Fearless (Bellamy Blake - Book 1)

Chapter 1

~*~

I am enveloped by darkness.

There is nothing but the vast, cold, dark emptiness of space around me. There are no limits. It is never ending. It is beautiful. It is terrifying.

I avert my gaze from the small window beside me, and move a few steps further in line, trading the inky black of the outside for the steel grey wall. The delinquents around me complain and question our movements.

Why are we being put into a drop ship. What's going to happen to us. I'm not eighteen yet, I still have time to live. I want to see my parents.

They're all the same. We're all the same. Shunned and labelled 'dangerous' from our superiors for committing--for the most part--petty crimes. Assault, theft, bribery, vandalism, treason. Murder. You name it, someone here has done it.

On the Ark, if anyone over the age of eighteen commits a crime--any crime, no matter how small or harmless--they are trialed, and sentenced to death. Any offender under eighteen gets put in lock up, also known as the Sky Box, until their eighteenth birthday, when they're trialed and sentenced. Best birthday gift ever, right?

"Next."

I walk forward and stand in front of a guard silently, my eyes following those in front of me as they're lead up a ramp and into the drop ship. "Prisoner numb--"

"285." I say my prisoner identity number instantly, something which will forever haunt me. "Christine Carter."

The guard, who's name tag reads 'Anderson', gives me a filthy look for interrupting him. "Hands." I rise my ams up so they're level with my chest, and he removes the metal handcuffs that join them together.

I lower my left arm but keep my right raised, where a metal wristband is then placed instead. I wince at the combination of cold metal and the feeling of a dozen small needles pressing into my skin. I run a finger over wristband curiously.

"What's this for?"

The middle aged, sour face guard doesn't break eye contact with me as he says, "next." I have no time to react as another guard takes my arm and guides me over to the ramp, ordering me inside.

This drop ship will transport all one hundred prisoners from the Sky Box, away from the Ark and down to Earth. Earth is our home planet, but the last human died ninety nine years ago.

As I walk up the ramp I cast my eyes over the others already in here. All different colours, shapes and sizes, all different ages. I avert my gaze when the delinquents start to whisper, their eyes locked on me.

"Carter."

I smirk slightly at the guard standing at the base of a ladder leading to the second level, Luke Pearson. He's cute, only a couple years older than me. It's a shame he's a guard. And that I'll never see him again.

"Pearson. Don't miss me too much."

"I'll try not to." He chuckles and indicates to the ladder, but places a hand on my arm when I stand level to him on the metal bars. "What? No kiss goodbye?"

I playfully roll my eyes but nonetheless, lean closer and peck his cheek before continuing my way up the ladder, well aware of Luke's eyes on me as I do.