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ELLA'S POV
The pungent scent of sweat hits me first.
As the voices fade in and the rocking brings me to consciousness I come to one terrifying conclusion: this isn't my cell.
My eyes shoot open allowing the hazy room to come into focus just as monitors around the circular space turn on. The image is jumpy but the voice that accompanies it is nothing short of recognizable.
"Prisoners of the ark, here me now." Jaha's voice bounces off the metal walls, loud enough to be heard over the number of obscenities thrown in his holographic direction.
Out of nervous habit I spin the ring on my finger before clutching my hand into a fist, viciously clinging to what remains of my life. Finn was right, something big is happening.
They're sending us to the ground.
"Good you're awake." Finn's voice breaks my focus, causing my head to snap in his direction. The worry starts to subside from his features, eyes soften, jaw loosens, muscles relax. "I was starting to worry."
"Where's Luca." I ask, surprised at how rasp my voice sounds.
"I haven't seen him." He realizes, craning his neck to look behind us. "There is another level of this thing though, he might be down there."
"Finn." I start to panic.
"Hold on, I have an idea." He says slightly too enthusiastic for the situation. Before I know it he's unclasping the straps of his seat and his body lifts due to the lack of gravity.
"Finn!" I scold but it's too late, he's gone, and while part of his motives were pure, the two boys who follow don't share them.
I drown out the cheers, Jaha and arguing coming from a voice that's so familiar but I can't place. Instead, I clutch the straps on my own seat and close my eyes.
Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
Something jolts the drop ship and even behind my tightly closed eyelids I notice the lights black out and brighter emergency lights kick on. I can't tell if it's the cabin shaking or just me but I hold onto the straps like a life line.
Parachutes snap causing my head to bang against the seat behind me and a moment later everything goes quiet. And I mean everything. At first I'm listening to my surroundings to ground me but it quickly becomes fear driven when I realize there's nothing. No machine hum, no mechanical whine. Nothing.
