I hear the boom of my Daddy's voice call my name up the stairs.

"Where are you girl! Come on, your Momma's got dinner waiting. Er'body's waitin on you."

I put my writing away and smile. My Daddy sounds like one mean son of a bitch, but he ain't. Well, that is if you don't mess with Momma or me. Same goes for AK. She's a couple of years older than me, but we're as close as sisters.

We are both in the 6th grade in the little school-house that is in our settlement. AK didn't get a proper start in school like I did on the count of things were still getting sorted out when she was 5 and 6. By the time I turned 5, we had a good little community settled. We even had a teacher! She came with her two boys 8 months after Uncle Rick and Daddy found this place. Offered to teach us kids, said it was a crying shame that none of us were getting an education.

I like school. I like to read and write. Learn about the world before the dead came back to life. Daddy is real serious about my book learning too. Says he doesn't want me to turn out to be a dumb ass like him and Uncle Merle. He's wrong though, cause Daddy IS smart. He can understand things most folks can't. No one gets that he is smart, they see the way he cusses and stares a new comer down, and how good he can shoot a squirrel or kill a walker – they think he's a dumb ass hick. He's tender side? The way he's curious and reads? Well, that's something he saves for Momma and me – and AK too of course.

"DIXIE! Get your ass in gear girl!" Daddy shouts up the stairs again.

Dixie. Ugh. I can't believe my parents had to go and name me something as – UGH as DIXIE. Dixie Dixon. Why didn't they just name me Hick Hickerson? And my parents, who have RHYMING names, picked Dixie. Crazy I tell you.

I take the stairs 2 at a time, the way my momma has told me a million times NOT to do, and run into the dining room, sliding into my seat beside AK.

"Sorry y'all! I guess I got sidetracked with my writing." I apologize to my extended family waiting patiently to eat.

Every Sunday, without fail – we eat as a family. Pop Hershel, Aunt Maggie and Uncle Glenn – their kids Lila and Jacob, Carl and Beth with their baby, AK, Uncle Rick, Momma, Daddy and me – we all gather round this table at our house. Momma, Beth and Maggie make supper for everyone, and we all eat together. The adults – the ones that can remember and were around when we settled this place – well, they NEED each other. They have wounds that just won't heal.

I hear my Daddy hushing nonsence words at my Momma sometimes. She has nightmares. She cries out for my sister – who was gone long before I came about. She cries out for AK's momma and Michonne and sometimes, Daddy has nightmares and cries about Uncle Merle.

I forget sometimes how good we have it. We don't have the sores that Carl and Beth have. Me and AK, we were still just babies when all this happened. We've never known anything other than the comfort and safety of our settlement. Although there have been scares.

When me and AK were 7 and 9 we played too close to the fence that Daddy and Uncle Rick work so hard to keep fortified. We saw a flower – a huge white rose – the kind that my Daddy gives my Momma once a year on the day my sister died – just beyond the fence. We both wanted to give this flower to Momma. She's like AK's momma too, and AK calls her Momma C. She did raise AK after all.

We knew Momma would love this flower, so AK – having the longest arms out of the two of us, reaches out in the gap of the fence to pluck the rose from the ground. She grabs it, but as she does – her arm gets stuck. We both pull and twist and it's no use. Somehow she's got it wedged in there pretty good.

Finally, even though we know we're going to get in trouble for it, I go get Daddy. I run as fast as I can, cause AK is starting to get scared.

Daddy follows me back and just as we're rounding the corner, AK screams. There is a walker – only a few shuffling steps away looking at AK's pale arm.

By some miracle Uncle Glenn happens to be there at the same time, and he grabs AK's arm twisting it to free it as Daddy shoots the walker in the eye with an arrow.

A moment later AK is free, but we both get the tongue lashing of a lifetime and no desert for a week. AK stays with us that night. Uncle Rick has a meeting. Daddy tucks us in that evening, and starts saying he didn't mean to yell, but if anything were to happen to us, and then he just stops and wipes his eyes. He kneels down beside my bed. Me and AK look at him with wide eyes. He grabs our hands, voice shaking.

"You girls, you girls and your Momma – Y'all….. y'all are my life. I can't go on without y'all girls. You are too precious to me." He kisses both of our foreheads.

"I love you Dixie, I love you Lil' Ass Kicker. Sweet Dreams." He blows out the candle and walks out.

Dixie and Lil' Ass Kicker. I sure do love my Daddy, but he shouldn't be allowed to name a dog.