WARNING: This book contains strong language, violence, and some sexual content.

The lonely metals walls creaked in senseless rhythms as I stared at the ceiling of my cell with boredom infiltrating my mind. Even after four months, I still had to convince myself I was awake; this wasn't a nightmare. This was real. 

I listened to the quick-paced footsteps in the hallway. The guards were doing their third rounds of the day, which meant it was almost time for lunch. I hated prison food. Well, it was the same food everyone on the Ark was getting, but the fact it was given to me on a rusty, metal tray through a tiny opening in the door made it taste worse than normal somehow. I sat up from the uncomfortable cot in the corner of the bare cell, letting out a long sigh. I was so tired of being in lock up. I turned eighteen in two months, which meant I had two months left to live. Everyone knew the prisoners just got floated now. The Council never saved anyone anymore.

Not getting a cellmate only made my life even more monotonous. I was never given a good explanation as to why I had to be by myself; I wasn't the only one in the SkyBox who had committed what everyone else considered a 'terrible' crime. The Council threw me in here alone; only allowing me one break per day from the ever-present silence of my lonesome cell. 

The thought of the Council brought a familiar pain to my chest as I remembered how I ended up in this stupid room. I did my best to save my father, but everything was a trap. Diana Sydney wanted me out of the picture; just like how she really was the one who got my dad arrested. She gave me a gun to shoot the Chancellor and then told Jaha I was going to kill him for sentencing my father to death. I never should have trusted her, but I was desperate, and she took advantage of that to get revenge for something I couldn't remember.

 My father was floated right in front of my eyes, and then, I was put in this stupid hunk of metal.

As for my memories, well they stopped about three months before the explosion. I never got much information on the missing time period because Wells hardly ever came to visit me. When he heard the news that I had a gun and was going to kill Jaha, he pretty much started hating me. And Archie? I heard he got arrested before I woke up for stealing, but I hadn't seen him at all. I couldn't leave my floor of the prison. 

And then there was the mystery of Bellamy Blake, my supposed boyfriend who I couldn't put a face to in my mind. Where was he? If he really did love me as much as I heard, why hadn't he came to visit? I guess it didn't matter anymore. I would be floated soon anyway.

The only amusement I got was during the single break from my cell I was allowed every day. There was a large area with tables on each floor of the SkyBox for meals. Even though I couldn't leave my floor, the fact that it had some pretty cool people made it a little more bearable. 

Jasper Jordan and Monty Green were two best friends who were getting high in secret until they got caught right before I was put in the SkyBox. They were cool, and they could always make me laugh when I was in a bad mood. Then, there was Finn Collins, who got on my nerves most of the time. He wasted a month's supply of oxygen on a spacewalk, which was bold, I admitted, but he was kind of a cry baby.

 Lastly, there was Nathan Miller and Kate Williams, and they were always trying to cause trouble with the guards, and that I could enjoy. I loved getting on those pricks' nerves. They were constantly rude to us, so we were jackasses in return. Pretty even if you asked me. 

Someone unlocking the door of my cell pulled me away from my thoughts. My eyes darted to the door, immediately hardening when I saw the Chancellor standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. Four guards stood behind him.

"That's quite an entourage," I looked between the four men with obvious amusement. "I'm starting to think you're afraid of me."

He stepped into my cell, "Let's not make this harder than it needs to be, Harley."

I stood up to face him, "Oh, did you expect me to be happy to see you?" I asked. "Let me try again," he gave me an annoyed look as my sarcasm surfaced, "Hey, Jaha, it's so great to see you! By the way, I hate you." He just kept looking at me, and I threw my hands up in frustration. "If you're here to float me, just do it. I don't even care at this point."

"I'm not here for that," he answered. "I'm here to tell you that we're sending you to the ground. All one hundred of you."

"The ground?" I asked with shock. "So, you're sending us to die?"

"We believe it could be survivable."

"Well, I guess that's better than spending another minute here," I said. "Why did you have to come all the way to my cell to tell me that?"

Jaha had genuine concern on his face, "Wells was arrested yesterday. I know you care about him, and I want to ask you to look out for him. Not for me, but for him," Wells, the perfect son, got arrested? What the hell was going on? Why was everything so backward? "If the ground is survivable, it'll take extreme strength to survive. I know you have that strength in you, Harley."

I took a step towards him, causing the guards to tense up. Their hands went to their shock batons, ready to defend the Chancellor if they had to, "I'll look after Wells because he's one of my best friends, but I just want you to know one thing," I looked him right in the eyes, "If I was given a gun again, I'd gladly shoot your brains out."

Jaha clenched his jaw, "I wanted to save your father, Harley. His death hurt me too."

I let out a cold laugh, "Yeah, well it didn't seem to phase you too much when you pressed the button that floated him."

"You can believe what you want," Jaha said. "Hate me forever if you must, but hating me won't bring your father back."

I slapped him in the face, which felt good until the four guards charged at me and took me to the ground. I struggled against them as they put my hands behind my back. I felt something metal being clicked around my right wrist as one of them pressed their knee into my back.

"Easy, easy! You're gonna break my spine, you moron!"

They forced me to my feet, facing me with the Chancellor again as he looked over me, "Earth could be your second chance, Harley."

I gave him a fake smile, "Really? Well, thanks for saying that. I appreciate it," he seemed shocked by my words, but I wasn't done. "You know, I have some farewell words for you too, Jaha," the shock on his face went away. "Now, I mean this with all sincerity in my heart," I turned to the guards, "and, you guys too. You deserve a goodbye after our wonderful four months together," Jaha rolled his eyes. "So, here are my parting words for you all," I did not regret my words, "Fuck you, every single one of you, you sons of motherfucking bitches."

"You can take her away now."

My eyes fell away from Jaha as the guards shoved me out of my cell. They didn't seem to appreciate my goodbye either.

 I looked around as everyone in the SkyBox was in the same situation as me. They were being pushed along by guards with confusion on their faces. I spotted Kate and Miller in front of me as they led us down an empty hallway. I tried to look past them to see where we were going, but there were too many people in the way.

After about ten minutes of walking, we came to the end of the hallway. A ladder was hanging from the ceiling, and I guessed it led up to the dropship we were going to Earth in. I still couldn't believe they were sending us to the ground. What made them think it was survivable all of a sudden? A hint of fear tempted to work its way into my mind, but I shut it out. Survive. That's all I could think. I have to survive.

I spotted Doctor Griffin and Chancellor Kane standing to the side of the lane of teenagers waiting to climb into the dropship. She locked eyes with me, and then she walked up to me as I waited for my turn.

"How's your head?"

"It's fine," I answered.

"Your memories?"

"Still gone."

Doctor Griffin nodded, "Harley, a bunch of these kids listen to you-"

"Save it. I've already gotten a speech from Jaha. I don't need one from you too," I gave her a look of disdain. "You know, I'm glad I'm going to the ground. At least I won't have to see the faces of the people who betrayed me and my father anymore."

Doctor Griffin didn't get a chance to respond. It was my turn to climb the ladder. I turned away from her, and put my hands on the smooth, metal bars. I didn't hesitate as I entered the dropship. Two guards were inside, directing us as we sat down. I noticed an empty seat next to Miller and Kate, and I quickly took it, strapping in the red seatbelt as I sat down.

"This is crazy," Kate said from beside me. "We're definitely going to die."

"Don't be dramatic, Kat," Miller told her. "At least we're getting away from this shithole."

"Miller's right. The sooner we get to the ground, the better," I replied as I saw Clarke being brought in on a stretcher. She had been in solitary for a year. No one had seen her at all. "Did you guys hear that Wells got arrested?"

"No way," Miller said. "Mr. Perfect broke the law?"

"I guess so," I answered as I looked around for him. "Have either of you seen Archie?"

"I don't think he's up here yet," Kate said.

I was aching to see Archie. He had been my very best friend my entire life, "What about Spacewalker?"

Right on cue, Finn Collins boarded the dropship. He found a seat behind us casually plopping down like he had no care in the world, "Hey guys."

"Welcome aboard the Earth Express," I said jokingly. "I don't think they'll be providing peanuts and refreshments during our flight."

I noticed the guards leaving the dropship. They closed the hatch behind them, and my heart started to pound when I heard a loud beeping noise from below us.

"So, what are the odds we won't die from radiation the moment we step foot on the ground?" I heard Kate ask.

I shrugged as I felt the dropship rumble, "Probably not that great."

"Cool, cool," she said with fear in her voice. "Well, it was nice knowing you guys."

My heart lurched, and not in a good way when I felt the dropship take off. It was a horrible feeling that made me clench the sides of my seats; it was like I was falling while sitting down. The reality that we were all probably going to die set in, but there was also a tiny hint of excitement in my veins. What if Earth was survivable? What if we were the generation to bring humanity home; just like my mom predicted when I was little.

The black pearl necklace she gave me had gone missing. I guessed I lost it during the three months I couldn't remember. I wished I could've found it before we were sent to the ground. It was my favorite necklace to wear.

A loud crashing sound caused someone to scream. I looked around as the lights flickered. Well, this ship was almost one hundred years old. I couldn't expect much more from it. Suddenly, the small TV screens that sat on the walls around us flickered on. Chancellor Jaha appeared on them, and I rolled my eyes. Here goes his big speech.

"Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now. You've been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor, it's my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but as a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds were survivable were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable."

"Your dad's a dick, Wells," I heard someone yell from behind me. I looked around, my eyes finally landing on Wells. I could barely see where he and Clarke sat on the other end of the dropship.

"Those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean," how generous of him. "The drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war. Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain," the screen disconnected for a moment from the atmosphere.

"Hey watch this," I glanced up at Finn as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He began floating throughout the dropship slowly.

I rolled my eyes, "You're gonna regret that, buddy."

"Go Finn!" Someone shouted.

I heard Jasper next, "The spacewalk bandit strikes again."

The screens flicked back on, "It was to be stocked with enough nonperishables to sustain three hundred people for up to two years." The Chancellor continued talking about Mount Weather as Finn floated up to Wells.

He crossed his arms over his chest, "Check it out. Your dad floated me after all."

"You should strap in before the parachutes deploy," Wells warned him.

Unfortunately, two other guys tried to follow Finn's actions. Clarke noticed and spoke up, "Hey, you two! Stay strapped in if you wanna live."

The Chancellor's voice boomed over the humming of the dropship, "Mount Weather is life. You must locate those supplies immediately."

I rolled my eyes as Finn started to hit on Clarke. Of course, he did that. To make matters worse, the two idiots who tried to follow in Finn's ignorant footsteps unlocked their seatbelts.

"Stay in your seats!" Clarke yelled as the humming grew louder and louder. The shaking of the dropship increased.

An intense jerk hit everyone. Finn and the other two who weren't strapped in were thrown around the dropship. The lights flickered on and off rapidly. I shut my eyes tightly, as screaming filled the entire dropship. Electric sparks flew through the air in front of me. Okay, we were going to die. This ship was too damn old. We weren't even going to get to step foot on the ground because this stupid machine was going to kill all one hundred of us.

"I think I'm gonna puke," I heard from Miller amongst the chaos.

Smoke blew out from the pipes along the sides of the walls as the shaking increased. Then, there was one final loud bang that threw my whole body forwards against the restraints of the seatbelt. I felt everything stop. The noise from the ship was suddenly quiet. There was no sound at all as everyone looked around, wondering what to do next.

Had we actually made it? Without dying?

I breathed heavily as Monty spoke up, "Listen," he said. "No machine hum."

"Whoa," Jasper let out as he looked up. "That's a first."

I looked over at Kate, "I didn't think we were gonna make it this long."

"Me either."

The sound of everyone unbuckling their seatbelts filled the dropship. I followed suit with a sigh, "Well, I guess it's time to go see if the radiation is gonna kill us."

I stood up, looking around for Finn to see if the idiot survived. I saw him leaning down over the two boys that had followed him out of their seats. They weren't as lucky as he was. People began descending down to the lowest level, but my eyes searched the crowd for Archie. I spotted him by the ladder, and I shoved through everyone with force.

"Archie!" His head turned. His entire face lit up as I almost knocked him over in a friendly hug.

"Harley, Oh my God," I heard him let out a happy laugh. "You're here! You're not in a coma!"

I pulled away from him with a huge smile on my face, "Yeah, I couldn't believe it when Miller told me you had gotten arrested. What did you steal?"

He grinned, "I got busted with boos."

"Okay, honestly, that's not very surprising," I joked.

His happy expression faded slightly, "I heard about your father. I'm so sorry."

I nodded, not wanting to talk about that, but right before I answered him, I heard Miller call out, "Come on, Harley! We're gonna open the door!"

My eyes met Archie's, "Ready to see Earth, Arch?"

"You know it."

The two of us climbed down the ladder, at the very back of the myriad of teenagers trying to push their way to the door. It was so stuffy and crowded. I was ready to get out of there, but I was also scared that the second we opened the door, all of us would drop dead.

"Hey, just back it up guys!" A deep, masculine voice boomed over the jumbled conversations.

My eyes landed on the man in front of everyone. He looked older than everyone else. His black hair was slicked back on his freckled-face. The guard's jacket on his shoulders didn't fit him very well, as if it wasn't his. Something about him seemed familiar; like I had stared into those brown eyes a million times before.

His hand moved to the lever, until Clarke's voice came from the ladder, "Stop!" She shoved her way through the crowd and stopped in front of the man. "The air could be toxic."

"If the air is toxic, we're all dead anyway," he answered, dismissing Clarke.

"Bellamy?" Bellamy? Oh, shit. I turned my head, seeing a girl with long dark hair on the ladder. She jumped down, her eyes only on Bellamy as she walked towards him. So, my apparent boyfriend was here too? Oh God. This was going to be awkward.

"That's the girl that hid under the floor," someone said.

The girl stopped in front of Bellamy, "My God, look how big you are," Bellamy said with fondness on his face. The girl threw her arms around his shoulders.

"What the hell are you wearing?" She asked motioning to his jacket. "A guard's uniform?"

"I borrowed it to get on the dropship," he answered. "Someone has got to keep an eye on you."

The girl embraced him in another hug, but Clarke, being Clarke, interrupted their reunion, "Where's your wristband?" She asked Bellamy.

She was right. He didn't have one. The girl turned to Clarke, "Do you mind? I haven't seen my brother in a year."

Her brother? "No one has a brother," a voice called out.

"That's Octavia Blake!" Another yelled. "The girl they found hidden in the floor!"

The girl, Octavia, became angry from the comments and tried to jump at the people making them, but Bellamy held her back. I usually would be upfront with all the action, but I was nervous to face Bellamy. What would I even say to him? 'Hey I'm your girlfriend, but sorry I don't remember ever even meeting you?' No, that wasn't a good thing to say. I looked him up and down, suddenly proud of myself for dating someone so attractive.

"Octavia, Octavia, no," Bellamy pulled her back. "Let's give them something else to remember you by."

"Yeah, like what?" She asked.

He grinned, "Like being the first person on the ground in one hundred years."

Everyone held their breath in anticipation as Octavia turned to the door. Bellamy put his hand on the lever that would open it. Archie glanced over at me. This would either be the moment we all died, or the moment humanity stepped foot on the ground again. I hoped it was the second one.

Bellamy finally pulled the lever, and I had to squint for a few seconds because of the bright sunlight enveloping the dropship. I looked around in wonder, every thought about dying from radiation leaving my mind as I saw green everywhere; the trees the grass. We were in the middle of a lively forest with birds chirping and the sun shining down on everything. I breathed in the woodsy scent as Octavia tentatively jumped down onto the dirt.

Stretching her arms up into the sky, she let out a proud yell, "We're back bitches!"

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okay, here the rewrite of chapter one!
i hope you guys are enjoying this so far!