Alternate Worlds

Growth

Year after year Madi continued to grow and learn, amazing Clarke every day. She took her first steps at 9 months and began walking with little trouble by 11 months. Each and every day Clarke would kneel by the table and out stretch her arms, calling to the little one as she sat and attempted to crawl to her mother several feet away

"Come on Madi! You can do it!" The babe attempted to stand and fell a few times before standing on her wabbly legs, looking at her mother and then at her feet. "Come on, baby. Come to Nomi!"

Clarke croaks slightly at this, never really believing she was actually a mother. But every time she said this, Madi lightened up and giggled. And get again it worked.

The little one stood up, her tiny arms outstretched to her sides as she stumbled across her first steps, then dove right into Clarke's arms. The woman gasps, and chuckles, swinging the child in her arms.

"You did it, Mads!" Madi giggles and squeals in Clarke's grasp, her two front teeth showing as she grins.

Clarke radioed the ring that night, her own excitement shining through.

"I still can't believe it. She took her first steps today!" She sighs before waiting for a response. None ever came. "God I wish you guys could have seen it. She was so determined to do it, and I'm afraid now that she knows somewhat how to walk I'll have a runner on my hands."

Again static.

"Next is getting her on more solid foods. Getting her water and juices isn't the most nutritious thing for an infant right now but, I don't exactly have a lot of mil on stand by... But I'm making it work. She's growing like a weed though, which I guess is a good thing. But soon enough she won't be so small anymore. To be completely honest I don't think I'll ever be ready for that day."

Clarke looks to the stars above, knowing, hoping, her friends were there listening. At the very least alive and surviving. Even if they never hear or answer, she'll see them in a few short years.

"Anyway it's getting pretty late. I figured I'd update everyone on Madi. Everything else is the same. The bunker is still sealed and trapped, as far as I can see Shallow Valley is the last survivable land on Earth. But it's okay. We're alive and I know we'll make it. See you guys in four years."

With that she signs off and heads to her cabin for sleep. But first she checks on Madi in her crib-hand made by Clarke herself- and finds the babe fast asleep. It was sno surprise, if anything she could very well sleep through thee night with her adventurous day today.

And she did.

Years pass and Madi only grows further and further, as well as her intelligence and language skills. Her first word was in trig, which was no surprise to Clarke. She altered between English and trigedasleng often, not wanting the sweet girl to ever forget her heritage and the culture she was born to.

In the beginning it was just jibber jabber from the infant, giggling and babbling as she claps her hands towards clap, waving a little flower she found growing through the grass.

"Nom...nommi!" At the babe's outburst Clarke dropped the very basket of food as she heard Madi speak.

She kneeled in front of her, and Madi grinned her toothy grin, waddling to Clarke as she repeated herself time and again, excited at the use of her new word.

Years pass as she grew older, and Madi became fluent in both trigedasleng and English, that is to say listening more than speaking. Being four years old her language skills were still developing, but she knew much for a child her age.

The little family of two have developed a routine over the years. In the morning Clarke would scavenge a few berries or nuts to snack on before she hunts. While she did, Madi would draw or practice her writing, waiting for her mother to come home with food. Whenever she did Madi did jump from her seat, and show Clarke the excelled work she did; and Clarke never failed to encourage and excite at the little girls enthusiasm.

Every now and then as Madi grew, Clarke would take her hunting as well, on days when her schooling would not take place. Clarke made sure Madi had fun as well as learn as much as she could. After breakfast the two would swim in a stream or read an old book found in the rubble of Akradia or tucked away in the grounder cabins. Of course the fun caused the little one to become exhausted, leaving Clarke to carry the child in her arms all the way to bed. As Madi slept, Clarke would radio her friends on the ring, inform them of their day.

No one ever responded, but it never deterred the Griffin's routine. Some mornings Madi would practice her writing or read, other days she would practice basic math and learn her colors and shapes. It was this day that Madi had taken her 'test', a little review Clarke would give her to test her knowledge on what she remembers through the week. Today, however, was different. Madi had passed with flying colors, every shape and color correct, not one misplaced answer.

Madi's eyes shine in excitement as her mother praises her excellent work. The child giggles and jumps in her mother's arms from her position, sitting on her lap, and looks to the radio when she pulls away.

"You wanna tell them how well you're doing, huh?" Madi nods eagerly, making Clarke laugh. "Okay, okay. One second."

Clarke sets Madi down and grabs the radio, a knowing look on her face. Madi practically jumps up and down at the machine in hand. When she returns the little one grins excitedly and immediately sits back on Clarke's lap, looking between her and the machine.

"Go ahead." She encourages, nodding towards the tech. Madi squeals and reaches for the radio, hitting the button on the side as she's seen Clarke do a million times before, and speaks.

"I did it! I did it!" Clarke chuckles at the girls excitement, watching her talk to the others in space. "I know all the diffwent colors now! Nomi said I did gweat and got everfhing wright!"

Madi turns to see her mother smiling, snuggling her close as they listen to the static from the other side. No one has answered back in the years Clarke has had the radio. It was endearing, and heart breaking at the least, but she still had hope they could at least hear her on their end.

"Noni? Are you fhere?" Clarke keeps a sigh to herself as she rests her forehead on the little one's shoulder.

Ever since Madi learned to speak and learn trig and English, she addressed Clarke as mommy or nomi. But the wasn't the only person she addressed as her parental figure. Every now and then when Madi spoke of Bellamy, or rather to him on the radio, she called him noni, or dad. Clarke's tried to explain as much as she could that Bellamy wasn't her real father, and that she wasn't Madi's biological mother either; however, the little one doesn't care. To her this is family, her family, even if she's never met Bellamy before.

Somehow she knows he's different to Clarke. And to that makes him different to Madi too. Because of this she thinks of him as her father figure. Clarke lets it be most of the time, having nearly given up on correcting her.

"Bell'my?" Madi sighs and slumps against Clarke, setting the radio down. She doesn't show it, but when he doesn't answer it makes her sad. And the quiet whimper doesn't go unnoticed by Clarke either.

"Shh.. it's okay." She kisses the top of her head, pulling her close. Madi turns around in her lap, her tiny arounds wrapping around Clarke's neck. "I'm sure he is very proud of you, okay? Just like I am."

Madi sniffles quietly, nodding at her mother's words, even if she hadn't believed them completely. It's been four years without a word, and even the child knew there was a chance no one was on the other side of the radio. But Clarke does her best to extinguish that fear for both herself and Madi.

"He just can't respond back yet. But hey," She pulls back, looking into her daughters eye. "You can show him everything you've accomplished when he comes home. How does that sound?" Madi's eyes are tinted red, as a single tear falls, but she grins at her mother anyway. "I love you."

"I wove you too, mommy."