7:43 PM
Dot [Jenny]
She'd been looking at that scar on her forearm for longer than she'd intended, in a mirror that was still wet with condensation from her earlier shower. The scar reminded her of the dark times, a younger her scared out of her mind beyond the walls of that university. After everything had fallen apart, and her parents dragged her across the country to survive.
A bandit had left that scar, slicing her open like a butter. She remembered screaming, crying, a flash of movement as her father rushed the bandit and buried his own weapon in the man's neck. Horrors burned into her memory for her to recall from time to time, each occasion being as sobering at the last. It was the little things she'd remember. How the man's face contorted when the blade pierced his throat. The way he fell to the floor, collapsing without any semblance of grace. How her father seethed over his body, only turning towards her when he was absolutely sure nothing else would harm his daughter. Her mother's terrified face as she tried to stop the bleeding. She was only eleven or twelve at the time.
Jenny knew the world was a bad place, even before they'd left Boston, but it was moments like those that made her realize that life could be cut short if they lowered their guard. It made living in Jackson so much harder, because as much as she loved it here, and felt safer than she'd ever been before, that fact still stayed at the edge of her mind.
Keeping busy helped push it away, though. Pretending that everything was alright for a second longer. Making jokes, or playing games, or talking with the friends she'd made, they all helped in their own way. Not to forget, but to live with it. To not let those nightmares of the past haunt her like she knew that they could, because living every day the best she could meant that she'd lived . To be excited about something so insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but at least she could say that she did.
So she'd live with that ugly scar, that jagged cut through her arm that nearly caused her to bleed out. The future was going to be better, because the past wasn't.
Her black tank top clung to her frame, showing just how skinny she was underneath all those jackets she usually wore. She had all that physical labor to blame for what little muscle she had, but it wasn't enough to make her seem all that tough. Granted, she knew that she'd probably never be able to fool anyone in that regard. She enjoyed being herself too much.
She'd just begun brushing her hair when a knock on the door stopped her, causing her to set the brush down on the sink. When she told them to come in, she turned to see her father at the door.
His black hair was cropped short, close to being shaved, and his large nose held up a pair of thick-rimmed glasses with a small crack running diagonally across the lower right of his left lens. His beard was trimmed and neat, housing the small smile on his face.
"Dinner's ready. You coming?" His voice was warm, low. She answered it with a small nod, smiling back.
"Yeah, I'll be right down."
When he left, she looked back to the mirror, taking in a deep breath. The smell of seasoned venison wafted through the open door, practically dragging her downstairs.
Art [Clementine]
As the pale white moon hovered over the streets of Jackson, foregoing the commotion of its lanes and parkways, Clementine sighed out, waiting for her breath to echo in her ears. Beneath that old hat, the girl's hair flew unusually in the wind, loose from their pigtails and hovering just over her shoulders, her brown locks twirling in front of her eyes.
She looked out for fellow snowmen settled in the dark backyards, never once letting her hands face the brisk air. Jenny's house was cute, giving off that unfamiliar feeling of ordinariness. Bright yellow lights shining from within. Clem adjusted the cream-colored scarf hanging from her neck, zipping shut the jacket Lee had let her borrow for the night. In the end, her frantic breathing didn't really stop.
Clementine rung the doorbell, a single finger pushing the tiny button by the steps. Somehow, this entire thing felt its dire share of nerve-racking.
Dot [Jenny]
She'd just gotten downstairs when the doorbell chimed throughout the foyer, causing her to look towards the door with a quick jerk of her eyes. Calling out that she'd get it, she crossed through the foyer, twisting the knob to reveal a girl standing on the other side.
Clementine wore a jacket that seemed almost amusingly large for her, her hair let down in a way that seemed to frame her face well. Jenny grinned, her voice excited. "Cool, you came! Come in!" She moved out of the way, gesturing for Clementine to get out of the cold that had already begun to assault her bare arms. When the door clicked shut behind her, she rubbed them to generate some semblance of heat, looking towards Clementine with a warm smile.
"Dad just finished dinner, if you're hungry," she offered. "We can talk after."
Art [Clementine]
Clem wasn't exactly sure what it was she was doing - Coming over for dinner at a stranger's place, hoping to... make new friends. Lee was so freaking supportive of the idea, saying no was basically out of the question. Even then, the whole prospect had Clementine more aloof than enthusiastic.
That all changed in what felt like the blink of an eye, when Jenny ushered her in with that prominent smile of hers, escorting the nervous girl toward the fireplace in the living room. Clem only waved meekly, and sort of stopped there. She was busier trying not to get caught staring over anything else. Jenny's house looked like just the coolest:Portraits hung on the walls, which lay painted in gaudy colors that matched the carpet and curtains. Sure wore the fact that they'd lived there for long on its sleeve. The dining room looked like the type of fancy stuff you'd find in one of Grimms' Fairy Tales, complete with candles and scents that rendered null her every other sense.
Clementine, as if trying to traverse a maze, circled the colossal dining table in order to introduce herself to Jenny's father, who looked pretty busy himself. He's just a guy. Don't freak.
"Hello," she said, definitely freaking. "I'm Clementine."
Dot [Jenny]
Jenny kept close to Clementine as she showed her around, leading her towards the dining room where her father had already set himself down to eat. She gave him a weak smile as he looked up from his plate, towards Clementine as she introduced herself. Their conversation earlier that day surfaced in her mind, and she could see the same tentative expression on his face that he had then.
"Clementine? Isn't she the one that punched that girl months ago?"
"Well, yeah, but…"
"That isn't the kind of person I want you 'hanging out' with, Jen. They're troublemakers."
"Yeah, well… Lydia deserved it. And she isn't like that. She seems nice. She helped me with my work earlier."
Her father sighed. "Sooner or later, you need to realize that not everyone's going to show you their trueselves. All I want is for you to be careful. Okay?"
Seeing his face now, she knew that he was still thinking about it, but it only lasted for an instant, his wrinkled face growing into a wane smile. Guess he was right, after all.
"Hello, Clementine." The gravel in his voice was warm enough, she supposed, and his eyes eventually found Jenny, clearing his throat. "Jen, why don't you show your friend to the kitchen? Food's still on the stove." Jenny simply nodded before grabbing Clementine's wrist, directing her over to the door at the far side of the room. She looked back towards the girl apologetically, pushing the door open.
Their kitchen was rather quaint, or at least that was the word she thought described it. It had that rustic, country life feel to it, something she'd seen in those old magazines that they kept in the library in Jackson. An island separated them from the rest of the kitchen, where her mother seemed to be writing something on a piece of paper, piercing pieces of venison before stuffing them into her mouth absent-mindedly. When they entered, she turned back towards them.
Her dark brown hair was put up into a hair bun, and she still wore her hefty winter jacket, dotted with water droplets where snow had melted. Contrary to the look her father had before, her mother's face seemed to brighten up immediately.
"Oh, I didn't know you were bringing a friend over, dear," she said in a cheery voice. It was already obvious where Jenny got her own enthusiasm from. She set down her fork before approaching them.
"This's Clementine," Jenny did the introductions for the girl, smiling as she patted her back, as if trying to reassure her. "She's still new around here."
"Well, welcome to Jackson, Clementine," her mother continued through a wide smile, holding out a hand towards the girl. "I hope my husband hasn't scared you away yet. We don't get visitors often anymore, except for Jenny's rowdy friends."
Jenny rolled her eyes at that, chuckling under her breath.
Art [Clementine]
"Mm-mm," Clementine shook her head, trying to stamp out Jenny's mom's concern with a strong handshake. Not that she hadn't felt intimidated. Jenny's dad didn't look very happy to see her, and pinpointing why was as easy as recalling the one thing everyone in Jackson knew her for. "Thanks for inviting me over." It was blind hope that she could still make a good first impression. Though, now that all eyes were on her, Clem could only feel her heart pounding that much faster.
She grabbed a plate of food for herself, worry spelled in the gaze that bounced between Jenny and her mother. "I'll go... look for a seat."
Something told her she wouldn't last the night.
Dot [Jenny]
Her mother gave Jenny a reassuring smile. It was enough to know that she was on her side with this one, that Clementine wasn't as bad as her father was making her out to be. So, she smiled back, grabbing her own plate of food before following Clementine out into the dining room, sitting opposite her at the table, while her father remained at the far end.
At this point, her father would usually start praying, but that seemed to have been set aside for this evening. Thankfully. Having to hear it again, with a new friend present, would've been a grueling experience.
Instead, they dug into their own plates, Jenny savoring every bite of the venison. It wasn't exactly a five-star meal, but no meal these days were, were they? Her father picked at his food idly, reading over a book that's title had faded long ago, before setting it down, brown eyes falling onto Clementine across from her.
"So… Clementine? How're you finding Jackson?" His words hung in the air, his voice seeming almost neutral in tone. "I hear your dad, or… caregiver , got a job teaching at the school. About time we had someone teaching history."
Here we go. Jenny found herself thinking with an eyeroll. Interrogation time. C'mon, Dad, it's not like she's a murderer. Don't have to grill her.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine hadn't realized how rusty she'd gotten at cutting meat until it almost flew off her plate, grains of rice falling on her lap while she recovered from the question. "Ah, I..."
Good one.
"He and I've been... out there... since I was little." Caregiver. Yeah, I guess he is. Mostly, Clem hoped it wouldn't come as too much of a shock. There was one important thing you learned when attending Jackson's school: Nobody who'd made it this far knew what it was like so many miles outside the walls. No one but people like her, and Lee, and...
Joel and Ellie.
"It's been pretty hard..." That much was obvious. Looking at Jenny's father - at least, looking at the way he looked at her - Clementine had a hunch he wasn't as oblivious to... all of it. Not like his daughter was.
He knew that kind of thing took a toll on anyone.
Dot [Jenny]
Hearing what Clementine answered with made her wince a little. She'd gotten lucky in the past. Most of the time she spent outside walls were… barely memories. Stuff pushed aside until her mind decided it was time to remember them, like how she ended up with that scar on her forearm. She was sure there were a dozen more moments she just couldn't remember, and seeing the look on Clementine's face told her that maybe that was for the best.
That maybe she hadn't moved on from it, like she'd been able to. It only made her want to help the girl more, to feel like she finally found a place where she could be normal again. To be a friend when she had none to turn to.
Maybe that meant she had too big of a heart, but she wouldn't have it any other way.
Her father slowly nodded to that, seemingly mulling over the words Clementine had said. He shifted in his seat, into a more comfortable position. "Life beyond the walls isnever easy. I'm glad you've found this place. Everyone deserves a chance at having a home, even in these… trying times."
Another short period of silence fell over them, and Jenny utilized it to ask a question of her own. At least, an attempt to lighten the mood a little.
"You met your friends out there, right? Tommy's brother and that other girl?" She'd been wondering what the heck happened to them since the last time they were here. It seemed that they were here and gone in the blink of an eye, and then just never came back. She'd always heard about the fact Tommy and his brother weren't on good terms from Carl, but she figured they'd get past that eventually. Family was important, after all.
Especially now.
Art [Clementine]
Clem gave Jenny a somber nod, and not much else. Hard to, when she'd seriously given up on ever seeing them again. Her best thoughts were ones where they'd found someplace else to settle down - Safe and full of strong Fireflies. A place where Ellie could be happy and... forget all about her, maybe.
Her worst thoughts were about as obvious as they sounded.
She set the plate down next to the sink, minutes later, only to be dragged upstairs by a spunky Jenny. The silence after dinner must've made her jumpy to break it. Figures.
The worn wooden door burst open to uncover the least girlish room since back when she and Ellie used to share one. Dirty clothes covered the floor in a minefield-like pattern, giving off the smell of sweat and grease, just like the rest of Jenny's room. On the walls, colorful posters of all kinds. A lot of bands. Names she could barely pronounce, and some she thought she'd get in trouble for doing so. More importantly, it was covered from top to bottom with tech goobers; ancient laptops stripped apart to make other, tinier electronic junk. It was a fine mess.
And she loved it.
"Your room's so fucking awesome!" Clementine whispered so as to not alert the adults downstairs, eyes lost to the four walls feeding them with a thousand new things to see. Her parents would have never, everlet her be this grubby back on the farm. Clem fell on her butt, straight onto Jenny's tousled bed. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before.
Dot [Jenny]
She'd been intending to tidy up her room at some point , so she at least didn't look like a slob, but much like everything else, it usually took a backseat to something more important to her. Still, Clementine didn't seem to mind; she actually thought it was cool, which had her smiling a little.
"Yeah , it's a work in progress," she answered the girl's excited whisper with a hint of humor, plopping herself onto her bed as well. Her most recent project was strewn about her desk, electronic parts everywhere that she'd been using to try and fix up some old radios for the community. Never know when those'll come in handy.
She laid her back on her mattress, letting her feet dangle off the edge as she glanced towards the other girl near her. "Sorry about my dad, by the way. He can be a bit of a hardass. He means well, but being with the Fireflies hardened him or something."
"I hope you're still down for some games tomorrow," she finished with a hopeful smile.
Art [Clementine]
Somehow - listening to Jenny's offer all over again - it had Clem's small heart racing faster than it could take. She drew her own hands close, wrapping fingers together, five interlocked with a set of four. It still felt a special type of implausible, as had anything else in her life that stuck so close to the realm of typical. Strange and exciting, so far from what lay in her natural gloomy thoughts... but so much closer than she felt prepared to admit.
"Does that mean you want to be friends?" She shot the question without much in the way of thinking, sharing with Jenny the same hopeful smile that kept her hands from being still.
Dot [Jenny]
She doesn't even think we're friends yet? Sure, they'd only just met each other, and she was a bit of a loner, but that's fixable. Jenny wanted to be her friend, just as much as Clem needed one.
"Fuck yeah," she said quietly, mainly so her parents wouldn't hear her. "You're like… the coolest person I've met here." A goofy smile made a way onto her face as she turned to look towards Clementine. "So what do we do to seal the deal? Secret handshake?" She chuckled. "Is that too cliche?"
Art [Clementine]
Try as she may, Clem couldn't stop returning every smile Jenny sent her way, feeling closer to a nervous fit the longer she gawked back without a word. Both eyes mirroring optimism. The girl forced herself to snap out of it, and rushed to reply. "Here, just..." Clem scooched closer, raising one hand between Jenny's peering eyes.
"Pinky swear."
Hers aimed at the ceiling, Clem's cheeks blushed in a faint red. Her mind had wandered, looking for something else, but truth be told, this was the only way she knew how. The stump on her ring finger was... there, just under Jenny's nose. But for the first time, she thought not to shy away from it.
If they were friends, then... Clem didn't mind.
Dot [Jenny]
Jenny looked at Clementine's hand with a sense of amusement, lips twitching into a smile that was more genuine than the last she'd had. Pinky swears weren't exactly secret handshakes, but… it was cute. Solid way to start a friendship, maybe. Granted, the last time she'd done a pinky swear was when she was like ten, but sometimes it was nice to go back to how things were before. Before, well… teenagehood started and everything changed.
With a hint of a giggle in her voice, she held up her own hand, showing off her scar along her forearm. Her eyes focused on Clementine's missing finger for a few seconds, and how fresh it still looked, but she wouldn't allow her smile to fall. It just meant that they both had something from the outside world they carried with them, even if Clementine's was… well… worse.
She interlaced her pinky with Clementine's, voice light and cheery. "Pinky swear."
When they let go, Jenny pushed herself into a sitting position, reaching for a bag underneath her bed. Fishing it out from behind some useless junk, she held it up for Clementine to see. "Friendship cookies. Can't be official without them."
She held the bag out for Clementine to grab a few.
Art [Clementine]
Glee in her eyes, Clem snagged a cookie from the bag and held it with both hands. Under her nose, a trembling smile. "Can't believe you have these...!" She uttered in surprise, taking a bite out of the sweet without a second thought. Quicker than lighting, her cheeks were full of peanut butter, bloated like a squirrel's, as she chewed with both eyes shut. Oh my gosh!
Where the hell did Jenny get such great snacks from?! Clementine was determined to find out. Mouth full, manners ever-lacking, she spoke up again. "You have any idea when was the last time I had cookies?"
She probably did.
Dot [Jenny]
She couldn't help but snort with laughter as Clementine devoured the cookie, speaking with a mouth full of peanut butter. The lack of grace in it was endearing, reminding her of herself, because she'd rather stuff that whole cookie in her mouth than take small bites of it like a prissy princess.
"Have as many as you want," she said happily, setting the bag in between them as she grabbed a cookie of her own. To explain, she continued. "Mom likes to bake, and has connections, so… cookies for life, yo." She chuckled, obliterating the cookie in a few large bites.
And with that, her stash would probably deplete within twenty minutes, but she was having too much fun to care.