Fallen Angel [Bellamy Blake]

Chapter 6: When It Rains

"WHO'S NEXT?" BELLAMY EXCLAIMS, a large cocky grin on his face.

"What the hell are you doing?" Wells demands.

Bellamy gives him a humorless chuckle. "We're liberating ourselves. What does it look like?"

Wells grows visibly angrier. "It looks like you're trying to get us all killed! The communication system is dead. These wristbands are all we got. Take them off, and the Ark will think we're dying, that it is not safe for them to follow."

"That's the point, Chancellor. We can take care of ourselves, can't we?"

The crowd behind Bellamy cheers and loud 'Yeahs' echo through the forest. I look at the older boy in exasperation—he was creating chaos and loving it. Despite the fact that I want nothing more than to be free of the Ark and my father, the reality was that the Ark is dying. If they thought we couldn't survive down here then they would resort to the Culling. How many people would have to die until they had enough oxygen?

Liberating ourself was selfish.

I also have had just about enough of Bellamy's egotistical power trip.

I clench my fist and turn to address the crowd, ignoring the feeling of Bellamy's dark eyes on me. "This is serious. Besides the fact that this" –I hold up my wrist with the band in the air– "is the only thing telling your parents and loved ones that we are alive. It's telling our people that they still have a chance to live. Our farmers, our doctors, our engineers. I don't care what Bellamy Blake tells you. If you want our people to survive then you keep those damn wristbands on!"

Bellamy takes a few step towards me but speaks loudly for all to hear. "My people are already down here. Those people locked my people up. Those people killed my mother for the crime of having a second child. Both of your fathers did that."

I was so angry that I didn't notice that we had been walking closer to each other. I place a finger on his chest and look him squarely in the eyes. His jaw is tight as he stares down at me. The anger radiating off the both of us was enough to start another nuclear war. Low enough, so that only he could hear, I let the words drip with bitterness. "I won't make excuses for my father's actions but don't you dare pin what he has done on me."

God knows I already do enough of that on my own.

Bellamy doesn't say anything, he just holds his cold glare.

Wells pulls me back by my waist, obviously sensing the tension that was building. "My father didn't write the laws," Wells states, trying to draw the attention back to him.

It worked. Bellamy pulls his eyes away from me to look at Wells coldly. "No. He enforced them. But not anymore. Not here. There are no laws!"

Again, the crowd behind Bellamy let out enthusiastic hoots and cheers. He turns around to face his followers. "Here we do whatever the hell we want, whenever the hell we want." He turns back to Wells, the smirk back on his smug face. "Now, you don't have to like it, Wells. You can even try to stop it, to change it, kill me. You know why? Whatever the hell we want."