When they wake, the sun slants through the curtains, and Clementine wakes first, squinting against the light. By instinct, she wanders around the house and double checks that there are no walkers, or people. Closet doors are opened and shut. Hallways have feet wander to and fro. Eventually, Clem wanders into the kitchen and opens the refrigerator for the first time.
She checks out the food.
It's fully stocked, just as Charlotte had promised.
Dairy of all kinds, milk, cheese, eggs, yogurt; bread; meat; vegetables and fruit; desserts. She looks as if she is looking through it and shuts the door. She is scrambling eggs, using her common sense to lead her to use the stove. She cracks the eggs and dumps the yolk into the bowl the way her mother had done many years ago; she begins to beat the eggs. She pours the eggs with butter onto a skillet and begins to scramble the eggs as they form. When the eggs are scrambled, she pulls them from the heat and chops up cheese to add to the eggs, with salt and pepper.
AJ wanders bleary eyed into the kitchen and squints from the light. "What are you doing, Clem?"
"Making breakfast," she tells him. "Do you want to make the coffee?"
He says yes and wanders over to the coffee pot and stares at it, dumbfounded. "How do I use it?"
Clem has to walk over to figure it out, it's been so long. "Well, it looks like water goes in here," she points, "and coffee grounds go in here... which are over here..." she adds, pulling the container of coffee grounds towards the coffee pot and showing him what to do. He proceeds to do it, exactly the way she says.
"Press the 'on' button and I think it just makes it," Clementine says.
"It does," Violet says, walking into the kitchen. "That's right," she says to AJ as Clementine grabs three plates and serves the eggs onto each plate.
They sit around the kitchen bar table and dig into their eggs like animals ripping into a fresh kill. Their stomachs are starving and they are acting purely on instinct, barely chewing their food.
AJ sips his coffee as the eggs settle in his stomach, his plate empty, stomach happy and filled.
"Can we stay here, Clem?"
"I dunno, buddy. We're meeting their group this morning."
"I think they're nice. I like them."
"Oh yeah? Not what you were saying yesterday," she tickles him, and he giggles and pulls away.
"Well this is really cool," he confesses. "I didn't trust them at first... but Charlotte was nice. And that woman. And the girl," he remembers. "They trusted us."
"Yeah, they did," Clementine says. She looks toward the front door. No one approaches. They are alone; they might even be safe.
"I feel like we're on another planet," AJ says with excitement, and Clementine and Violet laugh, but yeah. They do, too.
"Can I go check out the house?"
"Yeah, sure, kiddo. Go for it."
As AJ leaves the room, Violet turns her gaze towards Clem, serious. "You have your gun?"
"I've got it. You got your meat cleaver?"
"Yep, got it."
"Good. I don't know what to expect this morning."
"Me neither," Violet says, and chews on her lip. "Clem, I haven't had scrambled eggs since my grandma used to make them... this is... it was good."
"Yeah it was. Look at the fridge. There's everything in there. I don't know how they keep this up."
Violet laughs in spite of herself as she jumps down off the bar stool and opens and closes the fridge. "Holy shit. Holy shit."
She hops back up to her chair and leans in, pressing her face close to Clem's and closing the distance between them, meeting her lips with hers. Clem brings her hand up to rub Violet's shoulder as Violet runs her fingers through Clem's short hair. Violet drops her head against Clem's neck and Clem pulls her tight against her, wrapping her arms fully around her in an embrace, as if they are trying to hold onto this moment, despite, perhaps, their better judgment.
"Clem, they have clothes for us," AJ says when he comes back. Violet and Clem pull away.
"What?" Clementine says, shocked. She swallows hard and follows him into the bedroom where he opens the drawers and shows her the clothes, all around their sizes.
"Clem," Violet says in warning, her tone suspicious.
"I know. AJ, why don't you go get your shower? Take some clothes with you and change into them when you're done."
He nods, leaves the room. "I love it here," he says before he leaves.
Clementine lets AJ in the bathroom first and he bathes himself, scrubbing all the dirt off like Clem said. It's not the first bath he's had, but it's one of maybe a couple handfuls. He drips water onto the floor and Clem soaks it up with a towel and tells AJ how to get out without splashing water everywhere, by starting with drying off in the tub and staying on the mat until he's dry. She gets in the shower next. After Violet has her shower, and they're all clean and have put on the clothes that have obviously been carefully selected for them prior to their stay, all provided fresh underwear, Clementine a pair of jeans and the choice of a black blouse or T-shirt, of which she chooses the T-shirt, and Violet the same, and AJ a pair of jeans and a grey T-shirt that fits him loosely.
They all vacate the house and step down off the front porch, looking at the community of people doing various jobs. Some on lookout for walkers, others mending crops, and then others in discussion near the circle drawn in dirt.
The three walk towards the circle, where they find Charlotte.
She hands them each a loaded gun. They take them. "Good morning. Just some extra weapons. How did you sleep?"
"Good! We had eggs," AJ says.
"Well I'm happy to hear that. I hope your sisters feel the same way."
"They're not my sisters," AJ interrupts.
"Pardon me," Charlotte says. "Your friends?"
"Clem is like my mom... Violet is my friend."
"I see," Charlotte glances at each of the three.
"We slept well, thank you for letting us stay there, it was good," Violet says rather uncharacteristically, tucking the gun into her pocket.
"We're ready to meet your people," Clementine finally says, still taking in her surroundings. Many people in plain shirts, some in colorful dresses, others dressed casually and clothes appearing somewhat dirty.
How did they have the house stocked with clothes that fit them before even knowing they were coming? How did they know? Have they been watching them?
"You have read the plaque," Charlotte observes.
"...yeah," Clementine says. "What does it mean?"
"You know about karma?"
"Sure."
"Anything you do positive or negative will be returned to you threefold, or something like that," Charlotte throws in. "We don't all believe the "threefold" rule, we are not all religious, but we all believe that the energy we give out will return to us. We all believe that life is sacred."
"The Wicca Rede," Clementine says. "Never heard of it before, so sorry if we're kind of standoffish... We don't know what to expect."
"Nothing but a welcome ritual, but only if that's okay with you. If you decline, nothing will be done, but my people will treat you fairly. You are welcome here, Clementine. All of you are. We have already discussed it."
"How did you... Have you been following us?" Clementine stares at her.
Charlotte nods her head as if expecting the question. "We saw you during an attack of walkers back at the clearing. We were in the woods, fighting off the larger herd. We saw that you had it under control, and we left. I went to the nearby shed where I knew there was food, and warned my people about you. We thought maybe we'd run into you. Which I did." She smiles.
"You heard me talking about the shed," Violet says, and pulls her eyebrows together, suspicious.
"I'm sorry for not approaching. We have had bad experiences, just as you have."
Clementine purses her lips, stares at Charlotte, steps in front of AJ with a hand on his shoulder. "I will kill anyone that tries to hurt us," she warns.
"Clementine," Charlotte says calmly. "Please, just see the ritual."
"I kinda wanna see this welcome ritual," Violet says.
"What's a ritual?" AJ asks.
Charlotte explains all the technicalities and gathers maybe one-fourth of her people to assemble around the circle. One by one they take their position, until they are all seated on the Earth and the three remaining are awaiting their welcome.
"Please join us. This is really fun, that's all it's meant to be. We invite you to dance with us," the elderly woman, perhaps the only they've seen here so far, says.
Charlotte retrieves an athame from her pocket, like a sharp knife, and makes a symbol in the air. They don't know what it means.
The elderly woman, later they find out named Diana, proceeds and lights what they call sage. Some of them close their eyes and hold their hands up in the air, as if feeling something invisible to Clem, Violet, and AJ. They appear to be meditating.
"I cleanse thee, burning sage, as a representation of the Element of Air. May your essence bless us and bring your clarity to our circle, so mote it be."
"So mote it be," the circle repeats. They do the same with Earth, Fire, and Water. The flame representing fire, the bowl of water representing water, the dirt underneath their feet of which they pull up a pile and stuff into a little bowl, representing Earth.
"Who approaches this sacred place?" asks Diana.
Everyone looks to Clementine and Clem says, "Clementine."
Diana makes a symbol over her head and allows her entrance into the circle, and Clem shrinks back in shock but takes her place, and Diana does the same with Violet and AJ.
"All we ask is that you follow us around the circle. No formal ritual is involved, and you are not under any oath. We greet you as our guests," Diana says. "Please take hands. The god and goddess know of no war. All will be cleansed under their names. This age, too, will end, and all will begin again, anew."
They start around the circle, some skipping, some dancing, some walking, and they increase their pace very gradually until they are running, others dancing.
Clementine, AJ, and Violet twirl around the circle until they lose their sense of reality. Everything they've ever known. They feel something they didn't know in the air around them; something calm, something quiet among all the noise. It pulls them in and envelops them like a warm blanket. And then begins the chant:
"Circle, beginning... ending...
Circle... Circle... Beginning... Ending...
We are a circle, within a circle, with no beginning,
And never ending.
We are a circle, within a circle, with no beginning,
And never ending."
And on and on and on and on.
Some of the women and men clap their hands as they sing, some sway their shoulders, all holding hands. AJ is in the middle and holds the hands of Clem and Violet, who hold hands with strangers.
They do not sing, but their eyes involuntarily fall shut as the chant continues, and continues. Their eyes open periodically to check for walkers, to check for threats. The attention this is drawing concerns them.
At the end, the members say, "Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again!"
One after the other they rotate and one member leaves the circle at a time until all members have left the circle.
And they continue on with their duties.
Some go on watch. Others tend to crops. Others go inside their houses.
Clem, Violet, and AJ stand dumbfounded next to Charlotte.
"Why?" is all Violet can get out. "Why, in all this?"
"Because it's the Truth," Charlotte says. "It's our Truth. And if it is not yours, that we accept too."
"We can stay here?" AJ asks.
"Yes," Charlotte says simply.
"There's no catch?" Violet asks.
"Charlotte, I don't know. We've been through a lot. I just have...questions."
"And I'll answer your questions," Charlotte agrees.
"Do you scavenge? Do all of you kill walkers, or just you?"
"All of us are trained to kill the dead," she responds. "Even the children. We see that you have been through a lot. You're not the same as us, but at the same time, you are."
"Can you speak in human?" Violet mocks. "No offense."
Charlotte just smiles, but says nothing.
Finally, she penetrates Clementine's nervous silence, "We all have different jobs, but we rotate. So that everyone is trained in all the jobs. We scavenge, we hunt, we kill, we patrol."
AJ's head shoots up. "I patrol."
"That sounds like an excellent job for you," Charlotte responds.
Violet speaks up. "I was never really religious, so this is weird."
"And you need not be religious," Charlotte says. "Many of us aren't. It's ritual. Tell me, did you feel the energy?"
Violet and Clem look at each other, uncertain. "I don't know. It was relaxing," Clem offers.
Charlotte smiles. "That's enough for us. I see you showered and put on your clothes. How do you feel?"
"Like, really clean," Violet says.
"Awesome!" AJ answers.
Charlotte and Clementine are staring at each other. "I feel like you've been watching us," Clementine mutters darkly.
"We only saw you that one time. Clementine," she extends her hand, "we'll help you find your group. We could use your help as well. All three of you. As for what we've been through, that's over, but we can discuss it sometime later." Clementine takes her hand reluctantly and they shake hands.
"I'm patrol and lookout," AJ says. "I'm a good shot too."
"He is," Clementine says hesitantly, looking around at her little group. "We all are."
"So you will help us?"
Clementine and Violet look at each other before Clem says, "We'll help you. But I don't understand what you are. What this is."
"We are a nature based religion-practice," she finally explains. "Some of us choose to include the goddess and god, others look at the god and goddess as nature. In other words, some of us look at nature as God and some of us don't. We know what nature is. It's life. Death. Rebirth. Nothing lasts, but nothing ends. It's like the change of the seasons."
Clem nods, slowly. "That... sort of makes sense. The circle of life," she finally says.
"But why do all this? What's the point? Are you some kind of cult?" Violet asks.
"No, not at all. You're free to come and go as you please. You find your own point," Charlotte says. "I can't tell you the path, I can only lead you there." She holds her stomach and raises her chin slightly in the air. "We could use you all on lookout today. The dead wander near."