Notes: Well, it took me a while to get back but I haven't abandoned this little story. I just have a very busy life. I hope this new chapter is fun to read. Things are certanly getting interesting in Clarke's life. Be sure to leave your reviews and comments and I hope to cotinue this soon!


IX

She was welcomed by her mother who gave her a long hug and then proceeded to inspect her as if she were looking for any new scars or bruises. Marcus joined the group soon after and greeted Indra and the grounders with joy. They were led inside for lunch and even though Indra assure them that they were not staying the night, Marcus insisted that the Grounders were always welcome at Arkadia.

Clarke wasn't so sure about that. It didn't take her long to realize the tension inside Arkadia had spiked as the election came closer. The group of people on Marcus and her mother's side was still large, but it was no doubt Pike had gathered some followers himself. Everywhere she walked around she could hear whispering and felt eyes following her. Her mother had assured her that everything was going according to the plan and that the elections would only be a simple formality, since it was pretty much assumed Marcus would be their next elected leader. Clarke wasn't that sure anymore.

Indra and the grounders had returned to Polis later in the afternoon with the promise of coming back for Clarke following the elections to which she didn't have a lot to say. She was still embarrassed and worried about her earlier encounter with King Roan and decided not opposing to Indra's commands was probably the best way to ease the Captain's own worries. However, she did have one request for the woman, as she made her promise not to tell Lexa about what had happen on the way to Arkadia. Indra had been very reluctant about it but she finally gave in and promised not to say anything about it until Clarke had had time to tell Lexa herself. Lexa didn't need more worries at the time, Clarke had told her, and the peace was still so fragile, she was worried she would take Roan's actions as a threat.

Now, she finally had some time for herself. She had decided to take a walk over the camp to clear her thoughts. She wasn't sure how she was going to present Roan's offer to Marcus and her mother or if she was even going to do it. It was clearly a trap of some sort, she just couldn't figure out how yet. She also didn't know how she was going to tell Lexa about it without the Commander going on a furious rampage. But she couldn't completely dismiss Roan's proposal. After all, finally having a land of their own on earth was closer to everyone's desire since they landed and would be an easier transition to their new life than Lexa's idea of integration. Taking away the fact that Azgeda's agenda had always been to slaughter them, that is.

"Hey! Everything ok?" Said a voice behind her and Clarke jumped in surprise. "Wow… so much going on in that head of yours?" Said the girl with a bemused tone as she left some tools on a table nearby and walked towards the blond girl limping slightly in the process.

"I'm sorry" Said Clarke as she smiled back at the other girl. "So many things have happened in so little time. I'm still trying to make sense of it."

"Tell me about it" Raven replied but frowned as Clarke was evidently still lost in her own thoughts. "You look like you need a drink."

"What?" Clarke finally responded surprised

"Come. I'll treat!" The brunette said as she gestured to the back side of the garage she had been working on and towards a small shed. She poured something in a couple of glasses and gave one to Clarke. The blonde girl took a sip and immediately started coughing. The flavor was strong and she could feel the liquid burning her tongue and throat as it worked its way down. Raven was laughing.

"What is this?" Clarke said trying to recover her breath which prompted more laughter from the other girl.

"I don't know… Probably antifreeze" Said Raven as she took another sip and Clarke smiled. "So… What's up?" The mechanic said.

Clarke took a long look to the glass and let out a small sigh.

"How's everything with Lexa? Things are going well"

"Yeah. Things are going great with her."

"How great? You mean like great or GREAT?" Raven said stressing the last word and Clarke rolled her eyes.

"We are getting to know each other" Raven smiled knowingly "Not in that way, Raven" But the brunette only laughed.

Clarke finally joined in the laughter.

"But that's not what's bothering you, is it?" Raven questioned

The blonde girl took another sip of her glass making a weird face.

"I just… I feel like my mom and Marcus have been keeping things from me, you know? The say everything is going fine but I think they only say that to protect me." Clarke looked at Raven in the eyes "How are things here, Raven? Can you please tell?"

The mechanic took a long sigh as she put her glass on a shelf and looked outside.

"People are scared, you know?" She said still looking away. "They are just tired of fighting. Ever since we got here it feels that the only thing we've been doing is trying not to die or being killed. Ever since the attack on Mount Weather things have been hard. They just… People lost so many friends and family…"

"We all have lost people we love" Clarke said.

"True… But it's harder when you feel like you're not in control." Raven said and finally looked back at Clarke. "Look I'm not saying that they don't appreciate all the work and sacrifice you've made, but things are different when you're not the one making the decisions."

"Do you think this has been easy on me? I never asked for this…" Clarke said and she sounded hurt. Raven sat next to her and put a hand on hers.

"None of us did, Clarke." The blonde girl looked as she was about to cry "I know it's not easy to make difficult choices, especially when they're not popular ones. I mean, I had a hard time coming to terms with some of the decisions you made, but not everyone has had the opportunity of seeing what we've seen.

You know, living up there… We were isolated from life, living in our own little bubble. Life was simpler. I guess we never realized it back then but we were prisoners in a jail we built for ourselves and now, for the first time in a hundred years, we are free. And that's scary.

I guess that's why Pike's ideas are popular with some people. Going back to isolation, to what we used to know. Going back to control, instead of letting ourselves go. Not everyone sees the world the way you see it, Clarke. But that's why you are a good leader, because you get to see potential where others only see trouble."

"But what if I'm wrong, Raven? What if I make the wrong choices?" Clarke said and she looked sad.

"You got us this far. Ended war. Brought us peace and gave us a second chance." Raven reassured her. "Look, I know things won't be easier looking forward, but at least you are giving us and alternative, a real chance in life. Not just survival."

"Life should be more than just surviving, right?" Clarke said with a sad smile as she was stroked with the memory of her past conversations with Lexa.

"Right." Raven said with a smile.

"Lexa wants to integrate the Sky People into Polis after the elections. She wants us to truly became one of the clans. Become immerse into their culture. She thinks it's our best chance to thrive on earth."

"I know" Raven said and Clarke seemed surprised.

"You know?"

"Yeah, your mom told me" The brunette replied and Clarke looked even more surprised.

"My mom?"

"Yeah, she seems to like me? I guess with you away she has sort of taken me under her wing…"

Clarke started laughing and Raven joined.

"So… What do you think?" The blonde girl said.

"I think… You should have hope- Raven's hand squeezed Clarke's slightly." That's the one thing you never seem to lose. You can't afford doing it right now.

"Hope…" Said Clarke

"I certainly have hope on you, Clarke" Raven said and their eyes met again before Clarke pulled the other girl into a strong hug.


Clarke spent the rest of the day talking with others in the Camp. She got a quick update of the current border situation and it was a relief to know that since they had become the thirteen clan, and Roan had become king, things had been rather quiet with the grounders and Azgeda. Still, she could sense the fear Raven was talking about since the majority felt peace would be temporary and a new attack would come any day.

She also got a chance to talk with some people about the idea of an integration with the grounders in Polis and opinions were split. Some people believed that it could be a good idea to start over and that being in Polis, under the Commander's watch, would be safer than being on their own, while others completely refused the idea and feared that would mean giving up to everything they were and become new grounders, an idea Clarke found out to be especially negative.

It wasn't until later that night, however, that Clarke got a sense of how polarized the integration idea was. She had been returning from a long walk when she found herself in the middle of a gathering in the south part of camp. A group of people were surrounding what seemed to be a couple of tables put together and someone standing on them giving a speech. Clarke hid herself in the darkness and got as close as she could without being notice, but she could hear the man talking and the loud cheers of the crowd.

"Tomorrow we will be facing an important decision" the man said "And make no mistake, my friends, we are not choosing our next leader. We are choosing the future of human kind! When our ancestors left this planet a hundred years ago, they did it with only one goal in mind: To save humanity. Earth was promised to us, folks. We just had to be patient and patience would be rewarded with a home. And what did we find? A land where we are at the bottom of the chain? Savages who feel they should have what we rightfully own?"

The crowd answered with loud exclamations of disapproval.

"You know, our leaders got it all wrong. They think we've been giving a second chance by the grounders. I say we were given a second chance by the ones who chose us to be saved. We were chosen with a purpose, to come back to earth and rebuild it. But now you hear Marcus Kane and his ideas on integration. Integration? Are we savages?!"

There was a loud refusal from the crowd.

"Look, I don't know what those savages did to Kane but it is clear he no longer sees them for what they are: A threat. They say now they don't want to kill us, but that's the only thing they've ever wanted since the beginning! And now we are supposed to believe in a coalition? A coalition with the very same grounder who chose to abandon us in Mount Weather! Make no mistakes, my friends, grounders will always choose grounders first. I say, isn't it time for us to start doing the same?"

The crowd erupted with loud cheers and Clarke felt her heart sunk. She got back to her bunker but couldn't sleep at all. It was clear that Pike's ideas were popular and she feared they would be popular enough to win the election. She even went to her mother and tried to convince her to stop the elections so they could have more time to think of a new strategy, but her mother dismissed her concerns assuring her it was already too late and people should be given the chance to decide.

When morning came, Clarke had a horrible feeling on the top of her stomach. It had been decided that the voting process would be held all morning at the large garage and it would be a secret vote. No candidates were announced, since everyone would have the chance to nominate whoever they felt was the best next leader. Votes would be counted at noon.

Clarke spent all morning pacing outside of the garage as Sky people went in to cast their votes. Some would past next to her and give her a small smile or shake her hand in support while others would look at her with loath. Marcus had casted his vote very early and was accompanied by a group of loyal followers. Pike waited until mid-morning to do the same and although the group who came with him wasn't that large, it was loud.

At noon, all the people from Arkadia got together for the vote count. Clarke felt she was about to pass out but Marcus and her mother didn't seem specially preoccupied about it. The girl, however was sweating and was sure she was about to throw up any second.

"We will now count the votes" her mother said taking the stage "And please remember, this was a democratic election. Whatever the results we will honor and respect the desires of the majority. Now, anyone who's nominated, please take a spot here in the stage until the counting is completed."

The crowd was roaring with expectation as the first votes began to be counted. The first name to be called was Marcus Kane, followed by Pike. Votes were divided between them until a third name appeared and it was her mother's who began to amass some votes of her own. Clarke was so concentrated trying to follow the count that she almost didn't notice when her own name was called out. She felt confused and it wasn't until Raven gently pushed her towards the stage that she realized someone had casted a vote in her behalf. It was probably Raven, she thought, as she got up the stairs and was welcomed with a smile from Marcus. She probably thought it would be funny to throw her name into the mix. However, when her name appeared a second and a third time, Clarke was more than surprised. Pike however couldn't look more triumphant and it took the girl a moment to realize what was happening. Now that her mother and her own name were thrown into the mix, it was Marcus votes the ones who were being split. If the votes rejecting Pike were divided between the three of them there was a higher chance none of them would get the majority of votes necessary to defeat him. No one seemed to notice that fact, though, as people would cheer every time her name or Marcus name was read. Even her mother had some loyal followers even though reelection was never discussed.

When the counting was finally done, her mother proceeded to read the results.

"Marcus Kane: 177 votes. Charles Pike: 177 votes. Clarke Griffin: 87 votes. Abigail Griffin: 63 votes." Read Abigail. "It's a tie."

The crowd became very loud as Aby tried to regain control.

"Please, be quiet!" Her mom said on a loud speaker. "We will have to cast new votes…" The crowd was getting out of control as Pike followers demanded a new counting and things started to get physical between the groups. Clarke felt disoriented but suddenly a new realization came into her mind like a lightbulb.

"Wait…" She said but no one heard her.

"Since there's a tie, the new vote would only consider…" Aby tried to explained.

"Wait!" Clarke yelled and everyone looked at her with surprise. "I…" Clarke stepped forward "I didn't cast my vote."

"What?" Marcus said approaching to her and there were murmurs in the crowd.

"I forgot to cast my vote. I didn't vote" Clarke said with more confidence in her voice.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Pike exclaimed completely outraged. "This is just a strategy to ensure their win because they know they won't win the recount!"

Pike followers responded rejecting Clarke's claims.

"Wait, a second!" Marcus said "How many votes were counted?"

"504" said a young man who had helped with the counting.

"There's 505 of us" Kane continued "There's one vote missing which is Clarke's"

"The voting process has already ended" Pike protested.

"Everyone should have the right to vote" Kane insisted and the crowd agreed.

"Clarke, it's up to you" Abigail said and all the eyes were upon the girl. "Who will you choose?"

Clarke's mouth was dry and her heartbeat was so high she feared her heart was going to explode. The crowd was expectant and she tried to speak but no sound came out of her throat. Then, she looked at Pike and when she saw the fire in his eyes she suddenly felt a confidence she hadn't felt in the last 24 hours.

"I choose Marcus Kane" She said with a strong voice and the crowd erupted in loud cheers while Pike followers demanded a new voting process. Pike was furious, he got off the stage without saying a word and exited the room. His followers followed soon after and as they were about to exit the garage, Clarke locked eyes with Bellamy, who looked so resentful she hardly recognized him.

Later that evening, everybody got together for a huge celebration but neither Pike or any of his followers were in attendance. That didn't seem to bother the others, though, as everyone seemed to be having a good time for the first time in months.

"I'm afraid I have started a new war" The girl confided in her mother who put an arm around her shoulders.

"That's none sense" Aby said kissing her forehead.

"But Pike…" Clarke said but was interrupted.

"We can handle Pike" Marcus said walking towards her. "Your entourage is here. Indra is waiting outside of the camp."

"Do you really need to go? Can't you go back to Polis later? It's almost dark outside" Her mother begged.

"I promised Lexa I would go back tonight and besides there's a lot of work still to be done" Clarke replied and her mother looked disappointed. "But I'll be back soon, I promise". Her mother nodded and gave her a hug.

"Please, tell the Commander I'll be meeting her soon to discuss the terms of the integration" Kane said.

"Are we sure that's the best option?" Clarke said hesitant.

"Do we have another option?" Her mother asked but Clarke didn't reply.

"I just… We should just think about it a bit longer. Some people here are not as excited about it" Clarke finally said.

"They'll come around" Marcus replied and they exchanged a goodbye hug.

The sun was setting when she got onto the horse Indra had brought for her and she waved goodbye to her mother before starting her way back to Polis. It was very dark when they finally reached the city but Clarke felt a warm feeling going through her body the moment she saw the figure standing guard at the bottom of the big tower.

"Welcome home" Lexa said when she reached her and Clarke gave her a small smile in return. The commander smiled back and the ambassador realized how much she had missed her.