She was in a bad mood. Jeep guy had been trying to boss everyone around acting like he knew exactly what to do. All because he was a cop and despite the fact that the rule of law was as good as gone the minute the dead started eating the living. Firewood had been gathered and the group was making introductions while trying to set up what little supplies and shelter they had. Jeep guy's name was Shane, and he'd come in with his best friend's wife and son, Lori and Carl; her husband apparently was dead. Dale had been in the RV with Amy and Andrea, sisters over a decade apart. There was a Mexican family of four whose names she hadn't caught past Morales, an African-American couple, Theodore, or T-Dog as he called himself, and Jacqui, and several other random Georgian citizens.

She hadn't been paying much attention until a strong southern accent and the tell-tale vernacular of a redneck rang out, pulling a smirk to her lips. Merle Dixon, who came with his brother Daryl, wasted no time in letting the majority of the group know exactly what he thought about them, which was nothing good. He especially didn't like the cop, Shane, as the guy had apparently arrested him a few times for drunk and disorderlies and getting into fights. Every time someone spoke up to say something, he'd shoot them down with a racist or sexist remark, flirting with the women and sizing up the men. It took all her might not to start laughing out loud at how the others watched him; he reminded her a little of her papa back home, though a whole lot rougher around the edges.

"Fuck you laughin' at, sugartits," Merle asked, giving her a once over.

"Nothin' much, Mr. Dixon," she replied quietly, looking him in the eye before gesturing with a nod at the others. "They don' seem ta like what ya sayin' very much."

That seemed to be enough to let him know she wasn't laughing at him, but at the group's reaction to him. This caused him to smirk and shake his head, muttering under his breath about dumbass little girls as Daryl gave the girl a once over himself. It seemed that every guy in the camp had done so at least once, with the exception of Jim and Dale. As the fire was lit, some sat down on lawn chairs Dale had provided out of the RV while others perched on larger logs that had been found.

She and the Dixons were some of the few just sitting right on the ground, not really caring about it being cold. The Dixons sat a bit away from the rest of the group, Merle laying down with his head on his arms propped against a log while Daryl leaned his back against it. She sat a little off to the side of them in a position that allowed her to see everyone in the group whilst leaving no one behind her, her legs crossed in front of her with her elbows on her knees. The Dixons shared a look that she caught when they noticed her doing the same thing they had done. Force of habit to her since she was young; leaving a blind spot or an opening could be the difference between seeing what was coming and being blindsided every time.

The conversation seemed to flow freely, although Merle eventually made some rather uncouth comments about the sexes and a few not so subtle racist remarks, fueled by pills. Shane tried unsuccessfully to get the man to quiet down or go back to the truck. The whole thing ended when Merle stopped cussing and pitching a fit about the group being a bunch of pussies and democrats and sat back down. While she watched on amused by the entire event, the rest of the group stayed quiet and shared looks of caution before returning to swapping tales. Eventually the conversation returned to the time before. Everyone was going around and talking about what they had been doing and what they did for work, though she stayed silent. She rarely ever spoke unless spoken to.

Merle kept up his quips nearly every time someone said something, though, so she remained entertained. Daryl surprised everyone when he talked about how he basically spent all his time hunting. He also mentioned how the whole situation they were in reminded him of the time he had spotted a chupacabra on a hunting trip in the mountains. The others immediately started laughing and laying into him, clearly embarrassing him and making him feel like a fool. Even Merle was going off on him for it. It irritated her because she actually believed he saw something, as she had seen some things herself.

"How's believin' in a chupacabra any different than believin' in a damn god?" she asked just loud enough to be heard, the words ending all taunts and turning several sets of eyes to her.

"God's a different subject altogether, girly," Shane said.

"Not really. I mean, where's the proof? Ya got 'bout as much proof in any kind a deity existin' as ya do Mr. Dixon's chupacabra," she stated quietly, looking towards Shane, but seemingly not quite at him. "I've seen me fair share a shite I can' explain, too. Not everyone has ta believe in the same thing."

Several murmurs could be heard throughout the camp. Some were clearly offended by what she had said. Others were going on about things they'd seen but couldn't explain. Scanning her surroundings, she was unsurprised to see the numerous dirty looks being cast her way. After all, T-Dog had rolled up in a church van with a bunch of his fellow church-goers.

"First time we heard you speak. What's your name?" Shane leered at her, making her uncomfortably shift where she sat as she turned her gaze back to him.

"Jus' call me Tea, like the drink. Been called that since I was a teen, might as well keep usin' it now."

"Where are you from, anyways? Can't be from around here based on your accent," Dale said.

"Michigan."

"No way," said Glenn, "so am I."

"You talk different, though. Kinda funny," a little girl, Sophia, spoke up.

"Kinda Irish," she offered. "But momma wanted me ta talk propa. She got a mix in 'tween."

"How old are you? 'Cause, no offense, you look like a teen," Shane asked.

"I'm twenny two," she replied somewhat harshly, "and I know full well how I look."

"Alright," Shane said, holding his hands up.

She wasn't tall, only reaching 5'3", but she was athletically built. Her muscular legs joined her wide hips and large backside while her corded arms connected to wide shoulders and decent sized breasts. Both her hips and her chest dipped inwards at her waist, showing her perfect hourglass figure. A heart shaped face with full lips, a small nose, high cheekbones, and strong jaw adorned it. Her slanted eyes were small and framed with thick, dark lashes that made her irises pop. The emerald color of her eyes paired well with her amber colored hair. The thick, wavy locks were braided down her back ending between her shoulder blades; it fell to the center of her back when she left it down. Do to her small size and features, she looked much younger than she was. All in all, she knew she was attractive, but it always made her feel objectified when men like Shane looked at her like he was. Even now there was a glint in Shane's eyes that she knew meant trouble for her.

"What did you do before all this?" Dale popped up, making her look at him. He had noticed how she looked only at the person she was talking to and how she had shifted under Shane's glare.

Daryl looked up and over to the girl who was now looking at the old man sitting near the RV. Not that he actually cared, but the way the girl talked and held herself was intriguing. He'd been watching everyone in the camp and had seen her doing the same thing. Any time someone would move, her eyes would flit over to them and make sure nothing surprising was going to happen before returning to whatever had caught her eye before. When her eyes had moved on to him and his brother, he had to admit that they were not what he was expecting. While her face held no trace of any kind of emotion, her eyes were wary and calculating. They weren't the eyes a little girl like that should have but were cold, haunted and hard as he watched her watching him. When they narrowed ever so slightly, he'd looked away while cursing himself for backing down. He hadn't been able to look at her since until now.

"Honestly? I was a forensic psychologist workin' with the Atlanta PD while workin' on me PhD in forensic psychology," her low alto tone rang out with a hint of gravel to it.

"Just fuckin' great. 'Nother fuckin' cop," Merle said.

"Not a cop, Mr. Dixon. Forensic psychologist."

"Forensic psychologist?" Jim asked.

"Eva watched Criminal Minds? Kinda like that, though that's way ova-dramatic. Part a me job is ta give the police profiles a the most likely suspects, from their probable looks ta their behavioral pattern and areas they're likely ta hit like in the show," she explained. "Howeva, the betta part a me job is evaluations, risk assessment, researchin' criminality, providin' psych services ta inmates, bein' a consultant on cases and strategies, bein' an expert witness, and helpin' design correctional programs."

Lori cut in, "That's a little advanced for a twenty two year old, not to mention intense."

"Not really. I graduated high school at thirteen, got me Associates in general psychology when I was fourteen, a dual Bachelor's degree in cognitive and behavioral psychology when I was sixteen. I got me Masters degree in forensic psychology at twenny. Moved down 'ere at sixteen and started workin' with the fuzz as an intern ta their investigatas. They liked ta joke 'round and call me their personal Sherlock Holmes. Would a already have had me PhD if I'd'a been more inta school afta I started workin' with 'em than workin' cases," she stated plainly, meeting the eyes of the woman.

"You're one of them Beautiful Mind, genius kids, ain't you?" T-Dog chimed in.

Tea looked at him with a small smile answering, "I'm just a freak a nature, that's all."

Several people coughed awkwardly when she said that, before Tea stood up and walked to her vehicle. She was a freak of nature, and that had been made known to her her entire life. It had started when she was really young, being unable to sit still in preschool as well as being unusually smart. When the doctors told her parents she was ADHD when she was five, that was when the beatings really started. Her parents had been socialites and were the talk of the town, some even wanting her dad to run for Mayor. Having a child that wasn't normal wasn't something they could accept. And it only got worse as she had gotten older and received more diagnoses, such as autism and anxiety, and had proven to be a genius skipping many grades. Her parents had played off as if they were proud, but behind closed doors they had been monsters. While they were small, her body had numerous scars from where fists, nails, and various objects had broken her skin too deeply. If it had just been them, she might be able to stop thinking about how freakish she was. But being a prepubescent girl in high school had taught her that even the outside world thought she was a freak.

"That's one weird little girl," Shane said.

"She's a looker, though," Merle said. "What I wouldn't give for a night with that round ass. Could bounce a fuckin' nickel off'n it. And damn those tits. I bet ya a pretty penny you could bury ya face in 'em and die a happy man, eh Daryl? Damn if I ain't gonna get me a little slice of that."

"Knock it off, Merle," came Shane's response, although he couldn't help but agree with him looking at her retreating figure.

Merle just scoffed and went to the pickup truck and his bike, Daryl following closely behind him with a pensive look on his face. Dale, Jim, Andrea, and Amy went to the RV with Jim climbing on top to take watch. The Morales family went back to their vehicle shortly after. It went like that for the rest of the night as the members slowly drifted off into their own vehicles to turn in for the night. Lori and Carl were in a tent that Dale had in his RV while Shane was walking around the camp. In short order, the sounds of night floated over the camp, lulling the survivors to sleep.

~x~

Tea was scouring over the maps she had of the city with a small hunting lantern she'd borrowed from Dale earlier, notebooks, pens, and pencils close by. The windows of her SUV were tinted, so even with the light from the lantern dimly illuminating the space she couldn't be seen. She sat in the back of her SUV with the back seats down to make enough room for her little project. She had, from memory, marked down where each store that could be useful to the group's survival would be and the best routes to get to them on one of the maps, color coding each store based on what supplies it could provide. On top of that, she was also making a list of everything they would need immediately, such as tents, traps, weapons, and non-perishable food. If they could get clothes or items for first aide, she would count herself among the stars.

The kids would need to be educated as well, but not for what she knew their parents would have them studying. She would have to look for suitable weapons for them and teach them not only how to use them, but also conceal them. The true problem with that, though, would be the children's willingness to keep what she taught them a secret from their parents. She knew how to trap, hunt, and track. She also had combat training in the academy and self-defense and MMA lessons from her teens. Now she hoped that they would do the kids some good in case they had to fight off a walker, or worse yet, another human. If she could convince the parents to let her teach the kids to track and what's edible, she had a way to teach the kids the stuff that would mean the difference between life and death in this new world. The one thing she couldn't do was assess the strengths and weaknesses of the group; that would have to wait until tomorrow, if not the next few days while she kept tabs on everyone.

When she was positive everyone else was sleeping, she opened the glove compartment of her vehicle and pulled out her grinder, bowl, and weed. She knew she couldn't smoke much; although she had a little over a pound in her car, a little 'good job finishing your dissertation' gift to herself, she didn't know when or if she would be able to resupply. Trying to conserve it was going to be hard, but she didn't have any other options as there was no point denying she was going to run out. Being a versie and changing your routine was like being Christian and converting to Paganism, but she wouldn't have a choice in this. She would simply have to take it one step at a time and try to consume less and less. She'd already gone most of the day without smoking and was on edge after the campfire. She felt she deserved to indulge a little. Chancing being caught, she left her vehicle at close to two in the morning. With her small backpack containing a day's worth of supplies, along with her weed and a machete, she walked out into the woods away from everything else. The need to be alone weighed as heavily on her as the desire to smoke.

She hadn't cared about the various sets of eyes she felt on her until she saw someone coming in her peripherals. Shane grabbed her arm and asked her where she was going. Responding that she had to take a shit and asking if that was a problem, she removed herself from his grasp roughly and continued on into the woods. She had not liked that Shane had decided to man-handle her instead of just using his words. The experience had left her a bit shaken; the look in his eyes had reminded her of when her dad would be pissed at her. She had half expected him to pull a punch when she responded to him with the way his nostrils flared and his lips pulled into a thin line. It was only a matter of time before he crossed her bottom line, and when he did it was not going to be good. Her temper always got the better of her when she felt threatened, and that was the last thing she needed in a group of people who most likely knew nothing about neurodiversity.

If she was truly scared or felt threatened, she would shut down. It used to be that when she shut down, she would just curl in a ball and although she could feel everything happening to her she was not mentally present. The last six years, however, she had learned to get angry instead of feeling helpless, but she still shut down in a way. It was like an out of body experience that she had no recollection of doing in the moment, but remembered every moment as if a movie was playing in her head after. And it was never a pretty picture; she had no control of her strength and absolute accuracy to be able to cause damage. The worst part was if she flew into a true rage. She wouldn't be able to back off, and no one could make her unless she allowed it; it had taken three grown men to successfully stop her from being able to fight the last time it happened. She had a feeling that Shane was going to be her undoing in the group. If he kept up with the macho man attitude and grabbing at her, eventually she would see red. And the one thing she hated more than anything else in the world was being touched without permission. It was a part of her being a versie, and a fast way to throw her into a rage.

When she reached a fallen log overlooking another section of the quarry, she sat down. Reaching into her bag pulled her bowl and grinder out, along with a bottle of water. She opened her grinder to find it half full and used the contents to pack the bowl. Pulling her lighter from her pocket, she placed the bowl to her lips, flicked the light, and took a long hit of the much needed drug. She held it in for a couple moments before exhaling, reveling at the feeling of her vision going black and her body going fuzzy. Those were the hits she lived for and found herself trying for every time she sparked up. It wouldn't be long now before this luxury would be lost to her, so she just savored her time alone in the woods with her weed.

The quiet ambiance of the forest was welcoming. As she sat and smoked, she looked down at the quarry thinking about whether or not she should be completely open with the group about herself. Being neurodiverse in a group of seemingly normies was not something she looked forward to. It was hard enough for her to be a versie without all the looks normies gave her when her quirks showed, the last thing she needed was pity or fear. Hell, she could almost hear Merle's taunts about it, mirroring her momma's in her mind. As she finished the last hit of weed in her bowl and packed up, she decided that she would just take it one day at a time and deal with it when the time came. Push comes to shove, she'd just get enough supplies to last her a bit and head out on her own.

Standing up and dusting off her pants, she decided against returning to the campsite right away. Instead, she walked through the woods and found good areas to set traps and various snares, as well as checking for any trails that could be good for hunting for the next couple of days. She found some edible berries that would be good with breakfast for the kids at least. A little closer to camp she found a couple of weeds that could be used for medicinal purposes. It was still dark but due to her night vision, she was able to see well enough. Although it wasn't as good as an animal's, it was still better than most human's. Just another part of being a freak, she guessed. It had gotten her through some of the toughest nights when she had run through the woods to get away from home. Easily enough, she found her way back to the trail she herself had made and decided to follow it.

She realized she had been gone a lot longer than she had intended when she got back to camp. While the sun itself had not broken the horizon, the telltale colors of the sunrise were beginning to spread up into the night's sky. She was not surprised to find a pissed looking Shane waiting by her vehicle. It did surprise her, however, to find that Dale, Glenn, and Lori were also looking at her with concern. She knew she didn't smell like weed and she'd been smoking for years so she didn't have the obvious signs on her face that she'd been using, so she could only guess that it was because she had been gone in general. Her thoughts were confirmed when Shane, Lori following close behind, stormed over to her and grabbed her arm before taking a couple steps away from the others.

"Where the hell have you been?" he practically growled.

"Walking, what's it matta ta ya?" she spat back while trying to yank her arm out of his grasp.

Tightening his grip, he responded, "You were gone for damn near three hours, Tea! What the hell?!"

"Let go a me," her voiced drop an octave as she seethed through gritted teeth.

Dropping his hand at the look of venom in her eyes, Shane's lips thinned as he ran a hand over his face while placing the other on his hip. He was pissed as hell that not only had she wandered off, but at the fact she kept pulling away from him. He was thinking about grabbing her again as she turned her back on him, but Lori shot him a look and held a hand up to him. Backing off, he turned in a circle and let Lori handle it. Tea turned to practically run back to her vehicle only to be asked by Lori to wait. Thankful that the woman was at least using her words, she paused in her steps. It only lasted a second, though, as Lori's hands met her shoulders and she was turned to face the older woman. She only stood up to the woman's chin and it didn't help that she had a sickly sweet smile on her face, the telltale signs of a mother trying to diffuse a situation with kindness.

"We were worried about you, you know," she stated in a motherly tone that Tea couldn't help but roll her eyes at. "It's not safe."

"I was jus' walkin' in the woods. Ya know, someone's gotta scout the perimeta. I couldn' sleep, so I figured I might as well be useful. Found some berries for the kids for breakfast and some herbs I can use for medicine."

"That doesn't explain why you were gone so long," Shane huffed angrily.

She didn't respond to him and instead simply gave the small bag with the berries in it to Lori before walking off. If she stayed there and wasted any more breath on Shane's obscenities, it was going to get ugly. Hopefully she could just get to her car and get a couple hours at least resting before she started to put her plan into motion. Their altercation had already removed whatever was left of her buzz which had her even more irritated at the situation. Of course, Shane wasn't going to let it slide and once again grabbed at her arm. It was out of pure instinct when she felt the tips of his fingers brush against her bicep that she whipped around and hit his forearm away from her, hard, with the palm of her other hand, causing his whole arm to fly backwards and the man to stumble a step.

"Do. Not. Fuckin'. Touch. Me," she seethed through bared teeth. "Ya have no right ta touch me."

"Now you listen here," Shane started, completely ignoring her, "it's dangerous out in them woods, especially at night. You stay in this camp, you got it?"

"Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me right now?," she spat out, standing straight and rolling her shoulders. "I'm pretty sure the only ones in this entire group who know how ta hunt are me and the Dixons. I'm pretty damn sure that I'm the only one with knowledge in natural medicines. There ain' no damn way in hell Imma be stayin' in the camp when there's kids who need feedin'. I ain' lettin' no kid starve 'cause some macho man seems ta think he can orda me 'round. Ya can', Shane. Get ova that fact right now. I ain' opposed ta doin' as told when I agree with it, but I will do what I think is right whetha ya like it or not." After that she walked away, noticing Daryl standing by the tree-line not far from his truck. She simply nodded at him before entering her SUV and lying in the back seat.

Shane made to go after her again, but Lori stepped up and grabbed his shoulder, her other hand going to the small of his back, "Just let her go, Shane."

"She can't be trusted," Shane said, turning to her. "That look in her eye, Lori. She's gonna go off on someone."

"I don't know," she said, "seems like she just doesn't like being touched. You should've felt how tense she got when I touched her. Think about it. She started college at thirteen. She's probably used to doing things a certain way. And she's not wrong about the foraging bit. There's a good amount of berries here, and if she can make any kind of medicine that's gotta come in handy."

"She can't take orders," Shane flat out stated. "If she can't take orders, she can't be trusted to help keep this place safe."

"Shane, think about it," Lori said calmly. "You're telling her what to do when she just met you. On top of that, you just grabbed her twice while raging like a bull. What reason has she to trust you?"

"Yeah, I guess. But still. Girl needs to learn to listen. Gotta be smart about things. Just wandering off like that ain't a good idea," Shane said, staring at the girl's vehicle before noticing Daryl leaning on his truck smoking.

"I agree, but there's nothing that can be done about it now," Lori said. "Come on, let's get some sleep." She walked towards the tent and letting him in, going over to her son and laying down next to him while Shane lay on the opposite side.

Daryl had seen and heard the entire conversation from the time the girl had walked out of the woods. It had confused him at first how she reacted to Shane and how her face was completely blank the entire time. Her eyes were what gave her away. While her face remained stoic her eyes burned with the rage she was feeling beneath the skin. He had seen the way the girl had instantly frozen each time Shane had grabbed her and had remained tense when she walked away as if she knew he would try to grab her again. The force of the blow to Shane's arm wasn't anything to scoff at either. Again he felt confused as he watched the girl pull away completely and notice him with a nod. She was cautious, which was smart. The fact that she was gorgeous was not lost on him, nor Shane from the way the man's eyes followed the girl around. Her being as smart as she was and still talking like she did amused him, too. It irked him how Shane was just grabbing her like that, which made him scowl at the fact that he cared enough to be irritated on her behalf. The scowl deepened when Merle walked up; he simply looked at the officer and woman walking to the tent and back to his brother's scowling face as he looked at the SUV the little girl was in.

"Wha'ch'ya thinkin', baby brother?" he asked Daryl, noticing how his eyes immediately removed themselves from the car and back to the ground.

"Dunno what your talkin' about, Merle. Ain't thinkin' nothin'," he replied chewing on his thumb.

"Don't you go lyin' to me, Darylina. You been watchin' that little piece of ass since we pulled up in this joint. What? Wanna see what's under them cargo pants and get some college educated cooch? That it?" his eyes narrowing.

"Shut it, Merle."

"That why I caught ya starin' at her car like a dog that's lost his bone, huh? Where's your head at boy?"

"S'not like that," he defended. "S'just watchin' her tell Shane off. Girl's got grit."

"She's a fuckin' snitch, that's what she is. Don' go thinkin' she's gonna even be willin' ta talk to you, ya hear. Bitch like that, they ain't want nothin' to do with a Dixon."

"Ain' fuckin' like that," he snarled back.

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, little brother," Merle sarcastically replied before walking off.

Merle knew his baby brother, and he knew his type. Most of the women around them might as well have been twigs, what with their stick figures and hardly any meat on their bones. Little bitch had curves in all the right places and enough meat on her bones to hold them. Didn't help she had them emerald eyes his brother was always chasing after. He knew his brother was going to fall for the bitch eventually if they stuck around and he couldn't have that. He'd have to make sure the little bitch knew her place and keep his brother in his. He wasn't about to lose the last bit of family he had, least of all to some prissy cooch.

I don't own TWD. Updated 8/26/21...