Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I've been busy with work and college life. And also had been suffering from some writers block. Next chapter should be out much faster than this one.
Thanks a bunch to gaara king of the sand for the help.
Kenny made his way to the meeting ground, as Sarita and Christa stayed with the children.
There was commotion going on as Kenny walked towards the others feeling confused. Several other guards were gathered around discussing something.
The one-eyed man quirked a brow and as, "What's going on?"
"We caught someone stealing from us…" Edith said.
"Stealing?" Kenny asked.
"Supplies." Another guard spoke. "He was stealing our supplies.
"To make matters worse, it was one of our own doctors." Edith said.
Kenny's good eye widened. "A doctor…?"
"So what do we do? Stuff like this can't happen. We're already full as it is, and we can't just let someone get away with our supplies." One of the guards said.
"So what do you suggest?" Edith asked.
"We have to punish him somehow…" Another guard spoke.
"How do you know he was stealing. He's a doctor, right? Maybe he was… just sorting the supplies." Kenny shrugged.
"We caught him! We caught him red-handed!" A woman exclaimed.
"This has been going on for a while. Supplies was just going missing, directly from the hospital. We tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. We thought maybe our count was wrong, but… now…" Edith trailed off.
"How do we handle this?" One of the men asked. "We need to let everyone know that stuff like this won't be tolerated."
"How…?" Edith asked.
"We kill him." Terrell spoke up in a cold yet calm tone.
Kenny felt his stomach drop at how nonchalant the young boy sounded.
"Clementine, who was that boy?" Sarita asked.
"He was my friend. I already told you." Clementine said.
Christa sighed at the child's words. "You can't trust everyone you meet, Clem."
"But I thought it was safe here…" Clementine simply said.
"I…" Christa paused for a moment.
"Is it? Or is it not?" Clementine asked.
Christa found herself unable to answer the child.
Sarita spoke up, "It is safe, sweetie."
"Then why can't I trust people. If we're safe doesn't that mean the people here are good?" Clementine asked.
"Not everyone you meet has good intentions." Christa said. "You need to understand that."
"I do…" Clementine said.
"Well, you sure don't act like it." Christa said.
Clementine lowered head, not responding.
Christa shook her own head, letting out a sigh. "We need to get back to the hospital… We can finish our conversation there."
"Am… I in trouble?" The little girl asked.
When Christa didn't answer, Clementine frowned. She took the woman's silence as a yes.
"Christa… take it easy on her…" Sarita spoke up.
Christa paused for a moment before looking to Clementine. "Let's go." Christa said.
"Come again?" Edith asked, shocked by Terrell's words.
The room had gone silent in surprise until Edith broke that silence.
"I say we kill him." Terrell repeated.
"Hold on… We can't just start killing our own people." Edith said.
"If our own people are willing to steal from us, why not?" Terrell replied.
"He's a doctor… Not a lot of people have medical experience. That's useful." Another guard said.
"Right now, he's nothing but a traitor. We need to think about our people. He's taking food and medicine from families, from kids…" Terrell said.
"Why not kick him out?" One of the other guards suggested.
"Because for all we know he could be with the group from before…" Edith said. "And if they come back…"
"We all know what has to be done." Terrell said.
"Kenny," Edith called, "You've been awful quiet…"
"I don't know him, but if he's trying to leave don't you think he has a reason?" Kenny asked.
"His reason is he's ungrateful." One of the guards scoffed.
"That might be true. Hell, he might be a real shitty person, but I saw that little hospital y'all have set up. From the looks of it there's not too many people there that would actually consider themselves doctors, and you can't exactly do interviews for a new one in this day and age…" Kenny said.
"What's your point." One of the other guards asked.
"Killing him doesn't seem necessary." Kenny said. "I don't see what it would fix."
"It would rid us of a thief." Terrell said.
"But there's other ways to go about handling that." Kenny said.
"What would you suggest?" Edith said.
"Maybe we could… lock him up or something." Kenny said.
"Maybe Kenny has a point." Edith agreed.
"Would you really feel comfortable having a prisoner around? What if he breaks out?" Terrell asked the guards.
"We should put it to a vote." Edith suggested.
The others agreed.
Kenny wasn't shocked by the outcome of the vote. It wasn't much different from how his old group had handled a similar situation. However, this was a doctor. Someone these town people knew well and trusted and they could so easily talk about killing him. It seemed murder in hot blood was acceptable even if there was a shadowy justification, lesser crimes could be excused but thief was unforgivable. To tamper with their cache was threating each person in town.
Still, what actually bothered him the most was Terrell's calm expression through the entirety of the meeting. And he felt sick by how the boy offered to be the one to handle the traitor. This was not someone that he wanted Clementine spending time with.
"What were you thinking?" Christa asked the little girl with a disapproving tone. "You don't know how worried I was."
"I needed to get Promise! He's my best friend." Clementine said.
"He's a just toy, Clem." Christa argued.
Clementine shook her head. "He's not just a toy."
"He is!"
"He is not! He's my friend!" Clementine said.
"Regardless, you should've thought before you went looking for him without telling me. You can't keep wandering off. It's getting ridiculous. Now settle down before you wake the twins." Christa said.
Clementine quieted down as she glanced over to the sleeping daughters. "Terrell wasn't going to hurt me."
"You don't know that." Christa replied.
"Yes I do. If he wanted to hurt me he wouldn't have put a gun in my hands. He just took me shooting that's all." Clementine said.
"And what if he had taken you somewhere else? What then?" Christa questioned. "You have to think, Clementine."
"Edith said it's safe here. And Terrell's a guard. He wouldn't do anything naughty." Clementine said.
"I get that, but this has nothing to do with Terrell." Christa said.
"Then what is it? Why are you so angry?" Clementine asked.
"Because you putting yourself in risky situations." Christa said.
Clementine frowned and said, "You say you want me to be capable, but you don't let me do anything."
"Because I can't trust that you won't go off somewhere and get yourself hurt."
Those words hurt. Christa didn't trust her… "I won't. I trusted him because he trusted me. I'm not stupid and I'm tougher than you think, Christa."
"I know that, Clem." Christa said.
"Do you?" Clementine asked. "You tell me to be tough. You tell me to be strong. But then you get mad at me for everything I do."
"I tell you to be tough and strong. And I also tell you to be smart. Being smart doesn't mean going off with strangers." Christa said. "You can't trust everyone you meet."
"I don't trust everyone. You just don't trust anyone." Clementine retorted.
"Clementine-"
"You just want me to be lonely. If these people weren't nice, they wouldn't have let us in." Clementine said. "They didn't have to, you know. They could've just left us out there."
"Nice or not, you can't trust everyone you meet! Anyone could find a reason to stab you in the back. The only thing that matters is your family. I had to leave the twins, to go looking for you. That puts them at risk!" Christa said in a stern tone.
"I…" Clementine frowned looking to the sleeping babies. "I wasn't trying to put them at risk…"
"I know… But you're a mom now. You got to think before you do things, for their sake." Christa said.
Clementine gave a small nod. "I'm sorry… I don't want you to be mad at me."
"I'm not…" Christa said after a moment. "I just worry about you, Clem. It's my job to keep you safe."
"Your job…" Clementine repeated in a small voice. "Is that why you take care of me…? Because you feel like you have to…?"
Christa looked dumbfounded for a moment, unsure how to answer. "Clem…"
"Is it?" Clementine asked again.
"Of course not. I'm looking after you because I care about you." Christa said. "Listen, how would you feel if you didn't know where one of the twins were?"
"My daughters can't even walk yet." Clementine pointed out.
"You can hardly walk yourself." Christa said.
Clementine lowered her gaze. She didn't need to be reminded.
"But that's besides the point. How would you feel?" Christa asked.
"…Bad." Clementine muttered.
"That's exactly how I feel everytime you wander off…" Christa told the little girl.
Clementine thought on those words for a moment. "I felt bad the whole time I was away from Aleena. And… And you're the one who separated us…. Why did you do that?"
"I… I was doing what was best for you, Clem…." Christa said.
"Best for me…?" Clementine shook her head. "Were you trying to punish me?"
Christa was confused by the question. "Punish you? For what?"
"I don't know… For being naughty?" Clementine asked.
"You didn't do anything wrong." Christa said.
"I did a lot wrong. I got Lee killed… I got Omid killed…" Clementine muttered.
"Clementine…. Stop talking like that."
"But it's true…" Clementine said. "That's why my baby got sick. Because of… karma."
Christa was surprised to hear that. Such a blunt, intuitive statement coming from the young child was unexpected. "What? What do you know about Karma?"
"Becca said it means 'what goes around, comes around'." Clementine said.
"And what does that mean?" Christa quizzed.
Clementine paused for a moment. "It means if you're naughty, something naughty will happen to you."
"You're not naughty…" Christa hated hearing the girl say that word. "Aleena was sick because she's a preemie. She was born too early to a small child. It has nothing to do with you being good or bad."
"But she was sick because I'm naughty. Everyone hates me because I'm naughty." Clementine said.
"No one hates you, Clem." Christa replied.
"I don't believe that…" Clementine frowned. "I always upset people."
"Just because people get upset sometimes doesn't mean they hate you. A lot of people care about you." Christa said.
"You used to. After Omid died. And… And after the baby…. I thought that's why you kept me away from Leena, so I would know how you felt…."
"That's not true, Clementine. Don't let me hear you talk like that anymore." Christa said.
"But-"
"I said that's enough." Christa stopped the child. "You need to get some rest. You're tired."
Clementine paused before saying, "I'm sorry…" Christa didn't respond, and Clementine continued, "I don't like when people argue… And… Kenny didn't mean to be rude…"
"I know. I don't really care what Kenny says. He just likes to hear himself talk." Christa sighed.
"I'll try better to be a good girl and not naughty." Clementine said.
"I already told you, you're not naughty, Clementine. Let's not used that word anymore." Christa said.
"Why?"
"Because it's not a good word." Christa replied.
Clementine furrowed her brows, "It's not a swear word."
"No. But it's not a nice word either." Christa simply said.
"Okay…."
"Come on. You need to rest." Christa motioned to the bed.
"But… Where will you sleep?" Clementine asked.
"In the chair. I'm not going to sleep right now though…" Christa said.
Clementine pouted. "Then why do I have to?"
"Because you're a child." Christa responded.
Clementine crossed her arms and gave a shake of the head, "I am not. I'm a mom."
"That doesn't mean anything, Clem." Christa said.
"It means I'm a grown-up. Kids don't have babies." Clementine said.
"You're not a grown-up. Now stop it." Christa said. "You shouldn't have gotten pregnant, but you did. Regardless, that doesn't change the fact that you're a child and you need to listen to the adults. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble."
Clementine frowned at that. "You don't understand me. I wish Lee was here."
"Well he's not here." Christa replied.
"I wish he was! At least he would never yell at me or treat me like I was incapable. You guys never let me do anything." The child crossed her arms and pouted. "It's not fair."
It was Christa's turn to frown. "What do you even want to do?"
"I…I want to have more independence. I'm tired of being treated like I can't do anything…" Clementine said.
"If you showed me that you're capable, I'd let you have more independence." Christa said.
"I am. If you're that worried, let me have gun. I know how to shoot already so…" Clementine said.
"A gun?"
Clementine nodded. "Terrell trusts me with a gun. Seems like he trusts me more than you guys."
"A gun doesn't prove you're capable. And you just met that boy…" Christa huffed.
"Well, I like him." Clementine shrugged. "And I know a gun doesn't prove anything, but it's for protection. I'd feel more comfortable if I had one."
"Why?"
"Because you don't feel safe here." Was the child's response.
"What makes you think that?" Christa asked.
"You're worried. And when you're worried, I'm worried." Clementine said.
"You don't have to be worried." Christa told her.
"How can I not be…? I'll feel safer with a gun. Or at least a knife." Clementine replied
"I'm not giving you a gun, Clem." Christa said, resisting the urge to groan at the child's persistence.
"Why not?" Clementine questioned, "Because you're scared that I'll kill myself?"
Christa was stunned by the small girl's words.
"I'm not going to… If I really wanted to, I would've done it by now." Clementine said as she nonchalantly took a seat on the bed.
Christa shot the child a scolding look, "Don't talk like that."
"I'm just saying, if that's what you're worried about you don't have to be." Clementine shrugged.
"You're at a big disadvantage being in that wheelchair. A knife or gun won't help you much in a bad situation." Christa said.
"Maybe a knife won't, but a gun will." Clementine stated.
"You're not getting a gun." Christa said. "I don't think you're ready for that."
"Lee didn't teach me how to shoot for nothing." Clementine argued. "I've been ready."
"I can't trust that you won't do something stupid with it." Christa said.
"I knew it…" Clementine huffed. "You say I need to be able to handle myself, but you're not letting me."
"You're right. I do want you to be able to handle yourself. But right now, you should be focused on trying to walk again, not holding a weapon." Christa said.
"I have been trying. It's not easy."
"I know, Clem. Which is why I want you to focus on getting out of the wheelchair, instead of having a gun." Christa replied.
"I won't need that chair for much longer." Clementine stated boldly.
"Oh?" Christa raised a brow at the child confident tone.
"Yeah. I don't need it now either…" Clementine said.
Christa raised a brow. "How about this, I'll let you have more independence once you can walk without stumbling or losing your balance. When you don't need the wheelchair."
"Really?" Clementine beamed. "Can I have a knife too?"
"Let's take it one thing at a time. Once you're out of that chair, I'll think about letting you have a knife." Christa said.
"Okay. Deal." Clementine agreed, a small smile on her lips.
"Good. Now get some rest."
The child no longer protested.
When Kenny stepped into the house Sarita immediately knew something was off.
"Kenny?" Sarita called, worry clear in her tone.
"Yeah, hon?" Kenny half sighed in his response.
"Is everything alright? Are you okay?" Sarita asked.
"I'm fine. Everything's fine, hon." Kenny simply said. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sarita could tell by the sound of his voice that everything wasn't fine. "What happened?"
"Nothing important, hon…"
Sarita frowned and asked, "Well…. what did they say?"
"They were worried about supplies." Kenny was vague in his explanation. "Don't worry about it."
"I'm worried about you…" Sarita muttered.
Kenny caught it and paused. "Why? Ain't nothing to worry about, Sarita."
"But-"
"I'm gonna go check on Alvie." Kenny cut her off.
Sarita sighed but nodded. "Okay."
She watched as her boyfriend walked out of the room. She couldn't shake her feeling of worry. She wished he would talk to her more.
"Becca?" Sarah called in a quiet from her bed. "Becca, are you awake?"
There was no response.
"Becca-"
Becca groaned, quieting the other teen. "What?"
"I just wanted to talk…" Sarah said in a small, honest voice. "S-Sorry…"
"What's there to talk about?" Becca asked.
"…Are you really going to go to the school?" Sarah asked.
"I don't see why not, if we're gonna be living here I might as well find some people I can talk to." Becca replied.
"What about me and Clem?" Sarah muttered.
"No offense but I'd rather find people I can relate to more. Clem's a baby and you're… weird." Becca said.
Sarah felt hurt by that. "That's so mean. Why are you acting like this?"
"I'm not acting like anything. This is just me. If the truth hurts, sorry, not sorry." Becca replied.
Sarah frowned. "But I thought we were friends."
"I never said we weren't." Becca replied. "Actually, if I'm being honest, you and Clem feel more like sisters to me. And from what I know about sisters is they can get on your last nerve, but you can't completely hate them."
"Then why do you pick on us? Why do you pick on her? Why do you have to be so mean to Clem?" Sarah asked.
"I don't pick on her… Well, I do sometimes, but I wasn't picking on her today. If she does something stupid, she should be chewed out for it." Becca said. "She should learn to stop wandering off and the adults should stop letting her get away with everything."
"I wish you'd be nicer to her. She's just a little kid." Sarah said.
"A little kid who's gonna get herself killed by acting stupid." Becca said, laying back down. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. Your dad coddled you way too much too."
There was a silence.
Sarah spoke again, "I… I want to try going to school too… If you're going, I'll go too."
Becca was surprised by that. "Maybe you should. It'll help take your mind off of everything that happened."
Sarah frowned looking away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Pretending won't change anything…" Becca said.
Sarah didn't respond.
When morning came Christa went to get breakfast for her and Clementine from the cafeteria.
As she and Clementine ate breakfast, they suddenly heard a knock on the door.
Christa got up to answer it, seeing Gill.
"Hi…" Gill said a bit awkwardly.
"Hey. Clem, your friend's here." Christa allowed the boy to step into the room.
Clementine beamed. "Gill! What are you doing here?"
"Edith asked my mom to help do a count of medical supplies. I figured I'd come with her and see if we could hang out." Gill said.
Clementine looked to Christa, "Can I?"
"How about you finish your breakfast first?"
Clementine frowned, ready to protest.
"It's okay, I can wait." Gill spoke first.
"Okay… Thanks, Gill." Clementine said.
Gill nodded. "I'll wait in the cafeteria. Come find me when you're done."
Clementine nodded and Gill exited the room.
Clementine and Christa continued their meal.
"He's a nice kid, huh?" Christa asked.
Clementine smiled. "Yeah. He is."
When Sarita awoke she wasn't surprised that the spot beside her was still empty. Kenny hadn't come to bed last night.
The woman forced herself up and made her way into the living room, there she noticed Kenny sitting on the floor with AJ, him and the toddler were playing with a couple blocks.
"Good morning, you two." Sarita greeted with a smile.
Kenny looked over, "Morning, hon. Did you sleep well?"
"I slept fine…" Sarita said. "Did you get any rest?"
Kenny simply shrugged.
"I could keep an eye on AJ if you're tired." Sarita offered.
Kenny shook his head. "I'm fine, Sarita. Don't worry."
"Okay…" Sarita mumbled. However, she couldn't help but worry.
There was a brief silence.
"That boy…. The one Clem was with, I don't trust him." Kenny suddenly said.
Sarita looked confused and worried as she asked, "What did he do?"
"I just… I just don't want him around her." Kenny said. "I think it'd be best if Clementine and the twins stayed with us… We can keep a better eye on them than Christa."
"Kenny… things wouldn't be easy for us." Sarita said. "We already have AJ to look after…"
"There's two of us. We can handle Clem and the twins better than Christa." Kenny said.
"Christa's looked after Clem for over two years… I think she's fine…" Sarita said.
"If Clementine had gotten hurt last night, would you have thought she was fine?" Kenny asked.
"I… No… But she didn't get hurt. She's fine, Kenny…" Sarita replied.
"She's fine, this time…" Kenny said. "The last thing I want happening is for her to get hurt again."
"That's that last thing anyone wants." Sarita said. "And we're not going to let that happen."
Kenny sighed. "I'm just worried about her…"
"You're still blaming yourself for what happened at the hardware store…" Sarita noted.
Kenny didn't deny it. "…I can't help it. I should've done something to help her… Something more."
"Carver's dead. He can't hurt her anymore…" Sarita reminded.
"He already did the damage." Kenny said. "And I don't want her getting hurt ever again…"
"We'll do what we can to protect her." Sarita said. "And we need Christa's help. We can't just separate them."
Kenny was quiet, he knew there was no point in arguing when Sarita didn't agree with him.
"I'm going to start some breakfast…" Sarita said.
Kenny gave a nod and continued playing with AJ while Sarita headed to the kitchen.
Christa and Clementine finished their breakfast and then Clementine proceeded to tend to the twins.
After feeding the twins and allowing a nurse to check over little Aleena, Clementine looked to her guardian. "Can I play with Gill now?"
Christa sighed, "Okay, but I want to know exactly where you're gonna be."
"Just in the cafeteria, I promise." Clementine said.
"Fine. You can play." Christa said.
Clementine beamed. "I'll come back to check on the twins soon."
"I think I can handle them for a while, Clem." Christa said.
"Are… Are you sure?"
"Yeah, Clem. You just have fun with your friend." Christa said.
Clementine smiled, "Thanks, Christa."
"No wandering off, okay?" Christa said.
"I won't." Clementine promised.
"Good." Christa said.
The young girl started to stand from her wheelchair causing Christa to raise a brow. "What are you doing, Clem?"
"I'm going to walk…" Clementine said. "You said if I stop using the chair, I can have a knife."
"Sweetie, it's going to take some time before you don't need the chair anymore. You don't have to rush that." Christa said.
"But I want to walk…" Clementine said.
"And I want you to bring it just in case you need it." Christa said.
Clementine frowned but agreed. "Okay…" The girl reluctantly eased herself back into her chair before making her way out the door to find Gill.
"How did you girls sleep?" Sarita asked Sarah and Becca as they gathered around the table for breakfast.
"Fine, I guess." Becca shrugged.
"Is Clem okay?" Sarah asked. "She seemed really sad yesterday."
"Clem's fine." Kenny grumbled. "She's lucky she didn't get hurt."
"All that for a stupid teddy bear…" Becca scoffed.
"We know how much that bear means to her." Sarita said.
"But it's just a dumb toy." Becca groaned.
"A lot of abuse victims need a toy to hold onto. Some counselors offer stuffed animals or dolls during therapy sessions." Sarita explained.
"Last time she had a doll she destroys it…" Kenny said.
"That's not out of the ordinary either. Some children inflict violence onto toys in order to better cope with the pain they're feeling." Sarita said. "Clementine is attached to Promise because he makes her feel safe. She can express any emotions she wants with him."
"But he's a toy, he can't respond." Becca said.
"To her he gives her all the response she needs. We can't hear it, but she does." Sarita said. "It's almost like having an imaginary friend."
"I guess she'll grow out of it eventually." Kenny shrugged. "I mean, it's better for her to cling to a bear than to cut her wrists."
"That is true…" Sarita nodded in agreement. "There's nothing wrong with a child needing a toy."
"Yeah…" Kenny said. "So do you girls have any plans for today?"
"Actually yeah. We wanted to meet some of the other kids around town. Maybe check out the school." Becca said.
"Really? I didn't think any of you wanted to go." Kenny said.
"Well, it'd give us something to do when there's nothing to do." Becca said.
"I'm sure it'd be nice for you girls to make some friends around town." Sarita said.
"I guess so…" Kenny shrugged. "Just don't go getting into trouble."
Becca smirked, "You don't have to worry about that."
"I got a feeling you're gonna be causing trouble, not just getting into it." Kenny said.
Becca simply shrugged, keeping her playful grin.
"So those twins…" Gill paused for a moment, a bit awkwardly. "Umm… Are you… you're really their mom?"
"Yeah, I am." Clementine nodded.
"But you're younger than me." Gill said. "Where's their dad? Does he live here too?"
Clementine frowned. "He's… gone…"
"Oh… I'm sorry…" Gill said. "What happened to him?"
"We… got separated. He was in my old group." Clementine said. "I don't know if he's okay or not…"
"What was he like?" Gill asked.
"He was nice, but Kenny and him argued a lot." Clementine said.
"Who's Kenny?"
"Kenny's my friend." Clementine answered. "Crystal, Promise, and I were staying with him for a while…"
"Was he from your old group too?" Gill wondered.
Clementine nodded. "We had more people in our old group but… we got attacked and I don't know what happened to them. Now it's just Kenny, Sarita, Becca, Sarah, AJ, Christa, the twins, and me…"
"Do you think their dad is still alive?" Gill asked.
"I… I don't know…" Clementine said. "I hope Luke's alive… He's a nice daddy for my girls… And he's not naughty like Carver."
"Who's Carver?" Gill questioned.
Clementine was hesitant to answer. "Carver… He's a naughty person."
"Naughty…?" Gill repeated the word with a puzzled look.
"Y-Yeah… He hurt me…" Clementine said, looking away.
Gill was surprised. "Hurt you how?"
Clementine lowered her head not responding.
"Someone killed my dad… Before we got here…" Gill said.
"Wh-What?" Clementine stammered.
"This evil woman shot him…" Gill said.
The little girl frowned, "I…I'm so sorry, Gill…"
"Yeah… So… I guess we've all lost people…" Gill frowned.
"Yeah…" Clementine muttered.
Silence fell over them.
The two children wordlessly continued playing board game after game until Patricia eventually showed up and spoke, "Ready to go, Gill?"
"I guess so." Gill said.
Clementine pouted, "Does he have to?"
"Maybe you could come by my house. I got card games there." Gill said.
"Really?" Clementine beamed before sighing, "But… I can't…"
"Why?" Gill asked.
"I don't know if Christa will let me. Plus, I can't leave the twins." Clementine said. "They'll probably wake up soon."
"Oh, alright…" Gill sounded a bit disappointed.
Clementine paused before speaking again, "Will you… come play tomorrow?"
Gill nodded, "Sure. I'll come by after school."
Clementine wrinkled her nose. "School?"
"Yeah." Gill sighed.
"It's important to get an education somehow, regardless of all the stuff that goes on in the world. Don't you think?" Patricia said to the little girl.
Clementine shrugged, "I guess…"
Patricia chuckled at the child's response. "It was nice seeing you, sweetie."
"You too." Clementine said.
"Say hi to Christa for me." Patricia said.
"I will." Clementine nodded.
"And kiss your little sisters hello too." Patricia added.
"Sisters?" Clementine echoed, confused. She didn't have any sisters. She started to correct the woman, but decided against it.
Patricia looked to Gill, "Come along, hon."
"See ya, Clem." Gill waved.
"Bye, Gill."
With Aleena crying and a nurse throwing constant questions at her, Christa found herself getting slightly annoyed. She tried to sooth little Aleena's cries as her wails woke Crystal causing the other baby to cry as well.
"I understand you're busy, but you haven't answered my questions." The nurse said.
Christa shot her a cold stare. "Look, I don't know their mother's full health history."
"And how do you not know?" The nurse demanded.
"Because I'm not their mother." Christa finally said. She picked up Crystal and began rocking both her and Aleena.
The nurse seemed surprised. "Oh… My mistake… Is their mother around?"
"She's playing with her friend somewhere." Christa answered.
The nurse raised a brow, "Well, I need to speak with her."
Christa sighed, "Anything you need to know regarding the twins, you can ask me."
"I need to know the mother's health history. I'd like to speak with her." The nurse said.
"I don't think she'll be able to help you." Christa replied, wishing the nurse would just back off.
"Why not?"
The door suddenly opened and little Clementine entered the room. "Are they okay? Why are they crying?"
"They probably missed you." Christa said. "Want to try to calm them down?"
Clementine nodded.
Christa handed the twins over to the little girl who cradled them. It didn't take too long for them to quiet down.
"Where'd your friend go?" Christa asked the girl.
"He went home. Patricia says, hi." Clementine said.
"Sweetie," The nurse gritted out, "We're in the middle of a conversation."
"You said you needed to talk to the twins' mother." Christa said to the nurse.
"About what?" Clementine asked.
The nurse sent them both looks, "I said the mother, not their sister."
Clementine frowned, that was the second time she was mistake n for their sister. "I am their mommy."
The nurse looked shocked but shook her head. "This is serious, sweetie. Now's not the time to play pretend."
"I'm not playing pretend. I'm really their mommy." Clementine said.
A look of disgust crossed the nurse's face and she turned to Christa. "You let this child get pregnant?!"
Clementine flinched while the twins whimpered a bit.
"No. I didn't let her get pregnant." Christa said.
"Then how could she possibly be the mother of those twins?" The nurse inquired.
"She was raped." Christa answered. "The guy who attacked her is dead."
"She's a small child… Why did you allow her to carry the babies? Why didn't you force her to have an abortion?" The nurse asked.
Clementine gasped at that question.
"You're telling me this child got raped and pregnant and you allowed the little girl to suffer through a pregnancy? Who in the right mind would want to have a baby in this would, especially when they're a child themselves?" The nurse continued. "How did she even escape your custody to have gotten raped in the first place? You're responsible for her, are you not?"
"We were attacked and separated. She was raped during the time we were split up. When I saw her again, I found out she was pregnant. We didn't have access to a place like this, aborting would've been just as dangerous as giving birth." Christa said.
"Did it ever cross your mind that abortion might be the right thing to do for the child's sake?" The nurse questioned bitterly.
"Abortion means the baby dies!" Clementine cut in, "I wouldn't do that to my babies!"
Christa sighed. This woman was clearly upsetting Clementine and the twins. "This conversation is over. You're just making them upset, and I'm running out of patience. If you want to ask her about her health history-"
"She's a child. I doubt she'll be much help." The nurse scoffed. "I'll come by to check on the babies later."
"Don't bother. I'm asking for a different nurse." Christa said.
The nurse remained silent as Christa motioned for her to leave. She did so without protest.
Wanting to see around town, Sarah and Becca had headed to find Edith, hoping she would show them to the school she had mentioned.
It didn't take long for them to find the woman on watch by the front gate.
"Hey Edith." Becca greeted.
"Hey there, girls. How's it going?" Edith smiled to them.
"Pretty good. We were wondering if maybe you could show us around. We wanted to check out that school." Becca said.
"Sure thing. My watch shift ends in about an hour. I can show you two around then and take you by the school." Edith said.
"Awesome. Thanks Edith." Becca said.
"Yeah, thank you." Sarah said.
"No problem." Edith nodded.
The two girls walked off.
"What do we do now?" Sarah asked.
"We got an hour. Up for a game of cards?" Becca asked.
Sarah nodded. "Sure."
Clementine had been clearly upset after the nurse left. After the twins had calmed enough to be returned to their crib, the girl sat silently clutching to Promise for about ten minutes before finally speaking, "Christa, is it bad that I'm a mommy?"
"What?"
"Is it bad that I'm a mommy already?" Clementine repeated her question.
"It's… Not something that anyone would expect. Kids shouldn't have babies…" Christa replied.
"So it is bad? I'm bad?" Clementine asked.
"No, Clem… You're not bad. You didn't do anything wrong." Christa said.
"If we had been in a place like this, would you have made me do an abortion?" Clementine asked.
"Clem…"
"Would you?" Clementine asked.
"I… I wouldn't have forced you to do anything like that, Clem…" Christa said. "That's a big life changing decision… But we're pass it now. The twins are here, and you've been a good mommy to them."
Clementine paused, "Then why do people act so… so weird when they find out I'm Crystal and Aleena's mommy?"
"That's… just something you'll have to get used to, Clem." Christa said. "People judge other people for everything."
"Why? Why can't people just mind their business?" Clementine huffed. "It's annoying…"
"That's just how the world works… People are going to judge you for every decision you make. But you have to learn not to let it bother you." Christa said. "This whole situation, with you having the twins… people are going to be confused about it and sometimes angry…"
"Why?"
"Because you're a child, and what happened to you was wrong…" Christa said. "The twins are a result of something negative that happened to you…"
"But I love them." Clementine said.
"I know. You're supposed to love them. They did nothing wrong and neither did you." Christa said. "Everyone who touched you was wrong. Anyone who didn't help you, should have."
"Luke said he was their daddy…" Clementine said. "But I have nightmares about Carver… Who's their real daddy?"
"Carver…made Luke do stuff with you, Clem…" Christa said. "That's why Luke thought- Look, who their dad is, doesn't matter. They have a mommy who loves them more than anything in the world. And they love you more than anything in the world."
"I… want them to have a daddy though… I want them to have a nice daddy who's not a deadbeat. One who loves them like my daddy loved me…" Clementine said. "Luke loved them, didn't he?"
"Of course he did…" Christa said.
"Kenny said he was a deadbeat…"
"Luke just wasn't ready to be a father yet. It's not easy being a parent. I'm surprised you do such a good job with them." Christa said.
"I wish Luke was here… I don't want the girls to grow up without a daddy." Clementine muttered.
"Maybe one day when you're older you'll meet someone who can be their daddy…" Christa said. "But for now, you don't have to worry about that."
"I want Luke to come here. He's supposed to be their daddy. I was going to teach him how to look after them better." Clementine said. "We could've got married…"
"Luke's gone, Clem." Christa said. "And he couldn't have married you. He was an adult and you're a child."
"My mommy and daddy said, when you have a baby, you get married…" Clementine said. "So we would have gotten married."
"That's not the way it works, Clem." Christa said. "When your parents said that, I'm sure they weren't thinking that'd you'd have your babies by age eleven. They wanted you to be an adult, be in love, and get married. Not just marry someone for the hell of it."
"Was Carver in love with me?" Clementine asked. "Is that why he fucked me?"
"Clem… You don't talk like that. Carver was sick. You know that." Christa said.
"Okay…" Clementine muttered. "My twins need a daddy. It's not fair."
"They have you, Clem. And Sarita, Kenny, and I are around to help you. Maybe when you're all grown up you'll meet a nice guy who will help you look after them, but right now, you're all they need." Christa said.
"Okay…" Clementine muttered.
"How about you color for a bit?" Christa suggested.
Clementine nodded.
Christa hated having to have those type of discussions with the child. She wanted to be able to shield the girl from negativity as people would normally do with a child her age, but the fact that Clementine was such a young mother meant the girl would be the target of harsh judgement more often than not. Clementine needed to be prepared for that.
After an hour passed the two teens returned to Edith's post to find the woman waiting for them. "You girls ready to go?"
"Yep." Becca nodded.
"Where's Clementine? She's not tagging along?" Edith asked.
"She's with Christa and the twins." Sarah answered.
"Oh…" The woman sounded a bit disappointed. "Well, I'll show you girls around first, then we can stop by the school."
The two teens nodded. Edith began her tour. She showed them house after house, shop after shop, the hospital, and finally, they start to head to the school.
"So what is the school like?" Becca asked.
"It's just a regular school. The schedule is a bit different though." Edith answered.
"Different how?" Sarah questioned.
"Well, classes are held four days a week instead of five. They go over two or three different subjects a day, then on Friday we have a survival course." Edith explained.
"Survival course?" Becca raised a brow.
"Gun practice, stuff like that. We let the older kids gather and ration supplies." Edith said.
Becca hummed. "Hmm… Doesn't sound bad."
"How old are the kids?" Sarah asked.
"I don't think we have anyone younger than nine at the school. That's why I was surprised to see babies in your group. Children are rare…" Edith said.
Upon arriving at the school, they stepped inside and heard a woman scolding a group of kids, telling them to take their seats. It wasn't long until the woman, who the teens assumed was teacher spotted them and said, "Oh, hi there."
That immediately drew the curious gazes of the other kids in the building.
Edith walked over to the woman and proceeded to have a brief conversation with the woman before introducing the two girls.
After a minute the teacher smiled, "Nice to meet you two. My name is Staton, Make yourselves comfortable."
The girls hesitantly took their seats.
"I'll see you later, girls." Edith said.
"Wait, you're leaving?" Becca asked.
"You'll be fine. Just, try to make some friends." Edith said.
Sarah and Becca exchanged looks before looking to the rowdy kids in the classroom. That would be easier said than done.
Sitting in the classroom had been more than awkward. The behavior of the other children didn't help. Nor did the teacher's raised voice each time someone did something they shouldn't be. The two teens didn't know what to make of the situation.
Eventually Becca had warmed up enough to strike up some conversation with some of the kids her age.
Sarah on the other hand, kept to herself mostly. She didn't trust the group of kids Becca was becoming acquainted with. She felt uncomfortable around them. She wasn't used to this… She missed playing with Clementine and Becca. She was more than happy when the teacher dismissed them all. She couldn't wait to get home.
"Wait up." One of the kids called out to them as they readied to leave. "How long have you two been in town?"
"Not too long." Becca replied.
The kid hummed in response. "You two heading home already?"
"Yeah, why?" Becca said.
"I was gonna invite you two to hang out. Maybe have a smoke." The kid said.
Sarah was surprised by the boy's words.
Becca paused at the offer. "Uh… Su-"
"O-Oh. No thanks." Sarah interrupted.
"Suit yourself." The kid shrugged.
Sarah nodded and turned to walk away. "I think we should get home… Kenny and Sarita might be worried."
"Alright…" Becca sighed, but followed the other teen. Once they were out of the other kid's earshot, Becca asked, "Okay, what's the deal?"
"I don't know what you mean…" Sarah muttered.
"Of course you do. You clearly didn't want to stick around. What's wrong?" Becca asked.
"Nothing. I just… It's getting late, we should get home." Sarah said.
Becca grabbed her arm to slow her down. "Come on, don't you want to hang around people our age for once?"
"I do, but… not if they're mean…" Sarah replied.
Becca rolled her eyes. "You think everyone's mean. You're just too sensitive."
"Since when did you smoke?" Sarah questioned, suddenly stopping in her tracks to face the girl.
"What?"
"He asked if you wanted to smoke, you were gonna say yes. Since when did you start smoking?" Sarah asked.
Becca almost felt as if she was being lectured by the teen. The gaze of disappointment reminded her of the ones her older sister would give her when she did something wrong. "I don't."
"Then why-"
"I was just trying to fit in… I want to feel like a normal kid for once." Becca said. "It's not a big deal."
"Smoking is a big deal." Sarah said.
"Well, I didn't smoke, so relax." Becca said.
"…I just have a bad feeling around them…" Sarah said. "I don't think you should be friends with them."
Becca simply shrugged. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Let's just get home."
The two girls headed back to their house.
Sarah knew Becca wasn't too happy about leaving. But she could tell that those kids clearly weren't the best influences.
"You okay, Clem?" The girl had been quiet since the incident with the nurse. Christa was a bit worried.
"Yes…" Clementine muttered from the bed. "I'm just… thinking."
"Why don't you play with Promise or keep coloring?" Christa asked.
The child didn't respond for a moment. "I… I want to play, but I want to be a good mom. I can't do both."
"Clem, you are a good mom." Christa said.
"I don't want you to be the only one who knows that…" Clementine said.
Christa sighed, "You don't have to prove that you're a good mom to those nurses. You've been taking good care of the girls. You're a great mommy, Clem."
"I don't feel like it…"
"I don't want you to think negative, Clem… It'll make you upset." Christa said. "You're a very good mommy to those girls. No one's perfect, and things are hard, but that's okay."
"Okay… Promise me you're not just saying that to make me feel better…?" Clementine asked.
"I promise." Christa said.
"Okay… Good."
"I don't want you questioning if you're a good mom." Christa said to the child. "You love your girls, right?"
"More than anything in the whole world." Clementine replied.
"And you take good care of them too. That's how you know you are a good mom."
"Thank you, Christa."
"You don't have to thank me. I love you and the twins more than anything in the world. I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe and happy." Christa said.
Clementine gave a smile and hugged the woman.
Christa returned the embrace. Despite all they had gone through over the past few years, she was glad to have Clementine here with her.
Useless.
Shut up.
A burden.
Shut up!
Bad mother.
SHUT UP!
You and those twins belong to me.
No!
That baby is going to die!
No no no!
Aleena is going to die and be with me!
NO!
"She's not yours! We're not yours! Stop it! Stop it!" Clementine exclaimed.
Christa jerked awake as she heard Clementine let out a scream. The girl was thrashing about in the bed, fighting some unseen opponent. Christa quickly stood up and went to wake the child. "Clem, Clementine, sweetie, wake up. You're having a nightmare."
After a few attempts to wake the child, Clementine's fighting ceased, and the girl's eyes fluttered open. She studied her guardian's face, looking confused for a moment.
"You were having a nightmare, Clem." Christa said in a gentle voice. "It's okay, you're safe."
At first the words didn't resister. Clementine's heart was pounding, and her thoughts were running wild. She took a few moments to realize where she was. Suddenly Clementine shot upright in bed, breathing irregular. "My babies?!"
"They're fine, Clem. They're asleep." Christa answered, easing the child's panic.
Clementine took a few deep breaths to calm herself.
"It's okay. You're okay." Christa soothed.
After a while the child spoke again, "My babies are okay, r-right? Leena won't d-die."
"Aleena is fine. They're both fine." Christa said.
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"O-Okay..."
After a couple moments Christa asked, "What did you dream about?"
Clementine lowered her head. "I... don't remember..."
Christa was sure the child did. But the girl obviously didn't want to talk about it. "Do you want some water, Clem?"
"I'm okay..." Clementine muttered. "Thanks..."
Christa noticed the flush in the girl's cheeks and reached out a hand to feel the child's forehead. She was hot. "You have a fever again... Are you feeling sick?"
"No..." Clementine replied.
Christa didn't understand why the girl constantly got these fevers. They always seemed to be stress related, but sometimes they were so high it worried her. She would have to speak with one of the doctors about it. "…Try to go back to sleep, Clem..."
"B-But..."
"I'm right here if you have another nightmare..." Christa reassured the girl.
"Okay... T-Thank you."
"You don't gotta thank me, Clem. Just try to get some sleep."
Clementine nodded slowly allowing her eyes to fall close. She clutched tight to Promise but was unable to fall back to sleep. After that nightmare, she didn't think she'd be getting much rest that night.
Clementine's eyes opened slowly, light filling the room from a window. Her body felt exhausted, she had barely slept a wink. The same dream kept haunting her, it had been for several nights now.
She was constantly haunted in her dreams by the abuse she suffered at the hands of Carver.
She didn't want to mention it to Christa… Christa already was stressed out as it was… So she just pretended she was fine, that everything was fine.
"You okay, Clem? You didn't sleep too good last night." Christa said.
"Y-Yeah... I just had some nightmares..." Clementine stuttered.
"Want to talk about it?" Christa asked.
"N-No! I... I'm fine." Clementine stammered before quickly forcing a calmer voice. "I'm fine now…"
Christa gave her a serious look. "You can talk to me, you know."
"I know... I just..." Clementine stopped. "I'm gonna get breakfast for us. Then I'll feed the twins."
"Actually," Christa reached out to check the girl's forehead before retracting her hand. "I'll go grab us breakfast."
"Why?"
"You still have a fever. You need to rest." Christa said.
Clementine pouted. "I don't want to rest."
"Until that fever's gone, you don't have a choice, Clem." Christa said.
"But I'm fine. I feel fine. I don't need to rest. I need to be more helpful. I need to get us breakfast then... then take care of the twins." Clementine said.
"You barely slept at all, Clem." Christa argued.
"That's because Carver won't let me!" The child suddenly exclaimed.
Christa frowned. "Carver can't hurt you. You know that."
Clementine frowned, "I hate him... I wish I could kill him and make him leave me alone."
"He's already dead, sweetie." Christa said.
"Well, I wish I could kill him again." Clementine replied.
Christa sighed.
"I don't want to stay in bed." Clementine crossed her arms. "Promise doesn't want to either."
"Can't be helped, Clementine." Christa said. "I want you and Promise to take it easy today."
"…Can I at least get us breakfast? I swear I'll be careful." Clementine said. "Promise can help me…"
Christa thought for a moment before giving in, "Alright, Clem."
Clementine stood and shakily made her way to the door.
"What about your chair?" Christa asked.
"I don't need it." Clementine quickly replied.
"Clem-"
The girl stumbled from the room before Christa could get another word in.
Another day in the classroom and Sarah hadn't gotten any more comfortable. The classroom was loud and chaotic. It reminded Sarah of her first year in middle school. She hated it…
Becca, on the other hand was getting along fine with the rowdy group.
Sarah frowned, fighting the urge to cover her ears to block out the noise.
"Don't mind them." A young boy said. "They're always like that."
"I wish they weren't…" Sarah said.
"So do I…" The boy replied. "So…You're new here?"
"Yeah, we are…" Sarah said.
"My name's Gill." The boy said.
"Sarah."
Gill raised a brow, "You know Clementine, don't you?"
"Yeah. She's our friend." Sarah said. "You know her?"
"Yeah." Gill nodded.
"Who's Clementine? Is she hot?" One of the other kids asked.
"No way." Becca huffed. "She's a stupid little kid."
"Becca." Sarah frowned.
"What?" Becca asked. "She is."
"She's not stupid." Sarah said.
"Alright fine. She's just an annoying little kid."
"I think she's pretty fun to play with." Gill said.
"You don't know her that well." Becca said.
"She's my friend. And if she's your friend you should be nicer to her." Gill replied.
"What do you know? You're just a little kid yourself." Becca scoffed.
"I know if Clem's supposed to be your friend you shouldn't be calling her stupid or annoying." Gill said.
"Look, kid, I don't need you to lecture me." Becca said. "I know Clem a lot better than you do."
"I think you're being a bully." Gill said.
"No one asked what you think." Becca said.
"Things are hard on Clem…" Sarah said. "She's been through a lot…"
"Things are hard for everyone." Becca said.
"Yeah… But you shouldn't make it harder for her…" Gill said. "You should learn to be a better friend."
Becca was surprised by that but turned away. "Whatever…" She didn't want to be guilt-tripped by this kid. It wasn't like she was being that mean to Clementine. Besides, she didn't think Clementine was stupid or annoying, she just wanted to fit in with kids her age. It had been forever since she had.
After Clementine finished breakfast, leaving it barely touched, and had taken her medicine, the child did her best to rest as Christa urged her to. The task felt impossible, her body was just too awake to rest.
When the twins woke, she tended to them with Christa's help. By the time the two babies were down for a nap, a knock came at her door. Despite her fever, Christa allowed the girl to go play with Gill for a while. She knew the child wasn't contagious and the girl was wide awake while the twins were fast asleep, so there was no point in keeping the little kid bored.
"I met your friends." Gill said as he moved forward his game piece. The two were playing Sorry.
"You did?" Clementine asked as she took her turn reading a card.
"Sarah and Becca." Gill said.
"Oh… Where'd you meet them?" Clementine asked.
"At the school." Gill said.
"Oh..."
"Why don't you go?" Gill asked his friend.
Clementine moved her piece forward, biting her lip a bit. "Umm... Christa doesn't think I should... And anyway, I don't want to."
"Why not?"
"I'd miss my girls. They're the most important people to me." Clementine said.
"Oh, that makes sense." Gill said.
Clementine nodded. "Yeah…"
Gill hummed a bit before asking, "Clem… Is Becca ever mean to you?"
"Umm, sometimes. Why?" Was the girl's response.
"Well… she just didn't seem to nice… And she was hanging around those bullies I told you about." Gill said.
"Becca… takes some time to get used to, but she's not always mean…" Clementine said.
"I don't think she should be mean to you at all." Gill replied.
"I'm used to it." Clementine shrugged. "They're like family to me…"
"Family shouldn't treat you meanly." Gill said.
"I said I don't mind. Becca doesn't mean to be mean."
"If you say so…." Gill muttered.
"Yeah…" Clementine wondered what caused Gill to ask.
The child continued playing the game for a bit. Not a word was exchanged between the two.
Gill tried to think of something else to say. "How are the twins?"
"They're okay. Aleena's been doing a lot better. I just wish they'd let her go home." Clementine said.
"I'm sure they'll let her soon." Gill said.
"I hope so." Clementine said.
"…How are you doing?"
Clementine paused, "I don't know…"
"What do you mean?" Gill asked.
"I just… I feel so sad lately. I try not to be. Sometimes I don't even know why I'm sad. Christa tells me not to be negative, but… I can't make bad thoughts go away…" Clementine said.
"Have you told Christa you're sad?" Gill asked.
"I… can't…" Clementine said. "It's not always easy to talk to her…"
"Why?"
"It's just not…" Clementine sighed.
"Oh…" Gill decided to change the subject. "Do you want to play something else?"
"No thanks. Sorry, I…I have so much on my mind right now, I wouldn't be able to focus on another game." Clementine said.
"What's on your mind…?" Gill asked.
"…I can't walk very well. And people always have to help me with things... I feel like a burden." Clementine muttered.
"You're not…" Gill said.
"I feel like I am… I keep wondering why am I here?" Clementine said.
"Where? In the hospital?" Gill asked.
"No... Here. Alive." Clementine answered.
Gill felt his heart drop. He didn't know how to respond.
"I don't even deserve to be..." Clementine said.
"Don't say that… You're not a burden. You shouldn't feel like this." Gill said.
After a moment of two Clementine said, "You're right…" She then forced a smile, "Don't worry about me, Gill… I'll be fine…"
Gill furrowed his brows, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Don't worry. We can play another game if you want." Clementine said.
"Umm…. Okay." Gill said.
Negativity got her nowhere. She needed to put on a happy face. She didn't want anyone worrying about her. There was enough going on. Enough on everyone's plates.
There had been so many thoughts going through her head. She could hardly eat. When night fell, she couldn't sleep.
She didn't want Christa to worry, so she didn't say a word to the woman.
However, Carver's words were stuck in her head. She felt like she let her twins down. Like she let so many people down. She wanted to shake that feeling that she was a burden.
She needed to be strong for her twins. She was a mother. Mother's were supposed to be tough, like her mother was for her…
She didn't care what sacrifices she had to make, she would make sure her twins were okay, no matter what it took. That's what a mother was supposed to do.
As the days progressed, the group was quickly becoming acquainted with the other towns people.
Clementine took her role as a mother very seriously, Christa noted. The girl wouldn't play until she made sure the twins were properly tended to. Christa was glad that Patricia and Gill continued to come around, the young girl seemed to enjoy playing with the boy, and it was nice for her to act like a kid every now and then.
When Gill wasn't dropping by, their regular group members would sometimes pay a visit.
Clementine was by no means left bored. She quickly became friends with patients and guards, as she often walked the halls of the hospital, determined to get out to of her wheelchair and get walking again.
Christa noticed that the young girl had become specifically close with Terrell. Whenever it was the young guard's turn to do an inventory count, he would spend a good amount of time with the girl. Christa thought it was nice of him and considering everyone in the hospital seemed to think highly of the young man, she didn't have a problem with it.
Kenny on the other hand didn't trust the boy at all and hadn't been shy about voice that to Christa during his visits.
Kenny being paranoid was nothing new. As long as Clementine was safe, Christa didn't mind her hanging out with Terrell.
She had noticed Clementine seemed to be falling back into that state of depression. She didn't want her to feel like that. A child should be happy…
The girl did need some time to enjoy herself. It wasn't easy being a mother, especially at such a young age.
Sarita couldn't help but worry about Kenny, he was getting little to no sleep. Whenever he did try to sleep it was anything but pleasant…
"Another nightmare?" Sarita asked.
"Yeah…" Kenny confirmed.
"What was it about?" Sarita was concerned.
Kenny took a moment to answer, "Clem…"
"Clementine?"
Kenny nodded. "I keep… I keep thinking of what those shit did to her. I don't want her getting hurt again."
"She won't…" Sarita said.
"Christa keeps letting her hang around that boy, I don't trust him." Kenny huffed.
"Did he do something wrong?" Sarita asked. "Why don't you trust him?"
"I just don't want him around her." Kenny said. He didn't go into any further detail.
"It's good for her to interact with people. Sarah and Becca too." Sarita said.
"We're supposed to protect these kids." Kenny grumbled. "Sarah and Becca are older and at least we know where they are during the day. Clem… I never know when the next time is that she'll wander off."
"Christa won't let that happen." Sarita said.
"She let it happen before." Kenny stated.
"Christa's doing the best she can with Clem and the twins… Her hands are full." Sarita said. "But I think she's the best one to look after Clem… She done it for this long…"
"Clementine should be here. With us." Kenny said.
Sarita sighed, "Just try to get some rest, Kenny. Please… You're exhausted."
"I'm going to check in on Alvie." Kenny said.
Sarita frowned but nodded.
Kenny stood and headed to check on AJ. The little guy always help to calm him down. He had kept quiet about what went on during the meeting, explain briefly to Sarita and Christa about the situation.
He purposely left out how they held a man against his will and how young Terrell had brutally executed him. All for taking supplies to leave town.
After the way things had gone in the last town, Kenny knew Christa and Sarita wouldn't hesitate to pack up and leave if things got bad in Wellington.
Still, after all they had gone through to get here, Kenny was not willing to just throw that all away.
Even if it meant he had to keep secrets he didn't feel comfortable with.
Christa stood silently as a doctor examined Aleena.
Clementine was seated not far, holding her bear in her arms.
"Any new diagnosis?" Christa asked.
"Not exactly. However, I think she might be doing well enough to go home." The doctor said.
Clementine perked up at that. "Now?"
"Not now, sweetie." The doctor replied.
The child's face fell.
"How's about the day after tomorrow?" The doctor spoke again. "That's two days from now."
Clementine beamed. "Two days? Two days, for real."
"I think so. We'll make sure she's okay tonight and then-"
"So you're not going to cut my baby's throat?" Clementine questioned.
The doctor looked a bit stunned by her blunt question. "No, sweetie... We'll monitor her for the next send her home with an oxygen tank if she's doing okay tomorrow."
"How will you be able to tell when she needs the oxygen?" Christa asked.
"Starting tomorrow we'll give you a portal oxygen tank and nasal prongs, which should be changed every week or so. We'll also have something to monitor her heart rate. As long as you keep her on the oxygen, she should be fine."
"All the time?" Clementine asked.
"Well, until we tell you she no longer needs it. She'll be fine. We'll teach you everything you need to know." The doctor said.
"Thank you." Christa said.
The doctor nodded and exited the room.
Clementine turned to Christa with a smile. "Two days! We can leave in two days!"
"I know. You're happy about it, huh?" Christa asked.
Clementine nodded. "Very. I'm sick of this place…"
"I know, Clem. I am too…"
"I can't wait to go back home-"
A knock at the door drew their attention.
Christa raised a brow assuming it was the doctor again. "Come in."
The door opened and Sarita entered with AJ in her arms. "Hello…"
"Sarita, what are you doing here?" Christa asked.
"I… I needed someone to talk to. Is now an okay time?" Sarita asked.
Christa looked to Clementine who was now playing with the twins. "Sure. What's wrong?"
AJ started reaching towards Clementine and Sarita placed the toddler on the bed to play with the girl as well.
"Want to talk outside?" Christa suggested.
Sarita glanced over to Clementine then looked back to Christa with a nod.
The two woman made their way outside the room and stood by the door.
"I'm worried about Kenny…" Sarita said.
"What happened?" Christa asked.
"He… He hasn't been sleeping much." Sarita said.
"That's nothing new…" Christa said.
"I'm just worried about him." Sarita said. "I feel like I always worry about him… You knew him before… Clem told me he seemed different but… how different is he?"
"He lost his whole family. Anyone would be different after that…" Christa said. "When I lost Omid and… my baby, I changed…."
"In what way?"
"I wasn't the best guardian for Clem…" Christa said.
"You're so good with her though…." Sarita said.
"Because seeing her again… Reuniting with her… it made me realize how I'd been treating her… And I promised to do a better job." Christa said. "Not everyone gets a second chance, but I did with Clem… And Kenny did with AJ…"
Sarita pondered on Christa's words. "I guess you're right…"
"You have every right to worry about Kenny, but I know everything he does is to protect the people he loves." Christa said. "Despite his stupidity. He has a good heart."
"I know he does. That's why I love him."
"He's lucky to have you. You keep him happy. When I met him he was so… depressed… You've changed that a lot." Christa said.
Sarita gave a small smile. "I'm glad."
"He'll be okay… As long as he has his family."
Sarita nodded. "I hope so…" Sarita muttered.
Gill had waited nearly an hour, but he didn't mind he knew Clementine had other responsibilities. When the girl finally came to find him, she seemed to be in a chipper mood. It was completely different from how she had been over the last few days.
"They said Leena can go home soon." The girl beamed.
"Really?" Gill asked. "I bet you're excited."
"Yeah. I missed her being home." Clementine said.
"I'm sure you did." Gill said.
Clementine nodded and continued coloring.
"So… Can I ask you something?" Gill asked.
"Uh-huh."
"How does it feel?" Gill questioned.
"What?"
"Well… Being a mom. How does it feel? I mean, you're still a kid. You're younger than me." Gill said.
Clementine shrugged. "Umm… I don't know… I feel different…"
"Different how?"
"I just… I feel super protective all the time. And I get so nervous when I'm away from them… but I can't fully remember having them… Which makes me feel bad." Clementine said.
"Why can't you remember?" Gill asked.
"Christa said I had a head injury…" Clementine said. "I forgot a lot of stuff… Sometimes memories come back, but I don't always know if they're real or not…"
"Must be scary…" Gill said.
"I guess so… I've gotten pretty used to it though…" Clementine said.
"Oh… Why do you get nervous when you're away from the twins?" Gill asked his friend.
"I'm not sure. I just do…" Clementine answered. "I can't help it…"
Gill raised a brow. "Oh?"
"I just… I love them so much. I hate being away from them, even for a little while." Clementine admitted.
"I guess that makes sense." Gill nodded his understanding.
"So… Can I ask you something now?" Clementine said.
"Sure."
"You don't…" The girl seemed nervous to finish her question. She clutched to the stuff bear in her lap. "You don't think I'm annoying, r-right?"
"Of course not."
"Are you sure?"
"I don't think you're annoying. Why would I think you're annoying? We're friends." Gill said. He hadn't been expecting that question.
Clementine was a bit surprised by that. "Y-Yeah. We are."
"Why did you ask?" Gill asked.
"I… just wanted to be sure. I like having you as a friend." Clementine said.
Gill gave a smile. "Me too. Wanna play something else?"
"Like what?" Clementine asked.
"You can pick."
"…I wanted to explore outside, but Christa got mad at me for it last time." Clementine said.
"Why?"
"She doesn't think that it's safe here." Clementine said.
"Seems safe to me…" Gill shrugged. "Maybe if I go with you, she won't mind."
"Will you?" Clementine asked.
"Sure. I can show you around town." Gill suggested. "And we could play at the park if you want."
"Okay. I'll ask Christa." Clementine said.
"Okay." Gill said.
Clementine made her way back to her room while Gill began packing away the board game.
When Clementine entered the room, she noticed Christa sitting in the chair reading while the twins slept.
"Back already?" Christa asked as she looked to the small girl.
"Gill said he would show me around town… Is that okay?" Clementine asked.
"Clem…"
"Please? I'll come back soon." Clementine said. "And I won't be alone. Gill and Promise will be with me."
"…Alright, just be careful." Christa said.
Clementine smiled, she hadn't expected her guardian to say that.
"I will." Clementine said.
Gill pushed Clementine's wheelchair as he showed the young girl around. Every so often the girl would walk on her own, but whenever she felt tired, Gill would offer to push her.
The two were out for a while before Clementine caught sight of Sarah and Becca. "Sarah and Becca?" Clementine said, making her way over with Gill close behind.
"Clem? What are you doing out here?"
Becca's voice made the young girl jump in surprise.
"Gill's showing me around." Clementine answered.
"Christa really let you outside after what happened last time?" Becca scoffed.
Gill looked confused, "What happened last time?"
"She wanders off way too much." Becca said. "I'm surprised she hasn't gotten herself hurt yet."
"I was practicing shooting!" Clementine said.
"I doubt you even remember how to shoot." Becca scoffed.
"I do too! Lee taught me." Clementine said.
"Where are you two going?" Sarah asked.
"I was thinking about heading to the park." Gill said.
"Does Christa even know you're out here?" Becca asked Clementine.
"Yes, she knows." The child said.
"Well wherever you're heading, we should go with you. Knowing you, you'll probably get yourself in some kind of trouble." Becca said.
"I will not." Clementine argued.
"Will too." Becca said back.
"Don't fight… Please…" Sarah sighed.
"You two can come with us, if it's okay with Clem." Gill said.
Clementine paused, "As long as Becca's nice to me and Promise." She said.
Becca rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll be nice to you and your stupid be- I mean, to Promise."
"Good." Clementine said.
"Yeah, yeah." Becca huffed. "Let's see this park."
Sarita wore a frown as Kenny started to ready himself for his patrol shift. The man hadn't gotten sleep, he didn't need to be taking watch so often. "Kenny, I don't like this. You need to rest."
"I told you not to worry about me." Kenny brushed her off.
"I can't not worry about you. You're pushing yourself too hard." Sarita said.
"Edith needs people to help out around town. After all they're doing for us, someone has to show that we're grateful." Kenny said.
"You can't do much if you're exhausted." Sarita pointed out.
Kenny sighed, "I'm fine, really. I'm gonna go check on Clem and the twins before my patrol shift."
"Then let me come with you." Sarita urged.
Kenny however shook his head. "Stay here with Alvie…"
"But-"
"We don't need him being in the hospital like that. I don't want him getting sick or anything." Kenny said.
"I guess you're right…" Sarita sighed. "Just… Just don't push yourself."
"Sarita…"
"I mean it." Sarita said sternly.
"…I won't." Kenny said.
"Good..." Sarita kissed him feeling him kiss back. She soon broke the kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too, hon."
The park wasn't anything fancy. Plenty of green field, a tire swing tied to a tree, a broken old seesaw, and a soccer ball beside a makeshift goal.
Gill sighed as he spotted a bike. It was a sign that other kids had been there earlier. He just hoped they weren't coming back anytime soon.
"Are you okay?" Clementine asked the boy, pulling him out his thoughts.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Gill said. "Want me to push you on the swing?"
"Will you?" The girl beamed in excitement.
"Sure." Gill said.
He helped the girl from her chair and let her head to the swing. He proceeded to push her.
Becca decided to start a game of catch with Sarah.
As Gill continued to push Clementine on the swing the two were shocked when a sudden arrow flew past, hitting the tree.
Clementine gasped, nearly falling from the swing in her shock.
"Bulls-eye!" A kid exclaimed.
"What the fuck?" Becca inquired. "That wasn't cool, Mason!"
"What? Not my fault she was in the way. Everyone knows we do target practice around here." Mason said.
"You could've really hurt her!" Gill said.
"Well, I didn't. Anyway, who said you could use our swing." Mason asked as he walked over. One of his friends trailed after him, like a lost puppy.
"It's not yours." Gill said. "Just leave us alone."
"Trying to act tough for your new girlfriend?" Another kid asked.
"She's not my girlfriend. She's just my friend…" Gill said.
A couple of the other kids seemed to take interest in Clementine's wheelchair. One of them took a seat in it when the other spun him around.
"T-That's Clem's chair." Sarah said.
"So?" One of the girl's said.
"So you should get out of it. It's not some toy." Becca huffed.
"Why doesn't she make us?" The girl asked.
"Just… Just get out the chair and we'll leave." Gill said.
The kids chuckled as they continued playing in the wheelchair.
Sarah frowned while Becca could feel herself getting annoyed.
"Get out the fucking chair before I make you." Becca said to the girl.
The girl seemed a bit intimidated but didn't move.
"If she needs it so bad, why doesn't she? She's standing just fine now." Mason said.
Kenny wasted no time heading to the hospital. Ignoring the concerned gazes from nurses, he dashed to the room that he knew Christa would be in. When he made it to the door, he could hear wails coming from inside he barged into the room.
Christa looked up, startled. "Kenny? What are you doing here?"
"What's going on?" Kenny questioned.
"What are you talking about?" Christa asked, confused and impatient as she finished changing Crystal's diaper.
"Why are they crying?" Kenny asked.
"Because they're babies, Kenny. Babies cry." Christa said.
Kenny paused for a moment before scanning the room. "Where's Clem?"
"She went to play with her friend." Christa said.
"You just let her go off on her own?" Kenny inquired.
Christa finally looked over to him. "She's been gone for only an hour. She's fine. She's playing with her friend."
"What friend? Where did they go?" Kenny demanded.
"She went to the park with a little boy named Gill. What's gotten into you?" Christa said.
Christa didn't get the chance to speak another word before Kenny took off.
Kenny searched through the building for the small girl. The child was nowhere to be found. His only thought was to find this "friend" Christa mentioned. He rushed outside searching for the girl. After a while he spotted Terrell and stormed over to the young guard.
"Where's Clem?" Kenny demanded.
"What?" Terrell raised a brow.
"You heard me. Where's Clementine?" Kenny asked.
"You folks don't do a good job at looking after that kid." Terrell tsked.
"You don't know shit about the situation." Kenny growled.
"I know you managed to lose the kid twice." Terrell replied.
"Just tell me where she is. Quit being a smart ass." Kenny ordered.
"How the hell am I supposed to know, old man?" Terrell asked.
"Christa told me she went to the park with her "friend"."
"Well, I'm standing right here, so obviously I didn't take her." Terrell shrugged. "Not that I would mind taking her to the park."
"You're not gonna take her anywhere. Just stay the hell away from her." Kenny said.
"Or what?" Terrell asked with a smirk.
"Don't test me." Kenny said.
Terrell shrugged. "Then I guess you have no problem with finding her on your own?"
Kenny huffed, "Where the hell is this park?"
"Oh so you need help no?" Terrell chuckled.
Kenny was seething.
"I'll take you." Terrell said.
Clementine was feeling awkward as she watched the older kids play in her wheelchair as if it were a toy. She was starting to regret coming to the park. "Let's just go… I don't need it anyway…"
"See. She doesn't need it." Mason said.
"Yes, you do, Clem." Becca said. "Look, just give the chair back. It's not a toy."
"Like I said, if she needs it so bad, she should come take it." The girl sitting in the chair said.
Becca huffed, "Come on, just hand it over."
"I thought you were cool, Becca. Why are you acting like this?" Mason questioned.
"Because I'm not gonna let you pick on her." Becca said.
"She's just an annoying little kid. You said so yourself." One of the other kids said.
Clementine frowned at that. She wasn't surprised to hear Becca had called her that.
"She may be annoying, but she's my family. So back off." Becca said.
"I'd be careful, the little girl's a crack shot." Terrell's voice drew their attention as he approached.
"Yeah, right. She's a cripple." Mason scoffed.
Clementine cringed. She hated that word. She hated being thought of as an invalid.
"That means nothing. I'm telling you, Clem here can shoot." Terrell said.
"Prove it." Mason said.
Kenny wanted to protest, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to let the girl show these bullies up.
"Let her take a shot with your bow and arrow." Terrell said.
Clementine hesitated. "I… I never shot one before."
"There's a first time for everything." Mason handed the little girl the weapon.
"Go on. You got this." Terrell urged.
Clementine gave a tiny nod and took the bow and arrow.
At that moment a child caught sight of Kenny and swore. "Damn it! A grown-up's here to ruin all the fun."
"No. He's cool. He was just checking on his girl." Terrell said.
The kids frowned at that quickly moving from the chair, hoping the man hadn't observed their behavior.
"You good here, Clem. These kids aren't being mean to you, right?" Kenny asked.
"We were just messing around. That's all." Mason said.
"I'll keep an eye on her." Becca said. "She's okay."
"Alright…" Kenny sighed before deciding to head to his patrol shift, leaving the children to play. Maybe he was just being paranoid.
Clementine held the bow and arrow in her small hands, taking aim she fired at a few trees.
"Not bad for a cripple." Mason chuckled.
There was that word again. She a surge of annoyance flood through her.
The others watched and she could hear some of the kids mutter to one another. She ignored them as she took a few more shots.
"Okay, that's enough, miss trigger happy." Mason stepped over to take his bow.
Clementine turned to the boy and without hesitation fired one last shot, hitting a tree beside them. "Don't fuck with me. Next time I won't miss." The girl said in a cold tone.
The kids gulped. Becca and Sarah stood in shock. Gill's eyes were wide in surprise and Terrell had a smirk on his face.
Clementine looked over to Sarah, Becca, and Gill. "I'm ready to go back. I need to check on the twins."
Gill simply nodded in response.
Kenny didn't trust Terrell. There was just something about the boy that bothered him.
He hated the fact that Clementine wanted to be around him. He hated the fact that everyone in town liked the boy so much. He hated that Christa trusted him enough that she let Clementine hang with him.
That boy was trouble and he knew it. He just wished other people did as well.
He huffed as he took look out. The man's brow furrowed as his single eyes caught sight of what appeared to be a small figure in the distant.
His thoughts raced and he uttered a quiet "What the hell?", as the figure walked closer, heading towards the town.
Hand on his gun, he found himself unable to raise it as he realized this figure was a small child…
