Questions
They had been staying at the convenience store for a few days when Carl finally asked her. Dani knew he would eventually. In all honesty, she was surprised his questions hadn't come any sooner, as much as she had been dreading them.
Carl was still, in many ways, a child, with a very clear-cut view of himself and the world. On the second day, he had told her about Randall. Dani shivered at how he had coldly encouraged his own father to shoot him – to Carl, the other boy was dangerous, and that was that. He had learned that not all people should be trusted. Though he still unconsciously placed them in either of two categories: people were good or evil, with no place for grey areas in between. Dani felt lucky he had labelled her "a good person", and she really hoped he wouldn't change his mind.
Her thoughts turned to Carl's trust in his father. Everyone needed some kind of anchor, something or someone to rely on when everything falls apart, and all the more in this threatening new world. For better, for worse, Rick was that anchor to the rest of the group, and he would do everything he could to keep his group safe. She had little hope he would respond kindly if Carl told him her secret.
Dani had always believed in telling the truth – that was how she'd been raised. But could that truth be told to Carl? Yes, he was a child in many ways, but he had seen enough pain and death to make him reflective and wise beyond his years. His opinions were still clear-cut, but he thought about them carefully before embracing them.
Would he tell his father, or could she count on his continued trust and discretion? After all, he had not once mentioned what really had happened the night she saved him, to any of them. And the kid was loyal. She had seen that.
Carl could be her best ally. She took a step of faith.
"I'm going to tell you something about me, Carl. Can I trust you not to tell anyone else?"
