The flock of grievers gathered around the burial markers with a whole host of condolences – some from close friends from her childhood that'd give her a hug when they walked past, others being relatives who couldn't stop the endless flow of tears from cascading down their faces as they too said their goodbyes, some from people that she barely knew and only gave a passing glance at. The processions were over now, and it was time for the girl's parents to be laid to rest for all eternity.
At least, that's what the pastor had them believe, although it was a pretty nice sentiment nonetheless. People have always preferred to have some manner of satisfaction when their loved ones have passed away.
But no matter how many grievers came by to pay their respects, no matter how many times she had to say thank you for coming to the funeral… the girl couldn't find much in the way of peace. Not when both of her parents had been so violently mauled to death after having come home late one evening.
William Carver would rot behind bars for the rest of his miserable days, but still she couldn't find solace in that fact. No manner of punishment for the crime would be able to bring her parents back to life. The sickening part was that the guy wasn't even that fazed by his deed – walking right up to the stand and shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. No apologies, no nothing. He simply told them that her parents were late paying debts from the loan sharks and that their drug money was well overdue, trying to imply that her Mom and Dad were both in the drug scene.
Nobody truly believed him, of course, but it was all the same to Carver. The girl wanted to shoot him right then and there.
Eighteen year olds just entering into their last year of high school shouldn't have to put up with all of this, let alone a person at any age. She was emotionally exhausted and angry after the fact, but that call from her family friend, Kenny, pretty much destroyed whatever small amount of joy that she had left in her life. The girl remembered having dropped the phone to the hardwood floor after being woken up by the ring at nearly 3 AM, and the dark circles under her eyes revealed the insomnia and nightmares that had plagued her for the rest of that week.
But now she was all alone in the cemetery, save for the other occasional straggler who's come to visit the tombstones of people who they once cared for. Ed and Diana were cremated; their remains placed delicately in a jar and buried underground. Talk about truly being with each other for eternity…
The plaque that had been placed overtop to mark their resting place was really the last thing that she had to remember either of them by, and she had to drive twenty minutes or so just to come and visit. The place seemed peaceful enough, she supposed, with lush, grass-covered fields enshrouding the place along with some of the cherry blossom trees that would sprout up around this time of year just outside of Atlanta. It made the cemetery seem a lot more natural, as if those who have passed on in this world would be able to return to the earth they were born on and contribute to the growth of the next generation.
All of this was so overwhelming and too much to take on at once. So, early one evening before the police had come over and tried to go through her parents' things, the girl snuck into the room and snatched up her Dad's cherished ball cap from the top of his dresser drawer.
It would never go unused ever again.
"…Clem?"
Having done absolutely nothing other than counting the number of cars that they've passed (ninety-four, at last count), Clementine blankly tilts her head to the left as Lilly tries to drive and talk to the teen at the same time. She hasn't had much success on the talking front thus far, since lately Clementine's been tough to pry open with her solemn behaviour, but Lilly has yet to give up on her.
Mainly because she knows fully well that were the roles reversed, Clem would definitely be there for her as well.
"Hmm?" Clem deadpans, listening to some indie-rock music on the radio after having recently discovered her love for the genre. There was just something about the style that really got the girl's energy flowing, but for today it mostly just helped to ease the ache. She had memorized a whole bunch of albums over the summer when Sarah and Duck had been away, and once again her love of music had skyrocketed.
Swerving to avoid some oncoming traffic, Lilly speeds up a little bit as they both see the plane runway on the right hand side, with a large passenger aircraft taking off while the jet engines roar like thunder. "I was just… oh forget it. Nothing important."
"Lilly…"
"Are you sure that you wanna do this? Is this really what you want?" she suddenly asks, feeling unusually worried about the girl even though deep down they both know that she'll be just fine. Lilly's always had a bit of a soft spot for her, but usually this doesn't come out at all. "I mean… yeah, Lee's a great guy and all, and I've known him since you were in diapers. And I know he's your uncle and everything… but is this really what you want to do? So soon after…"
Cutting herself off and shaking her head with a frown, Lilly stops talking as she tries to get through the zoo of parked cars and pedestrians with big bags of luggage. Clementine sighs as she rubs her eyes and ignores a young child that has waved to her from outside her window. She's asked herself this very question about a billion times over now as well, and with almost every other answer she changes her mind from yes to no. Doubts have just creeped into her head and planted themselves inside of her brain at every turn – so many questions of what her future would be like out west, with an uncle whom she barely talks to, without her parents in her life, and pretty much leaving every single fragment of her old life behind.
Needless to say, despite having planned on heading out this way eventually anyways at some point, Clementine's a little bit nervous. But regardless of her anxiety and regret about leaving Atlanta in the dust, she knows that this is the right choice.
This is a chance for a new start; a new life where she can find her own place in the world. There's nothing really for her back in Atlanta anymore. It's time to find a new home.
Rolling to a stop near the airport entrance as the car gets parked in between a couple of taxi cabs, Lilly switches off the ignition and hesitates for a brief second; almost as if she just wants to turn this car around and just keep Clem under her roof instead. If she was a lot younger and less capable of making her own decisions, then that likely would've been the case.
But even Lilly knows that living with her and her father would be a handful for even the hardiest of souls.
"Let's umm… grab your stuff then," she murmurs as Clementine wordlessly steps out of the car and heading to the trunk with her hands in her pockets. Refusing to allow Clem to take the bags out, Lilly lifts the luggage and cringes at how light the girl's really packing on this long voyage. "…you're sure this is everything?"
Nodding as other families wave goodbye to their loved ones, Clementine shrugs in response as the wind picks up and chills right through her navy blue sweater. She didn't exactly have a whole lot of outfits to begin with, and most of her other clothes were far too small to wear. So, most of the stuff left inside the house is either going to the local thrift store when they eventually come to pick it up, or it's all going to be ripped apart by looters once they realize that the house is abandoned. Whatever works for them, really.
Standing at a crossroads, Lilly awkwardly offers her the bags as Clementine takes the carry-on bag and throws it over her shoulder as the zippers jingle and sway.
"Well," Lilly remarks as she glances into the double-doors up ahead, "I guess… this is it. For real, this time."
Instead of saying anything, the teen decides to break the awkward pauses as she drops the bag and wraps her arms tightly around the stoic woman; startling her until she eventually hugs her back and rubs her shoulder in comfort.
"Thank you…" comes Clementine's muffled reply as she speaks into Lilly's leather jacket, breaking the contact eventually as she leaves a couple of tear stains on her clothing. Lilly really doesn't mind this time, though – the past month has been nothing short of pure, unadulterated hell for the eighteen year old.
Watching her pick up the bags again and stare into her eyes once more, Lilly smiles wearily she prepares to take off in the car. "You take care of yourself, Clem. I mean that," she sternly advises; that cold yet caring attitude that Clementine's come to know coming back in full force. She never seems to skip a beat on noticing those kinds of things. "Now go on, get out of here… you've got a flight to catch."
Rolling her eyes open as she groggily yawns and stretches out her arms, accidentally bumping an old man sitting beside her as she quickly apologizes, Clementine tries to get the kinks out of her neck and her back – the result of having to sit in a cramped airplane seat for over five hours straight. They were a little delayed on the way over due to some turbulence (one of the least favourite things to hear when flying miles up in the air), but the destination should be coming up soon enough. The sooner that Clem gets off this damn plane, the better off she'll be.
So many questions fill her young mind as she glances out the window; spotting various buildings and cars that look like the size of ants from up here. What will she do once she finally settles in? Will she have to find some job to help Uncle Lee pay the bills?
"Attention passengers – we will soon be arriving in Portland, Oregon. Please remember to bring all personal belongings with you, as Omid Airlines is not responsible for any lost or stolen items that you may lose track of. And unless you'd like Omid Airlines to personally toss your sorry asses out of a moving aircraft, we recommend that you obey the seatbelt safety signs and sit down until we land. Thank you for your cooperation, and we hope you have a wonderful day. Welcome to Portland!"
"Finally…" Clementine mumbles under her breath as the plane starts to descend and her ears start to clog up. There's no real telling what'll be waiting for her once she gets to Arcadia Bay, but from what she's heard about the place, it seems to be a pretty quiet, little town. Not a whole lot of ruckus or trouble-making going down, and all in all a pretty uneventful dot on the map.
That ocean sounds like it'll be a main destination that she'll frequently come across in her travels, but Clem knows deep down that the most important thing is to get in and settle into her newfound surroundings. Rest and relaxation is going to have to take a back seat for now, at least.
Just as the plane's wheels touch down onto the tarmac below them, and the passengers clap for a job well done, Clementine feels her phone buzzing in her jean pocket. Curious to who'd be sending her a message, since Duck and Sarah are both likely still at school, she reaches down and pulls the cracked smartphone out to examine it; flicking the unlock button on as she reads the message.
Congratulations is the first title that she reads as her curiosity is piqued even further, and upon closer inspection, she can't help but feel a little bit of pride while reading the message in detail.
It seems that after months of waiting for a response, they finally sent back a reply that, under normal circumstances, would've made her dance around the room in happiness and excitement. Now though, the most she's able to muster up is a small smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
Looks as though Blackwell Academy might be getting a new student soon enough.
I hope you guys are proud of me, Clementine thinks to herself, sighing as she leans her head back and waits for some of the other passengers to grab their stuff. A very pregnant woman is helped off by a kind-looking, rather large fellow with glasses and a yellow jacket as they smile kindly towards her, and a part of her thinks that maybe this won't be quite as awful as she once thought it might be.
Little does she realize that her ride through hell has only just begun.
