Murphy shrugged then turned back to Nathan he had been talking to. Casey grew frustrated. She couldn't just sit somewhere else... it was... it was her seat. She poked his arm repeatedly, hoping he'd give up the seat.

⠀⠀⠀"Come on," she whined. "Give me my seat. Give me my seat. It's mine. Give me my seat."

⠀⠀⠀"Stop it!" Murphy yelled. "It's not your seat! I got here first!"

⠀⠀⠀"No! I claimed that seat when I was five!" Casey exclaimed, holding up the number five before throwing it into a fist at her side. "Now, I'm eight, so I was here first!"

⠀⠀⠀"You can sit in this seat," Murphy said, shoving Nathan out of the seat. "Okay?"

⠀⠀⠀"No, you can sit in that seat, and I'll sit in this one."

⠀⠀⠀"No, you sit in that one, and I'll sit where I am!"

⠀⠀⠀"Move!"

⠀⠀⠀"No, you!"

⠀⠀⠀"You move!"

⠀⠀⠀"Aah!" Casey screamed.

⠀⠀⠀She threw all of her weight on top of Murphy and toppled him over the desk. As they smacked against the ground, she punched her tiny fists into his chest. Murphy didn't hesitate as he threw his fists out in self-defense. Her fist went into the socket of his eye, a bruise forming, just as the teacher flew in. Murphy landed a clean punch back to her eye as their teacher pulled Casey off.

⠀⠀⠀Then, they were escorted into an empty classroom with one of the teachers on her break. They sat on opposite sides of the room while waiting for the Head Teacher to discuss how their actions affected the class. Casey laid her head in her folded arms. Her mom was going to be so mad. Her finger tapped quietly against the table.

⠀⠀⠀All because of Casey's temper, her mom would be thought of as a bad parent by her friends, and then they'd think she was a lousy worker, so they'd fire her, then her mom would have to find a new job, and then if she couldn't they'd be put on reduced rations, and then—

⠀⠀⠀"Hey," Murphy called across the room.

⠀⠀⠀Casey looked up. Her eyes darted to the teacher who was missing. She turned to look at Murphy and gave him a weird look when he smiled back at her ear-to-ear. He pointed at his eye, which was beginning to turn purple, then pointed back at her.

⠀⠀⠀"We match," he laughed.

⠀⠀⠀Casey laughed with him, the worry draining from her body.

━━━━━━ September 27, 2149

CASEY HAD FALLEN ASLEEP outside of the hatch to the third level of the dropship, with Octavia wide awake beside her. Her head rested on Octavia's shoulder as she drifted in and out of a light sleep. It was the most she had gotten in weeks. With at least a bit of her heart mended, her mind was kinder to let her sleep.

⠀⠀⠀"Casey, wake up."

⠀⠀⠀Casey frowned. She had been on the edge of a sweet dream. She, Murphy, and Rian gathered in their small home to watch a movie. It was the day before Murphy would get arrested. It was the last time her family had all been together.

⠀⠀⠀"Casey!"

⠀⠀⠀Her eyes blinked open as she blearily looked around. Octavia sat beside her with a soft smile. She nodded her head to the side where Clarke and Bellamy stood, hesitant.

⠀⠀⠀"What?" she muttered harshly, stretching out her stiff back.

⠀⠀⠀"Your mom is waiting to talk to you," Clarke said.

⠀⠀⠀Despite her ill feelings towards Clarke, the mention of her mother turned Casey into a nearly unrecognizable person. Her shoulders loosened, her smile widened, and she looked like the past few weeks were washed from her skin.

⠀⠀⠀"She is?" Casey asked, excitement bubbling out of her limbs.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah," Clarke said, a small smile breathing to life across her face, relieved.

⠀⠀⠀Casey stood without another word. Octavia caught her hand and pulled her back down. She leaned close to Casey's ear and whispered, "Good luck. And tell your mom thank you."

⠀⠀⠀"I will," Casey nodded, grinning ear to ear, laugh lines crinkling at the corners of her eyes.

⠀⠀⠀Casey passed Clarke and Bellamy, overhearing their discussion about leaving soon. Bellamy nodded to Casey, a soft bit of unspoken reassurance despite their ever-growing rift. Casey couldn't even pretend to be upset with him; she was too excited to see her mom again.

⠀⠀⠀In less than a minute, Casey arrived at the communications tent, sprinting across the camp, and sat in front of the small monitor ripped from the dropship. On the screen was her mom. Ever since she was a little girl, she was always told how much she looked like her mom. Their blond hair was the same shade, their face shape and bone structure, every little detail. The only thing that distinguished them apart was Rian's bright, blue eyes. The same blue eyes that stared back at her... worried?

⠀⠀⠀Casey pulled on the headset, frowning. She tried not to let her anxiousness show. Her mom was probably just more worried for her well-being than anything. Once they started talking, the shock would wear off.

⠀⠀⠀"Mom," Casey sighed, adjusting the microphone to her mouth and leaning close to the screen. "I was so worried. I thought you were dead."

⠀⠀⠀"You thought I was dead?" Rian asked with a small laugh, the wrinkles around her eyes appearing. "I'm not the one who got sent to the ground."

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, but the three hundred—" Casey laughed nervously.

⠀⠀⠀"Honey," Rian interrupted, her tone pressing. She forced a smile before it dropped into a look that meant things were serious. "I love you so much. And I'm happy to know that you're okay too. But there's something I need to ask of you."

⠀⠀⠀"What? What is it?" Casey asked, her brows furrowing.

⠀⠀⠀"Watch out for Bellamy," Rian told her simply.

⠀⠀⠀"Ha, believe me, I've tried," Casey laughed, rolling her eyes.

⠀⠀⠀"No, I mean, watch his back. I saw Shumway slip in here when no one was looking. Jaha's been shot, and I know that bastard has it out for him. No one would believe me if I said anything, not after Octavia. He's not safe," she said.

⠀⠀⠀"I think he can handle himself," Casey huffed.

⠀⠀⠀"Casey, I need you to do this for me. He's a good kid," Rian pleaded.

⠀⠀⠀"No, he's not. He's an asshole," Casey scoffed, leaning back in her chair, arms folded across her chest.

⠀⠀⠀Rian fixed her daughter with a stern, motherly look. If it weren't for the slim five-minute window, she would argue Casey up a wall. Instead, Casey sighed, knowing that she wouldn't win in either instance.

⠀⠀⠀"Okay, fine," Casey muttered, waving her hand at the screen. "I think him and Clarke are leaving soon."

⠀⠀⠀"Out of camp?" Rian asked.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah," Casey said, tapping her fingers against the skin of her arm.

⠀⠀⠀"God dammit," Rian cursed, bowing her head and running her fingers through her hair. She lifted her head and stared at Casey. "I wish I wasn't asking you to do this."

⠀⠀⠀"You're not. I'd go even if you hadn't asked me to," Casey lied.

⠀⠀⠀"Alright, I'm sorry," Rian said, frowning. "This isn't what I wanted for our first talk either. I love you."

⠀⠀⠀"I love you, too," Casey whispered, teary-eyed, as she set her fingers on the computer screen where her mom's check was. "To the Ark and back."

⠀⠀⠀Rian laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes, and sighed before asking, "What about John? Can he go with you? Can I talk to him?"

⠀⠀⠀Casey's face fell at the mention of Murphy. She smoothed her hand over her lips to hide her feelings. She could feel the numbers on her lips but held them back before her mom could worry.

⠀⠀⠀"No," Casey whispered, coughing to explain away the pain. She took in a deep breath and lied again, "He's busy, um, building the wall."

⠀⠀⠀"Casey?" Rian asked, concerned. She didn't believe her for a second.

⠀⠀⠀The door in Rian's room opened, and David Miller stood stoic by it. He said something to Rian, but she ignored him, staring at Casey, waiting for answers.

⠀⠀⠀"We'll talk later," Casey said quickly, taking off the headset and leaving the tent.

⠀⠀⠀Casey found Clarke and Bellamy raiding the ration station. She forced a large smile, pushing any ill feelings to the back of her head, and approached them.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm coming with you," she told them. Her voice was a little too loud, startling them from their conversation.

⠀⠀⠀"What?" Bellamy asked, looking up from his bag. His shoulders slumped, and he claimed, "Come on, I'm not going to throw another radio into the river."

⠀⠀⠀"I'm not going to keep you out of trouble." At least not in the way that he thinks. She put her hands behind her back and tapped her finger against her wrist. "I'm just getting a little stir-crazy being here, as evidenced by my panic attack."

⠀⠀⠀"I've never seen a panic attack like that. Are you sure that's all it was?" Clarke asked, worried.

⠀⠀⠀Casey shrugged, "What else could it be?"

⠀⠀⠀Clarke sighed. She couldn't diagnose Casey with something she didn't even know the term for. So, she left it alone.

⠀⠀⠀"I guess I can handle one person I like," Clarke shrugged.

⠀⠀⠀"Right," Casey agreed with a strained smile.

⠀⠀⠀Clarke turned to Bellamy with a sharp stare and commented, "That's a lot of rations. You realize this is a day trip."

⠀⠀⠀"A lot can happen in a day," he said. His pack was stuffed with rations as he zipped it closed and threw it over his shoulder.

⠀⠀⠀Octavia stepped out of the dropship, her gaze landing on the three. Casey waved to signal she was heading out and nodded with a tight smile. Then, her eyes darted to Bellamy, acknowledging him for only a moment before she turned back into the dropship. Bellamy turned sharply to follow Clarke, hiding his hurt.

⠀⠀⠀"Come on, Casey. We're losing daylight," he called over his shoulder.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah," she muttered, scanning the camp for anyone acting out of the ordinary. She wasn't good at this. She was a farmer, not a scout. She didn't know what clues were good to pick up on for someone looking to kill Bellamy. All she got were busy teenagers working hard to make their camp better. She sighed and called after Bellamy, "I'm coming."

━━━━━━ February 12, 2144

RIAN KING HAD BEEN put on the Guard a year prior. She'd done routine inspections dozens of times, but it never got any easier. She and her daughter still lived in Farm Station, per her request, and she lived alongside people who every day struggled to survive. Sometimes, she wondered if becoming a part of the enforcers on the Ark was detrimental to what she wanted to achieve. But when people like Marcus Kane continued to oppress the working class he came from, she looked to tear that down from the inside.

⠀⠀⠀Although she was still a lower-ranked member, the surprise inspections had put her in touch with people who needed a hand to survive just one more day. A stolen piece of bread or an outspoken comment could do more for a people than most of those in charge were willing to give.

⠀⠀⠀Inspector Grus, her lewd boss, led the inspections today. They were making their way through Factory Station and stood at Aurora Blake's door. She lived without a partner and her son, Bellamy.

⠀⠀⠀The Inspector knocked multiple times. They weren't allowed to barge down the doors unless there was probable cause. It took a few moments for Ms. Blake to arrive, but she opened the door with a smile.

⠀⠀⠀"Ms. Blake," Grus greeted as he, Rian, and her co-worker, Dante, stepped inside. "By authority of the council, we're here to perform a random inspection."

⠀⠀⠀Rian moved around the room to check everything was in place. No stolen medicine or food, nothing strange out of the ordinary... Her eye spotted a tassel on the floor beneath the desk leading underneath. The son, Bellamy, noticed it, too. He looked up at her, his face falling as he looked ready to pass out.

⠀⠀⠀She thinned her lips and nodded at the chair behind him. He stood for a moment longer before listening, sitting in the chair, and covering the tassel with his foot.

⠀⠀⠀"Inspector Grus, it's good to see you. Your uniform's ready," Ms. Blake said, walking over to him with a smile and the uniform. "There you go, just like new."

⠀⠀⠀Rian glanced up at the pair to see her step closer.

⠀⠀⠀"Do you have something for me?" She asked. Her boss' hand rested on her behind and squeezed. He had no shame in his blatant, perverse use of power. "Bellamy's letter of recommendation," she stressed.

⠀⠀⠀"You think you're Guard material, kid?" Grus asked, raising a brow at him. "Come here. Let's have a look at you."

⠀⠀⠀"I'm good, thanks," he said, sitting at the table like a stubborn teenager with his phone in hand. He reminded Rian of Casey, always something else going beneath the surface.

⠀⠀⠀"Bellamy. Stand up. Now," his mother hissed.

⠀⠀⠀Rian moved to the table and passed her hands over the items in a show of being quick. She pulled back and 'accidentally' flipped the sewing supplies on the ground, scattering miscellaneous items everywhere.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, sorry," Rian said, kneeling down to pick them up. She knew Grus' impatience would have them out of there.

⠀⠀⠀"King," Grus sighed, annoyed. "Come here, boy, while she cleans that."

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy stood nervously, glancing down at Rian, before standing in front of the man. Grus looked him over as Rian took her time to put the items away.

⠀⠀⠀"Strong kid, but the guard will make a man of him, yet," Grus stated with a firm nod. "You'll have that recommendation, boy. King, come on, I hope you don't mind cleaning her mess. We have a busy day."

⠀⠀⠀"Of course not, sir," Bellamy said quickly.

⠀⠀⠀Grus smiled, "Good boy."

⠀⠀⠀Rian followed her boss out, but not before looking over to the Blake's. His mother was looking at him in confusion as he stared at Rian, shocked. She smiled, nodded her head, and closed the door behind her.

━━━━━━ September 27, 2149

"YOU KNOW," CLARKE CALLED back to Bellamy on their quiet, peaceful journey. "The first dropship is gonna come down soon. Pretty sure you can't avoid Jaha forever."

⠀⠀⠀"I can try," Bellamy claimed.

⠀⠀⠀They had made it to a hill that stretched down into a marsh surrounded by pine trees. At the bottom was a group of structures standing on their last legs. It felt as if she breathed the wrong thing, everything would crumble to dust.

⠀⠀⠀"Maybe he'll be lenient," Clarke continued.

⠀⠀⠀"Look, I shot the man, Clarke. He's not just gonna forgive and forget," Bellamy snapped at her. "Let's just split up, cover more ground. Stay within shouting distance," he directed them before heading down the hill, patting Casey's shoulder as he passed. Clarke descended down the hill after him.

⠀⠀⠀Casey turned to the trees. Nothing, not so much as a twig snapped or a shadow emerged. The branches of the dead trees were skinnier than Jasper, so she was sure she would be able to see someone between them. She stuffed her hand in her pocket, fiddling with the knife she traded Murphy, and headed down the hill.

⠀⠀⠀It felt incredibly dissatisfying that her first conversation with her mom landed her here. The same man that had ruined her life she was now trying to save.

⠀⠀⠀"Bellamy, Casey, over here! I found a door!" Clarke shouted.

⠀⠀⠀Casey headed toward Clarke and met Bellamy halfway. Clarke tried to open the doors below the structure, but they wouldn't budge.

⠀⠀⠀"Ugh, I think it's rusted shut," Clarke said.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy looked at the door and waved his hands to signal 'back up.' "Here, watch your foot," he demanded.

⠀⠀⠀He lifted his ax and flung it down on the lock. It split open, allowing Clarke to open the hatch with ease. She headed down first as Bellamy stepped aside. He gestured for her to go ahead of him. Casey didn't protest but hesitated, looking to the tree line. They were still bare and unassuming, but now she had the sensation of eyes on her skin.

⠀⠀⠀"What is it?" Bellamy asked, following her line of sight.

⠀⠀⠀Casey jumped. "What?"

⠀⠀⠀"What are you looking at?" he reiterated.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, sorry," Casey laughed, trying to act as if it were nothing. She didn't think she had ever laughed with Bellamy, and this probably seemed even more obvious. "I thought I saw a bird."

⠀⠀⠀Casey sent him a crooked smile, and he nodded, unconvinced. He waved his hand toward the hatch again, and she realized he was waiting on her.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, right," she muttered and headed down.

⠀⠀⠀As they entered the pitch-black underground, Clarke was prepared with a flashlight for each of them. Bellamy's arm reached past her shoulder, and she jumped at the sudden brush of contact. This damn murderer on the loose was putting her on edge. Both Clarke and Bellamy looked at her oddly but didn't broach the subject.

⠀⠀⠀"Really think this place hasn't been touched since the war?" Bellamy asked Clarke, refocusing their attention on the space around them.

⠀⠀⠀"A girl can dream," Clarke sighed. She nodded for them to follow, saying, "Come on."

⠀⠀⠀Casey's attention was caught by a skeleton sitting precariously on the stairs. It wore ragged clothing, its jaw slightly unhinged, and it stared sightlessly ahead. She paused beside it, forcing Bellamy to stop with her.

⠀⠀⠀"Hell of a place to die," Bellamy mused.

⠀⠀⠀Casey reached her hand out to touch the skeleton. Its body lurched to the side, and its jaw widened at the disturbance. Before she could bother it more, Bellamy's hand shot out in a blur and held her wrist.

⠀⠀⠀"Stop it," he hissed.

⠀⠀⠀"What?" Casey asked, glancing back at him.

⠀⠀⠀"It's dead," Bellamy told her, deadpanned. "Keep moving."

⠀⠀⠀Casey rolled her eyes. "I don't know, I just feel like it serves as a reminder of the inevitable. And what happens, you know... after."

⠀⠀⠀"Casey, I'm just trying to stay alive. You should consider that, too," he said with a sigh, pushing her forward.

⠀⠀⠀They walked into a room where Clarke had gone. A dozen shelves were picked clean of anything they could have used.

⠀⠀⠀"This place is disgusting. Damn it," Clarke hissed.

⠀⠀⠀"Anything left down here is ruined," Bellamy agreed.

⠀⠀⠀"They must have distributed most of the supplies before the last bombs went off," Clarke said. She opened a box and rifled through what little was left. "Hey, I found blankets."

⠀⠀⠀"Excited about a couple of blankets?" Bellamy sneered, catching both girls off guard.

⠀⠀⠀"Well, it's something," Clarke snapped.

⠀⠀⠀"How about a canteen or a med kit or a decent freaking tent?" he shouted, storming away.

⠀⠀⠀Casey ignored him as she moved around the room. She tried to appear busy as she moved her flashlight to the corners of the room. Between all the talking and yelling, someone could have slipped in behind them. When she found no one, she turned her gaze to the door in case they tried to sneak in.

⠀⠀⠀Bellamy screamed in frustration a few minutes later and kicked over a barrel. Black water spilled over the floor and soaked into their shoes. Casey turned to Bellamy, her temper flickering and ready to snap when she spotted the guns lying on the floor.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, my God," Casey whispered.

⠀⠀⠀"What?" Clarke asked, walking over to see what they were staring at.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello! I meant to post this like hours ago but I had to eat dinner, let my dog out, edit all 7.6k words of this, format it, rewrite a scene, etc. just to get it ready. I had high hopes to get this out within an hour lmao.

This is just a little bonus because, well... there's definitely not a reason or anything. But I thought people might want something to read. Maybe they're having a bad day because, say, a new president has been elected.

Anyways, you might notice that only half this chapter is up. That's because it's long as fuck and I decided to split in half. But don't worry! I'm not gonna do you dirty like that. Once I format the other one, that'll be out too!

I really like these two chapters. They're a lot of fun and dive into Casey's relationship with her mom, Murphy, and Bellamy. Can't wait for the next part because it's a doozy.

CHAPTER TIME FRAME: 1x8, Day Trip

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you'd like, they keep me motivated! However, this is an all kind of reader safe space. So, even if you ghost read or comment on every chapter, I hope you know it means the world to me that you've come to spend your time in this fic ♡

NEXT TIME: Bellamy gives Casey and Clarke a lesson in gun handling. The ration packs start to make Casey hallucinate.