Chapter 1
Tell It To The Frogs

Violet's POV
I sat on the RV rooftop with Dale, one of his shirts laid across my lap, and a basket full of threads next to my leg. I hummed a tune loud enough for us two to hear it. I pulled the thread, closing up the large rip I had been mending.

"You sure are good with that needle," commented Dale, glancing down at me for a second from his watch.

"Thank you," I smile softly at him.

"What did you do before all of this?" Dale asked curiously.

"Nothin' much. I was just now graduated from high school, working at a small diner, and beginning classes at the community college," I shrugged. "Tailoring is one of my hobbies."

"What's the others?" he took his hat off, wiping away some of the sweat on his forehead.

"Singing, playing instruments, dancing," I answered casually.

"You should sing for us tonight," Dale suggests. "After Daryl gets back and dinner gets cooked. It would be a nice surprise for everyone."

"I-I don't know," I looked down shyly.

Suddenly, we all heard a loud wailing. I stopped what I was doing and got to my feet next to Dale. He grabbed his binoculars, lifting them to his eyes.

"Talk to me, Dale," shouted Shane from the ground.

I turned to look down at him, and lifted my hands as I shrugged high enough for him to see. We all stare back in the distance where the siren continues to scream. Dale suddenly lowered his binoculars before lifting them back up again.

"What is it?" I asked knowing the way his face changed expressions.

"A stolen car is my best bet," he muttered, huffing in disbelief.

I ran to the edge of the roof when I saw a candy red mustang with two black stripes on the top pull up. I glanced down at Shane who was standing close enough to the RV.

"Shane, catch!" I called, making him whirl to look up at me with a mortified expression. I laugh and jump off the RV, landing directly in Shane's open arms.

"VIOLET PELETIER ARE YOU MAD!" exclaimed Dale, gone ashen pale from my daring leap.

"A lil bit," I laughed airily, sliding out of Shane's arms, and jogging up beside Amy who was shouting questions at Glenn.

"Where's Andrea? Is my sister alright? Is everyone okay?" Amy blurted out without stopping to breathe.

"Are you crazy, driving up here in that wailing thing?" shouted Shane, motioning for Glenn to pop the hood. Glenn popped the hood and answered Amy so she'd shut her loud mouth. "That siren must've attracted walkers for miles."

"We look good to me," shrugged Dale. Shane turned to stare angrily at the old man. "I'm not arguing, I'm just saying."

"Who cares!" I yell, cutting off the argument I saw about to fire from Shane, and gaining everyone's attention. "Look."

My voice softened as I pointed at a box car pulling up. The vehicle died; Out from the car poured Andrea, the father of the Mexican family (honestly never got his name), and T-Dog. I went up to T-Dog so I could pull him into a welcoming embrace, then spun on my heel to jump up on Glenn.

He made a strangling noise of mostly shock when my arms flung around his neck. I had always been close with Glenn, T-Dog, Andrea, and Dale. Me being about eighteen to nineteen years old, I was one of the younger people in the group.

But I had always gotten along better with older people. Even before any of this started happening, I would hang out at my job with the older workers and customers, in school I normally spoke with teachers or younger substitutes or older students, and didn't really get on well with those around my age.

"Hey, girly," exhaled Glenn, patting my back awkwardly.

"Welcome back," I smiled and went over to hug Andrea real quick. "Glad to see you all back. Wait. . . Where's Merle?"

"Uh," Glenn hesitated.

"Guys, where is Merle?" I snapped with a little more force.

"There was an incident," the Mexican man said. "Hey, why don't you come and say hello?"

There was a moment's pause before the driver side door to the van opened up. Out stepped a man I had never seen before. I watched curiously, and heard the man say something else.

"He's a police officer, like you," he told Shane.

Glenn started talking about how the man showed up in Atlanta and handcuffed Merle to a rooftop. There was a sudden hush as everyone studied the man. I looked over to see Shane stare at him in frozen awe, then heard Carl sob while screaming.

"Dad! Dad!" Carl darted past me up to the man who wrapped him up into a tight hug.

I smiled warmly, folding my hands together as I watched Lori and Carl reunite with the man. I felt someone brush against my side, and looked down at my baby sister. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to me, and held out my hand to Mom who took it in her own.

Mom kissed my cheek, having to bend down slightly. Everyone in camp always picked on me for being so tiny. Only standing at four feet and ten inches tall, with a narrow frame and hourglass body shape, I stood out among the group.

Pale toned skin, light freckles dusted over my nose, waves of natural silver streaked cotton blonde hair that reached below waist length, and the rare Alexandra's Genesis which gave me bold violet eyes.

"Hun?" Mom asked me after a moment, causing me to snap my gaze from the Sheriff to her blue eyes. She jolted at the sudden movement. Her and my family never did truly get used to my strange eye color. "How about we make everyone something to eat? I'm sure they're all hungry after such a long run."

"I'll do it, Mamma," I smile sweetly at my mother, petting her cheek with the back of my knuckles. "You take a break, you've done a lot today. Go sit in some shade and get something to drink and I'll bring you whatever I make for lunch."

"You are such a good child," she giggled with the corners of her eyes scrunching up.

I kissed Mom's cheek and went into the RV.