The next day, after breakfast and no sign of Carver or his people creeping around, everyone seems a lot more cheerful. To show their appreciation, some of the cabin members volunteer to help out with the chores that need to be done. Matthew and most of the guys go out to do some hunting, Ben pulls Clementine and Sarah aside and asks them if they want to help him.

"Fishing?" Clementine eyes the fishing poles that Ben is holding up. "There's a fishing area here?"

"It's a bit of a walk, about 30 minutes but it's been really handy lately when everyone's tired of canned beans and peaches. Lee and I sometimes manage to catch a rabbit or possum every so often. Sometimes a raccoon."

"A raccoon?" Though she and Christa often caught a lot of things, a raccoon hadn't been on the list of animals Clementine never really wanted to try,

"It's actually not that bad. Sarita and Walter are the best cooks here and they do an excellent job. Do the both of you know how to gut and clean an animal?"

Clementine made a face. "Yeah, but it's not something I like doing."

"My dad knows how to clean it out," Sarah said. "Mainly fish. But he doesn't let me do it."

"How about me an Clem can teach you?" Ben suggests. "Everyone should be able to help out any way they can."

Clementine looks over Ben, who radiates maturity now; She thinks of the timid, unsure him from two years ago and she's a bit envious she never got to see that change. "You've grown," she remarks.

Ben looks confused for a second. "So have you."

Clementine shakes her head, musing over the words she wants to say. "No, I mean, you've changed. You're not the same guy from before."

Ben looks sheepish. "Before running into the others, I'd been on my own for a while, you know. I had to learn fast."

"You must have had it rough."

"I was, for a while, you know. Finding people to trust isn't easy. And when you do, groups fall apart and- well, I was left on my own."

Clementine can see when Ben starts to drift into his won thoughts and unsure what to do, leaves him be for a while. Instead, she walks next to Sarah and they talk about last night.

"I want to not be afraid, you know," She turns to the younger girl, "I want to be brave, like you."

"I'm not brave all the time. There are plenty things I'm scared of."

"Like what?"

Instead of saying the normal things like walkers, or the fear of losing someone, she replies with, "Spiders."


When the three get to the lake, Ben shows them the fish traps they made (only two of them have fish in and Clementine's stomach grows in hunger of being able to eat actually meat. Ben baits the hooks for them, and after a good few hours', they have more than enough for everyone.

By nightfall, they have reached the ski lodge, and both girls were exhausted; Ben too, if the huge yawn he let was anything to go by.

When Sarah sees her father, she rushes to him and gives him a hug. In a rush of breath, she excitedly tells him about their days. "Ben was a great teacher! Clem was too. She wasn't even scared to hook the worms."

"I'm glad you had fun, sweetie." Carlos takes the fish and heads over to the kitchen area.; the girls following him. "Thanks for all your hard work. I can take care of this."

"Can I help with that, dad?" Sarah asks, but Carlos shakes his head.

"Maybe another time. Why don't you go ahead and get cleaned up?"

The other girl looks upset and Clementine put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure your dad will come around. He has to."

Sarah smiles. "Yeah, maybe. I'm gonna go ahead and take a shower. I bet we all smell like fish."

Clementine sniffs at her clothes and wrinkles her nose. "Ugh, you're right. Let me know when you're finished."

"I will. I'll try and leave some hot water for you and Ben."

"So, how did the fishing trip go?" A voice asks behind her and Clementine smiles when she sees Lee.

"It was alright, minus the smell of fish."

"Well, if you're not too busy, wanna help me with this wall? I could use some help."

Clementine nods and together they head outside, where Matthew and Walter were on lookout together. Upon seeing her, the younger man waves to her and she returns it.

"All this hammering tend to attract walkers." Lee explains. "It's never been anything we couldn't handle though."

"Has it been save here?" Clementine asks and Lee give her a strong look.

"Is this about the people chasing your group?"

"A little," She admits. "Last night was scary."

"No kidding. Do you know anything about this guy? Has Luke or the others said anything about him?"

"No, not anything to go off of. They just say he's a bad guy and nothing more."

Lee hums in thought and directs Clementine to a loose board that needs to be fixed. She hammers down the nails while he holds it up. "Thanks for helping. I don't have much range when using this arm."

He lifts up his prosthetic arm to show, and indeed, it doesn't have much range of motion. "Still though, it's better than nothing,"

Clementine looks down at it and feels a wave of regret that smacks her hard. "I'm sorry Lee."

"For what, Sweet Pea?"

"If I hadn't listened to that guy- hadn't run off on my own, you never would've gotten bite." Then suddenly she's crying and she feels like she's eight again and Lee's comforting her the best way he can.

"Hush now. I don't blame you at all, Clem. I never have and I never will. I blame that man for manipulating you. It wasn't your fault at all."

Lee gives her a firm hug and after Clementine calms down, they go back to the doing repairs. "Still got that hair short, I see."

"Christa helped me cut it when it got too long." Clementine says smiling at the memory. Before the tension started between them after Omid's death, she enjoyed the monthly haircuts Christa gave her.

"So how did you come across Luke and the others?"

"Some guys attacked our camp. That's when I got separated from Christa. Pete and Luke found me and save me from some walkers. Other than Pete and Luke, the other adults didn't trust me that much." then adds, "They locked me in a shed."

"What!?"

"I was bit by a dog, and they thought I was lying and that it was a walker bite." She pulls back her sleeve where the bandage was still wrapped around her arm. Although it had healed pretty well, it would leave a nasty scar. "I had to steal the supplies from them so I could treat it."

"The hell..." Lee murmurs, that pissed off look in his eyes, so Clementine quickly adds in:

"But Alvin and Sarah helped me, even if it was a little. So don't be mad at all of them."

Lee sighed. "Looks like we both had out fair of troubles, huh. But I'm glad you're safe. And they seem to trust you now."

"Yeah, mostly everyone."

They finish up outside, then Clementine finally works up the courage to ask "Did it hurt?"

"Hmm?"

"Your arm, after you cut it off."

Lee gives a wry smile. "Technically, it was Christa who did it. But it did hurt like hell. Won't wish that kind of pain on my worst enemy."

"I had to stitch up my arm. That hurt like hell."

Lee gives her an amused look. "What happened to that little girl that always reminded me no swearing?"

"She grew up," Clementine answers.

"Yeah, she did. She grew up to be strong and brave. Everything I knew she would be."


The next few days pass without any real incident. Everyone gets along and other with more people around, it means more protection and night watches are easier on Lee's group.

That morning finds Clementine with Sarah in front of a tree, the younger girl helping the other shoot a gun. She follows the steps Clementine gives: take a breath, aim, and shoot. There aren't any real target to shoot at, so Clementine draws a target on the tree and encourages Sarah to try and hit the middle of it, directing her when she misses.

So far she's hit four targets out six shots, and Clementine thinks that's progress. "Don't worry about perfect shots the first time shooting. I wasn't that great starting out either."

"Really?" Sarah asks. "It seems like you're a pro with them."

"You get better as use them more." Clementine shrugs, though she appreciates the compliment.

"Does the tinnitus get any better?"

"The...what?" Clementine looks confused. She's pretty sure Sarah just made up that word. It's one of those moments where she misses going to school

"Tinnitus," Sarah explains. "Is when your ears ring because a loud noise. Like a gunshot."

"Oh, yeah, it goes away eventually."

Sarah looks at the gun in her hand. "Thanks for helping me Clementine. You didn't have to."

"We're friends, right? Friends help each other."

Sarah looks surprised at that. "Yeah, they do."

Clementine is about to say something, but that gets cut off by their names being yelled. "Clementine! Sarah!"

It's Carlos, sounding frantic, and Clementine has a feeling that this won't end well at all.

Sarah runs up to her father with the younger girl right behind her. "I'm right here, Daddy."

Her father looks relieved, but when he sees the gun her hand, he frowns. "What on earth are you doing with that?"

The girls look at each other, Clementine gives a small nod. Lying won't help at all this rate.

"I was learning to use it..."

"I was teaching her to use it."

They try to say at the same time. Carlos looks at them, then takes the gun away from Sarah and hands it back to Clementine, then guides his daughter back into the lodge.

"You don't need to learn how to use that. I'll protect you, sweetie."

"Yeah, but-"

"And I told you this before," Carlos snaps. "Stay away from my daughter!"

"No dad!" Sarah yells and both Carlos and Clementine looked surprised. It's the first she's ever heard the older girl raise her voice. "Clementine is my friend! My only friend! And if you tell her she can't be my friends, then-then, I'll never talk to you again!"

With that, the older girl breaks down in tears and runs into the lodge. Carlos whirls around. "Now see what you did!"

"I didn't do anything!" Clementine says, arms crossed. "You can't baby her forever! She'll die if you keep doing that!"

"Do not tell me how I should raise my daughter! Don't forget Clementine, you are a child yourself."

"A child who knows how to defend herself," she answers. The Hispanic man says nothing and walks away in an angry huff.

Right when Carlos enters the building, Ben exits it, looking surprised when Carlos storms by. "Everything okay? I hear yelling. Well- everyone in the room could- but they didn't want to come out."

Clementine sighs. "It's nothing."

But what she feels right now- the feeling that she's drove a wedge between father and daughter- is just as heavy as the gun that's in her hand right now