Hey all, this idea came out of watching "The Longest Ride" and combining some themes from "The Notebook" because I thought they meshed really well. A little different but I like the idea, hope you enjoy it!
The ceremony would be starting soon at the Alpah Xie Delta house and Clarke couldn't be any happier to be getting a little. Yeah, she wasn't looking forward to the distractions of pledging interrupting her school work but since she had joined during her freshman year she had learned quickly how to manage both. She had been busy working ahead, she was in the first semester of her Senior year and even with a 4.0 GPA she couldn't afford to slack off in the slightest. Raven came barreling into her room completely ignoring the "Do Not Disturb" sign that had made its residence there several years ago.
"Come on Griffin! Let's go take a look at the fresh meat!" Raven rubbed her hands together enthusiastically as she dragged the most recent addition to Clarke's thesis collection out from under her nose. Clarke had always loved charcoal; it was her favorite medium and the only thing to keep her sane while she was in the Ark Institution. They wouldn't let her use pencils or anything sharp and since coal came is lumps, was soft, and easily fell apart they had no problem letting her cover her walls with pictures and portraits and dreams. She had hated it there and learned to cope with her art. Raven had been one of the first people to help her assimilate back into regular life. It had been a hard tradition but Raven had been through the ringer too and they worked hard to help each other.
"Raven!" Clarke stood, hands on her hips. "I know the ceremony will start soon but I still have a few minutes and I can get some more reading done!" Raven dangled the book just out of reach while laughing as Clarke stared at her best friend before tackling her to get the book back. This was pretty common for them and so when the other girls in the house heard the resounding THUD of Raven and Clarke falling on top of each other it was no surprise to anyone and they simply went about their business as if nothing had happened at all.
"Come on, Clarke, now it's time." Raven's plan had worked and though Clarke was upset that she hadn't gotten the last few minutes of studying in she couldn't help the playful smile that tugged at her lips while she stood. Hesitating a moment Clarke shoved Raven back on her bed while yelling "Race you! Last one has to do five shots of fireball!" before running out of the room in her stocking feet with Raven right behind her. Even with the head start Raven caught up pretty quickly, even still Clarke won in the end. She always seemed to. Raven groaned, Fireball was her least favorite shot, still a deal was a deal. "You can pay your penance later, for now, fresh meat."
The sorority president carried on a small speech to the current girls before introducing and assigning each their own little sister. Clarke was eagerly awaiting to find out who her little sis was but Raven had made a comment about one of the girls and Clarke hadn't caught her name but the room had gone silent and when Clarke looked up it was only into an all too familiar face that had haunted her dreams.
"Octavia Blake," there was a pause as the president found her on the roster; "Your big sis is Clarke Griffin." Because Clarke hadn't caught the name and the other girls had sensed a drop in the temperature of the room, or so it would seem. So when Clarke looked up she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Octavia." The name was whispered, Clarke didn't feel well and from the look in the other girl's eyes she didn't like the arrangement either.
"Clarke, do you two know each other?" The president inquired taking a step back as if sensing the implosion about to occur.
"Yeah Fox, she's a childhood friend from a long time ago." As the words left her mouth Clarke stepped forward as they sized each other up. The best way to deal with this would be Blake style. It had been hard when Clarke had lost Octavia and Bellamy. It seemed all hell had broken loose when she had been taken away. Two months before they Blake siblings had lost their mother and the Clarke had lost her dad, watched him die in front of her eyes before the world went black and she woke up in white. At first she had been angry, she had swore and cursed and banged at the walls until her hands were bruised and she had broken a bone. But they had taken her to the medical ward and she wasn't kept away. After that it took a little while and once they had given her the charcoal she seemed to be restored to her old self is some ways. But in others she never would be. Clarke remembered when they were children and they would wrestle and rough-house. It was how they settled disputes and now as things seemed to have lingered it was time to settle this the way they did when they were children.
"We're gonna start you're pledging a little early. Follow me." Clarke had turned her back towards the girl heading out to the back yard. Octavia followed her hesitantly, she hadn't seen Clarke in years, if Octavia had counted right it would have been about eight years since the last time they had spent time together and then Clarke had vanished without a word, saying nothing. No one knew where she was. She had abandoned them just like everyone else. Octavia had lost her mother, Clarke had lost her father, and Clarke had vanished all in two months, it wasn't a good a time for anyone.
"Clarke, this isn't part of our tradition." Fox's voice was careful. She was a smart girl, resourceful and compassionate but strong and a good leader for the others. Clarke knew she was correct though. Unlike most of the other sororities on campus the point of pledging was not to kill you but instead instill survival skills the would last through life with friends. Fighting, like this, was not condoned but Fox seemed to know that this was needed.
"I know, but allow me this. I never ask for much and let's just say that if you want us to be big sis/lil' sis without killing each other what's about to happen is completely necessary." Clarke stripped her shirt off in the summer heat and noticed that Octavia was already untying her shoes and removing her blouse. Both girls wore athletic sports bras and as they took their stances all the other girls took several steps back. They had never seen this side of Clarke and watching how easily she slipped into a fighting stance put some of the girls off. Octavia smirked, when they were teens they would always horse-play and wrestle, trying to beat the other at hand-to-hand combat. Octavia always won, Clarke blamed that on a combination of Bellamy's need to protect his little sister and Octavia's heavy crush on the kick boxing trainer and the town's YMCA.
"You left." It was a statement not a question, and one that was followed with a well placed right hook that Clarke just barely missed. Thank goodness she was fast.
"I had no choice. I wrote you both letters all the time and you never responded." Clarke volleyed. She had known after six months of no responses that it was more than just the Blake siblings not responding, that's when she had gotten crafty and started to find ways to explore the hell her mother had placed her in for her protection. All they letters were kept in each of their folders never having been sent. It was a way for the doctors to study their mental state. Psychotic bastards. Clarke thought before moving forward and engaging Octavia more fully. There was a flurry of fists and both girls landed hits, there would be plenty of bruises tomorrow.
"You always had a choice Clarke!" Octavia retorted anger twisting her features. "We had no one to turn to after mother died and you vanished. Your mother went on living. She wouldn't let us in and would never speak to us! She threw us away, Clarke!" Octavia's flurry was becoming more rapid, too rapid for Clarke to block and evade so she tucked her head put up her arms and waited for her companion to stop or at the very least slow down. Once Octavia stepped back Clarke moved, she hadn't practiced in awhile and her movements were a little slow but she was funneling her anger and her forming response
"Whatever the hell my mother decided to do to you guys is on her. I was in another state in a white room trying not to go crazy after my father died!" Clarke had managed to keep the words low enough that only Octavia heard. That had stopped her and as she stood in front of Clarke her posture relaxed in a confused sort of way.
"What are you talking about?" She had dropped her first entirely.
"I watched my father die in front of my eyes, screaming and crying and the next thing I know I hear my mother whispering it'll be alright and then I wake up in a white room with no handle and a small window and nothing." Clarke took several deep breaths. "Look, I never wanted to leave you guys. I was on my way over to play games that night with you two and suddenly there's a car pulling up and my dad is dead and I'm being carried away. I had no interaction with people for over a year. I didn't go to school, I was locked away so that I could be kept safe." Clarke spat the last worst, the taste of them in her mouth to bitter to hold back.
There was a heavy pause and then both girls eased towards each other. It wasn't the most comfortable of hugs but they both were happy to have the other back in their life again. It would be a heard road back, they both had been through so much, but maybe just maybe Clarke could take something back that her mother had stolen from her. Once they had settled and the ceremony had finished, with much less drama and after they are done Clarke and Octavia slip away so they can talk some more. Once alone they head out of town to one of Clarke's favorite diners to spend the rest of the afternoon catching up and explaining the last eight years.
Thanks for reading~