Dream a Little Dream of Me - Chapter One
Author's Note: Hello everyone! I had this sudden inspiration for a story and thought it would be perfect for Clexa. I couldn't think of a title for the longest time, but then thought of the song sung by Mama Cass, Dream a Little Dream of Me and thought it was so fitting for the fic! Let me know what you think of the story and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own The 100, the song Dream a Little Dream of Me, or any of the characters. All mistakes are mine!
Clarke skipped her way down the halls of her high school, eager to reach the gymnasium. She stopped and entered the bathroom, making sure her gown was straightened and her hair perfectly curled. She adjusted her hat and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't last five seconds before breaking out into a grin. Today was graduation day; after nearly eighteen years of hard work, Clarke finally finished high school.
Ever since her dad died when she was in eighth grade, life had just gotten harder for her. Her mom started drinking and was normally passed out long before Clarke came home from school. Clarke ended up getting a job to help her mom pay bills, so she hardly had any free time. All of her energy was focused into homework and studying, making sure that her grades qualified her to get into college. When the mail arrived late one day in January, Clarke ripped open the packet from the University of California, Berkeley and screamed. She had gotten into her dream school and all because of her hard work and dedication. I did it Dad, she thought, looking up at the blue sky. I did it! Clarke looked up at the bathroom ceiling and thought the same words to herself once again.
After exiting the bathroom, Clarke headed back down the hallway and stopped in front of the gym. She surveyed the small crowd that had gathered in the bleachers. Many families and extended family had come from all over to see their student graduate from Joan of Arc High School. Clarke made her way through the sea of families and took her seat in the middle of the rows of chairs. The students all sat separate from their families, who sat in the bleachers. Sighing, Clarke opened up the program that had rested on her seat and read through the schedule of events. Great, she thought. This is going to take all day. A tap on her shoulder made her jump. Turning in her seat, Clarke looked behind her to see Wells Jaha, her best friend, seated in the row behind her.
"You ready?" he asked. Clarke laughed.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "I'm so ready. This day is the culmination of eighteen years of my life, Wells. I could not be happier."
"Is your mom going to make it?" Wells asked hesitantly. Clarke's face turned somber and she turned away.
"No," she said quietly. "She couldn't make it." Wells felt guilty about bringing it up.
"Well, I know for a fact that your dad's here. Front row seats, right up there," Wells said, pointing up toward the ceiling. "And he's proud of you." Clarke faced Wells again, smiling.
"Thanks, Wells," she said. "It means a lot."
"Guess who had his dream two weeks ago?" Wells said, changing the subject. Clarke thought for a moment.
"Who?" she asked.
"Finn Collins," Wells answered. "And apparently, the chick wasn't Raven, so he dumped her." Clarke's mouth fell open. She was shocked; Finn and Raven always seemed perfect for each other.
"Who was it?" she asked. Wells shrugged.
"No clue. He told me he didn't recognize her either. So he's taking a gap year to go look for her."
"Ugh, what an idiot," she scoffed. "He does realize that the girl is his soulmate, right? If it's meant to be, then it'll happen. You just have to give it time."
"It's hard, though," Wells argued. "You know what your soulmate looks like, but you don't even know their name. And one day, you're going to run into them and everything will just fall into place."
"Well, I'll be getting mine in a week. I hope they're hot," Clarke said, turning back to face the stage as the principal began making her opening remarks.
On the eve of one's eighteenth birthday, the image of your soulmate appears in a dream. Sometimes, you know the person already. But most of the time, it is a complete stranger. You have no idea what their name is, where they live, or even when you'll meet. It is a mystery ready to be played out by fate. As the faculty droned on about the past four years, Clarke began thinking about what her dream will be like. I wonder if my soulmate will be attractive, she thought. Will the image be of my soulmate at their current state or how they'll look when I meet them? Clarke didn't know anything about the magic soulmate dream, other than she'd be getting hers in a week.
After almost an hour of speeches, the names were read off and the principle gave the students their diplomas as they walked across the stage. Clarke grew more and more excited as they neared her name. Finally, she was the next person to walk across the stage. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath in, and let it out as they called her name. She opened her eyes and smiled as she walked across the stage, extending her hand to the principal's to shake, gripping her diploma in her other hand. She then descended the stairs at the front, posing for a picture on the steps. Once done posing, Clarke made her way back to her seat and watched the rest of the students walk across and receive their diplomas. She opened up her own curiously and ran her hand over the writing on hers. Grinning, she closed it and looked back up to see the principal back at the microphone, all finished handing out diplomas.
"Congratulations, graduating class of 2025. Go and make your mark on the world as individuals. You have now officially graduated!" the principal exclaimed. Clarke cheered along with the rest of her classmates as the tassels were moved from right to left before tossing the caps up in the air. Clarke smiled as she watched her cap rise, then fall, landing somewhere else in the gym. She turned and hugged Wells, congratulated him, then walked out of the gym. There was no one there she could take a picture with, so she walked back down the hall, out to her car, and drove home.
The next week passed quickly by. The days were full of graduation parties and the nights were filled with stargazing with friends and late night movies, followed by slumber parties in mansions. Six days passed without much thought to dreams. On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Clarke was getting ready for bed when it hit her; she was about to dream of her soulmate. Grinning slightly, Clarke hopped into bed, flicked the light off, and curled up on her side facing the windows, wondering what she'd dream of and who she would dream of. With one final thought of what she hoped it would be like, Clarke drifted off to sleep and entered her dream.
The next morning, Clarke jolted awake, the image of a mysterious brown-haired girl flashing before her eyes. Quickly jumping out of bed and reaching for her colored pencils and sketchbook, Clarke closed her eyes and began drawing the image that was beginning to fade from her mind. When she couldn't remember anything else about the girl, she opened her eyes and looked down at the paper.
The girl looked to be about her age, maybe a few years older. She had long brown hair that was clipped back to keep it out of her face. She had beautiful green eyes that appeared to be so wise. She seemed to be taller than average, certainly taller than Clarke. As she smoothed out the color in the drawing, Clarke gazed down at the image of her soulmate. She had no idea who she was, where she was, or when she would meet her. All she could think about was how beautiful her soulmate was and how much she couldn't wait to meet her.