King County
The car moved down the street while Amber held the steering wheel tightly in her hands, but her eyes moved to look into the review mirror. She looked at Daryl, who was staring out the window, and she frowned. Her mind replayed the sight of the filth and decay of Daryl's house and how little Daryl had in regard of clothing, underwear, shoes, boots, sneakers and possessions.
"There was barely enough to fit in a suitcase," Amber thought when she found the address she was looking for and she parked the car at the curb. She turned to look at Daryl, but he kept staring out the window and she snapped her fingers to get his attention.
"Well, here we are," she said as she tried to give him her best smile. Daryl didn't look at her as he nodded then he removed the seatbelt. She watched him open the door as he got out of the car and she followed him. She got his suitcase out of the trunk as she closed the lid then she handed him the suitcase. He looked down at the suitcase while the front door opened and two people walked out of the house.
"Hello," Mister Grimes said as he walked closer.
"Hello. I am Amber Carter," Amber said then she looked at Daryl. "This is Daryl Dixon."
Daryl glanced at Mister Grimes then at the woman standing next to him and she gave him a sad smile.
"Hello, Daryl," Mrs. Grimes said.
"Hey," Daryl said, softly.
"Let's go inside," Mister Grimes said. They headed down the sidewalk after Mister Grimes had taken the suitcase off the ground and Daryl looked down at his feet.
"Hey, Grimes, is that the foster kid?!" made Daryl look up. He saw the man standing in the next yard and the man looked disgusted.
"Yeah. This is Daryl."
"Well, you better lock him up at night. Don't want him getting out and killing you and your family while you're sleeping."
Amber saw the crushed look on Daryl's face as the man laughed then he went into the house. They headed for the front door, but were unaware they were being watching by someone looking out of the upstairs window.
"Is this sort of thing normal around here?" she asked. Mister Grimes cleared his throat then shook his head, but he saw the suspicion in her eyes. He opened the front door as they walked inside and he placed the suitcase near the bottom of the stairs. Daryl watched Amber inspect the downstairs while he stood near the front door and the urge to open the door and run moved through him in waves.
"What's going on?" came from the stairs. He watched as a young boy, around five or six years older than he was, come downstairs and he smiled at Daryl.
"This is Daryl Dixon," Mrs. Grimes said.
"Oh. Yeah. The foster kid."
Amber glared at him when the boy walked to Daryl then he held his right hand out.
"I'm Rick," Rick Grimes said. Daryl looked at Rick's hand then shook hands with him and Rick smiled. "So, what do you think?"
"About what?" Daryl asked.
"About all this," he said while motioning with his hands toward the living room.
"It's ok."
"Rick, will you please take Daryl upstairs while we talk with Miss Carter?" Mister Grimes asked.
"I don't think we have anything to talk about," Amber said with a cold tone.
"Miss Carter, I assure you what happened outside…."
"What happened outside?" Rick asked.
"Jordan Williams was being an asshole."
"That's nothing new."
"Take him upstairs."
Rick looked at Amber when he shrugged then he went to pick up the suitcase. He motioned with his head for Daryl to follow him as Daryl slowly walked to the stairs and Amber watched them go upstairs. She then looked at the Grimes and Mister Grimes sighed.
Rick led Daryl down the small hallway when Daryl saw a young girl, around six or seven years old, standing in the doorway to one of the bedrooms and her eyes widened. She let out a blood curdling scream as she slammed the door shut and Daryl looked at Rick.
"What was that scream?!" came from downstairs when the Grimes and Amber ran up the stairs and Amber gently pulled Daryl to her side.
"Dunno," Rick said as he looked at the closed door. "Evie was standing in the doorway then she screamed after she saw Daryl."
"That's because he's gonna kill us," made them look at the boy standing in the doorway. He was around eight or nine years old and Mister Grimes frowned.
"Jeffery, he isn't going to kill us," Mister Grimes said.
"That's not what Mister Williams said," Jeffery Grimes said while he glared at Daryl. "I don't wanna die! Go away!"
"Jeffery!" Mrs. Grimes gasped.
"That's enough," Amber said. She removed the suitcase from Rick's hand then she lightly pushed Daryl toward the stairs.
"Miss Carter…"
"You assured us this was going to be a safe place for Daryl. Apparently, you lied."
"Why does he need a safe place?"
They looked at Evie as she stood in the doorway and she looked at Daryl.
"That is none of your business," Amber said and she pointed for Daryl to go downstairs. Daryl went downstairs while she looked at the Grimes and Rick saw anger in her eyes. "I will be reporting this. And I will also recommend your children to be removed from this house."
"You can do that!" Mrs. Grimes said.
"Yes, I…"
They were startled from hearing a door slam as Rick moved by her and he ran down the stairs. He opened the front door as he stood at the top of the stairs, but he didn't see Daryl. He went back inside as he closed the door then he ran to the kitchen. He saw the backdoor was open as he ran to the screen door, opened the screen door then he ran down the stairs. He could just see Daryl running by the trees as he gave chase and they went by the trees.
"Daryl! Stop!" he called out. He was surprised with how fast Daryl could run as they kept going then he saw Daryl stopping near the edge of the stream. Rick and his father spent many hours fishing there and he watched Daryl sitting down on the ground. He wasn't sure what to do. He watched Daryl place his head in his hands and the soft sound of sobbing filled the air. Rick carefully moved closer when he sat down on the ground and he placed his wrists on his knees. They sat in silence until Daryl lifted his head and he used the back of his right hand to wipe his eyes. "Jeffery's an asshole."
"What?" Daryl asked with a crack to his voice.
"My brother. He's an asshole."
They became quiet again as they watched the water and Daryl sighed.
"This is all my fault," Daryl said, softly.
"Bullshit."
"It's true."
"Why do you think that?"
"Your mom and dad are gonna lose you and those other two because I showed up."
"They're not going to lose us."
"Miss Carter…"
"Is a bitch. She had no right talking to them like that."
"But that man…"
"Like Dad said, he was being an asshole. He's always spouting his mouth off."
"He's right," came from behind them when Mister Grimes sat next to Daryl and Mister Grimes placed his wrists on his knees.
"How did you know where we were?" Daryl asked, looking at him.
"Rick usually comes here when he's angry," he said as he looked at Rick.
"He's right," Rick said.
"I come here, too," made Daryl look behind him and Jeffery walked over to sit next to Rick. They sat in silence when Jeffery looked over at Daryl then Jeffery sighed. "Sorry."
Daryl nodded as they sat in silence then Mister Grimes stood. Daryl looked up at him. Mister Grimes help out his left hand and Daryl cautiously took hold of his hand. Daryl rose to his feet as Rick and Jeffery stood and Mister Grimes pointed with his thumb for them to start walking. They walked down the trail while Daryl walked next to Mister Grimes and Mister Grimes smiled at him.
"So, Dad, what are you going to do with Miss Carter?" Rick finally asked.
"I left your mother to deal with her," Mister Grimes said as he looked at Daryl. "Mrs. Grimes doesn't like it when someone threatens her family."
"Is she gonna hit her?" Daryl asked.
"No. She's just going to give Miss Carter a stern talking to."
"Why did she have to go and piss Ma off? Tonight's Meatloaf Night," Jeffery said with a sigh.
"What's meatloaf?" Daryl asked.
"You never had meatloaf?"
"Nope."
"Then you're going to love it. Mom makes the best meatloaf in the county," Rick said with a grin.
"Damn straight," Mister Grimes said with a nod. He wondered if Daryl would mind him placing his hand on Daryl's right shoulder as he pressed his lips in a thin line and they headed down the path.
Later that night, Daryl sat at the dining room table while he thought about the room he was sharing with Rick. It was twice the size of his old bedroom. It had a closet instead of a pile of dirty clothes on the floor. It had furniture which didn't look like they'd fall apart if you breathed on them. It had a television.
Rick showed him which bed was his and he was surprised with how big and comfortable the bed was. Rick showed him which desk was his and the only rule Rick had about the room was he wasn't to mess with his desk. He also said he could watch whatever he wanted and read his comic books.
"Merle never let me touch his shit," Daryl thought while he took a long sip of milk.
"Is everything alright, Daryl?" Mrs. Grimes asked.
"Yeah. I was just thinkin'," Daryl said with a nod.
"What were you thinking about?"
"About Rick's room."
"it's your room, too," Rick said.
"What about it?" Mister Grimes asked.
"It's a lot bigger than my old room," Daryl said. "An' I didn't have all that stuff. Merle…."
"Who's Merle?" Jeffery asked.
"He's my brother," he said with a sigh. "He an' I used to just toss our stuff on the floor after we got undressed or slept on the floor 'cause the beds were broke."
Mrs. Grimes was shocked. She couldn't picture any child living like that. Daryl noticed the look on her face as he looked down at the plate and he moved the food around with his fork.
"Sorry," he said with such sadness in his voice.
"There is no need to be sorry," she said and he nodded. They continued eating when Evie, who was sitting to Daryl's left, noticed Daryl was placing food off his place and sticking the food into his napkin.
"What are you doing?" Evie asked.
"Nothin'," Daryl said.
"Why are you putting food in your napkin?"
"I ain't doin' shit."
"Daryl, are you hiding food in your napkin?" Mister Grimes asked. He saw the sadness and guilt in Daryl's eyes as Daryl slid the napkin on the table and they looked at the pieces of meatloaf, some mashed potatoes and some carrots he was saving for later.
"Why are you hiding food in your napkin?" Mrs. Grimes asked.
"No reason," Daryl said with a shrug.
"Are you afraid we'll run outta food?" Rick asked. Daryl looked at him then he shook his head.
"Are you afraid we won't feed you?" Jeffrey asked.
"It ain't no big deal. I'm used to not eatin'," Daryl said, lowering his head.
Mrs. Grimes gave Mister Grimes a puzzled look. Mister Grimes stood up when he walked to the chair where Daryl was sitting and his heart hurt from seeing Daryl moving away from him.
"Look at me," Mister Grimes said in a soft voice while he knelt down next to the chair. Daryl looked at him, but he was also ready to run if Mister Grimes tried to hurt him. "Now, you listen to me. There is no reason for you to hide food. If you're hungry, you can go into the kitchen and get something to eat. And I promise we will feed you. Do you believe me?"
Daryl looked at the napkin when he moved the napkin closer, placed the food back on the plate and he started eating. Mister Grimes stood up while nodding his head then he went to sit down.
"Hey, Rick," Daryl said after he took a sip of milk.
"What?" Rick asked, placing a fork full of mashed potatoes in his mouth.
"Your dad's right. This meatloaf's really good," he said, looking at Mrs. Grimes.
"Well. Thank you, Daryl," she said. Nodding, he slid some carrots into his mouth while he looked at Mister Grimes and Mister Grimes smiled, giving him a wink.
Later that night, Daryl sat cross legged on the floor while he watched television with the sound off and Rick was doing some homework.
"Do you think I'll have to go to school?" Daryl asked, looking over at him.
"What makes you think you don't have to?" Rick asked, looking back at him.
"I didn't go after…"
Rick noticed he was shutting down as the door opened and Mrs. Grimes walked in the room.
"How's it going in here?" she asked.
"Mom, is Daryl going to be able to go to school?" Rick asked.
"Yes, he is. Your dad and I are going to take him to school tomorrow to see if we can register him for this semester."
"Are they going to have to test him?"
"Test me?" Daryl asked.
"It's just a precaution. They need to know if you can read, write and some other things," she explained and he frowned.
"I can read just fine."
"Well, it's bath time," she said as she changed the subject. Daryl gave her a startled look and he shook his head.
"I don't need a bath."
"When was the last time you took one?"
"It was… It was just before I came here."
"Let's go," Mrs. Grimes said as she pointed to the door. Reluctantly, Daryl rose to his feet then he followed her out of the room. They walked down the hallway then into the bathroom and Daryl looked at the bathtub. His mind showed him the bathroom in his old house and how he had to take freezing cold baths or there was no water due to Will forgetting to pay the water bill. She watched him walking to the bathtub then he turned around.
"Are you gonna watch me?" he asked.
"No," she said while she walked to the bathtub and she placed the stopper in the drain before she turned on the water. She checked the temperature of the water when she looked at him and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Go on. Get undressed."
"No," he said with a shake of his head. Smiling, she walked to the door as she left the room then she half closed the door.
"Turn the water off when the tub's half full. The soap shampoo and washcloth are on the counter. Use them," she said with a stern tone and he nodded. She closed the door until it was barely opened a crack and he walked to the counter. A few seconds later, he picked up the soap, shampoo bottle and the washcloth then he headed for the bathtub. He turned the water off as he placed the soap, shampoo bottle and the wash cloth on the edge of bathtub then he looked down at his clothes. He removed his sneakers then his jeans, t-shirt and underpants and he placed the jeans, t-shirt, underpants and sneakers on the lid of the toilet. He walked to the bathtub when he carefully got into the bathtub, lowered himself into the warm water then he looked at the bath toys in the plastic container of the bathtub. He was careful not to splash any water onto the floor while he removed some of the toy boats then he placed the toy boats in the water. He moved the toy boats around as he smiled and he lightly shook his head.
After his bath, getting into a pair of Rick's old pajamas and being able to watch some more television before having to go to bed, Daryl rested on his left side and he watched Rick turn the light off. The room became dark while they settled under the blankets and Daryl sighed.
"Are you ok?" Rick whispered.
"Yeah," Daryl whispered. The room became quiet as Daryl snuggled under the blankets, but he couldn't sleep. He was listening to the house. He could barely hear Rick's breathing, the soft sound of the television coming from down the hallway and hushed conversations.
Where was the yelling?
Where was the crying?
Where was the sounds of someone being hit?
Where was the sound of loud rock and roll music playing to drown out the screaming?
Daryl frowned when he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps from the hallway and he froze. He listened to the footsteps getting closer as a noise made him close his eyes and he tried hard not to shake. He listened to the footsteps heading toward Rick's bed when he heard Rick saying goodnight to Mrs. Grimes and she said goodnight to him. Daryl then heard the footsteps moving closer as the edge of the mattress dipped slightly, but he didn't move.
"Goodnight," Mrs. Grimes whispered. He was surprised when she kissed the right side of his head then she pulled up the blankets to his right shoulder. She lightly ruffled his hair and he listened to her footsteps heading out of the room, down the hallway then fading as she went into the main bedroom.
"Ma never did that," Daryl thought. He made a small sniffing sound then he wiped the tears out of his eyes with the back of his left hand then he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Daryl sat in the back of the car as he looked out the window and Mrs. Grimes turned in the passenger seat to look at him.
"Are you ok?" she asked. Daryl nodded his head, but his stomach hurt. He didn't really want to go to school. He knew the other kids would look down at him, bully him and treat him like dirt.
"No need to worry, Daryl. Principal Mason is a very nice man," Mister Grimes assured him.
The car pulled into the parking lot of King County Elementary and he turned off the motor. They got out of the car as Mrs. Grimes reached out with her right hand and Daryl reluctantly took her hand. He scanned his surrounding with his eyes as they headed to the stairs leading to the front door and they went up the stairs. Mister Grimes opened the door while Mrs. Grimes and Daryl walked by him then they went inside. They walked down the hallway while Daryl noticed the rows of lockers against the walls and some of the motivational posters on the walls. They stopped in front of the door with Principal Mason's Office painted in black lettering and Mister Grimes opened the door.
"It's ok, Daryl," Mrs. Grimes whispered.
They walked inside as Daryl watched Mister Grimes talking with the receptionist behind the desk and she glanced over at Daryl. He saw the disgusted look on her face as she nodded then she got up, walked to the door to the inner office then she went inside. They went to sit on the chairs under the chairs to their right and Daryl sat on his hands.
A few minutes later, the door to the inner office opened and Daryl looked at the tall man walking toward them. The man had a stern looking face, slicked back dark brown hair, hard, dark eyes and thin lips. Daryl noticed the dark suit, the white shirt and the black, hard leather shoes Principal Mason was wearing and how strong Principal Mason's hands look.
"One punch and he'll kill me," Daryl thought.
"Mister Grimes," Harry Mason said with a cold tone of voice. His eyes never left Daryl as Daryl felt the urge to run and Mrs. Grimes held tightly onto Daryl's right hand. "Is this Daryl?"
"Yes," Mister Grimes said with a nod.
"I see," he said then he looked at Mister Grimes. "Shall we get started?"
"Of course."
They rose to their feet as they walked to the doorway to the office and they went inside. Principal Mason led Daryl to the table and chairs to the left as Principal Mason pointed to the chair and Daryl sat down. The Grimes sat on the couch near the door and Daryl looked at Principal Mason.
"No need to feel nervous. Take your time," Harry said. Nodding, Daryl looked at the worksheets as he picked up the pencil and Principal Mason sat on the chair to his left. Daryl answered the questions he asked him and Principal Mason nodded his head from time to time.
A short time later, the Grimes led Daryl outside while they headed for the car and Daryl sighed. Principal Mason told them it would take a few days to tally up his scores, but Daryl knew they wouldn't be good.
"You're nothin', but an idiot."
"You don't know nothin'."
"You're a loser."
His father and mother would yell those things at him on a daily basis and a part of him believed it.
The Grimes got into the car while Daryl looked back at the school and he tilted his head to one side.
"Daryl, get in the car," Mister Grimes said. Nodding, Daryl got into the car as he closed the door then Mister Grimes started the engine. The car moved away from the curb while Daryl looked out the back window and watched the school growing smaller in the distance.
Two weeks later, Daryl started his first day in his new school. There were one or two fights over him being a foster kid and one meeting with the Grimes over Daryl punching a boy. It turned out the boy had provoked the fight and Principal Mason had made the boy publicly apologize to Daryl. Daryl had accepted the boy's apology and he made a small grin after he walked away.