Authors note: Recently I've been trying to upload every week and this is the first chapter that has been late so sorry about that. I made it longer to make up for it :)

My companions are another issue. Except for Alec, who continues to be a spiteful pain in the ass, shooting me poisonous looks whenever I so much as look at Jace or Max, and Valentine, who treats me with the same cruel aloofness as he does everyone else, the group is pretty friendly. Which I wouldn't mind, except they are also a curious bunch, always asking me how I managed on my own, what the outbreak was like in a city, how I stayed alive. I answer as vaguely as I can and eventually the adults have started to catch on that I don't want to talk about it- my memories are just too painful. The questions will stop, but in their absence is pity, and I don't know which is worse; I don't want them to think I am weak because I am not.

Unfortunately that isn't the only problem I have. Alec has it in for me. I can hear him sometimes, talking about me to the rest of the group, spreading suspicion and lies. Most of them- Maia, Max and the older woman: dorethea- pay little attention to him; they have bigger concerns than the jealous accusations of a teenage boy. But some of the others- Samuel, Magnus, and even the small twins' Livvy and ty- have started to eye me with distrust. As infuriating as it is, I can't do anything about it.

Despite that, it is Valentine who worries me the most, the silent judge, whose sharp grey eyes miss nothing. But even though he is the leader, he seems apart from the rest of the group, separate. He rarely speaks to anyone, and everyone seems afraid to approach him. If it wasn't for Jace, relaying his orders back and forth, he wouldn't interact with the group at all.

In fact I bet I know more about the group than he does. I know Max loves his action figure. I know Maia, the teenager who trusts me, and Jordan, a teenager who doesn't, dated but now she avoids him completely. I know Magnus always spends 30 minutes in the morning, before everyone else is up, applying glittery makeup to his orange catlike eyes. I know that ty and Livvy lost all their family to walkers. It's all these little things that make me feel like I could be part of them, like I know them.

But it is Jace that continues to fascinate and confuse me. It is clear that everyone respects him; despite being Valentines second. He is always helping, always making sure everyone is being taken care of, but he does it in a subtle way, he laughs off his kindness with a sarcastic comment or a wry statement that distracts people from his nice side. Yet he never asks for anything in return, never accepts anything even if it is offered.

We make camp earlier than usual. Everyone is tired from the long walk; their sun baked bodies ache and groan. I wander to the campfire and am shocked to find Jace reading to Livvy and ty. Stunned, I creep closer to the scene. The twins are curled up around each other, there eyelids half closed, the fire toasting their backs. Jace reads over them, his low, smooth voice reciting passages from the book in his lap. When he is finished, he picks them up, one in each arm and they snuggle into his neck. Then he deposits them into their tent and returns to the fire.

"I didn't know you were so good with kids." I say, going to sit next to him.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, freckles." He answers. His gaze never leaves the fire but he bumps his shoulder with mine. We sink into a comfortable silence and I realise how right he is, I barely know him at all.

"Tell me something about you then." I ask, my eyes meeting his. He smiles as he looks down at me.

"I was a champion synchronized swimmer." He says, his voice remaining serious.

"No you were not!" I reply giggling.

"I was so," his voice is teasing and a smile tugs at his lips. He raises his arms above his head and bows. "I was the best of the best, and frankly I am offended that you don't know who I am." He mimics another move, his arms swivelling in the air. I begin to laugh and I become conscious that we are sitting so close that I can feel him chuckle in return.

I stare into the fire, a smile still plastered to my face. I can feel him watching me and so raise my eyes to meet his. He looks into my eyes, and then looks down at my lips. His head comes closer, closer.

"Oh hey guys." Magnus says, sitting down next to Jace. We spring apart and awkwardly acknowledge the new comer. Magnus looks at us and seems to pick up on the awkward tension, "sorry if I was interrupting anything…"

I stand up. "Oh no, you weren't, it was nothing." I say and catch a hurt look in Jace's eyes as I walk away, into my tent.

The following morning, I crawl out of my tent to find Isabelle, Jace and Jordan crouching near the edge of camp, talking in low voices. They look as if they are trying to avoid attention, which of course piques my curiosity. Brushing sleep from my eyes, I amble towards them. "I knew this would happen," Izzy mutters in a quiet voice as I approach. "We should have stocked up when we had the chance. Who knows when well come to another town?"

"What's going on?" I ask, squatting beside them. I try to catch Jace's eye but he doesn't look at me. I try to ignore how much that hurts. Jordan sighs.

"Supplies are running low." He confesses. "At this rate, well run out of food in a couple of days, even if we cut back the rations." He stabs a hand through his dark brown hair, racking it back. "We are thinking about going hunting, but Valentine doesn't like the group to separate. Not when there's a chance of running into walkers. Plus were running low on weapons." He adds and nods towards a pile of throwing knives, a couple of bow and arrows and a silver whip which I recognise as the one Izzy always keeps wrapped around her arm, or at her waist.

"Why not use guns?" I ask, remembering a shotgun at Valentines side. Jace shakes his head and looks at me for the first time today.

"We're pretty low on ammo," he replies. "Besides they make too much noise without a silencer. Fire one of those things off when there's a herd nearby and you're screwed. Only use firearms in an emergency."

"Can I come with you?" the boys exchange a look and Izzy raises a perfectly sculptured eye brow. "I know how to hunt," I add. "I'm quiet, and I'm stronger than you think. How else could I have survived all those years on my own." I ignore the voice in my head that reminds me how much of a struggle it was and how I only barely survived. "I also have my own weapons, so I wouldn't need to borrow any of yours." I gesture towards the katana at my back and the many knives hidden about my person.

"It's not that," Izzy says. "It's just… I don't want you to get into trouble with valentine, make him question his decision to let you stay with us."

Annoyed, I frown at them all, pride stinging. I pull out a knife that was sheathed in my boot and fling it at a tree that stands about 30m away. My knife flies through dead middle of a leaf, which is then pinned into the bark of the tree trunk. I also manage to narrowly miss Alec's head as he leaves his tent.

Alec walks over to us and sits down. "I say you let her come." I look at him shocked and he shrugs as if to say 'it's no big deal'. "We need the food and she's clearly capable of taking care of herself." Everyone, including Jace glances at my knife. I hide a smug smile. "if she gets kicked out of the group or not is her decision." Ahh, so that's why he wants me to come. Even though Alec has a subplot I still feel a wave of gratitude towards him.

"All right then." Jace says, meeting my gaze. "Looks like were going hunting."

Authors note: I know ive claimes this more than once but this time I promise there reallywill be zombies in the next chapter... a lot of them in fact ;). Review if you enjoyed, I loved hearing from yall! x