Chapter Two

Erica POV

It was a couple of days after our last big stakeout. The day I found Col. Andy. After he went to bed that night, I was telling Toni and Beth how handsome he was.

"You just like him cause he's not a kid like us!"

Later, Toni was asleep, but I saw Beth get up and walk to the edge of camp. I'd never heard her talk, but me and Toni liked her. I thought about how what I went through affected me. What had she gone through to make her not talk?

Matt POV

It was my turn to keep watch. I thought everyone was asleep until I saw someone get up and walk towards the edge of the mountain. The closer I got, I figured out it was Beth. I sat beside her.

"Hey."

She nodded. I sighed.

"Have you always been this quiet?"

She smirked. We heard someone snort from behind us and turned to see Robert.

"What're you doing up?"

"Nature calls."

He looked at her.

"No. She hasn't always been this quiet. As a matter of fact, you used to couldn't shut her up."

She glared, but he smirked.

"I didn't mean that as an insult. It'd be nice to hear it again."

Over the next few days, I saw Robert talk to her. She ignored him at first, but eventually would respond, though she still wasn't talking.

Beth POV

I couldn't believe the group had accepted me even though I wouldn't talk. It's not that I couldn't, of course, but I had to be strong. Talking would let that guard down, I had to survive. I wouldn't survive if I was weak, I knew that.

Robert had started talking to me again, and even though I didn't talk back, it was nice.

One night, I woke up from a nightmare. I was sweating, despite it being freezing, and breathing really hard. There was no way I could go back to sleep... Unless...

Gathering up all my courage, I stood up and walked over to where Robert was sleeping and shook his shoulder.

"Huh? What?"

He opened his eyes and focused on me.

"Beth? What're you... You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

I nodded.

"Go grab your sleeping bag."

I did and came back and set it up next to him. I crawled in and turned away from him. He rubbed my back.

"I got you. You're okay."

Robert POV

Me and Matt we're heading back to camp after going to the edge of town to see if anything was going on.

"So, what's the story?"

"What're you talking about?"

"You and Beth. What is she, an ex?"

"No. She's not an ex."

"You sure? Y'all seemed to hate each other at first."

I sighed. It was gonna be said eventually, might as well tell Matt so he could tell everyone.

"Best friends since we were babies."

"Really?"

"Yeah... Until last year. I made her mad. I blew her off for some new friends, she stopped talking to me after that."

"Why? You weren't allowed to have other friends?"

"It wasn't that. It's just, she's never had a lot of friends, but I was always there. She has trust issues, and I broke that trust. No amount of apologizing could fix it. I hurt her."

He nodded.

Matt POV

Later that night, I saw her sitting alone again at the edge of the camp.

"You like to be alone a lot?"

She shrugged.

"Listen, I know that... Whatever happened to you was bad..."

I saw her jaw tighten.

"But, maybe if... If you talk about it, you'll feel better."

"I can't..."

At first, I wasn't sure I heard her right because it was barely above a whisper.

"Yes you can. I saw my dad die in a mass shooting. Come on, tell me."

She took a deep breathe.

"If I tell you, you can't tell Robert..."