"Wow." Evelyn looked around at the walls and lights and the thick roof above her head. "It's been such a long time since I've been in a house. Well, one like this. Not abandoned and trashed, like all the ones I tore apart for food that was already gone."
Carol watched as she spun around in circles, looking up at the white ceilings and touching every smooth surface she could find. She led her up the stairs to a bedroom where she would grab come clean clothes for her and a towel. Upon reaching it, Evelyn stopped in her tracks and looked dispiritedly at Carol. "What is it?"
"That man...he took my backpack."
"Oh, that's alright. We can get you a new one. Or perhaps they'll let you stay and you won't need it." Carol smiled.
"No. I don't think so. They didn't seem to like me much." She looked down and to the side a bit sadly before continuing. "I need my bag. It has pictures of my family in it."
"If you don't mind my asking, when did your parents die?" The widow wondered aloud.
"They died as soon as everything happened. My two older brothers looked after my three sisters and I. Until they all died, one by one. Then it was just me and Salal."
"Salal? Interesting name." Carol handed the young girl a towel and began to look for some clean garments for her.
"Yeah. It's Cherokee."
Immediately, Carol Peletier stopped her movements, remembering the Cherokee Rose and the origin behind it. Daryl popped into her head. "Cherokee, huh?" She barely choked out.
"Mhm. My name isn't really Evelyn. That's the English name I gave myself so the kids at school could have something easier to call me. My full name is Tsistunagiska Galilani Talquetta."
"Wow." Carol said weakly as she slowly continued to search for an outfit for the still filthy teen. "That's a mouth full."
"Which is why I came up with Evelyn...or Evie."
"Um, where'd you get Evelyn from?" She finally found a shirt and searched for some pants.
"It was my grandmother's name on my mother's side. They weren't Native American, her ancestors were French."
"Ah. Explains the green eyes." Carol grinned. Finally, a pair of pants. The tall woman in her forties handed the clothes to the guest and led her to the bathroom down the hall. "What does your name mean?" The curious adult asked, remembering that all Native Americans had a name that had a certain meaning to it.
"My tribal name?"
"Yeah." They reached the bathroom and stepped in.
"Tsistunagiska means 'wild rose,' Galilani means 'friendly' and Talquetta is the surname for the 'Long-Haired-Tribe.' So, strangely my name is, 'Wild Rose Friendly Long Hair.'" Evelyn set her clothes down on the sink and the towel on top of them.
"Alright, well...Wild Rose, I'll leave you to wash up." 'Wild rose' also sent Carol into a slew of thoughts about Daryl and she decided to stop asking questions about this girl as everything that she said somehow reminded her of her own sadness at the moment.
"Umm…" Evelyn stopped the woman as she began to step out of the restroom. "Wait, please?" The suddenly talkative girl was shy once more. "I-uh…"She seemed embarrassed. "I don't remember how to-"
Carol nodded. Of course she wouldn't remember how to turn a shower on. She'd been out in the woods for over two years, living up in a treehouse and on food she probably found in the deceased people's homes and trash cans. "Oh, right. Sorry." She stepped back into the bathroom and opened the shower curtain, turning the nozzle. "Do you want it hot or cold?"
"Hot, please."
"Of course." She turned the warmer nozzle. "How's that?" Carol asked as Evie put a hand in and tested it.
"Good." The young girl replied and Carol closed the curtain again, getting ready to walk out.
"Okay. I'll be in the bedroom if you need any-"
"Wait, what's your name?" Evelyn wondered.
Smiling, she answered, "Carol."
"Thank you, Carol." The newcomer smiled back.
"You're welcome." Getting ready to close the door, she was brought to a halt by another request from Evelyn.
"Would you mind, uh...staying in here?" The younger of the two saw the clear look of confusion on the adult's face. "I'm sorry, it's just...I've spent too much time alone and...I'm-" She stopped speaking as she fiddled with a strand of her knotted hair.
"You're scared." Carol finished for her and she slowly and ashamedly nodded. "Uh, of course." She stepped back in, closing the door behind her. "I'll turn around while you-"
"Thanks." Evie exclaimed in an embarrassed tone while her newfound friend faced the door and she began to undress.
The dark haired girl stepped into the shower and closed the curtain. "Okay. I'm in now."
Carol turned around and sat on the toilet as she listened to Evelyn tell her stories of survival and her large family. She taught her about her tribe and Carol never said a word. She listened intently, though she kept her mind on Daryl the entire time.
Soon enough, the water grew cold and Evie was finally enthusiastic about getting out. Carol waited outside the door for her and when she finished changing, they went into one of the unoccupied bedrooms. Carol grabbed a brush from the dresser by the door and offered it to Evie who stared at and hesitated to take it. "Don't tell me you forgot how to brush, too?"
"No." The girl's voice was sad. "I just miss my mother, that's all." She weakly grinned at Carol. "She used to brush it for me and my sisters." Another smile grew on her face as she looked away as if seeing a memory. She walked over to the bed and sat on it, staring at the floor. She began to cry.
Suddenly, Carol began to think of Sophia. It had been awhile since she'd thought of her and totally embraced the memory of her late daughter. But it wasn't until now that she realized Sophia would be around Evelyn's age had she survived. Standing by the dresser still, Carol listened to the sobs coming from the fifteen year old and she felt sick fighting back the tears that arose. Clearing her throat, she walked over to the bed and sat on it behind the young girl. She reached a hand up, wanting to hold her, just for a moment, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her hand fell back down to the bed and she let out a short breath of air. "Whatever happens," she began, "...you never have to be alone again."
Upon hearing those words, Evie turned around and pulled the kind woman in for a tight hug. Carol was caught off guard, but eventually, she gave into the embrace and soon closed her eyes imagining that she was holding Sophia once again.
After awhile, they finally broke the hug and Evelyn wiped away her tears. She began to reach for the brush that Carol still held, but the woman smiled at her. Understanding what the look meant, the teen smiled back before turning around, facing the wall ahead of her and Carol began to brush the long, wet locks that fell a bit beyond the young girl's lower back. It was silent as she brushed, as if they were just patiently taking in each other's presence.
Evie closed her eyes, almost falling asleep once all the snarls had gone and Carol continued to smooth out her, now clean, mane. She grinned, loving the smell of the sweet shampoo and conditioner that sent off an aroma throughout the room. It had been so long since she smelt anything so pleasant. She had grown used to the stench of rotting flesh all around her and the reek of body odor that grew upon her throughout the years. She took in a deep breath and softly hummed as she breathed out. Carol noticed, but said nothing with a smile as she took one last brush stroke. "There you go." She said softly, setting the brush down on the trunk at the foot of the bed. Just before standing, she gave the young girl's hair one small brush through with her fingers. "Now, you can come down with us, or stay here. It's your choice."
Finally reopening her eyes, Evie answered, still facing away from the woman. "I might stay up here. I'm just so tired." She looked over her shoulder into the standing woman's eyes. "I forgot what a bed even felt like till now."
The former Mrs. Peletier gently nodded and Evelyn looked back at the wall in front of her. "I understand." Carol turned to leave, but she changed her mind and asked, "Would you like me to stay up here with you?" Before the newcomer could answer, there was a sudden knock on the open door and the teen jumped up to her feet, turning around finally. "It's okay." Carol comforted her as she moved closer to Evie, looking at Rick, Daryl, and Michonne at the door.
"Everything alright?" Sheriff Grimes asked.
"Yes." Carol answered, her eyes immediately shooting to Daryl.
Upon seeing the nervous girl, Rick took a step into the room. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. You've gotta know that we have some enemies and I had to make sure you weren't one of them." He tried to justify.
"One of them? You thought I was one of those things?" Evie asked as if that were ridiculous.
"No, of course not." Michonne stepped in.
"Well, you said one of the enemies-"
"As hard as it may sound, those things are not the only enemies we have." Carol looked down in shame and annoyance at this life.
"What? You mean like other people?" The girl asked. "For real? Even with all that's happened, there are still people fighting?" She seemed less timid all of a sudden and more frustrated and disappointed.
"Unfortunately, yes." Carol replied, looking up at Daryl who stared at the floor.
"That's just how people are. That's how they've always been." The crossbow expert added in, quickly shooting his eyes up to Carol and back down at the floor again.
"So listen," Rick began. "...tomorrow we're driving up to the hilltop to start working with them."
"With them or for them?" Carol rolled her eyes, kind of hating the deal herself.
"With them, Carol." Grimes responded. "It's either that or they don't leave us alone anyways and we don't get the food we need and were promised."
"Fine. But I say we come up with a plan B, just in case."
"Carol-" Daryl began but was interrupted by the agitated widow.
"If there is one thing I learned from everything that's happened it's that we must always be prepared. So, I say….we come up with a secret plan B, or this is gonna turn out to be disaster." She demanded.
"You don't know that." Rick said.
"I do." Carol practically snapped at him. "There's always a disaster." She took one more look at Evelyn before walking by Rick and Michonne and aggressively brushing Daryl's shoulder as she stepped out of the room and headed down the stairs and out the front door.
*The Next Day*
"So you survived out there all on your own for two years?" Carl asked Evelyn, a bit impressed, as they got ready with the rest of the town's people to head toward the hilltop.
"It was about two years, yeah." She answered.
"How do you know that it was two years if you were living up in a tree?" Enid asked as she glared at the new girl.
"I started carving tallies with everyday that passed."
"That was very smart." Carl said with a smile.
"Whatever." Enid exclaimed and she walked away.
The remaining teens continued to help others with loading their supplies into the three vehicles they had and Evelyn noticed the strange man from her bedroom last night looking at her. "Who's that?" She whispered to Carl who turned and looked in his direction.
"That's Daryl."
"He keeps looking at me." This remark caused Carl to turn and look at Daryl Dixon near the front of the line of three cars.
"Don't worry about him. He's cool. It's probably just because you're new and he's being protective. He's actually kind of shy." Rick's son took her hand and began to lead her toward the RV in front near where Daryl stood.
"Wait. No." Evie tried to protest, but the one eyed boy was surprisingly strong.
"Hey, Daryl." Carl said once they approached him.
"Hi, Carl." The man said in a low voice.
"This is Evie." The young boy pointed to the newcomer beside him. Daryl nodded once at her and stepped up into the RV. "See? He's just a little shy. Trust me. He's one of the good guys." He finally let go of her hand and joined the others in the RV.
A few moments passed and everyone got ready to leave. The cars were all turned on and just as they began to move, Daryl spoke. "Hey, Carl. Where's that girl?" The teen looked around frantically, realizing that she never got in with him.
He stood, looking out the window and saw her running back through the town. "Dad, stop!" He yelled.
"Carl-" Rick began.
"Stop the RV." His son repeated.
Sighing, the former police officer brought the line of cars to a halt. Carl, jumped out of the RV and ran back towards Evelyn. Everyone else in the RV stepped out of it and looked back as Carl yelled the girl's name, causing her to stop and turn around. "What?" She asked.
"Where are you going?" He wondered.
Soon, they were joined by Carol who saw and approached the situation.
"I shouldn't go with you."
"Why not? I thought you never wanted to be alone again." Carl panted a bit from running.
"I barely made it on my own. I'll just make things worse for everyone here. I don't know how to use weapons and protect others. All I know is to save myself. Being out there on my own for so long taught me that I only know how to be on my own." The idea of change actually terrified Evelyn.
"You're coming with us." Carol spoke up. The girl gave her a look of uncertainty. "I promised you that you'd never have to be alone again and I don't break promises."
"But, I-"
"Ah ah. No buts. Let's go." The woman reached her hand out, offering it to the frightened teen. "Come on. You can sit next to me." Carol smiled at her.
She hesitated, but soon Evie found herself reaching out to take the trusted woman's hand and followed them back to the cars where everyone who got out, climbed back into the RV and they headed off to the hilltop.
A/N: I know this focused a lot on Evelyn, but don't worry, lots of Caryl coming!