Elyza's POV

Elyza peeked open one of her eyes to the brightness that made it through her tent. She sighed and sat up since she realized there was no use to try to sleep again after she could not do it for three nights now.

The fresh memory of Alicia kissing her kept replaying in her head, but what kept her awake was when she pulled away and told her to forget it ever happened.

Alicia clearly had not moved on from Matt, and Elyza wanted to kick herself for being upset by the girl's action.

The blonde let out another yawn and pulled the zipper in front of the tent. She was surprised by the sight of Alicia sitting with both of her legs on the bench with a mug in her hand after they spent the last few days avoiding each other. Alicia was sipping on coffee while enjoying the view of the ocean, and had no idea Elyza was already in her presence.

"Legs off my tanning bench," Elyza said grumpily.

Alicia turned her head to her instantly and mumbled so quietly that Elyza almost could not hear her. "Hey."

Judging from how worn out Alicia looked, Elyza figured that she did not get enough sleep as well.

"Hey," Elyza replied and tucked her knees to her chest. "You look like you stayed up the whole night."

Alicia turned to her completely now, but she would not look up from her mug.

"I've been thinking a lot about what happened that nig-…," the brunette started.

"I thought nothing happened, according to you," Elyza cut the other girl off before she could finish the sentence. She added when she thought she might sound too harsh. "Sorry. I always sound like a bitch when I'm sleepy."

"I'm sorry, too," Alicia looked up for the first time.

"For what?"

"I don't know. For hurting you," Alicia said. "For making things awkward between us."

Alicia looked truly sad when she said the words, and it hurt Elyza much more than rejection.

"Hey, listen. You have nothing to be sorry about," Elyza said softly. "You need time. I get it."

"I do need time," Alicia agreed. "But I also need you."

"What are you saying?"

"I missed talking to you."

"We haven't talked for only a few days, Alicia," Elyza teased her and smiled in hoping to ease the tension between them.

"I know, but I missed talking to you and laughing at your stupid jokes," Alicia said and added after a long pause. "I don't want us to act like strangers."

"I don't want that either," Elyza replied.

"Can we try to be friends again?" Alicia asked.

Friends. The word rang inside Elyza's head.

It did not mean it was forever. It did not mean Alicia stopped having feelings for her. Yet, Elyza could feel the pain slowly building up in her chest.

But Alicia did not need to know that.

"You know I'd do anything for you, Alicia," Elyza said and hoped Alicia knew she really meant it.

Days passed and being in the friend zone was not as hard to deal as Elyza expected, partly because so many things happened.

Strand stopped the boat in the middle of nowhere one day, and it turned out that he did it to wait for Nick to come back with another man named Luis. Strand finally told everyone that they were heading to Baja, and they would be welcome only if Luis arrived with them.

The incident made Madison furious because Strand sent Nick to do the mission without telling her. She was also angry with her son for not asking for her permission. The rest of them could only try to keep the peace between them. After that, they had to deal with a gunfight on the boat that killed Luis. And then, they were greeted with the infected on the land.

It was the first time Elyza saw Alicia fight, and she was relieved to know Alicia could take care of herself and even protect the others. And here they were, in the back of a truck on the way to a house owned by some guy named Thomas Abigail, who was apparently the real owner of the boat.

Alicia was smiling most of the time, and Elyza wondered how she could do it after a rough day.

"What?" Alicia asked after catching the blonde staring at her.

The smile was still on her lips.

"You look kinda chill for someone who just stabbed a bunch of people in their eye sockets," Elyza commented.

"I'm trying to forget about that," Alicia replied after a frown. "I'm just happy to finally have a place to stay for real. Aren't you?"

Elyza took time to think before responding. "I don't know about you, but I feel like there's something fishy going on here."

"Like what?" Nick chimed in from her right.

"Like how those infected at the church had no wound except the ones we made on them," Elyza explained. "It's almost like… they chose to turn."

"You think too much, Elyza," Madison said and added. "We're here now and we're safe."

"I hope you're right," Elyza mumbled and looked around to find more clues.

They arrived a few minutes later and were asked to leave their weapons outside. The people in front of the house greeted them with a warm welcome, and Elyza could only give them the benefit of the doubt.

Strand rushed to see Thomas as soon as a woman named Celia told him he was bitten. Elyza could tell by Strand's expression that they were more than friends, and she felt deeply sorry that they had to say goodbye just when they finally reunited.

The blonde spent her time exploring the Abigail estate after settling in and taking a shower. There was nothing suspicious so far except the owl symbols around the house here and there, but Elyza thought they were just a part of personal beliefs of people around here.

They had dinner in silence while Strand was still in the room with Thomas. Daniel was also not here, and according to Ofelia, he already went to bed.

When they were done, Elyza did not waste her time to go outside. To her surprise, she could see Daniel talking with a boy from far away. They soon headed to somewhere that seemed to be a cellar. Elyza's eyes fixed on them and her feet stepped after them until a man with a beard showed up out of nowhere.

"You shouldn't be outside at night," he said with his local accent.

"Why? Can't a girl get some fresh air?" Elyza tried her best to sound convincing.

"Please go back inside," the man insisted again.

"Come on, man. I'll just walk around for a few minutes."

Before he could reply, Elyza could hear the door open behind her, and she did her best to suppress her sigh when she saw Celia walking out.

"Is there any problem here, Jorge?" Celia asked the man.

"I just wanna take a walk. I have nothing else to do, Celia," Elyza replied instead of him.

Celia took a look at her so long that made Elyza uncomfortable and asked.

"Elyza, right?"

"Yes, that's my name," Elyza replied.

"You're welcome to enjoy our beautiful garden in the morning, Elyza. But for now, you should rest after a long day. Or you can watch TV or read our books," Celia said with a smile on her face, but there was a tone underneath that made Elyza feel like she should not argue with her. And the longer she spent time talking to this woman, the more it made her skin crawl.

"Wow. That sounds fun. Thanks, Celia," Elyza said and faked a smile.

She glanced briefly to Daniel's way and found that the old man already disappeared. She went inside the house and hoped that Daniel found whatever they were hiding, so she could ask him about it later.

Elyza was on her way to the living room when Chris walked out and bumped into her. The boy continued to walk without talking or even looking at her.

Jeez. What's his deal? Elyza thought and made her way to the living room.

Alicia was watching TV on the couch with a white blanket wrapping around her, and the sight suddenly made Elyza less frustrated about Celia and Chris.

"Hey, burrito," Elyza greeted.

"Hey," Alicia replied quietly.

The older girl could tell that something was bothering her.

"You're okay?" Elyza asked. "I saw Chris earlier. Did you guys fight or something?"

"I'm good," Alicia lied and quickly changed the subject. "You can change the channel if you want."

Elyza got the message that Alicia did not want to talk about Chris, so she sat down next to her.

"How do they still broadcast things these day?" Elyza asked.

"Who knows?" Alicia replied and shrugged. "They even have wi-fi."

"For real?" Elyza asked surprisingly and added. "See? I think this place is a part of some creepy organization."

"You watch too many movies," Alicia said.

"You should be careful, just in case," Elyza warned.

Alicia nodded and turned to the TV again. Some animated cartoon in black and white was on it and they watched in silence until Elyza asked for her phone.

"What for?" Alicia asked.

"I wanna see how my fam and friends are doing over there."

Alicia motioned to her phone on the coffee table and said. "Sure. Go ahead."

Elyza tapped on Facebook icon and Alicia's picture with a guy who seemed to be Matt was the first thing she saw.

"Sorry. I'll log out," the Aussie mumbled.

"It's fine."

"He seemed like a great guy," Elyza said after typing in her email address and password.

"He was," Alicia said with a sad smile on her face.

Elyza smiled back and looked down to see her own notifications. There were about fifty of them, but most of them were her one-night standers in the past who tried to add her.

"That's a lot of girls," Alicia remarked. "They're your exes?"

Alicia sounded jealous and curious, but Elyza did not want to assume.

"They're not," Elyza said playfully. "And stop snooping."

"All right," Alicia said and leaned back on the couch. "I hope your hometown is still safe."

"It is," Elyza said after checking the news. "But I'm sure it won't be long until… you know."

"You should make a video to tell everyone how to deal with the infected," Alicia suggested.

"Good idea!" Elyza agreed.

"Don't forget to set the privacy to 'public'," Alicia told her.

Elyza nodded and started recording right away.

"Hey, everyone. Elyza Lex here, live from Mexico," she made sure to sound like a newscaster. "As many of you know, things are going crazy all over North and South America. Some might say people started eating each other now. And you know what? They're right."

Alicia was starting to chuckle now, so Elyza turned the camera to her.

"Today, my assistant, Miss Alicia Clark, will tell you how to deal with the so-called infected when they finally make their way to Australia," Elyza continued.

"Just stab them in the head," Alicia said with a monotone voice.

"That's right, people. That always works effectively," Elyza said. She stood up and threw the phone to Alicia. "Here, take this. I gotta demonstrate with the remote control."

Alicia lifted her hands up by instinct and the blanket slid down from her shoulders in process. Prominent red marks on her arms could be seen right away.

"What are those marks?" Elyza asked concernedly and sat back on the couch.

"Nothing," Alicia dismissed her question. "Let's just finish your video, okay?"

Elyza quickly took the phone from her and posted the video. She set aside the object and turned her attention fully back on the other girl.

"Did Chris do this to you?"

The brunette did not reply, and Elyza figured out that she was right.

"What's going on, Alicia? Can you tell me what happened?"

Alicia took a deep breath and decided to tell her.

"When we were at the church, my mom was being attacked by an infected. She was on her back struggling to push him away. And then, I think… no, I'm sure I saw Chris just standing there and looking at her. He was going to let her die."

"Holy shit," Elyza exclaimed. "Did you tell your mom about this?"

Alicia shook her head and continued. "That's why he came to talk to me. He asked me not to tell anyone what I saw. I said I would tell my mom, and then…"

"What?"

"I'm not sure what he meant. But he grabbed my arms and said he didn't want to hurt anyone."

Alicia looked genuinely scared and Elyza felt like she needed to do something.

"Where's your mom?" the blonde asked.

"I don't know."

"Doesn't matter. I'll find her and tell her what happened. And if I see Chris first, I'm gonna whoop his ass," Elyza determined and got up, only to be pulled back down by Alicia.

"Just… stay here," Alicia asked. "Please. I don't wanna be alone."

With the tone of her voice, Elyza realized she was needed here more.

"Okay. I'll stay here," she said after tugging her legs up. "But you gotta tell your mom or Travis."

"I will," Alicia promised.

"Cool," Elyza said and looked around the room. "What do you wanna do now?"

"I'm sick of watching TV now, so how about you show me how your hometown and your parent look like."

Elyza grabbed the phone from the table and smirked.

"All right. You're about to know more about the mysterious Elyza Lex."

Alicia's POV

"Alicia," Elyza's voice came from far away, but then it was so close. "Wake up."

Alicia did not know when or how she fell asleep. Elyza showed her the pictures on her Facebook account, and told her about Gold Coast and her parents. She learned that her parents kicked her out when they found out she was gay. Elyza, then, lived with her aunt, Michelle, for four years and worked hard until she finally decided to apply for an art school and move to San Francisco, where her brother lived.

Elyza also told her about her only ex-girlfriend, Selena, who dumped her after two months of dating because she decided she was straight. After that, Elyza only stuck to one-night stands, which explained the amount of her friend requests.

Then, Elyza saw that her mother, whom she had not spoken to for four years, commented on her video. The woman said she forgave her for everything and asked her to take care of herself.

The first part of the message upset Elyza, so Alicia assured with her that she did nothing wrong, but she convinced Elyza to make peace with her mother since they were on the verge of an apocalypse.

The blonde did so and replied only 'You too, mom.' and turned off the phone.

After that, Elyza got quiet. Alicia swore Elyza was so close to cry, but she did not. When she asked the older girl if she needed to be alone, she said she was okay and Alicia should sleep because it was late now.

And then, Elyza turned her face away, and Alicia remembered the last thing she did before drifting off to sleep was looking at Elyza from the end of the couch.

"Hey, Alicia, wake up," Elyza called her again.

This time she shook her arm lightly, and Alicia realized that her head was on the other girl's lap.

She opened her eyes to meet the blue ones from above. Elyza's eyelashes were so long from this angle and Alicia could not look away. She noticed that Elyza did not blink as well.

Do friends do this? Alicia thought before she saw Elyza's lips moving.

"Your mom is here," the Aussie told her.

Alicia jerked her body up at the words too quickly that it gave her a whiplash, but she ignored it.

"Mom, where have you been?" Alicia asked after turning to face her mother, who was standing at the door.

Just like many times before, Madison did not answer her question.

"Elyza told me you have something to tell me. You can do it when we go back to our room."

"I thought you would stay with Travis," Alicia said.

"You're staying with me tonight," her mother said.

Alicia nodded and stood up to gather her things. Madison already left when Alicia turned to Elyza.

"Thanks for staying with me."

The brunette squeezed her friend's shoulder. She wanted to hug her, but she had been confused about boundaries with Elyza lately.

"No worries," Elyza said and winked.

Alicia swallowed and managed to speak.

"Good night, Elyza."

"Night, Alicia."

The rest of the night was a mess. Madison went to tell Travis about Chris and came back to sleep next to Alicia.

It did not feel long when they were woken up with a sound of gunshot, but what scared them the most was the sight of Chris standing over them with a knife in his hand.

Alicia yelled at him and told him to get out. And it went without saying that nobody would be able to go back to bed tonight.

Alicia and her mother went to the gather with everyone else in the living room after Elyza came to tell them that it was Strand who used the gun to make sure his boyfriend would not turn to an infected after he passed away.

The brunette did not expect a sweet woman like Celia to be so angry. She kept saying that Thomas was her son and Strand took him away from her. She was mad enough to ask Strand to leave the estate within tomorrow evening, and Alicia wished she could do something to help him.

Morning came and Alicia knew today was going to be a difficult day. She spent the whole day with an uneasy feeling that she could not trust anyone except the people in her group. She also did not like the fact that some of them disappeared after Thomas' funeral.

She knew Travis went to find Chris, and Nick went to find both of them, but her mother left without telling her anything. Ofelia told her Daniel also had been missing since last night, but Celia assured with them that he was safe.

When the three of them were alone, Elyza told Ofelia that she last saw Daniel went into the cellar in the right wing of the house and offered to sneak in to look for him tonight. Both Alicia and Ofelia wanted to go with her, but Elyza told them that it would be best if she did it alone.

Ofelia finally agreed with her, and they spent the rest of the day waiting. When night fell, Elyza left to her mission while Ofelia and Alicia went to say goodbye to Strand at the gate and also took this chance to be on the lookout for Elyza.

Alicia waved at Strand when the gate was closing at the same time the smell of smoke hit her nose.

She turned to the bright light on her left. And in seconds, the whole estate was on fire.

Mom. Elyza. Daniel.

Alicia froze at the thought that people she cared about might be in danger. She was soon relieved when her mother and Elyza ran towards her and Ofelia.

"Where's my father?" the Latina asked frantically.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't find him," Elyza replied.

But Madison was more sure with her answer.

"He's gone. It's all gone. I'm sorry."

They stood there and tried to figure out what to do when Strand drove a truck back through the gate.

"We need to go now," the man told them.

"We have to wait for Nick, Travis and Chris," Madison insisted.

"We're gonna be dead before they get here," Strand pointed out.

They all knew Strand was right and did as he said. Alicia was in the middle of getting on the back of the truck when her brother came back.

"Nick, get in the truck!" the girl shouted.

She was sure Nick heard her, but he did not move any faster. And now she had to worry about her mother when she was walking to him.

"Mom! What are you doing?!"

Her mother always concerned about her brother more than her, and this was one of many times Alicia felt this way.

They were talking too calmly for this situation, and Alicia was annoyed that she could not hear them.

"We've gotta go!" Elyza helped her urging them, but it did not seem to work.

Madison only moved when Strand pulled her away and told her to let Nick go.

Her brother turned around without looking at her or anyone, and Alicia could only sit down.

It was not the first time Nick left them, but this time was different. She felt like she might never see him again, and it scared her more than anything that had happened since they left L.A.

But when the truck passed him, anger washed over her.

Alicia glared at him and he looked back at her. Her eyes never left him even when he looked away and turned into a silhouette.

Goodbye, Nick.

A/N: Sorry for disappearing for a long time. My wrists hurt and I kinda have a job now. ^_^ Anyway, I had to finish this chapter before FtWD comes back, so we can catch up with the latest ep and see where my story should go next, to parallel with canon stuff. I just want to fit everything in this chapter without writing too long, so you can see there's a lot of description part. And of course, comments are welcomed. I'll reply to all of them. :)

To anyone who reads my Brittana fic, I'll write the next chapter after my final exam next week, so hold on tight. 333