[Blake] "Previously on Alive Inside."Once again this season is picking up 3 years after the events of the first season which spanned from June - August of 2012. this season will pick up in April of 2015. A quick summary of S1: The Christensen family survived the initial outbreak after gathering a modest group of friends and strangers they set off in search of safety in which many would perish instead, after the loss of Blake the unofficial leader of the ragtag group, the group decided to reunite with a friend in Tennessee, after the place that friend was staying at became compromised the group drifted eventually settling near the border of Tennessee and Kentucky.

Ch. 13

'Life lessons part one'

'2015'

[Near Monroe, TN, Morning]

The sun was rising over the trees sending rays out over the small community filled with rundown old trailer houses bunched together.

Summer slept soundly on a bed her hair down out of her signature ponytail, the sunlight peeked through her window hitting the young woman in her closed eyes.

Crinkling her nose and rolling over with a small groan Summer sat herself upright and swung her legs over.

Getting up Summer made her way down the hall to a door with old hand drawn pictures from a child and opened the door slowly to check on the room's inhabitant.

Summer furrowed her brow when she saw no one inside, Summer shut the door and walked quickly to the window, she surmised it was about seven-thirty in the morning.

Now a little worried Summer jogs quickly to the front door and before she opens it sees a note propped in the door.

Summer took it in her hand and read it quickly brow furrowed.

"Me and Amanda went out to practice my knife throwing. ~ Genevieve" the note read in moderately skilled hand writing.

Summer breathed a sigh of relief letting her hand fall to her side note still in hand, she then stepped into the kitchen and put coffee on the stove top before walking back into the hall into her room she spread the thin sheet across the expanse of her bed then her cover placing her pillow on top and smoothed out the creases before moving on to Genevieve's room.

Summer repeated her bed tidying then stepped back out to the kitchen and turned off the small burner and headed to the other side of the counter where her coffee cup was left from yesterday.

After a few minutes of cooling Summer was out on the steps sipping her drink watching and waving at the people passing by.

After finishing her cup and returning it to its original spot Summer set off to find the young girl.

Summer walked soft mulch paths until she saw a familiar face. "Hey Corrine." Summer greeted calmly as the two women came closer together.

"Hi." Corrine greeted simply with a smile.

"Have you seen Genevieve?" Summer asked looking over Corrine's shoulder for a sign of the child.

"I haven't. I've been inside this morning." Corrine admitted putting her hands in her jean pockets.

Summer sighed before looking back to Corrine. "Ok... thanks, I'll have a look around." Summer said stepping around Corrine flashing a wave over her shoulder.

Summer walked through the settlement taking in the morning air when she heard someone singing profane lyrics souring the mood, Summer made a face of unamusement.

"We got big booty bitches whoo!" A very large man sung at the top of his lungs standing up on the wall while pelvic thrusting.

Summer walked up to the base of the wall and looked up. "Ian! Quit spewing profanities for five seconds!" Summer yelled up causing the man to stop and turn around.

"Eeeyyy sup Summer?!" Ian shouted down the wall in a welcoming manner.

"Hey... have you seen Genevieve? Or has Amanda stopped by?" Summer asked from the ground.

Ian stood and thought for a second before looking down again. "Amanda was heading back towards your place with A.J." Ian reported honestly.

Summer nodded to herself then looked back up. "Alright. Well thanks!" Summer shouted up before turning and heading for her house again.

"We got bi--" Ian started again.

"You're on guard duty!" Summer shouted over the tall man. "And you're being obnoxious." Summer added as she continued towards her new destination.

[Thirty minutes earlier]

"Alright. Let go of the knife once you see it in your peripheral." Amanda said quietly over the nine-year-old's shoulder. "Don't tense up. Keep it loose." Amanda ordered softly.

Genevieve did her best to obey raising the knife over her shoulder poised to throw it.

"And..." Amanda trailed softly.

Genevieve threw the knife hitting inside the second line close to the first.

"Nice!" Amanda said letting a little excitement show.

Genevieve turned around with a big smile on her face jubilant at the idea of her success.

"Good job." Amanda said with a proud smile before looking to the sun.

"Well I best get going your guardian angel will be wondering where you're at." Amanda said opening her arms for a quick hug which Genevieve quickly hugged the teenager, giving Genevieve a quick kiss on the top of her head before she started walking up away from the water where they practiced.

Genevieve walked alongside Amanda until they got to the middle of town where a big tree stood and where the children of the community played.

Amanda walked on until she saw a face she recognized. "A.J. C'mon." Amanda called after the man.

"What for?" A.J. asked copping an attitude as he snuffed a cigarette out.

"Cus you can't say no to this face." Amanda said not stopping.

"If this is about the fight me and Summer had it's already been settled." A.J. said starting to follow behind Amanda.

[Summer's house]

Summer arrived a short time after Amanda had and saw who she brought along just as Ian had said. "Why'd you bring him here?" Summer asked, disgust dripping from her voice.

Amanda let out a stifled chuckle at her reaction. "Figured he ought a say he's sorry for dumping his drink on you last night." Amanda explained while leaning against the trailer.

"He looks pretty sorry to me." Summer said noting his black eye.

"Psh. I'm just sorry I wasted the moonshine..." A.J. lamented rubbing his wrist.

"Hm. Sounds about right." Summer said not amused.

"Drunk." Amanda jabbed without looking at the man.

"You said it." Summer agreed as she and Amanda bumped fists while looking A.J. in the eyes.

Causing the man to storm off wanting under his breath.

"Oh. I almost forgot." Summer said gearing up for this conversation. "About what your teaching Genevieve... it's too much for a kid." Summer said matter of factly.

Amanda looked at her furrowing her eyebrows. "No it isn't... how could it be." Amanda argued chuckling lightly.

"You taught her boxing punch techniques!" Summer exclaimed astounded that Amanda found this to be fine.

"And Krav maga..." Amanda said under her breath looking at the dirt beneath her feet.

"What!?" Summer shouted in bewilderment, standing up from her leaning position on the porch.

"What? She needs to know how to do this stuff!" Amanda pointed out.

"When I agreed that you could teach her stuff I meant like making a fire or how to build a lean-to... not how to kill someone with her bare hands!" Summer said making her point clear.

Corrine ran around the corner of the trailer skidding to a stop. "Summer come quick. Genevieve hit Jacob." Corrine said quickly.

Summer immediately looked at Amanda with an annoyed expression receiving a quirky sheepish smile in return before she started to jog after Corrine who sped off back in the direction she came.

[Ten minutes earlier]

Two teenagers were laughing and speaking in hushed whispers before one of them picked up a pebble and threw it at a boy who had been laying under the tree next to Genevieve who was reading a book titled: "A vacation under a volcano".

Jacob got up and went over to the teens.

"What do you want?" Jacob asked timidly.

"Get her book away from her." One of the teens said a devilish smile on his face.

Jacob looked over at the girl, her nose in her book. "Why?" Jacob asked looking back to the teens.

"She's friends with Amanda." One of the boys said a hint of malice in his voice.

"Wanna be cool?" The other teen asked receiving a hesitant nod. "Get the book and give to us." He explained.

Jacob looked over at his friend again then back again. "How?" Jacob asked timidly.

The teens sigh in unison. "Just keep her distracted." One of them ordered walking around him and passed Genevieve.

Jacob swallowed hard and walked over to his friend. "Hey Genevieve..." Jacob said hesitation in his speech.

Genevieve looked up from her book he noticed how her hair fell perfectly, how her eyes sparkled in the morning sunlight, before Genevieve's book was taken out of her hands.

"Hey!" Genevieve exclaimed getting and facing the teenagers. "Give it back Shawn!" Genevieve said calmly, putting her hands on her hips.

With a satisfied sigh shawn looked at Jacob and smiled. "Good job pal." Shawn said darkly nodding to Jacob.

Genevieve turned around and saw the shame on his face she shook her head at him and returned her ire to the boys in front of her.

"Ooh she gave you the cold shoulder you gonna let her ignore you like that?" The other teen said urging Jacob on.

"N-no." Jacob said quietly.

"You kinda deserve this for hanging out with that freaky girl. Amanda." Shawn said disgust in his voice.

"But... she's nice. Better than you are!" Genevieve defended her the teen girl.

"Nice... ya I heard she killed people before the world changed." The other teenage boy said beginning to circle Genevieve.

"What?" Genevieve asked bewildered at the accusation.

Genevieve tried to keep eyes on Aiden, the boy circling her. "That's not true." Genevieve said in a shaky voice, trying to stay calm.

"She's a fucking whore." Shawn said matter of factly.

"That's a ba- ... isn't true!" Genevieve said voice quivering.

Jacob had made his decision between his friendship with Genevieve and being 'cool'. "Are you gonna cry? Only bitches cry! Still, a little baby huh!?" Jacob started bombarding Genevieve causing her to internally recoil. "No wonder someone jumped down a hole to get away from ya cus you cry!" Jacob shouted in a bullying fashion.

Genevieve's eyes went wide, and she turned around put a hand up near her ear and twisted her body as she swung a heavy jab, slugging the boy right in the chin.

The boy fell over limp falling face first on the ground.

"Genevieve!" Melissa shouted jogging over and kneeling next to the young girl putting a hand on her shoulder. "What happened?! Why'd you do that?!" Melissa asked immediately, concern dripping from her voice.

Genevieve now had a look of shock and fear upon her face. "I ... he... I..." Genevieve stammered out before Melissa left to aid the boy flipping him on his side.

"What happened" Corrine asked coming out of a nearby house.

"Go get Summer, Genevieve hit Jacob." Melissa said solemnly as Jacob's mother came running to the scene.

After a moment Summer was on Corrine's heels running to where the fight took place under the large oak tree.

"How dare you even touch my child!" Jacob's mother screamed at Genevieve who stood and took it with wet eyes.

"I'm-im sorry..." Genevieve spoke softly falling on deaf ears.

"If you so much as look at him I'll have you thrown out of here!" The mother continued.

"Hey!" Summer shouted coming to a stop. "That's enough!" Summer shouted with authority.

The mother looked up from her rant when she was shouted at. "I'll say whatever I want to her." The mother said in a defiant manner.

"Not to Genevieve you won't, not while I'm here." Summer said standing her ground.

Summer's eyes met Genevieve's. "Go home." Summer ordered returning her eyes to Jacob's mother.

"Oh no you don't!" Jacob's mother said before grabbing Genevieve's wrist pulling her back in place.

This action flipped a switch in both Summer and Amanda as the two immediately rushed forward and grabbed Genevieve away from the woman and setting her behind them.

Amanda turned to Genevieve. "Do what you were told." Amanda said, receiving a nod from Genevieve who ran towards her and Summer's trailer house.

"This needs to be solved now!" The mother growled.

"It will be." Summer said standing jaw to jaw with this woman calmly. "Genevieve wouldn't do it without reason. So find out what your son did wrong." Summer said before walking away towards her home.

Once inside Summer let Amanda in then closed the door behind them she then turned to the couch where Genevieve sat looking at her hands.

"What happened out there?" Summer asked, clearly on the edge of losing her temper.

"I... hit him." Genevieve answered truthfully her eyes on her hands in shame.

"You've never hit anyone as long as I've known you so why now?!" Summer asked barely keeping her voice at normal volume.

"He... He called Amanda ... A whore..." Genevieve admitted averting Summer's gaze.

Summer's brow furrowed, and she looked over her shoulder at an equally surprised Amanda.

"That's... still not a reason to hit someone." Summer said kneeling down to Genevieve's eye level.

"And he made fun of Blake." Genevieve added sadly as she looked at Summer for the first time during the conversation.

Summer sat back on the balls of her heels before standing up and ushering Genevieve to go to her room. "Ok... go read in your room I'll call you out for food." Summer said looking distant.

After Genevieve left the room Summer took a deep breath before turning to Amanda. "This is why I didn't want you teaching her this kinda stuff!" Summer exclaimed. "I want her to grow up as normal as possible." Summer said through gritted teeth.

Amanda waited for a second to see if Summer had finished before starting.

"Normal." Amanda started with a humorless chuckle. "What the fuck is normal." Amanda asked her accent starting to flair.

"You know what normal is." Summer said before Amanda piped up again.

"Really. Cus from what I'm seein' the normal you're talking about is gone. Sure you can find bits of it in places like this. But this is a whole new world! Where we are the prey. A world where if you ain't a tough enough girl you get torn apart by a pack of walkers... that is if you aren't raped and murdered first!"

Summer pursed her lips before looking back at Amanda. "Blake entrusted her safety to me. Not you. Go tell her hitting people is wrong." Summer said as she sat on the couch.

Amanda went to the little girl's room.

Summer sat for a few minutes before deciding to check on the two making her way back she could hear Amanda ... excited?

Summer opened the door to catch a small part of the conversation.

"You only socked him once and he went down! Motherfuckin' boom!" Amanda exclaimed miming a punch while Genevieve sat smiling at the fact she had Amanda excited, Amanda turned and saw Summer mid swing and turned back quickly to Genevieve.

Amanda cleared her throat before she spoke. " That was uh.. Not good. Don't do it again." Amanda said in slightly mocking tone before slipping past Summer and out the door.

Summer stepped in noticing Genevieve had no book.

"Um.. Where'd your book go?" Summer asked awkwardly as she sat on the bed next to Genevieve who had laid down again.

"Shawn took it." Genevieve said solemnly.

"Oh... well. I'll get it back... tomorrow." Summer said trying to console the little girl.

"Ok." Genevieve said distantly, looking at the ceiling.

Summer leaned forward bracing her elbows on her knees while her hands made almost a praying motion. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that by yourself." Summer said genuinely.

Genevieve looked at Summer's back. "It's ok." The little girl said reassuringly.

Summer stood up and made her to the door turning the knob and stepping out of the room Summer turned back.

"Hey Genevieve?" Summer called gently.

Genevieve turned to look at Summer.

"Nice punch..." Summer said half-heartedly.

Genevieve allowed a small smile before looking back to the ceiling.

"I wish I hadn't hit him..."