THE GROUND & THE SUN.

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

CARRY YOUR THRONE (book one).
°•        CHAPTER ONE        •°

"        SPACEWALKER,
TIME TO WALK EARTH.       "

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

WHEN ASPEN ALONSO IS RATTED OUT FOR HER PLANNED REVOLUTION AGAINST THE ARK, SHE DOESN'T GET ARRESTED WITHOUT A FIGHT. She remembered in her blind rage throwing fists at any guards who got too close, nails biting into flesh, kicking and shouting in protest until one of them manage to press their shock baton to her back. Aspen had no choice but to submit, her muscles tensing and her body stiffening from the shocks of electricity pulsing through her. Handcuffs are slapped on her wrists, she is read her rights and warning, and is dragged away. But not without hearing her friend, Jax Harvey, promising to finish what they started in a whisper when the guards allow him to say a quick good-bye.

That was something, at least, Aspen thought. She had turned seventeen not too long ago, at least she thinks. That's what Jax had told her, when he sees her on visiting days, sneaking her a present. She had been glaring at the stone walls around her, forming a square, but a smile arises when she touched the leather band around her wrist, complete with a metal charm of Earth that Jax made himself with the assistance of a friend. The two had grown up together, and although there were no romantic feelings as Aspen played for the other team, they cared for each other like family.

The cell Aspen is in is darker, due to her spot in solitary inside of the Sky Box. The brightest sight in the room was on the floor, as she had managed to snag oil crayons in a small box, all thanks to Jax for entertainment, and hid it in the waistband of her denim pants as to not let anyone find it. A sun swirling in a mix of orange, yellow and red swarmed it, the newest addition being the green spot Aspen had put in minutes ago. She was tired of the darkness in the space, on the unfair floating station, longing for the ground, unaware how close she was to that time coming.

Aspen shot up to stand when the door to her cell creaked open, allowing a new light to pour in. She quickly shoved the small box away, despite the view of her painting clear to the two guards who enter. One of them glances to the drawn sun, quirking an eyebrow. "What the hell is this?" He questioned.

Aspen opened her mouth, prepared to shoot some sarcastic reply back, but the other guard beat her to it. "Nevermind that," he dismissed. Aspen then noticed he was holding a silver case when he opens it, revealing a line of metal bands. "Aspen Alonso, prisoner three-forty three, turn around and face the wall."

Fear twisted inside of Aspen like a knife, but she swallowed it down thickly, stained hands tightening into fists at her side. "You want to make me?" She challenged boldly.

The answer was a simple motion of flicking his wrist and revealing a shock baton as a threat. Aspen stiffened, remembering the feeling the last time she was jabbed with it, how vulnerable she felt. She inhaled deeply, fighting the deep urge to fight back, and turned around slowly, swinging her leg around to face the wall. Aspen focused on the other drawing she had made, dark gray storm clouds, a rainbow just peeking through. It signaled a spark of hope.

When Aspen's arm is yanked out forcibly she is snapped out of her thoughts, head whipping to the side just in time to see them yank the sleeve of her jacket up and reach to take off the leather bracelet Jax gave her. "Hey!" Aspen snapped, catching him off guard and giving her the chance to take her arm back and retreat to the wall. "You can't take my property, it was a gift! I can just put it on my other - "

"Take off the bracelet," the guard demanded, leaving no room for her to argue. Aspen isn't given the chance to spit in his face and make a run for it, as she's suddenly pressed against the wall, her arm outstretched. Aspen hears a snap, and her heart breaks, feeling the familiar leather slide away and be replaced with a band clamped around her wrist. Pins dig into her skin, and she makes a noise of pain, tugging her arm back and pressing it to her chest when she's released.

"Give it back!" Aspen exclaimed, launching forward to attack him. She landed a punch, her fist connecting with his jaw, causing a sharp pain to rise in her knuckles at the impact. As the other moves to restrain her, Aspen is quick and sly, able to swipe her fingers in the guard's jacket and slip the leather with a curl of her fingers, easily flattening it to hide it as her arms are pulled behind her back.

Unaware Aspen had stolen her bracelet, the guard started to guide her away. Now that she had her belongings back, she realized just how confused she was. This wasn't ever an occurrence inside the Sky Box. "What's going on?" Aspen demanded to know, hiding the fear in her tone. "You can't float me, I don't turn eighteen until - "

"Enough," the guard stopped her, tightening his grip on her arm. Aspen opened her mouth to argue again, but the words died in her throat when she meets the chaos unfolding outside.

No one is making it easy for the guards who are pulling the prisoners out of their cells. Aspen can hear them shout in protest, demanding to know what's going on, only to be guided to the exit by the guards. A few are unconscious, and although Aspen wants to go down with a fight, she isn't about to be knocked out and be unable to defend herself. She doesn't even ask what's going on, her mouth tasting sour. Was it true? Were they about to be floated for their crimes early? Were they that much of a drain to The Ark?

Aspen is led through the Skybox, the only thing keeping her sane was the cool metal of the Earth charm pressed in-between her fingers from Jax. Her heart hurts at the thought, knowing she never got to say good-bye to him, and it didn't seem like the guards were going to let any of them do so to their loved ones. The single filed line before Aspen had been forced into silence, possibly as afraid and confused as she was. She's never been on this part of The Ark, she doesn't think, as she is left alone to stand around the ones her age. Maybe it was a private place on Mecha Station.

A guard waves his hand and called for them to move. One by one, they move at a slow pace that makes Aspen impatient. Her raven hair is flipped over her shoulder as she glanced around and observe the surroundings, seeing guards positioned as if any of them would try to run, and after she follows around a corner, she sees none other than Council members Abby Griffin and Marcus Kane with their hands clasped in front of them. Aspen scowled at the sight. She tightened her grip on her bracelet, using her fingers to tie a quick knot that would do for now until she could find, or steal, some supplies to fix it and subtly slipping it on the wrist opposite to the band, calming at the feeling.

An open door comes into view. Aspen has to stare hard before she realizes what it is, a ship. Her heart seemed to skip a beat in her chest, knowing there's only one place that the Council would vote to send them. Earth. Suddenly, the charm no longer feels cold but a burning hot from where it's pressed on her skin. Aspen almost froze from where she's walking, knowing her chances after her classes, due to Earth simmering in radiation since before she was born. Her features twisted as she fought back the urge to either cry or get sick, entering the ship and being strapped down with red belts to a seat.

The minutes that tick by are long as the rest of the prisoners are piled in. Aspen can feel the moment that they drop from The Ark, her legs flying up for a second due to the loss of gravity and her head spinning so fast that her hands flew up to grasp the straps over her shoulders tightly. Aspen has to shut her eyes to calm the panic, listening to the rumbling of the ship as it hurdled through space, aware that this ride wasn't going to be easy.

"Prisoners of The Ark, hear me now." The familiar, deep voice caused Aspen's eyes to fly back open in shock, the surprise fading and replaced with fury when she sees Chancellor Jaha's face on one of the screens in the corner. His face is blank, uncaring he was sending young ones to their death. "You've been given a second chance. And as your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself." Aspen scoffed. "We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you..." He paused. "Expendable."

"Your dad is a dick, Wells!" A male shouted. Aspen would have commented on that, but she is too caught off guard. She can't see Wells Jaha but figured he was there by the insult. Chancellor Jaha is sending his own son to die - some kind of father he is, or leader. He's sending teenagers to their deaths because of their crimes even though most of them could be considered innocent or have done minor offenses. And they're still somehow expendable.

"...Those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean," Jaha went on to promise. Aspen could have bitterly laughed at that. She was a criminal, The Ark was most likely throw the biggest party that would overthrow Unity Day if she died on the journey. "The drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain. It was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain three hundred people for up to two years," he explained.

Aspen lost her focus on Jaha's face when she noticed a figure fly by. He has long shaggy hair, a knitted hat pulled over it, and her lips tug up into a sharp grin when he does an impressive flip due to the lack of gravity and she recognized him in seconds as Finn Collins, Jax's friend, and by default hers as well. Aspen's hand flew up to cup around her mouth so she can shout and get his attention. "Spacewalker!"

The nickname made him spin, and as soon as their eyes connect, he's smiling widely as well. "My favorite Klepto!" He exclaimed in greeting, shooting Aspen a wink before he's floating across people's heads and crossing his arms behind his head, laying flat in the air to taunt two that Aspen can't see. Two others start to follow, and she eyed them for a second, her hand brushing her buckle in curiosity. They were bound to have a bad landing anyways - why not make it more fun?

"Hey, you two! Stay put if you want to live!" A girl Finn was teasing shouted. Aspen isn't surprised, figuring she's one of the privileged she planned to overthrow.

"Bold of you to assume - " Aspen began, her thumb about to press the button of her belt, words lost when there's a violent jolt. Sparks are flying above their heads, the lights are flickering, and Aspen can't hear through all of the sudden screams of terrors, except for Jaha's final message to them.

"Your one responsibility is to stay alive."

So much for that, Aspen's voice screamed in her mind. She can't find where Finn went through the mayhem. They're all going to die in one explosion. The dropship is plummeting to Earth, she can tell it's all about to end soon for them all. There's the ashy smell of smoke from the rocket, and gravity fades and fades until there is one last violent jerk. Aspen feels her stomach twist sickly at the feeling, positive her organs were all just rearranged from it. Then nothing. Her ears are still ringing, but she's so surprised that they lived for now that she can't move yet.

Then Aspen remembered where she was. She wasn't floating in space, living in her own personal Hell, she was on Earth. She'll have to figure out which was worse. She couldn't help but smile widely, adrenaline spiking through her veins as she, at last, pressed the seatbelt button and flew it to the side. Aspen's legs wobble when her boots hit the ground, not used to the newfound pressure, suddenly feeling heavy. It doesn't last for too long, possibly because she's still inside the ship, so she seized the moment to push past all the freed and filing prisoners to find Finn.

He's more still than Aspen had ever seen him. Finn is hunched over one of the boys who let themselves go before landing, his lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes sad. She frowned at the sight, stumbling when a girl nudged her. "Finn, is he breathing?" She called worriedly. He doesn't answer, and that's enough for them.

"The outer door is on the lower level, let's go!" Someone exclaimed.

The blonde girl's head snapped to them, and then she's moving quickly again. "No, we can't just open the doors!"

Aspen rolled her eyes as she takes off to the crowd, crouching next to her friend and setting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, there's nothing you could have done," she tells him. "It was their stupid choice to follow you."

Finally, Finn tears his frozen gaze off of the body and meets her face. "A stupid choice because of me," he insisted, his voice cracking a bit. "I did it first."

Truthfully, Aspen doesn't know what to say at that. She knew it wasn't Finn's fault, but that was his belief, that he was to blame for their deaths. She looked behind her to see the top level was clearing out and teasingly tugged off his beanie, letting his raggedy hair free. "Come on, Spacewalker. Time to walk Earth." Aspen stood, offering her hand to help him rise too.

There's visible hesitation, but Finn inhaled deeply before he grasped Aspen's wrist, allowing her to help pull him up. "If we survive," he commented in a low mumble.

She nudged his shoulder with hers. "Hey, stay positive," Aspen pretended to scold. "Raven and Jax would want that for us." The smile Aspen remembered returned to Finn's face, which made her follow it, even allowing him to crawl down the ladder first.

"We can't just open the doors!" The same girl who was beginning to get on Aspen's nerves was warning happened to be the first voice she hears when she jumped off the ladder beside Finn.

The crowd is guided back by a taller male in a guard's uniform, but Aspen knew she had seen his face before, possibly in their Station. She can't put a finger on it, and it made her tilt her head in wonder. "Hey, just back it up, guys," he's easing them.

"Stop!" She tells him, managing to push her way to the front of the crowd to face him. Her blue eyes are lit up in a blaze, her face angrily pinched in a way that Aspen almost finds adorably threatening. "The air could be toxic," she insisted.

"If the air is toxic, we're all dead anyway," he shot back, fully right. Aspen and everyone on the ship knows the risks. They don't open the door, they die here together. If they do, they at least have a chance to live in their home.

A soft voice whispering stops all arguing. "Bellamy?" Aspen turned her head, seeing a pretty girl with chestnut hair and a sharp jaw hanging off the ladder's rods. Then it all clicked. Her lips part into an 'O' as her mind whirred fast to catch up. His name was Bellamy Blake, and his younger sister - Octavia, she remembers, from her Earth Skills classes - was caught. The laws on The Ark forbid having more than one child per person, which was why she had to be here, being arrested for being a second sibling.

Bellamy's features are melting at the sight of his sister as she slowly approached. Aspen wondered briefly how long it's been since they've seen one another. "My God," he breathed out. "Look how big you are." Then they're hugging tightly, wrapping their arms around each other, and Aspen is glad for the reunion, but she's really eager to be outside and get this over with, wondering if it'd be rude to interrupt the quiet words they're sharing with one another.

Apparently, the uptight blonde girl doesn't think so. "Where's your wristband?" She questioned bluntly. Finn snorted. Curiosity got the best of Aspen, and her eyes flickered to Bellamy's wrists. She's right, they're bare.

"Do you mind?" Octavia snapped, tone cold. "I haven't seen my brother in a year." A few confused mumbling fills the air. Aspen remembered Octavia being shy in the Earth Skills class, usually covering her face with her hair when she kept her head down, mumbling answers, and keeping to herself.

There's nothing quiet about Octavia now as her head whipped to glare at whoever made the next outburst. "That's Octavia Blake, the girl they found hidden in the floor!" She lunged, prepared to fight them, but Bellamy moved fast to hold her back.

"Octavia, no!" He managed to tug her to him and calm her down. "Let's give them something else to remember you by," Bellamy says gently.

"Yeah? Like what?" Octavia retorted, ripping away from him.

Bellamy smiled. "Like being the first person on the ground in a hundred years." Octavia relaxed, returning the excited grin and stepping back to make more room as he puts his hand on the lever that controlled the door. Aspen braced herself, bringing her thumb up to brush against the Earth charm again as Bellamy pulled it down.

A variety of lines from the blinding lights appeared at the crack of the door falling open, forming a ramp. Aspen doesn't shield her eyes from the glow, not wanting to miss a second of this. She feels a breeze kiss her skin, her breath hitching at the feeling and the sight that folds before her when the door landed with a thud. Aspen isn't sure if she's breathing or not as she gazed around her, taking everything in.

They're in the woods, and everything was so green. The trees, the grass, the plants, everything except for the yellow sun in the beautiful blue sky. Aspen sucked in sharply, filling her lungs with unbelievably fresh oxygen. It's nothing like what The Ark fed them, but it's everything that Aspen had ever imagined to be on the ground, nearly matching the drawings in her cell and the book she wasn't allowed to have. She feels as if she's lost in a spell, caused by her dream coming true.

Octavia is walking down the ledge with slow steps, hesitant like she was stepping around mines carefully. When she comes to the end, she stuck a laced boot out, unsure. She conquered the fear, jumping down and landing, causing the soil to crunch under her heel. Aspen was too full of happiness to expect Octavia to explode on impact, but she doesn't, instead, she's grinning, head tilting back to stare at the sun.

Everyone was in suspense for what Octavia's next move was on Earth, being the first person from The Ark to step on the planet in almost one hundred years. She reacted, snapping them all out of their daze, including Aspen when she pumped both fists in the air and screamed to the sky.

"We're back, bitches!"

The mesmerizing state Aspen is stuck in is broken as screeching cheers ring in her ears. Her vision becomes a blur of everyone racing down the door, hurdling straight to Earth. She can't wait to join, but for some reason she feels her boots glued down, unaware that she wasn't moving until she feels Finn grab her jacket sleeve and tug. "Pen, let's go!" He urged, forcefully tugging her behind him.

It's so much different than everything Aspen was used to feeling. She hopped off the ledge, landing in the dirt, listening to dry leaves crunch. She shared a look of amazement with Finn, steadying herself with the new weird gravity pull that she doesn't want to ignore. Aspen felt guilt for a moment that Jax and Raven weren't here to join it with them as a group, the trio they always were, but she knows they'd want them to enjoy the bliss.

So Aspen does. She feels like a child joining in with everyone else who was jumping and screaming, excited for their new lives to begin without The Ark's rules that broke them all.

━━━━━━━━

author's note:

first chapter and i am EXCITE and already so in love with aspen!! for the record, she does have a close friendship with finn, so i try to put away my personal feelings for him. however nearly all of aspen's friends will treat her like shit so ... there's that pain

- koda

.•° ✿ °•.
WORD COUNT:
3.5k.
°•. ✿ .•°