Matthew awoke on Friday morning and instantly knew Ellie wasn't in the bed next to him.
After a few seconds of petting Winston, Matthew shrugged, got dressed in simple blue sweater and jeans, and walked out to the kitchen as Joel walked downstairs. The older man was pulling on one of his nicer green flannel shirts to go along with his black jeans.
"Ellie already leave?" Matthew asked.
Joel stopped. "I thought she was with you," he said, confused. "Last night she went for a walk to 'think'. I figured she came home after I called it a night."
Matthew thought for a moment and looked at the clock. "I know where she is. She'll meet you at the bar."
"She better hurry, or she'll be late," Joel said with an equal amount of fear and relief in his voice. He sighed. "It's going to be a long day."
"In my experience," Matthew said, grabbing his black boots and coat. "Days with a lot going on tend to go too fast."
"Maybe," Joel said quietly.
"I'll see you tonight, sir," Matthew said.
Matthew grabbed a spare set of clothes for Ellie and a hairbrush before quickly exiting the house and making his way to the park. When he arrived, Matthew saw Clarisse and Lin playing on the swings off to the side.
"Morning girls," Matthew said, stopping in front of them. "What are you doing here so early."
Clarisse jumped off the swing. "Lin's dad is busy today and said that we should come to the park. Tim's coming later."
"Sounds like a fun day," Matthew said, happy for both of them. "Ellie around too?"
Lin pointed behind her at the cluster of trees that hid the hangout area that Ellie and Matthew had created.
A walkie-talkie clipped to Clarisse's coat chimed.
Clarisse groaned. "My brother," she said to Lin, rolling her eyes. "Again. I'll be back."
Matthew smiled as Clarisse moved off the other side of the park, leaving him and Lin alone.
"Your girlfriend snores loud," Lin said quietly.
Matthew stifled a laugh. He raised the bag he was holding. "Ellie's got to get ready for work. Can you keep an eye out for me?"
Lin nodded.
Matthew moved around the cluster of trees and found Ellie asleep in the hammock, still wearing her boots and green winter jacket. Matthew held the bag behind him and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Ellie's eyes snapped open. "Shit!"
"How's the thinking going?" Matthew asked as Ellie rolled out of the hammock. "By the way you may want to watch your language. If Clarisse and Lin can hear you snoring, I'm sure that they can hear whatever else comes out of your mouth."
"Shut up!" Ellie snapped. She looked at the sun. "Dammit, I'm so late…"
"Not yet," Matthew said calmly. "If you move quick, you'll make it to the bar in time to set up. Joel will meet you there."
"But I have to go home! I have to get dressed!" Ellie said quickly, frantically trying to brush down her hair. "I have to look decent. I have to—"
Matthew held out the bag of clothes.
Ellie grabbed the bag, looked inside, and let out a sigh of relief. She looked at Matthew. "You are an amazing person."
"Uh-uh," Matthew said. He turned around as Ellie quickly began to change. "Have you thought of a name for this thing yet?"
"No," Ellie replied behind him. "I mean I thought about— fuck, that snow is cold! I thought about naming it after Riley, but it's to…"
"Riley is yours, no one else's."
"Ours," Ellie corrected. "I would have asked you first."
"I know," Matthew said. He turned as Ellie pulled on a nice flannel red sweatshirt similar to that of Joel's and a pair of clean, relatively hole-less blue jeans. Matthew threw Ellie her coat and glanced at the outfit.
"Thanks," Ellie said as she put the coat on and quickly brushed her hair. "Anyway, I figure a name will come when the time is right… Or this shit's going to crash and burn and I won't have to worry about it."
"That's… optimistic," Matthew said calmly.
Ellie put her hair up into a ponytail using an old, spare hair tie from her pocket. She took a deep breath. "How do I look?"
Matthew shrugged.
Ellie punched hard in the chest.
Matthew laughed. "This was always a good look for you."
Ellie relaxed and chuckled before walking forward. As she moved past, Matthew gently grabbed her hair tie and pulled it out of her hair.
"No fear," Matthew said, standing in front of her and placing the hair tie in his pocket.
"No fear," Ellie repeated. She took another deep breath. "You'll be home tonight, right?"
"That's why I took the mid-day shift."
Ellie leaned up and kissed him. "Thanks."
"No problem."
…
Ellie ran to the bar as fast as she could, arriving almost ten minutes early.
"You're late," Joel said to her when she entered. "People will be here in a few minutes."
"I'm glad one of us is optimistic about attendance," Ellie said, placing her coat over a chair.
"You're not?" Joel asked.
"At this point, my optimism is kinda irrelevant," Ellie said. She started grabbing chairs and bringing them to the center of the room. "If they show, they show, if not… well, then it's going to be a really shitty day."
Joel straightened a few of the chairs. "That's one way of looking at it," he grunted.
"I'd be surprised if you wanted to offer another," Ellie replied.
Joel looked at her and spoke calmly. "Ellie, just because I'm not one hundred percent with this doesn't mean I don't want you to succeed."
Ellie sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just on edge. Just… do me a favor and if things get tense today, let me do the talking. I want you here, but part of me needs to do this on my own."
Joel didn't reply.
Ellie spent a few minutes going over what she was going to say in her head. Afterwards, she straightened out her shirt and brushed her hair one last time before stashing the brush behind the bar. When it neared the time to start, she sat down in one of the chairs.
Joel leaned against the wall behind her, his arms folded.
"Ellie," Joel said quietly.
Ellie turned to him.
Joel looked her in the eye. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Ellie looked away for a moment. "You once told me that no matter what happens, I keep finding something to fight for," she said slowly. "Jackson is great. I want to make it better. This is what I want to fight for. This my way of doing it."
"Okay," Joel said.
Ellie looked at her watch. The time ticked by. A few minutes after the scheduled time for the meeting to start, Ellie looked down and shook her head in disappointment. She moved toward the chair that was holding her coat. "So much for—"
The door opened and three people walked in.
The first was Jeff. He seemed to dress for the occasion, wearing a clean black t-shirt and black pants. He gave Ellie an awkward nod and grabbed a chair.
Ellie nodded in return. She had long since forgiven him for what happened with Joey. Not that she would ever choose to show it.
The second man was Lin's father. Ellie had learned that his name was Lei. She had briefly spoken with him after Clarisse had come to visit Ellie with Lin.
Lei had the same dark hair as his daughter. Although it was brushed, the rest of his attire represented long, hard years outside of Jackson. His faded blue jeans were ripped and his green shirt had more than a few small holes in it, revealing some scars. He also took a seat without a word.
The third man was Marcus. Ellie looked him over. While his plain blue jeans and brown shirt were relatively unscathed, they held no formal inclinations and his short, black hair was unkept.
Ellie didn't know much about the older man. Aside from mostly solo shifts on the Wall, he had always kept to himself and his family, rarely associating with even Tommy and Maria.
Ellie nodded at him, receiving a grunt in return.
Ellie looked at Joel, who was still leaning against the wall behind her.
It was then that Ellie realized she wasn't wearing the necklace he gave her.
Ellie shook her head. That was a random thought. Whatever. It doesn't matter right now.
She took a deep breath. No fear. She sat down in a chair.
Jeff and Lei were looking at her with guarded, but polite expressions. Marcus was looking down at the floor.
Ellie opened her mouth to speak. Fuck…
"Sorry," Ellie said, forcing herself to chuckle. "You know, I had all this shit planned out in my head for months and it just… left."
Jeff and Lei chuckled softly.
Marcus shook his head in annoyance and remained silent.
"Okay…" Ellie said. She cleared her throat, attempting to ignore her pounding heart, the cold sweat on her back, and the red heat she felt on her face. "Okay. So, I um… I'm glad you could all come. It means that you guys want change. I do too."
Nobody spoke. Everybody continued to listen.
Ellie continued before she lost her train of thought. "For all the change that I had in my life, most of it was bad. Jackson… well it's one of the three changes that have stuck around and worked out… so far."
"That coming from the girl who left the safety of Jackson for a year," Marcus grunted, still not looking up.
Ellie hesitated before answering, choosing her words carefully. "Guilty as charged. But the point is that I had to change. The thing that I've learned since then is that change is not always bad. But I… we have to be willing to let it happen."
"Change happens without our permission," Marcus argued gruffly, looking at her briefly. "Someone your age wouldn't understand that."
"Marcus," Joel warned from behind Ellie, speaking for the first time.
"No," Ellie said to Joel, holding up a hand. She kept her eyes fixed on Marcus. I need to deal with this asshole now or I'm never going to be able to get this thing rolling. "The whole point of this is to be able to talk. Let him talk. Anything you want to ask or say, I'm ready."
"How old are you, kid?" Marcus asked.
"Twenty," Ellie answered.
"So, you weren't even around when all this shit started," Marcus said.
"No," Ellie confirmed. She continued before Marcus could speak again. "And I wouldn't ever say that I've seen more or less than the next person. But I have seen and been through enough to know what it's like to feel trapped."
"What do you know about trapped?" Marcus snapped, his fists clenching and unclenching.
Ellie opened her mouth to answer before shaking her head. "Look, I didn't ask anybody to come here so that they can listen to all the problems I've had and… sometimes have in my life. If it helps, I will talk. But that's not the point of this."
Marcus shook his head and looked down again.
Ellie leaned forward. "And to answer your question, I have felt trapped. I felt trapped feeling that I had to hold everything in when I was out there. And…" Ellie hesitated for a moment. "Sometimes holding everything in is supposed to help you survive. But it should be different here. The point of Jackson is to not feel trapped. It's supposed to make us feel free. I just want to offer an ear. What we feel out there shouldn't have to be the same as what we feel in Jackson."
Jeff and Lei glanced at each other and Marcus but didn't say anything.
"That's why I don't want to be the first person to speak," Ellie continued, hoping she sounded confident. "Because this isn't about me. It's about your lives. I just want to help make good change. Because I don't think this world has enough good change. I don't think it can ever have enough good change."
Jeff and Lei looked at Ellie again.
Ellie made eye contact with them before fixing her gaze on Marcus. "Obviously there's three other people here who think that too," Ellie said seriously. She shrugged and adopted a lighter tone. "Otherwise, I'd be talking to myself and this would be really weird."
Lei smiled slightly but remained silent.
Ellie took a deep breath. "But change needs… it needs more than one person working at it. I think that for change to happen, we need to deal with what happened before so that the things that happen after are better."
All three men looked at the ground.
Ellie leaned back in her chair hoping, praying that someone would say something. A full ten seconds passed without anyone speaking. The wind outside was clearly heard through the closed windows.
"I had a daughter."
Ellie turned in surprise as Joel walked forward and sat in a chair next to Ellie.
Joel took a breath of his own. "I had a… another daughter," he said glancing at Ellie.
Ellie smiled slightly as many emotions including pride, sadness, and affection overtook her. She quickly covered the smile up with her hand, wiping away a tear that unexpectedly formed in her eye.
Joel cleared his throat before continuing. "She… she didn't make it. After she died, I became who I thought I had to become to survive," he said quietly. "Hell, I became worse than the man that killed her. After I met Ellie, and… after I made it here, I tried to forget what I had to be out there."
Ellie glanced around as Lei and Jeff both looked at Joel. Even Marcus looked up.
Joel sighed and spoke again. "It took me a long, long time to remember that here, in Jackson, I could choose who to be. I had to remember that the person I was before my daughter died was still there."
"He is still here," Ellie whispered.
Joel nodded to himself and fell silent looking at the floor thoughtfully.
Knowing Joel was finished, Ellie looked around at Jeff, Lei, and Marcus, hoping that the silence wouldn't continue for long.
After a few seconds, Jeff looked up and spoke. "I um…" he smiled sheepishly. "Well, let's just say you don't have to live here very long to learn that I have a shitty rep. But it's something that I deserved."
Ellie stifled a smart-ass reply.
Jeff looked down for a moment. "I wasn't always in Jackson," he said. "A couple friends… former friends and I used to cause trouble in this zone we lived in. One day, we snuck out and couldn't sneak back in. The soldiers claimed not to recognize us and we had to leave. About ten years ago, a group from Jackson who were searching for supplies found us."
Ellie glanced around and saw that Lei and Joel were watching Jeff. Marcus didn't even look like he was listening.
Ellie looked at Jeff as he continued speaking. "…I got into some messed up shit and I almost… well I don't know what I was going to do," Jeff said quietly. He seemed unable to look Ellie in the eye. He sighed. "The point is, the zone I was in abandoned me, and this one didn't. God knows they had reason to."
"I've seen what's happened to people soldiers wouldn't let in the zones," Ellie said, causing Jeff to look at her. "I've seen the Infected too. Nobody deserves that."
Jeff nodded. "That's why I'm here, I guess," he said carefully. "I don't really know what I deserve. I just think that the people who took me in deserve better than what I've given them. Plus, coming here is better than… well, sometimes the urge to cause trouble can be a bit strong."
Everyone else waited for Jeff to continue.
"That's all I got," Jeff said, seeming slightly embarrassed. "For now, at least."
"Well if you're looking something to occupy yourself, you can always volunteer at the shop," Ellie suggested after a few seconds. "The old man doesn't bite as long as you do the work."
"I might have to try that," Jeff said, giving Ellie an appreciative half smile.
Ellie thought for a moment. "This is a good start for change, Jeff. A lot better than a year and a half ago, at least."
"I'm just glad you don't have an itchy trigger finger," Lei said.
Ellie was confused for a moment until she remembered that Jeff and Tim had been the ones to let Lei and his daughter into Jackson.
Lei looked around the room, his eyes settling on Joel and Ellie. "I also wanted to thank you two," the Chinese man said gratefully. "Clarisse has been good for Lin. She and her brother speak highly of both of you. Thanks for making her feel welcome."
"It's our pleasure," Joel said.
"Thanks for giving Clarisse a friend in her age group," Ellie said, earning a couple chuckles.
Lei looked down and sighed. "She doesn't know that I'm here. Lin, I mean. I told her I volunteered to do a shift on the Wall."
"Why's that?" Ellie asked.
"Force of habit," Lei replied. He ran a hand through his hair. "Plain and simple; I'm a liar. Ever since she was born I've been lying to that kid. I guess I'm coming here so that some part of her father can be more than just a liar and a killer."
"Did you lie to protect her?" Ellie asked.
"And myself," Lei said. He intertwined his fingers as sadness entered his voice. "I thought I'd fallen in love in the zone I came from. I was wrong. But something good came out of it."
"Lin," Jeff said.
Marcus shifted slightly. Ellie looked at him out of the corner of her eye and saw a small look of sadness cross his features before he looked at the floor again.
"Yes," Lei whispered. He leaned back and spoke with a hint of bitterness. "The trouble is, her mother had some bad debts and… she wanted to sell Lin, an infant, to some gang."
"Jesus," Joel muttered.
"I ran," Lei said without regret. "I took Lin as a child and escaped the zone. I was a park ranger once upon a time. So, I went to one of the store cabins and held out for a few years. There was still plenty to hunt."
"Sounds like you played the hand you were dealt," Ellie said softly.
"I figured that if we stayed away from the zones and people in general, we'd be safe," Lei explained. He shook his head and looked out the window. "I eventually realized that it wasn't going to last. Eventually, someone or something would find us and Lin would either end up dead or recruited into the military."
"Sounds like you got lucky either way," Marcus said, not looking up. He glared at the floor. "The zones aren't safety. They never were. They all fall apart and nothing anyone does can save them."
Ellie glanced at Marcus with renewed interest. So, he was listening. "I'm assuming the zone you were in before finding Jackson didn't work out so well," she said carefully.
"I couldn't care less," Marcus spat. "I left before it tore itself apart. The only safe way to live in this world is when you're alone."
"You got married," Ellie commented. "And you have a two-year-old girl. So, I guess life's got to count for something."
"You really want to keep tearing people open like this?" Marcus snapped, standing up quickly and causing his chair to fall backward to the ground.
"Cool it, Marcus," Joel warned standing and taking a step forward.
Ellie reached out with a hand, blocking Joel's path. "That's not what I'm trying to do," she said quietly and calmly to Marcus.
"Nobody's forcing anyone to be here or to talk," Jeff said, coming to Ellie's aid.
Lei nodded in agreement and stood within reach of Marcus but stayed silent.
"Fine," Marcus said, folding his arms. "You want to go there? You want to know what the real world is like, little girl?"
Ellie didn't answer. She stayed sitting, not breaking eye contact.
Marcus took a step forward. "In the real world, your family dies! In the real world, it doesn't matter where you live! People fucking die!"
Joel moved forward again at the same time as Lei.
Jeff also stood.
"Stop," Ellie said firmly. "Let him go."
"In the real world, walls don't keep the Infected out!" Marcus practically shouted, his fists clenching. "The Infected get in, and they destroy your families! The Infected take your son! They make your son into a monster and makes him run into his brother's room and—"
"Marcus!" Joel said loudly.
Marcus froze. After a few seconds of heavy breathing, he unclenched his fists and took a step back, slumping into his chair. He looked at the floor again, speaking quietly. "If you knew what the real world was like, you wouldn't bother trying to fix it. And when you see your son dead in his bedroom, and your other son dead on the streets left where the soldiers shot him, you will realize that nothing can help this world."
An eerie silence settled over the room.
After a full thirty seconds of silence, Ellie opened her mouth to speak.
Suddenly, the power in the bar around them went out, making the sunlight filtering through the window the sole source of light in the building.
Everyone let out a collective breath that they didn't know they were holding.
Ellie took a deep breath and looked out the window. She saw lights on in the house across the street.
"Welcome to Jackson," Ellie said, forcing herself to chuckle. She looked at Lei. "Don't worry, this happens every once in a while. The power'll be back by tomorrow. But if you guys agree, I think we can call it a day."
Lei, Jeff, and Marcus, turned and walked out the door.
"You know where I live if you need me," Ellie called quickly. "And I'll to make another meeting next week if… and… they're gone."
After sighing, Ellie nodded to herself and grabbed her backpack and hairbrush. Before exiting the building, she picked up Marcus' chair and placed it next to the bar.
Ellie and Joel walked outside and into the sunlight. As they moved down the street, Ellie saw Marcus off to the side, trying to zip his coat with a broken zipper.
Ellie moved away from Joel, ignoring his quiet warning.
Ellie reached into her coat pocket and grabbed out a large paperclip she'd been using to hold the posters together. She lightly touched Marcus on the shoulder and stepped back as the older man spun around.
Ellie held out the paperclip.
Marcus hesitated before taking it and attaching it to his coat, allowing it to zip. He turned to walk away.
"I know you hate me already, but I'm going to say one more thing," Ellie called, stopping him in his tracks. "I'm really sorry about what you and your wife have been through. But despite all that, you survived. You're still married. You have a beautiful little girl. Which means that some part you has to believe that something can be good in what's left of the world."
Marcus stiffened.
"All that's got to count for something," Ellie continued. "And I've lost enough in this world to wonder what I missed. I also missed a lot of good that was right in front of my face. I wouldn't want anybody to miss that for themselves."
Marcus' head turned slightly. After a few seconds, he shook his head and walked away without a word.
Ellie gulped. What the fuck did I accomplish today? She turned and marched past Joel.
Joel placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
"Me?" Ellie asked, turning to him. Uncertainty and disappointment continued to fill her thoughts and she suddenly felt exhausted. "I'm fine. But this whole idea… I don't know."
"Let's go home," Joel suggested.
"Yeah…" Ellie said distantly.
"You want to talk?" Joel asked.
"How do you think it went?" Ellie asked, looking straight ahead. "Exactly like you thought it would?"
"It went," Joel replied simply.
They both started walking.
Ellie remained silent until they reached the house.
Joey walked out of his house and moved quickly across the street to Ellie as Joel entered their house.
"Heather told me to give you this when I saw you," Joey said, handing Ellie a walkie-talkie. "She said you'd know what it means."
Ellie grabbed the walkie-talkie. She hesitated before talking into it. "T-B-D, Heather. I'll stop by later if I need some cheering up. But don't wait for me."
"Alright," Heather's voice answered. "Hopefully, I won't see you until tomorrow."
"I'm guessing the meeting wasn't a complete failure," Joey said.
"What makes you say that?" Ellie grunted.
Joey shrugged. "You tend to disappear when you're mad or disappointed."
Ellie shrugged as well. "Thanks for the walkie-talkie, Joey," she said as she handed the walkie-talkie back. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
Ellie walked into the house and immediately retrieved her Walkman.
After a few hours of listening to music, Ellie walked into her closet and retrieved her mother's note. She read the last paragraph.
I'm not going to lie, this is a pretty messed up world. It won't be easy. The thing you always have to remember is that, life is worth living! Find your purpose and fight for it. I see so much strength in you. I know you'll turn out to be the woman you're meant to be. Forever… your loving mother
Anna
Make me proud, Ellie!
Ellie placed the letter back in her closet before flopping on the bed.
Joel walked into her bedroom and offered her a plate of food.
Ellie shook her head.
Joel nodded and set the plate on the bedside table next to Ellie's necklace. He sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Don't," Ellie said sharper than intended. She pulled out her headphones and sighed. "Don't sit on the bed. Because then you always make me feel better and I don't want to feel better. I feel like shit. I feel like I spent years trying to put that together and failed. I mean, they didn't even say anything before they left."
"They said more than they've probably said in years," Joel said gently.
"For what? What was the point?" Ellie asked. She let out a breath. "You were right. All I did was open old wounds that I can't close. No matter how much I want to and how much I try, I can't…"
Joel sighed and looked at the necklace next to Ellie. He reached forward and grabbed the necklace, holding it out to the young woman.
Ellie shook her head again.
Joel reached behind Ellie and placed it around her neck.
Ellie looked at the necklace for a moment.
"I missed that on you today," Joel said with a small smile.
Ellie took yet another deep breath. She turned off her Walkman and grabbed her guitar.
Joel nodded and exited the room.
Ellie took her guitar out to the living room and sat on the couch.
Joel joined her a few seconds later with his own guitar.
Before Ellie started playing, she looked at Joel. "Has anyone ever tried to do what I did?"
"What? The foundation?" Joel asked. He set down the guitar. "A lot, actually. For different reasons. Drinking. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Disease. There were lot of them before the outbreak."
"I mean now," Ellie said, leaning forward. "In the last twenty years, has anybody ever tried something like this?"
"Why are you asking these questions now?" Joel asked. He looked Ellie in the eye. "You didn't seem to care before today."
"I don't know," Ellie admitted. "Maybe I'm just trying to figure out why this didn't work."
"How do you know it didn't?" Joel asked.
"Did it?" Ellie countered.
Joel strummed his guitar a few times before answering. "Honey, you have to understand that even if this doesn't work out, you may never know the impact that you've made."
"I guess," Ellie said, not really believing Joel's words.
Joel smiled sadly. "Not everybody is as brave as you are, Ellie. Sometimes they can't say what they feel."
"Then what was the point?" Ellie asked, closing her eyes.
"Pause for thought," Joel said. "If you made even one person, if only for a second, think differently or better about whatever situation they're in or that they've been in, then you succeeded."
Ellie thought about his words for a minute and tightened her grip on the guitar.
"You ready?" Joel asked.
"Totally," Ellie replied.
Ellie and Joel played until the sun set. It began to snow outside.
Ellie allowed herself to relax and immerse herself into the songs that she and Joel had either learned or created. Ellie smiled as they finished a song they had been creating for over a month.
The front door opened and Matthew walked in, shaking the snow out of his hair. Ellie set down her guitar and stood. She walked over and gave him a hug. Matthew shut the door behind him and hugged her back.
"Long day?" Matthew asked.
"Quick day," Ellie replied.
Matthew and Joel exchanged glances that Ellie didn't understand.
"You're late," Ellie commented.
"Sorry," Matthew said. He took off his winter coat. "I stopped at the shop to grab some new gloves and—"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Ellie moved around Matthew to open the front door.
It took Ellie a second to recognize the older woman standing outside. It was Marcus' wife, Janet. She had brown eyes and hair that cascaded over her brown coat. She also wore a pair of brown jeans.
"Hi," Ellie said lamely, unable to read Janet's face. Is she about to yell at me too?
Before Ellie could even say another word, Janet flung herself around Ellie, wrapping her in her arms. "Thank you! Thank you!"
"Um… your welcome," Ellie said, utterly confused. "For what, exactly?"
"Sorry," Janet said, letting Ellie go. She wiped a tear from her eye and brushing down Ellie's shirt. "I'm sorry. It's just… I forced Marcus to go to your meeting today. And he doesn't like talking about what happened to us."
Ellie didn't answer right away. "Talking about bad shit is hard on everyone," she said cautiously.
"Yeah," Janet said, brushing her hair out of her eyes. She let out a breath. "Marcus came home this afternoon and he refused to talk to me. But tonight, he tucked our daughter in. He's never done that. After our sons… Marcus has always been afraid to be close to her. But tonight…"
Ellie had to look away as Janet spoke. She felt a tear well up in her own eye and fall down her cheek.
Janet reached forward and grabbed Ellie's hands, squeezing them tightly. "Whatever you're doing there… keep doing it."
"I will," Ellie said quietly. She cleared her throat. "I will."
"Thank you," Janet said, hugging Ellie again with more tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much."
Janet brushed down Ellie's shirt again and walked down the street. Ellie stared after her and noticed Tim, Clarisse, and Lin moving toward the house as well. Ellie grabbed her boots and coat before exiting the house and closing the door behind her.
Ellie greeted them with a raised hand.
Clarisse jogged forward and hugged Ellie. In Clarisse's hand, she held the toy robot that Ellie had given her the morning after they met.
"Have a good day?" Ellie asked.
"Yup," Clarisse said. She lowered her voice. "Even with my brother following me around."
"What about you?" Ellie asked Lin with a smile. "You have fun too?"
"More than I've ever had," Lin replied with a large smile as she stepped close to Clarisse.
"Good," Ellie said, placing her hands on both their shoulders. She looked at Tim. "You still good for tomorrow night?"
"So far," Tim answered. "How was—"
"Daddy!" Lin shouted, running past Ellie and into her father's waiting arms.
"Hey, Bǎobǎo," Lei said hugging her tightly.
"What does Bǎobǎo mean?" Clarisse asked Tim.
"It means 'baby'," Lei translated.
"Aw," Ellie said, unable to stop herself.
"It means 'darling'," Lin said quickly, clearly embarrassed. "Darling is fine."
"Thank you for keeping an eye on my daughter," Lei said to Tim.
"Anytime," Tim said.
"Daddy?" Lin said, getting her father's attention. "Where were you today? You said that you took a shift on the Wall. We walked all the way around the Wall. We didn't see you."
"That's my fault," Ellie said quickly.
Lin turned to her.
Ellie shrugged. "You see… I needed some help and I asked your dad to—"
"It's okay," Lei interrupted. He picked Lin up and looked her in the eye. "I've always told you to tell the truth. It's time that I follow my own advice."
"You lied?" Lin asked.
Ellie saw confusion and a small amount of hurt enter the girl's eyes. Ellie looked away.
"What did you lie about?" Lin asked.
"I lied about where I was today," Lei said, grabbing her hand and bringing it to his lips. "There is a lot I haven't told you."
"Will you… will you tell me about my mom?" Lin asked with both hope and apprehension.
"Someday," Lei promised. "But for now, I just want to tell you that we're going to stay here in Jackson. And that I love you."
"Okay," Lin said, hugging him. "Can I still play with Clarisse tomorrow."
"Absolutely," Lei said, allowing Lin to slide down his body and hug Clarisse.
"Thank you for letting me be Lin's friend," Clarisse said to Lei shyly.
"Your welcome, 'Dōngjì huāhuì'," Lin said kindly.
Clarisse walked back to Tim.
"Ready to go home?" Tim asked.
Clarisse thought for moment, ran to Lin, and handed her the toy robot. "Here. I don't need it to protect me anymore."
Lin wrapped herself around Clarisse again.
Clarisse returned the hug and let go.
Lin returned to her father and was once again scooped up into his arms.
Clarisse nodded at Tim and they turned away.
"Thank you, again," Lei said to Ellie.
"Thank Tommy and Maria's family," Ellie said with a shrug. She looked around. "They created this place."
"I was under the impression that you were part of their family," Lei said with a raised eyebrow.
Ellie shrugged again.
Lei nodded. He lowered his voice again. "And uh, if you have any more of your meetings—"
"I'm hoping to have another next week," Ellie said. She tucked her hands in her pockets. "Well… once I figure out what it's called. I kinda dropped the ball when it came to naming it."
"Good," Lei said, looking somewhat relieved. "Goodnight."
"'Night," Ellie said. She thought for a moment. "Hey, what does, and I hope I'm not completely failing at saying this, 'Dōngjì huāhuì' mean?"
"Winter flower," Lei replied.
"Cool nickname," Ellie said, looking down.
As Lei and Lin disappeared from sight, Ellie smiled and looked up at the moon. She felt a pressure on her shoulder and saw Joel standing behind her.
"How do think the night went now?" Joel asked.
"Two out of three," Ellie said. "Not bad, I guess."
"Three out of three," Joel corrected. "The kid was just telling me that he saw Jeff at the shop asking for a job."
"Imagine that," Ellie said after a few seconds. She looked at Joel. "What about you? Did you speak up at the meeting just to help me out or because you wanted to? I mean, did it help?"
"Yes," Joel answered. He offered no explanation with the answer.
"Typical 'Joel answer'," Ellie muttered, giving Joel's shoulder a shove. "Anything more specific?"
"I don't know," Joel said. They started walking back toward the house. "What I do know is that you stood your ground and did something that… well it's a good cause."
"Now I just have to give 'the cause' a halfway decent name," Ellie said as they entered the house.
They took off their coats and boots before walking over to the couches and sitting across from each other.
"I want to keep doing this," Ellie said after a short silence.
"You should," Joel replied. He stood and grabbed his guitar. "Goodnight, baby girl."
"Goodnight, Joel."
Joel hesitated at the base of the stairs. "About the name… sometimes simple is better. After all you went through to put this together, you shouldn't stress on a name."
Ellie nodded but didn't reply.
Ellie played her guitar for a while longer. Eventually, she stood and walked toward her room and stopped as a thought occurred to her. She walked over to the couch and grabbed a pencil and paper. A few seconds later, she examined what she had written and smiled before placing the piece of paper on the table.
Ellie walked into the bedroom as Matthew pulled on his nightshirt. Ellie got dressed for bed without a word.
Matthew turned to Ellie. "So, how did your meeting go?"
Ellie shrugged and looked down. "It was awesome!" she exclaimed, running and tackling Matthew onto the bed.
"I knew it would be," Matthew grunted as he picked her up slightly threw her to one side of the bed.
Ellie waited for him to lay down before resting her head on his shoulder.
Matthew lifted her chin and gave her a quick kiss before laying back against the pillows.
"So, are you going to tell me about it?" Matthew asked after a few seconds of silence.
"I thought you'd never ask," Ellie said.
…
Winston rose from the floor in the living room and walked toward the bedroom. He wagged his tail happily as he heard Ellie's voice, accidentally knocking over the piece of paper Ellie had been writing on minutes before.
Possible Names:
The
Foundation