When they got back to the school Marlon finally spoke. "Let's... keep what happened this morning to ourselves..."
Clementine just nodded before walking off. She made her way into the building and to the bathroom. Everyone seemed to still be asleep and the sun was just coming up.
Once she got to the bathroom, she took a few deep breaths. She kept debating on if she had done something wrong or not.
She wasn't going to cry, despite feeling that she wanted to. She had no tears to cry. Instead she reached into her jacket and pulled a blade from her pocket. With no hesitation, she cut into her arm, holding back a hiss in pain.
She repeated the action a second time, then a third. She felt no satisfaction, but she stopped herself from cutting anymore. Closing the knife, she shoved it back into her pocket.
She watched the blood drip down her arm for a few moments before sighing. She quickly grabbed some tissue and pressed it against her arm to stop the bleeding.
After this, the girl took a few minutes to compose herself before leaving and heading to her room.
She was expecting the children to be fast asleep. When she opened the door, she spotted AJ sitting on the top bunk. "AJ, what are you doing? Get down from there."
"I'm keeping watch." AJ said.
"What?" Clementine asked.
"Leena was crying..." AJ explained.
"Why?" Clementine questioned.
AJ shrugged. "I think she had a bad dream. And we didn't know where you were. I told her I'd keep watch until you came back, if she went back to sleep."
"But what are you keeping watch for, kiddo?" Clementine asked.
"Monsters... or whoever scares you in your bad dreams." AJ said.
Clementine sighed. "You don't have to do that, AJ. We're safe here."
"I know… But you always say to be careful, so I am." AJ said. "Isn't that good?"
"Yeah, AJ… But we're safe here." Clementine said.
"Okay, but I'll protect you and the twins…" AJ said.
"I appreciate it, kiddo. But if Leena woke you up, you're probably still tired, right?" Clementine asked.
"A little, but it's morning..." AJ said, glancing over to the window.
"That's okay...Everyone else is still sleep. We can rest for a little while longer." Clementine said. "Come on down."
"It's better to keep watch from somewhere high, like this. You can see everything up here." AJ said.
"But it's dangerous. You could fall." Clementine replied.
"I won't fall." AJ said.
"Just come down, please." Clementine said.
AJ sighed. "Okay..."
Clementine waited for the boy to climb down from the top bunk. He took a seat on one of the beds.
"Clem…Were you with your boyfriend?" AJ asked.
Clementine flinched at that. "I don't have a boyfriend."
"Marlon." AJ said.
"He's not my boyfriend." Clementine said.
AJ furrowed his brows. "But... you said he was a boy and your friend."
"Yeah... That's all..." Clementine replied.
"Isn't that a boyfriend?" AJ asked.
"...They're different." Clementine said.
AJ looked confused at that. "How?"
"They just are. Stop asking questions... Go back to sleep..." Clementine said.
"I'm sorry... I... I didn't mean to make you mad." AJ stammered.
"You didn't..." Clementine sighed.
"Oh... I made you sad then?" AJ asked.
Clementine shook her head. "No AJ, don't worry."
"You...sound sad..." AJ noted.
"Why are you sad, mommy?" Crystal's voice was heard.
Clementine looked over to the little girl. "I… I'm not sad, baby. Go back to sleep."
"Was someone mean to you?" AJ asked.
"N-No…" Clementine quickly said.
"What happened? Did you sneak up behind someone and they hit you?" AJ questioned.
"AJ, no. Nothing happened." Clementine sighed. "Just go back to sleep, both of you."
The children exchanged looks but laid down.
"Are you gonna sleep too, Clem?" AJ asked.
"I… yeah… Yeah, I am." Clementine said going to one of the beds and laying down. She curled up on her side and closed her eyes, holding Promise close to her. "Goodnight…"
"Night, Clem…" AJ said.
Clementine jerked awake, struggling to catch her breath.
She tried to sit up, but small arms were locked around her, Clementine noticed Aleena fast asleep beside her. The little girl must've crawled into her bed while Clementine was sleeping.
Clementine didn't recall falling asleep, but she was sure she hadn't been sleeping long. She was still tired, but she decided to get up regardless.
Clementine nudged her sleeping daughter who whined. "Aleena, let go…"
"N-No…" Aleena muttered.
"Come on…. It's time to get up." Clementine said.
Aleena continued clinging to her mother, not responding.
"Upsie daisy, kiddo. We got to wake Crystal and AJ."
"Okay…" Aleena finally released her grip and sat up. "Are you better now, mama?"
"What do you mean?" Clementine asked.
"I heard you crying. So I came to cuddle you." Aleena said.
"Uh, yeah. All better, baby." Clementine said.
"Good! I love you!" Aleena beamed.
"I love you too." Clementine replied. "Let's wake Crystal and AJ."
"I'll wake them up!" Aleena asked.
"Alright, Leena." Clementine said.
Aleena raced over to the bed Crystal and AJ were resting on. The girl proceeded to jump on the bed and shake the other children awake.
"It's morning! It's morning!" Aleena exclaimed.
AJ groaned. "You're too loud..."
"Mama said wake up!" Aleena shook the boy again.
"Is it time for breakfast?" AJ asked.
"After you guys get up, breakfast is next on the agenda." Clementine said.
"Okay, good." AJ sat up. "Come on, Crystal."
After a few moments and a series of nudges, Crystal got up as well. "Are you still sad, mommy?"
"I... I wasn't sad. I'm fine, Crystal." Clementine said.
"...Okay..." Crystal said.
"Come on. Let's get some food." Clementine urged.
The children nodded.
They got outside to see the other kids gathering around for breakfast.
Clementine caught sight of Marlon and couldn't help but feel nervous. During breakfast the girl choose to sit at a table separate from the group. After everyone had finished up with their breakfast, Clementine hadn't given a single bite to her oatmeal.
"Mommy, what's the matter?" Crystal asked.
"Nothing, Crystal. I told you everything's fine." Clementine reassured the child.
"But you didn't eat your food, mommy." Crystal pointed out.
"I'm not really hungry right now. You kids can have it." Clementine said.
"Really?" AJ asked.
"Really." Clementine said. "Enjoy it, kiddo."
"Okay. Thanks mom- I mean, Clem." AJ said.
"It's okay, bud… You can call me that if you want." Clementine said.
"Really?" AJ gasped.
Clementine gave a nod.
AJ smiled at that. "Thanks…"
She didn't mind AJ calling her mom, she only didn't have him call her that out of respect of his true parents, but if he wanted to call her mom, she didn't mind.
She sat silently with the children while they finished their breakfast. It wasn't long before someone took a seat beside her.
"You look a bit down." Louis said. "Everything okay, princess."
Clementine rolled her eyes at being called "princess". "I just… got a lot on my mind."
"Want to share?" Louis asked.
Clementine hesitated, "I don't think I do…"
"Mama had a bad dream. She cried last night." Aleena blurted out.
"Leena," Clementine sighed.
"What was it about?" Louis asked.
"Nothing important." Clementine said.
"Well, if it's making you cry, it must be something bad." Louis said.
"I gave her cuddles, now she's better! Right, mama?" Aleena asked her mother.
"Ye-Yeah, baby. I'm hunky dory." Clementine said.
"Okay, good!" Aleena said. "Mama's hunky dory!"
Louis raised a brow. "So, I'm guessing you don't want to talk?"
"There's nothing to talk about." Clementine said.
"Come on, Clem. We're friends. I'm supposed to be a shoulder you can cry on." Louis said.
"I don't want to cry. I just had a silly nightmare. That's it." Clementine responded.
"I'll protect her from whatever she's scared of." AJ spoke up. "So don't worry."
"What are you scared of?" Louis asked.
Clementine groaned. "Nothing… Just stop. Please."
"What about…" Crystal trailed off.
"What about what?" Louis questioned, looking confused.
"The bad man in your dreams, mommy?" Crystal asked.
"He's not real. It's just a dream." Clementine said. "Kids, finish your breakfast."
No one protested. The children went back to eating. Louis, sensing some tension decided to stop talking.
After a while Aleena spoke, "Can I play now?"
"Sure. You got your inhaler?" Clementine asked.
Aleena frowned. "I forgot it."
"I'll get it. Just wait here." Clementine said.
Clementine stood and headed into the school to get her child's inhaler.
Marlon caught sight of the girl and decided to follow. He had noticed that she was avoiding him and had become impatient. He decided to confront her, feeling slightly annoyed. He caught up and called to her, "Clem, we need to talk."
"I don't want to talk to you." Clementine said.
When she tried to walk away, he blocked her path.
"Stop avoiding me." Marlon said without hesitation, his tone intimidating.
Clementine looked away. "I'm getting my daughter's medicine."
"You're acting like you're scared of me." Marlon said, looking annoyed.
"Marlon-"
Marlon cut her off. "It's getting on my nerves."
"I'm not avoiding you..." Clementine claimed.
"Yes, you are." Marlon took a step closer.
And Clementine felt her heart start pounding.
"And another thing, you could stop looking at other guys, you know." He spoke in a harsh tone.
Clementine faltered, "What?"
"I told you how I felt about you. You don't gotta go flaunting around in front of every dude in camp." Marlon said.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Clementine demanded.
"I'm talking about you and Louis. You were with him just now." Marlon replied, crossing his arms.
Clementine shot him a look. "You're telling me not to talk to my friends?"
"No… I'm telling stop flirting with them." Marlon replied.
"What are you talking about? I'm not flirting with anyone. You're being ridiculous. We're not even together." Clementine said.
"So you want to rub it in my face by flirting with Louis right in front of me?!" Marlon snapped.
"We weren't flirting!" Clementine exclaimed.
"Liar!"
Clementine flinched a bit. "I…"
"Don't lie to me." Marlon gripped her wrist.
Clementine winced as he gripped her scarred arm. "M-Marlon, you're hurting me…"
"How do you think I feel when you flirt with Louis in front of me?" Marlon hissed. "That hurts me…"
"I said we weren't flirting."
Clementine tried to pull away. Marlon released her wrist, only to shove the teen against the wall, drawing a gasp from her lips. "Marlon, just-"
Face dark with rage, Marlon cut her off. "Stop lying to me. You know how I feel about you, but you go flirting in front of me…"
"I wasn't-"
"I said, don't lie to me." Marlon said, keeping the girl pinned to the wall.
The girl sent him a fearful look. "M-Marlon-"
Marlon cut her off, stifling her with bruising kiss.
The second his mouth crashed down upon hers, Clementine felt her eyes widened. For a moment she froze. Dark images from her past flashed through her mind. She could feel her heart start to pound as Marlon deepened the kiss.
"Wow..." Violet's voice was suddenly heard.
The sudden voice made Marlon jump slightly. He looked to Violet, breaking the forced kiss with Clementine.
"What's going on here?" Violet asked.
"Everything's fine, Violet. We're just talking." Marlon said with a shrug.
"Looks like you two were doing more than talking." Violet said.
Clementine couldn't bring herself to speak, still shaken up by what had just happened.
Violet's gaze drifted to Marlon's hand which was still gripping Clementine's wrist. "You gonna let her go?
"What?" Marlon asked.
"Her arm. Let her go." Violet ordered.
Marlon huffed but released his grip. "I guess we'll talk later, Clem."
Clementine said nothing as Marlon walked off.
Violet sent the other girl a concerned look. "You okay?"
"Y-Yeah…" Clementine replied.
"What was that all about?"
"I… I don't know… I don't know what's gotten into him." Clementine stammered.
Violet looked concerned and asked, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
Clementine shook her head.
Violet raised a brow and motioned towards Clementine's arm. "Let me see."
Clementine quickly took a step back. "N-No… I'm fine. Really."
"…If you say so." Violet said. After a moment of silence Violet spoke again. "I think Louis and Aasim are ready to go."
"Okay… Can you tell them I'll be out in a minute? I just gotta get Aleena's inhaler." Clementine said.
"Asthma?"
Clementine nodded.
"That sucks. She's so small… Her and Crystal…" Violet said.
"They've always been small…" Clementine said.
"Yeah, they look more like they just turned three than four..." Violet said.
"They're small, but they're tough kids." Clementine said.
"I'm sure… Look who her mom is." Violet replied.
Clementine gave a small smile, surprised by those words. "Thanks."
"I'll let them know you'll be out soon." Violet said.
Clementine gave a nod. The two girls parted ways.
Brody had offered to keep an eye on the kids while Clementine, Louis, and Aasim went to check and reset some traps. Clementine was hesitant at first, but gave in, feeling it was safe if the kids stayed at the school.
"So… want me to play a song at your next date?" Louis asked.
Clementine looked to him feeling confused. "What?"
"You and Marlon." Louis said. "I will admit, I'm a little hurt."
"Louis, what are you talking about?" Clementine asked.
"Everyone already figured you two would get together. No point in laying low anymore." Aasim spoke up.
"What are you two talking about?" Clementine asked.
"You two are a thing, aren't you?" Louis asked.
"What?" Clementine was surprised to hear that. "No."
"He said you were." Louis replied.
"When did he say that?" Clementine asked.
"Earlier. Violet asked him why he followed you, and he said it's none of her business what he does with his "girlfriend"." Aasim answered.
"I… I'm not his girlfriend. Marlon's delusional." Clementine stated.
"Oh… so you two aren't together?" Louis asked.
"Not at all." Clementine said. "He… asked me out this morning, I told him no."
"Oh… Well… Maybe he was joking." Louis said.
"I don't think he was." Aasim huffed.
Clementine frowned.
"Come on, let's check these traps." Aasim said.
Clementine didn't understand why Marlon would lie. She couldn't stop herself from questioning what his problem was.
The fact that she had trusted him and thought of him as a friend made her feel stupid. She felt like he had completely betrayed her trust.
The girl sighed as they continued checking the traps. Eventually they found a baby rabbit, but Clementine couldn't bring herself to kill it, and the boys didn't seem to want to either. She ended up letting it go.
Louis seemed a bit disappointed, but the girl assured him they'd find more food.
They hadn't managed to catch much in the traps, so Aasim suggested they hunt around until they caught something.
They searched for almost an hour, following different animal tracks. Despite how long they searched, they ended up empty handed.
Aasim was in a bad mood about not catching anything. Louis tried to brighten the mood, but Clementine's main focus was making sure her kids were okay.
When Clementine got back to the school, she went to check on the children.
AJ and Crystal were drawing with Tenn.
The two both showed her the pictures they colored. Clementine smiled. "Those are nice."
"You can have it, mommy." Crystal passed the picture over.
"Thanks, baby." Clementine accepted the picture.
"You can have mine too!" AJ said.
Clementine accepted his picture as well. "Thanks, kiddo."
"You're welcome. Wanna draw with us?" AJ asked.
"Uh, maybe later." Clementine raised a brow. "Where's Aleena?"
"She went with Marlon." Tenn answered.
Clementine's eyes widened. "Shit!"
"Swear…" Crystal said.
Clementine quickly rushed over to Brody who was sitting on the stairs. "Where'd Marlon go?"
"Uh, he said Rosie got out. Went to look for her." Brody explained
"And he took my baby with him?" Clementine inquired.
"Clementine, relax. He didn't take her far." Brody said.
"You promised to watch her! You said you'd keep an eye on her!" Clementine snapped.
Brody was taken aback but snapped back, "Why are you freaking out?! She's fine!"
Clementine shook her head before rushing to the gates.
"Where are you going?" Willy asked.
Clementine didn't respond as she darted out the gates. The fought the urge to call to her daughter as she ran, she didn't want to attract walkers.
When she finally spotted Marlon, she rushed towards him. "Marlon!"
"Oh, Clem, you're back." Marlon said.
"You can't just take my daughter without permission!" Clementine snapped without hesitation.
Marlon looked stunned for a moment before saying, "She said she wanted to help find Rosie."
"She's a little kid! I don't care what she said!" Clementine hissed.
"Relax. She's right here-" Marlon stopped as he looked behind him, only to see the child was no longer by his side. His face fell, "Oh shit…"
Clementine felt her heart drop. Drawing walkers became the last of her worries and she started calling her child's name. "Leena! Aleena!"
"Calm down. You're gonna draw the deadhead right to us with your yelling." Marlon said.
"I need to find my daughter!" Clementine hissed.
"And we'll find her. Just calm down." Marlon replied.
"Don't tell me to calm down! This is your fault!" Clementine snapped.
Marlon seemed annoyed at the accusation. "My fault? I didn't tell the brat to run off."
"She's not a brat." Clementine stopped herself from arguing and began calling her daughter's name over and over while searching around the area.
She was nowhere to be found. Clementine panicked. Her stomach caved in and her heart pounded.
Marlon huffed as the girl continued calling to Aleena. He shot her a look and forcefully grabbed at her arm. "I said stop yelling-"
"MOMMY!" Aleena's voice yelled out.
Clementine quickly broke her arm from Marlon's grip and looked around before rushing to where the yell had come from. Marlon followed after her.
Clementine could hear Rosie barking and soon caught sight of her daughter who was crying. "Aleena! Are you okay?"
Aleena whimpered and rushed to her mother, hugging her.
Clementine picked the little girl up. "Mommy's here. I got you…"
"He…He tried to get me, mama…" Aleena whimpered.
"A monster?" Clementine asked.
To Clementine's surprise Aleena shook her head.
"N-Not a monster… A bad man…"
Clementine paused then asked, "Bad man…? How do you know?"
"He… He talked… Monsters don't talk…" Aleena said. "He told me to come here…"
Clementine felt terrified as she heard her daughter's words. She hugged the tiny girl close. "Which way did he go?"
Aleena just shrugged, tears falling from her eyes as she clung to her mother.
"She okay?" Marlon asked as he caught up.
Clementine didn't answer. Clearly her child was not okay. "Let's get back to the school."
Marlon gave a nod.
Aleena clung to Clementine the entire walk back. Even when they got back to the school, the little girl wouldn't let her go.
Clementine kept telling the child she was safe now. She was upset at Marlon for taking Aleena out there, but she her daughter needed comfort right now.
Through the rest of the day Clementine stayed close to her kids. Aleena wouldn't leave her side for a minute.
The group had an early dinner, Clementine asked the older kids to talk before they headed to bed, and after she got AJ and the twins settled. They agreed.
Clementine took AJ and the twins to bed. But Aleena was still shaken up by what had happened earlier.
"Leena, I need to talk to you." Clementine said, pulling the child into her lap. "Tell, mommy about the man you saw."
"…He's scary…" Aleena sniffled. "I hate him."
"What did he look like?" Clementine asked.
"I don't know…." Aleena said.
"You don't know?" Clementine repeated.
Aleena shook her head. "He was bad…"
"You said he talked to you? What did he say?" Clementine questioned.
Aleena thought for a moment. "He said… come here…"
Clementine was only getting more confused by the child's recount of events. "Can you tell mommy the whole story?"
Aleena give a nod.
Clementine waited as the little girl was silent for a bit. "Tell me what happened. I won't be mad at you."
"M-Marlon said he couldn't find Rosie and…and he was gonna look for her. I wanted to help, so Rosie wouldn't be lost forever…" Aleena said. "We went looking and looking but we couldn't find her… Then I thought I heard her woofing, so I went to find her. But she was woofing at a bad man… I wanted to run, but he saw me and yelled at me to "come here" … He tried to grab me, but Rosie scared him away… I was scared, mama."
Clementine sighed, "Well, you're safe now. Mommy's here… Don't go off like that anymore, okay?"
"O-Okay…" Aleena said. "Not with Marlon?"
"No… Not with anyone but mommy. Especially not with Marlon." Clementine said. She didn't trust Marlon.
"Okay, mama..." Aleena said.
"Good."
"Mommy, is the bad man gonna come here?" Crystal asked.
Clementine looked over to her. "No… No, he's not."
"Promise?" Aleena asked.
"I promise." Clementine said. "I even pinky swear. That's forever."
"If he comes here, I'll kill him." AJ said.
"AJ…" Clementine sighed.
"What?" AJ asked.
"He won't come here. We're safe. You guys try to sleep." Clementine said.
She held Aleena until the little girl fell asleep. After she laid her daughter down, she stood up.
"Mommy?" Crystal called.
"I'll be right back. Lay with Leena." Clementine said.
Crystal nodded and scooted close to her sister.
"Where are you going?" AJ asked.
"To talk to the other kids." Clementine replied.
"Can I go?" AJ begged. "Please?"
Clementine shook her head. "No bud. You stay here. Make sure the girls are okay."
"Okay. I'll keep watch until you come back." AJ said.
"Alright, bud. But stay off the top bunk, okay." Clementine said.
AJ sighed but nodded. "Okay."
"Thank you."
Clementine made her way to the door and headed outside to find the other kids gather around a fire talking.
"How's Leena?" Louis asked.
"She clung to me until she fell asleep." Clementine said.
"Poor kid…" Violet sighed.
Brody frowned and spoke up, "Clem, I… I didn't know this was going to happen. I know I said I would watch her-"
"It's Marlon's fault." Clementine stopped her.
"What?" Marlon looked over.
"You took her out there without permission." Clementine said.
"You weren't even here." Marlon argued.
"That doesn't make it okay." Clementine huffed.
"Let's not fight… What did you want to talk about?" Ruby asked.
"We need to fortify the walls and stock up on more weapons." Clementine said.
Louis raised a brow. "Where's this coming from queen bee?"
"Marlon said no one was out here, but Aleena was nearly grabbed by some guy earlier." Clementine said.
"You sure it wasn't a walker?" Mitch asked.
"Positive. Aleena said he spoke. He must've run off when he heard the dog barking and me calling for her."
"Did… Did she see who it was?" Brody asked.
Clementine shook her head.
"How didn't she see him if he grabbed her? Did he have a mask or something?" Ruby asked.
"Why would anyone wear a mask these days? Not like there's any banks to rob." Mitch said.
Clementine felt a surge of anger run through her. "You think this is funny? Some guy tries to grab my kid, and you're making jokes?"
"Calm down. I don't think it's funny." Mitch replied.
"You sure as hell act like it." Clementine said.
"You said she's okay though…" Ruby said.
"She's not hurt… She was just freaked out… Didn't let me put her down." Clementine said.
"Look, it's was probably just a deadhead. I say we go to bed. It's late, and everyone's tired." Marlon said.
"Marlon's right." Brody said.
"No… He's not. No one's taking what I'm saying seriously." Clementine said.
Brody walked over to the girl placing a hand on her shoulder. "Clem, we are… Just-"
"Don't touch me!" Clementine huffed. "That man could've hurt my baby, and no one here cares."
"Clem, don't be like that." Brody said. "We do care."
"Goodnight…" Clementine said, turning to head back inside.
"Clementine, wait." Marlon called.
Clementine turned to walk away.
"Marlon leave her alone." Violet watched her go, letting out a sigh. She wanted to go after the girl, but she felt it was best to give her some space.
"Mind your business." Marlon said.
He caught up with the girl and grabbed her arm.
"So what, you want to leave?" Marlon asked the girl.
"What if I do?" Clementine asked, tugging away.
"Nobody leaves. It's safe here." Marlon said.
"It's not your choice." Clementine said.
"We took you in. You can't just up and leave whenever you feel like it." Marlon replied.
"And why the hell not?" Clementine questioned. "You're going to try to hold me hostage."
"You can't leave because who knows who the hell, you'll lead back to us." Marlon snapped.
"There's no one for me to lead back. Besides, why would I go through that trouble?" Clementine replied.
Marlon grabbed at her arm again, but Clementine slapped his hand away.
"Don't touch me." Clementine said.
"Or what?" Marlon tested.
"Or I'll… make you regret it." Clementine said.
Marlon shook his head at that but didn't touch the girl. "Just be glad your daughter's okay. Things could've been a lot worse."
The girl simply glared at him. "Keep your damn hands off me."
With that she walked away, leaving the others outside.