A/N: Hello! It hasn't even been a month since I last updated. Are ya proud of me? I may even be on a roll and get another one out before the year ends lol. I honestly hate myself for how long it takes me to update.

Well, I don't wanna dilly dally here. I hope you all like it!

Glenn and I eventually leave the bed, going to clean up the broken plate and wipe the blood off the marble tile.

"C'mon," he calls me over to the sink. He sets himself on the right side, with the dirty dishes. "I wash and rinse, you dry?"

I nod to him. "Yeah, sure."

I get beside him and open the blinds, momentarily blinding us as the sun assaults our eyes. Then we get to work, cleaning the whole sinkful. He both scrubs and rinses on the sole fact of my bandages. I should at least keep them dry the first hour I have them on.

"Deanna tells me I'm gonna be part of the runners." Glenn makes small talk. Once we're done we lead to the open living room. I lean against the gray wall by the windows, looking out to the huge metal fortress of a wall a couple yards away. It seems peaceful out today.

"A runner?" I question.

"Yeah." He sets himself on the couch, his hands resting against the back of his head. His eyes close, relaxed, as he continues. "We go out and grab supplies. Her son, Aidan, leads the group."

"Have you been out at all?" From the corner or my eye I see someone moving to the wall outside. I squint; looking at facial features from far away is difficult. I can tell it's none of our group. Who is that?

"No. He wants us to go out today, or tomorrow. He wants to see what we can do."

"You don't sound happy with that." I note. The person outside begins to climb the metal monster, and I catch a flash of long brown hair from their hoodie. Enid.

"He's cocky. And a dick. I'm not sure how it's gonna go."

I hum in response, my eyes trailing Enid as she makes it to the top of the wall.

"Whatcha looking at?" Glenn asks, getting up from the couch. He stands in front of the window, fingers trailing the bottom frame of the glass.

"Enid." I say. She goes on the other side and began what I can only assume is a slow descent to freedom.

"Enid." He repeats. "Who's that?"

"Another teenager." I explain. "She's from the outside, too."

"Do we like her?"

"Sure." I give a small smile. "So far she hasn't given me any reason not to."

Momentarily, I'm a little jealous of her. Of the freedom she gives herself.

"She do this often?" Glenn continues. So we're playing twenty questions, huh?

"Carl told me she's done it a couple times." I want to join her. To go past the wall and breathe a little. It feels like I'm suffocating in Alexandria.

"You wanna follow her." He says it like a statement, not a question. Of course he would think that. He knows I feel like a caged animal here.

"... Yeah. A little." I shrug my shoulders.

"Then go." Glenn gives my shoulders a light push to the door.

"Wait, really?" I question, his strong arms shoving me in the direction of the door.

"I promise I won't tell." He says with a wink. He swings the door open and holds it for me. "So long as you're back before dinner."

My heart swells in gratitude for him. "Thanks!"

"Anytime."

I hurriedly push through the doorway, bounding down the steps and twist to the right, straight for the wall. Before my footsteps lead me, though, I turn back to the house.

"Thank you." I say earnestly. "I mean it."

It's for more than just letting me go. The smile that spreads on Glenn's face tells me he understands what I mean. Thank you for trying to put me back together.

"You don't need to thank me. Just promise you'll try."

"I will. Promise."

"Good. Now go!" He lets the door swing shut in front of me, stopping me from stalling my trip. With a genuinely happy smile ghosting my features, I run over to the wall and begin my climb.

There's tiny metal bars pushed through the lining of the wall panel. Enid must have put them there to climb with. They're strategically placed a few feet away from each other, giving a close enough gap for use. Experimentally, I tug on the first one, just above my head from the ground. Sturdy. Well, let's give it a shot.

I lurch forward, pulling with all my strength to go up on the wall. The new cut on my hand stings in pain momentarily, and I shift the grip on the bar to get my weight off it. My legs shake underneath me while I continue up the makeshift steps, climbing higher and higher until I reach the top.

Once I get up, I grasp the edges of the sheet metal, gathering up enough strength to flip over to the other side. I hoist my legs upward, twisting myself over the barely-foot-long wall. I dangle from my arms on the top, my head just barely peaking over the top as I let myself down onto a wooden bar on the outside.
Wow, I think to myself. Alexandria is actually kinda… pretty. Looks normal, like before.

Then I drop to the bar, almost losing my balance as it shakes beneath me. I look down, seeing a couple more wooden bars, set a couple feet apart.
I internally groan. Here we go.

Five wooden bar hops and a very unceremonious drop to the dirt later I'm finally on the outside of Alexandria. I breathe in the air; it's almost fresher on the outside.
There's no visible footprints out here. Wherever Enid is, she made it there fast and safely. Damn. Looks like we're playing a game of hide and seek.

I'm only a few yards into the trees when I realize, fuck, I don't have a weapon. Not even my knife. I'm so used to being equipped 24/7 that it never registered in my brain that I'm not correctly prepared. Shit.

Well, hopefully I'm not ambushed by a herd of walkers. I can handle one, maybe even two. Any more than that and I'm toast. If I can find Enid, she could cover us. She should have something, at least.

The thought makes my legs move faster. Still steady and quiet, but there's more of a spring in my step. Self-preservation is a wonderful motivator outside the walls.

"You can quit hiding now." A voice rings from... Somewhere. I eye my surroundings, looking for her. I can't see anything but green leaves and large bushes.

"I gotta admit, you're better than Carl." Enid pulls out from behind a large oak, a smug smile on her face. I immediately notice the large knife on a belt to her side and a backpack resting comfortably on her shoulders. "He's like an elephant. Steps on anything that makes noise."

I nod. Carl is many things, but stealthy in the forest is not one of them.

"What're you doing out here?" She asks. Her head cocks a little to the side, staring at me.

I almost contemplate not answering. It's easier to clam up and leave her than it is to answer someone I barely know. But Glenn's voice rings inside my head. "Try. Promise me you'll try."

"I feel..." My voice is still a little scratchy, but I give a hard swallow and try again. "I feel like I can't breathe in there."

She nods, her look at me contemplative. "It's too big. Too pristine."

"Too perfect."

"Yeah." She agrees. I stand there, silently waiting for her to make the next move. Let me come with? Leave me here? What're you gonna do?

Slowly, she angles herself on the path, making room for a person, me, to join beside her.

Graciously, I make my way over to her, keeping enough space between us. Slowly, we begin a small trek through the trees, making our way through the large branches. The remnants of the storm last week still shows. There's a few broken branches over the grass and dirt, making us change our path a couple times.

It's silent. The forest makes its normal noises; birds cawing, leaves rustling, small gusts of wind breezing past us. But Enid, well... Doesn't seem like she's the person for small talk.

"Where are we going?" I ask quietly, stepping over some broken branches stuck in the dirt.

She maneuvers around them instead, adjusting the pack straps on her shoulders. "Anywhere. Away. Who the fuck knows?"

Cheery.

"I'm guessing you've been out here often."

She shrugs. "Often enough."

Oh. Super cheery.

"Why?"

She sets the backpack down, dropping it heavily to a patch of dirt besides a thick tree. Her ass immediately follows, landing against the tree. She sits, a stoic expression on her face and a monotonous tone following. "Same reason as you."

I sit down beside her, my version much more graceful as I take the time to plop down. "Well, for me, I'm used to outside. Inside feels like I'm getting suffocated. It's too much like before."

She nods, listening to my words but her expression is uncaring. My hands grab at a stick a few inches away from us and I pull it towards me. It's thin enough that I can easily snap through it, and long enough that I'll get more than two pieces from it.

SNAP! It breaks in half, almost even on both ends. I drop half in between Enid and me, and begin to break the half into halves again. It helps to keep my hands moving and it fills the silence between us. It seems too heavy, and I want to break it. I don't want us to go back to Alexandria hating each other, or just neutral towards each other. I want us to be able to work. At least a little bit.

"So," she grabs the half of stick on the ground and a knife, pulling the knife down its side to whittle it. "Why're you here instead of your boyfriend? Any particular reason?"

I shrug my shoulders, using a tiny edge piece of the broken stick to pull through some dirt beside me. It crumbles, making a small grove in the ground. "We didn't plan it. He was out of the house, I saw you going over the wall. So I decided to follow."

Her hands turn the stick over, beginning to whittle at the other side of the stick. It begins to make a point on the edge. I press on. "What about your boyfriend? Does Ron know you go out here?"

Her nose wrinkles at the term, "boyfriend." The immediate answer following is a hard shake of her head. "No, and I wanna keep it that way. He doesn't understand going outside. He thinks it's dangerous."

"Has he ever been out here?"

"No. And he doesn't want to."

The words are met with silence on my part. Why didn't she like me calling Ron her boyfriend? Do I even wanna bother asking?

In a split second decision, I do. If she doesn't answer, at least I tried.

"Ron is your boyfriend, right?" I ask, wanting to press further but not wanting to invade her personal life. "Did you two have a tiff or something?"

Her eyebrows furrow, and the movements in whittling her stick get a little bit harsher.

"Sorry." I immediately apologize. "I don't mean to pry."

"It's complicated." Is her answer. She refuses to look at me, her eyes trained on the bits of wood that drop from her stick. I nod and drop my pieces, leaning back against the trunk of the tree and closing my eyes. The sun is bright today, shining brought the leaves and onto my face. It's almost peaceful.

I hear Enid sigh heavily beside me, and I crack open an eye to look at her. She drops her stick and brings her knees close to her chest, her arms going around them tightly. "You really wanna know?" She asks in a huff.

"... Yeah. Tell me."

"When you're in a place like this- a place like Alexandria, it's best to not fight the change." She explains. Her eyes stare ahead of her, not to me. "I found that out the first couple of months. What would a normal teenager do, being around a decent-looking guy?"

"Hang out with him?" I reason.

She nods, agreeing. "Exactly. It's better to blend in to your surroundings then it is to fight against it. It's not that he's a bad guy; I'm just not attracted to him. I'm not attracted to any of them. But it's easier to pretend I am then have the rest of the Safe Zone worrying about me."

Wait. I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean by, any of them?"

"I'm not attracted to anyone in Alexandria." She shrugs. "They're not my type."

"What's your type then?" I smirk slyly, bumping my shoulder against hers. She flinches at the action and my smirk drops momentarily. "Tall, dark, and handsome?"

She shakes her head, and I vaguely see the outline of a smile. It's not there; not yet. But the edges of her lips twitch and I'll take it. I don't I've ever seen her smile in the whole week I've been here.

"No. My type is petite, blonde, and beautiful." Enid clarifies, though her words are mumbled and she looks down to the ground.

Woah.

"So you're-"

"Yeah." Her hands go back to the stick, whittling away. The movements are choppy; she's done better even a minute ago. She's nervous. Why?

"That's cool." I shrug my shoulders. "I don't care. Neither would Carl, or any of us newbies."

"You guys would be the first." She mutters under her breath, pulling a large stripe down on the wood.

"Really?" I pry a little more.

"Yeah." She sighs. Her hands, still holding onto the knife and stick, droop to the dirt. "Everyone thinks it's something they can fix. Something that needs to be fixed. You know how many times the old lady across my house has told me I just haven't found the right man yet?"

My lips press into a hard line. "Damn. You think people wouldn't care in an apocalypse."

"I was hoping so."

"Well, the Team Family motto is: if you've found happiness at a time like this, good for you. Chase it. Hold it close. Doesn't matter if you're gay or straight or bi or whatever. If you have love, cherish it."

Enid looks down to the ground. Most of the hair tucked behind her ear falls out, covering her face. "You're lucky to have been with them."

"Trust me, you have no idea."

We decide to head back to the Safe Zone after wandering around a little bit more. We've been out for a little over an hour, maybe more, and our disappearances wouldn't have been noticed yet.

Enid must come out often. She knows this forest like the back of her hand. Where to hide if there's too many walkers to kill (a hollowed out tree big enough for two people,) where a small nearby river is in case Alexandria runs out, and where the end of the forest is, near a highway. We briefly stop by each landmark of hers, and I make a foggy mental map of it.

On our way back, she tells me, "Deanna's having a dinner in a couple of days. She'll ask you to go with the rest of the group. When she asks, say yes. Make small talk. Blend in."

I nod slowly. "Make a cover for myself."

"You got it." Enid says. We pull tall, sloping branches from our faces, finally back at the wall. "They'll think you're getting better. They'll stop worrying and leave you alone."

"Do you go?" I ask. We continue the last couple of feet to the tall metal wall.

"When I first got here, yes. There were a couple, to help the newcomers settle in to the way things are here. After that, I started dating," she makes air quotes around the term, "Ron. They still invite me, but I decline. Politely. And since I'm dating him and stay over his house a lot, they don't mind."

Momentarily my heart hurts a little for Ron, for being used as camouflage, but I understand Enid's reasoning. "I see."

"You go first." She gestures to the wide beams on the wall. "You have people waiting for you."

I furrow my brow, but do as I'm told and hop onto the first one. "You don't live with anyone?"

"Olivia." She answers, and I begin to pull myself onto the second beam. Damn, such an arm workout. "But Olivia's always busy and if I'm not there she assumes I'm with Ron."

"Perfect alibi." I compliment through gritted teeth. So, this is what it's like to skip arm day. My biceps burn as I pull up, and I make sure to put more weight on the right than I do on the left. The stupid new cut flares in pain if I move it the wrong way.

"Yup." She pops the, "p," at the end. I continue my climb up the wall with more difficulty than I'd care to admit. Once I'm at the top I look down to Enid and flip my legs on the other side, taking a quick breather.

"Once you hit the bottom give the wall two taps, okay? I'll wait five minutes and go down. I'll take the metal bars with me as I go."

"Gotcha." I agree. My legs inch their way to the first bar on this side, and I begin my descent. "See ya later, Enid."

"Yeah, see you."

Going down is much easier than climbing up. Much. Easier. My arms are definitely going to be at least a little sore tomorrow. I hop from metal bar to metal bar, going further down and eventually make it to the bottom. Finally. I hate climbing.

The last thing I do at the wall is give the metal sheet in front of me two hard bangs with my fist. I get a single one back in reply; Enid's way of telling me she got the message. Thanks for the walk.

I turn from the wall and begin walking to the left, where I find the houses. But, I don't want to head in just yet. It's not like anyone will be home yet. It's still early enough that no one would be back from their respected, "jobs." So instead I make my way to the back of the houses, and the vague sound of a THUNK hitting something enters my ears.

WPHISHH, THUNK. It repeats itself over. I turn to the sounds, following behind the houses until I come to the overly large tree I once decided I would eventually climb on.

On the other side of the massive trunk is Sam, throwing knives stuck to the bark as he flings them over. His eyes peer through the mess of shaggy hair on his head to me before turning back to the tree. I watch in amusement as he throws the last one.

Not bad, I mentally comment. Pretty damn high. And he got them all in the same place.

"ST!" He exclaims. "Long time no see. How've you been?"

"... It's only been a few days." I mutter under my breath. It sounds better than it did with Enid. Even though I haven't been talking for long, it's getting stronger with each word.

"Ah, she finally speaks." He goes to the tree and yanks the knives out of the marked bark. I try to count how many lengthy cuts there are, but there's too many. It's not his first time doing this. "Well, guess I can't call ya ST anymore. What's your real name?"

"Call me whatever, but my name is Alyssa." I say. I push a strand of hair behind my ear, keeping my hands busy. He makes me nervous. I don't know why.

"Pretty name for a pretty girl." He comments, bowing slightly and holding out a knife to me. "Does the pretty lady throw knives as well as I do?"

"'Pretty lady,' would rather be called by her name," I roll my eyes, "But yes, she does throw."

I grab the one from his hand, only momentarily noting how warm his palm is, and twist the knife by the hilt. My eyes trail over the shine on the blade. Sharp, I note. Awesome. "It's been a while, I'll admit. I don't normally throw knives anymore."

"You can't be worse than Ron." Sam cracks a smirk at me. I smile back and position myself to where he was standing earlier. I take a deep breath and toss it.

It lands lower, much lower, than the other marks on the tree, but it buries itself deep into the wood. Sam whistles, slinking over and pulling it out.

"Not bad." He comments.

"That was bad." I shake my head at him, laughing a bit.

"Okay, it was a little bad." He grins at me. The knife is in my hand again, but this time he pulls my elbow up. "Try it this way. Don't put your arm down so much."

"Got it." I nod, and once he's out of the way I go again. The blade ends up a couple inches higher. Not as high as the marking he's made, but it's better than my last throw.

"There ya go, ST." A couple measly claps follow. "I knew you had it in ya."

"Yeah, yeah, peanut gallery." I grab the knife again and throw it again. It ends up barely a centimeter above my last throw. "Where are the others?"

"Oh!" He takes them from the ground and puts the other two in my hand.

I try to get the knife going faster with my next toss. I can't tell if it does though. It ends lower on the trunk and I mentally curse.

"How long have you been here?" I ask nonchalantly, making small conversation.

"A month before Enid." He answers. "She and I get along really well. Especially outside the wall."

I don't comment. I throw the last knife and thankfully, it goes a few inches to the side of the tall toss.

"Yeah, she goes out." He looks straight to my face. "I saw you go over a while ago, too."

His gaze wanders into my own and I try to just let it go. "Yeah, I did. I just needed to breathe."

The dark blue in his eyes aren't stormy this time around. They're soft, a bit of compassion in them. "I get it. I do it too."

I break the eye contact with him and grab the knives from the bark. He continues, "Not as much as Enid, but it helps me think sometimes."

"Yeah." I have nothing else to say. I throw two knives to the bark again. I feel like my aim is getting better, even if it's only a little bit. I'm praying they are, at least. They're inching just a little higher and a flare of pride sweeps through me.

In the calm silence, I ask, "How many walkers have you killed?"

"Too many to count." He shrugs. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering." I throw the last knife and wait a beat before adding, "How many people have you killed?"

His eyebrows raise at me, a mix of shock and concern at the question.

"Don't lie and say zero." I add, taking a step towards him. "You were out there. You've had to. We've all had to."

He stands, contemplating. His nose furrows while he thinks, and I make a mental note of how funny he looks in deep thought.

"... Ten? I think?"

"Why?"

"Survival." His eyes bore into mine. "They were going to kill me. I killed them first."

I nod and swallow thickly. He's pretty damn intense. "I see."

He stares at me intently, and I stare back. I don't move from my spot, but he cocks his head to the side.

"Did I pass the test?" Sam says.

"It wasn't a test." I answer.

"It was." I don't argue this time. "So, did I?"

I think a moment. "... Yeah, you did. You got my trust, if that makes ya feel important."

He smirks. "Nice. I work well with trust."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes and turn away from him, going to the tree to grab his knives.

"Wait." He calls to my back. "I get to ask you too. Trust is a two way street."

"Fine." I agree, yanking a knife out. "Ask."

"Okay." He cracks his knuckles. "How many walkers did you kill?"

I pull out a second knife. "I have no idea. Too many."

"Mmhmm. How many people did you kill?"

I pull out the last one and bite my bottom lip. "Three? Maybe four?"

"Why?" Sam strolls his way to the tree, holding a hand out for the knives.

I hand the bunch to him, stalling to answer the question. Well, there was the person at the gates of the prison when it fell. I shot at them when all hell broke loose. Then there was the guy at Terminus… "Two, they were protecting my group. The third..." I think back to the day the Governor came to the gates of what used to be my home. After everything. When I found mom in the fields. The woman that was shot in the leg, sitting, begging for help. "The third was when I lost a lot of people. Good people."

"Revenge." Sam offers.

I nod, a knot forming in my stomach. Revenge. "Yeah, you could say that."

He begins walking slowly, passing me. Without thinking I follow him, strolling beside his tall figure. "Change of pace, but are you going to that dinner thing in a few days?"

"Probably not." He shrugs. But a sly smirk grows on his face. "Maybe if you ask me nicely. I'll be your date." He even gives a playful wink.

I roll my eyes. "I would totally say yes, but I think my boyfriend would be against that. Sorry, Sammy." I give a playful sympathetic pat on his shoulder.

"The guy with the cowboy hat, right?" He leans into my hand, dramatically wiping away a fake tear. "It's not fair. I'm so heartbroken."

"You've only known me for a week." I whisper sweetly to him. "You'll get over me."

"The one that got away." He nods, giving a fake sob.

I pull my hand away from his shoulder and repeat an eye roll. "Drama queen."

"Thank you. I try." And he bows dramatically low. Man, he is the epitome of, "extra."

As we keep walking, I notice that we pull through the houses, bringing us to the front. We pass by an older woman walking a dog. I attempt a smile at her, like people used to before. "So, no dinner party for you?"

He shrugs again. "I dunno. Maybe I'll make an appearance. Maybe I won't. I don't really do crowds."

"Neither do I." I nod. "But I'll be there, if you happen to make your way in."

"I'll keep it in mind, ST."

My feet stop moving, and I realize that our leisurely stroll brought us back to the house I'm staying in. The place I'm supposed to call home. Wow. Time flies when you have the right company, I guess.

"I guess this is where I stay and you go, right?" I ask. I skip a step on the porch and turn to look at him.

"Yeah. I gotta get home soon, anyways. Aaron and Eric will be looking for me if I don't show up."

I nod in understanding. "Well, I'll see ya later, Sam."

"See ya, ST." As he turns from me, he gives me a lazy wave. I give one back, a little more energetically than him.

He's a good couple yards away before I call out to him, "You know I gave you my real name, right?"

"Yeah? And?" He responds, a cheeky grin adorning his features. "I like ST. Rolls off the tongue nicely."

"Whatever." I can't help but smile back.

So maybe not everything in Alexandria makes me want to pull my hair out. There's at least two people that I can tolerate.

It might not be so bad here, after all.

A/N: Ta da! I'm really proud of how this one came out. I've been planning that conversation with Enid in the forest for AGES. Alsoo... How do you guys feel about me making her a lesbian? I've always had that headcannon about her (even though in canon she's dating Carl (but it's okay because this is fanfiction and that ain't happening either, sooo,)) so how do you all feel about that?