Four years had passed since Clarke met Ten, Raven, Bellamy and John on her first day of class. Since then, the rest of the children who were born with black blood had begun class and just as Clarke had, they joined the older children. They kept to themselves, helping with classwork, playing with one another, and only on the rare occurrence would they let someone else in.

Abby continued her secretive studying of the children as time moved forward. Just as with Tennyson and Raven, the children scored high on every intelligence test the Ark could provide. Each child excelled across the board academically, but at the same time they were drawn to different topics. Raven was drawn to anything having to do with mechanics and engineering. She could design and build anything she put her mind to with only the occasional mishap. Bellamy steered himself towards history and literature, most especially anything having to do with Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. John Murphy, as Abby eventually learned his full name, along with two girls, Harper McIntyre and Zoe Monroe and a boy named Nathan Miller, did well academically but currently lacked any direction (according to Abby Griffin's notes). A lanky boy that acted goofily even at his young age, Jasper Jordan, could often be found perusing books on botany or moving through Farm Station and learning everything he could about the few plants that could be grown there. His best friend, Monty Green, would rather deal with computer code than people.

Abby Griffin had noted all of these traits among the children. She was often seen speaking with their teachers and occasionally requesting medical testing. She always made sure that her requests and her conversations appeared innocuous to any that would chance by. Her research was kept close to her chest, hidden from prying eyes, including those of her husband and the Council.

There were two children she studied more than most, Tennyson and Clarke. They stood out more because the children deferred to them. Abby had already seen evidence that if two of the children had an issue they would first go to Tennyson, who would listen attentively and ask questions. She would then go to Clarke and relay the issue at hand wherein Clarke would then decide, and the issue was settled. They had become the pack leaders of their group and Abby could not help but puff out her chest in pride that her own pup was the leader. In her mind, it all but confirmed that when Clarke presented, she was sure to be an Alpha and a strong one at that. For all black blooded Alphas were strong, Abby was proof enough of that even if she wasn't Chancellor at the moment.

Abby shook her head to clear her thoughts and continued to read through her research. Tennyson showed that she had a wide range of interests. She needed to know everything. Her knowledge base was wide and spanned from basic educational needs to specialized programs that took decades to learn. She wanted to learn it all and that included languages that were no longer in use. She was currently fluent in seven languages, the most commonly found on the Ark besides English, and was in the process of learning four more. Abby theorized that the reasoning behind all of this was to make sure that she was informed as much as possible in order to help Clarke make better decisions as the leader of the pack.

Clarke, her pride and joy, was beginning to follow in Abby's own footsteps. Her goal to become a doctor aboard the Ark. To better help her daughter, she would often bring medical journals and textbooks home with her and spend hours with Clarke discussing what was in those books and what she did during the day. Clarke also showed an artistic side. With no training, Clarke could take any medium and turn it into a work of art. Her room was filled with scraps of paper filled with drawings. The walls themselves served as canvas just as much. Abby knew the artwork was beautiful and she could appreciate the talent, but she saw it as frivolous and had no bearing on Clarke's future. She made sure that Clarke saw it as nothing but a hobby, something to do when she needed to keep her hands busy. She made sure that Clarke kept her eyes on the prize, learning to become a doctor. To become even better than her own sire.

Abby made note of all of this and by the time Clarke came home from class, her research was safely hidden away, and she focused on gaining as much new information out of her daughter as she could.

Elsewhere on the Ark

"Mom, I'm home," Tennyson, Ten as she preferred to be called, yelled out as she came through the door to their home.

Callie walked out from her bedroom and smiled at her daughter, "How was class today, sweetie?"

"It was good," she replied as she sat down at the dining room table and pulled a tablet out of her bag. As she began to play on it, she said, "Billy tried to pick on Harper. Again. Bellamy and I had to remind him that he couldn't do that. That it was mean to pick on people. Bellamy wanted to hit him, but Clarke told us that hitting wasn't the answer. She made Billy apologize to Harper and then we had to leave him alone."

Callie joined her at the table and laid a hand on the tablet to make Ten focus on her and asked, "Why was Billy picking on Harper?"

Ten frowned and replied, "Harper's mom didn't have enough credits to get her new clothes. He was making fun of her because the clothes she was wearing were too small for her. I'd give her some of the ones I've outgrown, but they're too small for her too. Is there something we can do?"

Callie smiled fondly and said, "I'll see what I can do, Ten. I can't promise anything, but I'm glad you are looking out for one another."

Ten grinned, "We're a pack, Momma. It's what a pack does. We look out for one another." And then her face turned serious, "Momma, I've been feeling weird lately."

Callie looked at her with concern, "Oh? Can you explain?"

Ten thought about it and biting her lower lip and frowning, she said, "It's like I've got more energy. Like one of Raven's wind up toys that you wind up until you can't and then when you let it go, it wants to go all over the place. It's like I want to go all over the place, but I can't because there's no where to go. Does that make sense?"

Callie nodded, smiling slightly, "You need another outlet to let out your excess energy. Maybe something physical?"

Ten nodded, "That's it. I need something to do. Bellamy's saying the same thing and so is John. Is it because we're getting older?"

"Maybe," she said cautiously. "You still have a few years before you present, but the three of you may be getting ready to have a growth spurt. Has Raven said anything?"

Ten shook her head, "No, not really. But she usually has her head into whatever she's messing with. She may not notice."

"In that case, let me think about it, okay? There's not a whole lot of places that children can run around in, Ten. Can you give me a few days?"

Ten nodded, "Of course, Momma. Can I go back to my game now?"

"One last question and then you can go back to playing. Why did you think Clarke said that hitting Billy was not the answer and that she only made him apologize before letting it go?"

"Well, she didn't want Bell to get into trouble for hitting Billy, which he would have if he'd gotten caught by one of the teachers. She also said that violence shouldn't be the first response to a problem. That most problems can be solved with a few words said at the right time. She said that Billy was having a hard time at home and that he was feeling bad and wanted someone else to feel bad. He needed to be treated better so that he'll treat other people better."

Callie frowned, "How did she know that Billy is having a hard time at home?"

"Clarke and I had overheard Trina, who's family lives a few places down from Billy, saying that Billy's father has been yelling a lot more lately," she replied easily.

"I see. Thank you for telling me, Ten. You can go back to playing now," she said and let Ten have the tablet back.

Callie leaned back in her chair as she thought about the conversation. She was impressed by Clarke's diplomatic solution. And it was diplomatic. Even at nine years old, Clarke was showing signs of being a good leader. She looked out for Bellamy, keeping him out of trouble. She had found out the reason behind Billy's behavior and figured out why he was picking on Harper. She only made him apologize and then considered the matter settled. Of course, the only way of knowing if it was truly settled was to see if Billy picked on Harper again in the future.

Now, to the other issue, Callie wasn't quite sure what could be done. She had told Tennyson the truth, in that there really was no place on the Ark that would allow children to run around. Physical activity wasn't exactly forbidden, but at the same time, it wasn't pushed for. Not with the current state of calorie intake and oxygen consumption. Physical exertion required more calories and took up more oxygen. This was fact. Unfortunately, if a solution couldn't be figured out, this could lead the children getting into trouble and none of the parents wanted that to happen.

It wasn't until after she had put Tennyson down for the night and broaching the subject with Marcus Kane, that a solution was realized. There were still some families on the Ark that kept their family traditions alive, mainly those that practiced martial arts. Not only would the children have an outlet, but they'd also become more disciplined and less likely to act out as they got older. Callie, herself, tried to maintain as much tradition as she could within the confines of her home. Practicing Tai Chi when work began to stress her out. She decided that she'd start Tennyson on that while Kane spoke with those families that practiced various arts and see if they would be willing to take on students.