Grounder Spirits

Chapter 1

Clarke was hunched over her bed, her stomach turning as she emptied its content into a metal bucket. She has never felt this sick before. Even when she was hallucinating from nuts or got the fever that resorted in bleeding from eye sockets.  And on The Ark she was always healthy. Her mother made sure she was always vaccinated and never oxygen deprived. 

"Clarke," Lexa said, announcing her present. She has been aware Clarke has been sick but she never thought it was this bad. "You have been unwell for a week now, Clarke. We must take you to our healer."

Clarke groaned, closing her eyes. "Has your healer seen anything like this before?"

Lexa swallowed hard. "I believe not. But you must see someone. I can escort you to Arkadia to your mother. She will know what to do." She saw Clarke shook her head and stepped closer. "Clarke," she said quietly, her tone softening, something that only happened around her, "you are a healer as well. Do you know what's wrong?"

"No," Clarke whispered. "I don't want to bother my mom. She's already worried that I had to stay here. If she finds out I got sick she's going to panic."

Lexa sat down on the bed, pulling the furs over Clarke. "I worry that it's contagious. War is ahead of us, I can not afford any of my warriors to get sick as well. And I need you at your best too, Clarke." She wanted to reach out, to touch Clarke's sun-kissed hair.

Clarke sighed, her stomach finally settling down. "If I'm still sick tomorrow then you can take me to my mom."

When Lexa walked into Clarke's living quarter the next day, she was still stick and pale. Lexa realized there was nothing else to do than to mount a horse and travel to Arkadia. But it would take them a day and a half to get there. She realized that Clarke still had a radio with her, the one that she could use to talk with people in her camp. With some fumbling Lexa managed to press the right button and heard static on the other side.

"This is Raven," the girl from the other side said. "Yo, Clarke. You there? I know it's you. It says you're messaging from Polis. Seriously, Clarke? Is this some sort of message to let us know that they're killing you?"

Lexa realized that she had to hold a button down while speaking. "This is the commander," she said in her authority voice. "I believe Clarke has fallen ill and needs transport to her mother."

"Oh, commander," Raven said nervously. "Yeah, sure. I'mma send a jeep over as far as possible. Meet me there."

Clarke groaned, too weak to actually add her own words in the conversation even if she heard everything. It was endearing, really, how caring Lexa was. Especially since she couldn't say they were just friends anymore. Not when a couple of weeks ago, after an evening  of celebration at the victory of Lexa and Roan's fight, they shared an incredible night. 

Lexa exhaled loudly. "We need to get you behind the walls of Polis in order to transport you to your people. It will take us an hour." 

One hour changed into two as Clarke moved rather slowly and had to stop every once in a while to calm down her turning stomach. Lexa wondered how Clarke even had anything to throw up when just the smell of food seemed to agitate her.

Raven was leaning against the Rover, a rifle in her hands, just in case someone would try to attack her. She saw Lexa and Clarke approach on a horse and Lexa dismounted so gracefully and elegantly when Clarke ended up nearly stumbling down and leaning over to throw up in the bushes. "That's gross," Raven commented. "What happened?"

"I thought it was the stomach bug," Clarke said weakly, brushing the back of her hand against her sweaty forehead. "But those usually only last for a day or two."