I'm so sorry for the extremely long wait for this chapter. There's been a lot going on. Hopefully everyone enjoys it and I can get the next one out sooner rather than later.

Everyone stay safe with all the craziness going on in the world currently.

And a big thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.


Wellington wasn't doing great. It had become obvious to everyone there. The town was over-crowded, and each time they turned a group away, especially a large group, that only help create another potential attacker- people harboring anger at not being accepted behind the walls of Wellington's safe zone.

The town had already been the target of several failed attacks. Bandits surely had their eye on the place.

It didn't help that the people here weren't soldiers. They weren't fighters. Mostly everyone in Wellington was a survivor just trying to live a peaceful life. And they wanted it to be as close as to what the world used to be.

Due to random snowfalls and unexpected bandit attacks, the hunting parties could only go but so far to search for food.

Which meant there was less to eat, and more people in Wellington than could be fed. With the deteriorating food situation, rations were cut. Reduced rations left everyone struggling.

The easiest way for children to get food was to go to school where they were given a warm meal. Otherwise rations were split between the household.

However, the last attack to the town had left several guards injured leaving the town vulnerable, which left the leaders with another idea on how to defend their town.

"I understand that the children need to be able to defend themselves but is this really necessary? It feels to me that we're putting them more at risk." Edith spoke.

Implementing survival lessons and patrols during the school days made Edith feel like their town was raising children to become soldiers. Edith couldn't imagine forcing little Clementine or Danielle on a patrol around town.

"The only way this town is going to thrive is if everyone pitches in to make it work. We all have to protect it." One of the town leaders said. "These groups aren't giving us a choice...Each and every school age child needs to be in attendance. No exceptions."

Edith frowned at that. "Clementine and Danielle need to be exceptions. Those two aren't gonna do well in a school setting. They-"

"Need to learn as much as any other child." The leader cut the woman off. "Just as before, it is a child's job to attend school. This is for their own good and ours as well."

"What if they don't? What if the family doesn't want to send them?" Edith asked.

"If a family cannot oblige to our rules, they don't need to be in this town and they're fully welcome to leave."" The leader said.


"Edith, you already know why I can't do that." Christa said. "Clementine's not going to do well in a school setting…"

"You won't know that until you send her." Edith said. "I spoke to Dani about going, and she said, she'll go if Clem does."

"There are multiple reasons why this won't work." Christa said. "Clementine's a mother to two babies, she can't stand being away from the twins for too long…"

"Look, she… she might not have to. We'll try to work something out where she only has to do a half a day." Edith said. "She won't have to go to school as often as the other children."

"This just doesn't feel like a good idea." Christa frowned.

"This is necessary… It's for the best interest of all the children." Edith said.

"Are you sure? Because I really don't think Clem's best interest is in mind. Danielle's either." Christa huffed.

"It was decided at the meeting that all children must attend the school." Edith said. "It's out of my power."

"Just… give me some time to talk to her." Christa frowned.

Edith gave a small nod.


"Watch!" Clementine commanded. Laying her crutches down, the child walked the length of the room unaided while Christa watched with a smile. Her achievement had climaxed thanks to intensive therapy. She still had more rebuilding of her body to do but she was delighted with her small but triumphant excursion.

"That's great, Clem." Christa praised. "Really. But don't push yourself. I don't want you getting hurt."

"…Okay…" Clementine studied her guardian's face and asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine… But… We need to talk." Christa said.

"Okay…" Clementine said. "What about?"

Christa motioned to the bed, "Take a seat…"

Clementine made her way back to the bed and took a seat. Christa took a seat beside her.

"So… Edith came by earlier…And we talked a bit." Christa said.

The girl immediately seemed nervous, "Am… Am I in trouble?"

"No. Of course not." Christa said. "I just wanted to ask you something …How would you feel about going to school."

Clementine was silent for a moment before simply saying. "I don't want to go."

Christa sighed, "I know you don't want to. But it probably wouldn't be as bad as you think."

"Of course it would! I'd be away from my girls!" Clementine exclaimed.

"It'll only be for a few hours." Christa said.

"A few hours is too long! I wanna be with them all the time." Clementine protested.

"I know, Clem. I know…" Christa sighed. "Listen, sweetie-"

"No! I don't wanna go!" Clementine said, shaking her head. "I'm staying here with my girls."

"Clem, please…Don't be difficult right now." Christa said.

"You can't make me! You can't!" Clementine turned away from the woman.

"Clem, you have to. I know you don't want to, but you have to." Christa said. "Just like children had to go to school before. They have to go here too."

"I'm not a child. I can't go, because I have to watch my girls." Clementine said.

"You'll still be able to take care of your girls." Christa replied.

"Not if I'm at school." Clementine said. "They need me."

"I need you to give school a chance. Please." Christa said.

"No… I don't want to go…" The girl remained stubborn. "Why are you trying to punish me?"

"It's not a punishment, Clem. I promise you that." Christa said.

"It feels like one." Clementine said.

Christa frowned at the child's words. "I'm going to talk to Edith, and I'll let you know what she says, but I can't make any promise for anything yet."

"…Okay…"


"I talked to Clementine about the school situation." Christa explained to Edith the next day while Clementine and Danielle were playing.

Edith took a sip of her tea, which Christa had prepared. "How'd she take it?" She asked.

"As well as I expected. She doesn't want to go." Christa replied.

Edith sighed at that. "I figured. I wish she didn't have to. I tried to make her and Danielle exceptions, but the leaders were stubborn."

"I just feel like this is gonna hurt Clem, not help her." Christa said.

"I'm not trying to hurt her. I'm just following orders." Edith said.

"Yeah, at what cost?" Christa huffed.

"At the cost of her staying here." Edith said, almost regretting those words when Christa sent her a cold look. "It's either the parents willingly allow the child to partake in the school program or we'll before forced to lower rations."

"More than you already have?" Christa scoffed. "Clem can't go right now. You know what she's been through."

"I understand. Dani's been through the same. But I feel like if they go together, they'll be okay." Edith said.

"Clem has two kids. And she obviously has separation anxiety. She doesn't want to be away from them." Christa said.

"I know she doesn't. We'll figure something out, maybe get her to only have a half day." Edith said.

"I don't think that will make things much better…" Christa sighed.

"I don't know what else to do… I'll try to talk to the leaders again…" Edith said.

"Alright…." Christa sighed.


"Edith, we've already spoken on this matter." The leader said, looking annoyed.

"I know what was said but those two little girls should be excused." Edith stressed to him.

"If we allow them to be excused then other people will expect to be excused from their duties. We're not asking the children to do much. Attend the school." The leader said.

"Clem… she has two babies to look after…" Edith explained. "And one of the babies is… sick."

"Babies also used resources, resources their mother should be working for." The leader said.

"Usually I would agree. But the mother is a child herself. A young child at that." Edith said.

"Regardless, If they don't follow the rules. They can't stay." The leader said.

"That's over the top don't you think?" Edith asked.

"It's simple. If they want to make it complicated, then we'll have to take extra measures." The leader said.

"This doesn't seem right…" Edith said.

"We're doing this for our town. Since it appears you can't handle this situation, I'll talk to them myself." The leader said.

Edith started to protest but knew it would be no use.


Christa was more than surprised when the town leader and a couple guards showed up to their door that evening.

She hesitantly allowed the trio in as the leader had informed her, he needed to speak with her.

"What is this all about…?" Christa questioned. "It's kind of late…"

"Is there a young girl here. Clementine?" The leader asked.

"Yeah… That's my girl." Christa nodded.

"Your daughter?" The leader asked.

"Something like that." Christa said.

"Well, I'd like to talk to her." The leader said.

"About what?" Christa asked.

"Edith has probably spoken to you about the required schooling of the towns' children, correct?" The leader asked.

"I asked her to plead Clementine's case. That little girl has been through a lot. A school setting would be too intense for her right now." Christa said.

"It's not an option… We have certain things the children will learn in schools." The leader said.

"Like what?" Christa asked.

"This is for the children to learn how to defend themselves and their town. Think of it as a military school." The leader said.

Christa furrowed her brows.

"I'd like to speak with your girl." The leader repeated.

Christa seemed hesitant.

"You can be present, if that makes you feel better." The leader said.

"Yeah… Anything you say to her, you shouldn't have a problem saying in front of me." Christa said.

The leader simply nodded.

"I'll go get her." Christa said before going to the little girl's room. "Clementine, we have guests…"

"Is someone here to play with me?" Clementine asked innocently.

"Not quite…" Christa sighed. "They want to talk to you though."

"Oh?" The nervous look that crossed the girl's face made Christa's heart ache. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Not at all… Just come with me, okay?" Christa said.

"Okay…" Clementine said.


Before long Clementine found herself seated on the couch with two guards and Wellington's leader staring back at her.

"I have to talk to you about something serious." The leader said. "What happens in society if people don't follow the rules?"

"They get in trouble..." Clementine answered, feeling confused.

"That's right. Sometimes society decides they can't live there anymore, and they're removed." The leader said.

"What are you saying? What exactly do you mean by that? Are you threatening us?" Christa inquired; a bit taken aback by his words.

"My apologies," he said with a smile. "I don't mean to worry you. I'm just stating a point. People who don't follow the rules will be forcefully removed from Wellington by our troops."

"You are threatening us. If you mention troops, then you're threatening us." Christa said.

The leader ignored her words, keeping his gaze on Clementine. "What the world looks like tomorrow depends on the outcomes of today. Have you ever heard that saying?"

Clementine shook her head.

"Well, it's true, little one." The man said. "…I heard you have babies living here."

"Mm-hm. AJ… And my twins." Clementine said.

"AJ and your twins?" The leader repeated.

"Yes…" Clementine said.

"You know, when people have children it's their responsibility to provide for them." The leader said.

"I know…." Clementine muttered.

"But we provide the resources for them…" The man said.

"Which we appreciate." Christa cut in.

"That's not enough…" The man said. "If you want to continue to receive their needed resources, you'll comply with our rules."

"You mean… go to the school…?" Clementine asked.

"Exactly." The leader said.

"But I'll miss my girls." Clementine said.

"What's more important? Your feelings, or their health? Is your baby not sick? Does our hospital not provide supplies to keep her alive?" The leader asked in a cold tone.

Clementine was quiet for a moment before saying, "I'll go…"

"That-a-girl. I knew you were smart." The leader smirked.

Christa shot him a glare. There were several good reasons for children to attend school but the fact that it was required was ridiculous. Christa felt her blood boil at how this man came in and spoke to her girl.

"You can leave now." Christa said.

"Gladly. Sorry to disturb." The leader said. "You have a nice day now."

Clementine flinched at those words, the way he said it made her heart skip a beat. It reminded her of… of him…

Christa noticed this and saw the young girl trembling a bit. "Clem, what's wrong?"

Clementine didn't respond.

"Clem?" Christa asked, concern clear on her face.

"I… I just need to be with my girls…" Clementine mumbled.

"Okay, Clem… Let me know if you need anything." Christa knew better than to press the issue. "And don't stay up too late, okay."

Clementine simply nodded in response.


"Hey, hon..." Kenny greeted Sarita as he entered the living room.

"Hello, Kenny." Sarita greeted back, while gently bouncing AJ in her lap.

"How are you and the little guy?" Kenny asked.

"We're okay…" Sarita said. "We're running low on baby food."

"I know… I tried to talk about getting more rations but..." Kenny trailed off with a sigh.

"No luck?" Sarita asked with a frown.

"Nah. Nothing new." Kenny said. "They're not budging on anything. People brought the issue up numerous times."

"Great, you're both here." Christa said as she stepped into the living room. "You're not going to believe this bullshit…"

"What are you talking about?" Kenny asked.

"Those assholes threatened us yesterday!" Christa exclaimed.

Kenny straightened up at that. "Hold on… Wait… who threatened you?"

"The leader came knocking on the door last night, demanding we send Clem to school. And he had the nerve to threaten her and the kids." Christa said.

Sarita's eyes widened at that. "Wh-What?"

"This is ridiculous. First, they keep cutting our rations- we barely have enough as it is. And now they're throwing threats around." Christa said.

"My goodness… What do we do about it?" Sarita asked.

"I… I don't know… but we're gonna have to do something." Kenny said. "What exactly did that asshole say?"

"He told Clem that if she didn't go to school, they'd be forced to cut more rations and… refuse Aleena her medicine." Christa explained.

"Maybe… He was bluffing." Sarita said.

"Bluffing or not, I don't give a damn. They threatened a baby." Christa huffed. "And they threatened Clem."

"This is the shit I was worried about…" Kenny shook his head. "It's like that Crawford place all over again."

Sarita looked to him, "What?"

"There was a place in Savannah, called Crawford. The girl who used the bells, Molly- she had mentioned how it used to be a community, but it fell. Rules got strict, and it got to the point where they restricted who could stay in town. Wouldn't let kids, elderly, or anyone who was ill stay…" Kenny explained.

"Why would they do that?" Sarita asked in horror.

"Because they didn't want anyone who they considered a liability." Kenny said.

"I remember Molly mentioning that." Christa muttered. "…This is why I don't do groups. They always fall apart."

"What else can we do? You wanna run solo now?" Kenny scoffed.

"No, that's not what I meant." Christa sighed. "I'm not leaving the kids."

"Then what do you suggest?" Kenny asked.

"That we stock up on supplies. And we leave while we have the chance." Christa said.

"You're kidding, right? Are you forgetting how much we went through just to get here?" Kenny inquired.

"Of course not! But people know exactly what happened to Clem and Dani. It's not a secret, so I can't for the life of me understand why they're pushing so hard to get them to go to school. And I won't stand for someone threatening those kids." Christa said. "Edith tried to plead their case, but it didn't help. She couldn't get through to them."

"We'll… We'll figure something out." Kenny said.

"I hope so…" Christa said.

"Me too. How's Clem doing anyways?" Sarita asked.

"She's been on that little treadmill for almost an hour." Christa sighed.

"Ain't nothing wrong with that." Kenny shrugged.

"She's been working out non-stop, Kenny. She doesn't need to be pushing herself so much." Christa said.

"Did she eat breakfast?" Kenny asked.

"Barely." Christa said.

"But she ate?" Kenny questioned.

"Yes she did." Christa replied.

"Then I don't see what the problem is." Kenny said.

"The problem is she's overworking herself. The doctor even said she's been losing weight at a quicker pace than most adult woman do after having a baby." Christa said.

"That's a good thing, ain't it?" Kenny said. "She had to lose the baby weight eventually."

"I don't want her making herself sick. With how they're cutting our rations and the way she's working out it could become a bad thing. I don't want her making a habit of starving herself or overworking herself." Christa said.

"If the doctor ain't concerned about it, ain't no reason for us to be." Kenny said with a shrug. "And she's not starving, just because she eats like a damn mouse."

"I'll be voicing my concerns during her next check-up. I just wish you would realize how serious this is." Christa said.

"I just wish you would stop worrying so much. She's fine." Kenny said. "I'm gonna go check on her."

Christa had no time to respond before Kenny had walked off.


Upon hearing someone enter her room, Clementine glanced over to see Kenny, but didn't stop her walking. "Hi…"

"Hey, Clementine. How are you doing?" Kenny asked the girl.

"I'm… okay." Clementine said.

"I see you're working out again…" Kenny observed.

"Uh-huh."

"Christa said you've been at it for a long while." Kenny said.

Clementine finally stopped, stepping off the treadmill. "The doctor said if I walk on the treadmill it will help me transition from the crutches."

"No need to rush things, darlin'." Kenny said. "And you shouldn't push yourself."

"I want to lose more weight, so I need to keep working out." Clementine said.

"You already lost a lot of weight, darlin'." Kenny said.

"Not enough."

"More than enough. You don't need to make yourself sick." Kenny said.

"You don't need to worry about me." Clementine said.

"It's my job to worry about you, Clem. I'm supposed to protect you." Kenny replied.

"From the people who wanna kick us out?" Clementine suddenly asked.

"No one wants to kick us out…"

"They said so… They want me to go to school and… and leave my girls." Clementine said. "And if I don't, they'll kick us out."

"I ain't gonna let that happen." Kenny said. "Don't worry about what those shitbirds said."

"I don't want them to make me go. I wanna stay with my girls and… and with AJ." Clementine said.

"You ain't gonna be alone there. Sarah and Becca-"

"They both barely talk to me…" Clementine cut him off. "And Becca is always being mean…"

"It's… just a phase. Give them some time." Kenny said.

Clementine just shook her head with a frown.

"Everything will be fine, darlin." Kenny said.


Every minute that passed without him knowing where the girls were or if they were okay made him sick. Luke yearned to see them. He needed to know they were okay.

"Something on your mind?" Bonnie's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Something's always on my mind… Just thinking about the girls…" Luke answered.

"The twins…?" Bonnie asked.

Luke nodded, "Yeah…"

After killing their captors, the small group settled down at their camp. But Luke was ready to move on.

"I'm sure they're okay, Luke…" Bonnie said.

"I am too… But… I'd like to see that for myself." Luke said.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked.

"I was thinking about leaving." Luke admitted.

Bonnie looked surprised. "You wanna leave? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Well, those assholes forced us here in the first place. They took all our supplies and forced us to come to their camp and be their errand boys." Luke reminded.

"But they're dead now… Luke, it's safe here. There's food… we have a whole camp. Leaving is just… it's too dangerous." Bonnie said.

"Everywhere is dangerous. I have two little girls out there; they need their daddy." Luke said. "…Back at the town, Christa came up to me and talked to me about leaving.

"Really?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah… And I was close to doing it." Luke said.

"You thought about leaving us?" Bonnie questioned, feeling hurt.

"I did." Luke said. "I did think about it… But can you really look at me and say none of you thought about taking off? I wanted to do what was best for Clem and the twins."

"Did you really think that was best? Especially after what happened with Jane." Bonnie said.

"That's the reason why I wanted to leave. Anyway… she talked to me about leaving before the whole Jane situation." Luke said.

Bonnie frowned at that. "So you were really thinking about up and leaving?"

"Yes. I really was." Luke simply replied.

"Can't say I'm surprised." Vince spoke up. "That whole group was run on lies and deceit. It felt like no one really trusted each other."

"Look, I'm only bringing this up because both Kenny and Christa had mentioned Wellington. If Wellington is out there, that means that's probably where they are." Luke said. "I want to go find them."

"Well… I mean, if you're confident that they're out there in Wellington than I'll go with you. I'll go with you to find your little ones…" Bonnie said.

"Really…? I appreciate it, Bonnie." Luke said before looking to Vince, Wyatt, and Russell, "What about you guys?"

"You really think leaving this behind is smart?" Russell asked.

"I don't know." Luke said. "But I gotta take the chance."

"Well good luck with that… You guys are on your own." Russell scoffed.

"Russell, don't be like that." Wyatt said.

"I'm serious. I… I don't want to leave. I don't want to just go back out there and end up dead." Russell said.

"That's not gonna happen." Luke said.

"You don't know that." Russell said.

"If they're alive and they're out there, how are you even going to find them?" Wyatt asked.

"I'm sure they're at Wellington. That's where they have to be." Luke said.

"Where exactly is this Wellington?" Vince asked.

"It's in Michigan. That's what Kenny said." Luke said.

"What if this Wellington place isn't even real. What if it was just some stupid pipe dream they had?" Wyatt asked.

"I'll keep looking until I find them. I want to see the twins again." Luke said.

"Maybe they're better off…" Russell said.

"Fuck no! I'm not leaving them. I want them to know who I am. I want them to know that their daddy actually looked for them." Luke said.

"You don't even know if they're still alive!" Russell said.

"They are. They… have to be… They have to be." Luke said.


"Rise and shine, Clem." Christa's voice and nudging made Clementine stir awake.

The girl groaned as she slowly sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "I really don't want to go…"

"It's not going to be as bad as you think." Christa said.

"Of course it is! I'll be away from my girls." Clementine huffed.

"There's nothing wrong with just trying to go to school. One day won't hurt." Christa said. "You'll be fine. You'll make a bunch of friends no problem."

"I don't need any more friends. I just wanna stay here." Clementine frowned. "Please don't make me go, Christa…"

"Just try going for one day… You might have fun." Christa said.

Clementine shook her head. "I won't…"

"Danielle's going. I think she'd feel better if you were with her…" Christa said.

"I don't want to be away from my twins. What don't you people understand?" Clementine said.

"I fully understand, Clem. Trust me."

"Then why can't I stay here?" Clementine asked.

"Because… they're going to keep complaining about this. Please just do this for your girls…" Christa said.

"For my girls…?"

Christa nodded.

Clementine frowned. "…Will you come get me when school's over."

"I promise you I will." Christa said.

"And… will you bring the twins?" Clementine said.

"If it's not too cold outside, I'll bring the twins." Christa said.

"…Okay. For my girls."


The first day in the class, Clementine knew she wasn't going to like this.

"Why don't you two introduce yourselves? Say your name and something interesting about yourself." The teacher said.

Both Clementine and Danielle exchanged looks at being put on the spot like that. Neither of them said a word.

"That's Clementine and that's Danielle," Becca spoke up, motioning towards the two as she introduced them.

"Becca, I appreciate your help, but I think they can speak or themselves." The teacher looked to the two girls.

Danielle shrank back a bit, hesitating to speak.

"My name is Clementine." Clementine spoke first, sensing her friend's uncomfortableness.

"My…My name's Danielle." Danielle spoke up. "And… Umm… this is F-Flopsie."

Some of the kids snickered.

Danielle frowned and shrink back into her seat.

"Stop laughing at us! We don't want to be here in the first place!" Clementine snapped at the class.

"Clementine, settle down, please." The teacher said. "I assure you school can be a great experience. Why wouldn't you want to be here."

"I want to be with my girls." Clementine replied.

"Your girls?" The teacher asked.

"She has two kids." Becca spoke up.

Everyone fell quiet. Shock expressions on the kids' and the teacher's faces.

"You're a… mother?" The teacher questioned.

Clementine nodded. "I have two daughters. They're twins."

"…Wow…" One of the kids said.

"What the hell? You're like ten…" Another kid said.

"I'm twelve…" Clementine corrected.

The teacher cleared her throat, still shocked by the information. "Settle down everyone. Let's…start class."


Most the kids in the school seemed older than her and Danielle. So, the two younger children were forced to entertain themselves.

Unfortunately for Clementine, the first day of school went about as she expected.

The teacher seemed welcoming, but the children didn't make her feel comfortable at all.

If she tried to talk to any of the older kids, they would turn their backs or talk amongst themselves-ignoring her.

It felt weird, sitting in a classroom all day. Clementine was anxious sitting in one place for so long, she'd find herself constantly doodling in a notebook or playing with her teddy bear. Promise helped with her anxiety, she needed him. She spoke to Danielle, Sarah, and Becca when the girl would talk to her, but for the most part she tuned out.

"Look who's walking. What happened to your wheelchair?" One of the boys as Clementine during free period.

"I don't need it anymore." Clementine said.

"Right. You got those now." He motioned to her crutches. "If your legs are so useless why don't you just cut them off."

"That's a stupid question." Clementine said, shooting him a look.

"She's right. It is." An older girl said. "The real question should be, why don't you just kill yourself since you're so useless."

Clementine frowned at that before saying, "Why don't you?"

"You're a bold little brat, ain't you?" The boy scoffed.

"Forget it, Hunter. She's not worth it." The girl said. "Come on."

The two walked away and a stunned Gill spoke, "Wow…"

"What?" Clementine asked turning to him.

"I just… People don't usually stand up to them…" Gill said.

"I'm not people. And I'm not scared of a stupid bully." Clementine said.

Gill had to admit the girl never failed to impress him.


"Out of your mouth, darlin…" Kenny spoke in a calm voice.

Sarita sent him a look, "Kenny…"

"Clementine… I'm talking to you." Kenny spoke, ignoring Sarita. "Earth to Clementine."

The girl finally met his gaze.

"Get your thumb outta your mouth, please." Kenny said.

When the child didn't comply, Kenny groaned.

"It's not a huge deal, Kenny." Sarita said. "She's a young child."

"It is a huge deal. You know how I feel about her sucking her thumb." Kenny said.

"It's a coping mechanism. A lot of kids do it after trauma…" Sarita said.

"Danielle doesn't." Kenny said.

"Danielle carries Flopsie around like a security blanket. That's her coping mechanism. Clementine doesn't have Promise twenty-four hours a day." Christa said.

Kenny knew that was true, the girl liked to leave her bear with the twins so he could "watch over them". She only usually held him when she was upset, or during bedtime.

"Well, I don't want her to do it." Kenny said, suddenly standing from the table.

"What are you doing?" Christa asked.

"Where's her bear?" Kenny asked.

"Why?" Christa asked.

Ignoring her question, Kenny continued looking for the child's teddy bear, eventually finding it on the couch. He made his way back over to the young girl. "Take your thumb outta your mouth, Clem. And I'll give you Promise."

Clementine frowned and tried to reach for the bear with her free hand.

"Not until you take your thumb out your mouth."

"Kenny, come on. Just give her the bear." Christa said.

"Once she stops sucking her thumb…" Kenny said.

Clementine whimpered a bit then forced her thumb from her mouth.

"Thank you." Kenny said, offering the toy to the child.

Clementine practically snatched it from his grip. "Don't take Promise anymore…"

"Then don't suck your thumb anymore." Kenny shot back.

"Kenny…" Sarita shook her head in disapproval. She sent Clementine a kind smile and asked, "How was your first day, Clem?"

"…I hated it." Clementine simply replied.

"It couldn't have been that bad." Kenny said.

"It was more than "that" bad. I'm never going back there." Clementine said.

"Why do you say that?" Sarita asked.

"People were picking on her." Sarah said.

"And neither of you said anything?" Kenny asked.

"I…I didn't know what to do…" Sarah frowned. "I didn't want them to pick on me too."

"No one ever helps me…" Clementine said.

"It's not our fault you can't defend yourself." Becca said.

"You guys should have each other's back. Don't let Clem get picked on." Kenny said.

Becca rolled her eyes at that.

"So, what exactly did they teach you guys?" Christa asked, wondering why they were pushing so hard for her to send Clementine.

"They talked about patrols, hunting, stuff like that." Becca said. "They want everyone to be able to pull their own weight."

"I'd rather work than go to school." Clementine said.

"Clem, you can hardly walk." Kenny said.

"Thanks for throwing that in my face." Clementine said with a slight pout. "I'm staying here tomorrow."

"Clementine, you know that's not an option." Christa said.

"You said just try it once. I tried it once, and I hate it." Clementine replied.

"You have to go… They want you to." Christa said.

"I don't care. I never want to go back." Clementine argued.

"Well, if you don't, you'll be in trouble. We all will." Christa said.

"Then why can't we just leave?" Clementine inquired.

"Because we can't, Clem. You know that. We're safer here than anywhere else." Christa said. "Think about the twins- about Aleena. She won't survive out there. Chances are neither of the twins will."

"B-But…"

"I'm not gonna sit here and let what happened to Gen happen to them." Christa said.

"Gen…?" Clementine furrowed her brows.

"…My daughter…" Christa said. "I won't let another child die."

Clementine's eyes suddenly widened, a flashback coming to her.

Screams filled the confined space of the car they were in. Clementine, the little nine-year old girl, had no idea what she was doing. Christa's loud screams hurt her ears, and the small child was so worried that the noise would bring walkers.

The baby was soon held in her arms. A baby girl. However, there was a big issue. The baby wasn't moving, at all.

Christa took a couple breaths before speaking, "L-Let me… Let me see my baby…"

"T-The… The baby's not breathing." Clementine said.

"What?!" Christa gasped. "Give me my baby!"

Clementine handed the infant over with no hesitation, the little girl could feel her body quivering.

Christa held her baby close, tears springing to her eyes.

"N-No…No… No! This can't be happening! NO!"

Clementine flinched; her trembling didn't stop. She could hear Christa's cries and felt tears fall from her own face.

"Clementine, what's wrong?" The young girl was snapped back into reality, she could feel her little body shaking. "Did you remember something?"

Clementine gave a small nod but found herself unable to speak.

"You… remembered Genevieve, didn't you?" Christa asked.

Clementine nodded once more, choking on a sob. She hadn't realized she had been crying until she felt the wet droplets on her shirt.

Christa pulled the young girl into a hug. "It's gonna be okay…"


It had taken quite a while for Clementine to calm down. The girl seemed saddened for the remainder of the day. When Christa tucked her into bed, she still was a bit shaken up.

"Are you okay, Clem?" Christa asked.

"…I guess…" Clementine shrugged.

"Hey… Promise me you'll go tomorrow without a problem."

"I don't want to go, but I will." Clementine said.

"That's my girl." Christa said. "Try to get some rest, Clem."

The girl simply nodded, though she couldn't shake her anxiousness.


Getting the children into school wasn't as bad as Christa had expected, but both Clementine and Danielle had problems adjusting to the school, the teachers, and routines.

In the days to come, things didn't get any better.

Clementine decided to stick with her select friends. She had quickly learned how harsh the older children could be.

The girl was faced with ever increasing stress as the older kids made her a victim of bullying. Often, they would mention how she should be home with her babies, which annoyed the young girl. If she had the choice she would be with her girls.

Clementine continuously found herself getting into arguments with the other children. The teacher was completely aware of the bullying but always claimed the children just played rough, and Clementine should toughen up and grow thicker skin as the world was a harsh place. "This is survival school." She would say, "So we don't need any crybabies."

It didn't help that the kids who picked on her, Becca considered as friends. Becca was supposed to be her friend; however, the older girl always made the excuse that Clementine was more like an "annoying little sister" than her friend. Becca would always step in if things went too far, but she didn't stop the simple teasing. She didn't think it was a big deal.

Clementine had already decided that she hated the school. She hated the kids, and she hated the teacher. She hated being there.

As the days passed Clementine started keeping to herself a bit more, refusing to speak a word to anyone in the classroom besides Sarah, Becca, Danielle, or Gill. The girl panicked every time an adult got too close to her.

Despite barely being able to walk, the girl refused to stay somewhere she didn't want to be. She would sneak out of class any opportunity she got, wanting nothing more than to be with her twins.

Christa quickly realized the child had severe separation anxiety when it came to the twins. She couldn't be away from them for longer than a few hours without going into panic mode.

The girl's tantrums got so bad that Christa and the teacher made an agreement to have the child return home around lunch, at least until she got used to school life.

Supervised class instruction lasted for four hours a day, not including survival training which added another two hours. However, she and Danielle were only made to sit in class for about half of the school day much to her relief.

Still, the woman knew kids could be cruel, so when Clementine came home telling her about being picked on by other children, the woman wasn't surprised. Christa had told the child it was okay to defend herself, and not to hesitate if she had to.

The woman quickly regretted those words. If Clementine found herself being picked on by a child or an adult, she would retaliate in some way.

The girl would often come home around lunch with a note from the teacher about how she had acted out. And she had to be escorted by one of the guards to and from school. Usually Edith, or Kenny would be the ones to pick up Clementine and Danielle early. However, if they were busy, it would be Terrell, who little Clementine seemed to have grown close to.

Home life wasn't much better. The girl's nightmares continued. And her behavior became more and more aggressive when she was frustrated. Christa sometimes found herself struggling to keep calm when she was dealing with Clementine on a bad day.

However, despite her hardships, little Clementine remained calm and attentive when it came to the twins. She was the perfect mother to them, regardless of her young age. Those two babies were the light of her life. Seeing her interactions with the twins and even AJ reminded Christa that Clementine was really a good kid.


"Why's everyone always picking on me at the school?" Clementine asked, as she played a board game with her friends.

"Who knows?" Becca said.

"Maybe they're jealous." Sarah suggested.

"Jealous of what?" Clementine asked.

"You get a lot of special attention." Becca said.

"I do not. Why do you always say that?" Clementine asked.

"Bullshit, you literally get escorted around by a guard who every girl, if not almost every woman in town has the hots for." Becca said.

"The hots?" Clementine rose a brow.

"They think he's sexy." Becca explained. "That's probably the big reason the girls pick on you. Or… they could just think you're annoying."

"Hey…" Clementine frowned.

"So, what do you think of him?" Danielle asked.

"Huh?" Clementine looked to the girl, wanting her to clarify.

"She means of your little bodyguard." Becca said.

"He's not my bodyguard." Clementine said.

"Yeah, right." Becca said.

"Terrell's nice, and he's kind of cute." Clementine admitted. "I like him."

"And he's also way older than you so you shouldn't even be thinking about him." Gill said.

Clementine simply shrugged.

"A guy like that would probably only go for a girl as sexy as him." Becca said.

"What makes a woman sexy?" Clementine asked.

"I don't know, some people are just naturally sexy… For others, they have to make themselves sexy, with short skirts or makeup." Becca shrugged.

"Doesn't being sexy make bad people want to hurt you?" Danielle asked.

"Of course you would think that." Becca said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clementine asked offended by that.

"You two got a raw deal in life, so you both expect everyone to hurt you." Becca said. "Besides those guys who hurt you are crazy. There's nothing sexy about little kids."

"I expect people to hurt me, because some people are awful." Danielle said.

"If you hate people because you were hurt in the past, you'll be more frightened of getting hurt in the future." Becca said.

"I don't hate anyone, but I'm scared of bad people." Sarah said.

"Hating and not trusting are different things..." Danielle said. "I don't trust most people."

"Me either. In this world people will hurt anyone." Gill said.

"They'll hurt you more if you expect to be hurt." Becca said.

"Why would people want to be sexy for a guy?" Clementine suddenly asked.

"Because if you like someone, you want to look good for them. It's called dressed to impress." Becca said.

"Don't listen to her, Clem. A guy should like you for you." Gill said.

"You guys are just too young to understand. You'll get it when you're older." Becca shrugged.

Clementine hummed at that.


When Kenny went to pick up Clementine and Danielle from school the next day, he was surprised to see little Clementine had a face full of makeup. "What the hell is on your face?"

"Makeup. I wanted to look more grown-up." Clementine said nonchalantly. "Maybe now people will stop calling me a kid."

"Alright... We need to clean that up before Christa sees you." Kenny said.

Clementine's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No way... I just got it done."

"Who put that on you?" Kenny asked.

"Becca. She said she learned how from her sister." Clementine said. "Even though she said she wouldn't wear it herself."

"Where did you even get that stuff?" Kenny asked.

"Does it matter?" Clementine asked.

"Yes, kid. It does matter." Kenny said.

When the young girl didn't respond Kenny looked to her friend, "Danielle...?"

"She... traded away her food pass." Danielle said after a moment of hesitation.

Kenny sighed at that. "Clem... You're gonna go inside and wash that shit off your face. Then you're gonna go straight to your room and we're gonna talk."

"But-"

"No buts... Christa's gonna flip out if she sees that all over your face." Kenny said.

Clementine pouted at that.

"Let's go..." Kenny said.


The second they walked in the house, both Christa and Sarita were shocked to see Clementine's new look.

"Clementine, are you wearing makeup?" Sarita asked the girl.

"I..." Clementine trailed off, shifting uncomfortably.

Scrutinizing her outfit, Christa furrowed her brows- the girl's jacket was undone; jeans cut. "And what's with that outfit. Rip jeans? I don't recall you wearing that this morning."

The child's face warmed. "I cut them up."

"What the hell are you doing dressed like that?" Christa inquired.

"I just wanted to look nice." Clementine said.

"For who?" Sarita asked.

"If you think you're allowed to go out dressed like that, you're out of your damn mind." Christa said.

"Ladies, calm down. I'm handling it." Kenny spoke up as he urged the child to the bathroom.

Still pouting Clementine huffed. "I want to play with Dani."

"We need to talk first. Go on." Kenny said in a strict tone.

The child obliged.

"I got this one." Kenny said to the women before going to chat with Clementine.

Christa and Sarita exchanged looks.

"Would you like to play with AJ, Danielle?" Sarita asked.

"Yes please." Danielle said. She went to play with the babbling toddler while waiting for her friend.


"I never wanna see you dressed in an outfit like that again." Kenny said. "What's going on with you, Clem?"

"Nothing..."

"Something is going on. You've been so..." Kenny paused, thinking on the word.

"Different?" Clementine finished for him. "Everything's been different."

"Clementine...this is... this is where we are now." Kenny said. "What made you wanna wear that shit...?"

"The older girls wear it so I thought I should too... I made a trade of my lunch for the day." Clementine explained.

"Clem..." Kenny shook his head. "If you bring that crap here I'm throwing it all away."

"W-Why? It's mine!" Clementine argued.

"You're a little kid. You don't need to be acting like those older girls." Kenny said.

Clementine bit her lip, not responding.

"Are you doing this to impress some boy?" Kenny asked.

Clementine shrugged. "I don't know."

"Clem, look at me...If someone likes you, they'll like you no matter what you wear. And they won't care if you have makeup on." Kenny said. "Don't grow up too fast, kid."

Clementine felt like she had heard his last statement a bit too late.


The next morning, a doctor had come by to do his regular checkups on Clementine, AJ, and the twins. Clementine was happy to hear that Aleena was doing better with breathing on her own and didn't need to use her oxygen tank as regularly.

"How are you doing, Clementine?" The doctor asked.

"I'm okay…" Clementine said.

"That's good. Have you been eating right?" The doctor questioned.

Clementine shrugged in response.

"She hasn't been eating much, but it's been better than nothing…" Christa said.

"Well, from what I've observed she's been doing great with her therapy." The doctor said. "And I think that she's been doing well with her weight…"

"Not good enough…" Clementine pouted.

"You lost a lot of weight already. The pregnancy added about forty pounds to your body. But because walking with crutches is more difficult than basic walking, it actually provides a cardio workout, which is why you have been rapidly losing weight." The doctor said.

"That's a good thing, right?" Clementine asked.

"It's not a bad thing but…"

"We don't want you to be underweight." Christa finished.

"She's right. It's important that you maintain a proper weight, or you could get very sick." The doctor spoke. "If you eat the wrong thing you could get sick, if you don't eat enough you could get sick. You have to look after your body…"

"Especially, since you have two little ones relying on you…" Christa said.

"I just want to be stronger. I feel gross and weak…" Clementine said.

"You're not gross or weak at all." Christa said.

"The issue isn't that you're weak. You gave birth at a young age. Most likely your inability to walk properly came from nerve damage and the coccyx injury. But your progression has been amazing." The doctor said.

"Maybe I'm doing better…" Clementine said. "But school stresses me out."

"Why is that?" Christa asked.

"Because I hate it. I hate almost everyone there." Clementine said.

"Clementine." Christa gasped.

"What? You always say I should be honest." The girl innocently said.

Christa rolled her eyes at the child's response. Sometimes the girl was too honest.

"Well, I don't know how to fix your feelings towards school, but I do think this will raise your spirits," The doctor said. "I think soon we can have you transition from your crutches to a walking stick and see how you feel." The doctor suggested.

Clementine brightened at that. "Really?"

"Really." The doctor said.

"That'll be great!" Clementine said.

"Next time I see you then." The doctor said. "Keep practicing your walking but try not to overexert yourself."

Clementine nodded, "Okay."


Due to past attacks, it became necessary that they had drills. The siren warnings and guard warnings allowed them to get the heads-up during an attack.

To the kids it was a game of being brave. Seeing young children carrying a weapon to school became as natural as carrying a backpack.

Raid drills were the new fire drills. No one protested. They all knew the practice and drills could save their lives. School times were governed by raids. They could not leave if a raid was happening. The second they heard a warning they were to find shelter immediately.

Their days of being comfortable seemed to drastically be changing with the limited rations. Most of the older kids had been recruited to work.

As it got dark early in the wintertime, they had to make use of what daylight they had to hunt. The window of daylight also allowed them the chance to practice shooting. At night the lights were to be cut out. No candles. No light. Guards patrolled at night and would blow a whistle or bang on the door of any offending house.

Wellington was frequently becoming disorderly and violent. Criminal behavior by civilians and soldiers alike was becoming more and more common. People supplemented their rations with thievery. Sometimes riots broke out in the middle of town. The rations were low and often times the food often rotted before it reached the people. People obviously weren't happy with the situation. Wellington had gone from peaceful to chaos.

Children went to school to get free meals. However, school wasn't what one would expect it to be. The teacher would go over math, reading, regular things one would expect to learn but it would be brief. The main focus for their lessons was survival. And from there they would move on to first aid training and gun practice. They learned to hunt and fish. They learned to gather water. They learned how to prepare skins and furs and make clothing. How to skin an animal and cut up meat. How to make thread and needles from the sinew and bone. They learned materials weren't to be taken for granted.

After school they would be assigned their day task to earn their rations. Pressure was put on families to send children to the school. If they refused, they would be forced to leave town. If they didn't work, they received only half rations. The cost to get Aleena's medication meant Clementine had no choice but to go to school.

Wellington, the town that had focused so much on building a normal society had taken a quick one-eighty. Everyone now needed to be able to fend for themselves. And the leaders had no problem getting rid of the liabilities if they had to.

There was no way to escape the situation and Clementine hated it.

Her assigned day task for once was lookout duty. Fortunately, she wasn't alone.

"How are you holding up, kid?" Terrell asked.

"Okay. I don't like the school…" Clementine said. "But they're making me go…"

"Why don't you like it?" Terrell asked.

"The kids are mean. The teacher's mean. She's always blaming me for stuff." Clementine said.

"Like what?"

"Everything…" Clementine groaned.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating." Terrell said.

Clementine rolled her eyes. "I am not."

Terrell just chuckled.

"How come you don't go to school?" Clementine asked.

"No point." Terrell replied.

"What do you mean?" Clementine asked.

"Ain't nothing for me to learn. Nothing useful anyway." Terrell said.

"Oh…"

"You know, if you ever don't feel like sitting in that crappy classroom, you can feel free to come find me." Terrell offered.

"Really?"

"Sure. In fact, come back tonight if you want. I don't mind your company." Terrell said.

Clementine couldn't help but blush a bit. "I'll consider your offer… Thank you…"


It was early in the morning, too early for this.

"Clementine? Clementine!"

Christa frenetically walked through the house, opening and closing doors. "Clementine, come out! Stop playing!"

Nothing.

Becca snorted, "She's just playing hide and seek. It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal! I don't know where she is…" Christa said. "Sarah, go get Kenny. I'm worried."

Sarah nodded and ran to Kenny's room to alert him.

"She's been doing this a lot recently…" Sarita said with a worried tone. "And the twins are fast asleep in her room. So where could she be…?"

"I don't know, but it's too early for this." Christa said. "Clementine, where are you?!"

Before long, Kenny entered the room, looking tired. "What's wrong?"

"I can't find Clem." Christa said.

"Again?" Kenny sighed.

Christa shot him a look. "Yes, again."

"Well, we know she's around the house somewhere." Kenny said. "She's just playing hide and seek to avoid school."

The adults continued looking for the young girl and after several minutes, and a lot of urging, the front door suddenly opened and in walked Clementine.

"There you are! What were you doing out there?!" Christa asked. "We were worried sick."

Clementine had hidden before, leaving them in a panic, but her being outside was a first.

"I was with my friend." Clementine said.

"What friend?" Christa inquired.

"My friend…" Clementine simply repeated.

"You're not allowed to leave without our permission, Clementine." Christa said. "Especially not alone!"

"I wasn't alone, I was with my friend! And Promise was with me too." She motioned to the bear.

Christa groaned at that. "It's not safe to be without an adult. If you wander off again, you'll be in big trouble."

"Aren't I always in trouble?" Clementine replied.

"Look, just go get ready for school." Christa said.

"I don't want to go to school. I have a stomach-ache." Clementine said. "And I have to check on my girls."

Christa didn't listen to her. "You're going."

"I want to stay here and play with Promise." Clementine said, clutching to her bear.

Christa, feeling exasperated, yanked the toy from the child's hands. "You're going to school. Edith will pick you and Dani up in the afternoon and bring you home. Then you can play with Promise all you want, as long as you were good."

"But-"

"No buts. You'll get dressed, then you'll take your medicine and go to school." Christa said.

Clementine lowered her gaze. She really didn't want to go.

"And you will behave. Which means no fighting…" Christa added, causing the child to frown.

"But they'll pick on me!" Clementine exclaimed.

"This is crazy. I don't know who the hell those kids think they are, but it doesn't matter. She's gotta fight back." Kenny said.

"Kenny, you shouldn't encourage her to cause violence." Sarita said.

"She ain't causing it. She's defending herself." Kenny said.

"Still. She could get hurt…" Sarita said.

"She already got hurt. She comes home every other day with bruises." Kenny turned back to Clementine. "Ain't nothing wrong with protecting yourself, darlin."

"She shouldn't be fighting." Christa sighed.

"If they wanna pick a fight, she has every right to defend herself." Kenny argued.

"I don't disagree with that… But she shouldn't be fighting just to fight." Christa said.

"If someone wants to fight, then she should fight back." Kenny said. "Next time a little boy hits you, you hit him in the jewels."

Sarita flinched at that. "Kenny, stop. Don't tell her that."

"Why not? Those kids shouldn't be putting their hands on her. She's a little kid. Her and Danielle are practically the youngest in the class. She ain't gonna keep coming home covered in bruises." Kenny said. "If a little boy hits you again, hit him right there."

"Kenny, stop it!" Sarita scolded.

"Better her hit him than me!" Kenny said. "I have no problem making those kids leave her alone."

Christa just shook her head at Kenny's words, not bothering to reply. She looked back to Clementine. "Come on, go get dressed."

"…Okay…" The girl reluctantly said.

After several minutes, Christa went to check on the young girl in her room, bringing her medicine with her.

Clementine was playing with her twins, who were happily cooing.

"Come on, Clem, you're gonna be late."

"I don't want to."

"Clem, you know you have to." Christa said.

Clementine didn't respond.

Christa held back a sigh.

"Here, take your medicine." Christa said as she offered the girl her pills.

"Do I have to?" Clementine groaned, scrunching her nose.

"Yes, you do. It's not that bad." Christa said, still holding her hand out for the young girl to take the pills.

"It is…. I hate it." Clementine said.

"Well, set a good example for your girls. You take this and then you help Aleena with her medicine." Christa said.

Clementine frowned but gave in. She took the medicine without any further protest.

"Show me." Christa urged.

Clementine held back a sigh, as she opened her mouth to show she wasn't hiding the pills.

"Alright, that's my girl." Christa said.

"Can I please stay home today?" Clementine asked.

"I don't think so. You can't miss school for nothing." Christa said.

"I don't want to leave the girls. Let them come with me." Clementine said. "I'll watch them."

"Clem, you know they can't." Christa sighed.

"Why not?"

"They'll distract the class." Christa said.

"Nu-uh. They don't cry much… I can keep them calm." Clementine said.

"Well, it's not safe to bring them there. Especially with how those kids treat you." Christa said. "Tell you what, if you're good in school today, maybe we can take the twins to the park later."

"Really?" Clementine asked.

"Really."

"Okay, deal." Clementine said.


Throughout the school day Clementine kept to herself, however when she heard Danielle telling one child to "give Flopsie back" she didn't waste time going to her friend's aid.

"Give her Flopsie back." Clementine ordered.

"Or what? What are you gonna do about it, little cripple?" The older girl, Kaysey teased.

"I won't tell you again." Clementine kept a cold tone, removing her crutches and letting them fall to the floor. "Give her back."

"Make me." Kasey said with a smirk, her friends laughing.

Clementine wasted no time, balling her fist and delivering a hard punch to the older girl's face.

The older girl was shocked but shoved the small child to the floor.

"Clementine and Kaysey, knock it off!" Miss Staton exclaimed with a gasp.

"She started it!" Clementine exclaimed.

"You need to learn to keep your hands to yourself! Come here now!" Miss Staton said.

The young girl stood and reached for her crutches only for Kaysey to kick them from her reach.

"Come here, Clementine." Miss Staton repeated, sounding impatient.

Clementine huffed and started towards her crutches. As she did a boy held his foot out, tripping her.

The child's face turned red in embarrassment. Gill frowned and offered her his hand which she took. For a moment, he thought his friend might start to cry. However, the child promptly walked over to the boy who had pushed her and delivered a hard kick right to his crotch, sending the other child writhing on the ground.

"Clementine!" Miss Staton snapped rushing over to the young boy's aid.

"What?!" Clementine asked back, narrowing her eyes at the teacher.

"Why would you do something like that?!" Miss Staton inquired.

"He deserved it!" Clementine said.

"Wait until Christa hears about this!" Miss Staton said.

"He started it." Clementine said. "And I'll kick him again."

The boy flinched at that.

The teacher helped him up before shooting little Clementine a look. "You're in big trouble."

The twelve-year-old simply shrugged in response. "Aren't I always?"


When Clementine returned home that day, she handed Christa the note from her teacher without a word.

"What'd you do this time?"

Clementine didn't respond. The child made her way over to the twins and started making silly faces at them. "Did you girls miss mommy?"

The twins cooed happily, and the girl smiled.

Christa sighed and started to read the note. "Another fight?"

Clementine continued playing with the twins.

"That's the third one this week." Christa huffed.

The girl still said nothing to her guardian as she kissed her children's cheeks and snuggled them.

"And your teacher wants to have a meeting…" Christa said as she continued to look over the note. "…Did your teacher let you come home early? Or did you sneak out of class again?"

Clementine frowned. "I didn't sneak… I walked out…"

Christa sighed. "Clem, you promised not to leave without letting someone know first."

Clementine kept quiet as she continued cuddling her children.

"Clementine, I'm talking to you." Christa said.

"I did… I told Gill." Clementine huffed.

"You know what I mean. You're supposed to tell a grown up. No wandering off." Christa said.

"I know…I know…." Clementine shrugged. "Can my friends come over?"

Christa wore a look of disbelief at the girl's nonchalant question,"Can your- Clem, you were in another fight today. We've talked about this."

"They started it." The child pouted. "I promised Gill and Danielle that I would play today…"

"It says here that you started the fight." Christa said, ignoring the child's comment about playing.

"That's not true!" Clementine said.

"Clementine hit a young girl in the face, then walked over to another student and proceeded to kick him in the groin, unprovoked." Christa read aloud. "Is that true?"

"No… I punched Kaysey because she deserved it, and I kicked Hunter, but it wasn't unprovoked!" Clementine said.

"Why would your teacher lie about that?" Christa questioned.

"Because she's a bitch." Clementine flatpanned.

"Hey, watch the language." Christa said.

"Promise was there, he saw the whole thing, and he can tell you what happened." Clementine said.

"I don't want Promise to tell me what happened. I want to hear it from you." Christa replied.

"Kaysey took Dani's bunny and I told her to give it back, but she wouldn't. So, I punched her." Clementine said. "And Hunter tripped me… So, I kicked him. I kicked him in the "jewels" like Kenny told me to."

"What do you think I should do about this, Clem?" Christa asked.

"I think you should believe me and not that lying whore." Clementine responded.

"Excuse you! Do not talk like that!" Christa lectured the child.

"I'm not the liar! She is!" Clementine exclaimed.

"Enough!" Christa ran her hands through her hair, feeling frustrated. "After supper you go straight to bed."

"I'm not hungry anyway. I'll go to bed once my girls are in bed." Clementine stated.

"Fine. Don't eat." Christa muttered.

Clementine didn't say a word, she instead turned her attention to the twins.


The next day things were quiet. Too quiet for Clementine's liking. To help with the girl's anxiety, Christa suggested she bring Promise again for the day. Now at shooting practice, the girl had zone out, clutching to her bear. However, things quickly changed from quiet, with the teacher's attention elsewhere the bullies had time to pick with her.

"Clementine!"

The child turned just as a familiar little boy threw a punch in her direction. His fist collided with her cheek. "That's for kicking me."

He had hit her right in the face. Clementine was surprised from the sudden blow. She put her hand to her face and felt blood. She could hear laughter from the boy's friends.

The young girl tried to struggle to her feet but found herself restrained by the boy's friends as he continued to hit her.

The girl felt short of blacking out when she heard a voice exclaim, "Leave her alone!"

"Beat it, loser." Hunter said.

"I won't. Just leave her alone." Gill said.

"Or what?" Hunter asked in a teasing tone.

Gill didn't have a reply to that. He did his best to glare at the boy, though he was scared.

The boy however took a threatening step towards Gill.

"That's enough, Hunter! Leave her the hell alone." Becca snapped.

"Not you too…" Hunter groaned. "I thought you said she was annoying."

"That doesn't mean I'm gonna let you beat her up." Becca said.

"She likes fighting." Hunter said, looking back to the young girl. "Don't you, Clemmy?"

"Leave her alone!" Danielle ordered, aiming her gun to Hunter's direction.

"Woah, what the fuck…?" Hunter froze.

"Leave my friend alone." Danielle said.

"Danielle, lower that gun, right now!" Miss Staton snapped.

"B-But I..."

"No buts!" The teacher stormed over, yanking the gun from young Danielle's grip. "I've had enough of this…"

"Clem needs a doctor…" Sarah said.

The teacher ignored her, not even batting an eye. "Come along, class. Let's get back to the classroom."

"Did you not see what just happened? She needs help!" Becca spat at her.

"What I saw, was Clementine once again disrupting my class. Maybe this will teach her a lesson." Miss Staton simply said before walking off with the older kids following. Hunter also walked off, holding Clementine's stuffed animal.

"Damn cowards." Becca scoffed "Are you okay, Clem?"

Gill offered Clementine a hand.

Clementine huffed accepting the help to her feet. "He took Promise! I… I have to save him."

"Clem, no… We gotta get you to the doctor." Gill said.

"But what about Promise?" Clementine asked.

"Promise is a toy..." Sarah said. "You're hurt, Clem..."

"No he's not, he's not a toy! He's my friend." Clementine said.

"Promise can handle himself... You need a doctor..." Danielle said.

"N-No… Christa will be mad at me." Clementine said. "She doesn't want me fighting…"

"Christa won't be mad, Clem." Sarah said.

"Yes, she will! She'll think I'm naughty." Clementine panicked.

"…Then…Then at least let my mom help you…" Gill said.

"Okay…" Clementine said.

Gill took his friend's hand and led her towards his home.


After getting treated by Patricia, the woman offered to walk the kids home. However, Gill quickly assured her they would be okay, and he would take his friends home.

Their walk was interrupted as they spotted Hunter holding Clementine's teddy bear in his hands. "Forget something?"

Clementine frowned and spoke, "Give him back."

"I don't think I will. Why don't you take him from me?" Hunter taunted.

"This isn't funny, man. Just give him back." Becca said.

"Stay out of this." The boy said. "If she wants the bear back, she can come get it herself."

"Give him back now! Give him back!" Clementine exclaimed.

Without hesitation he tore a leg off the bear and smirked, "Oops."

Clementine's eyes widened. "N-No! No! Why would you do that?!"

"It's just a stupid toy. Get over it." Hunter laughed.

"You're such a jerk." Gill said as he went over and picked up the bear. He expected his friend to start whimpering but she wasn't.

The boy turned to walk away, laughing with his friends.

Without a word the girl dropped her crutches and walked after the boy, drawing a knife from her pocket as she approached him, she kicked him in the back of the knee. The boy fell to the ground and Clementine quickly grabbed his hair, holding the knife to his neck.

"If you ever put your hands on me or Promise again. I'll kill you!"

The boy was shaking like a leaf, looking ready to piss his pants. He quickly nodded and Clementine released him. Frightened, the boy scampered away, his friends quickly following.

Danielle and Gill's eyes were wide from what they just witnessed. Sarah was shaking a bit, and Becca had a smirk on her face.

"You're a total badass, Clem." Becca said.

Gill grabbed his friend's crutches, while Clementine picked up her torn teddy bear. "L-Let's get to your house." He stammered as he handed her the crutches.

The girls nodded.


When the door practically slammed open, Christa was surprised. She looked to see Clementine wearing a panicked expression. The child stepped in clearly injured, Sarah, Becca, Gill, and Danielle weren't far behind her.

"Oh my gosh, Clem! Are you okay?" Christa quickly got up to check the child's injuries.

"Emergency surgery!" Clementine said.

"Clem? What-"

"Emergency surgery!" The girl exclaimed again. "He needs emergency surgery!"

"Who?!" Christa asked, on the verge of panicking.

"P-Promise!" Clementine started searching for the sowing kit.

"Hold on, Clem. What happened?" Christa asked.

"Hunter ripped his leg off!" Clementine said, looking ready to cry.

"I'll fix him, Clem. I'll fix him…. Just go… take care of the twins. Okay?"

"Okay…" Clementine sniffled before going to her room.

Christa turned to the other kids and asked, "What happened today?"

"Kids were picking on her." Sarah said. "They were hitting her for no reason…"

"She was in another fight today?" Christa asked.

Gill gave a small nod. "It wasn't just a fight. They tried to jump her…"

"Oh my god…" Christa said.

"They attacked her… She didn't do anything wrong." Danielle said.

"My mom patched her up…But then…" Gill trailed off.

"But then what? What happened?" Christa asked.

"On the way here, she pulled a knife on them…" Gill said. "It was scary."

"I…I'm sorry you had to see that, Gill…" Christa sighed.

"The teacher saw the whole thing; she didn't even stop it. I swear that woman's a bitch." Becca grumbled.

"Clementine thinks the same thing…" Christa said. She looked to Gill and Danielle. "I'd let you two stay, but I don't think Clementine's up for playing today… Plus, you two gotta get home before curfew."

Gill gave a nod. "Okay… Will Clementine be okay?"

"She'll be fine. I'll talk to her." Christa said. "I'm gonna ask Kenny to walk you and Danielle home before your mom starts to worry about you."

"Okay…"


"We need to talk." Christa entered Clementine's room with the child's now sewn up teddy bear.

"I don't want to." Clementine said. "You're going to be mad at me."

"I don't care what you want." Christa placed the bear on the bed. "We're going to talk."

Clementine huffed, crossing her arms.

"Did you pull a knife on another child?" Christa asked, straight to the point.

Clementine looked surprised, almost as if she hadn't expected her guardian to find out. "Who told you?"

"Gill told me. So, the answer must be yes then?" Christa said,

"He deserved it." Clementine said coldly.

"You can't do things like that…" Christa knelt to her level, "You can't do things that will make the teacher or the guards, or anyone talk bad about you. If you do, you're screwed… We're all screwed…"

"I didn't do anything wrong… You and Kenny told me to defend myself." Clementine said.

"You have every right to defend yourself. But that's not the way. You can't pull a knife on another child. If one of those guards saw you doing something like that, they would've shot you on the spot." Christa said. "Don't put yourself in danger."

"He took Promise! He deserved it!" Clementine said. "I don't regret it either."

"They're gonna kick us out, Clem!" Christa said.

"Then let them!"

"Clementine, enough! I'm fed up with this, you need to listen to me for once!"

"I've been listening! When are you going to listen to me?" Clementine retorted.

Christa rubbed at her temples and sighed wearily. "I don't know what to do with you… I really don't… I'm getting sick and tired of all this fighting."

"I didn't start the fight, Christa. I finished it."

"I don't care! It doesn't matter if you started it or not!" Christa snapped before calming her tone as the twins whimpered a bit. "We want the very best for you. Wellington is not like it was when we first got here. If things don't change, they're gonna kick us all to the curb. You need to straighten up."


Hours had passed since Clementine's talk with Christa. With everyone asleep, the girl decided to take a walk. She made it to the front gate of Wellington and simply stood there mired in deep and muddy thought.

"Kid, what are you doing out here?" Terrell's voice pulled her out of her thoughts from the look out.

"Figured you were on watch… I needed some air… To think…" Clementine said.

"Think about what?" Terrell asked.

"About leaving." Clementine admitted with a sigh.

"Leaving where?" Terrell asked.

"I don't know. I'll figure it out." Clementine said.

"Come on, don't be stupid." Terrell said.

"I'm not stupid!" Clementine snapped. "Don't call me stupid."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, kiddo. Why don't you come up here with me?" Terrell asked.

Clementine hesitated for a moment than said, "Okay…"

Terrell waited a while for the girl to come up. "…I don't want you to leave, Clem. No one does."

"Why shouldn't I, if they're gonna kick us out anyway?" Clementine scoffed.

"Kick you out? Why would they do that?" Terrell asked.

"Christa told me they will. Because I get into a lot of fights. Everything's bad for me, but no one really cares." Clementine said.

"I care." Terrell said. "What's bothering you?"

"The kids… They… pick with me a lot… I don't know why?" Clementine replied.

"Fuck them. They don't know nothing about you…" Terrell said.

"I know… It still sucks though…" Clementine muttered.

"I'm sure…" Terrell said. "...Are you feeling okay, your cheeks are flushed."

Clementine felt her face flushed more. Had she been blushing because of him?

She soon felt his hand on her forehead. "You're pretty warm too."

"It's nothing…. I get stress fevers a lot… My medicine usually helps lower them. It's nothing to worry about, it'll go away with some rest." Clementine explained.

"When do you rest?" Terrell asked.

"Huh?"

"Well, you have two kids and they've been working the whole town to the bone." Terrell said.

"I know… They work everyone to the bone… But I do really miss my kids sometimes. They're growing up so fast." Clementine said.

"Shouldn't you be at home with them then?" Terrell asked.

"They're fast asleep… I don't leave unless I check on them first." Clementine said.

"How old are they?"

"Technically they're about eight months, but their adjusted to five and a half." Clementine answered.

"Preemies, right?"

"Yeah." Clementine said. "I wish you could meet them, but Christa…"

"Hey, I get it. Your people don't trust me." Terrell said.

"That's not it… Christa just doesn't think they should be out of the house much." Clementine said.

"Sure, sure…" Terrell said.

Clementine sighed.

"How about I take you home so you can rest." Terrell suggested.

Clementine shook her head. "I don't wanna go home just yet…"

"Well, then maybe you could take a nap with me." Terrell said, with a small smile.

"W-With you?" Clementine asked.

"I got lookout duty, and I don't mind the company." Terrell said. "You need rest. Plus, naps are good for little kids."

Clementine shot him a look, "Not funny."

"Well, what are you a woman?" Terrell chuckled.

"Yes."

"Right." Terrell scoffed."

"He made me one." Clementine said bluntly.

"The guy who raped you?" Terrell asked, smile falling.

"Yeah…Carver…" Clementine said.

"I'm sorry, kid."

Clementine just kept quiet, lowering her gaze.

"Look, you can still take that nap if you need it." Terrell said.

"But that wouldn't be fair to you." Clementine protested.

"Don't worry about me." Terrell said.

"But-"

"You're so stubborn. Just rest." Terrell said.

"…O-Okay…"


It had probably been less than a half hour before Clementine stirred awake, she could hear Terrell talking to someone.

"I know what I said… But it's best to wait… Just a little longer…" Terrell muttered.

"T?" The girl called groggily.

The boy jumped, startled to find her awake.

"Who were you talking to?" Clementine asked.

"No one… It's nothing for you to worry about." Terrell said.

"…Oh…"

"Your people are gonna be worried about you." Terrell changed the subject. "We should get you home before they find out you're gone."

"Alright… Thanks for listening to me vent earlier…" Clementine said.

"Anytime.


"Time to get up, sleepy head."

Clementine groaned as Christa pulled the blinds open.

"Come on, Clem. Wake up…" Christa spoke.

Clementine sighed and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. "I'm sleepy…"

"I know you're tired, but you have school." Christa said.

"I want to stay home with you… I want to stay here and play with my girls and AJ." Clementine said.

"Nice try, but it's not gonna work…" Christa said.

"But the girls… They'll miss me. And I'll miss them." Clementine said.

"Only for a few hours." Christa said.

Clementine pouted. She picked up her stuffed bear. "Oh no..."

"What's wrong?"

"Promise has a fever…" Clementine said. "I don't think he can go to school…"

Christa held back a smile at that. "Well, Promise can always stay home with me."

"I… think I have a fever too." Clementine said.

Christa walked over to the child and took a seat on her bed. She felt her forehead, the girl was a bit warm, but it was normal with her. To amuse her she felt the teddy bear's head as well. "You two feel fine to me."

"I'm not fine…." Clementine said.

"…What's the matter, Clem?" Christa asked.

"Well… My throat's sore…and my head hurts, and-"

Christa interrupted her, "No… I mean why don't you want to go to school."

"…I don't like it." Clementine simply said.

"Why not?"

Clementine frowned not responding.

"Talk to me, Clem. I can't help you if you don't talk to me." Christa urged.

"I miss my girls. And it makes me sad…" Clementine responded.

"School makes you sad?"

"Yes! Why do we have to pretend everything's back to normal? It's not!" Clementine suddenly exclaimed.

"Clem…"

"It's not even a real school. It's stupid that we have to go there." Clementine said.

"Clementine,"

"And she's means, she thinks I'm dumb!" The girl continued.

"Who thinks you're dumb?" Christa asked the girl.

"Miss Satan…" Clementine muttered.

"Miss what?" Christa asked.

"I said Miss Staton…" Clementine said.

"Your teacher? Did she say that? Did she call you dumb?" Christa inquired.

"No… She just acts like it." Clementine answered.

"She doesn't think you're dumb…" Christa said. "Want me to talk to her?"

"Why? So, everyone can bully me more?" Clementine said in a sarcastic tone.

"Alright... Clem, you don't give her the easiest time…" Christa said.

"Because she's mean…" Clementine replied.

"All the fighting and wandering off...Sometimes we don't even know where you were the whole school day…" Christa said.

"Sometimes I want to be alone…" Clementine said.

"You can't just wander off. Something bad could happen…" Christa said.

"Nothing happens. I just go hang out with Terrell…" Clementine said.

"Terrell?"

"He's my friend…" Clementine said.

"Clem, it doesn't matter who you want to hang out with. You need to make sure an adult knows where you are at all times." Christa said.

"Okay… I will…" Clementine said. "Can I please stay home today? I don't want to deal with anyone at school…"

Christa was silent for a moment before sighing, "Alright…"

"I can?"

"Considering what happened yesterday, you could probably use a day off. Spend some time with your girls." Christa gave in.

Clementine beamed at that.

Christa decided she needed to have a talk with the teacher.


Walking in just as school had ended, Christa did her best to keep calm as she went to talk to the teacher. "You wanted to have a meeting, we're gonna have one now. Why did my kid come home covered in blood and bruises the other day?"

"You are aware that Clementine gets into a lot of fights. Yes?" Miss Staton said.

"Very aware." Christa said. "I'm aware that she's constantly getting picked on and fighting to defend herself."

"Kids will be kids. The older ones joke around and play rough a lot. Clementine doesn't know how to handle that." Miss Staton said, brushing Christa's concerns off.

Annoyed, Christa asked, "What do you have against my girl?"

"What?"

"Why do you treat my girl how you do?" Christa demanded.

"I'm not treating your girl wrong. Your girl has problems." Miss Staton said. "You need to get your kid under control."

"My kid comes home everyday and tells me about how she was picked on! You're letting my girl get bullied!" Christa snapped.

"I'll admit it's hard to be completely attentive to all my students when there's so much going on. But I'll have a talk with the kids who are picking on her." Miss Staton said.

"Something better change soon." Christa said.

"I'll speak to my older students about their behavior, now if you'll excuse me. I'd like to head home before curfew." Miss Staton said, motioning towards the door for Christa to leave.

Christa glared at the woman but walked off.


"I talked to your teacher," Christa had informed Clementine.

"You did?" Clementine asked.

"I did, about the bullying... You shouldn't have to worry about it anymore..." Christa said.

Clementine didn't know what to think of the woman's words.

She wanted to believe that. But when she stepped into the classroom, she was suddenly grabbed by Kaysey. Clementine tried to struggle from her grip.

"Did you send your mommy up here to tattle on us?" Kaysey questioned.

"My... My mommy is dead." Clementine grunted.

"Well you sent someone to talk to the teacher." Kaysey said.

"I... I didn't send anyone! Let me go!" Clementine exclaimed.

"Let me get something straight. Bad things happen to tattletales. You don't want to be one…" Kaysey threatened.

Clementine felt her heart skip a beat at the threat. "I never said anything, Kaysey. I promise…"

"Good." The girl released her grip and Clementine wasted no time storming off.

She would have been astonished if her classmates had changed their behavior toward her.

It would stop when she was dead.


"Where have you been?" Christa questioned as soon as Clementine got home.

"Relax, Christa. I had lookout duty." Clementine fibbed.

"Lookout duty?" Christa asked.

"To earn my rations." Clementine stated.

"Alone? They put a child, who needs crutches to walk, on lookout alone?" Christa asked, clearly not buying it.

"I wasn't alone. Relax." Clementine said.

"Who were you with?" Christa asked.

Clementine didn't response.

"You ditched school today, after we talked about your wandering off." Christa said.

"I didn't ditch." Clementine said.

"Your teacher radioed me." Christa informed the child.

"My teacher hates me." Clementine said.

"She does not, Clem." Christa said.

"Yes, she does!" Clementine said.

"You're not supposed to wander off. You can't just leave without permission." Christa said.

"I left for a reason. I don't see what the big deal is." Clementine said.

"The big deal is that we had no clue where you've been disappearing to." Christa said.

"I told you I was on lookout duty-"

"…You were with that boy, weren't you?"

"Terrell's my friend." Clementine said.

"He's not. You can't ditch school to just hang out with him." Christa said.

"I left for a reason." Clementine said. "I wasn't even with Terrell… I couldn't find him."

"What reason did you leave?"

"People are always being mean to me. Plus, Terrell says school is pointless anyway." Clementine said.

Christa shook her head that that, "That boy is a bad influence on you."

"He's my friend, Christa." Clementine said. "You always boss me around."

"Someone has to. You're a child." Christa said. "You need to stay away from that boy."

"But why? He's nice to me!" Clementine protested.

"And he also encourages you to do bad things."

"He does not. I do bad things because I'm naughty! I do naughty things on my own!" Clementine said.

"Clem…" Christa sighed. "You're not naughty."

"YES, I AM!" Clementine exclaimed.

Christa didn't say a word as the girl headed to her room. She knew Clementine was prone to having outburst and figured it would be best to let the child cool off for a bit.


A while had passed before Christa knocked on the girl's bedroom door. "Can I come in…"

"…Okay…"

Christa entered the room and gave a small smile when she noticed Clementine was gently rocking little Crystal.

"Can we talk?" Christa asked.

"About…?" Clementine questioned back, not looking up from the baby in her arms.

"I wasn't trying to upset you, Clem…"

"I know…" Clementine said. "You're just trying to keep me away from my friend…."

"Clem… That boy isn't your friend." Christa sighed.

"He is too." Clementine said.

"Look, can you be honest with me… and tell me why you don't want to go to school." Christa spoke in a calm tone.

"I never wanted to go in the first place." Clementine said. "I told you that. I want to stay home with my girls."

"I know you do. But you know the rules. You have to go." Christa said.

"You asked me why, but it doesn't change anything. So why do you even care?" Clementine scoffed. She continued rocking Crystal as the baby cooed.

"I asked because I care about you. I want to help you." Christa said.

"Yeah right…"

"I do, Clem. Why are you acting this way?" Christa asked.

"Because no one cares." Clementine said. "So why should I?"

"What are you talking about?" Christa wondered.

"Everyone only cares about themselves." Clementine said.

"That's not true, Clementine. Stop being so negative."

"How can I? I'm always getting in trouble for nothing."

"You get in trouble for acting out." Christa said.

"I don't care. I don't want to talk about this…" Clementine frowned.

"Well, we need to have this talk, Clem. Something's really bothering you. Tell me what it is." Christa practically pleaded.

"No one ever cares how I feel." Clementine glumly replied.

"Of course we do, Clem. Trust me we do." Christa said. "I spoke to your teacher to make things better for you."

"You spoke to the teacher and made things worse! She doesn't give a damn what happens to me! She lets them pick on me because she hates me!" Clementine exclaimed causing Crystal to whimper. Clementine quickly comforted her baby, soothing her cries. "I don't want to talk anymore."

"How can I help you if you won't talk me?"

"What's the point?" Clementine mumbled. "I just want to rest…please…"

"Alright Clem… I'll let you get some sleep." Christa reluctantly said.

Clementine kept quiet, just rocking her daughter.


The next day Clementine decided she wouldn't speak at all at school. If she was quiet, how could she get in trouble? But on her first day of silence, the teacher asked her to stay after class.

The girl ignored her, trying to leave, much to the teacher's frustration.

Miss Staton quickly stopped the girl. "You'll stay. Until I tell you to leave." She said, blocking the young child's path. "Take a seat."

Clementine glared at her but did so.

As the school day ended Sarah and Becca tried to get her to allow Clementine to leave, however the woman refused telling them to send Christa to come get the child. The teens had no choice but to oblige.


School was out, but little Clementine hadn't returned home yet. When Sarah and Becca came home telling Christa they wouldn't let the girl leave, Christa quickly assumed the teacher of the school was holding the girl in order to have a meeting with her because of Clementine's constant fighting.

When she got into the room she froze.

The teacher sat with a guard, and a nurse, who Christa quickly recognized as the woman who had accused them of letting Clementine get abused.

"Where's Clementine?" Christa asked.

"She's fine… Don't worry about her…" Miss Staton replied.

"That doesn't answer my question. Where is my girl?" Christa asked in a firmer tone.

"Edith picked her and Danielle up." Miss Staton replied. "As usual."

"She didn't bring her home…" Christa said.

"I told her you and I had a meeting, and you would pick her up later… She said she'd let the girls have a playdate." Miss Staton said. "So, you don't have to worry about her."

Christa cleared her throat and spoke, "What is all this about?"

"We wanted to speak to you about Clementine." Miss Staton said.

Obviously, Christa thought. "What about her…?"

"Well… She's a smart kid… She's smarter than the other children. But… her behavior… It's out of control." Miss Staton said. "How does she act at home? What does she do at home? Does she eat well… and play?"

"Well… She's never been a big eater… She'll play sometimes… Mainly with her teddy bear…" Christa said.

"I've noticed that lately she doesn't participate during any lessons… And she's been very withdrawn." Miss Staton said.

"She's probably just tired… I can talk to her and-"

"That's not the only problem…" Miss Staton added. "The fighting… It's been consistent with her…"

"She's getting picked on. She's going to retaliate if people mess with her…" Christa said.

"I'm just wondering why she's so aggressive. It's like she has pent up anger inside her…" Miss Staton said. "I've also noticed she draws… a lot…"

"Well… She loves drawing… She always draws…" Christa nodded. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Her drawings aren't exactly… healthy drawings…" The nurse spoke up.

Christa paused for a moment. She remembers Luke voicing concerns to her about the things Clementine would sometimes draw. "What are you trying to say?"

Miss Staton silently showed her a piece of paper, followed by another then another.

"Children don't always draw logical things." Christa said.

"Take a closer look." Miss Staton said.

Christa did and felt her blood run cold. She could practically feel the tension in the drawings and the pain and anger emerging from the innocent lines.

"We're aware of what Clem went through… and drawings like this are usually made by children in precise circumstances." The nurse said. "Children's drawings are never just drawings. Drawings are their communication bridge towards the world of adults. They use their art to send messages that have to be interpreted. Maybe you should… have a talk with her… Make sure nothing is going on…"

Christa felt sick to her stomach. She hoped nothing was going on… "I will… I'll talk to her."


After picking Clementine up from Edith's house, Christa brought the child home and immediately had her take a seat on the couch.

"Clementine, we need to have a serious conversation." Christa said.

"Let me guess, I'm in trouble." Clementine rolled her eyes.

"No… You're not… This is about Terrell…" Christa said.

"Terrell? What about him?" Clementine asked.

"Has… Has he done anything to you?" Christa questioned.

Clementine furrowed her brows, "What are you talking about?"

"Has he… touched you, or hurt you and anyway?"

"What? No! Of course not." Clementine gasped. "I… I like Terrell. He's different from other guys…"

"In what way?"

"I don't know… He just is… I think… I think I'm in love with him." Clementine said.

"You're a child!" Christa felt sick upon hearing those words. "Love is a buzzword. You're a little kid."

"I'm not a little kid." Clementine argued.

"Yes. You are." Christa said. "There's a lot of time to fall in love. I want you to focus on school and, your girls. Love… Is what I feel for you. That's love. You can't find it as a kid. And you shouldn't trust men… Because they're males."

"So you didn't love Omid?" Clementine asked.

Christa sent the girl a look. "We're not talking about Omid. Never ask me something like that again."

"Well, I trust Terrell… He's always so nice to me… He understands me…" Clementine said.

"And he's like six years older than you, so keep on dreaming." Christa said. "I'm worried about you, Clem."

"Your concerned are misplaced." Clementine said, sounding uninterested with the conversation.

"Excuse me?" Christa huffed. "You've been getting into fights, sneaking out, pulled a knife on another child. Normal children don't do the things you do."

"Well, I'm not a normal child. Like I said, I'm not a little kid anymore." Clementine said. "We both know that. I have two kids of my own. If someone threatens me, I'm gonna defend myself. If someone threatens my friends, I'm going to defend them. And if someone talks about my kids, I'll kick their ass."

"Language, Clem."

"No! I'm sick and tired of being treated like I'm always so… so naughty!" Clementine said. "Everyone else is naughty too!"

"Clem-"

The little girl ignored the call as she stood and went to the room with her twins.


Clementine sat silently in her room, staring vacantly into space as she gently held her twins. The two were fast asleep having been fed and changed.

Holding them helped the girl feel a bit calmer despite the stress she was constantly dealing with, and the arguing going on in the other room.

"I'm at my wits ends with her. I don't know what to do…" Christa said.

"Clementine's a good kid. She's not violent unless someone provokes her. She's never violent with animals or younger children. She's fighting to protect herself." Kenny replied. "For fuck's sake, she can barely remember shit, Christa."

"She's not the same as she was when she was eight!" Christa said.

Clementine knew that was true. She had changed a lot, but Christa said it like it was a bad thing.

After a while the small child got up and placed the twins into their crib. "Mommy loves you two…" She smiled a soft smile. "…I'll be back soon. Sleep tight…"

The girl snuck out of the room. With the adults distracted arguing, she had no trouble getting outside un-noticed. The girl made sure to stick to the shadows, not wanting to be detected.

"It's pretty late for you to be out…" Terrell spoke. "You're past curfew…"

"I know… I needed to talk to you, T…" Clementine said. "I was hoping you were on patrol instead of watch tonight."

"And what if I hadn't been? What if you had come out and gotten caught by someone else." Terrell said.

"I guess I'm lucky that didn't happen." Clementine said.

"Alright. What's up?" Terrell asked.

"Christa wants me to stay away from you." Clementine said.

"I know…" Terrell said. "Are you gonna listen to her?"

"I don't want to… You're my friend." Clementine said.

"I don't want you getting in trouble…" Terrell replied.

"I'm always in trouble…" Clementine said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure…"

"Do… Do you ever think about leaving…?" Clementine asked.

"This again?" Terrell sighed. "And going where, kid?"

"I don't know… Wellington just…doesn't feel safe anymore." Clementine said.

"You're safe with me. I promise…" Terrell said.

"Thank you…" Clementine said, hugging him. He returned her embrace and she could feel her heart pounding as they broke the hug. "I should… get back before they notice I'm gone."

"Yeah, you do that." Terrell nodded.

"Terrell, thanks for always listening…"


As Christa and Kenny's bickering settled Christa decided to check in with Clementine before heading to bed, however, much to her horror, the child wasn't in her room. Panicked, Christa rushed back to the other room. "Clementine's missing!" She said.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Kenny inquired.


Clementine was silent as she walked back towards her house, she suddenly felt something hit the back of her head. Surprised and unprepared, she turned around and was hit in the face. Her attackers had been hiding behind bushes and trees. Pelting snowballs came at her from all directions, some as hard as rocks. Instinctively, she threw up her hands to protect her face. As she did someone grabbed her from behind.

"Heard from Becca that you sneak out a lot. You're not the only one." A familiar voice said.

Clementine struggled in the older girl's grip. "Let me go!"

"Shut up…" Kaysey quickly pressed something sharp to the younger girl's neck. "If you make any noise you won't be seeing those babies of yours ever again. You know what will happen if we get caught out past curfew?"

One of the boys mimicked a gun shooting with his fingers.

"Exactly. All of us would get a bullet." Kaysey said.

The knife pricked her neck and Clementine winced. "Why-Why are you doing this?" Tears of humiliation and rage threatened to fall.

"Cry baby, cry," One of the kids taunted her. "Aren't you supposed to be a mommy? Who cries more, you or your babies?"

"We should show her where we go when we sneak out. Maybe let her spend the night there." Kaysey said. "I'm sure no one will miss her."

Clementine tried to squirm away but felt the knife prick more.

"Not so tough now, huh? You scream, and it'll be the last sound you ever make." Kaysey said before looking to Hunter. "Grab her feet."

The girl was struggling, kicking and punching as they grabbed her trying to drag her. Clementine turned her head and bit Kaysey's arm, hard enough to draw blood. The girl squealed in pain and in her surprise, she released her grip, throwing the younger girl to the ground. Clementine crashed face first into the snow.

"Leave me alone." Clementine spat then, slowly, she struggled to a sitting position, wiping the melting snow from her face.

"You little brat!" Kaysey sprang to the child and tackled her. Clementine fought back the best she could but found herself pinned against the ground with the older girl ready to deliver a punch to her head.

"Let her go." A voice spoke.

The older girl immediately broke her grip, standing up.

"You're all pass curfew." Terrell said.

"We can explain-"

Terrell stopped him, "Quiet. You know the consequences of breaking curfew."

Seeing the boy's hand go to his weapon Clementine quickly spoke, "Terrell, don't.

Terrell stopped upon hearing her words. "Get your asses home, otherwise we'll have a problem."

The kids quickly ran off.

"You okay?" Terrell asked as he helped Clementine up and could feel her trembling a bit. She quickly hugged him. "Hey... It's okay. I got you... Let's get you home."


Kenny had rushed outside before Christa could say much else. When he spotted Terrell's figure carrying someone in his arms, anger paralyzed Kenny, thoughts racing through his head. Why was she with this boy?

He immediately rushed towards them. "You stay the hell away from my girl!"

"That's not very polite." Terrell said. "I'm the one who helped her."

"It's damn polite of me not to knock your teeth out!" Kenny snapped.

"You should watch your tone, old man. I helped the girl." There was an edge of a threat in his voice.

"I know you've had her sneaking out to come find you. You stay the fuck away from her!" Kenny hissed.

Terrell gently placed the young girl down. "I don't have her doing anything. She wants to be around me."

Kenny glared at him the without hesitation sent a ferocious punch to his face.

Slightly dazed, from the hit, Terrell shot him an angry look. "You're gonna fucking regret that."

"S-Stop fighting. Please don't fight." Clementine's entire body quaked at the sudden turn of events.

"It's alright, darlin… I'm gonna take you home." Kenny took the child into his own arms. "I got you, hon."

He walked off, holding Clementine in a protective grip, with a fuming Terrell glaring at his back. Terrell reached to grab his radio. Pressing the button he spoke into it, "Hey… It's time…"


The second Kenny stepped into the house Christa sighed in relief upon seeing Clementine in his arms. Kenny sat the girl on the couch and began checking for any injuries.

"What the hell happened to your neck?" Kenny asked.

"It's nothing… Don't worry about it…" Clementine said. "Are…my twins still sleeping."

"Your twins are fine, Clem…" Christa said.

"Are… Are you mad at me?" Clementine asked.

"We were worried, darlin'. We keep telling you not to wander off." Kenny said.

"I needed to talk to Terrell... He hasn't done anything wrong to me, you shouldn't have hit him." Clementine said.

"He shouldn't be hanging around a little girl." Christa said.

"He's my friend." Clementine said.

"He's not your damn friend, Clem!" Kenny groaned.

"Stop yelling at me! You said you weren't mad!" Clementine pulled away from him.

"Let's just get you to your room to rest…" Christa said, taking the child's hand.

She was a lot warmer than usual. Christa couldn't help but feel a bit concerned. Her stress fevers were normal at this point, but they had never been this high.

After getting the child tucked into bed, she returned to the other room to speak to Kenny who was sitting on the couch looking stressed out.

"She didn't feel hot to you, like she had a fever?" Christa asked.

"She was out in the cold. She probably just needs her medicine." Kenny mumbled.

"She was out in the cold, but her skin feels hot." Christa pointed out.

"She gets fevers a lot, you know it." Kenny said.

"Not like this…" Christa disagreed. "It's high…"

"Try not to worry too much. She'll be fine…" Kenny said.

Christa sighed. "I hope so…"


Christa remained at Clementine's side all night. Whenever the child awoke, she would sooth her back to sleep, while constantly checking her temperature. Her fever was spiked.

The next morning when Christa brushed her palm across the girl's forehead she was as hot as fire.

Clementine lay still, eyes half-closed, her little body exuding heat like a furnace—heat that Christa could feel without even touching her skin. How high was the fever? How high could it go without killing her?

It didn't take a doctor to tell her the fever was dangerously high.

"I don't feel good..." Clementine muttered.

"You've got a bit of fever, that's all. You'll be fine once we get you cooled down." Christa tried to reassure the child, not wanting her to panic. "Just try to rest."

The child took a few minutes to drift off again.

Only a few minutes had passed into her sleep before a harsh knocking at the door startled the young girl awake again. "Wh-Who's there?"

"It's the front door, Clem. Don't worry." Christa said.


Meanwhile, Sarita answered the door with a surprise in store for her. Two Wellington guards and a medic stood on the doorstep.

"Good morning," The medic spoke.

"Can I help you?" Sarita greeted them. "Is everything okay?"

"We were sent to do a welfare check on the girl staying here with you—Clementine," The medic explained. "Can we see her?"

"Who's there, Sarita?" Christa asked coming towards the door.

"Umm… People are here to see Clem." Sarita said.

"What for?" Christa asked.

"It's a welfare check." Sarita said, repeating what the medic had said to her.

"Welfare? What the hell are you talking about?" Christa approached the door and noticed a familiar nurse. "I should've expected you to pull some shit like this."

"Me? I'm just following orders." The nurse said. "I need to see the girl."

"What is your reasoning?" Christa asked.

"Just let us see her. We don't want things to get bad." The nurse said.

"I can't bring her out here, and I won't let you see her, unless I know what it's for." Christa said.

"You will bring her to us, or we'll force our way inside and find her ourselves." One of the guards said.

Christa fought back a sigh. "Come this way." She motioned for them to follow her.

They followed her towards the child's room.

Clementine sat up looking tired and confused. "Christa? What's wrong? Am I in trouble?"

"No, sweetie… These people just want to talk to you…" Christa said.

Clementine looked over the people and rose a brow as she looked to the nurse. "I remember you… From the hospital… You thought the twins were my sisters."

"It's not everyday a child gets pregnant…" The woman replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Not great…" Clementine admitted honestly. "W-What's going on? Is… everything okay?"

"No... Everything's not okay… A group of kids, a bit older than you, were out last night. The guards caught them, and following protocol, detained them. They questioned them, checked them for bites. One of the girls wasn't feeling well, she was running a fever, they checked her, found a bite... And they shot her without hesitation."

"T-They shot Kaysey?" Clementine stammered, eyes wide in horror.

"How do you know it was Kaysey?" The nurse asked.

"I saw her…" Clementine admitted, still shaken up from the news.

"I thought so... Your name came up. We questioned the kids, and they told us you were out past curfew too. Which means we have to check you for bites." The nurse said.

"She's not bitten. We would know if she was." Christa said.

"We still have to check..." The nurse said. "Maybe it's on the best behalf of the children that they're removed from the household.

"What are you saying?" Christa asked.

"I think it might be best to remove any child living here from the household." The nurse said.

"Hell no. You said you were here for a welfare check, Clementine's fine!" Christa snapped.

"We are here for a welfare check… but that's not the only reason we're here…" The nurse said.

"Then why?" Clementine asked.

"We have order to remove any child living here from the household." One of the guards said.

"W-What?" Clementine gasped.

"We have order to-"

"What reasoning do you have to take them?" Christa inquired.

"We're just following orders." The guard said.

"Fuck your orders!" Christa spat.

"We just want the children to be safe." The nurse said.

"So you're saying it's not safe with us?" Christa asked.

"Did a young child not end up pregnant in your care?" The nurse retorted.

"None of you understand the actual situation!" Christa hissed.

"What's there to understand? Your group let a small child get pregnant." The nurse said.

"We didn't allow it to happen!" Christa huffed.

"Then how did it happen?!" The nurse asked.

"It just… did." Clementine spoke up. "It doesn't matter how it happened…"

"It does matter. And we have to make sure this doesn't just happen again." The nurse said.

"You have no right to take the children!" Christa exclaimed.

"We have every right. We're protecting a child from being further abused." The nurse said.

Clutching to her teddy bear, Clementine whimpered a bit. "I wanna stay with Christa! I want to stay here and be with everyone, especially with my girls."

"Don't worry, honey. Your girls are going to come with you." The woman nodded towards one of the guards, who walked over to the crib.

"Don't you dare touch them!" Clementine hissed, forcing herself from the bed.

"Now, now, settle down." The nurse gently grabbed the child's arm but was shocked when she felt how heated the small child's skin was.

The nurse slowly maneuvered her free hand to Clementine's forehead. Her eyes grew wide at the heat. "Holy shit…"

Removing her hand on the child's burning forehead, she felt her pulse. It was abnormally slow for such a high fever. The high fever and slow pulse had alarmed her.

"She… She has a fever!" The nurse exclaimed, causing the small girl to flinch. "She's bit!"

"Don't be crazy, there's no bite!" Christa quickly said, trying to defuse the situation.

"Don't you fucking lie to me!" The nurse tightened her grip on the little girl's arm causing her to whimper a bit and try to tug away. "Show me the bite!"

"What the hell are you doing? She's just a little girl! Leave her be." Christa snapped.

"Don't be a fool! Clearly the child is bitten!" The nurse stated.

"There's no bite!" Clementine said. "I'm not bitten!"

"She gets fevers all the time. They're stress fevers!" Christa said.

"A fever like that would have killed her. She's obviously bit! We gotta put her down." The nurse said.

"You're out of your damn minds if you think we're gonna let you kill her." Christa said.

"There is no salvation for someone with a bite! Do it!" The nurse said.

One of the guards nodded, Christa noticed him raise his gun with hesitation. "Don't you fucking dare! She's a little kid!"

The guard paused.

"DO IT!" The nurse bellowed out.

"NO!" Christa yelled.

A gunshot rang out before the guard could touch the trigger and he fell dead to the ground. The second guard whipped around to face the shoot, aiming his own weapon only to be shot in the chest.

"Let her go now." Kenny ordered.

"She's bit! I know she is!" The woman was practically using the child as a shield.

Kenny knew it would be risky to take a shot.

"Just let her go… There's no need for this." Sarita pleaded.

"You're putting everyone at risk by trying to keep a bite victim alive." The nurse said.

"She's not bit!" Christa said.

"I'll handle this myself!" The woman snapped. Keeping a grip on Clementine's little arm, she lunged forward trying to grab the guard's gun. Clementine managed to struggle away, and Kenny quickly took the opportunity to pull the trigger, killing the corrupt nurse.

Clementine flinched feeling the blood splatter on her clothes. The child felt her legs wobble, threatening to give out. Christa quickly helped her to the bed, before picking up one of the guard's guns and shooting the guard Kenny had shot in the chest.

"You didn't shoot him in the head." Christa huffed before taking a deep breath. "What the fuck do we do now?"

"We get the fuck out of here! That's what?" Kenny said.

"It's not that simple, Kenny!" Christa argued.

"Well we can't stay here where people are willing to kill kids… Wellington's not like it was when we first got here." Kenny said.

"Clementine's sick. The twins aren't exactly healthy. And Aleena needs oxygen." Christa said. "We don't have the supplies to leave right now..."

"We'll pack up on whatever supplies we need, but we can't stay here much longer." Kenny said.

"Wh-What about Edith and Danielle, and Patricia and Gill? We should get them to come with us." Clementine said.

"We'll talk to them. And see what they want to do… I'm gonna get these bodies out of here before their fucking friends decide to show up." Kenny said, and proceeded to drag one of the bodies out.

Clementine frowned. "Christa…"

"What?" Christa turned to the girl.

"Do you think it was my fault…What happened to Kaysey?" Clementine asked nervously.

"What are you talking about?" Christa asked.

"We got into a fight, I bit her and-"

"She was running a fever, Clem. That had nothing to do with you… Don't blame yourself for any of this shit." Christa said.

"Okay…" Clementine muttered. "I'm scared…"

Christa went to hug the girl, "Don't be… There's nothing to be-"

The sudden sound of an explosion shook them all. Eyes filled with fear they could only wonder-

"What the fuck was that?" Becca's voice could be heard from the other room, speaking the question on everyone's minds.