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sixteen . . . new beginnings ( january 27, 2150 — arkadia )
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85 DAYS LATER ...
BLACK BLOOD. THAT'S what was running through Cullen Vander's veins, enabling her to survive the radiation that hung permanently in the air. It enabled her to survive almost all toxins, according to the research she and Abby had found in the three months of them being at Arkadia — it wasn't research set in stone, but it was the best they had. After twelve weeks of test after test, with Abby trying to determine how it was possible for Cullen to survive the toxin her people were apparently allergic to, it was the only conclusion they could come to that was satisfactory enough for Cullen to stop accusing herself of skipping out on 'her time'.
Of course, Cullen still had her questions. Why had it been only her with this blood? If it was generic, did her Mother and Father have it? If they were still alive when the radiation that killed everyone got into the mountain, would they still be alive, too? Is this what her Father spoke of in the moments leading to his inevitable death? — Did Julian know Cullen was different to the rest of Mount Weather's residents?
She had a lot of questions that would go unanswered for the rest of eternity; questions she, or Abby, or even Lincoln, a Grounder Cullen had come to be extremely fond of, couldn't answer. And maybe, in a way, Cullen not knowing the answers was what was supposed to happen — maybe her blood was a different color just because it needed to be. And overtime, she accepted that her Father's words had been right: it wasn't what coursed through her veins that defined who she was. She wasn't going to allow her black blood to be the definition of her.
Living at Arkadia was harmonious. Cullen was surrounded with compassionate, knowledgeable people who were willing to teach her everything she wanted to know. From learning the ropes in Medical with Abby and Jackson, to becoming a low graded mechanic with Raven and Sinclair, to training how to fight with Octavia and Lincoln. Even David and Miller helped train her to use a variety of guns, which surprisingly to everyone, Cullen was good at. Everyone was considerate towards Cullen, who alongside Lincoln, was the newest member of Skaikru.
