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Chapter Text

This takes place at the end of episode 3, when AJ is holding Lilly at gunpoint.

Clem POV

 My  eyes widened as I saw AJ, gun pointed at Lilly's head. I glanced at Lilly, who was reacting the same way.

"AJ, wait! I give up! I will give up!"

It was almost amusing how easily Lilly was willing to surrender; even Abel had held out longer than she had.

"Put down the gun," Lilly pleaded, "I'll let everyone leave. My crew and I will leave, we won't bother you anymore!"

Bullshit, I thought.  There was no way Lilly would ever leave us alone.  

"AJ!" James was slowly making his way toward him. "She's not a threat. Lower the gun."

"You weren't down there!" Alvin Junior argued, "You didn't see what she did!"

Lilly continued to plead with him, "You don't have to do this, please!"

"It's a trick!" cried Tenn.

"Just give me the gun," James said calmly.  

Tenn raised his voice, trying to talk over James, saying, "You can't let her hurt anyone else!"

"I don't want to do die!" The older woman exclaimed.

   The little boy looked to me, asking for help, for guidance. I was just about to tell AJ to shoot, to end all of our trouble, when I made eye contact with James. His eyes were wild. He shook his head, telling me that no, AJ shouldn't shoot Lilly, tell him to put down the gun. I thought back to our conversation from earlier, about how taking to many people's lives could break something in AJ. 

I hesitated. Was getting rid of Lilly really worth the chance of destroying AJ for good?

By the time I had made up my mind, it was too late. Lilly lunged forward, snatching the gun. Before I even had time to think, Lilly had the weapon pointed at me, and was shooting.

Bang. Bang. The first shot hit me on her left shoulder, and the second found it's way a few inches to the right of my belly button.

Louis POV

After Clementine had left to go find AJ, the remaining kids were supposed to get off of the boat before the bomb went off, but I had refused to leave Violet behind.

 "Louis, we have to go!" Aasim was pulling on my arm, trying to pull him along with him, but I stood firm.

 "We can't leave Violet," I said as she cradled her motionless ex behind me. "You two go, and I'll meet you out there."  Aasim started to object, but I wouldn't have it. "I'm not leaving here without her, Aasim."

Omar said, "If she doesn't come with you in two minutes, leave her. If you guys don't come running out by then, we're coming back in here to get you."

"Ok, fine! Now go, get outta here!" I ordered, shooing them off.

Omar and Aasim ran off in the other direction, and I  ran to Violet's side. "We have to go, Vi,"  I stated, placing a hand on her shoulder.  I tried to hide the panic in my voice, but was having trouble. "This ship's gonna blow any second!"

Violet jerked away from my touch, refusing to listen. "I don't care, Louis! I'm not leaving her!" My mind was running in circles as I tried to think of a way to change her mind.

"What about the rest of us, Violet? Are you really gonna abandon us for this---this," I struggled to think of a word to describe Minerva, then decided on, "This traitor?"

Violet whipped around, a look of anger on her face that I had never seen before. She brought up her hand, then swung it hard to collide with the side of the my face. "You have no right to call her that," she growled. "You have no idea what she's been through."

I held my cheek, a little taken back by Violet's hit. "Well wasn't that the slap of the century," I muttered to myself.

Seconds ticked by, then minutes, and I still couldn't figure out how to sway her into coming with me.  Finally, I stated, "You know what, Violet? I'm not leaving until you do."

She groaned and did that famous eye roll of hers. "Why are you such a dumb ass, Louis? Get out of here, leave me! Go!" She attempted to push me away, but still, I stayed put. She pressed her index finger and thumb to the part where her brows and nose meet, eyes scrunched. I thought I had finally convinced her to leave with me, but then she said, "Fine then, I guess we're both dying today."

Another minute passed, and then I got an idea. I scooped up Minerva's unconscious body, and at first, Violet did not approve. "Put her down! What are you doing?" But when I started sprinting towards the exit, she understood, and finally followed.

At the end of the docks, we were met by a frantic Ruby, Omar, and Aasim. "Louis! Violet! Thank God y'all are okay!" Cried Ruby, running to meet us. "We're fine," I said. "Where's Tenn and Willy?"

"I don't know, I went to check their hiding places, but they weren't-"

The unmistakable sound of gunshots stopped her short. And then we heard the screams; Clementine's screams.

"Clementine!" I handed off Minnie to Aasim, and took off toward the boat. I was just reaching the entrance when I was blasted back by the explosion.

Clem's POV

I felt like a rag-doll  as my body was blown into the water. I tried to move, to swim, but every little movement shot wave of pain through my  body, almost too intense for me to handle. But I made myself do it, for AJ. I would come up for air, shout Alvin Junior's name, then fall back under the water.

This continued for what seemed like forever. Up I came, yelled, "AJ! Where are you? AJ!" Then my  limbs would give out on me and I would go back under. However, this got harder and harder, until eventually I just couldn't. I had lost too much blood; it was literally impossible for me to keep swimming.

So I floated on my back, praying that one of the walkers from below didn't get me. I kept yelling his name, but soon, my voice began to get horse. Shortly after, all that came out was a whisper.

 Eventually, I gave up; accepted that this was how it was all going to end. I had lost all hope, and I was broken. Mentally and physically. I could feel myself sinking, and I took one last breath before I was completely submerged.  

I waited for death to take me then, although I wasn't really sure what I was waiting for.  I've heard that people see a bright light when they die, so maybe I just had look for one of those? Some other people also told me that your life is supposed to flash before your eyes, but that hadn't happened yet, either.  How long did it take to die? To be honest, I just wanted to get it over with.

I thought of Lee.  Of Kenny, and Jane.  Luke, Sarah, Carlos, Rebecca and Alvin, Omid, Gabe.  Everyone I had ever known who had died passed through my mind, whether they were friends or foes.  Heck, even Carver's beaten bloody corpse made it's way into my brain.

Hey, I thought, if God is real, I guess I'll see everyone again. 

I wished that Louis was there with me, to make me feel better. He always knew just the right thing to say.  What would he do without me? I thought. What would AJ do without me?  What about the rest of the kids?  My heart began to ache, but I couldn't tell if it was because of my injuries or my emotions.

Suddenly, I felt something grip my arm, yanking me up out of the water.  "Oh my God, Clem!" My eyes fluttered open to see Louis, his face holding the same shocked expression he had when Marlon was shot.  He pulled me into his lap, holding me like a baby. 

"What happened? Who did this too you?" 

"Lil-" I coughed, bringing up the water from inside my lungs. "Lilly shot me." My voice was a lot quieter than I intended it to be, and it was raspy, too. "Where's AJ?"

"He's with Ruby, Omar, Willy and Tenn," he said. "He wanted to help look for you, but I didn't wanna risk it, just in case any of the raiders found us. Violet and Aasim are looking for you, too."

"Good thing it was you who found  me, Violet would have just killed me," I mumbled.

"No, that's not true," Louis said.

  I scoffed, saying, "She hates me."

Louis said, "Well, maybe, but I doubt she'd kill you.  You're too valuable to us."

"Well, she did try to kill me in the cell," I replied.

"Wait, she did what?"

"Never mind," I said.

  Then he looked at my stomach then, his eyes growing wide. "Clem, you've lost so much blood..." 

"I know," I said.  I watched as his facial expression changed, from relief to concern. 

"You've lost a lot of blood, Clementine!"

I tried to calm him down, taking his hand in my own and squeezing it, whispering, "Hey, it'll be alright, Lou," but it was no use. He was shaking his head frantically, repeating, "No, no, no, no..."

He completely broke down.  His chocolate brown eyes filled with tears, and his freckled nose began to run.  He pulled me into a tight embrace, and began to shudder with every breath he took.  "I can't l-loose you too, Clem!" He sobbed quietly into my ear.  

"Shh, shh, it's gonna be okay," I cooed, squeezing him as tight as I could in my condition.  I began to move my fingers in circles on his back, something I knew always soothed AJ  when he was upset.

Apparently, it works on Louis, too. His sobbing turned to a steady sniffle, and I could no longer feel each tear it it landed on my back. 

"Clementine!" The sound of Violet's voice startled us both.  Louis pulled out of the hug only to look at her with a pained expression.  The blonde teen rushed over to us, kneeling on the ground next to us.  "What happened?" 

I started to answer, but Louis interrupted me.  "She got shot protecting the other kids, on the rescue mission to save you."

Violet looked ashamed, and for once, didn't have a snarky comeback.

Louis was staring daggers at her, and she was looking at the ground. 

There was an awkward silence, until I began to cough again.  Louis removed his gaze from Violet and replaced it on me. He gently patted my back, the way moms do when their trying to burp their baby. 

"It's okay, get it all out," he said in a soft voice. 

After a few more moments of silence, Violet said, "I'm sorry, Clem."

I studied her, trying to see if she meant it or if she was saying to because its what Louis wanted to hear. "It's fine." 

Violet continued, saying, "No, I am really sorry, for everything. From the bottom of my heart. Maybe, if I would have helped you, then this wouldn't have happened. Fighting you in that cell was a real idiot move of me." 

She took my hand, squeezing it.  By the  look on her face, I could tell that she was truly sorry. 

"I forgive you, Vi.  It's alright." I tried to smile, but the pain got a little too intense, and I winced as my heart ached again. I guess it was because of my injuries, not my feelings.

"Louis," I spoke, "I'm running out of time. I need you to promise me two things."

"Shoot," He said.

"Take care of AJ, tell him how much I love him, how sorry I am that I'm not going to be able to say goodbye," Tears began to cloud my vision, but I tried to keep them from spilling.

My boyfriend looked at me sincerely, answering, "Of course."

"Okay, that's good." It felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. 

"And the other promise?"

I looked into his eyes, staring directly into mine. "You can't let me-" I didn't even have to finish the sentence. He knew what I meant.

"No, I can't kill you! I won't"

He was beginning to cry again, closing his eyes, refusing to look at mine.  I placed my hand on his cheek, and told him to look at me.

He obliged, his eyes now red and puffy. "Louis, you have to." 

"Clem, you don't understand, I can't, I literally can't," he sighed, saying, "I don't have it in me."

"I'll do it," Violet spoke up, and I looked at her, grateful. "Thank you," I breathed. 

My senses were getting weaker, and I didn't know how much longer I would be here.  I struggled to keep my eyes open, before I finally just closed them.  "I think... I think it's time." 

"Oh, sweet Jesus," I heard Louis say under his breath. 

 "So, I've never been the best at goodbyes," Violet started,  "but Clem, thank you, for everything. I'm sorry things had to end like this," I heard her voice crack on the last word. "I, I guess I'll see you on the other side."

"Thanks, Vi," I muttered.

"I second what Violet said." Said Louis, crying again. "God, I'm gonna miss you so much, it hurts." 

"I'll miss you too, Louis," I told him adding, "You were my best friend that I've ever had, okay? Never forget that." I was starting to sniffle now, too.

I felt him bring my hand up to his face, where he planted a gentle kiss on it. "I'm glad I was the one who go to sweep you off your feet."

"And Clem?" He asked.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

It was all I could do to choke down a sob.  "I love you back, Lou."

There was no more talking after that. Louis rested my head on his shoulder, and I got ready to leave the world. 

But I decided to make one final request before I left.

"Louis? Sing."

Louis POV

At first, her request puzzled me. She had never mentioned that she had actually liked my singing. But, since she was dying in my lap and all, I decided to sing the same song I sang to her when we first met:

Oh my darling, oh my darling. Oh my darling, Clementine,

You were lost and gone forever, dreadful sorrow, Clementine.

In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine.

Lived a miner forty-niner, and his daughter Clementine.

Yes i love her, how i love her, thought her shoes were number nine.

Herring boxes without topses, sandals were for Clementine.

Her breathing was slowing down, and when I noticed this, my voice hitched. But Violet placed a hand on my shoulder, urging me on. So I continued:

Oh my darling, oh my darling. Oh my darling, Clementine,

You were lost and gone forever, dreadful sorrow, Clementine.

Drove the horses to the water, every morning just at nine.

Hit her foot against a splinter, fell into the foaming brine.

Ruby lips above the water, blowing bubbles soft and fine.

But at last, I was no swimmer, so I lost my Clementine.

Oh my darling, oh my darling. Oh my darling, Clementine,

You were lost and gone forever, dreadful sorrow, Clementine.

You were lost and gone forever, dreadful sorrow, Clementine.

Her body was completely limp, and her chest was no longer moving up and down with each breath, like it was before.

She was gone.

I stared at her lifeless body, unsure of what to do next. 

I gently laid Clem on the grass , folding her hands on her chest.

I stood up, and Violet stood next to me. "You sure you want me to do this?"

I nodded.

All of a sudden, her body began to stir, and Violet knelt down and rammed the meat cleaver into her face.

I grimaced, and turned away. 

It was quiet for a couple minutes, before I thought out loud, "It's weird to think that just hours ago, this body was full of life, isn't it?" Violet patted me on the back, saying, "Let's go.  Those rain clouds will be over here and pouring any minute."

"Just a sec," I said. I walked over to where she lay, then picked up her famous "D" hat, staring at it for a second in my hands. I put it in my back pocket.

As we were walking away, I took one last look at her, then made my way back to the school.

Now, I asked myself a very important question; how was I going to tell AJ?

AN: Sorry this one was so depressing! The next one will be better, and happier. Let me know what you thought of this chapter!

Chapter Text

Clem POV

Beep.

I shiver in my bed, pulling the blankets up higher over me, snuggling deeper into it's warmth.

Beep. 

I feel a weird pressure on my left forearm, and  scratch at it.  It feels as something is pulled from my skin, but at least makes the uncomfortable feeling stop.  Probably just a bug, I think to myself.

Beep. 

It's too bright, and the light isn't letting me sleep.  Usually, I get up when the sun wakes me. But for some reason, I was especially tired, so I decided to let myself sleep in. I reached up to pull my hat over my eyes, only to find that it wasn't there. I went to feel for it on my night table, and then realized it wasn't there, either. 

Beep.

In an instant, the memories of everything that had happened last night came rushing back to me: the party, kissing Louis, planting the bomb on the boat, getting thrown into the jail cell, fighting with Violet, knocking Minerva out, going to save AJ but then getting shot instead.

Then dying. I remembered dying, too.

Beep.

My eyes shot open, and I sat up straight in bed.  I scanned the room around me. Beside me was a monitor, with green squiggling lines, the one that wouldn't quit beeping. I'm guessing it was keeping track of my heart rate.

To my left was a plastic container of some sort of liquid, with a tube connected to it.  I followed the tube, right up to where it ends in my bed, next to my right arm.  Looking at the tape on my arm and the liquid now leaking everywhere, I assumed this was the "bug" I had pulled out earlier.

That was't the only needle in me, though.  Throughout my whole body, various tubes were inserted into me, pumping in assorted medicines.  There were also tubes in my nose, but they were pumping in air instead.

Looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, I began to hyperventilate. 

I was supposed to be DEAD. How was it that I was still here?

And where exactly was I? Where were the rest of the kids? Where was AJ? Too many questions began to fill my head, too fast. My heart was beating out of my chest, and the monitor's noise was moving at a steady pace with it. 

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

With each beep, it kept getting louder. Eventually, it was too loud for me to think, especially since I already had so much going on in my head. Out of frustration, I unclipped the finger clip that was connecting me and the machine, throwing it on the ground. 

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 The monitor had begun one never ending beep, so loud I had to cover my ears. It kinda sounded like the ringing in your ears after an explosion.

Next thing I knew, the door in front of me busted open, and several people dressed in scrubs flew into the room with those masks that doctors wear. Yet, when they saw me, they stopped in their tracks. 

I eyed them for a moment, and they eyed me.  However, while I was eyeing them with suspicion, they seemed to be looking at me with curiosity and shock. After a few moments with no sound other than the heart monitor, one of them spoke, exclaiming, "You're awake!"

All at once, everybody was everywhere. The one that had spoken rushed out of the room, while the rest of them crowed around me, speaking at once:

"How do you feel?"

"What do you remember?"

"You're gonna be alright, sweetie!"

"Honey, do you remember your name?"

It was too much. I pulled my knees up to my chest, placing my head in between them. The nurses continued to talk to me, attempting calm me, but I wouldn't move from my position. Someone stopped the beeping, but that just made everybody else seem louder.  

The questions kept coming, but I wouldn't answer, and I wouldn't move. 

Finally, someone put an end to all of it. But when I heard their voice, I froze."Everyone out! Stop talking to her, you're stressing her out! Someone go call her parents, tell them to come." 

No, this couldn't be. He was dead. I saw him get shot, then get eaten alive by walkers. There was no way this could possibly be him.

As everyone slowly started making their way out of the room,  I looked up, to see if it was really him. 

And it was. 

Carlos was scribbling down notes on a clipboard, too occupied to see my shock. He was wearing the typical doctor's wear; a long white lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck.  

"Carlos?"

He looked at me and smiled.  After closing the door, he pulled a chair up next to my bed and sat down. 

"Ah, Clementine. So, you remember me?"

I nodded, still speechless.  

 Eventually, I asked, "Where are we?"

"We're in the Georgia Regional Hospital," He answered in a calm, soothing voice. 

"So this isn't heaven?"

He chuckled, saying, "No, this isn't heaven.  How are you feeling?" 

"I feel fine."

"Let me check your wounds real quick," he said, and first pulled my shirt down on my shoulder to see one of the places Lilly shot me. He wrote down some notes, then checked the one next to my belly button.

While he continued to write, I decided to look out of the window behind my bed. At first, it was dizzying; I didn't expect us to be so high up. But then as I peered out of it, I saw a shopping mall right across the street. And there were people, everywhere.

"There are so many people!" I exclaimed to Carlos, my face still pressed against the window.  

"Yes, that's a shopping mall and it's Friday. Of course there are going to be a lot of people."

"Carlos, what happened to all the walkers?"

"The what?" He gave me a funny look.

I turned to him. "You know, the, um," I tried to think of what other people called them. "The zombies? What happened to them?"

"Clementine, I don't know what you're talking about." He wrote down more stuff on his clip board.

"You don't remember?" 

"No, I don't."  He continued to write.

"You have to remember! There's no way you can just forget the shit we've been through."

"Clementine, watch your language!" He scolded me, frowning.

"Geez, sorry!" I tried to think of something that would ring a bell in his head. "What about Carver? Do you remember him? He's the reason you were killed!"

He stopped and stared at me, now looking worried. "What?" 

"That reminds me, by the way, I saw you get shot, then the walkers ate you. How in the world are you here?" 

He got up from his chair and pressed the back of his hand to my forehead. "Are you sure you're feeling okay, Clementine?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" I was quiet for a moment. Then I said, "I died, too. I was dead, and now I'm back, and I just don't get it."

He put down his clipboard, resting his elbows on his knees and folding his hands in his lap."Okay Clementine, what I'm about to tell you may seem scary, but try your best to stay calm, alright?"

I didn't say anything.

He kept going,"You've been in a coma for the past two weeks.  We honestly didn't think you would pull through, but you did, and that's a miracle in itself. I think everything you're talking about... those were just dreams."

I shook my head. "I don't believe it," I said in disbelief. "There's no way."  

The past couple years of my life couldn't have been some sort of sick dream.

 I tried to think of something to prove it to him. 

"Those wounds you were checking earlier? I got those from being shot, by a girl named Lilly."

"Maybe it's where you were shot in your dream, but in real life, that's where you got impaled by glass."

I shook my head. How did he not remember? Is this how it was with everyone? Somebody had to remember.

But Carlos was not this somebody.  And for some reason, this made me mad at him. I know, it wasn't his fault, but still.  

"I know it's a lot to wrap your head around now, but it'll get better, I promise."

I was quiet for a moment, then I asked, "What happened to put me into the coma?"

"A car accident," He informed me. "You were the only one in the car, though. The roads where slippery and the car hydroplaned."

"Sounds like me," I said.  "I was never the best driver."

A few moments of silence passed. 

"Your parents will be here soon," he said. "They'll be so happy to see you."

"The last time I saw them, they were walkers," I thought out loud. He gave me that look again, so I added, "In my dream."  He sighed. 

"Clementine, what's the last thing you remember?" He inquired. "The last thing before your dream happened?"

I twiddled my thumbs, thinking back to the time before the world went to hell. "The last thing I remember is my parents leaving to Savannah."

"Okay," he said, "How old were you?"

"Eight, I think."

His eyes softened, and he wore a look of sympathy. "You've lost eight years of your memory."

No, I didn't, I thought. You and the rest of the world did. But I didn't say anything.

He stood up.  "Alright, I've got to go work on your report. Also, your parents will be here any minute."

He started to walk out, but I stopped him by asking, "How's Sarah?"

He turned around slowly, looking at me dubiously. "How do you know my daughter?"

I shrugged. "She was in my dream," I replied.  "We were friends."

He studied me before saying, "This was one strange dream you had, Clementine." Then he walked out of the room.

I finally had time to gather my thoughts. How did he not remember the end of the world?  Was I the only one who did?  No, I couldn't be. I mean, surely there was someone else somewhere, right? 

But then again, maybe not.

If so, I didn't want people to think I was crazy. The last thing I needed was to be sent to a mental hospital or something.  So, I decided, I was gonna have to keep quiet, try to act normal. 

Still, just in case there was someone who remembered, I had to try. Maybe I could bring it up casually somehow, see if it rang bells in anyone else's brain. 

There was a knock on the door, and before I had time to yell 'Come in!' Bonnie let herself right in. "Hey sugar!" She smiled sweetly at me, but I frowned at her. We hadn't left off on a good note.  "Aww, you must of woke up on the wrong side of the bed." She winked at me, but I just glared at her. She was way to cheerful for me. 

"What do you want?" I asked her harshly. 

"Just here to see if your accepting visitors," she chimed, and I perked up. Seeing this, she smiled, then called out into the lobby, "Come on in, guys!"

I got out of bed and tip toed to the door, eager to see my parents, yet afraid. I hadn't seen them in eight years.  Who knows what they could be like now, how they've changed?

They were doing the exact opposite of what I was doing. They came bounding in, practically running Bonnie over. 

 My mom was the first through the door; not much had changed physically, except for the graying roots in her hair. Her body collided with mine, and she locked her arms around me. She squeezed so tight I could hardly breathe!

My dad came in next; he had gained a little bit of wait, and his hair was completely gray. But it didn't matter. I was just happy to see him again!

He wrapped his arms around both of us, engulfing us in a huge bear hug. "Oh, Clemmy!" My mom sobbed, "I'm so glad you're okay!" I forgot I had that nick name. 

"We're happy to have you back, sweetheart," my dad whispered into my ear, squeezing tighter. I myself was getting emotional, but I didn't hold back the tears, and they flowed like crazy.

"I missed you guys so much!" I cried, and they rubbed my back, kissed me all over.

In the midst of this, I caught a glimpse of Bonnie and she was smiling. I decided that she wasn't the same person she had been back in my other reality; maybe it was okay if I forgave her. 

At some point in our embrace, I had to wedge myself out from between the two of them, cause I was actually suffocating inside the hug. I pulled away and grinned at them, wiping away the remaining tears in my eyes. 

"How are you feeling, Clemmy?" My mom asked. 

"Well, I feel great now that you two are here!"  They looked at each other and smiled, then back at me. "So, how have things been?" I asked them.

"Dr. Carlos filled us in on your condition," noted my dad, "So do you mean how have things been in the last eight years or last two weeks?"

"Um, eight years," I said, glad I wouldn't have to explain to them. "What have we been up to?"

My mom looked up at the ceiling and pursed her lips, saying, "Well, lets see. First off, we got you into basketball. You're the star player on the team, by the way.  Kenny and his family also moved next to us, and you and Duck became good buddies. Rebecca, Alvin, and AJ also moved into the neighborhood."  She stopped, looking at me. "Do you remember them?" 

"Actually, I think I do remember them," I said.  

"Really?" Asked my dad. "Clementine, you remember something!" 

"Well, I remember what they look like, that's it," I said.  "How are they?"

"They're good," my mom answered. "AJ was trouble, though, so he got sent to some school."  She put her hand on her heart, saying, "You two were like two peas in a pod. Maybe it's a good thing you don't remember them separating you," She said. "Poor boy."

"It was very difficult to watch," My dad added. "Alvin almost changed his mind about sending him, but Rebecca wouldn't let him."

My shoulders drooped. I guess I wouldn't be seeing AJ anytime soon. I was just about to ask more questions when Carlos came back in. 

"Good news, you guys!" he announced.  "We'll be able to release her tonight!"

"You hear that, Clem?" Said my dad. "You're comin' home tonight!"

~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 The rest of that night was a blur. All I remember was changing clothes, pretending to listen to Carlos while he told us about the medication that I would have to continue taking, then flopping down in my bead, out like a light. 

I woke up at 2:34 AM. I tried falling back to sleep, but that wasn't happening. So instead I decided to get up and take a shower. 

I couldn't remember that last time I had taken a shower, so as I gathered my clothes, I actually felt kind of giddy.  

I grabbed a nice, warm hoodie from my closet, and shorts from my dresser, happy that I didn't have to worry about a walker taking a bite out of my leg. 

In the bathroom, I studied myself in the mirror.  I had looked different then I imagined. I looked, I don't know, less tired? Less worn? I guess the best way to describe it was more normal, the way people had looked before the dead started walking. It was weird. 

My hair was also a lot longer than I would have liked it to me, going just passed my shoulders. I pulled open the drawer, where I found scissors. Without a second thought,  I snipped at my hair, cutting off a considerable amount. Then I did it again, and again. Before I knew it, my locks were down to the middle of mu neck. I smiled at my reflection. Much better, I thought. I was starting to look like my old self again. 

That shower was the most wonderful thing that I've experienced in a long time. I didn't even really wash myself; just let the hot, steamy water run down me. It was amazing. 

I got out of the shower only after I had used up all of the hot water. After drying off and slipping on my new clothes, I went and crawled back into bed.

Not without taking the scissors, though. After living through the zombie apocalypse, it's hard not to be paranoid. 

I was just starting to drift off back to sleep when I heard the front door creak open.  I crept out of bed and snuck over to the stairs, slowly climbing down them. As I moved, I heard the fridge door open, and it sounded like someone was rummaging through it. 

I quietly scurried into the kitchen, hiding behind the island. I heard a bear can pop open, and I peaked over the top of the counter, just to make sure it wasn't mom or dad. 

Nope. Definitely wasn't either one of them. Way too tall, and way to muscular. I looked around for a weapon better than the pair pf scissors I was holding in my hands. That's when I saw the knife rack. Carefully, I crept over to it and grabbed a steak knife; not too big, not too small, and slits throats perfectly. I slowly walked up behind them, then grabbed on to their neck and yanked them down to the ground. 

Taken off guard, the intruder fell on to their back, and I took the opportunity to jump onto their chest, holding the knife to their throat. Before I had time to say anything, the person cried, "Don't hurt me, please!" I tried to look at their face, but with only the fridge light to see, I couldn't make it out. 

"Who are you!?" I demanded. "And what are you doing here?"

"Clementine?" The man asked, sounding surprised.  "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't go see you earlier, but I don't deserve to die for it!"

Suddenly, the lights flickered on, and I heard my dad asking, "What the hell is goin' on down here?" 

We both looked to him, and soon my mom came rushing down the stairs, too. 

"Clementine!" She gasped when she saw me. "What are you doing to Duck?!"

"Duck?" I looked down at him now, seeing his full face. Sure, he had grown up a bit, but you could sure tell it was Duck. 

I got off of him, offering him my hand. "Sorry, I thought you were an intruder or something."

He just stared at me, mouth a gap. 

"Clementine, we told you he's stayin' with us while Kenny and Katja are out of town!" My dad bellowed angrily. 

"I said I'm sorry! I was just trying to protect us!"

"Protect us?" My mom repeated. "Honey, Duck is not a threat!" 

"I already told you I didn't know it was him!"

"Well, either way, you shouldn't be holding knifes to stranger's throats, Clem. You should have gotten me, or called 911 on your phone or something!"

"Wait, I have a phone?"  My mom face palmed.

My dad's attention shifted to Duck. "Boy, what are you drinking?"

Duck chuckled nervously, saying, "I, uh, I thought it was soda."

"You are the worst liar I've ever met," sighed my dad. He was right, though; the can literally said Beer Cheer.

"How long have you been doin' this, son?" He asked.

Duck looked at the ground, saying, "The first day I started staying here."

"No wonder all my beer has been disappearing."

Both my parents looked at each other,  then back at me. "Clem," my mom said, "You do realize how serious this is, don't you?" 

I shrugged.  "Yeah, I guess. But it's not like I actually hurt him or anything."

Both of them sighed simultaneously. "So in other words, no, you don't understand."

I started to defend myself, but she held out a hand to stop me. "Diana, we need to talk," my dad asserted, and she nodded.

  My mom then stepped forward, gently touching my hair. "Why did you chop it all off? You loved your long hair!" 

"I don't know. I just wanted it short."  

 She exhaled. "Clem, go to your room and play on your phone or something, I don't know. Just be a normal teen for a second. Don't leave your room."

"Okay." It felt like the walk of shame as I trudged back upstairs and into my room. I've been back for one day and I'm already screwing things up. 

I found my phone in my room on my dresser. I clicked the home button, finding  a picture of the beach as my background. I unlocked my phone, and decided to go through my pictures to pass the time. Maybe to also learn a little about who I was, er, am, too. 

I could hear them arguing through the walls. I don't think I've ever heard them fight before. In fact, I'm pretty sure this is their first time. This is what I heard:

"We just got her back, Ed, we can't send her away!"

"Diana, did you even SEE her out there? She was getting ready to kill Duck!"

"Clementine's not a murderer!"

"I never said that. But who knows, if she doesn't get help now, maybe that's what'll happen to her when she gets older!"

I could hear my mom sobbing, and I felt guilty knowing I was the reason for all of their pain. 

I didn't listen anymore after that. Really, I didn't want to listen, for it was just making me sad. 

After a few hours, there was a knock on my door.  "Come in," I said. 

Both my mom and dad walked in, with sorry looks in their eyes. "We've made a decision, Clementine," stated my dad. 

"We know you've just got back, but we think it would be best if we sent you somewhere you could get help."

"Okay..." I said. 

"So we're going to send you to the same place that they sent AJ."

It was silent for a moment. 

"Alright, I guess. If that's what you think is best for me." Usually I would try and fight them sending me away, but if AJ was there, then I was happy to go. 

"We talked to Kenny and Katja, and they'll send Duck, once they get back."

"We really are sorry, Clementine, but this could really help you." My mom said. I could tell she felt bad about it. 

"No, it's fine. What I did was wrong, and hopefully this place will help me make- make better choices." I sent her a half smile, hoping to make her feel better. "Honestly, I'm not mad. I understand why you're sending me." They both looked around my room, refusing to look me in the eye, and you can tell they felt really terrible about what they were doing. 

I guess if I were normal, then I would hate them for what they're doing, too. But I'm not. I'm actually excited, to see AJ.

"By the way, where am I going?"

My dad pulled out his phone and  his reading glassed out of his pocket. 

"It's a place called," he squinted at his phone, then read,"Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth."

AN: Hope you liked it! By the way, I'm taking requests for the roles people have. So if you have a character from any of twd games that you would like me to include, let me know what type of job you want them to have and I'll try and add em in. Let me know what you thought of this chapter!

Chapter Text

Louis POV

Neither one of us spoke on the way back to the school. And for once, I didn't try to fill the quiet with my noise; it just seemed wrong. Disrespectful, even. Violet and I just walked in silence, hearing nothing but our footsteps and the harmony of crickets chirping.

"Violet! Louis!" The sudden shouts made me jump, and I turned in the direction that they were coming from. We stopped walking, and Aasim ran to meet us, stumbling on a stone as he came. Once he made it, he put his hands on his knees while he caught his breath. "I must have ran about 10 miles looking for you guys!" He panted. "Why didn't you answer when I called?"

"We didn't hear you," replied Violet. "We were... busy." Aasim pulled back up into his normal standing position.

 "By the looks of it, you guys haven't had any luck finding Clem, either."  Violet and I exchanged a look. Aasim noticed this, asking, "What?"

"We did find her," Said Vi. "And?" He questioned.

I pulled out her hat, handing it to him. His eyes widened as he connected the dots, holding her trademark accessory in his hands. "Oh my God..."

Violet filled him in on everything, for the most part.

We all stood there for a moment, examining Clementine's hat. My throat began to tighten up, and my stomach twisted and turned.

"C'mon, let's go," Violet said finally. Aasim handed the hat back to me, and I replaced it where I had it before. Our trio turned and continued back to the school.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

The moon was high in the sky by the time we finally arrived back home. Surprisingly, no one was there at the front gates keeping watch. Violet sighed, saying, "I guess I'll take first watch. You two head inside, see what everyone else is doing." I nodded, and Aasim did the same. We entered the gates, and Violet climbed up our little platform overlooking the woods.

I trudged back to the dorms, dreading the discussion I was about to have with AJ. I still had no earthly clue how I was going to break the news to him. Aasim jogged to catch up to me, asking, "Hey, man, how are you doing?"

"I'm holding it together the best I can."

"Look, I know you two sort of had a thing, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry. For your loss, I mean."

"Thanks." We continued to walk toward the dorms.

Before I knew it, we were standing at the doors to the our living quarters. I placed my hand on the handle, but hesitated as I was about to turn it, retracting my arm. I had yet to figure out how I was going to tell AJ. As if reading my mind, Aasim patted my back, saying, "Don't know how you're gonna tell him, huh?"

"Nope. I have no idea what I'm gonna say," I admitted, shaking my head. 

"Well, if you need me to, I can help you," he offered. "Maybe calm him down or something."

"No, I think he needs to hear it from me," I replied. "I think I was the closest to him, after Clem and Tenn."

"Alright, if you say so," said Aasim. "Still, I'm willing to help if you need."

"Thanks, Aasim." I tried to smile, but at the moment it felt like the corners of my mouth had five pound weights dragging them down.

"Alright, then. I guess I'll go let everybody else know what happened." He started to walk off again toward the admin building, but then stopped and turned back to me. "Also, good luck."

"I'm gonna need it," I responded. And with that, he left, and I pushed open the doors.

The hallway was eerily quiet, sending chills down my spine as I headed toward Clementine's dorm. I could see the flickering glow of candle light underneath the crack of the door, so I knew someone was in there. I gently knocked on the door, but no one answered.

It wasn't locked, so I slowly pushed open the door. Inside, I found AJ passed out on one of the bunks, and Ruby asleep in the desk chair, her head on the desk.

I gingerly shook the red head's shoulder. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. "Louis," she whispered. She sat up in the chair, stretching and yawning. "I expected it would be Clem wakin' me up."  She must have seen me wince at the sound of her name, because then she said, "What's wrong? Is she hurt? Is that why you're wakin' me up, you need me to go help you patch her up?"

Ruby stood up, suddenly wide awake. I held my finger to my lips, gesturing toward AJ. I whispered, "She's hurt, really badly. But she's not in any pain."

"What do you mean?"  Again, I pulled her hat out, letting Ruby make the realization herself. She put both of her hands over her mouth, and her blue eyes began to water. "How?"

"She was shot, by Lilly. Then the explosion blew her into the river. When I found her floating down it, she was still alive, but had already lost too much blood. I was- I was too late."

"Poor Clementine."

"You know, maybe if I had gone to help her, this would have never happened. If I just hadn't lost my head after shooting that woman, maybe she would still be here." I could feel the anger bubble up inside me as I continued to talk.

"Louis, calm down." She placed a hand on my shoulder, but I was too riled up to be mollified by her.

"No Ruby, you don't understand, this is all my fault! If I had just thought about someone else other than myself for a second, she wouldn't be lying dead in the woods!" My chest heaved in and out rapidly. I hadn't realized how much I blamed myself for her death until just now, talking to someone about it.

"She's dead because of me."

I looked for something to take my anger out on. My eyes darted around the room, finding nothing. When my gaze settled on her pillow, all it did was fuel the angry fire inside of me. So, being the genius I am, I turned around and threw my fist into the wall, right next to the bookcase. I let put a whimper on the impact, and Ruby gasped.

I pulled my hand out of the new hole I had created, my knuckles already a dark shade of purple. Ruby grabbed my hand, pulling it up close to her eyes to inspect it. "Sit down," she ordered. I walked over to the desk chair and took a seat.

I held my bruised knuckles with my good hand. Ruby crossed her arms, staring at me, saying nothing. I didn't like the intense glare she was sending me, so I said, "I know, that was dumb, I was just caught up in the moment." This time she shushed me, pointing to the little boy still asleep on the bed. Good thing he was a deep sleeper.

"You know what's even stupider than you punchin' a wall?" She asked. I shrugged.  "You blamin' this on yourself, that's what. Louis, I don't know what went on inside that boat, or who you killed. But either way, this is NOT your fault, you hear me?" I started to object, but she held up her hand.  "The real people to blame here are the delta. Right? They're the ones who took Minnie and Sophie. They're the ones who attacked the school. They're the people to blame for Clementine's death. Not you. But they're dead now, so it doesn't matter."

My hand throbbed, and so did my heart. I closed my eyes, attempting to stop the tears, but that didn't work. They flowed in steady streams down my cheeks.

Ruby patted my back. "I know this is hard. And I'm sorry that this had to happen." I opened my eyes to find her wiping away her own salty drops.

"We'll patch up that hand in the morning. Right now, just try and get some sleep, if you can."

"You, too." I said.

And with that, she left the room.

I got up and slowly walked over to Clem's bed. I layed down on it, taking in a deep breath when my head rested against her pillow. It still smelled like her hair; somehow, those poofy locks always managed to smell like strawberries.

I glanced over at AJ, who was still sleeping like a baby. He looked so peaceful.

I quietly blew out the candle, then closed my eyes, hoping my dreams would pull me out of this real life nightmare for a bit.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I woke up panting and covered in sweat. My dreams were not nice to me last night; they weren't really dreams, either. It was just the memory of Clementine's final moments, being played on repeat over and over again.

I sat up in bed, and looked over at where AJ had been sleeping. However, he wasn't there. Confused, I got out of bed, and asked, "AJ?"

I looked under the bunks only to find that he wasn't there, either. I checked in the closet, finding nothing but some old boxes and a t-shirt.

As I backed out of the closet, I caught a glimpse of AJ's drawing, the one where he was protecting Clem. It actually managed to bring a small smile to my face, and I felt for her hat in my back pocket, just to feel it, to feel her, sort of.

But it wasn't there. My smile instantly faded.

AJ must have found it, and he's a smart kid, meaning he knows... And I wasn't there to tell him. To help him through it. Last time someone even threatened Clementine's life, he put a bullet in their head. Now that she was actually dead, who knows what he would do. She had confided in me about the talk they had shared, the one where AJ said he couldn't live without her. What if he... NO.

I rushed out of the room, nearly slipping on the dusty tile. I zipped down the hall, and into the courtyard. I cupped my hands around my mouth, shouting, "AJ!" I didn't get a response, so I ran toward the admin building. I checked the headmasters office, the music room, even the attic, but I couldn't find him anywhere.

I ran back out into the courtyard, spotting Aasim, Omar, Willy, and Violet, with her meat cleaver in hand. "There he is!" Said Aasim, and they all ran over to me. Omar took a little longer to get there, still limping because of his injured leg. "We heard you yelling," Violet said, "What happened?"

"AJ knows, and I can't find him!" I blurted out. They all stared at me blankly, obviously not understanding what I was so worked up about. "Well, we could all split up and look for him," Violet said. "I'll take the dorms, Willy and Omar, you check everywhere out here-"

"HE MIGHT KILL HIMSELF!" I bellowed. "He once told Clementine he couldn't live without her, that if she got bit he would want her to bite him too!"

They all processed this, finally understanding why this was such a big deal. Without giving them time to respond, I took off toward the graveyard, the next place I planned on searching for him. "AJ!" I called, looking frantically for him. I heard the others start to yell for him, too. I glanced over my shoulder to see them all scattered, some going into the school and the others looking around the yard. I felt a little better knowing that the other kids where helping.

I was searching the burned down part of the school (it used to be a gym) when I ran into Violet. "Find anything?" I asked.

"No, you?"

"Nothing."

"Ughh, where could he be?"

"Don't worry, we'll find him."

I ran my fingers through my hair. "I don't like all of this seriousness I've had to do lately," I said.

She actually looked sympathetic. "I know you don't, Lou. Tell you what; after we find him, we can all play a card game, maybe lighten everything up a bit."

"Yeah, that sounds good," I agreed.

All of a sudden, I heard Willy shout, "What are you doing? Get down from there!"

He was in front of the bell tower, looking up. My gaze followed his, until I saw who he was yelling at.

AJ was standing on the edge of it, Clementine's hat in his hands. One wrong step and he would fall, right to his death.

The rest of us ran to where Willy stood, looking up at AJ in horror. "AJ, come down! We, uh, we have a surprise for you!" Omar tried.

"What, her body?" Retorted AJ. Omar didn't know how to respond to that.  "I know that she's dead!" AJ continued. "You guys were gonna hide it from me. But you couldn't!"

"We weren't trying to keep it from you!" Violet called up. "We were going to tell you!"

"Well its too late for that!" Said AJ.

Aasim stepped in then, saying, "Come down, AJ, we can talk about this."

While AJ rebutted something back, I assessed the situation. I needed to get up there, but AJ couldn't know, otherwise he would just jump. I whispered to Violet, "I'm going up there. Keep him distracted long enough for me to get up there and grab him." She nodded, then walked to the opposite corner of the bell tower, talking to him while she did. I crept around the tower to the back door, then went inside.

I hadn't been up there since before the walkers. I was scared of heights, though, so there was really no need for me to be.

I looked up at the long flight of stairs that had crumbled, and at the wall I would have to climb up. Do it for AJ, I told myself, and for Clem.

As I climbed, I could here the muffled argument between AJ and the rest of the kids, but I couldn't actually make out what they were saying. I continued to work my way up, when my foot slipped. Luckily, I had a good grip with my hands, but the strain on my knuckles still caused me to let out a groan of pain. I didn't look down, though. I've learned the hard way that you never look down when climbing.

Soon enough, I made it to the top. AJ's back was towards me, so I had the upper hand. I furtively snuck up behind him, trying my best to avoid all of the dead, crunchy leaves.

The kids were still trying to convince him to come down, but he wasn't responding to them anymore. Instead he was staring at her hat, talking to himself. No, it sounded as if he was talking to someone. I moved in closer so I could hear.

"I wish you were here Clem, to tell me what to do."

He sniffed, then wiped his nose on his arm.

"You would want me to be with you, right?"

He played with the D on the hat, which was peeling off.

"I don't know. I just-" he took a deep, shuddering breath. "I just don't know what to do, Clem."

He wiped his eyes.

"I know you always tell me to be strong, but I just can't..."

Those weren't good words. I moved forward faster, picking up my pace.

But this made me louder. And I made the fatal mistake of stepping into a big pile of those damn leaves.

He spun around, asking, "Who's there?"

His eyes locked on mine, and I froze.

"Hey, buddy," I said nervously. "Whatcha doing up here?"

He didn't even say anything. He just turned and lept.

Violet screamed. Willy shouted, "NO!" Aasim yelped. Omar did the same.

I, however, made no verbal noise. Instead, I dove for him.

My hands reached out, and I started grabbing.

And I actually managed to get a hold on the back of his disco broccoli sweater. His falling came to an abrupt halt, and a "Hugh," sound escaped his lips.

I lay there on my stomach, my bruised hand the only thing keeping AJ alive. I hadn't slid completely off; My legs and most of my abdomen was still on the balcony. With my free hand, I grabbed on to a nearby pillar, pulling the rest of my body up, then AJ, too. However, when I got him up, I didn't let go of his wrist, not trusting him to not try and take another leap of faith.

"You guys alright?" Vi shouted. "Do I need to go up there?"

"We're good!" I replied. "Stay down there!"

AJ tried to squirm out of my grip, but it was too tight. "Let me go!" He ordered, but I refused.

After a while, he stopped struggling. He had worn himself out.

I leaned against the wall, then switched the hands I holding on to him with. I opened and closed my bruised hand in order to stretch it.

We sat in silence, still taking in everything that had just happened. The wind was blowing harshly, and AJ began to shiver. With no words, I let go of his wrist and wrapped my arm around him, trying to warm him up.

He didn't fight this time, and snuggled right up into my chest. He put her hat up to his nose, inhaling deeply.

"I always liked the way her hair smelt," He said.

"It smells like strawberries," I told him.

"What's that?"

"It's a fruit."

He smelled the hat again.

"When you found her, was she a monster?"

"No. She never had to become one."

He backed up enough to look me in the eye.

"So she was still alive when you found her?"

"For a couple minutes, yeah, she was."

He leaned back into me, his teeth chattering now.

"You wanna know what she wanted me to tell you?"

He didn't answer, but I told him anyway, "She wanted me to tell you that she loved you. Sooo much. And that she was sorry she couldn't say goodbye."

I blinked a couple times, trying to push back the tears that were threatening to spill over. I had to be strong right now.

"She would want us to keep going. She would want you to keep going, not just go off and die."

"But she was a-all I had!" He said, starting to sniffle.

"Hey," I said, placing my hands on his shoulders. "You still have me. And Tenn, and Violet. You have everybody here!"

He sighed, saying,"I just don't know what I'll do without her, L-Louis."

"Neither do I. But you know what?"

"W-what?"

"We'll figure it out together, you and me. We're a team, remember?"

"Oh, right. 'Team Fun'. Well, this is not fun."

"How about we change the name for right now? How about team-" I scratched my head. "I don't know, what do you think, AJ?"

"How about 'Team Strong'?" He suggested. I smiled.

"I like that idea."

"Can we stay up here a little longer?"

"Sure, if you want."

"Alright." He cozied up to me, sticking his cold hands inside my jacket. "I just want to think for a little bit."

I set my hand on top of his hair. "Sure thing, little man."

"By the way, Louis," he said, "thanks for saving me."

I smiled. "No problem, AJ."

AN: This one was super depressing too. I think I'll write two chapters from Clem's POV before writing another one of these. It just makes me sad writing these. Anyway, let me know what you thought of this one!

Chapter Text

Clem's POV

I could feel Duck's intense glare on my back as I stared out of the car's window.  I pretended not to notice, staring out into the world whizzing by me.  

"Can you believe they raised gas prices up to $2.50 a gallon?" My mom asked my dad from the passenger seat. "It seems like they raise it ten cents a day!"

"I heard its up to $3.50 in some places," he replied.  "It's ridiculous."

  I fidgeted uncomfortably under Duck's gaze. Finally, I turned towards him, sending him a scowl.  He scrunched his brows together, trying to intensify his own dirty look. But I had a lot more practice with this sort of stuff. I lowered my eye brows slightly, and tilted my head a tiny bit  downwards. I locked my eyes onto his, unblinking. He squirmed, but no matter what way he moved, I held eye contact. He tried to maintain his glare, beginning a silent battle between us.  When he could no longer handle my death stare, he grunted and flipped me off, then turned his back to me.  I win, I thought, satisfied. 

"You two alright back there?" Asked my dad, adjusting his rear view mirror to look at us. "You guys are awfully quiet."

"We're good," I answered.  

"Alright," my old man said. "By the way, we're about five minutes away from the airport, so get your things ready."

"Okay."

 We were heading to the airport to pick up Kenny and Katja. I subconsciously smiled, my heart fluttering just at the though of seeing Kenny again.  Sure, I was excited to see Katja, too, but Kenny and I just had a closer bond. Well, at least we did, back in my original world.

 He wasn't the only old friend I was going to get to see, though. Luke and Nick were supposed to meet us at the airport, too. How did my family know them? I had no idea, but I decided not to question it. 

They were going to be the ones to actually take me to the boarding school, since they would pass through West Virginia -that's where Ericon's school is- on they're way to Ohio. Mom had told me that they were heading to Ohio to help pursue "Luke's big plan." I remember Nick telling me something about that, but the way he told it made it sound like that plan had failed.  I don't know, though, maybe this was a different "big plan."

 Duck, however, was going to stay with his parents for a little while.  Apparently Kenny wanted to teach him a lesson of his own before he was sent off.  I shuddered, thinking about all of the unusual punishments that Kenny would dream up. I was glad I wasn't in Duck's shoes. 

    "Oh, Ed, we forgot to get Clem some snacks for her trip!"  My mom suddenly remembered. 

"We'll stop at the store up here," my dad said. We turned left into the Walmart parking lot and parked. After unbuckling, my dad asked, "You have any idea what you want?"  

"Um, I don't know, what all do they have?" 

"Anything and everything."

Usually, when AJ and I would have a long journey to make, I would get some bark and just chew on it. 

"Do they have anything to just kinda chew on?"

"You mean like gum?"

I let the word register in my mind, trying to connect it with an object. Gum, gum, gum... Oh, right! Gum, like bubble gum. I remember I used to have bubble blowing competitions at school, and I would always win. 

"Yeah, some gum would be good." They stared at me expectantly. "What?"

"Is that it?" Asked my mom. I nodded. "Clemmy, you'll need more than a pack of gum. You'll get hungry!"

"Trust me," I assureed them, "I've lasted a lot longer than a couple hours without food before, I think I'll be fine. Besides, I'm not used to having so many options, I don't think I would be able to decide."

"Well, I'm getting you more than just gum," stated my mom.  

"But I don't know what else I want."

"Don't worry; I know what you like. Your dad and I will run in and get some snacks real quick. You two hold tight. Do you want anything, Duck?" 

"No thanks," Duck spoke. With that, they both stepped out of the car, then walked towards the entrance. 

That left me alone in vehicle with an angry teen. He still faced the window, refusing to look at me. We sat in an uncomfortable silence, the tension thick enough to slice with a knife.  After a couple minutes of this, I decided that enough was enough. 

"Look, if this is about me accidentally almost killing you the other day, I already told you: don't take it personally.  I really thought you were some sort of marauder or something."

He turned and looked at me for the first time since our glaring contest.  He didn't speak for a few moments, then said, "You're lucky I haven't told them."

"Told them what?"

"You know what." 

"No, I don't. In case you forgot, I can't remember anything that's happened from the past EIGHT YEARS." I held eight fingers in his face for extra emphasis. 

"Duhhhh, I know that. It's just... Diana said that you remembered a few people, and that you also remember me.  So, I don't know,  I also thought that you would remember the things that we did..."

It took me a minute to understand what he was implying.  I gasped. "Oh my God! Please tell me we didn't, you know..."

He looked confused. "What?"

I rolled my eyes, then made one hand into the 'okay' sign and moved one finger in and out rapidly through the hole. Still, he didn't get the message, and just stared at me blankly.

"What is it?"

"Duck, please just tell me we didn't have sex!" I exclaimed, exasperated. 

"Oh! No! No, not that." He gagged, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Man, Kenny was right when he said Duck was as dumb as a box of rocks. 

"Well, what is it, then?"

"Let's just say that I should have been sent to that school a long time ago. And you should have, too, for a lot more reasons than you think."

I shook my head. "No, that couldn't be. I was such goody-goody. What else could I have possibly done to deserve to get sent there?"

Duck snorted. He must have noticed the look I gave him, because then he told me,"Maybe you were good before I moved into the neighbor hood.  But trust me, you and I, we were both little trouble makers."

I gave him a quizzical look, and he continued:

"At first, when we were little, it was just small things, like stealing candy from the store or pulling pranks at school.  However,  when we got older, things got a little more serious.  First, it was the smoking. Then the drinking. Then the sneaking out."

He looked at me to make sure I was listening. I nodded, saying, "Mhmm," so he would keep going. 

"Somehow, we managed to do this for a couple years without being caught. But then one night, Ed found a pack of cigarettes that had fallen out of your backpack. And he went up to your room to confront you at the worst possible time; you were in the middle of sneaking out of your window, to meet me in the street so we could go to a party. 

"As you can imagine, he was NOT happy, and neither were my parents. You were grounded for two months, and same for me.  But after that, we actually calmed down a little bit. Ed and Dina lost all of their trust in you, and gave you the silent treatment for a couple weeks.  You felt terrible for everything you did, and I didn't wanna live my life on the edge without my partner in crime. So we behaved, for a while. But then Josh came around."  He spat the out the name with a sour look. 

"Who's Josh?" I asked.  The name left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I cringed. I could already tell I had bad history with whoever this was.

"He was your first real boyfriend. But he was a different kind of trouble than we had been. The really illegal kind, with drugs. He was a dealer. 

"Yet somehow, he stole your heart, and you were head over heals for him.  I personally hated the guy, but he made you happy, so I dealt with him. In hindsight, I realize that was a huge mistake." 

"Anyway, the only reason that he dated you was so he would have someone to frame if he was ever close to getting caught.  I don't know all of the details-you didn't wanna talk about it- but I do know that you ended up in a jail cell one night for selling weed, which you didn't.

"It was a hefty bail price, around $5,000 I think. I was already staying with you guys at this this time, and I could hear you guys fighting from up in the guest room. It lasted for hours.Neither of your parents would believe you, what with your past and all. Then, your dad asked you to look him in the eye, and tell him that you didn't do it. And you did. But still, he didn't buy it, and something inside of him snapped."

He paused and looked at me gravely. Hesitantly, I quietly asked, "What happened next?"

"He... He hit you. Slapped you, right across the face. But it wasn't one of those slaps just to show you who was in charge. It was a real slap.  You ran up to your room, crying.  I saw the mark on your face, which was already swelling. I asked you what happened, and you told me."

His eyes had taken a glazed over look, as if he wasn't really there.  

"You grabbed your car keys, saying you wanted to get out of the house for a little bit. But it was storming outside and you were already a sucky driver. I told you not to go.  Despite that, you wouldn't listen, you just had to leave. 

"We got the phone call an hour later. The one to tell us that you had been in a crash."

I closed my eyes, trying to absorb all of this information. I never would have thought that I would have been some sort of demon child.  

I also didn't think either of my parents would ever lay a finger on me, no matter what I did. I guess I was wrong both ways. 

"So, yeah. That's just a little information I thought you should know."

The same silence filled the car that was there when my parents first left, but the the tension was gone. 

After a few moments, I broke it. "Do you think that's why they're sending me away so quickly? Because I had been trouble before?"

He nodded, saying, "Yeah, I bet it is. If none of that stuff had happened before, they would probably give you another chance."

Neither of us spoke a a few minutes. Then I asked, "So, why were you so mad at me earlier?"

"I guess I was just mad cause I thought that you would remember. And when you didn't, I don't know, I just felt kind of betrayed."

I processed this, trying to see it from his point of view that way I could understand. And it helped, a little. "I can see why, sorta."

"Yeah."

It fell quiet again. I said, "Thanks for filling me in."

"You're welcome."

"Sooo, are we good now?"

"I think so." He grinned that same goofy smile that he had back at the motor inn. I smiled back.

Then the both the front doors opened, startling me. My mom and dad climbed into their seats, handing back a grocery bag. 

"We got you some bubble gum, Pringles, Sprite, and beef jerky," My mom announced. I peeked in the bag, excited to try these foods that I hadn't had in years.

"Thanks!"

"Alright, now we're airport bound!" My dad said cheerily. 

We pulled out of the parking lot, but as we did, I couldn't help but look at both of my parents differently. 

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I nervously bit my nails as we waited outside of the airport.  My eyes were glued to the sliding doors, just waiting to see Kenny walk out. I tapped my my foot rapidly on the ground, wishing the time would pass faster. Their plane was supposed to have landed 10 minutes ago. What was taking them so long?

My dad peered back at me from the driver's seat. "Golly, Clem, I didn't realize how excited you were to see them."

"Yup, I'm pretty excited," I replied, still not taking my eyes off the doors.  

"Hey, Clementine," Duck said. 

"What?"

"Look."

"Look at what?" I asked, annoyed. 

"Just look this way."

"For what?"

"For something."

"Not right now."

"Clem, Clem, Clem, Clem, Clem," Duck began.

"Oh my God, what?" I whipped my head around only to be met by his finger poking my cheek. 

"Ha, gotcha!"

"Ughh, you're so idiotic!" 

He snickered, and I punched him in the arm. This was the guy who had apparently been one of my best friends. 

"Oh look, here they come!" Mom declared. 

I turned and looked at the sliding doors, and sure enough, Kenny and Katja were making their way toward our car, rolling suitcases behind them. Without thinking, I threw open the door,  making a beeline towards Kenny. 

He looked surprised, to say the least,  to see me sprinting towards him. I collided with him, and wrapped my arms around him. I squeezed him as hard as I could, and he chuckled. "Well, I wasn't expectin' this!"

He hugged me back, though.  "I missed you!" I said. 

"I missed you too, kid!" This was even better than the first time Kenny and I were reunited. 

At some point, I pulled away, examining him. He still had the same beard, and the mustache. It just had more streaks of gray. He also wasn't wearing  that eye patch anymore, but his eye still wasn't normal.  His left eye lid sucked into his face, kinda like old people's lips do without their dentures. 

He must of noticed me staring at it, because then he said, "I haven't put my glass eye in yet. It's still in my bag somewhere."

"Oh." He must have lost his eye somehow in this life, too.

Then I looked to Katja, who I still hadn't said anything to. She looked kind of hurt. I walked up and gave her a hug, just not quite as tight as Kenny's.  "It's good to see you, Katja!" 

"It's nice to see you, Clementine."

I heard my footsteps behind us, then turned to see Duck and my parents. My dad and Kenny did that "bro hug" thing and my mom greeted Katja. 

Duck just stood in the background nervously with downcast eyes. Kenny caught sight of this, and cleared his throat, "Ahem."

"Hey, dad." He stepped forward, and Kenny pulled him into a hug. 

Ken patted his back while they hugged, saying, "Oh, son, when we get back to the house, you and I are gonna have some words."

The embrace ended, and then Katja stood on her tippy toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. On her way down, though, I heard her whisper in his ear, "I hope your ready for poop duty at the the Vet."

He grimaced, and I stifled a laugh.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

About 20 minutes after that, Luke and Nick pulled up to the airport in a big, red pickup truck, blasting country music. 

"Oh boy," I heard my mom mutter, "good luck traveling with that."

Our reunion was about the same as it was before, except Luke was the Kenny in the situation, and Nick the Katja. 

They helped me load up my bags, and then it was time for the goodbyes. 

I bid farewell to Kenny and Katja the same way I greeted them. 

With Duck, it was a quick hug and a fist bump. "See you soon," I said as we bumped knuckles. "The sooner the better," he said under his breath, glancing back at his parents.

Then it was time for my parents. I gave them both individual hugs, and whispered I loved them in both of their ears. I also let them know that I was sorry things had to turn out like this. My mom was getting emotional, but my dad and I weren't. I think we both knew deep down that  this was for the best.   

"You be good, now, so we can bring you home," said my dad.

"I'll try," I said. But, to tell the truth, I was going to try and stay there as long as possible. That boarding school had been my home for the past couple weeks, and as the saying goes, there's no place like home. 

My mom didn't say anything, still attempting to keep her running mascara from dripping all the way down her face. 

"Whelp, Clem, you ready?" Asked Luke. I nodded. 

"I love you guys.  See you later!" I said, and began to walk over to the truck. 

"We'll visit you soon!" I heard my mom shout. I turned and gave her a thumbs up over my shoulder, then waved. They all waved back. 

When we reached the truck, I looked at them one last time, blew them a kiss, then got in. 

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

"C'mon, Nick, I've already driven two hours, it's your turn!"

"Just 30 more minutes," Nick mumbled from the passenger seat. 

"If you're gonna refuse to drive, at least stay up and keep me company," Luke said, agitated.  Nick just grunted and turned to face the opposite direction of Luke.

"Jack ass," Luke grumbled. 

My eyes slowly fluttered open, and I sat up and stretched. I hadn't even realized I had fallen asleep. I peered out the window, seeing that stars had taken over the sky. I checked my phone to see what time it was; it was midnight on the dot. 

Luke turned to glace at me and smiled. "Well good morning, sunshine."

I yawned. "How long was I asleep?"

"We left around six, and you quit talking to us around 8... About four hours."

"Oh."

My stomach growled. I poked around inside the grocery bag, then pulled out the gum. "You want some gum?" I offered Luke. 

"Sure."

I gave him a piece, then popped one into my mouth. 

This was wayyyyy better than bark. Every chew was bursting with flavor, and the gum was so soft between my teeth. I had forgotten how much I liked it. 

"I can't remember the last time I had gum," I told Luke. 

"Really? I saw you chewing some a couple weeks ago," he responded mindlessly. Not even 10 seconds after he said it, he realized his mistake. 

"Oh, shit, I forgot! Of course you don't remember, you lost, like, half your memory. Ugh, sorry."

"It's fine."

We didn't talk for a minute, both of us contently smacking on our gum. 

"Doesn't make you mad?" He asked suddenly, as if he had been holding it in. "I mean, aren't you at least a little angry that you forgot the last eight years of your life? If you don't mind me asking."

I thought about this. I honestly wasn't really mad that I hadn't been around for the last couple years. If I hadn't been in the apocalyptic world, then I would have never met the majority of the people that I know. But I couldn't tell Luke this. At least, not in those words.  

"Actually, I'm not really bothered by it.  I guess it's just because I don't really know what I missed out on. And learning things about myself is really weird, but cool.  Like when my mom told me that I was a basketball player. It feels kinda like I just achieved these things without having to do any of the work, since I don't remember it."

He contemplated this. "Makes sense," he said, "sort of."

"Hey," I said, "that gives me an idea for a game. I'll ask you a question about myself, and you tell me."

"Alright," contended Luke, "a little Clementine trivia. Anything to keep me awake."

"What was my favorite color?"

"Red."

"Favorite food?"

"Apple."

"Favorite restaurant?"

"Taco Bell."

"Favorite animal?"

"Rat." I gave him a quizzical look, and he laughed. "Kidding. I don't know that one."

"Well, right now I'd say it's a bird."

"Why?"

"Because they're free. No one can control them, or keep them down."

"I can see it."

"What's your favorite animal?"

"A pig."

"How come?"

"Because that's where bacon comes from."

We kept playing the game for a little while, but eventually it got old. After that, Luke just turned up his country music and hummed along to it. While he did that, I worked on my bubble blowing skills. 

I remember I used to be so good at this, how did I do it again?  I flattened the gum on the roof of my mouth, then stuck my tongue through it. I put it up against my teeth and then retracted my tongue while blowing at the same time. A small bubble did form, but I blew too hard, and too fast. It burst almost immediately.  Okay, I'll try again, I'll just blow softer. I repeated my previous routine, but blew softer. It didn't work. 

I didn't give up, though.  Again and again I tried, until finally I got it down. Now it seemed easy. 

Pop.  I bit into a bubble I created, getting ready to repeat the process and blow another one.  This time, I decided I would see how big I could get it. 

I started the bubble, blowing just hard enough to fill it, but not hard enough to pop it. It grew to about the size of the baseball.

Nick was awake now, and he turned around to look at me, resting his chin on the back of the chair. "That's a pretty good sized bubble you got there, Clem," he complemented.

"Hmmm,"  I voiced, since I couldn't exactly say 'thanks.'

It kept growing, until it was about the size of a basketball. "Holy shit," said Nick.  "That's getting huge!"

It continued to expand, causing it to become more transparent. Through it I could see bug eyed Nick, his mouth a gap. 

"Luke, are you seeing this?!" Nick exclaimed.  "I'm pretty sure she's probably got the world record long beaten by now." 

"Well, Nick, I would look back to see, but I'm kind of busy doing this thing called driving," Luke said mockingly. "Just take a picture of it."

He whipped out his phone and snapped a picture. "Clem, I don't know how much bigger that thing can get-"

POP.  Too late.  The gum ruptured, and went everywhere. It covered my entire face, and some of my neck, too. Nick gasped.  "What just happened?" Asked Luke.

Slowly, I brought up my and hand  poked holes where my eyes where so I could see.

I opened my eyes to see a slack-jawed Nick, his eyes wide.  He stared at me for a minute, still in shock of what just happened. 

I mentally prepared myself to get yelled at, for making such a mess. But instead, he burst out laughing. 

"BAHAHAHAHAH!" Nick fell off his chair and onto the ground, wheezing from the laughter. I just sat there, not sure how to react. 

"It---POP---your---face!" Nick was saying, laughing too hard to get full sentences out.

"Nick, get up, tell me what happened!" Luke barked, vexed that he didn't get to be in on whatever was so funny. Nick waved his hand dismissively from the floor, still dying. 

Luke finally just pulled the truck over, then looked back to see for himself what was so hilarious. He took one look at me and reacted the same way Nick was.  He fell backwards onto the steering wheel, accidentally honking the horn. It just made the whole situation funnier.

As they both cracked up, I realized something; this was the first time I had seen either of them laugh.  

Nick sat up, wiping his watering eyes. "Oh boy, Clem, are we glad to have you back."

I went to say something, but I forgot that the gum was covering my mouth.  The gum rippled like waves, and they started laughing again. This time, I joined them.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

After our laughing fit was over, we decided to stop at the gas station so I could clean myself up. I went into the ladies bathroom while Luke and Nick wondered around the store. 

It took longer than I expected. It came off my clothes and skin easily, but my hair was a whole different story.  Eventually, though, after vigorously scrubbing my hair and eyebrows, I got most of it out.  There were still bits and pieces here and there, but my hat would cover it up. 

When I came out of the bathroom, I spotted Luke and Nick in a corner, all huddled together like they were school girls gossiping.  

"No, man, she hates me," I heard Luke whisper.

I curiously made my way over to them.  "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Luke responded quickly. 

"You see that girl over there?" Asked Nick anyway, earning a dirty look from his best friend. He motioned behind him with his thumb. 

I stood on my tip toes to peek over his shoulder.

There was only one woman standing in line at the register, waiting for the cashier who was off somewhere.  At first, I didn't think anything of her.  But when she turned around, my heart skipped a beat.

Jane.  My mind flashed back to the last time I had seen her, hanging from the ceiling.  Pregnant with Luke's baby.

"Clem, you okay?" Asked Luke. 

I snapped back to reality. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

I came back down to stand flat footed. "What about her?"

"Her and Luke used to be an item," Nick informed me.  "He was heart broken when she dumped him."

"I already told you, she didn't dump me. We both agreed that it was time for us to split up," Luke countered. 

"Yeah, right," Nick said. He looked at me, mouthing, "She dumped him."

"Anyway," said Luke, "I think it'd be too awkward to go stand in line next to her, what with our history and all. Do you think you could maybe..." He held up the chips and drinks in his hand, and Nick held up a twenty dollar bill. I sighed.

"Yes, I'll check this stuff out for you."

"Thanks Clem, you're the best!" Luke declared. They handed me the money and then speed walked out of the store, Nick teasingly nudging Luke as they passed Jane. 

I plodded over to Jane and stood behind her. She looked pretty much exactly the same as she did in the apocalypse, just  less scratches and bruises.

"Hey," I said casually.

"Um, hi."

I tried to think of a way to make small talk. 

"So, what're you doing here at 12:00 AM in the morning?"

"Stuff," she replied bluntly, not even looking up from her phone. 

Okay, so clearly she wasn't up for chatting.  If I wanted to talk with her, then I needed to talk about something she would actually take interest in.  I glanced at the truck parked outside, then got an idea.  I bet it'd be fun to play cupid.

"Do you know someone named Luke?" I inquired.  Her typing halted, and she looked up at me dubiously.  I smiled on the inside. Now I had her attention.

"Maybe," she answered. "Who wants to know?" 

I stuck out my hand. "I'm Clementine, his, uh, his cousin."

She hesitantly shook it. "I'm Jane."

"So, I heard you two had a thing back in high school."

"We did." Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Well, he talks about you all the time," I lied. Well, actually, who knows, maybe I didn't lie. Maybe he did talk about her all the time, I just don't remember.

"Does he, now?"

"He sure does."

"Huh. Interesting."

"You know," I said, "he was the happiest I've ever seen him when you two were together."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

I rocked back and forth on my heels, trying to ignore the uncomfortable silence.  I wish I was like Louis sometimes, just able to talk through the awkwardness.

I thought our conversation was over, but to my surprise, she spoke next.

"How's he doing?"

"Right now he's trying to pursue some 'big plan'," I said, making quotations with my fingers.  "That's why we're here; he's heading to Ohio with his friend Nick."

"I remember Nick," Jane said.  "He was Luke's BCF."

I gave her a questioning look. 

"Oh, that stands for, 'best country friend.'" She smirked at the thought, and I giggled.  "Those too were so redneck sometimes it was funny." Jane shook her head, smiling to herself.

Silence fell again. Finally, I said, "He thinks you hate him."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. I just over heard him say it."

She contemplated this before asking, "Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Could you tell him that I don't hate him? Tell him I'm sorry about how things ended... And that I know he didn't do it. There was just a lot going on and that I didn't have time to deal with a relationship, it wasn't anything personal."  This made me want to know more about their past relationship, but she was just opening up, and I didn't want to scare her away.

"I could tell him that," I said, "or you could tell him this yourself." She raised a brow. I pointed to his truck that was waiting outside. "He's right out there."

Jane bit her lip, debating on whether to go or not. "Maybe.. Maybe I should. No, I will."

I smiled. "I bet he'll be excited to see you."

We continued to converse until the cashier came, and she started to seem like the same old Jane. Just without the survival tips and such. 

Luke and Nick were sitting on the back of the truck, arguing about something. However, when Jane's ex saw us walking toward them, his eyes bulged and he hopped down. 

He scratched the back of his neck. "Hey there, Jane."

"Hey, Luke."

Nick looked at the two former lovers, then back at me, cocking his head. I shrugged, but couldn't keep the mischievous smile off my face. I winked. He gave me a thumbs up. 

Nick and I got in the car after that, to give them some privacy. At some point, I must have fallen asleep again, because when I woke up, the sun had replaced the stars. 

Luke had switched places with his business partner, and road happily in the passenger seat, grinning from ear to ear. 

"What're you smiling about, Luke?"

"Oh, nothing," he replied.

"Him and Jane are going on a daaattteee," Nick teased.  Luke punched him in the arm, but he was laughing while he did.

"It's not a date," Luke said, "We're just gonna get some coffee when we get back from our trip, and catch up a little."

"Well, I'm happy for you two," I told him. And it was the truth. 

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

In Washington D.C, I got to see another old friend: James. He was working at a food truck called 'Taco's Divine'.  I didn't get to talk to him much; we only discussed the weather while I waited for my order to be done.  Still, it was nice to see him, to know that he was okay.  

The rest of the trip zipped by. No other important event happened, really; we just played more Clementine trivia, talked, listened to some more country music (no matter how much I begged them not too), and slept. But still, it was fun. I was glad to just be with them again. I hadn't realized how much I had missed them until now that I was getting to spend so much time with them.

Before I knew it, we were pulling up in front of the boarding school.

Nick parked the truck and turned it off.  We all sat there for a minute, wondering what to do next. 

After a few moments I said, "I, I guess this is it."

Luke chuckled. "You say that like we're never gonna see you again." He opened the door, saying, "C'mon, I'll help you carry your bags in."

We all got out of the truck, unloaded my luggage, and walked up to the front gates. When we got there, there was already a chubby man waiting to greet us.  He smiled at us warmly. "Aw, you must be Ms. Clementine. Hello, welcome!"

"Howdy!" Luke greeted. The man looked familiar, but I just couldn't put my finger on where I knew him from. 

"You've got a pretty dog," complemented Nick. I looked at the man's feet, and saw Rosie.  I whistled, and she happily trotted over to me.  I knelt down to pet her.  

"Well, she sure likes you!" He said cheerily.  "I'm headmaster Robert, but you can call me Rob," He said to Luke and Nick. A light bulb went off in my head, and I finally realized why he had looked so familiar.  I recognized him from the portrait in the headmaster's office. So he's one of the adults that ditched everyone, I thought. Realizing this, I already didn't like him.

"But you," he said, turning towards me, "are expected to call me Headmaster or Mr. Sullivan."

"Okay," I said. 

"Yes, sir," he corrected. 

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, sir."

He looked back to Luke and Nick. "Don't worry, we'll get her straightened out."  Luke started to say something, but Rob interrupted. "Anyway, I'm afraid I can't let you past these gates.  You guys may say your goodbyes, then I will take you, Ms. Clementine."

I looked to Nick and Luke, and suddenly, it felt as if something was tugging on my heart. I didn't want to leave them yet.  Luke must have noticed my doleful expression, because he opened up his arms, inviting me into a hug.  I stepped forward and gladly accepted. 

He pulled me close, squeezing tight. "I sure had fun, kiddo," he said.  "I'm glad we were the ones who were able to take you."

"Me, too," I said. I pulled out of the hug and smiled up at him, and he returned one to me. "By the way," he commented, "thanks for being my wing woman. Even if I didn't ask you too." He winked, and I laughed. 

"No problem."

Then it was Nicks turn.  We hugged, and then he said, "Try your best to behave, so we can bring you home."

"I will," I promised.  "Will you guys come and visit?"

"We'll try," Nick said.

I bent down and picked up my bags, holding one in each hand and one slung over my back. "I guess I'll see you guys later."

"See ya," Nick said. 

Luke gave a small wave, saying, "Bye-bye, Clem."

Luke gave me one last reassuring smile before he and Nick turned and walked away.  I glumly watched them leave, feeling like I was about to cry.  I didn't actually end up crying, but I came close.

"So," Mr. Sullivan chimed, "Are you ready to start your time here?"

My blue feelings were replaced with ones of excitement, and I brightened up.  I couldn't believe I was here, so close to seeing everyone! To seeing AJ!

 "Yup!"

"Yes, sir," he reminded me. 

I bit my cheek to hold in a groan. "Yes, sir."

AN: So this chapter was longer than I expected it to be.  I had wanted to fit in Clem's first day at the school, but this was already past 6,000 words long, so that'll just have to wait until next time.  Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter!  :)

Chapter Text

Clem's POV

"We have five main rules here at Ericson," said Mr. Sullivan, projecting his voice as if he was talking to more people than just me.  "If you get caught breaking any of these rules for any reason, you will be immediately punished, without question. Do you understand?"

I nodded my head, but he just looked at me sternly. "Oh, right. Yes sir," I said, attempting to hide the sarcasm in my voice. 

"Rule number one: all of the adults are to be treated with the utmost respect.  When addressing them, always use your ma'ams and sirs."

"Yes, sir."

"Rule number two: PDA- that's stands for Public Display of Affection if you don't know- is strictly prohibited."

"Yes, sir."

By the time he got to rule number three, I had already tuned him out.  

The boarding school was a lot less green than I remembered it.  There were no longer vines climbing up its sides, and the bushes were trimmed and well kept rather than jagged and ugly looking.  

The yard was also a lot more empty; all of the couches and chairs that had been set out weren't there anymore. Neither was the lookout post. 

We passed where the graveyard and burned down building used to be.  No crosses stuck out of the ground at the graveyard's old site, and instead of the remains of the old building, there stood a huge gymnasium with the words GO ERICSON EAGLES on the front. 

We headed up the stair to the admin building.

"And finally, rule number five," the headmaster was saying, "You must be in your dorm by the curfew hour, nine o'clock.  Anyone found outside of their dorms after curfew will be in BIG trouble.  Got it?"

"Yes, Headmaster Sullivan."

"Remember rule number one," he reminded me.  "The correct way to say it would have been 'Yes, sir, Headmaster Sullivan.' You're lucky it's your first day, otherwise you would have just earned yourself a detention."

Oh my God, how am I supposed to survive this? I thought to myself. Still, I replied, "Yes, sir," through clenched teeth. 

"Oh, and by the way, you can't be wearing that," he told, gesturing to my hat.  Annoyed, I took it off and shoved it in one of my bags.  

He swung open the doors, and we entered the building. "Alright, I have some business to attend to. Go through that hallway," he said, pointing  down a hall opposite of the music hallway, "and turn left.  Tell  Mrs. Layson that you're new here, she'll know what else to do." With this, he turned and began to make his way up the stairs to his office.

I faltered over to where he directed me, all of my luggage throwing me off balance. Finally, after teeter tottering some on my way, I made it to the office.  I dropped my bags off of me and rolled my shoulders and arms, glad to be rid of the weight for just a bit.  

My eyes wandered the room, taking in all of the motivational posters and portraits of the headmaster. Man, he really thought highly of himself. 

Then my eyes landed on the front desk.  There was a name plate that read Mrs. Layson.

When I saw the receptionist who was sitting at the desk,  I gasped. 

 Christa looked up at me, her phone held up to her ear.  She held up a finger to her mouth, mouthing, "One second."  

I nodded, still in shock.  While she continued talking, I spotted a picture on her desk.  In it was her and Omid, both smiling.  In between them was a little girl, probably around two years old.  She was the striking image of her mom. 

"Okay, I'll let him know," Christa spoke into the phone. "Ahuh, ahuh, okay, bye."  She hung up the phone, then leaned back in her chair and stretched.  "Now, how can I help you?"

"I'm new here," I informed her. 

"Okay, then, just a second," she said, and picked up the phone again.  She dialed in a number. Suddenly, the intercom above me crackled to life. 

"Brody Miller, you are needed in the front office," Christa's voice said over the speakers.  "Brody Miller, to the front office," she repeated, then put the phone back on the receiver.  She smiled warmly at me. 

A little surprised, I smiled back.   She didn't used to be this friendly, and she always had a scowl on her face.  However, judging by all of the family pictures she had on her desk, I'm assuming this life treated her better. 

"So," she started, "What's your name?"

"Clementine."  Recalling what Mr. Sullivan had warned me, I added, "ma'am."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Mrs. Layson, but you can call me Christa."  She frowned.  "And don't call me ma'am.  I know you're supposed to, but I just don't like it.  You only have to do it when he's around," Christa said, pointing to the headmaster's portrait.  

"Okay," I replied. I was liking this new and improved Christa so far.

Then, the door behind me opened, and Brody came in.  She was wearing a cheer leading uniform, a bow tying her hair up in a high pony tail. 

"Hey Christa, you needed me?"  

"I was just wondering if you could show Clementine around for me."

"Sure! I'd be happy to."  She walked up to me and stuck out her hand.  "I'm Brody!" 

"Hi, nice to meet you," I said, shaking her hand. 

"Alright Clementine, it looks like you'll be in room..." Christa typed something into the computer, then said, "You'll be in room 201." 

201 was the same room that I stayed in before. 

"You won't have to actually start going to your classes until tomorrow, but here's your schedule anyway," Christa said, handing me a piece of paper.  

I quickly scanned it; the first half of the day went math, music appreciation, history, science, then lunch.  After that, it was home economics, art, English,  then basketball. "Thanks."

"Okay, Brody, she's all yours."

"Okie dokie!" Brody replied enthusiastically.  She picked up on of my bags, and I picked up the other two, glad I wouldn't have to hall all three of them by myself on my back again.

"See ya, Christa," I called over my shoulder as we made our way out.  

"Bye, Clementine."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

"Why are you in your cheer uniform?" I asked Brody as we made our way to the dorm. 

"Well, you came on a very special day," Brody answered.  "Today the basketball teams are facing off against Ericon's biggest rivals... the Lincoln Lions."

"So you're going to cheer for them?" 

"Yup.  Tonight is the biggest game of the year, so everyone dresses up in any way they can to support the team.  The athletes come in their uniforms, and everyone else just wears as much Ericson merchandise as they can."  She turned to look at me, examining my clothes.  "I can let you borrow some of my Ericson shirts, if you want," she offered.

"No, it's fine," I declined. "I don't even know if I'm going to go to the game."

"What? No, you have to go! It's so fun!"

"Well, I don't really know anybody," I countered.  

"Exactly! This is the perfect night for you to go and make friends."

"I don't know," I said.

We rounded the corner and entered the dorm building.

"Well, if you don't know, I'll decide for you. You're going," Brody stated firmly.  "Trust me, you'll thank me later."

"Okay, whatever you say..."

Soon, we came to room 201. Brody knocked on the door.  "Come in!" Someone shouted from inside.  She opened the door and let herself in. 

Inside, the room was covered in paintings and drawings.   There wasn't one blank space left on the wall.  It was a lot for your eyes to take in. 

I blinked, trying to get my eyes to focus.  "Oh, right, probably should have warned you about that," Brody apologized. 

"It's fine," I said. "There's just so.  Much.  Color."  I came into the room completely and dropped my bags.  I slowly turned in a circle, staring at all of the artwork  in awe.  It was sort of beautiful.

"So, you must me the new girl," I heard a familiar voice speak from behind me. I looked to where the voice was coming from, on the bed where AJ used to sleep.  Violet sat criss-cross on the bed, looking at me.  She wore what I assumed to be a basketball jersey. 

"Yeah, that's me. I'm Clementine." 

"Violet," she responded. 

I checked the time on the clock. 2:20.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" I asked her.

"I should be.  But science is just about the most boring class in the world."  A sly smile spread across her lips.  

"You're gonna get caught one of these days, Vi," Brody said, shaking her head.

Violet shrugged. "I've been doing this all year. They haven't caught me yet."

"Yet, " The cheerleader said. 

"So, which bunk is mine?" I inquired. 

"Go ahead and take that one," Violet said, pointing to the same bed that was mine back in the other world. I brought my bags over and set them on top of it, officially claiming it. 

"You'll have time to unpack later," Brody said.  "First let me give you a tour of the school, then we can stop by my dorm so we can get you your very first Ericson shirt. You wanna help show her around, Vi?"

"I would, but I've already missed history several times this week.  I have to go today otherwise I'll get detention."  Suddenly, I heard a bell from the main building all the way over here. Violet got up from the bed.  "I guess I better get to class.  See you guys later," she said as she walked out.  

"Well, are you ready for your tour?" Asked Brody.

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright, then, let's do it!"

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I didn't pay attention to half of what she told me as she gave me the tour, since I already knew my way around here pretty well.  I just mumbled, "Mhmm," every once in a while to make it seem like I was listening.  

"And lastly, this here is the music room."

"Mhmm."

We peered in to see the music teacher pointing at some music notes on a chalk board, all the while half the class was snoozing.

"It may not look like much now, but you should see it at night,   when some of the kids come here to play.  It's actually pretty fun."

I was starting to zone back in now. "Oh really? Who all comes here?"

She seemed pleased that I actually asked her a question. "Well, lets see: me, Violet, Minnie and Sophie, Erin, Aasim, Ruby, Mitch, Marlon, Becca, and Louis.  Other people come and go, but we're the ones who are always there."

Louis.  My stomach got butterflies just hearing his name. I was so excited to see him again!  Speaking of people that I couldn't wait to see...

"Hey, Brody, where do all of the little kids go?"

"The little kids who are sent here?  They stay just behind this building."

"Really? Can we go see them?"

"Well, not now, school is still going on." 

"Oh." My shoulder's drooped, and Brody must have noticed, because then she asked, "What's wrong?"

"There's just an old friend that I was hoping to see, that's all."

She looked at me sympathetically.  "I'll take you over after school, before the game.  How's that sou-"

Suddenly, as we passed the janitor's closet, an arm reached out of it and yanked her in. 

"Brody!" I screamed. I frantically tried to twist the handle, but it was locked from the inside. I pounded the door.  "Open up!" I shouted. When she didn't answer, I took a few steps back, then  rammed the door with all of my might.  The force swung the door wide open, and inside I saw Marlon, his hands on Brody's waist. His mouth entangled with Brody's mouth. 

"Oh, God, uh, sorry..." I awkwardly apologized.  

Brody ended the kiss, staring into Marlon's eyes lovingly, but talking to me, "Sorry, he likes to surprise me sometimes."  

Marlon turned to look at me, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend. "Yeah, sorry about that, I  thought she was alone."

"It's fine," I said, though really, it was NOT fine.  Ugh, I'm gonna have that image etched in my brain for the rest of my life.

"I'm Marlon, by the way," he introduced. 

"I'm Clementine." 

Marlon's gaze shifted to the door, which was wide open.  "I can't believe you managed to get that door open.  You play any sports?"

"Basketball," I told him. 

"Well, good, they could sure use someone with strength like that," he complemented. 

"Uh, thanks," I said.  

"I have to finish showing Clem around," Brody said, exiting the closet. "We can finish this later."

"Ohh, okay," Marlon groaned. "I can't wait to see you cheer tonight."

"I can't wait to see you play."  She stood on her tip toes and gave him one last quick kiss. "See you later."

"See you, babe. Oh, and nice meeting you, Clementine."

"Nice meeting you, too," I said.  With that, Brody and I headed back to the dorms.  

She stopped by her own to get me one of her old Ericson shirts, then dropped me off at my dorm again.  After promising to come meet me after school to take me to see AJ, she went back to her classes.  

I checked the clock. 2:49.  Still 26 minutes until school was over.  I decided to unpack, settle in a little bit.  

After I was done, I glanced at the clock again. 2:55.  Might as well get ready for the game, I thought to myself.  I changed into Brody's shirt, and threw on some ripped jeans and converse.   I tied my hair back into the low pony that I liked it in, and put my D hat back on.  I honestly didn't care what  Mr. Sullivan threatened to do, I was gonna wear my hat.

Once I was done getting ready, I grabbed a photo album that I had snagged before I left my house.  I flipped through it, to learn a little bit more about my previous life. 

This made the time pass by a whole lot quicker.  Before I knew it, the last bell of the day rang, and I could hear students out in the hall coming back to the dorms.  I ignored them, to absorbed in who I used to be to care. 

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Violet came in with Minnie, their fingers intertwined.  What looked like a clone of Minerva was following close behind them.  That must be Sophie, I thought.   Sophie was wearing a cheer leading outfit, and Minnie a basketball jersey.

"Oh, Clementine!" Violet exclaimed, surprised to see me.  "I forgot you were here." She gestured a hand towards Sophie, saying, "This is Sophie.  She's the one responsible for our walls."  Sophie grinned proudly.

"Nice to meet you," I said.  "I love all of your artwork!" 

"Thanks," Sophie said, smiling sweetly.  Her and Minerva looked exactly alike, except for their hair; while Sophie's hair went just past her waist, Minnie's was still in that same hair cut that it was in the apocalypse. 

"And this," Violet continued, motioning towards the other twin, "is my girlfriend, Minerva."

"But I go by Minnie," Minerva added. 

"I'm Clementine, but you can call me Clem."

"So, you're our new roomie?" Asked Sophie. 

"Yup."

"Well, we're happy to have you." 

"Glad to be here."

Suddenly, Brody peeked her head in through the door. "You ready to go see your friend, Clem?"

My heart swelled just at the thought of seeing AJ. "I am so ready."  

I said goodbye to the girls, then we made our way to see AJ.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

It was a lot harder to move through the halls when you had to weave your way through hundreds of troubled youths.  You couldn't walk ten feet without being sandwiched between backpacks or being nearly knocked over by somebody. It was soooo annoying. 

Brody was getting annoyed by it, too, but to more of an extent than I was. After about a minute of trying to get passed the traffic in the halls, she started getting rough. 

Two girls were taking their sweet time walking and talking in front of us, and Brody didn't have the patience for it.  She put her hands in between them and shoved them apart, then walked through herself.  "Out of the way!" She ordered, and the girls obeyed.  I followed, whispering, "Sorry!" As I passed the girls. 

We came across another group of people talking, but this one was much larger, too big to just cut through. So Brody started plowing people down one by one, pushing anyone who got in the way to the ground. "Ughh, people, move your asses!" She shouted angrily. Soon, people started moving out of the way for us.  I had never expected Brody to be this, well, aggressive. 

But that didn't last long.  The farther we moved up the hallway, the more crowed it got.  It didn't matter if she pushed people anymore; they would just stumble into another backpack, then bounce back.  The cheer leader checked the time on her phone, then groaned. 

"What's wrong?" I yelled, trying to be heard over all the loud students. 

"I'm supposed to go warm up for cheer in five minutes!" She pressed her hand to her temple, squeezing her eyes shut. "I thought I would have time to take you and come back,  but usually the hallways aren't this packed..."  She opened her eyes again, and she stood up, scanning the crowd. Her gaze landed on something, and she perked up. "Would it be okay if I had someone else take you?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"Okay, good."  She cupped her hands around her mouth, then shouted at the top of her lungs, "LOUIS!"

Instantly, everybody stopped what they were doing, and the hallway was silent. Brody glared at all of them, saying, "I wasn't talking to any of you."  As abruptly as it had stopped, the noise started up again.  

I looked around the hallway, trying to see if he was really here, that I didn't just imagine Brody shouting for him.  When I caught sight of him, my knees nearly buckled. 

He, too, was in a basketball jersey, and he was making his way toward us(in a much nicer manner than Brody). 

"You called?" Louis said once he was in our hearing range. 

"Louis, this is Clementine.  She needs to get to the little kid's school. Could you take her for me?" 

"I can on one condition-"

"Let's just say I'll owe you one," Brody interrupted. "I have to go.  See you guys at the game!"  She turned and started to violently make her way through the crowd again. 

 I couldn't believe he was right here, right in front of me.  I had to fight the urge to hug him, to kiss him.  But God, was that hard.  He still looked the same, with his dread locks and cute little freckles.  It was weird seeing him without his trench coat.  

He tried to say something, but I could barely hear him over the other students. "What?"  I shouted. 

He said it again, but it was still too loud.  Finally, he just grabbed my hand and led me through the river of kids. I held on to his hand tight, glad to have an excuse to do so. Louis kept pulling until we reached an exit door, and we squeezed ourselves through.  

He let go of my hand, and I pretended to peer through the window of the door to hide my disappointment.  "Is it this crowded every time the bell rings?" I asked him. 

"No, not usually.  It's only like this today because of the game.  By the way," he said, "I don't think we ever got a proper introduction.  I'm Louis," he said, sticking out his hand. 

"Clementine," I responded, shaking his outstretched hand. 

"Very nice to meet you, Clementine." He pursed his lips, saying, "Clemster?" 

I shook my head. 

"Clemmy?" He tried. 

"Nope."

"I'll come up with a good nick name for you later.  For now I guess I'll just stick with Clem."  He turned and started towards another building that wasn't there in my other world, so I followed him. 

"Why do you want to go see the littles, again?" He asked. 

"I just have an old friend here that I want to see."

"Oh really? Who is it?"

"His name is AJ."

"Oh, he's my reading buddy!"

"Reading buddy?" I raised a brow at him.

"Every Friday, we go help the little ones read.  Everybody gets paired with a 'buddy'," he said, making air quotations. "And AJ and I are buddies."

"Oh. Well, how's he doing?"

"He's doing good.  Actually, he's a really good reader.  Most of the time, he's the one reading to me," Louis proclaimed, jabbing his thumb into his chest to point to himself. 

I couldn't help but smile, internally having one of those proud parent moments. "Sounds like AJ."

We neared the other building, and I could hear the chatter from the children from here.  My heart sped up, my excitement building. 

"So," Louis inquired, "How do you like it here so far?"

"It's alright, I guess. I mean, all I've done all day tour the school."

"I can assure you you'll like it a lot better here after the game," Louis said.

"I've heard it's lots of fun."

"It is, especially since I'm there," he said, dramatically  flipping his hair.  He winked, and I laughed.  

 "How are you liking the people here?"

"Well, they're very..." I tried to think of a word to describe them. "The couples are very affectionate.  Like Brody and her boyfriend, Marlon-"

"Oh, I see.  You had to witness them drink each other's saliva,"  Louis filled in.  He looked at me to see if he had guessed correctly, and I nodded, involuntarily gagging. He chuckled."Don't worry; those two are pretty much the only ones who get THAT gross about it."

"CLEMENTINE!" AJ's voice echoed off the wall surrounding the school. I looked to the school's main entrance, where he was standing on astonishment, staring at me.

"AJ!" I took off running towards him, and he dropped his bags and did the same.  His tiny legs carried him faster than I remembered they could.  I got on to my knees mid run, to make it easier for him to collide with me.  He came into me hard, nearly knocking me over.  AJ wrapped his arms around my neck, squeezing with all his might.  I held on to him tight, glad to have him in my arms again. 

After about a minute, our embrace ended.  He pulled away, examining me.  I did the same to him; his hair was still poofy, just cut a little shorter.  Alvin also had a little more chub to him, but I would rather have that than him be skin and bone like her used to be.  He had on what looked like a baseball uniform. 

Finally, AJ asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, decided to come stay up here with you."

"Really? You're gonna stay here?" He inquried, his eyes growing bright. 

"I sure am, goofball," I said, ruffling his hair. "But I brought someone along with me."

"Who?"

"THE TICKLE MONSTER!" I yelled, shoving my hands under his armpits(his most ticklish spot).  He fell to the ground in a fit of laughter as I tickled him all over.

After the merciless tickling ended, I stood up and dusted off my pants.  AJ got up, then said, "Oh, hi, Louis!"  I had completely forgotten he was even there. 

"Hey there, little dude," Louis said as he walked over to us.  "Sorry I was just standing there; I didn't want to interrupt your little reunion." The dread locked teen looked at me, with my arm subconsciously over AJ's shoulder.  "You two seem close. I bet you missed each other."

"You have no idea," I told Louis. 

"Yeah, you have no idea," echoed AJ, smiling up at me. 

All of a sudden, the back doors to the admin building busted open, and David came storming out.  He did not look happy.

"Oh shit," mumbled Louis, prompting AJ to whisper, "Swear!"

Louis stepped forward, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.  "Hey, there, coach-"

"LOUIS!" Interrupted David, his voice filled with fury. "You were supposed to be at the gym 10 fu- I mean, freaking minutes ago!" 

"I'm sorry, coach David, but-"

"No, I don't want to here it. You've got five laps around the gym before you do anything else.  Now go, get warmed up." 

Louis turned to me. "I'll catch you later, Cle-"

"Now!" Shouted David.  I had to admit, he was pretty scary when he was mad.  Louis immediately turned and jogged off towards the gym.  David turned and followed him, muttering something to himself, not even acknowledging AJ and I.    

"Ooooo, someone's in troublllleee," AJ crowed once David was out of hearing range.  

"Yeah, because of us," I said, feeling a little guilty.  

Just then, a bug school bus with the words LINCOLN LIONS pulled up outside the gates. "Uh oh," said AJ, "They're here.  We better hurry and get in there before all of the seats get taken up."  Without giving me time to reply, he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the gym.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Within minutes, the gymnasium was packed.  Students from each school flooded through the doors, glaring at the opposing side.  

Everybody from Ericson was decked out in it's merchandise, some kids even painting our schools colors on their faces.  I guess they  were really serious about tonight's game.

AJ and I sat down and watched the players on each side warm up.  The boy's game was first, so both the Eagle and Lion boys were using half the court to shoot layups. While they did that, I scanned the crowd to look for any other familiar faces; I saw  Ruby sitting with some girls, and   behind them  Willy and Tenn, both of them stuffing hotdogs in their faces.

Soon, the cheerleaders came on to the floor, the crowd going wild when they saw them. They bounced on their feet, waving to their fans.  I saw Sophie and Brody out there, smiling and cheering. Beside them was someone I would never expect to be at a school for troubled youths. 

Sarah. 

She copied the other girls, waving to the crowd, trying to hype them up even more. I made a mental note to find a way to talk to her, to see how she was doing and how she somehow ended up here. 

"GO EAGLES!" Shouted AJ, pumping his fists in the air.  I went to cheer with him, when I noticed that his afro was filled with popcorn. 

"AJ," I said, picking one of the kernels out, "how'd all this popcorn get in your hair?"

He felt the top of his head, puzzled. "I don't know, I didn't even know there was popcorn in there!"

Just then, more popcorn fell on top of AJ's hair from above us.  I looked up to the row of chairs behind us, agitated.  Sure enough, some kid in a baseball uniform was  jumping up and down with a popcorn bucket, showering AJ with the food.  

"Hey!" I yelled, but he didn't hear me.  Not only was the gym super loud, but they also had an eagle mask on, which probably made it harder to hear me,  "HEY!" I yelled louder, poking the kid in the gut.  He dropped the whole bucket in surprise, but it landed on the ground instead of on AJ's head.  Eagle head looked at the spilt popcorn, then back up at me.  He said something, but the mask made him to muffled. I held my hand up to my ear, shouting, "What?"

He took off the mask, revealing the face of my first, er, boyfriend type thing.  "What was that for?" Gabe  asked angrily, a scowl on his face.

"Gabe?" I asked without thinking. 

His scowl turned in to a look of confusion.  "How do you know my name?"

"Oh, uh," I tried to think of an explanation.  "Sophie pointed you out to me earlier.  I'm new here."

"Really? Sophie pointed me out?"  His eyes grew wide, and a smile spread across his face, making him look like a little kid.

"Um, yeah, she did."

"Why?"

"Because..." I thought of a lie that just might sound believable. "Because she thinks your cute."

"Oh my God, really?" I nodded my head, and he blinked in astonishment. "Sweet!"

"Don't tell her I told you, though," I told him quickly. 

"I won't," Gabe promised. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Clementine."

"Nice to meet you," he said, nodding. He looked me over, analyzing me. "You know, you're not too bad yourself.  If you ever wanna-"

"No, I'm good," I swiftly cut in.  He looked disappointed, so I turned back around, ending the conversation.

"Look, Clem, they're starting!" AJ chimed excitedly, standing on his seat to see over everybody else.   They were doing the tip off; Marlon versus some other tall kid on the other team.  We didn't get the tip, so our team sunk back into defense.  The cheerleaders started a, "DE- FENSE," chant, so I joined along with them.  On a bad pass, Louis got a steal and dribbled down the court, sinking a layup.  The Eagles went wild, and AJ and I screamed, "GO LOUIS!"

This apparently made the other team angry, and they drove hard the first chance they got.  However, Aasim made his way into the drive lane, planted his feet, and braced himself for the impact.  The kid plowed right into him, knocking Aasim onto his back.  "CHARGE!" I yelled, before slapping my hands over my mouth.  Why did I yell that? I didn't even know what a charge was!  Well, at least I didn't, until now, somehow.  

This continued to happen the rest of the game.  Someone would take one to many steps without dribbling, and I would shout, "TRAVEL!" Before I could stop myself.  Someone wouldn't have their feet set for a screen, and I would yell, "Illegal screen!" It was weird, knowing these things, but not knowing that I know them. 

The ending score was 43:44, Eagles win.   I had to admit, though, it was a good game to watch, and it was fun cheering with everybody. All of the boys came back up to the bleachers to watch the girls game and celebrate their own victory, and they just happened to decide to sit in the row in front of us. 

Louis sat directly in front of me, and on either side of him sat Marlon and Mitch. He turned around and smiled. "So, how're you liking tonight so far?"

"It's actually been really fun," I told him, adding, "You guys did great tonight!" 

"Thanks!" Louis said.  He laughed, saying, "I could tell you were really invested in the game, since I could hear you yelling from the court and all."

"Was I really that loud?" I asked, embarrassed.

"Yeah, but it's not a bad thing. I like a person with a little competitive spirit!"  He winked, and I smiled.

Suddenly, Mitch turned around, and looked at me as if he was noticing me for the first time. "Who are you?" He asked. 

"My name's Clementine.  Who are you?" 

"The name's Mitch." He eyed me, licking his lips. "You're hot."

"Oh, I, uh..." I could feel my cheeks redden, and he smirked.  

"Even more so," he said.

 Both of the girl's teams went and sat on the benches, and Mr. Sullivan went to the middle of the floor, holding a megaphone. 

"ATTENTION, EVERYBODY! ATTENTION!" The gym quieted down, and he cleared his throat.  "It is time for the moment you've all been waiting for..." The anticipation caused the crowd to  go completely silent.  I think I actually heard a pen drop.  After a few more moments of silence to keep us waiting, the headmaster announced,"THE FREE THROW COMPETITION!"  The students cheered, and someone brought out a bucket with a bunch of tiny slips of paper to Robert. 

"Quiet down, everybody!" The chubby man said as he stuck his hand in the bucket, preparing to draw.

"Louis, what's the free throw competition?" I yelled. 

"It's this thing where they draw a seat number from the bleachers, and whoever's seat gets drawn gets to go down there and shoot free throws for money," Louis explained to me. "You get ten bucks for every one you make in one minute!"

"The first winning seat number is... seat E 36!"  Some kid a couple rows behind jumped up, shouting, "YES!" He triumphantly made his way down the isle, and onto the court.  

Mr. Sullivan put his hand back in the bucket, drawing again.  He pulled out a tiny slip of paper, then said, "The second winning chair isss....." All of the students started pounding their  feet on the ground, making a sort of drum roll.  "Seat B 19!" The headmaster announced.  

AJ gasped. "Clementine, that's you!" He exclaimed, jumping up and down and pointing.  Everyone turned and looked at me. 

 "No, we're in row C, not B," I told him. 

"Nuh-uh! Look!" AJ argued, pointing to the number on the back of my seat. Sure enough, the letters and numbers B 19 were engraved into the seat. 

"Come on, go, get down there!" AJ said, tugging on my arm.  

"No, no, I'm not going down there.  One of you guys can go," I offered to the people sitting around me, hoping one of them would volunteer to take my place. 

"He called your seat, you have to go,"  Gabe said. 

"Yeah, just get down there," Mitch added.  "It'll be fine."

"N-no, I can't," I stuttered.  My knees felt weak beneath me, and I felt like I was going to pass out.  I had never felt anxiety like this before. 

"Come on, Clem, you're the best at free throws!" AJ assured me, not giving up.  

"No, I'm not going down there!" I said stubbornly. 

"Whoever is sitting in seat B 19, please come down so the competition can start," the headmaster said through clenched teeth.

"C'mon, Clementine, go down there, you got this!" Aasim said.  

"Clem-en-tine! Clem-en-tine! Clem-en-tine!" Mitch starting cheering, and  others joined him.  Soon, the whole gym was chanting my name. 

I closed my eyes,  trying to control my breathing.  I really didn't want to do this.  I just wanted to disappear, right here, right now.  Ugh, this was going to be so humiliating. 

Suddenly, I felt someone's hands on my shoulders.  Startled, I opened my eyes, only  to meet Louis's brown one's staring back into mine.  All of the noise around me started to fade, and anything in my peripheral turned into a blur.  It felt as though it were just us, nobody else in the world.

"Clem," he said softly, "you got this.  It's okay." 

"But, Louis-"

He shushed me, cutting me off. "What's the absolute worst that could happen?"

Baffled, I asked, "What?"

"What is the very worst scenario that could go down?" He asked again.

I bit my lip, contemplating his question. "I make a total fool of myself."

"And then what?"

"Everybody sees me as a loser, and they don't talk to me."

He laughed. "That's what you're worried about? Trust me, even if you do end up sucking majorly and don't win any money, people will still talk to you."

"Why?"

"I don't know... There's just something about you that kinda draws people in, makes them want to talk to you.  I don't know what it is, but it's there."

I blushed. "Um, thanks, I guess..."

"Now go, get down there and win some money," he ordered.  "I'll cheer for you."

I hesitated. "Okay," I finally agreed.

Suddenly, the world around me came roaring back to life.  They were still chanting my name, and when I started to walk down the stairs, they went wild.

Okay, it's fine, you'e fine.

I went and stood at the free throw line.  Violet and Minnie came over, giving me high fives.  Violet must have noticed how nervous I was, saying, "Hey, Clem, deep breathes."  I inhaled deeply, feeling a little bit calmer when I released my breath. Violet sent me an encouraging smile, mouthing, "You got this."

"We'll rebound for you," Minnie told me, and I nodded. 

"Okay!" Shouted Mr. Sullivan. "I'm going to count down from five, and instead of zero, I'll yell 'GO!' When I do, you two," he said, pointing to me and the other kid across the court, "may start.  You'll have one minute to shoot, and you get ten dollars for every shot you make.  However, whoever makes the most shots also gets a bonus of $100!"

Violet handed me a ball, and Minnie got one ready to pass to me after I shot. 

"The countdown is starting.  Five."

Oh God, I don't even know how to shoot a basketball.

"Four."

I turned around and looked in the stands, making eye contact with AJ.  He gave me a thumbs up.

"Three."

This is going to be humiliating.

"Two."

Remember what Louis said.  Even if I do suck, it won't be the end of the world.  I've been through much, much worse than this.

"One."

Here we go...

"GO!"

Line your foot up in the middle of the goal, I thought.  What told me to do this?  I don't know, I just knew that I was supposed to do that.  Hurriedly, I planted my foot in what I thought was the center of the line.  Then, I bent my knees and got into my shooting position.

After that, I lost control of my body.  My hands and arms had a mind of their own.  Holding the ball in my hand, my right arm formed into a box shape, with my hand nearly touching my eyebrow.  My left hand lightly touched the side of the ball to keep it from falling. Then, my arm shot up, my wrist flicking as I released the ball.

The ball spun in the air, almost looking like it was floating because of the arch.  The ball sunk into the basket, with a satisfying 'swish.'  Everybody went bonkers.

I dropped my follow through, and held my hands wide for another ball.  Minnie quickly passed it to me, and I shot again, faster this time.  Another one in.  Swish.

I shot again, and didn't even wait for the ball to make it's way down on the arch before asking for another ball. I started getting shots off faster, and every single one was sinking in. Swish. Swish. Swish.  Swish. I was on a roll.  I had heard of muscle memory before, but this was taking things to another level.

BEEEEEEEEEP.  The buzzer sounded, signifying that the competition was over.  Wow, I thought, that was fast.  "Can I have our two contestants to the middle of the court?" 

I walked to the center, being deafened by the cheering crowd.  I stood on the left of Mr. Sullivan, while the other kid stood on the right.

"Quiet down, everybody! Quiet!" The headmaster ordered.  The students slowly quieted down.  

"Okay, now first, you, Justin," he said, then turned to the two other basketball players who had rebounded for him.  "How many shots did he make?"

"Thirty four," one of them answered. 

"Wow! Thirty four!" Exclaimed Rob.  He turned to the student section.  "Let's hear it for Justin!" The troubled youths clapped and cheered like crazy, until the principal hushed them again. "Now," he said, turning to Violet and Minnie.  "How did Clementine do?"

"SHE MADE 50!" Minerva blurted out.  

Surprisingly, it was silent.  Both of the schools stared at me in astonishment, their mouths a gap, and so did Mr.Sullivan.

After a few moments of silence, I heard AJ yell, "WHO-HOO, GO CLEMENTINE!"  It set off a chain reaction, and soon, everybody was once again chanting my name, even the opposing school. 

"IT LOOKS LIKE THE WINNER IS CLEMENTINE!" The headmaster shouted, but he couldn't be heard over the roaring crowd.  The cheerleaders gave Justin his money, and then came and handed me mine; six one hundred dollar bills. 

Just as I was starting to walk off the court, Mr. Sullivan stopped me, and snatched my hat off my head. "I told you, no hats!" 

He's lucky I was on cloud nine, otherwise I probably would have popped him right in the face then and there.  I HATE it when people mess with my hat.

The cheerleaders led me off the court, and as I walked back up to my seat, I got loads of high fives and pats on the back.  One little girl even asked for my autograph, handing me a marker and holding out her hat.  "Oh, no, I'm not a celebrity," I said, laughing.  

"Well, here you are. Will you please sign?"  She flashed me her best puppy dog eyes.  I gave in seeing those, quickly scribbling my name down on the inside of her hat.  I handed it back to her, and she squealed, hugging it to her chest.

AJ was there to greet me with a big hug once I made it back to my seat. "I knew you could do it!" He told me.  

I ruffled his hair, saying, "Thanks for believing in me, goofball."  He pulled away, grinning up at me.

He turned back to the court.  "Ohh, they're starting!" 

 I looked up just in time to see Minnie get the tip, and Violet run and score a quick and easy layup.  

Everyone stood on their feet to cheer, but while everyone else was cheering, I saw Louis staring at me from the corner of my eye.  I turned and made eye contact with him, and he smiled. "And to think, you thought you couldn't do it," he said, looking at the stack of cash bulging in my pockets. 

"I couldn't have done it if you hadn't calmed me down before I went down there," I responded. "Thank you for that, by the way."

"No problem," he said.  The way he was looking at me filled my stomach with butterflies, with his head just slightly tilted and his cute little smile.  It was hard resisting the urge to reach right down and kiss him.  Ugh, I wish he remembered.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

The girl's game wasn't even close; we absolutely DESTROYED the Lions. When all of them came back up to the bleachers, I volunteered to buy both the teams food from the concessions, and some of the cheerleaders, too.  I spent one hundred bucks on them, but I still have another five hundred to spare. 

Afterwords, they invited me to the music room.  At first I wasn't going to go, but after dropping AJ off, I changed my mind. We snacked, played cards, and talked.  Louis also played the piano for us.  It was way better than the hootenanny before our rescue mission a couple of days ago.

After Louis left to go to the bathroom, in the middle of our third Go Fish game, some basketball player came barging in on us, holding a guitar.

"Oh, great, she's here," mumbled Violet from beside me.  

"Sorry I'm late," she said, strutting in.  The way she carried herself and the way she talked, you could just tell she thought highly of herself.  I already didn't like her.  "Where's Louis?"

But that wasn't the only reason I didn't like her. I had seen this girl somewhere before, I just couldn't remember where. 

"He's in the bathroom," Mitch answered.

Her gaze turned to me, and her face hardened. "Oh. You're here." She turned to look at the others with accusing looks.  "Wow, we accepted her fast."

Minnie said, "It's alright, Clementine's cool."

She studied me.  "I saw you shoot tonight." She walked over and sat down on the piano bench.

"Yeah," Violet spoke, "I think everyone did.  She was awesome."  

"She was alright," the girl replied. 

"Better than you," Violet shot back. 

The girl glared in response. She looked back at me. "I'm Becca, by the way."

Becca.  The name rang a bell in my head, and I remembered where I had seen her; while we were at Carver's camp, I passed her, and she was complaining about Sarah. I didn't fancy her in the other world, and I don't here, either.

"Clementine," I said.

"I know," she responded.  Louis came back in then, smiling when he saw her. "Hey, Louis!" She Becca said cheerily.  I couldn't help but notice that when she spoke to him, her entire physique changed, and her voice went at least five octaves  higher.  Her voice went from deep and intimidating to high and sweet as honey.  "You wanna play something?"

"Sure," he agreed.  "What should it be this time?"

"I was thinking 'Shallow', " she suggested. "I know we've played it a million times, but I'm just really in the mood right now. 

"Alright," he said.

He went and sat at the piano, and she her guitar ready.  We all put down are cards and stopped to listen.

Becca started out playing,  and after she strummed for a minute, Louis started singing.  I closed my eyes, softly swaying side to side.  His voice truly was mesmerizing.

Louis stopped, and Becca started singing.  She sang confidently, and her voice seemed to float from her mouth. Honestly, she wasn't half bad.

Then, they got to the part where they both sang together.  I hated to admit that they harmonized perfectly with each other.  

They finished the song, and we all applauded  politely.   Both of the musicians gave small bows. 

"Could you do another song?" Sophie requested.

"Sure." She stood up from the bench, saying, "I'll go check these shelves and see if I can find any good music."  But before walking over there, she said to Louis, "By the way, I don't think I ever told you how good you did tonight."  She leaned down, planting a big wet one right on his lips. 

My eyes widened, locking on to the pair.  Did I see that right?

 "Gross, get a room," Violet voiced, gagging.

After she pulled away, Louis smiled up at her, saying, "You did great, too, Bec."  He kissed her hand, adding, "As usual." She giggled, and walked off to the shelves.

Oh my God.  I felt light headed, and nauseous, too.   My heartbeat slowed down, feeling as if someone was reaching in there and squeezing it with all of their might. 

"Whoa, Clem, you okay?"  Asked Violet.  Everyone in the room turned to look at me, concerned. 

"You're not looking too good," said Mitch, his eye brows furrowed. 

"I-I-I'm fine," I managed to get out. "I just need-I need," I stuttered, struggling to find my words. "I gotta go."  I stood up, but my whole body felt numb.  I tried to walk over to the door, nearly tripping over my feet as I did. 

Louis stood and walked over to me, his eyes filled with worry.  "Here, let me walk you back to your dorm-"

"No!" I blurted out.  He stopped mid step, his face taking on a mixture of confusion and concern.  Everybody's eyes were glued on me, and I felt my cheeks redden. "I'm okay, I just- I have to go."

Louis started to say something else, but I didn't stay long enough to hear it.  I bolted out the door, racing through the halls and out the doors on my way to the dorms. Tears streaked down my cheeks, and I angrily wiped them away. Don't be a baby.

I reached room 201 in no time, but I knew that the girls would find me in there.  So instead, I decided to make my way towards the girl's bathroom. 

 I couldn't even make it that far without completely breaking down.  I stopped halfway at a vending machine, with a couch next to it.  I sat down there and buried my head in my hands, sobbing.  I couldn't remember the last time I had cried this hard. 

I should have known Louis would have found someone.  He's just so, him.  Of course he has a girlfriend.  I should have prepared myself for this. Still, it hurt to know that I had lost him, romantically, anyway.  And as my best friend. Shit, I didn't know it would hurt this bad.

That wasn't the only reason that I was having this meltdown, though.  All of the days past events, the dying, waking up, almost killing Duck, etc, it all hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was mad at the world for not remembering.  I was angry at myself for getting killed back in the old world, leaving them alone.  If I had just , I don't know, maybe not died, I wouldn't have to be dealing with any of this.  I just wish I had someone to talk to, someone who understood. 

But I couldn't talk to anyone without them thinking I was crazy.  That's what sucked the worst about this whole thing.  I had to navigate my way through this completely and utterly alone. 

I heard footsteps coming down the hall, but I didn't care.  They came closer and closer my way, until they stopped right in front of me. 

"Clementine?" A voice asked, one that I had longed to hear for so many years.  I looked up, to see if he was really there, or if I was just imagining it.  

At the sight of Lee, plus all of the other things that just happened, I couldn't handle it.  I passed out. 

AN: Sorry this one took so long to get out! I've just had a lot going on, what with track AND travel basketball starting. I'll try and get the next one out quicker.

Only 11 days till the last episode! I don't know about you guys, but I CAN'T WAIT!

Just in case you don't know, Becca is a character from 400 days. Also, a little side note, remember that I said this was a Clem and Louis thing, so just keep that in mind. Anyway, let me know what you thought of this one!

Chapter Text

Louis POV

"Louis, please talk to me."

My fingers glided over the piano's keys, making it easier to ignore Minerva. I played my song 'Clementine', mournfully remembering the girl that I named it after.

I thought of the moment we had shared here, in this very spot. My eyes shifted to the letters we had carved. CL. Looking at it, my heart seized up, causing my hands to abruptly stop moving. My fingers hit some random out of tune keys, ruining the song.

"Louis?" Minnie asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine," I answered sarcastically, speaking to her for the first time since she was brought back here. "Couldn't be happier than I am right now."

"Hey, I said I was sorry, alright?" The red head said, sighing. "If I hadn't locked you in the cell, they would've killed me!"

I was ready to spit back harsh words, but I held my tongue.

After seeing that I wasn't going to reply, she continued, "Y'know, the Delta really wasn't all that bad-"

"Just shut up, Minerva!" I snapped before I could stop myself. She immediately quit talking, and I could feel her stiffen from beside me. "The great and wonderful Delta is the reason Sophie is dead, in case you've forgotten.  They're the reason Clementine..." I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"Sophie shouldn't have run away," Minerva said, disregarding my comment about Clem.  "She just didn't understand that, as Lilly said, that was a place worth fighting for-"

I actually couldn't keep myself from laughing out loud. "Minnie, you're free! You don't have to worry about Lilly, or the Delta, or anyone! Not anymore. They're dead, they're not your problem.  You can stop trying to convince me how great of a place that was, it literally doesn't matter anymore."

She shook her head, muttering, "You don't understand."

After a few moments of tension filled silence, I said, "You're not the same girl you used to be."

"You're not the same boy," Minnie countered.

I didn't even attempt to hide my scowl. "At least I changed for the better."

She didn't have anything to say to that. The ex-Delta member knew I was right.

I brought my fingers up to trace the heart around Clem and mine's initials, my face softening at the memory of that night. Minerva watched me quietly.

"Were you two, like, a thing?" She hesitantly questioned.

"Yeah."

"I'm... I'm sorry."

"Me too." 

 Minnie placed her hand on my shoulder, but it wasn't the comforting touch she had meant for it to be. Instead, it felt as if she had just pricked me with a needle, causing me to jump up from the seat.

Minerva looked at me, confusion and hurt etched on her face.

"Lou?"

"I just..." I inhaled deeply, trying to bury my feelings of hatred for my old friend, but struggling. I might be able to forgive her eventually, but right now the wound from her stab in the back was still too fresh. "I can't, Minnie. Not now."

Without another word, I walked out of the room and out into the courtyard, leaving Minerva alone at the piano.

==

Willy was napping on a couch, Omar was trying to start a fire, and Aasim was busy scribbling in his notebook. AJ and Tenn sat at the lookout tower, their feet dangling over the edge. Ruby pat Rosie's head, who was moping after having lost yet another owner. Violet had been sitting on the stairs, where Brody and Marlon used to always sit. However, when she saw me, she got up and came over to meet me.

"Hey, Lou. How are you doing?"

"Great," I told her, having a little more edge to my voice than I had intended.

She held her hands up in faux defense. "Okay, I get it, you don't want to talk about it."

I stormed over to the front gates, picking up Chairles along the way. "I'm going out."

"Where?"

"I don't know... Just, out."

"I'll go with you," she volunteered, but I shook my head.

"I have to be by myself for a little bit."

"Oh. Okay."

I opened up the gates, cringing at the creaks from its old hinges. I've always hated that noise. "I'll be back in time for dinner," I promised.

"Alright. Be safe," says Violet. I nod, shut the gate, and head off towards the woods, no set destination in mind.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I was practically baking under the hot sun as I walked through the woods. The heat got so unbearable that I ended up having to take off my trench coat, something that I hadn't done outside my room in years. It offered some relief, but not enough.

I came across a few walkers every here and there. Usually, this wouldn't exactly be a good thing, but I put them to good use; they made great dummies to take my anger out on.

One of the corpses groaned, staring blankly at a tree with empty eyes. "Hey, ugly!" I shouted, trying to get its attention. The monster's gaze shifted to me, and it moaned louder. The decaying body slowly made it's way towards me, dragging its foot behind him. I held my weapon up like a base ball bat, ready to swing.

"Let's call you...Lilly," I said out loud, before swinging Chairles and bashing it's brains in. It fell to the ground, now dead for good.

I heard more clumsy footsteps behind me, and I turned to see another one heading strait towards me. I got into batter stance again. "Your name can be," I spoke to myself, trying to think of someone else that I would rather have in place of this walker right now. "Minerva." I swung and hit it in the head, killing it instantly. I hadn't realized how much I resented Minnie until now, pretending it was her I was hitting. It's probably not good to think like this, I thought, but I brushed the thought off when another walker came into my sight.

More and more came, but I was okay with that. I needed something to release the anger.

Soon, the sun was setting, and by then I had cleared out most of the walkers. My shoulders were sore, and my bruised knuckles throbbed after using my chair leg so much.

I sat down on a stump, letting my arms relax before I went back to the school. I rested my elbows on my knees, and put my head in my hands.

I always dreaded these moments. The moments when I didn't have anything to distract me, to keep me from thinking. From remembering everything I've lost.

The worst was at night, when I didn't have anything to do but think.

Speaking of nights, I was reminded of what had happened with AJ last night, what he had told me.

--------------- Previous Night----------------

Strawberries.  I breathe in the scent of her hair on her pillow again, hoping the smell will never fade.  For a minute, I allow myself to pretend that she's still here, and I'm smelling her pillow simply because I know it annoys her when I steal it.  The moment is a nice, delicious change to the ones of sorrow I have been having lately.

AJ whimpers from the bed across from me.  I sit up and peer over at him, hoping he's asleep and not crying again.  His lip twitches and his nose scrunches, but his eyes are still closed. He's just dreaming.

I lay back down, once again hugging her pillow to my chest and taking another deep sniff.   I felt my throat tighten up, and my eyes began to water.  No, you were doing so good all day, don't ruin it now, I thought to myself.   I put the pillow back under my head, trying to change the topic of my thoughts, but failing.

Clementine was the first girl that I felt I truly loved. She was the first girl who said she loved me.

"I'm glad I was the one who got to sweep you off your feet," I had told her in her final minutes, planting a gentle kiss on her hand.  "And Clem?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you back, Lou."

"Don't think about her right now," I said out loud, hoping that maybe if could hear myself then I might actually listen to my orders.  I quickly shook my head, shaking the memory out of my brain.

AJ stirred again, violently jerking his body to sleep on his side.  I sat up and eyed him again, but he was still unconscious.  He had a sour look on his face, and he pulled his comforter close and hugged it tight.  

"I have nightmares, too, little dude," I said to him, even though I knew he couldn't hear me.  "They're the one thing that's worse than the world we live in."  

Alvin Junior's face softened a bit, and his grip on the blanket relaxed.   

"But sometimes they can be good," I noted.  "But then they're not considered nightmares, I guess. Just dreams." I found that talking helped distract me from my grief, so I kept going.  "Do you think walkers dream?  Maybe their dreams are just memories, from who they used to be." I furrowed my brows, countering with myself, "But I don't think walkers sleep, so I really doubt they dream."

AJ mumbled something, but I couldn't make out what it was.  

My eyes wandered the room, and they settled on the deer skull right above the door way.  "I don't remember the last time we had deer.  Just imagine what Omar could have done with all of your meat," I said to the skull, my mouth watering.

"Stay!" AJ suddenly shouted, making me jump.  "No! Stay! Please, don't go!"

I quickly hopped out of bed, running to AJ's side. I gently shook him, but he wasn't waking up.  He violently thrashed his body, causing me to drop him back on to the mattress. I shook his shoulders again, harder this time.  

"Clem! Don't leave me!" He cried.  My heart dropped at the sound of her name.  

"AJ!" Still, he wouldn't wake up. He started to shake, tears sliding down his face. I had to get him out of this nightmare.

I frantically went through my options in my head;

  I could slap him, but I don't wan't to actually hurt him.

Maybe hold him upside down for a minute?

Tickle him?

My eyes desperately searched the room, when they landed on a water bottle.  I grabbed it and twisted the lid off, not hesitating to dump the whole thing on his face.

AJ shot up in surprise, blinking his eyes wildly.   He was breathing heavily, and I could see the sweat stains on his armpits. 

"Hey, little man," I said comfortingly. "You okay?"

"Louis!" AJ breathed.  He nearly fell off the bed as he leaned forward wrapped his arms around my neck in a tight hug.  A little taken back, it took me a few seconds to actually process what was happening and hug back.  

He pulled away, wiping his wet face with his sleeve.  "Sorry about that," I told him, "You're a really deep sleeper.  You were having a nightmare, and I just didn't want you to have anymore bad dreams."

Alvin Junior didn't acknowledge my apology.  "It wasn't a dream," he said bluntly.

"Oh?"

"I'm not really sure what it was... but it wasn't a dream."

"What do you mean?"

AJ closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  He was quiet for a moment, remembering whatever he just went through while he slept.  "Clem was there."

"I have dreams about her, too," I told AJ.  

"No, it wasn't a Clementine made up in my head.  It was REALLY her."

I sighed, wishing I could believe what AJ was telling me. "Buddy, the real Clem isn't here.  She's..." Did Clem ever teach him about afterlife stuff?  "...in a better place."

"No, Louis, I was just with her, I promise!" AJ exclaimed.  "I can tell the difference between a dream and real life.  But that wasn't either of them. I don't know how to explain it."

"Well, what exactly happened?"

"We were at this old bridge, where Clem and I used to go fishing.  At first, I thought I was by myself, but then Clem just showed up behind me."

"Interesting," I say, to show him that I'm still listening.  "What happened then?"

 "I ran up and hugged her, and then she tickled me.  I told her I was happy she was back, and that I had thought she was dead.  And she told me that she was," AJ said, frowning.  "So then I got super mad, because even I was thinking that it was a dream.  But Clem said it wasn't a dream, just a vis- visi-."

"A visiting?"

"Yeah.  She said that the bridge would be the place she could vis-it me sometimes.  But only sometimes." 

"Did anything else happen after that?" 

"We just talked about a lot of stuff.  I told her about everything we've been doing, and that all the raiders are dead.  Well, all of them except Minnie."

"What did she have to say about that?"

"She said she was glad we were all okay," AJ said.   "Oh! I almost forgot!  She also wanted me to tell you that she says thank you, for 'singing her away.'"

That caught my attention.  I hadn't told anyone about singing to Clementine as she was dying, and I really doubt Violet would go around shouting it out to the world.  "AJ, how did you know about that?"

"About what?"

"Me singing to Clem."

"I didn't.  She just told me to tell you thank you."

Last time I checked, AJ wasn't a psychic, and I couldn't think of how he would know about Clem's final moments.  What if it really was Clementine he was talking to?  While I contemplated these chances, he kept going, "Soon, she said she had to go.  That made me really upset; I wasn't ready for her to leave yet.  I tried to grab her and make her stay with me, but she started to just, like, disappear."

He stared at the ground, biting his bottom lip.  His eyes began to glimmer, fresh tears glistening in the moonlight as they slid down his cheeks.

"Hey," I said, getting up to sit on the bed next to him, "Clem said she would be back, right?   And since when does she ever break promises?"

He perked up a little,  looking up at me with a hopeful expression.  "So you believe me?"

"Of course, AJ."

He let out a sigh of relief, and leaned into my chest. "Good."

"Can you do me a favor?"

He yawned. "What is it?"

"Next time you see her, tell her I said I miss her."

"Okay, I will," he said, his eyes closed.  "Let's talk about this more in the morning?"

"Alright, we will.  Try to get some sleep," I whispered.  

"Night," he mumbled.

Before long, he was out like a light.  I carried him over to Clem's old bed, laying him down before scooching in with him myself.  He snuggled into me, nuzzling his nose in my chest.  I couldn't help but smile; he may always try to act big and tough, but when he's asleep, he acts just like a little kid.  Like someone his age. 

I spent the rest of that night thinking about the possibility that Clem was alive, somewhere.  It was consoling to know that she still existed, and that maybe I would see her again someday. At least I'll still get to talk to her a little, through AJ. 

I listed off things in my head for AJ to tell her next time he saw her, until I was lulled to sleep by AJ's rhythmic breathing.

-----------Present------------

"Gahhhhhhhh."

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of yet another walker's lovely call.  There was something different about this one, though; it's whole jaw was cut off.  It also only had only one arm, no legs, and was dragging itself at the same pace a snail slides along sand paper. 

"Geez, you've had it rough, haven't ya?" I said to the carcass.  I got up and walked over to it, and it had to lay on the ground to reach for me with it's one arm.  It was truly pathetic, even for a walker.  When it couldn't reach me, it groaned even louder than before out of frustration.

"I've gotta get home," I told it, then raised my foot, preparing to smash it's head in.  However, before I got the chance, someone rushed out from behind a tree, shoving me to the ground.

"Stop!" James shouted, standing between me and the body on the ground.  "Why would you kill him? He's not even a threat to you!"

I just laid on the ground, too bewildered to do anything else.  I stared up at him, trying to completely process what had just happened. 

"Well?" The walker lover asked, crossing his arms and tapping his foot.  Reminds me of my mom when I would do something dumb, I thought. 

"What did you say?"

"Why would you kill him?"

"Him?"  I gestured to the zombie, scrunching my face in disgust.  "I think you meant it."

"He's clearly a male," James said.  "You can tell by his... y'know..." He cast his eyes down to the monster's crotch, then quickly back away from it.   I curiously glanced down there, too, but immediately regretted it right after I did it. 

"Oh ma God," I said, standing up and gagging. "That's the most disgusting thing  I've ever seen in my entire life."

"Anyway," James kept on, "You never answered my question."

"Is it not obvious?" I retorted.  "It's a walker. Not a he, not a she, an it.  And it's better dead."

"And why is that?" 

"I don't know, it just is, okay?"

"I've been watching you," James said, "All day.  You've been killing the walkers left and right, but I didn't say anything.  Wanting them dead was understandable; they were still threats.  Still, though, they didn't have to die."

I didn't respond.

"But this one right here?" He said, motioning to the walker laying helplessly on the ground, "He isn't a threat.  He can't bite you, and he can't chase you.  What's the point of killing him?"

"What's the point in it living?" I contradicted.

James looked up to the sky and closed his eyes, annoyed that I wasn't getting the point.  "This is how it all starts," he says.

"How what starts?"

"Change," James said, looking back to me with a hint worry in his eyes. 

"Change?"

"I heard you naming those walkers.  That's... not a good thing."

He stared at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something.  When he saw I wasn't going to answer, he kept going, "That anger, you can't let it boil up inside you.  When it gets too high, when it gets too full, that's when you explode."

"That was my way of releasing anger," I said.  

"It's not healthy.  If you like pretending to kill someone, who says you won't like the real thing?"

Images of Dorian flashed through my head.  The woman I killed.  Guilt flooded over me in a big, giant wave, drowning me.  "I can assure you," I quietly uttered, "I don't enjoy it.  I was just mad.  I'm still mad."

"About what?" James questioned. 

"Everything," I admitted. "All of it."

  "Anything in specific?"

"Too many things to name them all."

"Name a few."

"For one, I'm mad at Marlon for starting all this shit, " I started. "I'm mad he's dead.  It infuriates me when I think about what Minnie did to Sophie, her own sister.  What she did to the rest of us." As I spoke, I felt an anger inside me rise, slowly but surely. 

"I'm still so mad at all of the adults for leaving us, too.  Ugh, what assholes!" I paused, trying to control my rage.  It was now growing at a fast rate, and higher than ever before.

  "I fucking hate the fact that Clementine is dead.  She didn't deserve to die, AJ didn't deserve to have her taken away!"  My chest heaved, and my fists clenched up.  My neck was burning with my fury.  

"And most of all, I hate all the fucking walkers who screwed up the damn world!"

Without thinking, I stomped over to where the walker was laying, lifted up the heel of my boot, and rammed it into its face.  It died instantly.  

James gasped in shock and surprise.  I stared at it for a moment, taking in it's smashed brain and spreading blood.  

"Who was it that time?" He quietly asked.  

"I don't know.  Probably a combination of everything."

We both stared at the body in silence.  For some reason (even though I had killed countless numbers of walkers like this before), I felt ashamed. 

Finally, James spoke.  "This is only how it starts.  You haven't gone too far into the change to come back.  Let me help you stay, well, human.  Before it's too late."

I took a deep breath, ultimately realizing that I had changed.  I wasn't the same person I once was;  maybe Minnie wasn't the only one who had become a worse version of herself. 

"I had finally become better," I told James, "after I got sent to that school.  I was learning how to control my emotions, to think before I act.  Even after the apocalypse,  I was still improving.  But then one after another, people who I cared about died, and it just... it did something to me."

"It left you feeling empty," James filled in. 

"Yeah.  Empty.  But Clem helped me feel more full.  She made me happy, even.   And when I thought that we may finally  be able to rest, and just live, she was taken from me."  I didn't wipe away the tears that slid down my face.  I did, however, turn to face my back to the other survivor, so he wouldn't have to see me cry. 

He gently placed his hand on my shoulder, in an awkward yet solacing way.  "Have you told this to anyone else?"

I wiped my runny nose on my sleeve. "No."

"Why not?"

"I'm supposed to be the optimistic one.  Y'know, the one person who can always find something to smile about." I turned back around to face him. "It's not usually this hard."

"And it will get easier," he assured me, "but it will take some time."  He patted my back, though I could tell he was uncomfortable doing it.  "You need to talk to somebody about this.  Having to deal with all of these emotions alone... I can't imagine what it must be like. 

"Believe me, it's much easier to grieve with other people who understand your pain.  You don't always have to look on the bright side.  Sometimes, there simply isn't one.  You have to make your own light, and maybe that comes from embracing the dark."

I considered this.  "You're probably right."

He nodded.

"I never took you as a poet," I said to him, "or a therapist."

This earned a chuckle out of him, and I let a small smile trace my lips..  "Inching back to your old self.  A good sign."

"Yeah.  I actually do feel better after our little session."

"See?  Talking about this stuff, it makes it easier.  And makes you less angry."

"It definitely helped," I said.  "Speaking of help, I promised Omar I'd give him a hand with his stew tonight."  The sun hung low in the sky, and I noticed that the air was cooling.  The kids would be sitting down for dinner any minute now.  "I gotta get back before they get worried."

"Okay," James said.  "Goodbye, for now."

"See ya around.  And thanks," I added, "For helping me."

"You're welcome."

"By the way," I said, "You're always welcome at the school.  You know that, right?"

He simpered, saying, "Yes, I know."

"Good."

I started to walk off, but when I passed the dead walker, I was reminded that I had killed one of James's 'friends.'  "Oh, and sorry about that," I said, turning and pointing to the walker.  However, when I turned around, there was no one behind me.  James had already disappeared into the woods.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

It was dark by the time I got back.  The second I closed the gate, I was nearly knocked over by AJ as he ran up and hugged me as tight as he could.  

"Where have you been?" He demanded.  "I was so worried about you!"

"Oh, just out kicking some walker butt!" I declared, hoping to lighten his serious mood. 

"For what?" He asked.

"Just needed to blow off some steam."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Louis needed to get rid of some feelings he didn't want," Violet spoke, approaching us with a bowl full of steaming soup.  She handed it to me, and I eagerly took it and started eating.

"Gee, Vi, you're too kind," I teased, my mouth full.  "Who knew you had a heart!"

"Don't make me regret being nice to you," she said, performing her signature eye roll. 

"What have you been doing all day, buddy?" I asked AJ.

"I've been drawing with Tenn," he answered.  "I've been working on this one picture really hard, but I'm not done yet." 

"Well, why don't you go finish it up, and you can show me before we go to bed?"

"Okay," AJ agreed.  He wagged his finger at me, saying, "Don't you go running off again."

I laughed at his gesture, promising I wouldn't.  After he skipped away, Violet began to walk back to the dorms.  "Wait," I said.  

She stopped.  "What is it?"

I took one last big gulp of my dinner, finishing it.  "I'm not always okay, even when I say I am."

"Um, I know," she said irresolutely. 

 "And I have been having a lot of feelings lately," I continued.  "Sad, angry ones.  They're confusing."

"Okay..."

"And I want to talk about them."

She looked surprised that I said that.  "Oh, um, okay, I guess."

"And I have questions about my changing body-"

"Ugh, you're such an idiot!" She cut me off, playfully punching my arm.  She laughed. though, and I smiled.  

"Seriously, though, I do want to talk."

"Now?"

"No.  Right now I'm not feeling super depressed or mad or anything.  But next time I do, I'm knocking on your door."

"Alright," Violet said.  "I'm there if you need me, I guess."

"Same for you," I told her.  

All of a sudden, I got an idea for what to do next.  I couldn't keep the mischievous grin off my face.  "You know what time it is now..."  I opened up my arms, stepping toward her. She immediately knew what I was doing, and started backing away.

"No, Louis," She said firmly, "No hugs right now.  You reek!"

"Come onnnn!" I stepped closer, saying, "You know you wanna!"

"No, Lou, you smell so disgusting!" When I kept advancing forward, she took off running, and I happily chased her.  

"Catch Violet!" I yelled to the other kids, "Don't let her escape my hug!"

Tenn and AJ both quit their drawings and joined the chase, and so did Willy and Aasim.  Ruby even helped us, too!

As we all ran after my blonde friend, I realized that I was having fun, for the first time since Clementine's death.  Maybe things will get better, I thought.  I do know this, though; they'll get better much faster with family by my side. 

AN: Sorry this one is kinda short compared to the ones that I have been writing lately.  Also, I apologize for the wait!  Track ends next week, so once that's over, I'll have a lot more free time on my hands.  

Anyway, episode 4 was FRICKIN AWESOME!  I loved all the action, and those Clouis moments were a big plus, too!  I realllly hope there's a DLC or 5th season or something.

In the next chapter, we'll be back in Clem's POV... Ready to get off that cliff hanger?

Let me know what you thought of this chapter!

Chapter Text

Clem's POV

I was back.

Well, not exactly back back.  I knew that it wasn't real.  But still.

I was walking down a familiar dirt path in the woods, one that I've walked many, many times.  To go hunting with Louis and Aasim, to find James, and even just when I wanted to get out of the school for some fresh air.  Yeah, I knew that path well. 

I couldn't help but notice that the sky was red.  Not like blood red, but just slightly lighter than that. My favorite color. Its hue exuded a feeling of calmness, and I embraced the feeling with open arms.  I'd been missing that lately.

There were no walkers; at least none that I can see.  The birds were chirping, and the frogs croaking.  I stopped and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.  It's so peaceful.

I opened my eyes, somehow even more relaxed than before. I started to walk again, until I came to a river. With nothing else better to do, I decided to follow it.

As I made my way up the river, I saw something in the distance.  I squinted, trying to see if it was really there or if my eyes were playing tricks on me.  No, there really was a bridge there, the same one AJ and I used to fish at.

I moved closer, and movement catches my eye on the old bridge.  Intimidatingly assuming that it's a walker, I sigh.  "I can't even have some damn peace in my own dreams, huh, universe?"

I felt for my knife,  only to find that my pockets were empty.  That's a first, I thought.  I scanned the ground around me for a weapon, then picked up a rock from beside my foot. This'll have to do.

However, as I kept going toward  the bridge, I realized that it wasn't a walker.  Whoever was on it had their feet dangling over the edge, and I'm pretty sure no walker would be smart enough to do that.

As I neared it, I heard a familiar tune that I used to sing to baby AJ:

"Row, row, row, your boat

Gently down the stream, 

If you see a crocodile, 

Don't forget to scream."

I could pick his voice out of a million.  AJ!

My pace quickened, from a walk to a jog.  Then, I was sprinting towards him, as fast as my legs would carry me.

I was just about to call out to him, when a thought stopped me in my tracks.  What if this is a nightmare? What if AJ is just bait to reel me in, get me excited, and then something terrible comes to burst my bubble?

"You'll never know if you don't try," I whispered to myself.  I continued to move toward the bridge, just slower.

I silently walked up onto the platform, now standing behind what looked like AJ.  He sang another verse, swishing his legs back and forth.  After observing him for a few seconds, my curiosity and longing for him got the best of me.  "Whatcha doing there, goofball?"

He whipped his head around, a dangerous look in his eyes.  However, when he saw me, they dropped the threatening glare and grew as big as saucers.  "Clem!" He shouted, jumping up rushing into me.  He tightly wrapped his small arms around my waist, actually knocking the wind out of me.  "Oh, Clem!"

I awkwardly hugged back, squeezing him the best I could in my position.  "AJ!"

He cuddled up to me, nuzzling his face into my stomach.  "I've missed you so much!" Alvin Junior cried. 

"I've missed you, too, goofball," I cooed back, pulling him closer to me.  I could feel his body start to shake and all of his breaths begin to hitch.  I moved one of my arms to the back of his neck and lightly scratched circles with my fingers, trying to avoid any tears.  Soon after I started doing  that, his breathing returned to normal and he loosened his grip.

AJ backed out of the hug and smiled up at me.  "I am SO happy your back."

"Oh really?" I asked mischievously.  "I know what else you are..."

"What?"

"Ticklish!" I shouted, and drove my hands under his armpits, just like I had a few hours ago (except with a different AJ).

Alvin Junior squealed, laughing.  But he didn't try to run away like he usually did. 

I finished tickling him, and he leaned back against the bridge's post to catch his breath.  "I've missed the tickle monster," he told me.  "I like it a lot better than real monsters."

"Me, too," I agreed. 

"I'm am just SO happy your back," he repeated. "I've missed you.  A lot.  You don't even know."

"I know, kiddo," I remarked.  "Believe me, I know."

"I really thought you were dead," AJ said, astonished.  "But you're here now, so it's all okay.  Right?"

I didn't answer.  I turned and sat down on the edge of the bridge, letting my feet dangle over. 

"Clem?"

I patted the spot next to me.  "Come sit down."

AJ came and plopped down beside me, his short legs swinging next to mine.  "What is it?" He asked suspiciously.

"I'm... I am dead," I reluctantly answered.

"What?" 

"I'm not really here, AJ.  This isn't real life-"

"Arahhhh!" He suddenly shouted, angrily standing up.  "Another dream! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"  The little boy furiously stomped to the other side of the bridge.  "Ugh, just another stupid dream!"

"No, AJ, this isn't a dream!" I quickly explained, not wanting him to get too riled up.  "It's just- it's- it's a visiting."

He stopped his fit, perplexed by the new word.  "What's a vis-it-ing?" He asked, sounding it out.

"It's when I come by to see you for a little bit,"  I clarified.   

He came and sat back down next to me quietly.  AJ stared at the water below us, absorbing the information.  "So you're not actually back?" 

"No, goofball, I'm not," I sadly replied. 

He huffed, sticking out his upper lip.  "Oh."

"But, hey, remember when I would tell you about those dreams that I had with Lee?" I inquired.

"Yeah."

"Well, this is almost exactly like those," I said to him.  "Lee would come see me every once in a while.  Maybe I can do the same for you."

His pout went away, and he looked up to me with hopeful eyes.  "Could you really?"

"I'll try my best," I promised. 

We were both quiet for a moment, enjoying each other's company.  Then, AJ hesitantly asked, "Where are you now?"

"What do you mean?"

"What happened to you? After you died?"

"Well," I started, unsure of how to explain it to him.  "I'm in another place, with no walkers."

"So you're okay?"

"Sort of."

"Can I go there,  too?"  He asked.

"I don't think so, goofball," I said.  "I'm not 100% sure you would end up with me, anyway."

"Okay," AJ sighed, disappointed. 

"I need you to keep an eye on everyone else back at the school, anyway," I said, trying to cheer him up.  "By the way, how are things back there?"

"Everything is going alright," AJ replied.  "Everybody else made it out alive.  And all the raiders are dead.  Well, all of them except Minnie." He frowned. "She lives at the school with us now."

"I'm glad you guys made it out safe," I noted.  "Is Minnie nice to you?"

"I haven't talked to her yet," he told me bluntly.  "She keeps stealing Tenn away from me, though, and it's really annoying."

"AJ, I need you to do something for me when you go back," I said in a firm voice.

"What?"

"As soon as you get back, I want you to try your very best to become friends with her," I instructed him.

"What? No, Clem, please don't make me!" He whined. 

"I'm making you," I declared sternly.  "She's part of your family now, AJ, whether you like it or not."

"But she's part of the reason you're not with us anymore!" Alvin argued. 

"Do it, AJ.  Please, just try."

He clenched his fist, looking up to the sky and groaning. "Fine," he finally agreed.  "I don't know if Louis is gonna like me doing that, though.  He's still really mad at Minnie, too."

"So try to get Louis to become friends with her.  You two can do it together."

"But what if he says no, that he doesn't want to be friends with her?"

I tossed the rock that I had been holding in the river.  It made a small splash, some of the water landing on my cheeks.  "Don't actually tell him to become friends with her; say you want to go talk to her, but you're to scared to do it alone.  Don't tell him why, either, just say you really feel like you need to do it.  I doubt he would leave you to do it alone if you asked him."

"Okay."  He rested his head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arm around him.  "Is there anything else you want me to tell him?  Or anybody else?"

"Tell Louis..." I tried to think of something that I wanted my past lover to hear.  I never did get the chance to thank him for being there with me when I died. "Tell Louis I said thanks, for singing me away."

"What does that mean?" AJ asked curiously.

"None of your beeswax," I said, playfully booping his nose.  "Gotcha."

He tapped his finger on my nose.  "Gotcha back."  He smiled at me, but there was a hint of sadness in his expression that poked at my heart.  I pulled him into another embrace, rocking back and forth slowly as I held him. 

However, in the middle of our embosom, my fingers started to tingle, and so did my toes.  I pulled out of the hug and held my hands out in front of me. My fingers fingers were violently shaking.  

"Clem?" AJ grabbed one of my wrists, pulling my hand close to inspect it.  "What's happening?"

"I think it's time for me to go, kiddo," I guessed.  I stood up, and so did he.  "I'll see you soon," I promised AJ. "I love you, goof-"

AJ rushed into me, knocking me down.  He wrapped his arms around me, and I did the same to him.  "Stay!" He cried.  

"I wish I could, but I have to go-"

"No!  Stay!  Please, don't go!" Alvin Junior begged.

I glanced down at my legs, only to find that my feet were missing.  My calves slowly faded away, until they were completely gone.  My thighs were next.

"I love you, AJ," I said hurriedly.  "I'll be back, I swear I will.  Don't worry." The whole bottom half of me had disappeared now.

"Clem! Don't leave me!"

"Stay safe..."

Next thing I knew, the world went black.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

"Ms.Martin, should I change out the washcloth?" 

My eyes slowly fluttered open to a room that I had never been in before.  I was laying on a really uncomfortable bed, and there was a wet rag on my head.  Across from me, Ruby was washing her hands in the sink with her back to me.  There was a first aid kit on the counter, and a medicine cabinet above that. On one of the walls there was one of those charts with all of the letters that start off big and get smaller, the ones that you use to take eye sight tests. I must be in the nurse's office, I determined.

Slowly, I tried to sit up, but as soon as I lifted my head, a pounding headache came at me, hard.  "Aww," I audibly groaned. 

Ruby turned around, startled by my moan.  She hurried to the side of the bed, and then eased me back down.  "Now, now, take it easy.  Don't try to get up yet."

I pressed my hand against my forehead, squeezing my eyes shut because of the pain.  "My head," I muttered.

"I know," Ruby said soothingly, "Don't worry, Ms.Martin will get medicine for it."  The red head stood up and went to the doorway, calling out into the hall, "She's awake, Ms.Martin!"

"I'm coming!" The nurse shouted back.  I heard clicks of heals against the floor in the distance, before they came closer and were in the same room.  The door shut, and I could hear someone rummaging in the medicine cabinet.

"Her headache has set in," Ruby told her.

"I knew it would," Ms.Martin said.  She plucked a bottle of pills from the cabinet, then filled a glass with water from the sink.  She clicked-clacked over to me, and I could feel her as she hovered over the bed.  "Open up," she gently ordered.  I obeyed.  A pill plopped into my mouth, and then she pressed the glass to my lips and lightly tipped it.  I swallowed as the water flowed down my throat.

"There we are," Ms.Martin cooed.  "Those should kick in any second." 

Within the first thirty seconds of me taking the medicine, my headache completely vanished. 

I opened my eyes, removing my hand from my head.  

"Feel better?" Ruby asked. 

"Yeah," I said, "much better."

"Yup, those pills are miracle workers," Mr.Martin chimed.  She turned to Ruby, saying, "I have to go talk to the headmaster for a little bit, but you stay in here and watch Clementine until I get back.  Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," replied Ruby.

"Okay, I'll try and be quick.  Now you just rest for a minute, alright?" She said, wagging a finger at me.  "Doctor's orders."

"I will," I promised.  After she hurriedly left the room, I sat up fully on the bed.  Still kind of drowsy, I rubbed my eyes.  "How did I end up in here?"

"Well, our janitor, Lee, said that he saw you pass out by the vendin' machine yesterday, so he carried you here."

"Why are you here?" I asked, confused. 

"Sometimes, if I wake up early enough, Ms.Martin lets me help her take care of the kids.  Also, though," she added, "I was worried about you."

Oh, right, I thought.  Almost forgot I completely embarrassed myself in front of everyone.   

She noticed my silence.  "Is everythin' okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine," I assured her.  "I've just been really stressed out lately, and I probably ate too much concession stand food."

"Are you sure?" Ruby questioned.  "I don't mean to be nosy or anythin', but you were fine most of the night, until..." She puckered her lips, trying to remember when I started acting funny.  "...Becca and Louis kissed."  She raised a brow at me.

"Seeing that sorta stuff just really makes me sick to the stomach," I quickly lied. 

"A-huh." Ruby put her hand on her hip, obviously not buying it.  "Sureeeee."

"You wouldn't understand," I told her.  

"Oh really? Try me."

"Um..."  I fidgeted my thumbs, trying to think of a way to explain it.  "Well..."

"You like him, don't you?" She guessed.  

I could feel my cheeks heat up, and she smiled.  "Maybe."

"Well, I think you are a much better match for him than Becca," she said, frowning at the other teen's name.  "Excuse my language, but that girl can be a real bitch."

"How so?"

"She's just such a brat if you're not on her good side," Ruby told me.  "To her friends, she's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet; however, to anyone else, she's a snobby jerk."

"I did notice that yesterday she acted completely different around Louis than she did us," I commented. 

"Yeah.  That girl has, like, 15 different personalities."

"So what does Louis see in her?"

"I honestly have no idea," Ruby said.  "I guess in front of him, she can be somewhat kind.  And she's also a cheerleader, and as much as I hate to admit it, she actually does have musical talent.  So those things probably have somethin' to do with why he likes her so much."  She tilted her head, asking, "Why do you like him, anyway?  I mean, no offense, but you just got here yesterday.  There's no way you can already be that head over heals for him."

"Like I said before, it was a combination of things," I said, which was true.  "He wasn't the only reason I got a little weird, but him and Becca were what set it off, I think."

"That makes more sense.  Sort of."

"Could you not tell people?" I asked Ruby.  "This is just my second day here, and I don't want to start any drama, or trouble, or anything else that's just a pain in the ass."

"Don't worry, sug," the other teen swore, "You're secret is safe with me."

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Ms.Martin walked back in.  "How are we feeling?" She inquired.

"Good," I answered.

"Good enough to go back to your room?"  

"I think so." 

"Okay then," Ms.Martin said, then checked the time on her watch.  "It's 7:15.  Still 45 minutes until you've got to get to class."

Knock knock knock.  We all turned to the door, where a kid who looked about Tenn's age was standing.  He had his hand held up to his nose, and blood was seeping through his fingers and dripping onto the floor. 

"Goodness gracious, Lamar!" Ms.Martin exclaimed, pulling him in.  "Did you get into another fight?"

"Yeah," Lamar admitted shamelessly. 

"I think I better go," I stated, standing up and heading towards the door.  "Thanks for taking care of me."

"Anytime," Ruby said.  

"You're welcome," Ms.Martin piped in, shoving toilet paper up the kid's nose. 

"Oh, and by the way," I asked, "where can I find the janitor? I need to thank him for bringing me here."

"His closet is right next to the music room," Ruby informed me.   Oh, right, that's where I first learned about Brody and Marlon's very physical relationship.

"Okay, thanks," I said, then left the room, off to find Lee.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

After stopping by my room to change clothes, I made it to the janitor's closet in no time. Turns out, when there aren't a gazillion kids crowding the hallways, you can actually make it your destination in less than five minutes.   However, when I checked the door, it was locked.  Of course he's not here right now, I thought, it's still 7 in the morning.  I should have brought my phone or scrap book,  something to keep me busy while I waited for him to arrive.  I leaned against the door, mentally scolding myself for not coming prepared.  

My eyes wandered the hallway, comparing how it looks now versus how it did in my other life.  There weren't cuss words scribbled all over the walls, and the headmaster's portrait hadn't been tampered with.  It was also a lot brighter, since the clean windows let in more sunlight than the dirty ones did.  They were currently spilling in the sun's early morning orange; not a bad color to start the morning.

It almost reminded me of the color the red candles had cast on the music room on the night of our 'hootenanny'.  The memory prompted me to look toward the room, which was, for once, empty.  Now that I thought of it, I had never been in there by myself.  Not even in the apocalyptic world.  "Why not?" I said out loud, and stepped in.  

The music room was the place that looked the closest to the way that I was used to it looking.  Sure, there was not NEARLY as much dust, and there also weren't vines growing through the windows, but it was still pretty similar to the way it was.  The piano was in the same spot, and the books were still stacked high in ridiculously tall towers.  The filing cabinet was in the same place, too.  So far, it was where I felt most at home. 

There was one thing, though, that kept bugging me; the piano didn't have mine and Louis's carving.  Back in my old world, I always liked seeing it, and being reminded of that night with him.  But now every time that I looked over there, all I was reminded of was everything that I had lost.  

I walked over to the instrument, my pathway barely illuminated by the sun's morning rays trying to fight their way through the curtains.  I sat down at the bench, staring at the spot where our initials should have been.  I let myself smile at the memory that I had here, when Louis made me blow on the strings, and when we kissed. However, I also let a single tear slide down my cheek, too, when I felt my heart long for him.  "This sucks," I whispered to myself out loud.  I traced a C and L with my finger on the wood, wishing it was really there.

Suddenly, I heard something hit the ground from behind me, followed by a hissed, "Fuck!" 

I jumped up, instinctively in combat mode.  I turned around ready to either fight, or run for my life.  I'm probably going to have reflexes like that for the rest of my life, thanks to  the apocalypse.

I turned to find Louis on all fours, a few feet in front of the door.  He had dropped the candle he was holding holding on the floor, and was frantically trying to put out the flame before it caught the carpet on fire.  He patted the ground with his hand, mumbling, "Shit, shit, shit!"  I just stood there and watched, my survivor instincts not sure how to react to this. 

Finally, Louis got everything put out, and sat on his knees, still bewildered from almost starting a fire.  "That was close," he said, his eyes wide. 

"Um, yeah," I responded, my body relaxing.   "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," he stated.  "Literally dropped the candle as soon as I walked in here."

"I can't believe I didn't hear you come in," I told him.  "Didn't think someone like you could actually manage to be quiet."

"Well, I'll have you know," he quipped, "I'm basically a ninja.  Skilled in the craft of martial arts."

I couldn't help but smile at his remark.  That's not the first time I've heard that one.   "Oh really, you too?" I asked, just like I did on the second day I had known him. "I thought I was the only one."  This earned a chuckle out of him.  "So, what are you doing out here this early?"

"Just wanted to get some practice in," he replied.  "Plus, it's kind of cool walking around without any other kids." He picked up his candle, and came and sat down right next to me.  My heart rate quickened as he sat, and it beat even faster when his knee settled against mine. He was wearing his trademark trench coat, and he did his little tug on it that he likes to do.  " What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for the janitor, but I got a little distracted."

"Aw, I see."  He set the candle on the piano, then dug around in his pockets.  When he came out empty handed, he said, "I can barely see anything in here.  You got a lighter?"

"Yeah, actually," I affirmed.  I pulled out the butterfly lighter that I had in my pocket, which I only kept with me because I had that, too, in the apocalypse.  I handed it him, and he lit the candle.     

"That's better," he mused.  He looked at me and grinned, tilting his head slightly to the side like a dog.  However, after staring at me for a moment, his smile suddenly disappeared.   He looked surprised, but at the same time, worried.  "Oh, shit, were you crying?"

"What? No!" I swiftly fibbed.

"Don't lie to me," He said, frowning slightly.  "I can see where the tears slid down your face." The pianist lightly touched his finger to a wet spot on my face, softly saying, "Right there."

I quickly turned to face forward, hastily wiping my tear stained cheeks.  "It's is just still wet from washing it this morning, is all."

"Does this have something to do with whatever was wrong last night?" He questioned, not believing my lie.  

I bit my bottom lip, not sure how to answer.  But I did know that I didn't like not telling him the truth.  I slowly nodded.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No, it's okay,"  I said.  "I'll be fine."

He nodded, sending the signal that he understood.  I was glad I didn't have to explain to him. After a few moments of silence, he asked, "Do you mind if I practice?"

"No, go ahead.  Will it be okay if I listen?"

"I always play better with an audience," he replied cheerily, lightening the mood. 

He started on a song that I didn't know, but it was pretty.  I liked watching the way his fingers danced across the keys, sometimes to fast to keep up with.  I almost leaned my head on his shoulder, the way I would've with the other Louis.  But then I remembered that this Louis was taken. 

I heard the janitor's closet open from the hall, and I was reminded why I came here in the first place.  I jumped up from the bench, suddenly filled with a newfound excitement.  It startled the dread locked teen, and he messed up his song.  "Where are you going?" He asked. 

"Gotta go see the janitor," I told him giddily, fast walking toward the door.  "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Clem," he called, and I shut the door after I exited the room. 

I could hear someone shuffling things around inside the janitors closet, and as I neared it, I made myself stop before I went inside.  Don't get too over emotional, I told myself.  He doesn't remember the walkers, just like everybody else.

I stood in the doorway of the closet, staring at the back of him as he read all of the labels on the bottles until he picked one out.  Then, he turned around, and jumped a little at the sight of me.  

"Lee," I breathed, literally unable to stop myself.  My knees felt a bit weak, threatening to give out on me.

"Clementine," he said back.  

I cleared my throat, regaining my posture.  It was hard trying to keep myself from running up to him.  "I came to say thank you.  For carrying me to the nurses office."

"You're welcome."

I stared at him a moment longer, every bone in my body longing to run up and hug my old guardian.  Finally, when the urge got too strong, I decided it was time for me to leave.  "That's it, then."  However, as I started to walk off, Lee spoke:

"Your file says that you lost eight years of your memory, and that you kept talking about a dream you had while you were in a coma."

I looked at him dubiously. "Yeah, that happened."

"What was that dream about?" He asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. 

"It was about zombies," I answered, not wanting to get into too much detail.  I at least wanted HIM to think I was normal. 

"Was I..." Lee looked to the ceiling and shifted his lips to one side, debating on whether or not to ask his question.  "Was I there?"

His question froze me in place.  I looked at him, slack jawed.  I tried to speak, but no words would come out.  I nodded to answer what he had asked. The janitor's eyes became glossy, and a smile spread across his lips.  He let out a little laugh, delirious from something that I thought was too good to be true. 

 "Sweet pea?" Lee asked.  "Is it really you?"

"You-you remember?" I stammered.  He nodded his head yes, his smile growing wider.  I couldn't help myself anymore.  "Oh, Lee!" I cried, running into his arms.  He picked me up off the ground and squeezed me tight, spinning in a little circle.  

"Clem," he cooed in my ear.  "My little sweet pea."

I started to cry again, but this time they were tears of happiness.  We embraced for a long time, making up for all of the hugs we never got the chance to have.  Something about this reunion was better than the other ones I had so far, though, for two reasons; A, this was fricken Lee.  My hero, my savior, finally with me again.  And B, this wasn't this world's Lee, it was the same one from before. 

Lee set me down, and I backed out of the hug.  So many questions, but so little time to ask.    

"I have so many things I want to ask you," I said.  

"Same for me, but now not the time to do it," he told me.  "The kids are already starting to go to their classes."  Lee pointed down the hallway, where some of the troubled youths were starting to make their way into their classrooms.  

"But I've waited so long," I complained.  "Please,  can we just talk for a minute?"

"We've already waited this long," Lee said calmly, "What's a little longer?" I huffed, and the janitor smiled.  "I promise, they'll be time.  How about this afternoon, after school is over?"

"Okay," I sighed.  "We'll meet here around, say, five?"

"Sounds like a plan," he confirmed. 

"Stop fooling around and get to class!" I heard echo  behind me.  Lee and I both turned to see the headmaster marching down the halls, making sure that everybody went to where they were supposed to be.  

"You better go," Lee whispered to me.  "I'll see you tonight."

"Okay, I won't forget!" I said back in a hushed tone.  

Then, while the dean got on to other kids, I slipped out of the closet, and started to make my way back to the main hallway.  

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

So, it turns out school is just as boring as I remember it.  But then again, math, music appreciation, history, and science were never known as the "fun" classes.  However, they weren't all that bad since I had something else to occupy my thoughts when a teacher was droning on for too long: Lee.  Yeah, I was happy that he was back and that he remembered, but I just couldn't understand how.  How did he remember, and why was he the only one that did?  I spent all of my morning classes switching back and forth between learning and trying to make sense of this.  

Soon enough, it was time for lunch.  My brain was fried, and I was ready to take a break.  My headache was starting to set in again, and I didn't want to speed up the process of it getting to me. So, I  told myself to not think too hard about Lee, otherwise my head would start pounding again just like it had this morning.

I walked into the cafeteria, which was buzzing with chattering kids.  There were several grades in there at once, and all the tables were almost completely filled up.  I scanned the lunch room, wondering where I should sit.  Sophie spotted me, shouting, "Hey, Clem!" I looked over to her, and she waved me over.  I walked over to her table, where Violet, Minnie, Ruby, Mitch, Aasim, Gabe, Marlon, Brody, and Louis were all setting down there bags.  

"Welcome to the cool kids' table!" Louis proudly announced.  "Where we spell 'kids' with a z."

"I'm starving," Mitch voiced, patting his stomach.  "I'm going to the taco line."

"I'm off to get some pizza!" Louis hollered, waltzing off in the opposite direction of Mitch.  Marlon and Ruby followed him.  

"I need to watch my carbs," Brody said to herself, then started walking toward the salad bar. 

I glanced around the lunch room, looking at all of the options.   There were just so many.  It was really overwhelming.  While everybody else went to go get food, I just stood there looking lost.  

"I don't know what to get," I told Violet and Minnie, who were the only who hadn't left yet.  "What's your favorite thing they have?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm craving some chicken nuggets," Violet said.  

"You crave chicken nuggets, like, every day," Minnie remarked.  She turned to me, saying, "If I wasn't here, that's all she would ever eat."

"I haven't had them since last Monday," Vi reasoned to her girlfriend, already moving toward the chicken nugget line.  

"Fine," Minerva caved in.  She followed her, and I did, too.

Apparently, lots of other  people loved chicken nuggets just as much as my blonde friend, because the line was already suuuper long by the time we got there.  My stomach growled, and I anxiously looked to the front of the line.  Ugh, this is gonna be a while.  

"So, Clem," Violet started as we settled in the line, "How are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling?" I questioned, confused. 

"Well, y'know, all that stuff that happened yesterday, you weren't looking to great," Violet filled in.  

"Ruby said you were sick," Minerva added.  "Do you feel better today?"

"Oh! Yeah, I feel much better today," I claimed, silently thanking Ruby for covering for me.  

"Good," Minnie said.  "So, how are you liking your classes so far?"

"They're alright.  They're just sooooo boring."

"What classes did you have this morning?" The red head asked.  

"I had math, music appreciation, history, and then science."

Violet snorted , saying, "Those are all of the most boring classes."

"Believe me, I know," I said. 

"At least your whole second half of the day will be a lot more fun!"  Minerva piped in brightly.  She's a lot better here than she was back in my other world, I thought to myself. 

Our line was moving a lot quicker than I had expected it to, and at a steady pace.  Soon, we were inside the kitchen where the lunch ladies where dishing out food.  Violet and Minnie grabbed a green tray, and I did the same.  

"Are you excited for basketball today?" Violet asked, holding her tray out for the lunch lady to put the nuggets on.  

"Yeah, I guess," I answered.  I held out my tray, and exactly ten pieces of chicken were dropped on to it.  "But I'm kind of nervous, too."

"Why?" Minnie asked.  "We all saw you shoot last night.  The coach is going to love you!"

"I don't know, I guess it's just first practice jitters."

We passed the mashed potatoes, and I eagerly lifted my tray to ask for some.  Another woman scooped some up and plopped it onto my tray, then poured some brown gravy on top.  My mouth watered at the sight of it.  

"You'll be fine," Violet assured me.  "You'll make a great shooting guard."

We were passing the fruit, and a  familiar voice politely asked me, "Would you like an apple?"  I looked to behind the counter where the voice was coming from, and my eyes met Sarita's.  She smiled sweetly at me, and I returned the favor.  Sarita was always nice to me, and Kenny.  Even when we didn't deserve it.

"Sure," I said, holding up my tray for her to put the fruit on.  "And by the way, you look very beautiful today.

She beamed at my complement, saying, "Oh! Thank you, sweetie."

I smiled at her one last time before leaving the kitchen to follow my friends back to the table.  Once we arrived, every body else was already there, digging into their food.  Minnie and Violet sat down next to each other, and Ruby patted a spot next to her.  "Come sit here, Clem," she said, smirking.  It was then that I noticed the spot she had saved for me was right next to Louis.  When Ruby saw me realize this, she winked.

I sat down, eager to eat my food.  I squirted out some ketchup out of one of those packets, and then dipped a chicken nugget into the sauce.  I took a small, hesitant nibble of it, and couldn't keep in my moan of satisfaction.  "Mhmm, these are really good!"

"Not as good as the pizza," Louis said through a mouth full of food.  "If you think those are good, you would DIE for this pizza."

"I'll trade you a nugget for a little piece," I offered.  He scratched his chin, considering my offer. 

"Okay, deal," he agreed, and ripped off a little chunk of his slice.  I handed him his nugget, and ate my little piece of pizza.  It was as good as he had said it was. 

"Oh my God, this IS good."

"I'll trade you my brownie for that fortune cookie," Ruby said to Aasim.  He agreed, and they switched.  Violet and Sophie traded oranges for grapes, and I traded half my mashed potatoes for half of Gabe's ice cream.  Everybody traded with everybody, and food was being handed all around the table.  Pretty soon, everyone had a little food from every line. 

"Pleasure doing business with you guys," Louis chimed, happily eating his new meal. 

We didn't talk for a little bit after that, all of us too busy eating.  

While we ate, I couldn't help but notice that Gabe would not take his eyes off of Sophie.  He put his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand, just gazing at her.  Finally, he said just loud enough for her and the people sitting close to him to hear, "Sophie, I think you look very pretty today."  

 She stopped and looked at him in the middle of slurping a spaghetti noodle, her cheeks filled like a chipmunk's.  The twin quickly chewed and swallowed her food, and wiped her messy mouth with a napkin.  After she finished, she gave him a quizzical look, saying, "Um, thank you?"

Gabe grinned at her and laughed nervously.  I could feel the tension from where I was sitting.  Oh, yeah, I told him Sophie thought he was cute.  Well, that was a mistake.  Since I was partly to blame for the awkwardness between them, I felt obliged to help break it.  "Which teacher do you guys like the best?" I asked no one in particular. 

"Definitely the math teacher, Mr.Morris," Marlon said.   "He's the teacher that never gets anyone in trouble."

Mr.Morris, AKA Walter.  I had him earlier, and he was really chill and laid back.  However, he was also SUPER boring.

"That's my least favorite teacher.  That dude is a total bore," Mitch countered, reading my mind.  "I like coach David the best."

"Of course you do," Violet remarked.  "You two have the same temper."

"Shut up, Vi," Mitch spat back at her.  

Violet held up her hands in faux defense, smirking. 

"Well, she may not really count as a teacher, but Ms.Martin is my favorite," Ruby pitched in.   

Suddenly, when Minnie was just starting to give her opinion, I heard an annoyed, "Ahem," from behind me.  I turned around to see who it was, only to see Becca standing there, her arms crossed.  

"Hey, Bec!" Louis said cheerfully.  

"Hey, Louis.  And everyone else.  They let me out of lunch detention early."

"How did you manage to get them to do that?" Louis asked.   He was really the only person who looked happy to see her. 

Becca shrugged.  "Mr.Morris was the detention teacher today, and I told him that I was struggling with depression and that my friends were the only people who made me feel better."

"Of course he'd fall for that," Mitch mumbled.  

"Now where do I sit?" Becca demanded.  "Y'know, since Clementine is sitting where I usually sit."  Louis's girlfriend glared at me, crossing her arms.  

"Just pull up a chair," Violet suggested, annoyed.

"But there's  no room!" Becca whined. 

"Then go sit somewhere else," Sophie said through clenched teeth.  

"No!" Becca exclaimed stubbornly.  "I want to sit by my boyfriend."

"It's just for one day," Aasim said smoothly.  "You'll be fine."

"Louis!" Becca cried, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.  

Louis sighed, standing up with his tray.  "Alright, I'll go sit with you somewhere else."

"But what about our friends?  I know Minnie wants to sit by me.  Right, Minnie?" 

"I, um," Minnie stuttered.  "I guess?"

"See?" Becca said to Louis. 

Oh my God, grow up, I wanted to say to her, but  didn't.  Instead, I decided to make this whole situation easier.  I stood up, put on my backpack, and grabbed my tray.  "Here, Becca, you can sit in my seat."

"Oh, really, are you sure?" She queried.

"Yes, I'm sure," I affirmed, trying to hide my annoyance.   

"Oh, that's so sweet of you, Clem!" She proclaimed, placing her hand on her heart as if she were shocked.  Becca happily plopped down in the chair, clearly satisfied that she had won her battle.  

"What about you?" Brody asked me.  "Where will you sit?"

"I'll sit..." I scanned the lunchroom, looking for a group of strangers who might be accepting of me.  However, in the far corner of the lunchroom, I actually spotted a familiar face, sitting all by herself.  "I'll sit with Sarah," I told them.  "Thanks for letting me sit with you guys today."

"Thanks for sitting with us," Louis said.  "Maybe tomorrow we can work out a seating arrangement so EVERYONE can fit."

"Maybe," I stated.  "I'll see you guys later."

As I walked off, I heard Ruby snap at Becca, "You're a real drama queen, you know that?"

Sarah's head was buried in a book, so she didn't realize me approaching her.  She looked so innocent, sitting at the table all by herself.  My old friend mindlessly chewed on her hair as she indulged herself in the story.  

I sat my tray down across from her, and she still didn't look up from her book.  I cleared my throat, and only then did she notice me.  "Hello," I greeted. 

"Oh! Um, hi," She said back.  Sarah just stared at me, looking surprised that I was even there. 

"I'm Clementine."

"I'm Sarah."

"What are you reading?"

"This really crazy story, called 'Alias Grace.'  It's about this woman who's in jail for murdering people, but she says she can't remember killing anybody," Sarah informed me, her eyes sparkling like a little kid as she described it.  "It's really good so far."

"Sounds interesting." She nodded, but didn't say anything else.  This girl needs to learn how to hold a conversation, I thought.  "How's your day been?"

"Good.  How about yours?"

"It's going alright."  Again, silence settled between us.  I decided to just go ahead and use my conversation piece I had been saving just for Sarah.  "So, your dad is a doctor, right?"

"Yeah," she confirmed.  "How did you know?"

"He's my doctor.  Dr.Carlos, right?"

"Yes."

  "Did he ever mention to you someone getting in a coma?"

"Yeah, actually, I think he did."

"Well, that someone was me."

"Wow, really?!" She exclaimed, her eyes getting wide.  I laughed at her reaction, and told her that yes, that was really me.  "He said some glass got stuck inside of you.  That must have hurt."

"It did.  Look, here's wear it happened," I said, and pulled down the sleeve on my shoulder a little so she could see my scar.

"Eww," she groaned, and then covered her mouth.  "Oh my gosh, sorry, that was rude!"

"It's fine," I assured her, but she was scowling, and she lightly smacked herself on the head. 

"Rude, rude, rude," she scolded herself.  

Well now I know why she got sent to Ericson.  "It's fine, really," I claimed again.   "It does look pretty weird, doesn't it?"

"You're already so beautiful, though, that it doesn't even made a difference."

I could feel my cheeks redden, and I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck.  "Thanks, I guess."

"Oh, looks like everybody's packing up," Sarah observed.  I turned around, and everybody was dumping their trays and heading toward the door.  

"Alright, then, I guess it's time to go," I speculated.  "It was nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you, too!" Sarah chimed.  "Hey, we're friends now, right?"

She hasn't changed a bit.  "Right," I confirmed.  "I'll see you later, Sarah."

"Bye, Clem!"

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0 

The rest of the school day went by much too slow for my liking.   Sure, my last four classes were less boring, but time always goes by slower when you have something that you're looking forward to.  I was also disappointed when I didn't get  to test my basketball skills, because the coach wasn't there.  I had been really excited to see what I could do. Eventually, though, the end of the day did come, and I was SO ready for it by the time it did.  I spent the rest of the evening hanging out with the girls in our dorm, until finally five o'clock came. 

I sat alone in the janitor's closet, scrolling through the pictures on my phone.  Lee had left the door open for me this time so I wasn't just be standing awkwardly in the hallway.   

I heard footsteps down the hall, and I got excited, hoping they would be Lee's.  However, when I heard  Becca's voice instead of his, all of my excitement vanished.  

"Hurry," Becca was saying, and that's when I realized that there were two sets of feet instead of just one.  

"I'm coming," someone else said.  I didn't recognize who's voice it was.

I heard the music room's door open, and Becca giggled as they stepped inside.  

I couldn't help myself.  Once they were in, I stepped out of the closet, and curiously made my way over to the door.  I quietly pushed it open, just barely, to get a peek of what was going on in there.  I had to put my hand to over my mouth to stifle the gasp at what I saw. 

Becca was up against the wall, and whoever she was with was violently kissing her neck.  She moaned in satisfaction.  Then, they started to kiss lip to lip, in a full on make out session.  

"Oh. My. God," I whispered to myself.  Was this really happening?  Next thing I knew, her shirt was coming off, and I did NOT want to see any of that.  I silently closed the door and slipped into the closet, still in shock of what just happened.  

What did I just see?  I thought. Do I tell Louis?  On one hand, if I were the one being cheated on, I would want to know.  Plus, Becca's a snobby brat who does NOT deserve him.  On the the other hand, though, Becca makes him happy.  Why? I had no clue.   But she did, and he would be heart broken if he found out she did this.  

In the middle of me considering my choices, somebody knocked on the door.  "Clem?" Lee asked, just loud enough for me to hear through the door.  

"I'm here," I answered.  He quietly came in, closing the door behind him.  We greeted each other with another long embrace.  After we were done, we both turned over mop buckets and had a seat on them, ready to finally have our questions answered.  

"Okay, you go first," he started. 

"Were those dreams I would have with you-on the train- were they real?" I inquired.   "I mean, were you really there?"

"Of course," he answered.  "They were real."

"I just had one of those with AJ," I told Lee.  "We got to talk for a little bit, but then I started to disappear.  Like, literally, my body began to fade away.  How come that never happened to you?"

"It did.  I just made sure I left before you could see it happen."

"I'll have to keep that in mind for the next time I see AJ," I said to myself.  "Okay, now your turn.  What do you want to know?"

"After I died, I came here.  And if you're here, that means that you had to die, too... How did it happen?"

His question took me by surprise.  I know that I should've expected it, but I just thought his questions would focus more on everything that happened so far here.  "Do you remember those bad people that I told you about, who captured my friends?"

"Mhm."

"Well, the leader of that group ended up being Lilly-"

"Lilly?!" Lee exclaimed.  "You never told me that you had run into her!"

I held up my hand.  "Let me finish.   Anyway, she was keeping my friends in this boat.  At some point, she drug AJ to the top of it, and that's when I busted out of the cells they were keeping us in and freed the rest of my friends.  Then, when I went to go and rescue AJ, she shot me."

He was quiet while he fathomed this.  I added, "Oh, and I also forgot to tell you that we planted a bomb on the boat.  So after she shot me, I was blasted into the river,  where I nearly drowned.  Louis found me at some point, but I had already lost too much blood.  So, yeah, that's how I left that hell hole."

Lee curled his hands into fists, wearing a glowering expression.  "I knew I shouldn't have let that woman stay with us.  I should have left her right there, on the side of the road." He shook his head disapprovingly.  "First she took Carly, and now you?  Oh, God, she's lucky I don't strangle her."  He probably would actually kill her if I told him about some of the other things she did, I thought.

"Have you seen her here yet?"

"Every day," mumbled the janitor.  "Clem, she's your basketball coach."

"WHAT?" I cried, and Lee shushed me.  "She's going to be my coach?" I whispered in disbelief.  

"She is," Lee informed me.  "You know, sweet pea, if you're not ready to face her yet, you can take basketball out of your schedule."

"No, it's fine," I assured him, sighing.  "She's not the same person she was in the apocalypse.  Hopefully."

"Hopefully," Lee echoed.  "Your turn."

"How did you end up here?" I asked.  "I remember you telling me that you were a history professor.  Why didn't you just go back to your old job?"

"Remember, right before the walkers, I had been arrested?"

"I think you told me something about that."

"When I came into this world, I was in prison.  I stayed there for about a year, and then I was released.  I tried to get another job as a teacher, but no one would take me due to my background.  Ericson is the only place who would accept me."

"I'm sorry," I sympathized.  "You deserve better than this, better than a job as a janitor."

"Hey, it's not all bad," Lee claimed.  "This is a lot easier than trying to survive in a world full of walking dead people.  Plus, if I didn't work here, I wouldn't have been reunited with you."

"I guess so."

We talked for a long time.  After we were done with the questions, I told him about everything that had happened since he had died; all of it.  It took hours.  I cried some, and I laughed some, but it was good to finally share my whole story with someone (without them thinking I was crazy.)

After I was done, he told me his story in a lot more detail than before, but it was still a lot shorter than mine.  He also told me that he and Carly had become friends somehow in this world, which prompted me to profusely tease him about the two of them becoming a couple.  Although, when I playfully accused him of having a crush on her, he didn't deny it.  I always thought that they would be good together, and it was a shame that Carly was killed back in my other universe.  I was glad that they were getting another shot here. 

Before long, it was 3 AM, and I could barely keep my eyes open.  As much as I wanted to stay and talk, I had school tomorrow, and Lee had work.  

"I'll see you tomorrow,"  Lee whispered, stepping out of the closet.  

"See ya," I said back in a hushed voice.  

He gave me a quick hug goodbye, then quietly walked down the hallway.  I was just about to leave myself, when I heard a faint noise from the music room.  All of a sudden, I was reminded of what I had witnessed hours earlier.  There's no way they could still be going.

I walked over to the music room and silently pushed the door open a crack and peeked through.  Becca and the mystery man were both sleeping, one of them snoring (though I couldn't tell which one).  She slept cuddled up in his arms, his large t-shirt looking like the only thing she was wearing.  He still had has boxers on, thank goodness, but that was it. 

I glared at the pair, hoping Becca could somehow feel the hatred that I was sending toward her.  How could she do this to Louis?  How could anyone ever do anything like this to him?

I decided that he needed to know.  It's his girlfriend, he has a right to know... right?

I pulled out my phone and quickly snapped a picture, just in case Louis wanted proof.  Then I sneakily shut the door and tip toed away from that hallway.  

As I made my way back toward my room, I was having second thoughts about telling Louis.  I mean, yeah, Becca sucked and no one liked her, but for some reason she made him happy.  I didn't want to end up with a heartbroken Louis.  Ugh, what do I do?

I came to my room and slipped inside.  All the girls were asleep.  Sophie was on the top bunk, and Minnie and Violet shared the bed across from mine.  They were in a spooning position, Violet's arm wrapped protectively around Minerva.  I couldn't help but smile at the couple.  I wish I still had that. 

I flopped down on the bed, too tired to change clothes.  I went to take off my hat, only to realize it wasn't there.  Oh yeah, headmaster jack ass made me give it to him.  Groggily rubbing my eyes, I made a mental note to try and get it back tomorrow. 

As I lay there, the topic of Louis and Becca came swirling back into my brain.  Should I tell him? Or do I keep it to myself?

"I'll sleep on it," I mumbled to myself, and then drifted off into my dreams. 

AN: Have you guys heard of The Walking Dead Definitive Edition?  Well, in the video Skybound made for it, it said that in it there was  "unfinished digital bonus content."  I am REALLY HOPING they're talking about a DLC or something.   It would be really interesting to have a DLC of the boarding school kids before Clem and AJ, don't ya think?  I want to know how Tenn got his burn, why some of the other kids were sent there, etc...

Anyway, hope you liked the chapter!  Do you think Clem should tell Louis what she saw, or keep her mouth shut?  You tell me! (Your opinions may or may not influence the next chapter...)

Let me know what you thought of this one!

Chapter Text

Clem's POV

"Ohhhh, Clementine!" 

I groaned, turning in my bed to face the wall.  I could hear Minnie and Violet chatting, and I could feel Sophie hovering over me.  "Clem-en-tine!" She repeated in a sing song voice.  The twin put her hand on my shoulder, lightly shaking me.  "Wake up!"

"Five more minutes," I slurred, snuggling into the warmth of my blankets. 

 Back in my old world, I would have been up and at em by the time the sun rose.  It didn't matter how long I had slept; I would be wide awake and fully functional even with only about an hour of rest.  However, now that I had gotten used to actually getting a full eight hours of sleep, I was like a zombie when I got any less.  

"I already gave you ten extra minutes," Sophie said.  "If you don't get up soon, you're going to be late for class!"

"What time is it?" I mumbled, my eyes still closed.  

"7:50."

"Just tell them I was sick."

"Clem, if you don't get out of bed in five seconds, I will drag you out," Sophie warned. 

"Mhm, okay," I murmured drowsily, not really comprehending what she had said.  

She started to count, but I was too tired to care.  Suddenly, I felt something grab my ankles, and my covers where yanked off of me.  "Hey!" I objected, finally opening my eyes to see who had stolen my comforter.  As soon as I blinked them open, the curtains where ripped apart, and the light that spilled in nearly blinded me.  

"Rise and shine!"  Minnie sang.

"I'm going to start pulling on three," Sophie told me.  "One, two-"

"Alright, alright, I'm up!" I declared, sitting up to show her I was awake.  

Sophie let go of my ankles and crossed her arms.  "It's about time."

Violet tossed some leggings and a t-shirt over to me.  "We picked out your clothes to save you some time.  Now get dressed," she ordered.  

I sleepily slipped on my shirt, and slowly slid on my pants.  Minnie put on some make up, and Sophie put her long, red hair into a fishtail braid.  After I was done getting dressed, I sat back down on the bed, just thinking about how nice it would be to go back to sleep...

I realized that Violet was waving her hand in front of my face, trying to get my attention.  "Hello?" Vi asked.  "Earth to Clementine."

"Oh, sorry," I apologized.  "Did you say something?"

"How late did you stay out last night, Clem?" Minnie questioned.  "You're really... out of it, today."

"Like, three," I estimated. 

"Well no wonder you're still half asleep," Violet voiced.  "You only got around four hours of sleep."

"What were you doing out that late, anyway?" Minnie asked. 

"The janitor and I are old friends.  I just wanted to catch up a little with him."

"Well next time you guys 'catch up', try to be back BEFORE three AM," Sophie requested.  "I don't want to have to wake you up like that every morning."

"Yeah, sorry about that," I apologized again.  "By the way, thanks for doing that."

She grinned at me.  "No problem."  Then her eyes shifted to the top of my head.  "You have serious bed head."

I shrugged.  "It's fine.  I'm too lazy to do anything with it."

"Well, it's going to bother me," Sophie stated.  She walked over to me and pulled my hair up into high, messy bun.  She scrunched her nose up, asking, "When's the last time you showered?"

"It's been a few days," I admitted.  I had forgotten that showering was a thing you could do here whenever you pleased.  

"You should probably take one soon," Sophie suggested.  "You desperately need one."

"I bet that's why you got sent here," Violet joked, "You can't take care of yourself."

"I can, usually," I assured them.  "I just need more time to settle in."

Minnie handed me some deodorant and spritzed me down with perfume.  She took a deep breath, proclaiming, "Aw, that's much better."

I playfully threw a pillow at her, saying, "I get it.  I stink.  I'll take a shower later."

"After basketball," Violet decided for me.  

"Okay, I will."  

Minnie checked the time on the clock.  "It's 7:55.  We better get to class."

Violet and Minerva walked out of the room, their fingers intertwined.  Sophie stood in the doorway and waited for me, making sure I didn't fall back asleep on the bed.  "Come on, sleepy head," she said, putting her hand on her hip.  I dragged myself out the door, and to my next class.  

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Why did my first class have to be math?

 I fought to keep my eyes open as Walter droned on and on about how to find the area of a circle.  Pi times radius squared, I thought, frustrated at how much he was able to talk. It's that easy!

Violet was sitting in the desk next to me, trying to scrape off some nail polish. Luckily, we were in the very back row, so we didn't have to worry about our teacher realizing that we weren't paying attention.   Sophie was a couple rows ahead of me, and Aasim sat in the very front row, the worst place to be.  Sucks for him.

Walter was on his fourth example of how to find the area of a circle when his phone rang. He pulled it out of the back pocket of his jeans, squinting at it. "Oh, I've got to take this," Mr.Morris said. "Don't act crazy or anything, or there will be consequences," he warned, then stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him.

"There's never consequences," Violet said, rolling her eyes. "He's too nice to ever give out any detentions."

"Is his class always this boring?" I asked her.

"Yup, pretty much," she replied. "As you can tell, he likes to talk."

"I think it's more he likes the sound of his own voice," Sophie remarked, shifting in her seat to face us.

"He's not as bad as Mrs.Scott," someone commented. "We literally never do anything in there but listen to her lectures on 'How to be better people.' "

"Which one is she again?" I asked.

"Science teacher," Violet told me, "But luckily, you won't have to deal with her until tomorrow.  She'll be busy setting up for the assembly we have today after basketball.  

"What's the assembly for?" I inquired.

"Gabe has this famous uncle, and once every year they have him come give us a speech," Aasim explained from the front of the room. "It's coach David's brother. He plays major league baseball, and he's pretty much the closest thing to a celebrity that will ever agree to come over here."

"I've heard of him. Javier Garcia, right?"

"That's him."

"He seems pretty cool." 

"He is," agreed Violet.  "Even though he plays stupid  baseball."

Mr.Morris came back in then, a little bounce in his step.  "Are you guys ready to keep expanding your minds?"

The class let out s collective groan.  

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

After math ended, it was time for music appreciation.  Minnie and Brody walked with me there, stopping with me while I splashed some water on my face to stay awake.  How did I even function back in my old world? 

This class had more people that I knew: Louis, Minnie, Brody, Mitch, Omar, Sarah, Marlon, and Ruby.  Oh, and Becca, too.

The class was a lot wilder today than it was yesterday.  There were kids from several different grade levels in there, and all of the younger kids were running around like crazy people. 

"Looks like we have a sub," observed Brody.  "Everybody only acts like a bunch of lunatics when Mr.Harrison isn't around."

Mr.Harrison, or in other words, Mark.  The guy who's legs I almost ate.  

"These are the best kind of days, though," Minnie commented.   "No teacher means no work."

The poor substitute was trying to calm everyone down from the front of the room, shouting, "Okay, kids! Lets all find a seat, c'mon, sit down!"  She could barely be heard over all of the children.  Eventually, she saw that no one was going to listen to her, so she just quit trying.  The woman sighed and plopped down in a chair.

Brody and Minnie went to go sit by the group of kids who weren't losing their minds, and I followed them.  Everybody in that group was pretty much everyone that I mentioned before, plus a few other new faces.  

I sat down next to Mitch, who was scrolling through his phone.  He glanced up when we sat, nodding to acknowledge us.  "Hey."

"Hey," I said back.  Across from me, Louis and Becca were playfully wresting.  Seeing them reminded me of what Becca had done last night, in that same spot.  How does she sleep at night?

"You're looking..." Mitch started, eyeing me up and down with smirk, "... rough, today." 

"Gee, thanks," I responded sarcastically.  "For your information, I didn't get a lot of sleep."

"I can tell."

My eyes lids felt droopy.  I rubbed them, attempting to get rid of their sleepiness.  It didn't work.  I yawned, leaning my head back against the wall.  It won't hurt to rest my eyes for a couple of minutes... 

"Clementine!" Sophie shouted.  

I jolted my head up.  "What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Don't go to sleep," she demanded.  "You're gonna get your sleeping schedule all out of whack if you do.  Stay.  Awake."

"Fine," I said.  "But I need someone to help keep me awake."

"I could explain to you what's happening in my story,"  Sarah volunteered.  

 "Okay," I agreed.

Sarah scooted over to me and started to describe what was currently happening in her book, but that did the opposite of keep me awake.  If anything, it helped lull me to sleep.  My head would drift forward, my eyes closing.  Then, I would catch myself, and jerk my head up.  

Finally, after about the fifth time of me doing this, Mitch asked, "Do you want some coffee?"

"You have some?" 

"No, but the teacher's lounge does," he answered.  "I'm about to go get myself some.  Do you want me to grab you some, too?"

"Yes, please do!"

"Alright, I'll be back," Mitch said.  He got up and walked right out the door.  The sub didn't even care. 

"How 'bout we do something to keep you awake while we wait?" Ruby suggested.  

"Like what?" Marlon inquired.  

"I have something," Louis spoke up, stopping his wresting with Becca.  He pulled his cards out from his jacket pocket.  "Truth or dare, anyone?"

Everybody agreed, so we all formed a tight circle so we could actually hear each other.  The chaos happening around us was growing pretty loud.  

Becca sat in Louis's lap, and he rested his head on her shoulder while he shuffled the cards.  The moment made my lip twitch.  

Lou passed around the stack of cards, and we all drew one from the stack.  Brody won, and I lost.  

"I won't make you do a dare, since you'll probably pass out while doing it," she joked. 

"Alright," I said, disregarding her comment. "What do you wanna know?"

The cheerleader looked up at the ceiling, debating on what to ask me.  Finally, she asked, "Who was your first kiss, and how did it happen?"

That was a tough question to explain.  My first kiss had been Gabe, when he was dying.  Of course, I couldn't tell them 'My first kiss was Gabe after he got bit by a walker and was dying on the side of the road.' I could change the story up just a little bit, though. 

"It's kind of a sad story," I apprised them.  

"That makes me want to hear it even more," claimed Ruby.

"Okay, then," I started.  I took a deep breath.  "I'll try to make it quick.  Once, my friend, um, Gabrielle, left his family to go live with his dad.  Well, he was going to, at least, but then a couple minutes into the drive there, he changed his mind and tried to turn the car around.  His dad was a bad guy, he just didn't realize it until that moment."  I paused for a moment as I remembered coming across the wrecked truck with Javi.  "They crashed.  A friend of mine took me to where it happened, and we found his dad dead.  Gabrielle was still alive, though.  But he wouldn't be for long."

I closed my eyes again, but not because I was tired.  I could still see him there, looking up at me with his eyes slowly draining of color.  Of life.  

I continued, "And the first thing that dork says to me when I find him is, 'Take my playing cards.'" I can't help but smile a little at the memory.  "He was such a weirdo.

"Anyway, after I took his cards, I kissed him goodbye.  And, yeah, that's the story of my first kiss."

I opened my eyes to find them all staring at me, desolate looks on their faces.

"That's... really sad," Brody said softly. 

"I'm sorry. For your loss, I mean," Marlon sympathized. 

"Oh, it's fine," I assured them.  "It was a long time ago."  They all continued to stare at me.  I guess my depressing story had thrown them for a loop.  

"What about the ambulance?" Louis asked.   

"They didn't make it in time," I answered.  "Anyway, who's up for round two?"

Louis reluctantly passed the cards back around, his eyes glued on me.  I could feel his pitying look he cast upon me.  However, I pretended not to notice, drawing a card and passing on the deck like normal. 

This time, Ruby won and Marlon lost.  

"I've got a good one," Ruby announced, lightening the mood a bit.  "You can't touch Brody at ALL today."

"WHAT?" Marlon and Brody both objected in unison.  

"Yes!" Cheered Omar.  "Yes, thank you!"

"Really, Ruby?" Whined Brody.  

"Yeah, seriously?!" Complained Marlon.  "You can't do that!" 

"I just did," Ruby said triumphantly.  "Now you two scoot apart until tomorrow."

Brody sat stubbornly in her place, and Marlon wrapped an arm around her.  

Louis stood up and wedged himself in between the couple.  "Scooch, you two!" He chimed despite Marlon's punch to the shoulder.  "Them's the rules!"

Brody huffed, then came to sit next to me.  "You suck," she spat at Ruby.  

The red head just shrugged, saying, "I think we could all use a break from your guys' romance."

Everybody nodded in agreement. 

Then, Mitch strolled back in, carrying two mugs of steaming coffee.  He sat down in the circle next to me, handing me my drink. 

I took a tiny sip.  "Ugh, thank you.  I really needed this."

"No problem," he said.  "But now you owe me."

"Owe you what?" 

"I don't know," he said, "I'll decide later."  One of the kids ran behind him, accidentally kicking him with his leg.  "Hey, watch it!" Mitch barked.  "Someone needs to get these little twerps under control!"

"I'm on it!" Becca proclaimed, suddenly jumping up from her seat.  I was surprised to see her volunteer so eagerly.  

She went and got her guitar, then sat down on the piano bench.  "Hey, kids!" She called.  "All you kids, come over here!"  All of them ran over to her, excitedly sitting down at her feet.  "What song do you guys want to hear today?"

A thousand requests went up, and she held up her hand to make them all stop talking.  "How about twinkle twinkle little star?" She suggested.  All of their little heads nodded, and she strummed on her instrument and started singing the little tune.   The children sang with her, and actually calmed down a bit.

I would have never thought someone like Becca would be good with kids.  I glanced around me to see if anyone else was having the same thoughts as me, but none of them showed any signs of being surprised.  I looked at Louis, who was grinning ear to ear.  He looked so proud.  

I scooted over to him, whispering, "Hey."

"Hey," he said back.  The dread locked teen looked back to his girlfriend, bragging, "Isn't she great?"

"Yeah, she's good with kids," I admitted.  I twiddled my thumbs, wondering if this would be the right time to break the bad news to him.  Not yet, I told myself.   "Louis?" 

"Yeah?"

"I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

"Not right now," I told him.  "Later, though, we need to talk."

"Okay," he said, raising a brow.  "Is everything alright?"

"No, actually, it's not."

"Are you sure it can wait?" He asked, concerned. 

"Yeah, till tonight."

"If I live that long," he remarked.  When I gave him a dubious look, he claimed, "The anticipation may kill me!"

I rolled my eyes, chuckling a little.  I made eye contact with Becca, and suddenly she stopped playing.  "Hey, Lou, want to come play the piano for us?"

"Sure," he agreed.  He got up and went to the piano, where he started to play "Marry had a Little Lamb".  Becca smirked at me when he left, and I glared at her.  You just wait, Becca, I thought. You just wait. 

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

The rest of the day went by quickly.  But, as they say, time flies when you're having fun.  Or when you have something you're really nervous about coming up.  

I was really anxious about basketball practice.  I mean, I know I did really well at free throws, but there was a lot more to the sport than just those shots.  There was dribbling, defense, offense, etc.  Plus, to make matters worse, my coach wasn't exactly my favorite person in the world.  In fact, she was the opposite.  

Violet led me to the gym and into the locker room.  The girls were all dressing into their basketball shorts, putting their hair up, and rubbing their armpits with deodorant.  Vi handed me some shorts, a tank top, and high top shoes.  "Put these on."

"Who's are they?" I asked, holding them up to inspect them.  

The blonde shrugged.  "I don't know.  Coach Lilly told me to give them to you for now."

As I got dressed, I noticed that a flock of girls was surrounding Becca.  

Violet saw this, saying, "Almost everyone here treats her like royalty, except for me, Minnie, and Ruby.  Half of them are actually her friends, and the other half are just sucking up to her so she'll pick them for her team if we scrimmage."

"Oh.  Is she good?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, yeah, she is.  She's the point guard. "

Point guard.  Somewhere, deep in my brain, the word rang a bell.  Point guard, point guard, point guard...  Suddenly, my mouth was moving with my telling it to.  "I used to be point guard for my old team."

"Oh really?  Were you guys good?"

"Yup.  We had an undefeated season."  Hmm.  That's nice to know.

"Well, even though Becca is the point guard, she was also a ball hog.  You're not a ball hog, are you?" 

"I don't think so."

"Okay, good.  Hopefully you can take her place as the head pointer."

I took off my shirt and slid on the tank top.  "You really think I can?"

"I bet you can," Violet stated.  

After we were done getting ready, we all went out onto the floor.  Everybody grabbed a basketball, and they all started to shoot on one goal.  I got a basketball from the racks, and started to warm up by shooting on the goal that was unoccupied. 

Swish.  I sink one from the elbow of the free throw line.  I take a step back, deciding to test my luck with a three pointer.  

Swish.  It goes in, easy.  

I heard dribbling from behind me, and turned to see Ruby making her way toward me.  "Whatcha doin' down here all by yourself?" She questioned. 

I take a few dribbles to the side and shoot again.  Swish.  "It's too crowded over there," I answered.  

"Yeah, it is pretty crowded," Ruby concurred.  "You mind if I stay down here?"

"No, go ahead."

"I'll rebound for you," the red head volunteered, setting her own ball down and going to stand under the goal.  

I shot again.  Swish.  I think this has to be one of my favorite noises.  I shot a few more, not missing a single one.

"Okay, I guess I what I shoulda said was 'I'll go catch all your makes.'  You're a really good shooter!" Ruby complemented.  

"Thanks."  I shot again, and it went in.  However, this time I felt all squirmy as I did. 

 The sixth sense that I had developed in the apocalypse started to tingle; I was being watched. 

I turned around to see Becca, sending a death glare my way.  When she saw me watching, she turned and shot, swishing a basket of her own.  

When she turned around, though, the feeling still didn't go away.  I glanced around me, trying to figure out who was giving me this uneasiness.  When I didn't see anyone on the court, I looked into the bleachers, where I made eye contact with my old enemy.

Lilly.

Her eyes bore into me, and I stared at her right back.  Lilly wasn't looking at me with an angry look, though, as she used to; instead she seemed as if she were studying me, analyzing my every move.

I faced away from her.  "Why is she looking at me like that?" I asked just loud enough for Ruby to hear.  

My friend glanced up at our coach, then smiled.  "I've seen that look before; that means she likes you."

Suddenly, Lilly blasted her whistle.  "Layups!" She ordered. 

We split into two lines at half court.  The people on the right side shot their lay ups, and the people on the left rebounded.  As it neared my turn to go, I started to panic.  I have no IDEA how to do a layup.  I watched the way Violet did it; Dribble, dribble, dribble, step, step, up.  She made it look so easy. 

Soon, it was my turn to go, and my body did that thing again where it takes control of me.  I was okay with that, though, since apparently my body knows how to do layups correctly.  

After we did the layup drill, we did a dibbling drill.  Cones where set up in zigzag lines across the court.  We were supposed to do a cross over at the first cone, between the legs on the next, and behind the back on another. 

I immediately recognized that Ruby and Minnie were not one of the best dribblers.  In fact, there were only a few girls on the team who could dibble with their head up, including me, Violet, and Becca.

The dribbling drill was also a breeze for me.  In fact, it was actually kinda fun.  

Once we were done, Lilly blew her whistle again.  "Hustle up!" She demanded.  The team jogged over to her.  "We're scrimmaging today," she informed us.  "The next game against the hawks is going to be a tough one, and I want us ready."  The coach scanned her eyes over the group.   "Okay, our usual team pickers, go, pick your teams."  Becca and Violet stepped out, walking a few feet away from each other.  Lilly flipped a coin, and Violet called heads.  It was tails.  Becca got first pick for her team.  "Remember, ladies," Lilly reminded them, "You're picking to win."

"I want Minnie," Becca stated.  Minnie jogged over to her.

"Clementine," said Violet.  I went to stand next to her.

"Therrisa."

"Erin."

"Alex."

"Stephanie."

"Dewy."

They kept going back and forth, until all of the players had been selected.  

The only people on my team that I actually knew where Violet and Ruby.  Lilly handed us black jerseys to put on to separate us from the other team.  

A girl from my team named Dewy jumped for the ball against Minnie.  We didn't win, so we all sunk back on defense.  

Everybody started yelling out who they're man was, so I did the same.  "I got Becca!" I shouted.  

Becca slowly dribbled down the court, glancing at all of her options.  Then, as she neared me, she picked up the pace, and tried to drive right into the basket.  I, however, was one step ahead of her, and planted myself in her path.  She plowed into me, knocking me over.  

Lilly's whistle sounded almost immediately on the impact.  "You can't do that, Bec!  Black team's ball."

"Becca, I was open!" I heard Minnie complain to her.

I went under the goal to pass it in, and threw it to Violet.  She threw it right back to me when I did.  "What're you doing?" I asked her.  "You're the team captain."

"You got this," Violet assured me.  "Show us all what you got."

Hesitantly, I dribbled down the court.  

I went to the elbow of the three point line, and stood dribbling with my body between the ball.  "Cut!" I yelled.  "Get open!"  

All of a sudden, Becca was lunging toward me, and my instincts wrapped the ball around my back.  I got it with my other hand, and rushed toward the goal for a layup.  It went in, and Lilly yelled, "Nice one!"  Her being nice to me is so weird, I thought.

There were several more possessions after that, but my team always ended up with the ball.  They didn't score on us once.  

Finally, after about fifteen minutes of us playing, Lilly let us stop for a water break.  I went to go get some water from the water fountain, but before I could, my coach called my name.  When I looked to her, she motioned for me to go over to her.

I jogged over to where she was sitting on the benches for the athletes.  "Sit down," she said, and I obeyed.  Lilly cleared her throat, saying, "I just wanted to say that I'm genuinely impressed with you.  You're a great point guard, and a great shooter.  You're also not a ball hog; you give you're team mates a chance to score, too.  It's not often we find players like that." 

She looked at me expectantly, and I realized she was waiting for me to talk.  "Oh! Um, thank you, coach."

"I'm really looking forward to having play for us," she told me.  "Now go get some water and get ready to play again."

"Yes, ma'am," I said obediently.  After getting some water from the fountain and jogging to the middle of the floor, Violet and Minnie came to meet me. 

"You're doing so good!" Exclaimed Minerva, giving me a high five. 

"Thanks."

"What did the coach tell you?" Asked Violet. 

"She just told me that I'm a good point guard, and that she's excited for me to play for you guys."

Violet smiled.  "She's never said that to anyone.  I told you she'd like you!"

"She's told me I'm a good point guard, too," interjected Becca  matter-of-factly.  "In fact, she tells me that, like, everyday."

"Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, but coach has been lying to you,"  Violet remarked with a false look of sorrow.  

Ruby snickered at that.  

"I'm better than you!" Becca fired back. 

"Breaks over!" Announced Lilly.  "Shirt's teams ball!"

Lilly tossed the ball over to Becca, who went to the top of the three point line.  After everyone on her team was ready, she bounced the ball to me to check it.  I glanced around, made sure my girls were settled, then gave it back to her.  It was live. 

Becca passed it, then immediately cut.  She didn't get the ball, so she went and filled in an open position.  The ball was passed around the floor a couple more times, until someone tried to make another pass to Becca.  However, it was a slow, floating pass, and I easily intercepted the ball.  After I caught it, I took off dribbling, hoping to get in a nice and quick layup.  But Becca is evidently a really fast runner, because she was sprinting right next to me when I had barely made it to half court. 

I could hear my teammates that I had left in the dust cheering me on.  "Come on, Clem!"  Violet encouraged.  

I picked up my speed, hoping to beat her to the basket.  Becca accelerated, too.

I was closing in on the goal.  Just a few more dribbles and I would be there.  

Suddenly, I felt a jab of pain in my right ankle.  Right as I did,  I heard Becca make a "Huh!" sound.   My legs were moving to fast to slow down, and my right leg made a full, hard cycle as it had done before.  My ankle completely gave out on the impact, and I fell, tumbling over the ball. 

I laid on the ground for a moment, still processing what  happened.  Becca fucking kicked me, I thought angrily as I wrapped my brain around what just went down.  That bitch!

"Clementine!" Minnie yelped.  Her and the rest of the team stampeded over to me, forming a circle around me.  Ruby and Violet knelt down.

"Are you okay?"  Ruby asked, her eyes wild with concern.  

"I'm fine," I answered, pissed at the situation .  I tried to get up, but when I put pressure on my ankle, pain exploded into it like a fire cracker.  I practically fell back to the floor.  "Shit!" I cursed to myself.

"Alright, alright," I could hear Lilly saying from somewhere behind the group.  "Give her some space, girls.  Come on, spread out a little."  They widened the circle, allowing Lilly to get through to see me.  She got on one knee to inspect my injury.  

Ruby gingerly lifted my foot, and I cringed at the pain that came from it.  "Sorry," Ruby apologized.  She lightly touched my swollen ankle, which had parts that were already turning blue.  "This is either a break, or a very severe sprain."

Lilly grimaced at the news.  "Great," she muttered to herself.  "And just when I got a pretty decent player."  She turned away from my foot, looking to Violet and Minnie.  "Could you two get her to the nurse, please?"

The both came to my side, letting me wrap my arms around their shoulders.  After they eased me up, I accidentally stepped on my bad ankle again.  "Fuck!" I hissed.

"Coach Lilly!" Becca exclaimed.  "She just used explicit word!  That's a detention, right?"

"I'll let her off the hook for this one," Lilly said.  "That looks like it hurts."

"Your sensitive ears wouldn't be hearing those words if you hadn't kicked her," Violet seethed. 

"You did what?" Lilly queried.  

"It was an accident!"  Becca claimed.  "Our legs just happened to hit each other!"

"Apologize."  My coaches voice was firm, scary, even.  She had that same look in her eye that she had back in my old world, as I saw her escape the school with my friends.  The woman looked like a spawn of the devil then, and she did now, too.  Only without the fire dancing around her.

Becca's eyes widened when she realized how serious Lilly was.  "I'm sorry," Becca quietly uttered.  Her whisper sounded loud in the silence of the gym.

"It's fine," I said back, but only to please Lilly.  Then, Minnie and Violet turned me around, and we began to make our awkward journey to the nurses office.  

"I can't believe you would do something like that," Lilly was saying, disbelief in her voice.  I was glad she was seeing Becca's true colors.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Luckily, my ankle wasn't broken, but it was pretty badly sprained.  After Vi and Minnie dropped me off in the nurses office, she took one look at it and sentenced me to an hour of my ankle being elevated and iced.  

"You can do that after you take a shower, though," Ms.Martin stated.  "No offense, but I've been holding my breath around you this whole time, and I'll pass out if I have to any longer."

The nurse let me use the her office's shower, and she had me wear some of the extra student clothes that she had; leggings and an Ericson t-shirt.  

I had to use a plastic chair in the shower, since I couldn't exactly stand up.  This time, I made sure to actually wash my hair and body unlike last time.  When I got out, I felt a lot more refreshed, despite my ankle.  

Ms.Martin propped my leg up on three pillows, and an ice pack was resting on top of the swollen parts of my foot.  I went to check my pocket for my phone, only to realize that it wasn't there.  I left it in my bag, I remembered.  My bag was still at the gym.  

I let my eyes wander the room, since I didn't have anyone to talk to or anything to keep me entertained.  Ms.Martin had left to go find me a hair brush, and there weren't any other kids who had hurt themselves today.

My vision fell back onto my ankle, and I felt my rage boil up a bit.  

Becca was bad before, but the fact that she actually physically hurt me?  That was just fucked up.  I had to get Louis away from her, soon.  

I tried to think of how I was going to break it to him.  'So, Louis, by the way, your girlfriend is a bitch.  She's cheating on you and she nearly broke my ankle.'  No, not that, too blunt.  'Hey, Louis?  We need to talk about Becca.  I saw her making out with another dude the other day.  Oh, you want proof?  Here, take a look at this pic-'

Suddenly, the door swung open, and the headmaster bounded in decked out in clothes that all had the same 'D' logo as my hat.  He had on the socks, the pants, the shirt, and... the hat.  MY hat.  He was wearing MY FUCKING HAT.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Rob was frantically apologizing to someone behind him.  "I wasn't aiming for your eye..."

Then, Javi came in, holding his eye in one of his hands.  "It's fine," he assured him, but I could hear the hint of irritation in his voice.  

The headmaster turned to me, then quickly glanced around the room.  "Where's Ms.Martin?"

"She went to go get me a hairbrush," I replied, trying my best to keep my anger from showing.  "Where'd you get that hat?" I asked him.  "Because it looks really close to mine-"

"Clementine, I don't have time to talk!" The dean snapped.  "Can't you see we're in a crisis here?"  He gestured to Javi, who was looking at Rob like he was an idiot.

"Like I said, I'm fine," The athlete repeated.  "Just go get me some ice."

"Yes, of course," said Mr.Sullivan.  "Let me go find you some."  He scurried out of the office, muttering more apologies.

Javier slumped down in a chair across from me, removing his hand from his eye to reveal a dark purple bruise.  

"Ouch," I commented.  "What happened?"

"Your headmaster decided to throw me a baseball without warning me first."

"Well, that's rough."

"What happened to you?" 

"I sprained it in basketball ." 

"Oh, that sucks.  Sounds like we've both had tough days," Javi huffed.  His eyes fixated on my face, and suddenly, he perked up.  "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"

"I don't think so."

"I swear, you look so familiar..." he mused. Then, he snapped his fingers, saying, "Oh, that's right! You're that girl who wrestled someone to get that little kid a ball at one of my baseball games!"

"Oh!" I exclaimed, fake realization in my tone. "Yeah, you're right!"

"You got kicked out of the game, but I still came and got a picture with you afterwords, remember?"

"Yeah! I completely forgot about that."

"And then you got to throw the first pitch at my next game," Javi continued. "Yeah, I sure remember you. But I don't remember you going here. Have you always gone here?"

"No," I replied, "I just started recently."

"How are you liking it so far?" 

"It's alright. But that headmaster is a pain."

"Believe me, I know," Javi concurred. "The dude thinks we're, like, best buds, and it's honestly really annoying. He's part of the reason that I always dread coming here."

"You know what he did?"

"What?"

"He stole my fucking hat," I ranted to him, catching my cursing only after I had said it. "Whoops, sorry for my language."

"It's okay, kid," he chortled.  

"Anyway, he took it away a couple of days ago, and he's wearing it today."  I sighed.  "This is just one more thing to make the day a little bit worse."

"Aw, c'mon," Javier spoke encouragingly.  "It'll get better.  Where's your fire that you had last time I met you? Your energy?"

"I think I burned out," I told him.

"Would it help if I got your hat back?" 

"Yeah," I said.  "But I don't know how one would do that."

"Oh, I have an idea," stated Javi, a mischievous grin on his face.  

"Do tell."

"You wait and see.  I'll do it at the assembly."

"Alright, fine."

"There is one condition, though," Javi claimed.  

"What?"

"You have to smile if you want me to do it."

I gave him a fake, over exaggerated smile. 

"No, it has to be a real smile."

I groaned, stretching out my fake grin even wider.  "This is as real as it gets," I expressed through clenched teeth.

"I don't know, I think you need to laugh, too."

My cheeks were starting to hurt, and I was getting agitated by his games.  Forgetting that I was in this new world, I glared at him and flipped him off.  As his eyes widened, I realized what I did.

To my surprise, he laughed at my gesture.  "That's the girl I remember," he affirmed.  "You don't take crap from anybody."

"Are you going to help me get my hat or not?"

"Yes, I will."

"Okay, thanks.  I owe you one."

"Yeah, you do.  Say, you got any nice hats?  I'll accept that as payment."

I let myself chuckle at his joke.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

After my hour of icing my ankle was up, Ms.Martin found me a pair of crutches that I could use to hobble around.  Apparently, crutches REALLY tire you out.  It took me ages to get back to the gym, and there weren't even people in the hallways.  It was going to be rough when I had to carry my bags and maneuver my way around a bunch of kids. 

Eventually, I made it to the gymnasium for the assembly.  After struggling to open the doors, I went in to find that the kids were still chattering and filling the bleachers.  Good, I'm on time.

"Clem!"  AJ's shout rang above all of the other troubled youth's voices.  I spotted him in the bleachers, awkwardly waving with my elbow still propped on a crutch.  He scampered down to me, his face etched with concern.  "What happened?"

"Oh, I hurt it in basketball," I explained, trying to play it off as if it wasn't a big deal.  I didn't want him to worry.  "It'll be fine, though.  It won't take long to heal."

"How did you hurt it?"

"Becca accidentally kicked it."

"How do you do that on accident?" Alvin Junior questioned.

"I don't know.  Anyway," I said, trying to change the subject, "Where do you want to sit?"

"Clementine!" I heard from behind me.  I turned to see Violet approaching me, my bag in her hand.  

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."  She observed my crutches, then at my still very swollen ankle that had some athletic tape wrapped around it.  "How's the ankle?"

"A little better after icing it," I lied.  Honestly, it hurt like hell.  It was constantly pulsing with pain.

"How about you sit in the bottom seats?" Violet suggested.  She pointed to some benches just in front of the stands. "So you don't need to make the climb up to the bleachers?"

"That's probably a good idea."  

"Ohh, that will be the best spot!" Chimed AJ happily.  "Let's go!"  He took off running toward them, and I almost did, too, until I remembered my screwed up ankle.

"I'll carry your bags over there," Vi volunteered.  

"Thanks."  I began to make my way toward the seats, which were about 100 feet away; so close, yet so far.  

I saw that my blonde friend was glaring up at someone in the crowd above us, and I curiously looked to see who.  When I spotted Becca, an involuntary scowl took over my face, too.  "I still can't believe she's low enough to hurt someone that bad," Violet stated, shaking her head.  "I mean, even if she doesn't like you, you're still incredibly valuable to the team.  I thought she at least cared about the team more than that."

"I did, too," I concurred.  Thinking out loud, I said, "Well, actually, considering she's a cheater in relationships, I'm not very surprised that she's a cheater in sports, too."

Violet stopped walking.  "What?"

"Hmm?" I turned to her, confused by her sudden halt.

"What do you mean, 'she's a cheater in relationships'?"

Oh shit.  How could I have let that slip?  "U-um," I stammered, "Y'know, cause Louis deserves someone so much better than her, and somehow she has him?"

"I don't think that's what you were implying," Violet told me suspiciously.  She put a hand on her hip, asking, "Is there something I need to know?"

"You don't need to know it," I answered, "but someone else does."

"Now I'm curious, and if you don't tell me what it is, it's going to bug me the rest of the day," Violet said stubbornly.  "Now spill."

"Okay," I gave in, "But you have to promise to not tell anyone."

"Cross my heart," Violet promised.  "Now what is it?"

I leaned in closer to her so I couldn't be overheard by other people.  "I saw Becca cheating on Louis with another guy," I admitted.  "Last night while I was waiting for the janitor, her and someone else snuck in the music room and started to, y'know..."

Violet didn't even look surprised.  She sent a death stare to the topic of the conversation, saying, "I bet I know exactly who it was.  She's been getting really friendly with this 11th grader some afternoons after basketball."  The other teen glowered.  "Now I know why."

"Anyway, I've been deciding on whether I should tell him or not-"

"Of course you should tell him!" Violet interjected.  "Yeah, he'll be a little sad, but he'll get over it.  Eventually."

"And that's what I decided," I finished.  "I've just been waiting for the right time."

"What if he doesn't believe you?  I mean, he thinks the world of Becca for some reason.  Chances are, he'll trust her over you."

"I have picture proof."

"Smart," Violet complemented.

"Thanks."  I started to walk again, and so did she.  "I just still don't know when to tell him."

"You'll find the right time," Vi assured me.  "Make sure that it's only the two of you when you do it, though.  If Becca if there, she might start crying or something to make him stay, and then he might not break it off."

"Noted."  I inhaled deeply, glad that I was no longer the only one who had the burden of knowing Becca's secret.  "It feels so good to get that off my chest."

We made it to the benches, and I gladly sat down in the chair.  I set my crutches to the side, and Violet set my bag with it.  

"Alright, I better go," Violet said.  

"See you later," I replied.

"See you.  Oh, and good luck with the situation."

"Thanks.  I'm going to need it."

She waved goodbye, then headed up into the bleachers.  AJ bounced in his chair beside me, obviously excited to see Javier.  I couldn't help but laugh at his giddiness. "Are you excited, goofball?"

"I'm so excited!" AJ crooned.  "This is my first year seeing him close up!  All the other years, it was only the big kids who got to see him.  But this year I get to see him, too!"

"Hey, do you remember that one time that I wrestled someone to get you a ball from one of his baseball games?"

"Yeah, I do."  Alvin laughed at the memory, saying, "That man was so surprised that you were so strong!"

Louis walked in front of us, and I absentmindedly smiled at him.  He returned the favor, but when he saw my ankle and the crutches, his grin dropped.  "Whoa, what happened?"  He asked, stopping and kneeling down to take a better look at my injury.

"Hurt it in basketball," I explained. 

"Oh."  He looked up at me,  his expression sending me a look of sympathy.  "Sounds like you had a rough first practice."

"Yeah," I huffed, "tell me about it."

"Does it hurt?"

"Yeah, but it should stop soon."

"Hey, Louis, where are you sitting?" AJ inquired.

"I was just on my way to find Bec," He answered.

"Why don't you sit down here with us?" The little boy requested.  "We've got the best view from here!"

"I don't know, little dude," Louis said doubtfully.  "I promised Becca I'd sit with her..."

"It'll be fine,"  AJ assured him, waving his hand dismissively.  "You can just tell her that you also promised ME the same thing, before you promised her."

"Okay, I'll hang with you, buddy," Louis caved in.  He came and  sat down in between AJ and I.

"So," Lou started, "have you ever met the famous Javier Garcia?"

"Actually, I have," I informed him, recalling my conversation with  Javi earlier.  "In fact, he really likes me."

"Is that so?  How'd you meet him?"

"At one of his baseball games, I wrestled someone to get a baseball that flew into the stands for AJ."  He let out a quick and sudden snort, and I gave him a quizzical look.  "What?"

"I can just imagine you hiking up your sleeves, marching up to someone, and demanding, 'Hey, give me that ball!'"  Louis spoke in a high, squeaky voice to imitate me.  Then, his voice dropped extra low to pretend to be the other person, "'No, I had it first!'  Then, BOOM!  You knee em right in the balls."

"That's kinda like what happened," AJ pitched in.  "After some guy stole the ball from me, she went up to them and yelled at him to give it back.  When he didn't, she kneed him in the spot and THEN punched him in the face.  After that, she tackled him to the ground to get me that ball."

"Wow.  I'm impressed," Louis articulated.

"Anyway," I continued, "I got kicked out of the game, but Javi really liked me, so I still got a picture with him afterwords."

"That's, like, kind of really awesome!"  Lou exclaimed. 

"Yeah, so now he's going to help me get my hat back that that Mr.Sullivan stole."

"The headmaster stole your hat?"  Louis queried.  "What kind of headmaster even does that?"

"I know, right!  I mean, he's an ADULT.  He's supposed to be teaching us NOT to steal."

"How's he gonna get it back for you?"

"He hasn't told me yet.  But I'm ready to have it back.  He's been wearing it all day, though, so I'll have to wash it before I wear it again."

"You might want to sprinkle some holy water on it, too," Louis joked. 

Then, the Mr.Sullivan waltzed out into the middle of the gym floor, still wearing my hat.  Holding his microphone up to his mouth, he shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen!  Boys and girls!  Everyone quiet down, find a seat!"  Slowly but surely, the crowd's loud chatter simmered down into a quiet murmur.  He kept going, "Introducing, Ericson's favorite baseball star, drum roll please..."  All of the students pounded their feet into the bleachers, and the seat I was sitting on started to shake.  "JAVIER GARCIA!"

Javi strutted in through the entrance, and the troubled youths all cheered like crazy (almost as loud as they did for me in the free throw competition).  The athlete waved to his audience like a queen does to her people, giving them a modest grin.  When he spotted me, he winked.  

Javier met with Rob in the middle, and Rob handed him the microphone.  "Hey there, kids!"  Javi greeted.  "How are we today?"  Various answers were shouted back, and he nodded as if he could understand what everyone was saying.  "I'm glad you guys are good!  I'm doing pretty good, myself.  Now, there's one topic that I want to cover straight away.  Do you guys know what  what that is?"

The crowd was quiet other than a few responses from the brave students.  "No, no, not exactly," Javi said, "but good guesses.  What I actually want to talk about is..."  He turned so his back was facing the crowd, then spun back around dramatically, announcing, "Thievery!"

The headmaster gave him a strange look, but said nothing.  Javi continued,  "Who thinks it's bad to steal things?"  Almost everyone raised their hand, other than the handful of people who had been sent to the school for being kleptomaniacs.  "You guys are right.  Stealing is bad.  But, let me ask you this; what would you guys do if I told you that one of the adults here stole something?"

All the little ones' mouths dropped, as if they were shocked that a grown up would ever do such a thing.  Then, he declared, "Well, an adult here has stolen a friend of mine's hat."  Louis nudged me with his elbow.  "Do you guys think you can help me find it?"  

Everybody replied back with an enthusiastic "Yeah!"

I watched the headmaster's color drain from his face as he realized what Javi was trying to do.  

"Okay, then," Javi continued, "I guess I should probably tell you what it looks like.  It has the same logo as my jersey."  He pointed to the "D" on his shirt.  "And it's blue and white."

Robert suddenly turned, hastening toward the exit door.  However, Garcia grabbed hold of his shoulder before he could make it far.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there a second!"  Javi cried dramatically.  "We need your help to find the hat!"

"This is awesome," Louis whispered to me before standing up and shouting, "Don't leave yet, headmaster, sir!   We need your help!"  Everyone above us giggled at his remark.

The baseball player spun Mr.Sullivan around to the crowd, hanging an arm around his shoulder as if they were buddies.  The older, chubbier man just stood there stiffly.  His cheeks were red and puffy with anger and embarrassment.  He was  really sweaty, too, because his sweat stains were slowly expanding around his armpit area.

"Okay, kids!"  Javi chimed.  "Do you guys see her hat anywhere?"

All of the little kids pointed at the headmaster, while the older ones sat back and laughed, like me.  "That's what you get for stealing my fuckin' hat!" I bellowed, knowing he wouldn't be able to hear me over everyone else.  

"Yeah," Louis added, "You don't mess with Clementine!"  He winked at me on the last part.

"Wait!" Javi exclaimed with false shock.  "You're telling me that your HEADMASTER is the one who stole her hat?"

"YES!" Cried the crowd, pointing to my item on Robert's head. 

"Oh!"  Javier quickly swiped it off his head.  "We found it!"  He looked back at me, gesturing for me to come up there with him.  "Will the rightful owner of this hat please come up here and claim what is hers?"

"That's you, Clem!"  AJ proclaimed.  He jumped up and got me one of my crutches, while Louis got the other.  After getting situated on them, I started to make my way over to him.  After my first few steps, I glanced behind me to see that Louis was recording me on my phone.  Smart, I thought.  I'll probably want to see this later. 

  After making it up there, Javi pulled me over to position me next to him, and then plopped my hat on my head.  "There you go, kid," he said just loud enough for me to hear.  

"Thanks again," I told him.  "That was awesome!"

"No problem."  He pointed to a lady in the front row of the bleachers, saying, "Now look at her and smile.  I want to get a good picture of us to remember this." 

I did as I was asked, thanked him again, then went back to my seat.  However, when I got there, Louis was nowhere to be seen.  "Hey AJ," I said, "Where's Louis?"

"He went to the bathroom," AJ filled me in.  "He said he'd probably be out for the rest of the assembly."  Then, leaning in and pulling me close, he whispered, "He probably has the dookies."

"Maybe."  I picked my phone up from off the bench where Louis left it.  I opened up my camera roll, only to be met by dozens of dumb selfies from my old lover.  The surprise made me chuckle a bit.  "I should've known."  

However, when as I scrolled through them, my eyes landed on a photo that I had forgotten I had taken.  The one of Becca with the other man.  My giggling instantly stopped once I realized what might've happened.

Oh no.

"AJ?" I hesitantly inquired. 

"Yeah?"  He answered, only half listening because he was trying to pay attention to whatever Javi was saying. 

"How did Louis seem whenever he left?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, did he seem mad?  Sad?  Maybe both?"

"He had a weird look on his face, but I just thought it was because his stomach hurt."

Shit.  Oh, dear God, how could I have let this happen?

I quickly stood up and balanced on one leg, straining my neck to see if I could see Louis anywhere in the bleachers.  Sure enough, I saw him storming up the stairs, right past Becca.  When she saw how upset he was, she reached out and grabbed his hand to try and stop him.  The angry teen jerked it away, continuing his walk up the stairs.  Becca got up and followed him.  

Violet was sitting in the row behind them, watching this all go down.  When they were both gone, she saw me.  Vi gave me a 'What the hell happened?' look. 

I sent her back a 'Wait a second,' and she nodded.  

"Goofball, I'll be right back," I said to AJ, picking up my crutches again.  

"Where are you going?"  He asked curiously. 

"I think I'm about to get the dookies," I lied.

His expression morphed into a look of disgust.  "Okay, then, say no more.  Shoo."

While Javi continued to give his speech, I got onto both of my crutches and slowly climbed the stairs.  Nobody took much notice of me, though, because they were too focused on what the special guest had to say.  Once I made it to the very top, Violet came to meet me, and we snuck behind the concession stands. 

"Well?"  She rose a brow at me.  

"He saw the picture," I quickly explained, "But he saw it without me."

"Oh, God," Violet mumbled.  "He's going to think you were trying to hide it from him."

"I know."  I took off my hat, running my fingers through my hair.  "Oh, shit.  I fucked up."

"Where did they go, anyway?"  My friend asked.  I shrugged my shoulders.  

Just then, I heard the door to the concession stand slam shut.  It made both me and Violet jump.  

"Louis!  Stop!  Just tell me what's wrong!"  Becca's pleads could be heard through the walls, but they were barely audible due to the assembly happening below us and thickness of the concrete between us.   

"Speak of the devil," uttered Vi.  I put my fingers to my lips, telling her to shush.  We both pressed our ears against the stand, straining them to hear more of what was going on.

"Look me in the eye and tell me your not cheating on me,"  Louis demanded, his voice sharp.

"What?"  Becca asked innocently.

"Tell me your not seeing someone else," Louis repeated.

"Did someone tell you that I was?"  The cheater started.  "Because if they did, they are ly-"

"Damn it, Rebecca, just tell me the fucking truth!" Louis snapped.  

"I'm not cheating on you!"  She blurted out.  

It was silent for a minute.  "What do you think is happening?"  I asked Violet.

"I don't know," She responded. 

Then, their fight continued; "Liar," Louis said in disbelief.  "You liar."

"I'm not lying!"  Becca claimed.  "How could you ever think I would do something like that to you?"

"I didn't think you would do something like that," he admitted, his voice falling.  "But I have proof, Bec.  I saw the picture."

"The picture?"

"Look."  

He must have sent it to himself.

Becca was silent.  

"Are you still going to lie to me?"  Louis said, his voice sounding weaker than it had before.  "And don't try telling me that's not you."

"I'm sorry,"  Becca apologized.  I could hear the shame in her tone. "Okay?  I'm so, so sorry."  

It was quiet for a long time before Lou spoke again.  "Why?"

"What?"

"Why?  What did I do?"

"Nothing,"  Becca answered regretfully.  "It's more of what you didn't do."  She waited for him to say something, but when she realized he wasn't, she kept going, "I was bored, Lou.  Physically.  I was just ready to experience what it was like.  The most you've ever done is let me kiss you."

"I was the first one who accepted you here,"  Louis told her.  "When everyone else thought you were crazy after you came, I offered to be your friend.  I was the one made sure to you weren't sitting alone at lunch.  I was the one who took care of you when you were sick. I was the one who let you cry on my shoulders when you were upset."  He took a long, deep breath.  "And this is how you repay me?"  His voice cracked, and I could tell he was really hurting.  When he's trying to hold back tears, his voice breaks all over the place.  

"Louis, we'll get past this,"  She assured him. Her panic was obvious. "C'mon, we've had fights before.  We'll get through it."  

I carefully moved around the side of the small building, and Violet followed me.  I made it to a window, and slyly peeked inside to see what was going on.  Vi did the same.  You could just barely make them out since the lights in the room were off.

He was leaned up against a wall, his arms crossed.  Becca was standing next to him, her hand on his cheek, trying to convince him that it would all be all right.

"I'm sorry,"  Becca kept saying, starting to cry.  "I'm sorry, it was a mistake."

Louis was shedding a few tears, too.  He refused to look her in the eye.

"Louis, please, at least look at me!"  Becca begged. 

"I can't do this," he said, looking at the ground.  "I can't trust you."

"I'll change!"

"I just..."  Louis finally looked at her, his face sullen.  "I think we need to break up."  

My eyes widened, and I looked I Violet.  She looked shocked, too.

"What?"

"We're through."

"Louis-"

"We're done, Becca!"   The pain in his voice broke my heart.

"Please, don't do this!"  Becca beseeched.  

"Go."  Louis pointed toward the door.  "I can't do this right now."  He turned his back on her and sat down  on of the cashiers chairs.

Becca reluctantly trudged toward the exit, wiping her running mascara.  Seeing the both of them like this actually made me feel kind of guilty.

Vi and I scampered back behind the concession stand before she could see us.  Once we were behind them, we just stared at each other, unsure of what to do next.

"I... I can't help but feel kinda bad," I admitted.

"Don't," She told me.  "It had to happen eventually."

"But not that way," I countered.  I peeked around the corner to watch as Becca went into the girls bathroom.  "What now?"

"You should talk to him."

I turned back around to her.  "Are you sure that's a good idea?  His broken heart is still really fresh."

"You owe him an explanation as to why you didn't tell him,"  Violet said, justifying her suggestion.  She pointed to the door, ordering, "Now go, get in there."

"Are you 100% sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."  She started to walk off back toward the bleachers.  "Good luck in there."

After Violet went back to her seat, I turned back  to the building.  Taking a deep breath, I walked around to the front of the door.  Okay, Clementine,  I told myself, this is going to be tough seeing him like this.  Like when Marlon died.  Just hold it together.

I stood in front of the door, debating on whether or not I should actually go in.  Yes, you should, I decided.  Then, without giving me time to chicken out, I twisted the door knob and walked in.  

"Louis?"  

He still sat in the chair, holding his head in his hands.  I went and sat down in the chair next to his, tired from standing on my crutches for so long.  Louis didn't look up.

I didn't say anything.  I wanted him to speak first.

Finally, he did.  "Where you planning on telling me that you caught my girlfriend cheating on me?"  He asked bitterly.

"Yeah," I told him, "I was just waiting for the right time."  

"Was this that 'thing' you needed to tell me?"

"Yes."

He actually snorted a little.  "This is not what I was expecting."

"Well, what were you expecting?"

"I don't know.  I thought that maybe you were going to want me to help me set you up with Mitch or something, I guess."

"What?" I asked, puzzled.  "Why in the WORLD would I want that?"

"Hey, he's a catch," Louis claimed, his normal self peeking through a little bit. "All the girls want him.  And he likes you.  Y'know, LIKE likes you.  Frankly, I'm surprised you two aren't dating."  However, after he mentioned that, his normal self shriveled back up again.  "Becca was a real catch, too."

I didn't know how to respond to that.  Silence settled between us.

Eventually, I said, "I'm sorry you had to find the picture yourself."

"It's fine,"  Louis mumbled glumly.  Suddenly, he lifted his head and asked, "How'd you get that picture, anyway?"

"The janitor and I have history," I told him, "and I was visiting him when I heard some, erm, strange noises from the music room."

"Oh."  He put his head back down.

I sat in my chair awkwardly, unsure of how to comfort him.  "I'm sorry that this happened."

"Me too."  A minute or so ticked by without either of us saying a word.  He turned to look at me, and I realized that he was crying again.  His nose was running, and his eyes were red and glossy.  "Why do you think she did it?"  He quietly asked.

"I have no clue."

He wiped his runny nose.  "I'm not enough."

"What?"  I scooted my chair closer to his.  "Of course you were good enough!  How could you even say that?"

"She said she was 'bored,'" he remembered, using air quotations.  "Am I boring?"

"Oh, believe me,  you are the opposite of boring."

"I don't deserve her."  He was looking off over my shoulder, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

"Louis-"

"She's too good for me."

Does he really think this lowly of himself?  In that moment, I didn't care that this wasn't the same Louis I had known in the apocalypse.  I took one of his hands in both of mind, instantly pulling him back to reality.  He looked at our hands, then back up at me, surprised by my action.  "Louis, is that really what you think of yourself?"

He downcast his chocolate eyes from mine.  That was enough of an answer for me.

"Lou, I need you to trust me when I say this; you are AMAZING.  You're smart, funny, kind.  You've got the biggest damn heart I know, and one of the most beautiful voices.  You're not boring; you're charming, charismatic,  and theatrical.  Entertaining is another word that comes to mind."  I couldn't help but smile at his old quote.  "You're enough, Louis.  You're more than enough.  And if Becca can't see that, it's her own loss."

I could feel my own eyes tearing up. I hated knowing that he felt this way. I hated Becca for making him feel this way. I just wished that I could take away his pain.

Louis was staring at me intently, his eyes boring into mine.  I didn't break our eye contact, though.  I figured if I held it, it might show him that I really meant what I was saying.  I subconsciously  squeezed his hand between mine.

He took his other hand, placing it on top of mine.  I could feel all of my butterflies inside my stomach flutter.

I searched his eyes, looking for some kind of emotion.  I found pain, loss, and sorrow.  However, as I searched deeper, I found something else, too; hope, lust.  Love.  They were looking really similar to the same ones on the old Louis.  In fact, almost identical.

He moved in closer.  I felt myself being drawn toward him.  

His eyes closed.  Mine did, too.

We're getting closer.  

Closer.  

Closer.

At the first touch of our lips, I forget where I am.  I forget everything that's happened since the day I died.  The pain in my ankle dissolves, and so do my butterflies.  This is just me, with the same old Louis.

The kiss is gentle, yet filled with passion.  We party briefly for air, then gingerly come back together again.  He moved one of his hands to caress the side of my cheek, softly stroking my cheekbone with his thumb.  Like the old Louis.

I place my hand on his chest, loosely gripping his shirt.  Just like I used to do.

The kiss feels so natural, as if we've done this before.  I savor the moment.  I've missed this.

Suddenly, I feel his eyes flutter open mid kiss.  He dropped his hand, and I pulled away. Louis just sat there blinking, looking astounded at what just happened.

"Whoa,"  He uttered.  "I... I don't know why I just did that."

I study him.  He's staring at the floor, looking confused.  Frankly, I was, too.  Why did he kiss me?  I know him, but he doesn't really know me.  Maybe we just have natural chemistry?

"I feel better," Louis thought out loud.  "I felt like shit a minute ago, and know I feel... I don't know.  But it's better."

"Good."

"Sorry if that was weird," he said, fiddling with his thumbs.  "I don't usually kiss people within my first 72 hours of knowing them."

"It wasn't," I assured him.  You know what?  Might as well tell how I feel while we're here.  "In fact, it was kind of nice."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I liked it, too."

We both stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to do next.  

"It's weird, I feel like we've done that before," he told me.

"Oh really?  Probably just because I've had lots of practice," I chaffed, hoping to make things less awkward.

"Damn, then, I guess I've been swept off my feet by a player," he played along.  

"What can ya do?" I teased, shrugging and tilting my head.  

"Maybe kiss you again," he tried, "to make sure being swept off my feet is worth it for you."

"Maybe."

He grinned, leaning in again, this time fully aware of what he was doing.  

AN: Aloha.  Sorry for the wait.  It's finally summer, so hopefully that means more time for me to write. 

I think there will only be about 3-5 chapters of this left.  We're getting ready to wrap it up, folks!

Anyway, tell me what your favorite part of the story was, and let me know if you want to see any characters added in.  

Tell me all of your thoughts!

Chapter Text

Hello!

Just wanted to say a few things real quick:

1.) I've decided that I'm going to post the rest of the story once I've finished it.  I'm not sure how long this will take; it depends on how much time I have to write this summer.  I promise I'll work on it as much as possible, and I'm pretty sure it will be finished by the end of the summer, maybe sooner.  I just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't abandoned it!

2.) I want to take a second to thank everyone for all of your sweet comments!  I promise I read each and every one.  Those things are what motivates me to write, and what reassures me people are actually reading my work.  Thank you!

3.) If you want to see a character included before the end, let me know ASAP!  It'll be hard to add them in after I finish the chapters, so if possible, I would like to know BEFORE I write them.  If you do have a character you would like to be added, message me with who and what roll you would like them to have.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

That's about it, folks.  I promise I'll try to be quick!  Thank you for your patience!  :)

Chapter Text

Louis's POV

"Damn, I'd give an eyeball for a chicken nugget right now." Violet stared at her bowl of stew, stirring it mindlessly.

"Well, I'm sorry I can't provide that for you," Omar replied, a bit of sass in his tone.

"I didn't mean it to offend you. I just really want some chicken nuggets."

It was unusually quiet at the dinner table that night. It was nearing the one month mark for Clementine's death; AJ had been counting. Exactly 29 days ago, it was Clementine's last day alive. And she didn't even know it.

Thinking of her, I glanced back at our old table, where we used to sit. After Marlon died (and after I let go of my grudge against her), Clem, Vi, Aasim, Ruby and I would always sit there together for dinner. My chair would be pulled up to the edge of the table, and Clem would be one side, Vi on the other. Ruby went after my girlfriend, and across from Ruby sat Aasim.

My eyes wandered to the table across from that, where Brody and Marlon sat with Mitch, Willy, and Tenn. Then, my eyes drifted to the couch, where the twins would usually eat their meal.

"Watcha lookin' at, Lou?" Ruby asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I spun my head back around, startled by the sudden break in the silence. "What?"

"You've been staring behind you for a while. What is it?"

"I'm just thinking," I claimed.

"About what?" Vi questioned.

"About where everyone used to sit," I answered bluntly. It went silent again, so I decided to fill the silence with my thoughts. "We all fit at one table now."

"...Yeah, we do," Aasim observed, eyeing me dubiously.

"It didn't used to be this way," I continued. "We used to spread out all over this whole courtyard." I looked around at the people eating with me; AJ, Violet, Willy, Minerva, Tenn, Ruby, and Aasim. That was it. That was all that was left. "And now there's only seven of us."

"That's better than nothing, right?" Minnie spoke.

I couldn't help but glare at her. "We would have more than this if it weren't for your people."

I saw her shoulders slump, and both Tenn and Violet gave me a dirty look. I pretended not to notice.

"They're not her people anymore," AJ commented.

I rolled my eyes at that. Lately, he had been taking her side on things a lot more. It was really starting to get on my nerves.

"Don't need your input on this, AJ," I told him.

Silence settled between us again, the only sound being the rusty spoons scraping against our bowls.

Eventually, AJ broke the quiet. "I think we should bury Clem."

 It took a few seconds for any of us to respond.  The statement threw me for a loop.  Finally, Tenn said, "We already have a cross for her in the grave yard. Isn't that enough?"

"No," he replied stubbornly. "I want her here, close to me, always."

"She is," Aasim piped in. "Just because her body is not here doesn't mean she's not here watching over you."

"No, she's not here watching over me," Alvin Junior declared. "She's somewhere else."

Everyone wore a quizzical expression at his claim, and I quickly covered, "Heaven, y'know?"

The kids nodded in understanding. AJ didn't get it, but he didn't push it. He continued, "I would just be happier with her here."

"I don't know, AJ," Violet voiced regretfully. "Her body is probably decaying, and there will be grass and weeds growing all over her. Seeing her like that might be, well... painful."

"I don't care," the little tot swore. "I want her here."

"AJ-"

"I'm not changing my mind," he cut her off.

"AJ, think about this," Minnie pitched in. "How are you going to bring her back here?"

"I'll use a wheel barrow," he stated.

"What if there are bugs crawling in her eyeballs?" Willy asked.

"It'll be fine," AJ assured him.

"I don't think we should," Violet told him.

"Aw, come on, please?" AJ begged. "Pretty please?"

Vi sighed, pointing to me and saying, "It's up to Louis."

AJ turned to me then, flashing me his best puppy dog eyes. My own eyes widened, not expecting to be the one to make the call. "Why do I have to decide?" I whined.

"He's basically your kid," my blonde friend reasoned, "And Clem was your girlfriend."

I cracked my knuckles and looked up to the sky, debating on whether or not we should go through the trouble to get her here. "Louis, please," AJ was saying, "It would mean so much to me."

"Alright, fine," I consented. "Tomorrow morning, we'll go check the condition of her body. If we can, we'll bring her back here and give her a proper burial."

"Okay," AJ breathed. "Good."

"I'll go with you," Willy volunteered.

"Okay, anyone else?" I asked.

"How about Minnie?" AJ suggested. I gave him a, 'Why would you say that?' look. He just shrugged.

"I'll go," Minnie agreed.

"Fine. Will you go too, Vi?"

"Sure," she agreed.

"Okay. Is there anyone else who is willing to come?"

"No, the rest of us should stay back to help with chores," Ruby said.

 After that, it was settled; the next morning Violet, Minnie, Willy, AJ and I would bring Clementine back home.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I was not very happy when AJ woke me up the next morning at the crack of dawn. He practically dragged me out of bed, to where Minnie, Violet, and Willy were waiting at the gates for us.

"Wake up, sleepy head!" Willy was already bounding with energy, bouncing over to me and jumping to try and tap the top of my head. "Wake! Up!"

"I'm awake," I assured him, turning his shoulders to go bounce in the other direction. He hopped away like a kangaroo, and AJ followed him. Yawning, I asked, "Why is he so hyper?"

"I gave him a piece of candy that I found to keep him awake," Violet explained. "I didn't think it would make him like this, though."

"At least he'll keep the rest of us awake, I guess," I said, trying to be positive. 

"Yeah, but he'll also have to keep quiet," Minnie added. "There's more walkers then usual around here because of the boat explosion.

"Oh, right." I whistled to get Willy's attention, then motioned for both him and AJ to come to me. "Okay, boys, we need to be super ninja quiet today, okay? There's way more walkers than usual, and we don't want to attract any of them. Got it?"

"Got it!" Willy whispered enthusiastically.

"Ninja," AJ under toned, karate chopping the air.

I chuckled at that, then turned to the two girls. "Are we ready?"

"I think so," Minnie said.

I pushed open the gates, gritting my teeth once I heard its creaks again. "Okay, then, let's go."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Violet and Minnie walked in front of me, their fingers laced together. Minerva said something, and Vi burst out laughing, playfully pushing her girlfriend to the side. As much as I resented the twin, I had to admit, I was glad she was making my other friend happy.

Willy walked behind us, one of the schools old bows in hand. He was on high alert, probably because of the sugar. He would flinch at every little noise, drawing his bow up and into shooting position every five seconds. He'd be a lot more useful if he was always like this.

AJ had Clementine's old knife with him, and he was riding in the wheel barrow I pushed. We didn't talk very much. Partly because we were both tired, and also because I didn't know what to say. I filled the empty quiet with my humming to make it less awkward. I hummed the same tune that I sang to Clem as she was dying.

Suddenly, AJ spoke. "How did you leave her body?"

"I laid her down, and folded her hands on her chest," I answered. "Same way we did with Mitch."

"Why do you leave bodies like that?"

"It supposed to make it look like they're at peace. Like they're resting."

"Oh." He stared at the dagger in his hands, slowly running his finger along the blade. "I'm kind of excited to see her. And scared. Not, like, scared of her, but..."

"Nervous?" I tried.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that your scared of how she will look, or how you'll feel when you see her."

"Nervous," AJ repeated. "Yeah, I think I'm nervous to see her."

"Just be ready," I told him encouragingly. "Know that she's not going to look the way that she used to."

"How will she look?"

"For starters, she's not going to be NEAR as beautiful as she was."

"Why not?"

"Well, she's going to be really pale. And her face-" I grimaced, remembering Violet ramming her meat cleaver into Clem's head. "Her face is going to look a little gross. Vi had to use her cleaver to make sure Clem didn't turn into a monster."

"Oh." He turned to me, saying, "That's more of a reason to bury her, then. That way no one ever has to see her like that."

"I guess you're right, kiddo," I concurred.

Soon, we could hear the sounds of the river. "We're almost there," Violet called back to the rest of us.

AJ craned his neck upwards, scanning the grass for her corpse. "She was closer to the river," I informed him.

Willy caught up with AJ and I, and we moved closer to the water.

"Is that her?" I heard Minnie ask. She pointed ahead of her, but I couldn't really see what she was pointing at because the grass was to tall.

"I think it is," replied Violet. She walked closer, pulling Minnie along with her. "Yeah, that's her alri- WHAT THE FUCK!"

Violet's shout rang through out the woods, and Minerva slapped a hand over the blonde's mouth, shushing her. "The walkers!" Minnie reminded her.

"What is it?" AJ asked worriedly, quickly hopping out of the wheel barrow. He started to walk over there, but stopped when Violet held up a hand.

"Stay there for a minute," she ordered. "Louis, come over here."

"What happened?" Inquired Willy.

"It's probably nothing," I assured him. "You two stay here a minute."

I hesitantly made my way over to the girls, preparing myself for the worst. At the sight of corpse, I almost threw up.

Clementine's arms were gone. Her legs, too. But it was clear that they didn't decompose naturally. No, they were cut off. The grass beneath her was still stained red from the blood.

"What-" I put my fist to my mouth, attempting to keep last night's dinner inside of me. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know," Vi answered, getting down to inspect what was left of Clem. "God. Who would just come and chop the limbs off of a dead person?"

"She doesn't even look like Clementine any more," I said, taking in her severed face and the empty space where her arms and legs used to be. "This is just... I don't even know. Absurd!"

"Gross!" Willy's voice sounded from beside me. I whipped my head around to see him and AJ staring at her in shock.

"We told you to wait over there!" Violet scolded.

Suddenly, AJ doubled over, vomit spewing from his mouth. I rushed to his side, rubbing his back while it all came out.

"It's okay, buddy," I cooed. "Get it all out."

Once he was done, he rose back up, looking at her body with a pained expression. "You told me you folded her hands on her chest." He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "And her hands aren't even there!"

"I did fold them, nice and neat," I promised. "I don't know how this happened, or who did this."

"Or why," Minnie added. "This is just sick."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm thinking we probably shouldn't bury her," said Willy.

"It's up to AJ," I told them. All of us looked to the tot.

"I don't want to bury her," he decided. "Not like this."

We stared at her body a moment longer, still in shock. I mean, why the FUCK would someone do that?

"Maybe an animal got her?" Guessed Willy. "Or the walkers?"

"If that had happened, her arms and legs would still be there, just in shreds," Minnie asserted. "This could have only been done with an ax or a machete."

"You don't think it was James..." I tried.

"Of course not!" AJ exclaimed, appalled that I would even suggest such a thing. "He was our friend!"

"I just thought maybe he needed new skin for his little costume, maybe," I said. All of them glared at me, and I held up my hands defensively. "Okay! It wasn't James."

"I can't look at her like this," Violet mumbled, standing up and walking away to sit on a tree stump. Minnie followed her.

"I'll keep watch," Willy volunteered, turning with his bow drawn.

AJ just sat and stared at her body, seemingly emotionless. He didn't exactly seem sad. He wore more of a confused look.

"Whatcha thinking about?" I asked him.

"Why someone would do this," AJ answered. "And who that someone is." He scrunched his nose up. "She stinks. Smells like a walker."

"Yeah, most dead things do."

"I really miss her." I could hear a hint of emotion in his voice this time, and when I looked to his face, I saw some, too. Sadness. Grief.

"I do, too," I empathized. "So, so much."

"I don't want to leave her here. No one should have to see her like this. But I also don't want to bury only half of her."

"We could cremate her," I thought out loud.

"What's cremate?"

"Burn, pretty much. We could burn her old body, and then we could put her ashes in our room, if you want."

"What's ashes?"

"It's what things become after they completely burn. It's almost like dirt."

"I think I want to do that," Alvin determined. "So she won't have to be this ugly anymore."

I let out a small laugh at his bluntness.

"My grandma grew a rose bush out of my grandpa's ashes," Violet pitched in from her stump. "He gave her a rose every year on their anniversary, so it was kind of a symbolic thing. Maybe we could do something like that with Clem's ashes."

"We could grow a Clementine tree!" Willy declared.

"A tree that looks like Clementine?" AJ inquired.

"No, a tree that grows clementines, like the fruit," I explained. "Have you ever had one before?"

"No."

"Have you ever had an orange?"

"I think I have, once."

"Well that's what they taste like."

"I actually know of a clementine tree, about five miles that way," Minerva claimed, pointing west of us. "It'll take a few hours to get there, though."

"It'll be worth it," I said. "What do you think, AJ? Should we grow a tree for Clem?"

"Yeah," he agreed, "I think she would like that." He frowned at her body, sighing. "I guess we have to burn her now."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked, crouching down to be eye level with him.

"I'm sure. Now let's cre-cre-" AJ looked to me for help with the word.

"Cremate," I reminded him.

"Let's cremate her."

Willy and the girls came back to stand by us, and Violet pulled out her lighter. However, as she was about to touch it's flame to Clem, she hesitated. "Should we, um, say anything? Y'know, like we would at a funeral?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I guess we can."

"Okay then, I guess I'll start." Violet took a deep breath, then said, "It really sucks that this happened to you. Thanks for being one of my best friends while you were here, and I hope that by doing this you and your body can finally have peace." She looked to Willy, and he cleared his throat.

"You were so awesome," Willy began, "And those people who killed you were real dick heads. So were the people who cut off your arms and legs. If you're a ghost or something, tell us who did it so we can get revenge. Okay, I'm done. Louis?"

"Watched your kid for you," I said, remembering the day we first met, "And I still am. I'm going to be watching him a long, long time, just like I promised you I would. I wish you were here, and I miss you every day. I hope you're happy where ever you are, and I can't wait until the day I get to see you again." I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, making sure I didn't lose control of my emotions.

"Do you want to say anything, Minnie?" AJ asked.

"Is it okay if I do?" She queried, making eye contact with me.

"If you want," I said.

She seemed surprised that I had agreed.  Actually, I myself was surprised, too.

  "So," she started, "I didn't know you very well, but everyone else here did. And it sounds like they all loved you. I guess I just want to say that I'm sorry for this; I mean, it's partly my fault you're not here. I hope you can forgive me, and I wish you well wherever you are."

Finally, it was AJ's turn. He spoke as if he were talking to her over the phone. "We're about to burn you, but we're gonna turn you into a tree, so don't be mad. You'll look a lot prettier then than you do now. Sorry that you're legs and arms aren't there anymore. I miss you and love you. Bye, Clem."

We all took a moment of silence, staring at her body for the last time. "Are you ready?" Violet asked.

"Ready," AJ replied. "Do it."

Then, Vi lit her shirt on fire, and we watched as the rest of her corpse burned into dust.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

"Now I can say that I have Clementine in the palm of my hand," I said to Violet, staring at my girlfriend's ashes as I let them slide back down my fingers back into the bag we were keeping them in. "Literally in the palm of my hand."

"If she knew that you were making jokes about her ashes, she would probably smack you," Vi told me as she pushed the wheel barrow. "I'd like to see that."

"Or she would say, 'Oh, Louis, you already had me in the palm of your hand!'" I countered, making my voice dramatically high to imitate her. "Or maybe just laugh at my joke."

"No, she would definitely smack you," Vi said matter of factly. "If anything, she had YOU in the palm of HER hand."

"Yeah, you're right about that one," I admitted. I gazed at bag once again, trying to wrap my brain around the fact that it was Clem in there. Just a small, dusty handful of Clementine. I bit my lip, hating that this was all she was now.

"I haven't had fruit in forever," Violet suddenly spoke, interrupting my thoughts. "Maybe we can get Omar to make some juice out of the clementines."

"Yeah, maybe." I glanced behind us to Willy, AJ, and Minnie. She was teaching them some song with hand motions and all that jazz. AJ was smiling, though, so he was having fun. "AJ and Minnie are really hitting it off, aren't they?"

"They are," Vi agreed, also taking a look at them. "I'm glad."

I didn't respond.

"Come on, Lou. You have to forgive her at some point."

"I will," I stated. "I just need time. AJ has been helping, though. Even though it really annoys me when he does, he's helping."

"I've noticed that he's been spending a lot more time with her," Violet commented. "Why does he have this sudden interest in her?"

"Who knows?"

"Huh. Interesting." We were both silent for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of nature and enjoying each others company. Suddenly, Violet asked, "Do you think she's watching over us?" Her voice was quiet and timid, the way it first was when she came to Ericson. She rubbed the back of her neck, seeming embarrassed that the thought had crossed her mind.

"I mean, I'm not sure," I admitted.

"Sorry, it was a dumb question," she uttered, her voice trailing off.

"No, it wasn't a dumb question," I assured her. "What made you think of it?"

"I just..." She took a deep breath, lightly kicking a pebble with her boot as she passed it. "When my grandma died, I could feel her with me. I would just get the sense that I wasn't in the room alone, even when I was, y'know? Same thing when the kids at the school died. I wouldn't get the feeling as often, but every once in a while, a draft of air would send chills down my spine, and I knew that someone was there with me. Maybe, I don't know, checking up on me. Eventually, though, the feeling goes away. After a couple weeks, the dead leave, for good."

"Mhmm," I voiced to show her I was listening.

"The thing is, I never felt that with Clementine after she died. Not once. Not when I was with AJ, with you, or with anyone. She's just never been here."

I was quiet for a moment as I absorbed all of this information.

"I might be a little crazy," Vi remarked, "But I swear I get that feeling shortly after someone dies. And it just didn't happen with her."

"What about when we thought the twins were dead? Did you feel anything then?"

"No. I thought that since I wasn't related to them, it wouldn't happen. A couple weeks later, though, the sense came again."

"Sophie," I realized, and she nodded.

"Didn't you ever feel it?" She asked. "With anyone?  How about Marlon?  I mean, Marlon was your best friend. If I could tell when he was here, surely you could, too."

"I felt something, but I didn't know what it was."

"Well now you do." We were silent a for a good few minutes, before Violet spoke again. "Why do you think we're not feeling Clem?"

"I..." I hesitated, debating on whether I should tell her about AJ and Clem's "visiting." She might call us crazy, or liars. But she trusts us, right? She trusts me?   "I think she's alive, somewhere else. But not like as a spirit or anything."

She arched her brow, looking at me dubiously. "Would you mind elaborating on that?"

"AJ told me that he had a visiting the other day, while he was sleeping. He said he talked to Clementine, and that she said she was somewhere else. A different place, with no walkers."

"How do you know that it wasn't just a dream? A way for him to cope with his loss?"

"I thought it was just a dream, too, until AJ told me that she wanted to say, 'Thank you for singing me away.'"

Her head shot up at that, her mouth twisted in confusion. "How did he know about that?"

"He didn't."

She was quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Finally, she asked, "Where could she be?"

"I don't know. But I don't think it's the 'spirit world' or anything. I just don't know."

"Hey, there's the tree!" Minerva suddenly exclaimed. We turned to where she pointed, and sure enough, a great, giant clementine tree stood tall to our left. AJ and Willy broke off from the group, sprinting towards the fruit. Minnie followed them, jogging close behind to make sure they didn't get hurt.

"We can talk about this later," I said to Vi, and she nodded. "Maybe after we plant the seeds and eat till we puke."

"Sounds like a good idea," agreed Violet.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

AJ held the clementine in his hand as if it were a foreign object, pinching it with his thumb and index finger. He brought it close to his nose and sniffed, his nose scrunching when it caught the citrus scent. "This smells funny."

"It may smell funny, but it tastes good," I promised, eagerly peeling a clementine of my own. I dug my fingernails through it's skin, my parched mouth growing dryer at the thought of its juices. After I got it peeled, I split it in half and popped a piece into my mouth. "Oh my Godddd. I forgot how much I loved oranges."

Vi and Willy took a bite of theirs, both moaning with satisfaction.

"The Delta and I used to come here all the time," Minnie claimed, taking a slice out of her clementine and casually eating it. "I'm surprised you guys didn't know about it."

"I wish we had," I remarked. "Then we wouldn't have gone to bed hungry so many nights."

AJ looked around at all of us eating our fruit, then back to the food that he held in his hand. Taking a deep breath, he plunged his teeth into the clementine, skin and all. Almost instantly, the tot jerked his head back, coughing and spitting.

"Eww!" AJ cried, his face scrunched in disgust. "That tastes gross!"

Willy and I burst out laughing, and Violet chuckled.

"You're supposed to peel it first, AJ," Minerva calmly explained, giggling from the event.

"Here, get a new one and give it to me. I peel it for you," I offered, still laughing.

Alvin Junior picked up a different clementine and brought it to me, where I peeled it and gave it to him. He plucked off a piece of it and held it in his hands, looking hesitant to eat it.

"Trust me," I assured him, "It'll be better this time."

Hearing that, he put the slice in his mouth and took a bite. His eyes widened when he got the taste of what it was REALLY supposed to taste like. He quickly shoved another three pieces into his mouth. "These are good," he voiced through a full mouth.

"Yeah, especially when you don't eat the skin," I teased him, ruffling his hair as he swallowed and stuffed his face even more.

We all sat silently for a few minutes, enjoying the fruit and the shade the tree provided us to escape the hot sun. No other sound could be heard other than the occasional distant walker moan and the crunch of the oranges between our teeth.

Once we were done, we all sat in the grass, waiting for our food to digest. Patting my stomach, I said, "Thank God her name wasn't Cantaloupe."

All of the kids gave me strange looks, with the exception of Violet, who just rolled her eyes.

"Why would that be a bad thing?" Minnie asked.

"Dude, I fuckin' HATE cantaloupe." The thought of it of it made me cringe. "That shit is disgusting!"

"Well, 'Cantaloupe' is not a very common name, so I really doubt you'll have to worry about planting a cantaloupe tree in honor of someone," Violet theorized.

"Actually, that was Mitch's favorite fruit," Willy remembered. "Hey, why don't we plant one for him?"

"If I ever see one of those things again, I will throw up," I told him. "But maybe we could plant something else for him. Like flowers or something."

"What do you think would represent him best?" Vi asked Willy.

He pondered on that for a moment, before finally answering, "A cactus."

"A cactus?" AJ questioned.

"Yeah, it's like a prickly plant," Willy explained. "And they don't need to be watered a lot. They're tough, just like Mitch was."

"We're probably not going to find a cactus anywhere near here," I pointed out, "But if we ever do, we'll plant it for him."

"What kind of plant am I?" AJ inquired to no one in particular.

The group was quiet for a moment as we thought about this. Finally, I answered, "I think you'd be a sunflower."

"What's that?"

"It's a yellow flower that grows really, really tall. You're growing, too, in brains, height, skill, everything. Plus, it's yellow, which I think is a good color for you."

"I can see that," Vi agreed.

"What about me?" Willy asked.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "Maybe a banana tree?"

"Why a banana tree?" Minnie questioned.

Smirking, I answered, "Because he's absolutely bananas."

Willy playfully punched me in the arm, countering, "No, you're bananas!"

"No, I'm not bananas. I'm..." I put my hand on my chin, wondering what kind of plant I would be.  "I don't know. Help me out here, Vi."

"You'd probably be an ever green tree," she said. "The pine needles can be annoying as heck, but it at least smells good and makes pine cones. Kind of like how you can be super obnoxious, but at least you've got a good heart and make people happy.

"I accept this," I affirmed. "Vi, you would be-"

"A violet. Duh," the blonde teen interrupted.

"Oh, right," I agreed, playfully smacking myself in the head. Imitating her voice, I said, "Duh, Louis."

That managed to make her crack a small smile.

I leaned against the clementine tree, stretching and yawning. AJ leaned his head on my shoulder, rubbing his eyes.

"What do you say we take a quick nap before we go?" I suggested, noticing everyone's droopy eye lids.

"I like that idea," Willy responded, allowing his body to flop on the grass.

"I can stay awake," Violet volunteered. "I'm not tired."

"The circles under your eyes say otherwise," I countered with her. "Go ahead and sleep. I'll keep watch."

"You two can sleep," Minerva told us.

"No, I'm staying awake," Vi declared stubbornly. "No offense, Lou, but I don't really trust you to not fall asleep on us."

"That's fair," I agreed. "But if you do get tired, wake me up, okay?"

"Okay."

Violet got up and moved against a tree that was across from me. Minnie sat next to her, leaning her head up against the tree and closing her eyes.

I looked at Willy, who laid sprawled out on the forest floor. His chest slowly moved up and down, up and down. The sugar is finally wearing off.

AJ's head was laying on my shoulder, and was slowly sliding down. I gently put his head in my hand to help guide it down to my lap, so he could use my legs as a pillow. He nuzzled his face into my jeans, and I rested my hand on his big fluff ball of hair. Soon, he was softly snoring, exhausted from getting up so early and making the walk here.

Before I closed my eyes, I looked back to Violet, who was peeling open another clementine. She made eye contact with me. "Rest," she whispered.

I nodded, leaned my head back, and allowed myself to doze off for a little while.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

The sun had shifted, and just so happened to be in a spot where its light shone directly on my face. Annoyed, I fluttered my eyes opened, immediately being blinded by the glare.

I held my hand up to shield my eyes, then checked AJ and Willy to see if they were still asleep. Both of them were still snoring quietly, sleeping like babies.

I looked across from me to where Vi and Minnie had been sitting, but they weren't there. I craned my neck to look behind the tree, and I saw the two girls standing there, looking at something in the sky.

I gingerly lifted AJ's head and laid it on the ground, careful not to wake him. After that, I quietly stood up and tip toed over to the other half of my group. Now that I was standing, I could see what they were looking at; smoke.

"Where is that coming from?" I whispered, coming up from behind them.

Both of them jumped when they heard me, but relaxed when they realized who it was. "I don't know," Violet answered. "It just started a few minutes ago."

"It's not a forest fire, is it?"

"No, it's not," said Minnie. "It looks like it's coming from a little camp fire."  The smoke was rising up steadily, but it didn't look like it was spreading.

"It's probably just James," I told them.

"You can't be too sure," Violet stated. "I'll go check it out."

"I'll go with you," I said. "Minnie, you mind staying here and watching the kids?"

"I will," she agreed, seeming pleased that I had actually spoken to her. Vi looked surprised that I had, too.

We walked back to where the boys were sleeping. I grabbed Chairless, and Violet grabbed her meat cleaver. "Alright, I'm ready," I quietly announced. "If they ask where we are, tell them I had to take a piss."

"Um, okay," Minnie replied.

"Alrightly. Let's go, Vi."

Violet gave Minnie a quick peck on the lips, then turned back to me. "Lets go."

==

We quietly made our way towards the smoke, both of us on high alert. We came across a few walkers, but they were easy to take out.

"I feel like we're chasing the end of the rainbow," I thought out loud. "Every time I think we're getting close to the campfire, it's as if it just backs up."

"We've been walking for five minutes, Louis," Violet retorted, doing that famous eye roll of hers.

"Well there better be a pot of gold waiting for us when we get there."

Suddenly, another voice yelled, "Danny, shut the fuck up and eat, would ya?"

Violet and I froze.

Then, a different voice yelled back, "I told you it was too old!"

My friend and I made eye contact, unsure of what to do.

The first voice came back angrier, "Well I don't see you findin' us any meals!"

"Zip it, asshole! The walkers will hear ya!"

Their voices suddenly got a thousand times quieter, to where we could hear them but couldn't understand what they were saying.

Violet started to walk in the directing of the voices, signalling for me to follow her. I did.

As we got closer, I could make out what they were saying again:

"Well, I've got to say, you did cook it well. Nice and tender."  They were speaking a lot nicer to each other now.

"I know." 

"Did mamma teach you that?"

"Yup, she did. Actually, it was when we had all those folks over for dinner when this first started. You remember that?"

"Yeah, I do."

We reached the end of the rainbow.

Violet and I crouched down behind trees, getting a clear view of the men who had been talking. They sat on a log next to their fire, with some type of meat roasting over it. They were eating some of the same meat that had already been cooked, and they also had some berries in a bucket.

"Definitely not James," I whispered to Violet, who gave me an 'I can see that, idiot,' look.

I heard crunching behind me, and I turned around to see a walker stumbling our way. I poked Vi and pointed it out to her. Her eyes widened at the sight of it.

"What do we do?" I asked, watching as it came closer to us. "If we get up, they'll see us."

"I don't know," she uttered.

It dragged itself even closer, its skinny arms reaching out to us. Now it was only about 20 feet away.

"Vi..."

"Just-" she looked around frantically, trying to find another option. "Um.."

10 feet away. It picked up its pace, eager to feast on us.

"I'm killing it," I decided. I stood up, took one hard swing the Chairless, and knocked the zombie on its butt. For good measure, I smashed its face in with my boot. Violet stood up with me after it was dead.

The strangers' conversation stopped. Slowly, we turned around to face them, bracing ourselves for a bullet to the head.

We stared at them for a moment, and they eyed us. The older looking one set down the bone he had been chewing on and gave us long, hard look, as if he were studying us. Finally, he said, "What're you two kids doing out here all by yourselves?"

"Looking for our parents," I quickly lied.

"You two are related?" The younger one asked, suspicious.

"Yeah. Step siblings," Violet pitched in.

"Aw, I see."

"I'm Andrew," The younger one suddenly said. "But my friends call me Andy. And this here is my older brother, Danny."

"Nice to meet you," the other brother greeted in a gruff voice.

They stared at us expectantly, and I realized they were waiting for us to introduce ourselves. "I'm Louis," I hesitantly told them, "And this is Violet."

"Louis and Violet," Andy repeated. "Say, I used to have a retriever named Violet. Best dog I ever had."

"That's cool," the other teen replied awkwardly.

We all stood in silence for a moment, unsure of what to do next.

It had been a while since I had interacted normally with an adult. Y'know, actually sat down and had a conversation with one without trying to fight them.

The smell of cooking meat wafted over to my nose, making my mouth water. "What are you guys cooking?" I asked.

"Some deer," answered Danny.

"Oh! How rude of me, I forgot to offer you some," Andy said. He chuckled, adding, "I guess this world can make you forget your manners, eh? Anyway, you want any?"

Yes, I thought, Oh my God, yes. But my head told me to answer the opposite. "No, thank you."

"You sure?" Dan asked, taking a big bite of his food. "It's good."

"No, we couldn't eat your food," Vi politely declined. "It's hard to come by these days, and we don't want to be the reason you run short on it."

"Oh, nonsense!" Andrew exclaimed. He ripped off a chunk of the meat roasting over the fire, waving us over with it. "When's the next time you'll be offered a meal like this? Come on, sit a while. I insist!"

Violet and I looked at each other, wondering if this was okay. I mean, sure, they seemed like nice people, but I've learned the hard way that not everyone is what they seem.

"Your food'll get cold if you two don't hurry up and get over here to eat," Danny commented.

"We can stay for a little bit," I finally decide. "But soon we need to go find our parents."

"Great!" Chimed Andy. "We haven't had company in a while."

Vi and I tentatively made our way into their camp, my hand still gripped tightly on my chair leg. I glanced down to Violet's side, and saw that she had her meat cleaver ready. As we walked, I looked to Danny, and saw that his eyes were glued on our weapons.

We sat on a log across from them, and Andy came over and plopped the meat he had pealed off into my lap. He handed one to Violet, too.

"Go ahead, eat," he encouraged. "I can tell you two are hungry."

I picked up the meat, taking in its weird color and texture. It was almost white, and about as flexible as a stick. I inspected it for anything that might look off, still not 100% sure they weren't trying to poison us. "I've never seen any deer meat like this," I told the men.

"Yeah, that's what I thought when we skinned it," Andy concurred. "I don't know, maybe it's because of whatever the deer's diet was."

I looked at the meat, debating on whether to eat it or not.

Suddenly, the hairs on the end of my neck stood straight up, and chills ran up and down my spine.

Violet put her heal on my toe, pressing it lightly; she felt it, too.

"Is that a raccoon?" She asked no one in particular, pointing behind the brothers. Both of them stood up to look, and when they did, she grabbed my ear and pulled it close to her mouth. "She's here," Vi whispered.

"What?" I quietly asked. "Who?"

"Clementine," Violet answered in a hushed tone. "I can feel her. Can't you?"

"I think so."

"Where'd you say it was?" Andy asked, turning back around to face us.

Violet quickly let go of my ear. "It was behind you guys, but I guess it got away."

"Damn," Danny cursed. "I would love to had some raccoon with this, too." He took in another big mouthful of the meat.  

"How's the meat?" Andy inquired hopefully.  "I haven't cooked for anyone in a while, so I'm not sure if it's actually good or if my taste buds have just gotten used to an awful taste."

"It's good," I claimed.  "Yup, it's real good."

"You've hardly touched it," Danny pointed out accusingly.  

"I've nibbled on it," I fibbed.

"To really get a good taste, you gotta take a big bite," Andy told me.  "Come on, now.  Don't be shy!  Just eat it."

"Don't be rude," Dan uttered. 

I looked at the meat before me, then looked back to Violet.  She tensely shrugged.  

The brothers were staring at me intently, waiting for me to try what they cooked.   Slowly, I raised the food to my mouth, ready to take a bite.

"DON'T!"

Clementine's voice rattled inside my head, so loud that I could've swore she was right there next to me.  I jumped onto my feet, my hand flinging the meat across from me.  

"DON'T EAT THE MEAT! "

"Clementine!" I shout before I can stop myself.  I look around frantically for her, only to find the same people that were here before. 

Violet rises up with me, immediately put on high alert.  "Louis?  What's wrong?" 

"Clem!" My mouth struggles to find words, my ears still ringing from my former lover's commands.  "She told m-"

Suddenly, a hand is slapped over my mouth, and my reflexes cause me to bite down with all my might.  Andy let out a yelp of pain, backing up and cradling his bloody fingers.  "What the hell?!"

Violet sprung protectively in between us, her meat cleaver in hand.  "Stay back," she warned, her voice sharp and intimidating.

"I was just trying to keep you quiet!" Andy exclaimed.   "The walkers, remember?"

"What the hell is wrong with you kids?" Danny asked.

"Just stay back!" Violet repeated.  Then she turned her head towards me, so she could see me and the other two people.  "Louis, what happened?"

"I heard her, Vi.  Clem yelled at me to not eat the meat."

"I didn't hear nothin'," Andy said.

"Shut up," my friend ordered.  

I continued, "I know it might sound crazy, but I know what I heard."

"Let's all calm down, now," Andrew was saying, but Violet held up her cleaver threateningly.

"Don't move, or I swear I'll hack your fucking hand off!" She swore.

"Andy, these kids are nuts!" Danny proclaimed.  He lunged toward his backpack, pulling out a gun.  He pointed it at us.  "Drop the weapon," Dan demanded, "Or I shoot."

Violet narrowed her eyes at him.  "You're bluffing," she claimed.

"Try me," he said menacingly. 

"Just drop it, Vi," I urged her.  

Only when he limped closer with the firearm did she drop it, moving backwards to stand next to me.

Andrew moved back with his brother, his arms crossed.  Danny wore a smug smirk.

"You don't have much meat on you, do ya?"  Danny observed, eyeing our thin bodies.  "We'll have to fix that."

"I'm not eating any of that food," I declared.  

"Oh, yes you are-"

"HEY!" 

Minerva's shout made all of us jump.  Luckily, Dan's finger wasn't on the trigger.  I twisted my head around to see Minnie, aiming Willy's bow right at our company.  

"Put the gun down!" She demanded.  

"Minerva?" Andy asked, sounding surprised.  "What are you doing out here?"

"What are you doing out here?" The red head fired back.  "I thought you two were dead."

"We know how to swim, y'know," Danny said, rolling his eyes. 

"Wait, you know these guys?" I asked her.

"Yes, unfortunately, I do," Minnie told me.  "These creeps are fucking cannibals."

"Cannibals?" Vi asked.

"Yeah, they used to be part of the delta," Minerva explained, her bow still trained on the two ex-delta members.  "But then people started going missing, and we found out these sick fucks were eating them.  So we tossed them overboard."

"We just do what we have to do to survive," Andy claimed.  

"We had food on the boat!"  Minerva argued. 

"There's just nothing like our meat," Danny uttered.  His words made me gag.

While we were talking, I noticed Violet was slowly inching backward.  I was about to do the same, but then she accidentally stepped on a twig.  It snapped, and the gun wielder's attention was drawn back to her.

"Don't move!" He ordered, and she held up her hands.

Minerva took a step closer, he arrow now focused on Danny.  "Don't even think about it," Minnie growled.  "I'm a good shot, and you know it."

I glanced behind the brothers, and I could see walkers making their way toward us.  Maybe if I'm just a little louder, I can lure them over here long enough for us to escape.

"Just let us go!" I cried dramatically.  "We won't bother you, I promise!"  The walkers picked up their pace.

"And let a whole meal get away?" Danny said eerily.  "I don't think so."

"You're sick," Violet spat.  

"No, we're not," Andy defended.  "We're survivors.  And that's what nobody seems to understand these days.  You do what you gotta do to survive, and that's that."

My eyes scanned the ground, looking for something to use as a weapon.  Behind the log that the brothers had been sitting on, I spotted a boot.  Actually, it looked like their was a leg in that boot.  Was their someone else with them?

"Maybe we can form a group," Andy suggested.  "You kids can find you parents, and we can work together.  Put all of this behind us."

That boot looks so familiar...

 "That's never happening," Minnie said.

Suddenly, the realization hits me like a ton of bricks.  Clem!

"Oh my God!" I exclaim without thinking.  "You ate her!"

"What?" Vi asks.  I point to her boot.

"Clem's bo-" My voice catches in my throat, and suddenly it's hard to breath.  I start to hyperventilate. 

"Louis?" Vi asks worriedly.

I see the arrow hit Dan's leg before I hear his cry of anguish.  He dropped his gun on impact, Violet hurries to pick it up.  I look behind the campsite again, and see the walkers are close.  Like, really close.  We only have seconds to get away before we're surrounded.

"Run!" Minnie screams.  

Violet turns and sprints off, but I can't move.  Everything seems to move in slow motion.

Danny's face scrunches in pain, and Andy rummages through his bag.  

The monsters are slowly dragging themselves over here, coming from every side.  

And then I look at her boot again.  Though I don't want to see it, I crane my neck up to see if the shoe is still full.  And it is.

Her severed leg is still there, but the pants have been ripped off.

I'm gonna hurl.

Suddenly, I feel an arm grab me, and am yanked away from the camp.  

"Run!" Violet orders, tugging me away.  Finally, I snap out of it, and take off sprinting. 

Bang.  I felt the breeze of a bullet zip by me, barely missing my head. 

"Shit, they have another gun!"  Violet yelled.  "Faster!"

All of the walkers are coming our direction, attracted to all of the noise.  I dodge one of them, nearly tripping as I did.

"My favorite number is ten!" I think out loud.

"What?"  Violet asks, kicking a walker down mid run.

"Sorry, my weird thoughts are starting.  Didn't mean for that one to slip out."   I had already told Vi about the things that swim through my head when I'm about to die, so she didn't question any further.  Right now we had to focus on escaping the cannibals.

"Get back here!" Andy was yelling, pointing his gun and firing like crazy.  Danny hobbled behind him, shouting cuss words that I've never even heard before.

Clementine's hair smells like strawberries.

Another bullet whizzes by.  

My dad was three years older than my mom.

We nearly passed the clementine tree.  Luckily, we realized where we were and got the boys up and running in less then ten seconds.  They didn't have time to question anything.  All we had to do was yell, "Get up and run!"

We caught up with Minnie, zigzagging around the forest in an attempt to lose them.  But it wasn't working.

"We can't lead them home," I said to the group while we ran.  "Minnie, take the boys home.  Violet and I will deal with them."

"No, I'm staying!" AJ declared stubbornly.  "I brought my gun.  I can help protect you."

"Fine," I agreed.  "Minnie and Willy, get home."

While the pair continued on the way home, our trio took the opposite path.  Luckily, the brothers took the bait and followed us.

As we ran, AJ was keeping up okay, but I could tell he was getting tired.  He held his side where he was shot, grimacing.  "AJ, are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth.  

"No, you're not." I turned to Violet.  "We need to stop."

"We can hide behind those bushes," she asserted, pointing to some nestled between two trees. 

I grabbed AJ's hand, jogging to our hiding place.  Once we got there, AJ nearly collapsed to the ground, holding his stomach in pain.  

"We should have sent you home," I said regretfully.  

"I'm okay," he claimed again.  Peeking his head over the bushes, he asked, "Who are those people?"

"Bad guys," I told him.  "The ones who did that to Clem's body."

"They were the ones who did it?"

I nodded.

He glowered towards the men, pulling his gun up and aiming it at them.  "Then they should die."

His response made my eyes widen.  I still wasn't used to seeing such a little kids so hardcore.

"You're right," Violet agreed.

Her concurring with him made my eyes widen even more.  "We're going to kill them?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, we are," Violet confirmed.  "They're evil, Lou.  They eat other people.  They were probably going to eat us!  For God's sake, they tried to make us eat Clem!"

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts.  They're dead," Vi cut me off.  "If you don't wanna watch, then go look the other way or something while AJ and I get the job done."

"No, I can help," I sighed.  "I just don't want to actually be the one to do it.  I'll distract them for you, though."

"What will you do?" AJ inquired.

"I'll pretend that I'm surrendering, and I'll make it to where they're facing the opposite direction of you.  You two can find a way to kill them."

"Get back here, you little shits!"  Danny could be heard yelling in the distance.  They were close enough now that we could hear the leaves crunch beneath their feet as they ran.

"Okay, I'm going," I announced, standing up.  However, before I did, AJ grabbed my hand.  

"Be careful," he demanded.

"Don't get yourself killed," the other teen added.

"I'll try my best," I told them.  

I walked out into the open, holding my hands above my head.  When the brother's spotted me, Andy immediately aimed his gun at my head.  "Don't move!" He ordered threateningly.

"Okay!" I shook my hands for extra emphasis that I was surrendering.  "Don't shoot!"

They stopped about twenty feet in front of me, Danny putting his hands on his knees and panting.  Andy was out of breath, too, but he wasn't going to let me out of his sight.  "Where's your sister?  And the rest of you're friends?" Andy questioned.

"They're gone," I told them, "But you can have me."

Danny rose and raised a brow.  "You're just gonna sacrifice yourself like that?" Dan asked suspiciously.

"Yes, I am.  But if I do, you have to leave the rest of my group alone."

"And what if we don't?"

"You'll regret it," I said as menacingly as possible.  

Danny just smirked.  "Oh, wow, I'm so scared," he mocked.  "The lone teenage boy is gonna make us regret it."

I scooted over to the side ever so slightly.  "Look, I'm just saying, I'm offering you a good deal.  I can help you with whatever you need.  For example, I could kill that walker for you." I pointed behind them to where a walker was approaching.  When they both turned, I took a full two steps to the side.  They whipped their heads back around when they heard me move, absentmindedly turning with me.  I had successfully gotten them to turn their backs on AJ and Vi.

Seeing that they weren't facing them anymore, the other two kids peeked their heads over the bush.  AJ aimed his gun at the men, deciding which one to kill.  

Sorry, Clem, I thought, but he has to do this.

Andy quickly shot and killed the walker.

"So what do you guys say?"  I asked them again.  "Do we have a deal?"

Both of them stared at me for a moment, considering my offer.  

"I don't know..."  Andy said.

"No," Danny decided.  "Shoot him, Andrew."

I was not expecting that answer.  "What?"

"Are you sure?" Andy asked Danny.  "He might be useful-"

"Shoot. Him."

"Fine."  Andrew took a step closer, pointing the gun to my head.  

"Please-" I started.

Andy walked up and put the barrel in between my eyebrows, and cocked the gun.  "Sorry, kid," he muttered.  

Oh God, this is it.  I'm gonna die.  

I tried to think of anything that I could possibly do, but all of the scenarios still end with me dead.

And then the dumb shit that goes through my head when I'm about to die started up again.

My first dog's name was Charlie.

The first song I learned on the piano was 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.'

The only Spanish word I know is 'Hola."

 Marlon still owes me ten bucks from-

Bang.  The gunshot rings in my ears, and I freeze.  

Am I dead?

"Danny!"

I open my eyes to see Danny holding his neck, blood seeping through his fingers.  I look behind him to see AJ, standing in the same stance he was when he shot Marlon.  

"Get the head, AJ!" Violet shouted.

Still focused on Danny, AJ shoots again, this time hitting him right in the head.  His body immediately went limp and fell to the ground.

"No!" Andy cried.  His gun was still focused on me, but his mind was elsewhere.  While he was distracted, I grabbed the gun and jerked it away from my face.  However, his finger was still on the trigger, and as soon as he felt me grab it, he fired the gun.

My hands flew up to my ears, which were ringing in pain.  As my eyes squeezed shut from the hurt, I could feel vibrations under my feet.  Then I started to feel droplets of water.  I opened my eyes again and look up just in time to see the sky split by a crack of lightening.  Great.  Just what we need right now.

Suddenly, Andy is on top of me, his hands around my neck.  He acted to fast for me to react, and he was already squeezing dangerously tight.  

I fought and squirmed as hard as I could, but the lack of air in my body made me weak.  Soon, I couldn't move anymore.  I could feel my heart rate slowing down, and my eyes roll back in my head.

"Get the fuck off him!" Violet's muffled shout managed to make it's way into my head.  Then, his hands let go, and I finally breathe.

As I gasp for air, I see Vi in a tangled mess with Andy, and AJ aiming his gun at him.  However, when AJ pulls the trigger, nothing happens.  "Arah!" The tot yells in frustration, throwing the gun.  

Although still struggling to breathe, I knew I needed to help.  I got up and went as fast as I could to help Violet.  

I jumped on his back and put him in a choke hold, squeezing as tight as I could.  While I did this, Violet reared back and kicked him in the balls.

Andy let out a cry of agony, then cut off by me squeezing tighter. 

"Walkers!" I heard AJ shout.  

"Take care of them!" Violet responded. 

The rain had really picked up, and now it was pouring.  The mud was slick, and the clouds had covered up the sun.  

Andy slammed his back on the ground, attempting to get me off, but I held on.  I tightened my grip.

Eventually, he stopped fighting.  He couldn't move anymore, just like I couldn't minutes ago.

Suddenly, I was engulfed with guilt.  "I'm sorry!" I yelled to him.  "I'm... I'm so sorry!"

Then, his body fell limp.

"Louis!" Violet came and knelt down by my side.  "He's dead. We have to go!"   She helped roll the corpse off of me, and only then did I realize how many walkers there really were.  There were hundreds, if not thousands, all closing in on us.  "Run!"  Violet screamed, making the realization at the same time I did.

She didn't have to tell me twice.  We both took off, sprinting back towards the school.  

It turns out we were closer than I thought.  After only dodging about six muddy walkers, I could faintly see the torches of the kids there, waiting outside the gates for us.

Once we made it them, they all ran to greet us, worried and anxious expressions on their faces.

"Are y'all okay?" Ruby asked. 

"We're fine," Violet responded, out of breath from all the running.  "Now let's get inside before any of the walkers get in."

We all hurriedly ran inside, closing the gates behind us.  

"Did you kill those men?"  Inquired Willy.

When I didn't answer, Violet did for me.  "Yeah, we did."

"I'm just glad those creeps are dead for good this time," Minnie thought out loud.  "You'd think they would have died when the delta tossed them into the river."

"Thank God AJ was with us," Violet said.  "We needed his aim."

"Yeah, you did good, buddy," I told him, turning to give him a pat on the back.  However, when I turned around, I didn't see him.  "Hey, where's AJ?"  Everyone looked around them, and nobody could see him.  "Did you grab him, Vi?"

"I thought you got him," Violet responded.  

Oh, God.  Oh, fuuuck.  I could literally feel the color drain from my face.  We forgot AJ.

"We left him out there!"  I shouted, instantly overwhelmed with worry.  "He's by himself, with no weapon!"

"How could you just forget him?"  Omar asked accusingly.  

"There was a lot going on, okay?" Violet defended. 

"Shit, I lost Chairless!  Aasim, give me your knife," I demanded.  "I'm going back out there."

"But it's getting dark!  The rain is pouring, and there are walkers everywhere.  It's not safe!"  Aasim protested.  

"All the more reason to get AJ," I countered.  "Now give me your knife."

"I'll go with you," Vi volunteered.  I nodded at her, sending her a silent thank you.

"No! I can't let you go," Minnie objected.  "I'm not losing you again."  Then she turned to me.  "I don't want you getting hurt either, Lou.  C'mon, we can't lose two lives trying to save one."

"Minnie, I promised Clementine that I would watch AJ for her.  Can you name a time that I've ever broken a promise?"

"Well, no-"

"I don't intend to break my streak now.  I don't care whether I go by myself or not, I'm going back to save him."  I looked to the whole group. "No broken promises."

"Be careful," Tenn advised. 

"I will," I vowed.  "And I promise I'll be back soon, with AJ."

Then, I opened the gates, and walked right back into the living nightmare.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

"AJ!"

I know it's probably not smart to be screaming when there's hundreds of walkers surrounding you, but I was desperate.  I had already killed two people.  If I had AJ's blood on my hands, too... I didn't know if I could live with myself.

"AJ, where are you?" 

The moon barely illuminates my path, and I nearly trip on a rock as I run.  The rain pouring down and washing the dirt and grime into my eyes isn't helping, either.

"Gahhhh." A walker comes out of nowhere, and I run smack into it.  Both it and I fall to the ground, and before I have time to get up, it's on top of me, snapping its decaying mouth at my face.

"Get the- fuck- off me!" I yell as I struggle with it.  This was one of the biggest ones I've ever seen; you could tell that it ate well while it was still human.

It snaps at me again, getting closer to my neck this time.  Out of the corner of my eye, I see another decaying body dragging itself to us, and I start to panic even more than I already am.

I try to push the one on me off, but he's just to big.  "Aw, fuck!"

Suddenly, a sharp something stabs through the monster's head, sending its blood flying on to me.  Then, the weapon is yanked back out, and the body falls dead for good.

Puzzled, yet relieved, I rolled the body off of me, wiping his blood from my eyes so I could see my savior.

Standing before me was AJ, soaked in walker blood, and holding Clementine's dagger.

And he looked pissed.

Before I could say anything, he kicked the other walker in the knee and stabbed it in the head.  After that, he turned to me and glared, putting his hands on his hips.  The way he did it reminded me of Clem.

"Why did you leave me?" He asked.  

"I didn't mean to, buddy," I swore.  "I thought you were with us."

"I had been screaming your name for so long, and no one came."

"I couldn't hear you."

"I thought you were dead."  His face falls, taking on a sad look over the angry one.  "I thought I lost you guys, too."

"I'm here."  I got down onto my knees and wrapped my arms around him.  He wrapped his arms around my neck, squeezing tightly.  "I'm sorry, AJ.  I promise it will never happen again."

"It better not," he mutters.  Then he pulled out of the hug and pointed behind me.  "Walker."

However, just then, the lightening flashed, and behind him, we could see a million other walkers.  All moving our way, fast.

AJ's eyes widened at the sight.  "I've never seen so many," he said.

"Neither have I," I concurred.  "We have to go."

"Let's smear monster guts on us," AJ suggested, "Like we did on the rescue mission."

"Good idea."  I quickly killed the walker that had been coming toward us earlier, and cut open its stomach.  The putrid stench made my insides churn.  

"Start smearing," AJ ordered, crouching down and grabbing a handful of gunk.  I did the same, cringing as the stuff soaked my clothes and touched my skin.

I was busy lathering myself down in walker blood when AJ shrieked, "Louis, behind you!"

I whipped my head around to see a very angry dead Andy barreling towards me.   He was going extremely fast for being a walker.  

Before I had time to react, the corpse dove for me, sending me straight to the ground.  On my way down, my shoulder scraped a tree branch, and I couldn't help but let out a yelp of pain.  

I got extreme déjà vu as Andy lay on top of me again, trying his best to get a nip out of my neck.  Luckily, AJ put an end to our struggle quickly, stabbing him in the head before things got to out of hand.  

I pushed his body off of me again.  "Thanks, AJ."

"Your welcome."  He looked at the side of my neck, concerned.  "Are you okay?"

I touched it tenderly, wincing at the pulse of pain it caused.  "Well, this hurts like hell, but other than that, yeah.  I'm just peachy."

He cocked his head at my sarcasm, obviously not understanding it.  

I sighed.  "Don't worry about it, bud.  I'll be fine.  Now how 'bout we get back home before we worry everyone out of their minds?"

"That sounds good."

Freshly covered in walker goop, AJ and I managed to find our way home, being greeted happily by our group when they saw that we were alive.  However, Ruby wouldn't let us inside until we rinsed off in the rain.  

I took my time as I scrubbed the stink out of me, taking off my trench coat so it could be rinsed extra well.  AJ copied me, taking off his red jacket and setting it next to mine.

When I scrubbed my hair, he did his, too.

When I washed my neck, he did the same.  But AJ didn't shout in surprise at a neck wound like I did. 

"Are you sure you're okay?"  AJ asked again.  

"It's just a scratch by that stupid tree," I told him.  "I'll have Ruby bandage it up before we go to bed."

After we were done rinsing off, we went into the music room to where the rest of the kids were waiting for us.  Violet handed AJ and I old blankets to use as towels.  

"All clean?" Ruby checked as we came in.

"Squeaky clean," I assured her.

"Good."

"You guys hungry?"  Omar asked, holding up two bowls of steaming soup.  

"Oh my God, yes," I said, taking a bowl.  AJ grabbed his and eagerly drank it up the same way he did when he first got here, not bothering to use a spoon.

"Okay, everyone, come circle up," Ruby called from the middle of the music room.  We all circled around a little torch glowing next to the piano.  "I figured since we've all had a long day, and I know some of us our afraid of thunderstorms-" She winked at Tenn, "-we could all sleep in here tonight.  I thought I could read us a story, and everyone could maybe relax a little bit."

"That sounds like a great idea," Minnie said.

"Great!" Ruby cheered.  "I brought in pillows and blankets over there.  Y'all go ahead and get comfortable, and I'll start reading."

Minnie and Violet laid next to each other, and Willy and Tenn got settled across from one another.  AJ snuggled with me and my makeshift bed, and Aasim laid at Ruby's feet.  Once we were all ready, Ruby began reading.

I started to drift off to sleep a few seconds after Ruby said, "Once upon a time..."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

"Louis!"

Ruby's hushed whisper pulls me from my dreams, and I sit up groggily.  The light from the torch is still barely glimmering, but all the kids around me are fast asleep.

As I start to come to more, I realize that I feel terrible .

"Jesus, I feel like shit," I told Ruby.  

"Yeah, I can tell.  You're looking really pale."  Then, she looked at the pillow where my neck had been, seeing my dried blood blotted in placed on it.  "What's this from?"

"Oh yeah, I meant for you to bandage my neck.  I accidentally fell and scraped it on a tree branch-" Suddenly,  I cough violently, and the lightest sleeper, Violet, wakes up. 

Ruby pat my back as I continued to cough, and my other friend walked over to us.  "What's going on?" She asked.

"I think Louis caught a cold," Ruby responded.  "Probably from running around in the cold rain."

Finally, my coughing fit came to an end.  "Can you just bandage this up?" I requested, pointed to my neck.  "I just want to go back to sleep."

"Yeah, let me take a look at it so I can see what I'll need."

I nodded, and she knelt down to inspect my neck.  I tilted my head, moving my dread locks so she could see better. 

"Let's see here..."  She squinted at my wound, gingerly touching it.  However, after looking at it for a second, her eyes widened.  Ruby held her hand up to her mouth, gasping when she realized what it was.

"What is it?" I asked. 

Violet came over to see, and when she did, she let out a loud, "Oh my God!"

"What?" I repeated. 

I looked to Ruby again, only to see that fresh tears were now streaming down her face. Violet's shout woke up the rest of the kids, and they all rushed over to see what was wrong.  They all had reactions similar to the girls, but no one would tell me what had happened.  Even Rosie was whining at whatever they saw.

"No!" AJ shouted.  "No, it was just a weird branch, that's why it looks like that!"

"Would someone please tell me what's wrong?" I begged.  When no one answered, I stood up and went to the window to look at my reflection myself.  Right on queue, thunder boomed and the lightening flashed, brightening the sky and my reflection.  

It was then that I could see why everyone was so upset. 

It clearly wasn't a scrape.  Oh, no, it was much more than that.  Much worse than that.

It was a bite.

AN:  Alright, so I finally finished!   Thank you guys for your patience and support.  

You guys remember the cannibal brothers from season one, right?  That episode in them was weird af, but also really interesting.  Probably my favorite episode from that season.

Anyway, I'll post the next chapter next Friday.

See you then!

Chapter Text

Clementine's POV

I walked along the familiar path in the woods by myself, enjoying breathing in its pine scent.  That was one thing I missed about the walker world; being able to leave the walls of the school whenever I pleased and go get some fresh air.  

I assumed I was in another "visiting" with AJ, since my ankle was fine and I didn't remember walking out into the woods.  Now I just needed to find where he was.  I walked to our old meeting spot, but he wasn't there yet.  I sat down and watched the water for a while, but after ten minutes, he still hadn't shown up.  

"Alvin Junior!" I called.  "Where are you?"

While I called for him, I noticed that this dream was looking a lot more realistic than the other one.  The sky was blanketed in dark clouds, and the air was thick and humid. 

As I looked around the bridge, my eye caught a weird track in the dirt.  When I took a closer look, I saw that it looked like a long, continuous line, heading south.  With nothing better to do, I decided to follow it. 

"Gahhhh." 

The walker's noises startled me, mostly because I hadn't heard them in so long.  I instinctively reached in my back pocket for my knife, only to find that it was empty, yet again.  

A quick scan of the ground below me presented a stick as my only weapon for the oncoming walker.  However, when I swiped for it, my hand passed right through it.  

"What the fuck?" I muttered to myself.  

I just missed it.  I'll try again.

I made another attempt to grab it, this time focusing on reaching down and gripping it with my fingers.  I got the same result as the first time. 

"The hell?" I brought my hand up and inspected it, trying to look for something that explained the weird occurrence.  I was too distracted to notice that the walker was only about five feet in front of me. 

As soon as I realized this, it was too late to do anything.  I did attempt to kick it, but it was no use.  It just felt as if I were kicking air.  

The walker went through me like it was nothing. 

"What the hell is happening?"  I looked behind me to the walking carcass, puzzled by what it had  done.  I walked over and touched a tree to see if my hand could go through that, too.  Sure enough, it passed through it like a breeze.

I don't think this is a dream.  I stood still for a moment to contemplate what was happening.  With the walkers and my new ability, I made an educated guess: Maybe I'm back in my old world.  As a ghost, or something.

And if I was back in my old world, then I could check on everyone.  AJ, Tenn, Violet.  Louis.

I turned back around and started to follow the tracks again.  They were made recently, otherwise I couldn't see the line because the walkers would have mucked it up.  I figured they were probably made by some of the kids, since there's hardly anyone else in these woods.

I couldn't help but feel tense around the walkers.  I mean, I wasn't used to just being able to walk by them without them trying to eat me.  It was weird.  

Soon, I came to the end of the tracks, leading right up to a wheel barrow under a clementine tree.  Also under the tree slept AJ and Willy, sprawled out on the ground with wet, sticky faces.  

I smiled at the sight of AJ, his little tummy slightly bloated.  Looking around at all of the orange peels, I guessed it was from eating too many clementines.  

Minnie was softly humming on the other side of the tree, swaying back and forth as she did. However, she stopped for a moment, looking up at the sky and frowning.  When she did, I did, too. 

Small puffs of smoke could be seen rising behind the trees.  It looked like someone had started a little campfire. 

"Where are those two?" Minnie asked herself. 

"Who?" I asked, forgetting that she couldn't hear me. 

Obviously, she didn't answer, and I decided to go follow the smoke myself. 

 The smoke led me to two cannibals who I had thought were dead.  

Andy and Danny St. John.  I could have swore they were dead.  I mean, the last I saw them, Danny had a bear trap clamped on his foot, and Andy's face was purple and plump from being beaten up by Lee.  Not only that, but their electric fence was broken and walkers were swarming their little farm.  There's no way they could've survived that!

Yet there they were, right in front of me. 

And they had Louis and Violet. 

Well, they didn't have them captured or anything, but Lou and Vi were with them for some reason.  

They sat opposite of the brothers, holding meet in their hands.  Andy watched them eagerly, waiting for them to take a bite. 

"Go ahead, eat," Andy encouraged them.  "I can tell you two are hungry."

Louis held the meat up to his face, bending and smelling it.  "Don't eat it, Lou," I said to him.  "It's probably human meat."

"I've never seen any deer meat like this," Louis claimed suspiciously. 

"Yeah, that's what I thought when we skinned it," agreed Andy.  "I don't know, maybe it's because of whatever the deer's diet was."

My former lover looked at the meat again, furrowing his brows as he thought about taking a bite.

Suddenly, Violet shouted, "Is that a raccoon?"  Both of the brothers and myself looked to where she pointed.  However, I was close enough to my friends to hear her whisper, "She's here."

I turned back around to Louis and Violet.  The girl had her fingers clamped on Lou's ear, and she had pulled him close to her lips.

"What?" Louis asked in a hushed tone.  "Who?"

"Clementine," Vi answered. 

She knows I'm here?  "Violet?" I asked.  I stepped forward and waved my hand in front of her face.  "Can you hear me?"

Violet continued to look at Louis, not even glancing my way.  "I can feel her.  Can't you?"

"I think so," Louis agreed. 

I crouched down in front of him, gently caressing his cheek.  "Yes, I'm here!"  I wished he could hear me.

"Where'd you say it was?" Andy asked, turning around to face the teens again.  

Violet quickly let go of Louis's ear, responding, "It was behind you guys, but I guess it got away."

"Damn," Danny cussed. "I would love to had some raccoon with this, too." He bit off a big mouthful of the meat.  

I got up once they came back and sat down, deciding to snoop around their camp a little bit.  I didn't see anything too interesting; sleeping bags, a pot, some berries, a gun, a knife.  

"How's the meat?" Andy questioned hopefully to Louis. "I haven't cooked for anyone in a while, so I'm not sure if it's actually good or if my taste buds have just gotten used to an awful taste."

However, as I moved behind their log, a putrid stench hit my nose. 

"It's good," Lou told them. "Yup, it's real good."

When I went to investigate the smell, I came across something horrifying.

"You've hardly touched it," Danny pointed out accusingly to my friends.

First I saw my boot.  And inside my boot was my foot.  And attached to my foot was my leg.

 "I've nibbled on it," Louis lied.

"To really get a good taste, you gotta take a big bite," Andy claimed. "Come on, now. Don't be shy! Just eat it."

"Don't be rude," Dan uttered.

Next to my leg I saw both of my arms, and to the right of those I saw half of my other leg.  I looked to the fire, and I realized that they must have been roasting the rest of my limb.

I look past the fire, and see Louis raising the meat to his lips.  I jumped up, rushing to him.  "DON'T!" I screamed.  My order was so loud, it even startled me. 

Louis jumped up, seeming alarmed by my scream, too.  He threw the meat away from him, and his eyes darted around wildly. 

"DON'T EAT THE MEAT!" I screamed again. 

"Clementine!"  Louis shouted. 

He heard me!  "Louis, I'm here!" I cried as I watched his eyes search for me, looking confused and hopeful at the same time.  "I'm right here!"  I tried to touch him, but my hand just drifted through him as they had before. 

Suddenly, I looked down and saw my fingers were violently shaking.  When I look to my feet, I saw that they were disappearing again.  "No!" I shouted, frustrated at the timing.  "I'm not ready!"

But whatever controlled those moments didn't care whether I was ready or not.  It just made me dissolve faster.  

My legs were already gone, and my torso was next.  "Fuck!" I cursed, angry that I had to go.  "Vi!  Lou! I'm here!"

Then, my head faded away, and all I could see was darkness.

   0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I shot up in bed, drenched in sweat.  Violet was there next to me, her hair tangled mess from sleep.  

"Whoa, whoa, come down," she cooed soothingly, resting her hand on her shoulder.  "You just had a bad dream."

I leaned my head against the wall, trying to control my breathing.  When I finally got my breaths back to normal, I asked, "Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah," She answered bluntly.  "You were talking in your sleep."

"Sorry," I apologized.  "What time is it?"

"Three thirty."

"Oh."

"What were you dreaming about, anyway?" She inquired.  "You kept saying Louis's name, and then something about meat?"

"Well..." I tried to think of to say to explain my sleep speaking.

"I knew you liked Louis, but I didn't know you liked him enough to be dreaming about his meat," Vi teased, smirking.

"Oh my God, no!  It wasn't like that!"  I exclaimed, feeling the blush rise to my cheeks.

"A huh, sure.  You dirty birdie Clem."

"I swear, that wasn't what it was about."

"Okay, whatever you say."  She went and flopped back down in her bed across from me, and I laid back down.  Violet yawned, saying  "Alright, good night."

"Night," I said back.  

Violet was asleep again in no time, but I laid awake for a little while, my head still spinning from my 'dream.'

I was mostly worried.  I mean, what happened to them after I left?  Andy and Dan were cannibals, so how I did I know they didn't kill Vi or Lou and just eat them?

What if they found AJ and ate him?

No, I countered with myself, he had the least amount of meat.  The thought still grossed me out either way.

Since thinking of the old world was starting to make me uneasy, I decided to focus on the world I was in now.  I reflected on the conversation Louis and I had after we kissed for the first time;

He had told me that he wanted to take things slow, and we probably moved a little fast when we smooched.  I understood, though, since the incident happened literally not even fifteen minutes after he broke up with Becca.  

So we decided to start out as just "talking."  He said he wanted to get to know me better before we started to date, or officially became known as a couple.  I understood, so I agreed.  

We had been talking for nearly a two weeks now, and things were going good.

The only people who I had told about our kiss was the girls in my dorm room and Ruby.  Of course, they were all ecstatic, since they hated Becca and loved me.  Well, everyone except for Vi.  She was mostly surprised that I, "...chose to have Louis over all of the other guys in the school."  But she said as long as I was happy, she was happy. 

However, my thoughts of the new world didn't distract me long.  I couldn't stop thinking about how I had been eaten, and how my friends almost ate me. 

I have to tell Lee about this.

At some point, I drifted off back to sleep,  preparing everything I was going to tell Lee the next day.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

"Morning, Clem!"  

I couldn't help but smile at Louis's bright and bubbly voice as he called out to me in the hallway.  

"Hey, Lou." 

He jogged to catch up with me as I limped  to math.  Now, I could walk on my ankle, I just had to take a break every now and then.  "How'd you sleep?"  Lou questioned.

"Okay." 

"Yeah, especially with you in her dream," Violet spoke from behind me.  When I turned at sent her a glare, she held up her hands defensively.  "Hey, you woke me up, I get to tell him."

"Aw, Clem, you were dreaming about me?" Louis asked, clutching his heart.  "How sweet!"

"Shut up," I told both of them, trying to hide my blush.  

"Don't worry, there's no judgement here," Lou assured me.  "I have dreams about you, too.  But then again, I dream about everyone.  The other day, I had a dream where George Washington challenged coach David to a basketball battle."

"Who won?" I inquired.

"Actually, there's a twist ending here.  So, in the tip off-"

"Hey, Clem," Mitch suddenly greeted.  Startled, I turned to see him making his way to walk beside me. 

"Hey, Mitch," I said back.  "What's up?"

"Nothing, just headed to art.  What about you?" 

"On my way to math,"  I replied, nodding toward my math journal and books I held in my arms.

"Man, that sucks."

"Anyway," Louis piped up, obviously annoyed that we had been interrupted, "During the tip off-"

RIIIIINNNNG.  

He was cut off yet again by the warning bell, signalling we only had a minute left to get to class. 

"You can tell me the rest of the story later, okay?" I suggested.  "We don't want to be late."

He sighed.  "Oh, okay."

I quickly placed my hand on his shoulder, and he jumped a little at my touch.  I sent gave him a small, reassuring smile to cheer him up.  "I'll see you later?"

"See you," he replied, slightly brightening up. 

We both parted ways, and I went to math.  However, just as I was about to go in, Mitch jumped in front of me and held open the door.  When I gave him a strange look, he explained, "Your hands are full."

"Oh.  Thanks."

"No problem."

Violet came in after me, and I saw that she was doing one of those major eye rolls of hers.  "What?" I questioned. 

" 'Your hands are full.' Bullshit.  He's never this nice.  He's obviously flirting with you."

"Oh."  I remembered Louis telling me something about Mitch liking me.

"And until you and Louis become official, he won't stop."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," I told her.  "As long as I don't show any interest back, it should be fine."

"Yeah, maybe, but I'm just going to warn you, men are terrible at reading between the lines," Violet said.  

"Yeah, but maybe he's not."

"Oh, trust me, he is."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

All of my morning classes dragged by, as usual.  Except for history.  History was actually fun, for once.  The teacher let us have an outdoors day since he had nothing to do but grade papers all period, and he was determined to be known as one of the "cool" teachers.  I will admit, this upped his cool factor by a solid ten percent. 

I hobbled outside with the rest of my classmates, only to see Louis and a few of my other friends outside as well. 

Louis didn't see me at first.  He was too busy talking with someone who I had never seen before. 

"C'mon, just say it, please!"  Louis begged.  "It's just... it's so satisfying."

"No," the other kid refused firmly.  "I've already said it, like, ten times today.  I'm starting to hate the word."

 "Don't be a party pooper!" Lou pleaded.  "Just one more time, and I swear I won't ask again for the rest of the day."

"The rest of the week."

"Ugh, fine.  Now say it."

Sighing, the kid took a deep breath, then said bluntly, "Croissant."  The word rolled off his tongue the way it did the french, and I could immediately tell he had some french in him. 

"Ah, yes!" Louis cheered, jumping for joy.  Pinching his fingers together and trying his best to imitate his friend, he shouted, "Croissant!"

I couldn't help but laugh at that, and Louis finally noticed me then.  He came over to me, and whoever he had been talking to followed.  

"Clem!  What're you doing out here?"  He asked.

"Mr.Mosby had to grade some papers," I explained, "So he let us come outside.  What are you doing out here?"

"P.E," Louis stated.  "We're getting ready to play a soccer  game.  Actually, it looks like they're picking teams right now."  He pointed to where to kids had separated themselves from the rest of the students and were calling out names.  Leaning forward to me, he whispered, "I'm usually one of the last to get picked.  I suck at soccer."

"I'll cheer for you," I claimed. 

"Aw, thanks."  

"What's up, losers?"  Violet came over to us with her hair tied back in a low pony tail for the game.

"Hey, Vi," Louis greeted casually.

I noticed that Louis's friend got super stiff as she approached, taking big gulps as she came near.  "H-hey, Violet," he stammered.  "You're hair looks, um, like, it looks..."

"Gross?  I know," Vi stated.  "I just have to get it out of my face for the game."

"No!  I wasn't going to say that.  It looks nice," the french one finished. 

"Oh," Vi said, surprised.   "Thanks, I guess."

"By the way, Clem, this is Geoffrey, but we call him Geoff," Louis informed me.  "He's been out sick for a couple days, be he's finally back.  He's not allowed to play any sports for a couple days, though."

"Nice to meet you."  Geoff stuck out his hand, and I shook it.

"I'm Clementine."

"What are you guys talking about?"  I turned around to see Becca strolling up to us, wearing extremely short shorts and a really high, tight shirt. 

"How have you not been dress coded?" Violet questioned, eyeing her clothes with a dirty look.

"I'm just wearing this for the game," Becca said innocently.  "Anyway, how are things?  Lou, how have you been?"

"Fine," he answered.  

"Happier now that he's not with you," Violet jabbed. 

Becca glared.  "I seriously doubt that."

"I've been fine, Becca," Louis cut in before the girls started to argue.  "How about we go get ready for the game?"

"Lets," Vi agreed.  

The three of them made their way towards the rest of the kids, and since neither Geoff nor I was playing, we decided to go sit on a bench so we could watch them.

While we sat, I really took a good look at Geoffrey; he looked Mexican, but he had a French accent.  His hair that fell just above his eyebrows had a reddish russet color, and so did his small mustache on his upper lip.  He rested his elbows on his knees, intently watching the game as they started the kick off. 

Louis was sitting on the sidelines, unsurprisingly.  He did cheer for his team, though, even though Becca was on it.

"Do you like soccer?" I asked.  

"Oh, yeah, I love soccer," Geoff answered.  "It's my favorite sport."

"Yeah?  I played a little when I was younger, but I didn't get seriously into it.  I'm more of a basketball girl."

"I'm exactly the opposite," he asserted.  "I suck at basketball.  But basketball isn't as bad as baseball.  That sport is the fuckin' worst."

Where have I heard that before... oh, Violet!  "Vi hates baseball, too."

"I know."

"Do you two get along well?"

"Yeah, for the most part.  She's the person I can relate to the most out of my little group of friends."

We were quiet for a moment as we watched the ball being kicked around the field.  After a couple minutes, he asked, "So, you bringing anyone to the dance?" 

"The dance?"

"Yeah, tomorrow night."

"Oh. I didn't even know there was a dance."

"Well, there is. It's theme is 'Under the Sea.'"

"I don't know." I looked back to Louis, watching him as he kicked at the dirt while the ball was kicked around on the other side of the field. "The guy I want to go with is kinda fresh out of a breakup."

"Oh, Louis?"

I nodded. "Don't tell people, though. I don't want word to get back around to the wicked witch of the west." I motioned my head towards Becca.

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed," Geoffrey promised.

"Anyway, what about you?"

"Me?" He cast his eyes downward, suddenly very interested in the stitch work on his jeans. "I want to ask someone, but she's dating somebody."

"That's too bad. Maybe someone else, though?"

"No, just her."

"How much do you like her?"

"A lot.  She's smart, funny, athletic, pretty, the whole package."  He sighed dolefully.  "But she's with someone else."

"Hey, if you really like her that much, you can't give up," I told him.  "You have to give it a shot."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, absolutely.  Just tell her how you feel.  It's not healthy to keep emotions pent up inside of you, trust me.  The worst that she could do is reject you."

"What if that ruins our friendship?"

"That's a risk that you have to take if you want her."

"But I also don't want to be the reason a happy couple is broken up."

"Are they really right for each other?"

"Well..." He scratched his chin while he contemplated this.  Finally, he answered, "They're alright, but me and the girl would be better together."

"So don't think of it as breaking up the happy couple.  Think of it as putting together an even better one."

"You know what?  I think I'm gonna do it," he decided confidently.  "Tomorrow, I'll tell her how I feel.  I'll see how she reacts."   

"Before the dance?"

"Yup."

"Good."

We sat quietly for a minute, trying to think of conversation topics to fill the awkward silence.  Then, he asked, "So what were you sent here for?"

"Boy trouble," I said, choosing to use the story Duck told me instead of my accidentally almost killing a friend tale. "Some guy framed me for selling weed."

"That's funny, because I got sent here for girl trouble," Geoff related. "Got caught drinking underage."

"That sucks."

"Yeah, it does." He chuckled a bit, saying, "Romance just causes trouble, doesn't it?"

"Well, maybe.  Sometimes, if you're with the right person, it can be good."

"Maybe." Suddenly, he jumped up, screaming, "Go, Vi, go!"

I looked to the field to watch as she weaved her way through the defenders, somehow keeping control of the ball even as she was running full speed. Then, when she got a clear shot, she reared back and kick as hard as she could. The ball soared right over the goalies head and went into the net.

"Yes!" Vi cheered, and the rest of her team cheered with her.

"Way to go!" I shouted.

"Woo hoo! Nice one, Vi!" The teen next to me yelled. After he sat down, he said in awe, "Wasn't that awesome?"

"Yeah, that was pretty cool," I agreed. "Violet's pretty good at soccer."

"She's pretty good at everything. School, sports, singing..." As he realized he was rambling, he cleared his throat. "I mean, yeah, she's pretty cool."

Uh oh, I thought. Looks like someone's got a crush.  

Wait.

Violet is the girl he likes?  

Oh, great job, Clementine, I scolded myself internally.  You just convinced this guy to try and get together with your lesbian friend.

I have to fix this.

"Hey, look," Geoff said suddenly. "They're putting Louis in."

I watched as Louis gave a high five to the goalie running off the field, taking his place in the goalie box.

"Don't screw this up, Louis!" The team captain ordered.

"I won't!" Louis promised.

"Oh boy, this should be good," Geoff muttered.

They started to play again, and luckily, the ball was on the opposite side from Louis, so there wasn't really a way for him to screw things up.

"You know who I think the cutest couple so far in the school is?" I asked.  Before he could answer, I said, "Vi and Minnie.  Man, they're just adorable, aren't they?"

"Well, there okay," he countered.  "But Minnie is just really, really nice.  I mean, don't you think Vi should be with someone who's a little more, I don't know, like Vi herself?"

"Have you ever heard 'opposites attract?'"

"Yeah, but in this case-"

"I caught it!"  Louis suddenly exclaimed.  We turned back to the field to see that all of the players had shifted to Louis's side, and Lou had somehow managed to catch the ball before it went into the goal.  

"Great job!"  Praised the team leader, "Now drop kick it to the other side!"

"You got it, captain," Louis replied with over dramatic obedience.  Then, he walked to the end of the goalie box and got ready to cherry bomb it down to the other end of the field. 

I don't know if it was the way his foot curved, the wind, or the ball, but somehow, he managed to kick the ball BEHIND him.  It looped right behind his head, and, of course, right into the goal.  The other team went wild, since that was the winning goal.  I face palmed. 

"Oh, Louis," I groaned.  "How does one even manage to do that?"

Geoff chuckled at my  dismay.  "And I still consider this to be one of his better games."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

"Did you see me score the game winning shot?" Louis asked me as we made our way to science.  

"I think you mean game losing shot," I corrected. 

"Hey, it did win the game," Louis defended himself cheekily, "just not for us."

"Yes, I saw it.  Weirdo."

We walked into our classroom, sitting down next to each other and getting out our science notebooks. 

Violet came in then, still sulking about the loss.  When Minnie saw her disgruntled girlfriend, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"That idiot lost our soccer game," Vi responded, glaring at Louis.

"Hey, it's just a game," Minnie reminded her.  "Just think about the chicken nuggets you'll get to have at lunch.  Maybe that'll make you feel better."

The blonde girl stopped for a second, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.  Then, she opened her eyes, saying, "Nope.  I'm still pissed."

"Oh, you'll get over it, Vi," Louis stated.  "If I remember correctly, you were the one who suggested putting me in."

"Worst mistake of my life," Violet mumbled.   

Slowly but surely, the rest of the class filtered in, taking their seats.  

After the bell rang and everyone was seated, Mrs.Scott began, "Good morning, class.  Today, we will be working on an assignment that's do by tomorrow.  Whatever you don't finish in here will be homework."  The teacher grabbed a a stack of papers and starting handing them out, along with some small, cheap stop watches.  "We're going to be studying heart rate.  If you look at your paper, you will see multiple different activities to do.  I want you to do each of these for one minute, then stop and measure your heart rate for ten seconds.  Multiply whatever your heart rate was at by six, then record that number in the beats per minute blank next to the activity you finished."  Marlon raised his hand.  "Yes, Marlon?"

"Why are there two columns with the same stuff on each side?"

"Oh, right!  I forgot to mention, you will be doing these with a partner of the opposite gender," Mrs.Scott remembered.  

Everyone immediately starting looking around, mentally choosing who their partners would be.  Louis and I made eye contact.

"Now don't start choosing who you want to be with,"  Mrs.Scott advised, "Because I'm putting you in groups myself."  After she finished passing out papers, she went and stood at the front of the room, examining everybody carefully.  She tapped her finger on her chin, contemplating who to put with who.

Finally, she decided, "Marlon and Brody, you two can be a together."  The rest of the class groaned.

"Yes!" Cheered Marlon.  

Brody grinned, saying, "Thanks, Mrs.Scott."

"If I catch you two doing any funny business, though, I'm going to have to split you up," Mrs.Scott warned.

"No funny business,"  Louis repeated, wagging a finger at the pair and imitating Mrs.Scott's voice.  The class giggled at his gesture.

As if being reminded that Louis was in this class, our teacher sighed.  "And for you Louis, I need someone who'll keep you on track..."  She scanned the room, looking for someone who might be able to keep the dread-locked teen under control.  "How about... Becca?  Yes, Becca, you and Louis will be partners."

The whole class let out an "Ohhhh."  I guess gossip about their breakup had spread fast.

Becca smiled at Louis, and he gave her a fake smile back.  "Y'know, I can just work by myself," he suggested.  

"No," Mrs.Scott said firmly, "I don't trust you working by yourself.  Now, Violet and Geoffrey, you two can be together, and Minnie and Omar."  Oh, what a coincidence.  Geoffrey and Violet. Geoff smiled happily at Vi, and she smiled back.  

"Mitch," she continued, "can be with Clementine."  Well that's just great.

After she paired off everybody else, we were instructed to begin working.  Mitch came over and pulled a chair up to my desk, setting his stuff with mine.  "Okay," he said.  "Where should we start?"

"First we can take our average heart rates while just sitting down," I proposed.  He agreed, so we both counted our own heartbeats, but used the same stopwatch.  Mine was just a little higher than his; mine was 65 beats per minute while his was 60.

While we were recording our data, Mrs.Scott added, "Oh, and you'll get five extra bonus points on this if you do a bonus activity."

"You up for doing a bonus activity?" My partner asked.

"Sure, but we can focus on that after we finish the rest of them," I told him.  "Okay, what's next..." My eyes scanned the page for what our next activity would be, only for it to land on one minute of jumping.  "Oh."  I looked down at my sprained ankle, still in its  brace.  

Mitch realized the problem the same time I did.  "Well," he started, "are you good at hopping?"

"I'll try."  I got out of my desk and began to hop on one foot, only making about four successful jumps before I fell.  Luckily, I caught myself on the desk.  "Okay, this isn't going to work."

"Here, I'll help you," Mitch volunteered.   He held his hand out for me to take.  "You can hold my hand to keep your balance."

"Okay."  I got out and began to bounce again, this time able to steady myself on Mitch.   When we saw that this was going to work, Mitch started the stop watch and I began to hop again.  Violet eyed our hands dubiously from across the room, raising a brow.  "I-need-help," I explained, my sentence choppy from my activity.

Once my partner realized who I was talking to, he glared her way.  "What are you staring at?"  Mitch asked accusingly.

Violet sent him a dirty look right back.  "Nothing."

 Louis heard this, and he looked our way.  When he saw mine and Mitch's hands, I noticed his lip slightly twitch.  He didn't look at us long, though, before Becca made him focus on the work again.

Eventually, the minute was up, and I let go of his hand.  After getting back in my seat, I recorded my heart rate, and then it was Mitch's turn.  I started the stopwatch, and he began jumping in place.

While he jumped, I glanced over at Geoff and Violet.  "You played really well today," Geoff complemented Violet.  "It sucks that you guys still lost."

"Yeah, it does," agreed Vi.  "It's too bad you couldn't play.  If I had you with me, the other team wouldn't have stood a chance."

A rosy color began to fill his cheeks at her complement.  "Well, I mean, I'm not that great..."

His partner nudged him with her shoulder, saying, "You need to give yourself more credit, Geoff.  You're a fucking beast at soccer, and you should know it."  

"Thanks.  Y'know, you're pretty good, too."

"I know."  Geoff smiled at her, an admiring look in his eyes.  

"What's the stop watch at?"  Mitch suddenly asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.  I checked the watch and saw that it was at a minute and thirty seconds.

"Um, just reached a minute," I lied.   He stopped jumping and put his hands on his knees, catching his breath.   After he was done panting, he took his heart rate and wrote it down.  

"Wow, Louis, your calf muscles look so big when you jump,"  Becca crooned from across the room.

Louis didn't say anything, his hair flopping around wildly as he bounced.  

God, Becca, give him a break.  Jesus.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Mitch and I finished most of the assignment, only one activity remaining when the bell rang.  Well, two activities if you count the bonus one.

Next, it was finally time for lunch.  I sat at my usual table, the usual people sitting by me.  Becca didn't sit with us anymore; she formed her own little posse and moved across the lunchroom.

This time for lunch, I was in the mood for a cheeseburger, so I went to stand in that line.  It's nice to be able to eat what I want when I want it.  Louis followed me, visibly happy to finally get some alone time with me.  

"So, how'd you like working with Becca in science?" I questioned.  

"It was..." he pursed his lips, trying to think of a word to describe the  experience.  "... irritating, I guess.  Since my every move was swooned over by Bec.  'Oh, Louis, you're so good at push ups!' 'Lou, you have such good handwriting!'" He rolled his eyes after he was done imitating his ex.  

I chuckled at his annoyance.  "Oh, poor Lou," I playfully jived.  However, as I did, my eyes happened to fall on the chicken nugget line, where Vi and Geoff were standing.  Minnie was there, too, but she was just sort of standing in the background, watching as her girlfriend and the boy talked.  Seeing this, I was reminded by the mistake I made earlier.  

Louis must have seen my facial expression change, because suddenly, he was serious.  "Hey, you okay?"

"I made a big mistake earlier, Lou," I told him, "and I think I need you to help me fix it."

"Is it bad?"

"It's not a life or death, but it could ruin a friendship."

"That's just as serious," claimed Louis.  "Now what happened?"

I took a deep breath, getting ready to explain, when I heard from behind me, "Hey, guys."

We both turned around to see Mitch making his way towards us, both of his hands in his jean pockets.  Louis seemed to deflate a little at the sight of our classmate.

"Hi, Mitch," I greeted.  

"Hola," Louis said dryly.  

"Geez, what's wrong with you?"  Mitch asked.  "You in a bad mood or something?"

"Yeah, I guess," Lou answered.

"He had to work with Becca in science, remember?"  I pitched in.  "It's never fun to work with an ex."

"Oh, right.  That sucks, dude."  Mitch patted him on the back.  Then, turning to me, he said, "We still need to finish our assignment.  How about tonight, before we go to the music room?"

That's when I was planning on meeting with Lee.  "Well..."

"Unless you can think of a better time," Mitch stated, "because I can't."

"Neither can I," I admitted.  "I guess we'll have to."

"You're not coming to the music room?"  Louis asked, sounding hurt.

"No, we will," I assured him.  "I'll come towards the end."

The line moved forward, and we stepped into the kitchen.  

"So," Mitch started, "You planning on going to the dance?"

I saw Louis stiffen at his question.

Grabbing a green tray, I answered, "Maybe."

"The dances are super lame most of the time, but if you're going, it might be a little less lame."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

I glanced to see Louis's reaction, but he was facing strictly forward.  I didn't think he was even listening to our conversation anymore.

I held up my tray for the lunch lady to put a burger on.  

"I haven't decided if I'm going yet," I told Mitch.  

We moved through the rest of the line silently and awkwardly.

After we had gotten all of our food, we made our way back to the table.  I sat down at the end, and Mitch sat down next to me.  Louis frowned as his usual spot next to me was taken.  Instead, Lou had to sit across from me, next to Violet. 

"Are you good, Lou?" Vi asked as he sat next to her. 

"I'm fine," he responded bluntly, staring at the food on his plate.

"Are you sure?  Because-"

"I said I'm fine," he repeated, a bit of an edge to his voice.  I hadn't seen him like this since Marlon died back in the other world.

The blonde held up her hands defensively.  "Alright!"  She shook her head, mumbling, "This is what I get for being nice?  Jesus."

I took a fry and ate it, pretending not to be bothered by Louis's mood.

Mitch took a bite of his burger.  "You wanna know why I got sent here?" He asked.  Without giving me time to answer, he said, "Bombs."

I already knew this, but I rose a brow anyway.  "Bombs?"

"Yup.  I used to blow shit up," he responded proudly.  "What about you?  Why were you sent here?"

  "I was sent here because my ex framed me for selling weed."

"Oof, that sucks," Mitch sympathized, "But I can tell you're lying."

His last statement surprised me.  "What?"

"I kind of have a radar for liars," he explained, "And right now that radar is beeping."

"I'm not lying," I claimed.  Technically, I wasn't lying; I just wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Yeah, sure," Mitch said.  "I definitely believe you."

"Geez, lay off, Mitch," Vi suggested.  "If she doesn't want to tell, she doesn't want to tell."  I nodded my thanks to her, and she nodded back a 'you're welcome.'

"How about you mind your own business?"  Mitch shot back.

"How about you quit trying to flirt while I'm eating?"  The other teen replied.  Louis stopped eating when he heard that.

"Shut up!" Mitch ordered, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment.

 The whole table stopped eating, uneasiness  consuming the comfortable atmosphere that usually surrounded us.  

Louis would usually say something to lighten the mood right now, but he was too disgruntled to do so.

Finally, I stood up with my tray, not wanting to sit in the awkwardness.  "I'm not very hungry anymore," I said to no one in particular.  Then, I picked up my bags, went to dump my tray, and left the cafeteria.  25 minutes before lunch ended.

 0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

"Clementine?  What are you doing here?"  Lee set down his mop, a concerned look in his eyes.  "Isn't it still your lunch?"

"I have to tell you about something," I explained, "About the walker world."

He looked around the hallway, watching as a teacher walked by.  "Let's go back to my closet and talk there, okay?"

"Alright."

We walked back to his closet, closing the door once we were in.  We sat down on upside down mop buckets as we had in our last meeting.

And then I told him about what I saw while I slept.  I told him about my hands, the way they just drifted through things.  About how I could see all the kids.  About how I found my dead, chopped up body being cooked.  

And how I had stopped Louis from eating me.

Talking about that actually provided a nice break from thinking about this world's drama.

After I finished, Lee shook his head, seemingly in shock. 

"And you're sure it was those two brothers?"  He asked.  "The same ones from the dairy farm?"

"I'm 100% sure," I claimed.  "Dan was still limping, from that bear trap that clamped down on his foot."

"I just can't believe both of them survived," Lee said.  "Their little farm was being flooded with walkers last I saw them.  How did they escape that?"

"I have no clue."

"I should've killed them when I had the chance."  Lee clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut.  "Oh, I could've killed both of them."

"Why didn't you?"

"I didn't want you to have to see that.  You were still so little."  He opened his eyes.  "I'm sorry you had to see your own body chopped up."

"I'm fine," I promised.  "I've seen worse." 

We sat silently for a moment, letting the information fully sink into Lee's brain.  Finally, he asked, "Well, has anything happened here, in this world?"

"Not really."

"Yeah?"  He smirked.  "I've seen you hanging around with that Louis kid a lot lately."  He rose a brow when I blushed. 

"I knew him back in the old world," I explained.  "We were friends then, and we're friends now."

"Is that all you are?"  He questioned.  

"Well..."  I twiddled my thumbs, thinking of how to answer.

"Oh my God, my little sweet pea has a boyfriend!"  Lee exclaimed, smiling wider than I'd ever see him smile before.

"What?  I do not!"

"What is he then?"

"We're just talking right now," I explained.  "Before we start dating or anything, we want to get to know each other better."

"So he's basically your boyfriend," Lee concluded.  

"I guess you could say that.  But we're not, like, an official couple or anything."

Lee continued to smile to himself.  "I can't believe you got a boyfriend."

"Yes, Lee, I know."

"Let me know if he breaks your heart.  I'll break his nose."

"Okay, Lee."

We talked for a few more minutes after that, until we were interrupted by the bell.

"Looks like it's time for us to go," Lee asserted. 

"Yeah, I guess so," I sighed.  We both stepped out of the closet, thankful no teachers saw us.  If they did, it might look, well... suspicious, to say the least.  "See you later."

"Bye, Clementine."  Then, wagging a stern finger, he teasingly added, "Don't be getting into trouble with that boy-"

"Lee!"  I yelped, feeling the blush as it crept up my cheeks.  He chuckled, grinning cheekily at my reaction.  

"Okay, okay.  Bye, sweet pea."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I sat in my dorm room alone, my notes for my science assignment sprawled out on the desk.  Mitch was supposed to meet me there any second to finish the last two tasks we had. 

I hadn't gotten the chance to apologize to Louis about leaving so abruptly in the middle of lunch since school ended, and I also didn't get to tell him about what I had accidentally convinced Geoff to do.  I hope I get the chance to talk to him soon.

While I waited, Sophie's sketch book caught my eye.  It was flipped open to a drawing of her sister and Vi, Minnie kissing her girlfriend's cheek.  It looked incredibly life like.  

Since I was bored, I decided to flip through some more of her book.  All of the sketches of animals, buildings, people, they were all amazing.  Sophie is going places with this art. 

However, one particular drawing caused me to stop and inspect it.  It was of a person, but she hadn't drawn in the face.  He leaned against the wall, resting his hands in his hoodie pockets.  His shaggy brown hair was hidden with a orange beanie.  Huh, looks like Gabe.

However, as I looked closer, I spotted a tiny little heart next to his hat.  Wait, does this mean-

My thoughts were interrupted by Mitch barging in.  

"Sorry I'm late,"  he apologized.  "Mr.Rudlidge kept me after class to lecture me about 'talking back'."  He rolled his eyes at the last part.  "Idiot."

"Well, now you're here, so we can go ahead and finish," I said, closing Sophie's notebook and putting it back on her bed.  

He pulled his assignment from his backpack, and we got to work.  

Our last mandatory task was to hold our breath for thirty seconds, then measure our heart beats.  That was easy, and it took half as much time as our other assignments did.

I had expected things to be awkward alone with Mitch, but I found that things were actually fine.  Fun, even.  We were joking around, and I was glad the awkwardness we had experienced earlier was gone.  

Now all we had left to do was figure out what the bonus activity would be.  

"Maybe we could eat ice cream or something," Mitch suggested.  "See what the sugar does."

"Where are we going to get ice cream now?" I asked him.  "Does the teacher's lounge have some?"

"No."

"Then that's out.  Got any other ideas?"

"Nope."

I went and leaned against the wall, trying to think of something to get us bonus points.  "What could we do?"

"Actually, I have an idea."  Mitch walked closer to me, closing the gap between us to only about two feet.

"Oh yeah?  What?"

"You have to turn around." 

"Turn around?"

"Yeah, you can't be watching otherwise it won't work."  

I gave him a skeptical look.

"Trust me, this will be good," Mitch assured me.  

"Okay," I reluctantly agreed.  Then, I hesitantly turned around to face the wall.

For a few seconds, I felt nothing.  Then, I felt his hands grip my shoulders, and the rest of his body scooted closer.   He moved his head up to my neck, where he let out a hot puff of air.

"Mitch?" I asked, my surprise making me sound quiet and meek.  "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer, only trailed his fingers down my arms.  I could feel the hair on my neck stand straight up at his touch.

"Mitch?" I repeated, more firmly this time.  "I don't like this..."

"Wait," He whispered.  Then, he moved his hands down to my waist, where they continued to move down...

Next thing I knew, my apocalypse instinct kicked in, and I threw my elbow back, jabbing him in the chest.  Before I could stop myself, I spun around and added a bonus kick to the balls.

He immediately let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground clutching his crotch.  "What the hell was that for?!"  He cried through clenched teeth.  

"What the hell were you doing?"  I demanded.  "You can't just grab my waist like that!"

"I was trying to give you chills!"  Mitch claimed.  "You have to run your fingers down the person's whole body to give them chills!"

That wasn't the answer I was expecting.  "Wait, what?"

"We were going to measure your heart rate after I gave you chills.  But not anymore, apparently."

"Oh.  I didn't think that's what you were doing."

"Well what did you think I was doing?"  He stared at me expectantly for an answer.  I chewed my bottom lip, not wanting to to admit what I thought he was going for.  However, he seemed to guess what I had been thinking.  "Jesus, did you think I was going to fucking grope you or something?"

"How was I supposed to know that you were trying to give me chills?" I defended myself.  

"Okay, I should have told you," he admitted.  "But did you really think I would do that to you?"

I shrugged, suddenly ashamed of what I had thought he was going to do before.

He sat up, the pain in his area seeming to fade off a bit.  However, Mitch looked hurt.  "Let's just take our heart rates now.  We can just say we took them after watching a scary movie."

He angrily stomped over to the desk to count his heart beats.  I followed him.  "I'm sorry, Mitch.  It's just..."  I stopped myself, realizing that I almost gave away that I knew he had a crush on me.  I didn't want to embarrass him.  

"What?"  Mitch asked.  "It's just what?"

"Um..."  I tried to think of something to get me out of this situation, but I couldn't.  Taking a deep breath, I said, "I know you like me, and sometimes when a somebody likes someone else, they kind of lose control of themselves.  I thought that was happening to you or something."

"Oh."  Mitch's eyes widened as I revealed what he had thought was a secret.  "Well..um.  That's not- not what I was doing..."  He tore his eyes away from mine, staring at the floor.

"I know that now.  And I'm sorry."  

"It's fine, I guess."  He spoke quietly, his usual confidence gone.

We finished the assignment, then started to walk towards the music room.  However, the awkward tension between us was at an all time high.  I hated it.

So, in an attempt to get rid of it, I spoke, "How does it feel?"

"What?  My dick?"

"Yeah.  Does it still hurt?"

"No."  He turned to face me, and I saw that his cheeks were finally starting to go back to their normal color.  "You know, you've got a pretty good kick for a girl."

"What about my elbow jab?  Don't I get credit for that, too?"

"That one was so-so," he teased.  I smiled, glad the tension had lightened.

Everything was starting to get back to normal, and soon, we were laughing about the whole event.  However, right as we were about to round the corner into the music room, he grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"What?" I asked.

"I..." he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.  

"Go on, spit it out," I encouraged.

"I like you, and you know that," he started.  "And remember when I got you that coffee, I told you that you owed me something?"

"Yeah."

"Well tomorrow is the dance, and I still don't have anyone to go with."  He cleared his throat, and that act somehow filled him with his courage again.  He stepped forward and grabbed one of my hands.  "I think you owe me a date."

Oh God.

"Mitch-"

"I promise I won't grab your ass without permission," he interrupted.

"What's going on here?"  

We both turned to see Louis standing there, a mixture of hurt and confusion etched on his face.  

I pulled my hand away from Mitch.  "It's not what it looks like, Lou," I stated.  

"Why do you care?"  Mitch asked, seemingly annoyed that we were interrupted.  

   "None of your business,"  Louis claimed. 

"Well, this is none of your business,"  the other boy shot back.   Then, he looked back to me.  "So what do you say?"

"I can't."

Mitch seemed surprised at my answer.  "What?"

"I'm..."  I looked to Louis.  "Louis and I are going to the dance together."

Louis's eyes widened when I said that.  "We are?"

"Yes, we are."  I backed away from Mitch.  "I'm sorry, Mitch."

"Wait, you two are together?"  Mitch asked.  

I nodded.  

"How long?"

"Um..." I looked to Louis for help, but he was still in shock at the news that we were going to the dance together.  "Since today," I finally decided.  "We've been talking for a while, but since Lou was fresh out of a relationship, he didn't want to jump straight into a new one.  But it's been two weeks, so it's okay now."

"Oh."  I watched as Mitch registered this.  He wore a disappointed face. "Well, I guess I'm happy for you two."

"I really am sorry," I apologized again.  "I'm just with Louis."  Hearing those words come out of my mouth made my insides feel all jittery; it was official.  Louis and I were together.

Lou must have felt the same way, because he reached down and grabbed my hand.

"It's fine," Mitch claimed.  He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck again, his cheeks once again beginning to burn bright red.  "I think I'll just go back to my dorm."

I gave a pitiful wave goodbye, and he did the same.  Once he was out of hearing range, Louis told me, "That was the most awkward situation I've ever been in."

"Same here," I concurred.  Then, I glanced down at our hands, our fingers still intertwined.  "So are we official now?"

"I guess we are."  He smiled at me.  "Man, I've never been asked to a dance before.  Although, that wasn't really a proper ask.  That was more of a 'we will be going to the dance together so I can escape this other guy'."

"Oh, how rude of me."  I limped in front of him and cleared my throat.  "Louis, would you go to the dance with me?"

"Oh, it would be an honor!"  He declared dramatically.  I rolled my eyes, but stopped short when I felt his lips smack against my cheek.

"Sorry, I've been waiting to do that a while," he apologized, not attempting to hide the grin on his face.  Then, he grabbed my hand again, pulling me forward and into the music room.  "Let's go tell everyone the big news!"

"You're okay with this?" I checked. 

"Yes, I'm more than happy with this," he chimed.  "Now Marlon will finally quit teasing me about how Becca would be the only girlfriend I ever got."

We walked into the room, proudly holding hands.  When Vi saw us, she smiled.  

"Whoa!"  Brody exclaimed.  "Now when did this happen?" 

"Just now,"  Louis answered.  

"Lou, you actually snagged a girlfriend?"  Marlon asked in surprise.

"Well, it's more she snagged me,"  my boyfriend corrected, nudging me.

Everyone seemed happy that Lou and I were together, and I was glad that no one said anything about Louis moving "too quick."

However, there was one person who was less than pleased with our relationship.

"You bitch!"

Becca's shout made all of us freeze, including me.  We all turned to the door, where she was standing angrily. Her chest heaved in and out, and her eyes seemed to lose color.  Her face was red with fury.  If it had been a cartoon, there would have been steam blowing out of her ears.  

I wish I had remembered how fast Becca was.

Then maybe I would have been able to move out of the way before she lunged at me.

AN:  You know, I used to ship Mitch and Clem.  But I ship Clouis wayyyy more.

Btw, Geoff was a character requested by LindexFV on AO3.

Anyway, let me know what you thought!

Next chapter comes out on Wednesdayyyyyyyy.

Chapter Text

Clem's POV

It's crazy how fast your circumstances can change.  For example, one minute, you can be standing happily with your new boyfriend, and the next, you can be on the ground in a fist fight with his ex.

I didn't have time to react as Becca  was charging toward me. I guess I was too delirious to really comprehend what Becca was doing, because if she had lunged at me at any other moment, my reflexes would have pulled me out of her path. But when you're drunk on happiness, your reflexes pretty much don't exist.

The force of Becca's tackle ripped my hand out of Louis's, and I was thrown to the ground. The next thing I remember is my attacker being on top of me, punching anything and everything. Literally, she was hitting more than just me. She missed a couple times and slammed her fists onto the floor.  

Since the adrenaline was starting to pump through me, I couldn't really feel any pain from the strikes, but I could feel pressure from her hits. She got me once in the right cheek, and then she drove her arm into my chest. That one knocked the wind out of me.

Then, she started to claw at my face, her long nails really doing a number on my already bruised cheek.

Some of the kids tried to pull her off, but when they did, she grabbed on to my ponytail, so if the kids yanked her it would hurt me.

Finally, my brain started to comprehend what was going on. My instincts kicked in, and I held my arms over my face to protect myself. Obviously, Becca hadn't been in too many fights, because she grabbed my hands and tried to pull them out of my face. While she was focused on this, I took the opportunity to grab hold of her hair and forearms and jerk her over.  The momentum rolled her off of me, and I ended up on top. 

Once I had the upper hand, I cocked my fist, drew back my arm, and delivered one clean blow to her eye.  However, I also hit quite a bit of her nose, and the crunch under my fist made me cringe.  

My opponent immediately threw her hands up to her face, and she let out a sharp cry of pain.     

Next thing I knew, I was yanked off of her by Gabe.  After he stood me up, he stayed between Becca and I, as if I was going to go back and start beating her up.  I wasn't planning on that, though; she was just lying there, cradling her nose.  I didn't feel bad.

The whole fight lasted a total of about thirty seconds.  

"My nose!"  Becca screeched as blood seeped through her fingers.  "I think she broke my nose!"  Her little posse ran to her side, lifting her up from her elbows.  Everyone else just sort of sat there in shock. 

Then, she stood up, the whole bottom half of her face covered in blood.  She charged for me again, but this time, Louis and Gabe were able to stop her before she got to me.  

"Let me at her!"  She cried, fighting to get through the boys.  "Come here, you little piece of shit!"

In response, I flipped her off.  This just made her even angrier.

"Boyfriend stealer!"  Becca spat at me.  "Fucking hoe!"

"Shut the hell up, Becca!"  Violet shouted.  Her sudden order took everyone by surprise, and Becca was quiet for a moment.  "Quit flapping those lips, and just go get your ass to the nurse!"

Becca gave one last push to get through Lou and Gabe, then gave up.  

"We'll take you to the nurse," Louis said.  "C'mon, let's go."  He actually seemed to feel a little bad for her.  I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. 

His ex actually listened to him, and she walked out of the room with Gabe and Louis without giving them any more trouble.

I touched my hand to my cheek, swollen from the punch, and bleeding from the scratch.  

"You okay?"  Vi asked, a concerned look in her eyes.

"I'm fine."

"You are not fine," Ruby said.  The red head came over to me and tilted my head to inspect my wound.  "This needs to be cleaned and bandaged."  Ruby took my hand that I had punched Becca with, gently touching my already bruised knuckles.

"I'm not going to the nurse," I stated.  "Especially not with Becca."

"I'll take care of it myself,"  Ruby assured me.  "I have a first aid kit in my room."  She grabbed hold of my wrist, pulling me towards the door.  "Let's go get you cleaned up."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0 

"The nerve of that fucking girl," Violet ranted to Brody.  "I swear to God, next time I see her, I'm gonna shove my foot five feet up her ass!"

Sarah stiffened at Violet's cursing, still not used to hearing such profanity despite living in a school where cuss words was pretty much the language.

Brody, Ruby, and Sarah's dorm was a lot cleaner than my dorm room was.  They didn't have rejected art work in piles on the floor, heaps of dirty laundry, or their backpacks sprawled out everywhere.  Seeing their room made me realize how much of a pig sty ours was.

"How do you guys keep your room so clean?"  I wondered out loud.

"Ruby like things neat," Brody answered.  "She flips out when it's any other way."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Ruby defended herself.  "Without me, you wouldn't be able to see the ground when you walked in here."  

Ruby poured some rubbing alcohol onto a towel, then held it up to my face. 

"This is gonna hurt like hell,"  She warned me.

"Believe me, I know," I told her.  Sarah, Violet, and Brody watched Ruby intently as she gingerly pressed the cloth to my scratches.

The sting from the alcohol made me remember disinfecting my arm after that dog bit me.  The pain felt unwelcomingly familiar.  Though it didn't sting as bad as the dog bite did, it still hurt enough for me to hiss out a pained, "Fuuuck."  I could hear the sizzle of the bubbles that began to form.

"Ewww,"  Sarah vocalized.  However, she immediately apologized, "Sorry, that was rude!"

"No, it is gross," I assured her.  

"Becca got you good," Brody said, scrunching up her face at my wound.  

"Not good enough to scar, though," Ruby informed me.

"Good," I said.  "I already have enough scars as it is."

"How'd you get that scar?"  Vi questioned, pointing to the very scar on my arm that I had just been thinking about.  

"Dog bite," I answered.  "I had to stitch it up myself.  That's why it scarred so badly."

"Really?"  Sarah asked in awe.  "Why didn't you go to the doctor?"

"The adults didn't think it needed to be cleaned and stitched right away, but I thought it did," I explained.  "So I did it myself."

"That's pretty bad ass,"  Vi said, picking up my arm to observe my scar.  "It looks cool."

"I could never do that," Brody claimed.  "I'd probably pass out from the pain."

"I almost did."

Ruby wiped off all of the bubbles with a paper towel, then began to bandage up my cheek.  "How's the rest of your body?"  She inquired.  "Does it hurt anywhere else?"

"My knuckles.  Oh, and my chest, a little," I replied.  I pulled down my shirt just low enough for Ruby to check it.  It already had a purplish green bruise.

Ruby gently pressed it with her finger, stopping when she saw me wince from the pain.

"I'll go get ice packs for your cheek, chest, and hand," She declared, standing up.  "I'll be right back."

After she left, we were quiet for a moment, all of them watching me as I delicately touched my swollen cheek.

Finally, Vi said, "Sorry we couldn't get her off of you.  We tried, but every time we pulled, she would grab onto your hair.  I didn't want her to rip your hair out of your head."

"It's fine," I promised her.  

"I wish Louis would have never dated her to begin with."

"Me too."

We were both silent for a moment, before Violet asked, "So, you and Louis are going to the dance?"

"That's the plan," I confirmed. 

"Have you got anything to wear?"

"I was thinking just a t-shirt and jeans should be fine."

"What?"  Sarah asked in disbelief. I had forgot she was with us.  "You can't wear that!"

"Why not?" I questioned.  

"These things are pretty fancy," Brody explained.   "Even Violet wears a dress, which she never, ever does."  I looked to Vi to see if this was true, and she nodded in confirmation.

"I don't exactly have anything to wear, then," I admitted.  

"You should come shopping with us tomorrow!"  Sarah proclaimed excitedly.  "Christa always takes a group of girls to the mall the day of the dance for last minute dress shopping."

"Really? Is that even allowed?" I questioned. 

"Probably not," Vi assented, "But Christa does it anyway.  Since we're not missing any school because it's the weekend, none of the teachers have ever complained."

"Okay, then," I agreed.  "I guess I could go."

"Great!"  Sarah exclaimed excitedly.  "We leave at nine AM, so don't sleep in."

"And don't stay up late," my roomie added.  "I don't want to have to dump a bucket of water on your head to wake you up."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0 

After Ruby had gotten back and gave me the ice packs, I went straight back to my dorm and straight to bed.  I was already feeling exhausted, and I wanted to get as much sleep as possible to make getting up in the morning easier.

The rest of the girls went to sleep early, too.  We were all asleep by 9:30.

However, I didn't sleep long.  I was woken up in the middle of the night when my phone buzzed.  I groggily turned it over to see what the notification was.  

1 New Message From Louis

Why would he be texting me at midnight?  I quickly opened the text.  

Louis:  hey, you awake?

I slowly typed my response.

Me: yeah, I am now.  what is it?

Louis: do you think you could meet me in the music room?

Me: right now?

Louis: yeah, if you're not too tired

I am too tired, I thought.  However, that's not what I sent him.

Me: i'll be there in 5

==

I walked into the music room to see Lou sitting at the piano, drumming his fingers on the covered keys.  The only light illuminating the room was a small candle on the piano and the faint moonlight that fought its way through the clouds. 

"Hey," I greeted quietly as I came up from behind him to sit next to him.  When he turned and saw me, he smiled.

"Clem."  His smile instantly faded as his eyes landed on my bruised cheek and scratched cheek.  "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I claimed.  "She just scratched me, is all."

"I saw her throw some punches, too.  Did she get you anywhere?"

I pulled down my shirt just enough to see the bruise.  He frowned at the sight of it.

"Ouch."

"It doesn't hurt that bad."

"It shouldn't be hurting at all."  He sighed, a sudden look of guilt taking over his face.  "I shouldn't have let her get to you."

"It's not your fault,"  I assured him.  "None of us knew she was going to do it."

"I tried to get her off of you, but every time I pulled it just hurt you more."

"I know, Vi told me you guys tried.  I appreciate it."

He sighed again, lightly brushing his finger on my wounded cheek.  Then, brightening up a little, he said, "Hey, at least now you look even more bad ass than before.  You look like some sort of warrior with that cheek."  Smirking, he added, "A hot warrior."

"Well now you have to up your bad assness," I told him teasingly.  "I can't be a hot warrior dating a clown."

"What do I have to do, break someone's nose?  I don't know if I could do that in one punch like you did."

"Hmmm, maybe you could.  Flex for me."

He proudly flexed his arms, his muscles bigger than I had expected. 

"No, you definitely couldn't," I joked.

He chuckled, and I smiled.  

"Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were alright."  

"Well, I'm okay."

"You can go back to sleep now, if you want."

"There's actually something I've been meaning to talk to you about," I said, remembering the Vi and Geoff situation.  

"Is it bad?"  He asked.

"Sort of."

Then, I explained to him the conversation Geoff and I had, and how I was pretty sure I had accidentally convinced him to try and get with Violet.  Louis nodded as I talked, listening intently to the situation.

After I finally finished, he took a minute to absorb all the information.  Eventually, he said, "And he's going to tell Vi his feelings tomorrow before the dance?"

"Yeah."

Louis twirled around a loose string from the bottom of his t-shirt while he processed this.  "You're sure it's Violet he likes?"

"I'm pretty sure."

"I can try to casually mention to him that Vi is only into girls," he told me, "But knowing him, that probably won't stop him."

"Should I tell Violet?"

"I wouldn't.  If she finds out Geoff likes her, she'll probably just be super weird around him."

"Okay, then, what should I do?"

"Just don't let the two of them get alone time," Louis suggested.  "I can help with that."

"Alright."  I yawned, leaning my head over and resting it on his shoulder and closing his eyes. 

"You tired?"

"No," I responded sleepily.

Suddenly, I felt his arms scoop up my legs and his other arm support my back.  Out of surprise, I opened my eyes to find that he was carrying me bridal style.  

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Taking you back to bed."

"I can walk, you know."

"I'm not going to let you walk back half asleep on that ankle."

I sighed.  "Alright," I gave in. 

He smiled once I conceded.  

==

I can't remember the last time someone's held me.  I liked the way that I felt in Louis's arms: I felt safe, secure.  Like nothing could hurt me.  Like for once, I wasn't the protector.

We made it too my room too soon.  He set me down on my feet, and I thanked him for carrying me.

"No problem," he replied.  "Good luck dress shopping tomorrow."

"Thanks."  I sent him a sleepy smile, slowly cracking open my door.  "Goodnight."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second!"

"What?"

"Don't I get something for carrying you to your room?"

I raised a brow at him.  Seeing this, he closed his eyes and made fake kissing noises.  

I rolled my eyes, stood on my tippy toes, and kissed him on the cheek.  When I did, he stopped what he was doing, puzzled.

"There's your kiss," I said to him.

He touched where my lips had been, looking surprised.  "I didn't think you'd actually do it."

I stepped into my room.  "Goodnight, Lou."

"Night," he mumbled, still taken back by my kiss to his cheek.

Then, I went and laid back down, asleep again in seconds.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0 

I remember I used to hate shopping as a kid.  It was just sooo boring.  There seemed to be nothing worse in the world than trying on tons of clothes, looking for the best fitting shoe, and going through all of the clearance racks. 

The apocalypse changed that.

I excitedly looked over all of the dresses, admiring their colorful patterns and fancy stitches.  The mannequins made all of them look so pretty, I didn't know how I would ever decide which one I wanted.

One particular lace one caught my eye, it's black and white style appealing to me.  I walked over and picked one off the racks.

"Whoa whoa who, not that one," Brody said from the rack next to me.  "Unless you have a five hundred dollars in your pocket."

I checked the price tag; sure enough, it was a rough $532.00.

"Can I help you ladies find anything?"  

Ben's voice came from behind me, and I turned to see him walking toward us in a nice, black suit.  It hung a little loose on his skinny frame.  His hair was combed to the side, and he had a little goatee going for him.  He looked professional, and grown up.  It was weird.

"Ben?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Yes, that's me," he answered, pointing to his silver name tag on his chest.  "Can I help you with anything?"

Since I was too lost in thought to reply, Brody did.  "No thanks, we're just looking at your dresses."

I tried to remember the last time I had seen him.  I couldn't remember how he had died.  Come to think of it, I don't think I ever actually saw him die.

"Oh, okay.  Let me know if you need any help!" he chimed, walking away.

"We will!"  Brody responded.  Once he was out of hearing range, Brody whispered to me, "He's kinda cute."

Her comment made me cringe.  

"What?" She asked. 

"Nothing," I told her, knowing that she would never understand my past.

After we had been there for about an hour, everyone had found something to try on, most people with a handful of dresses.  Some how, though, I still didn't have anything to try on.

When asked why, I just shrugged.

"Aw, come on, there has to be something you like," Ruby said.  "What type of style do you like?"

"I don't really know," I claimed.  Back in the apocalypse, my style was any piece of clothing I could get my hands on.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Brody questioned. 

"I don't really have a style," I clarified.  "I just wear whatever."

"Just pick a random dress," Vi suggested.  "That's what I did."

I walked to a random rack and picked up a dress.  Holding it up for everyone to see, I asked, "How about this one?"

They all stared at me, disapproving looks on their faces. 

"Please tell me your joking," Sarah spoke.

I turned the dress around and looked at the dress myself; it was hideous.

"We'll help you find a dress," Brody promised.  "Ruby, Sarah, come help me look.  Vi, I don't really trust your opinion.  You just stay with Clem."

While the rest of the girls went to go find me a dress, Vi and I went to go sit on a bench.  

"How's your cheek?" She asked.

"It's alright.  Stings a little, on and off."

"Fucking Becca."

"It's alright, though.  I got her back."

"Yeah, you did.  She was wearing a nose brace this morning."  My friend snorted.  "It looks so damn ugly."

"Why did she get so worked up?" I asked.  "I mean, I knew her and Louis liked each other a lot, but I didn't know she liked him enough to tackle me for."

"I think it's less of how much she likes him and more of how much she hates you," Vi guessed.  "You were the first real competition here for her in everything.  Basketball, Louis, popularity.  She was just jealous."

"What about the way she acts?  Was she a bitch before I moved here?"

"Yes, definitely."  Just then, Becca walked in front of us, several dresses slung over her arm.  Her little posse was following close behind her.  Once she passed us, Violet continued, "She has her reasons, though."

"Like what?"

"She was abused by her parents," the blonde explained, "emotionally and physically.  When you're raised by assholes, you can't help but act like one, right?"

I watched as Becca walked into one of the dressing rooms, suddenly feeling guilty about messing up her nose.  "I guess."

"She could change though, if she really tried,"  Vi stated.  "She just chooses not too.  Louis was trying to get her to change, but she only changed around him.  Did the rest of us no good."

"Maybe one day she'll try."

"Maybe."

"Clementine!"  Sarah called.  Violet and I looked over to where we heard her shouts from, only to see her with her arms full of dresses.  

"Oh God," mumbled Vi.  "Good luck."

 0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0 

After about an hour of me continuously trying on dresses and being judged by the girls, I finally found one I liked:

It was a simple, sleeveless navy blue dress that went just above my knees.  There was a slim, gold belt that would go on my waist, and gold embroidery at the bottom of the dress to match.  And it was just 65 bucks. 

Back at the school, we ate lunch, then immediately began to get ready.  We still had a few hours to go until the dance, so I didn't understand why we were getting ready so early.  However, according to Sophie, "We've got to look perfect, and perfection takes time!"

Vi, Sophie, and I all slipped on our dresses, while Minnie mixed it up a bit by wearing a women's tuxedo.  Then, it was time for makeup.  Since I had no clue how to apply it, I let Minnie do mine. 

I was going to leave my hair in my ponytail, but all of my roommates insisted that I do something else with it.

"If they're forcing me to do something with my hair," Violet said, gesturing to the twins, "Then you have to do something too."

"Like what?" I inquired.

"I'll put it in something," Sophie volunteered.  She sat me down in the chair and began to comb through my thick locks.

"So, Sophie," I started, "You going with anyone special?"

"No, I don't think so," She answered.  "I'm just going to go hang out with friends."

"Nobody?"  I pushed, thinking back to the picture of Gabe I had seen in her sketch book.

"Nobody," Sophie established.  "You better watch out, though, because I heard that Mitch is going to ask you to dance."

"I doubt that.  He asked me to the dance yesterday, and I rejected him."

"Oof, that probably hurt his pride," Minnie bet.  "He's never been rejected before."

"I'll be surprised if he even shows up," Vi said. 

"Me, too," I agreed.

After Sophie was finished, she held a mirror up to my face; she had put my hair half up half down with a braid crown going around my head.  It looked really good.

"Wow, Sophie, this looks awesome!"  I complemented.  

"Thanks.  I have a lot to practice on!"  She pointed to her long, red hair.

I looked into the mirror again, taking in the person staring back at me, the new Clementine.  The normal Clementine.

You could barely see the scratches under the make up.

My face didn't look like a skeleton's from lack of food.

I didn't have circles under my eyes from not getting enough sleep.

My hair actually looked presentable.

If you would have told me a couple months earlier that I would be staring at a reflection of me like that, I would have laughed in your face.  

Had someone said, "Soon you'll be in a world with no walkers," I would have called them crazy.

Yet here I was.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.  

"Come in!"  Minnie yelled, putting the finishing touch on her eye liner. 

Ruby came in, all dressed up and ready to go.  "You guys almost ready?" She asked. 

"I'm ready," I announced.  

"No, you have to stay here and wait for Louis," Sophie said.  "It's tradition for the guys to come pick the girls up from their room."

"Oh."

"We'll see you there," Vi promised, grabbing Minnie's hand and leading her out.  

"Hang tight, Clem," Minnie told me as she walked out.  Sophie followed her sister, and Ruby made her way out then too. 

Then, I was alone.  

While I waited for Louis, I looked around at the colorful walls, imagining them bare, like they used to be.  I looked to the desk, remembering AJ's pictures that he drew.  I remembered the sculls that I used to have everywhere, and the disco broccoli that AJ liked to have by his bed.  I looked at my "D" hat, the one thing in this world that was almost at battered and worn as it had been in the apocalypse.

I suddenly felt homesick for my old world, for all the kids I knew before the ones here.  For the old Vi, Ruby, Aasim, Omar, all of them.  The old AJ.  The old Louis.

Knock knock knock.

 The knocks startled me, and I jumped.  However, after realizing what they were, I walked to the door and opened it, brushing off the emotions I had been feeling.  

There Louis stood, holding a bouquet of flowers and wearing a purple tuxedo.  

"Hey," I greeted. 

When he saw me, his eyes widened.  

I couldn't tell if this was a good or bad thing.  "What?" I asked, concerned. 

"You look..."  He eyed me up and down for a minute, before finally settling his chocolate brown eyes on my gold ones.  "Breath taking."

I could feel the blush as it rose to my cheeks, and the butterflies in my stomach flapped around wildly.  "Thank you."

"Stunning," Louis continued.  "Gorgeous."

"Okay, okay, that's enough," I said, trying to hide my smile from his complements.

"I brought you these," he stated, handing me the flowers.  "Picked em from the garden myself."  I accepted them, breathing in their fresh scent.  

"I love them."  I set them on the desk, then walked out into the hallway with Louis.  "You look handsome."

"Why thank you."

"I just have to ask, though; why purple?"

"You don't see a lot of purple tuxedos," Louis explained.  "Why not stand out?"

I smiled at his answer, reaching down and lacing my fingers with his.  "Of course you'd say that."

"Of course."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0 

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the dance.  Sure, I had seen them in movies when I was little, but I barely remembered those.  I had no clue what was usually happened at these things.

We kept our fingers intertwined as we walked down the halls, chatting about dress shopping and how each other's days went.  However, right as we were about to enter the cafeteria, I spotted Lee mopping the floors down the hall.

"Hi, Mr.Everett!"  Louis greeted, seeing him the same time I did. 

"Hey, you two," Lee said back.  He eyed our hands, smiling.  "You two headed to the dance?"

"We sure are," Lou confirmed.

"You two have fun," Lee told us, winking at me.

"Thanks, uh, Mr.Everett,"  I voiced, feeling weird having to call him a 'Mr.'

He waved, then went back to mopping the floors.  Louis pushed the a door to the cafeteria open for me, saying, "After you, Miss."

"Ah, what a gentlemen," I played along, stepping inside to the bright lights and loud music. 

All of the tables had been pushed out of the way, leaving a big dance floor open.  There were, however, a few tables filled with punch and snacks.  Across from that was a DJ booth, two ginormous speakers on each side of it.  

There were two DJs up in the stand, and they both looked familiar.  Where do I know them from?  I wandered closer to their booth, where I got a clear look of their faces; it was Doug and Mike.

I had no clue how they knew each other in this world, but I decided not to question it since they both looked like they were having a good time.  

Right now, they were playing loud music with a heavy bass.  

"Hey!"  Louis yelled to get my attention over the noise.  I turned to look at him.  "You wanna dance?"

"Sure!" I shouted back. When he couldn't here me, I nodded my head up and down to tell him yes.  Then, he grabbed my wrist and led me out into the middle of all the dancing kids. 

Louis started to bounce to the beat, and I copied him.  However, I felt uncomfortable doing it.  Stiff.  I glanced around to see if anyone else was having the same problem as me.  

Nope.  Everyone was just dancing their heart's out, not a care in the world.  Even Violet was breaking it down. 

"Clem!" Louis stop dancing and leaned in next to my ear so he wouldn't have to yell.  "Just let loose.  Nobody's watching you.  They won't care if you look stupid!"  He leaned back out, and began to dance again. 

Loose.  Just be loose.  I started to jump to the beat again, this time allowing my fists to pump, too.  Louis smiled in approval, doing the same thing.  Then, he started to do the sprinkler. 

I copied him, then did another lame move back.  He returned it before doing yet another stupid dance for me to repeat.

We did that for the whole song, and for the next one after that we met up with our friends.  The girls and guys kind of split up, dancing in groups next to each other.  It was still fun jamming out with the girls, though.

After a few more songs, I was out of breath and thirsty.  Our little group of friends went to go sit at a table to take a break.  

Everyone was sweating, and all of our hair was messed up, but nobody cared.  We were having fun.

"How are you liking it so far?" Louis asked as we rested.  

"This is awesome," I replied.  

"Did you notice that Mitch was actually here?"

"He is?"

"Yeah, over there."  He pointed a couple tables down from us, to where Mitch sat glowering alone.  

"I'll go talk to him, try and get him to have some fun," I decided.  "I'll be back."

As I made my way to his table, Mitch made eye contact with me.  He immediately broke it, looking back down at the floor and pretending not to notice when I sat down next to him.

"Hey, Mitch," I greeted.  

"Hey," he said back dryly.  "You looked like you were having a lot of fun."

"I was.  You should come dance with us."

"Not in the mood," he claimed.  

"C'mon, it will be fun!"  I urged. 

Just then, Mike announced into the microphone, "Okay, now, these next songs are for all of you lovebirds out there.  Grab your special someone, and make your way onto the dance floor."

Mitch frowned.  "You still want me to go dance with you guys?"

"Maybe you could ask someone to dance," I suggested. 

"Oh yeah?  Like who?"

"Like..."  I scanned the room, looking for a girl without a dance partner.  My eyes landed on the same girl who tried to beat me up.  "How about Becca?"

"That bitch?  No way!"

"It's not her fault she's a bitch!  Her parents made her that way."

"A bitch is a bitch."

"I really doubt she'll be a bitch to you after you ask her to dance."

"What if she ends up liking me or something?"  Mitch asked.  "I don't want to have to deal with that!"

I rolled my eyes.   "You're not proposing, Mitch.  Just asking for a dance."

Mitch huffed, looking at the girl across the room.  "Fine," he finally agreed.  Then, he adjusted his bow tie, and started heading her way.

I walked back to Louis, happy with what I had accomplished.  However, he wasn't where he had been sitting before.  I craned my neck to look around for him, only to find him in the corner with Violet and Geoff.

Uh oh.

I hastened over to them, praying that Geoffrey hadn't professed his love to Violet yet.

"Dude, we need some privacy!"  Geoff was saying to Louis.  "Just leave for a second."

"But Violet needs to go dance with Minnie!" Louis objected stubbornly, putting emphasis on her girlfriend's name.  He pointed to where she stood alone, awkwardly watching as this went down.

"Just let him say what he has to say, Lou!"  Vi demanded, annoyed. 

"What's going on?" I asked. 

"Clem, please tell your boyfriend to give us some privacy," Geoff requested. 

"Um..."  I tried to think of an excuse to stay, but nothing came to mind.  I made eye contact with Louis, sending him a 'What do I do?' look.   He shrugged.  

I couldn't think of anything to say to Geoff to stop him from admitting his feelings to Violet, and I felt bad, because I knew that he was about to get hurt.  Defeated, I said, "Let's go dance, Lou."  He reluctantly followed me to the floor.

"We were to late," I stated regretfully.  

"It's not completely our fault," Lou reminded me.  "Geoff chose to take the risk of getting his heart broken.  It's not like you forced him to do it."

"I guess."  I glanced behind me, still feeling guilty.  It looked like the boy had already began his speech on Vi, because she had an uncomfortable look on her face.

Lou gently grabbed my chin, turning my face towards him.  "Hey, don't worry about them, okay?  Just focus on us."

"Okay." 

Elvis Presley's 'Can't Help Falling in Love With You' was playing.  Lou pulled me out deeper into the dance floor, stopping right in the center.  He placed his hands on my waist, gently squeezing.  It sent the chills down my spine and set off the butterflies in my stomach, yet again.

I placed my hands on the back of his neck, softly rubbing my fingers in circles.  

We swayed back and forth, intently gazing into each other's eyes.  His chocolate one's seemed to smile at me, making me smile.

"Shall I stay?"  He softly sang to me, winking.  "Would it be a sin?"

I laid my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes to listen to his voice.  He lightly pressed his head against mine, continuing to sing in my ear.

"If I can't help,

falling in love,

with you."

Right at that moment, I was at the peak happiness that I had been the whole time back in the new world.  It didn't matter that my cheek was swollen or that I had a bruise the size of a baseball on my chest.

I didn't care that I might've accidentally just ruined a friendship. 

Somehow, this moment felt better than my reunion with Lee, AJ, or anyone else so far.

For the first time since I had been here, I truly felt that everything would be okay.  Maybe it was alright if I had died in the other world.  This one wasn't treating me too shabby.

After that song finished, Louis whispered in my ear, "Hey, you wanna get out of here?"

I leaned back to look at him, raising a brow.  "Where would we go?"

"I've got a place," he promised, a mischievous grin creeping onto his face.  

"Alright," I agreed.  

We weaved our way through all the couples, and then toward the exit door.  However, right when we were about to reach the doors, we ran into Geoff, looking pretty depressed.

"Hey, how about you go ask someone to dance?" I suggested. 

"I did," he responded bitterly, looking to Violet.  

"Somebody else," I emphasized.  "Maybe Sarah?"

He gave me a look, and I shrugged.  

"What?  It'll make her night."

I glanced around to see any other lonely people, but none caught my eye.  However, I did spot Ruby and Aasim dancing together.  And Sophie and Gabe.  

Louis tugged on my arm.  "Let's go."

"Bye, Geoff," I said, before being pulled outside by Louis.

It was much quieter outside, the only noises being the chirps of crickets and croaks of frogs. 

"Aw, this is much better, don't you think?" Louis asked.

"Yeah.  I can actually talk to you without having to yell."

"I know."  He started to walk in towards the little kid's building, and I followed him.  

"Where are we going?"

"To the woods," he answered.  "I want to show you something."

We walked towards the gate, passing little kid's building as we did.  All of the kids were playing outside, running around with flash lights.

"What are all the kids doing outside?" I questioned. 

"Since we get the dance, they get an extra night time recess," My date explained. "They get to stay out till, like, midnight I thi-"

"Clem!"  AJ's shouts cut Louis off, and a little body and a moving flashlight could be seen sprinting our direction. 

"How did he recognize you?" Louis asked. 

"I don't know," I admitted.

I squatted down for him to run into my arms when he met us.  He did just that, nearly knocking me over.  After our hug, he gave Louis a fist bump.  

"Clem, you look so pretty!" AJ complemented.  "Like a princess!"

"She does, doesn't she?"  Lou agreed.  

"Aw, thanks, goofball," I said, ruffling his hair.  "Are you having fun?"

"Yeah, lot's of fun!"  He declared.  Then, tilting his head, he asked, "Where are you two going?"

"No where for little boys," Lou told him.

"But I'm big now," The tot protested.  "I can go."

"Your teachers probably won't let you," I commented. 

"They're inside," AJ claimed.  "They won't even know I'm gone."

"It's up to Louis," I decided.

Alvin Junior flashed his best puppy dog eyes up at my boyfriend, sticking out his upper lip.  Louis pursed his lips, debating on whether or not to let him come.

"Alright, fine," Louis finally gave in, "but you  can't tell anyone. Okay?"

AJ pretended to zip his lips, giving Lou a thumbs up.  Then, we went to a small whole in the brick wall, and squeezed through.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

After about ten minutes of wandering around the woods, we finally came across what Louis had wanted to show me. 

"Behold!"  He cried once we reached an old, rusty convertible .  "The hang out spot for twelve year old Louis and Marlon!"

"How old is this thing?" I asked, running my fingers across the car's hood.

"Who knows?  Older than I am, that's for sure."  The roof was down, and Louis hopped over the door and into the driver's seat.  He patted the passenger seat.  

I hopped over and sat next to him.  

AJ was about to get in, but stopped right as he was about to.  "Are you guys just gonna sit here?" He asked. 

"Yup," Louis answered.  "Stargaze a little bit."

"That's boring," AJ stated bluntly.  

"How about you go look for some frogs, then?" Lou suggested.  "I bet you can't find one that's bigger than your hand."

"I bet you I can," challenged AJ.  Then, he turned and started to check underneath rocks and the fallen leaves, slowly making his way away from the car.  

"Don't get too close to the road," I warned AJ.

"Yeah, if someone sees you, they'll probably call the cops," Louis agreed.

"And it's not safe," I added.

"I won't," AJ promised, continuing his search for a frog bigger than his hand.

Lou pulled a lever on the end of his seat to recline it all the way back, and I did the same.   I laid down gazed at the sky, marveling at all of the twinkling stars looking back at me.  

"It's a nice change to see stars rather than the school's ceiling when you look up, isn't it?"  Louis asked.

"Yeah, it is."  I let my eyes roam the sky until I came across a familiar constellation.  I pointed at it, saying, "There's the little dipper."

"And there's a lion."  Louis pointed to a random assortment of stars, which in no way resembled the big cat.

I turned and raised a brow at him.

"What?  You don't see it?"

"No.  I just see a bunch of stars."

"I guess only genius intellectuals like me can see it, then," Lou teased.

"Or weirdos like you."

"That too."  I smiled at that.

Louis reached down and grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers with mine.  He softly stoked my finger with his thumb.

I enjoyed the next few minutes of silence, until I realized something; it was silent.  It was never completely quiet with Louis.  If he wasn't talking, he was singing, humming, something.

"Lou?"  I asked.

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?"

"What?"  He questioned, confused.  "I'm fine.  Why?"

"You're just really quiet."

"Oh."

"And you're never quiet."

"I'm just thinking, is all."

I spotted a penny in the car's cup holder and grabbed it.  Holding it out to him, I asked,  "Penny for your thoughts?"

He turned to me, debating on taking the it.  Finally, he did.  He turned it around several times in fingers, examining its rusted surface.  "I was thinking about how Mitch said you lied the other day."

"Lied about what?"

"Why you were sent here."

Oh, right.  I internally cursed Mitch for calling me out.  

"You don't have to tell me why you were really sent here or anything," Lou assured me.  "I was just wondering."

I was silent for a minute, debating on whether I should tell him the other reason I was here.  Maybe even add in the part about my coma, and the "dream" that I had while I was in it.  He has to know eventually.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," Lou apologized, noticing my silence.  "It's none of my buis-"

"I almost killed someone."  The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them.  I guess my body had decided for me whether I was going to tell him or not.  

I turned to see Louis's reaction.  He was staring up at the sky, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open.  For the first time, I had left him speechless.

"He was a friend," I continued.  "His name was Duck.  He was living with us, but I sort of forgot.  One night, he snuck in late, and I thought he was an intruder or something.  So, I knocked him down and held a knife to his neck.  If my parents didn't come in, I probably would have slit his throat."

I heard Louis let out a sigh of relief.  "So you were just trying to protect your family."

"I guess you could say that."

"I have to ask, though; how did you just forget that he was living with you?  I mean, that seems like something I would do, and you're way smarter than I am."

I ignored the insult to himself.  "That's the other thing..."

When he heard there was more, he sat up in his chair, sitting criss cross and turning to face me.  I did the same.

I bit my lip, nervous to tell him the truth.

He reached over and placed a comforting hand on my knee.  "Take your time."

I twiddled my thumbs, silently encouraging myself to tell him.  Finally, I uttered, "I forgot Duck was living with us because before that, I had been in a coma.  For two weeks.  And I lost my memory."  

I closed my eyes so I didn't have to see his reaction.  

"I forgot everything.  I could only remember the first eight years of my life."  

Suddenly, I felt his arms wrap around me in a consoling embrace.  I didn't hesitate to hug him back.

"So my parents shipped me off," I finished.  "I think it's because they didn't want to have to deal with a daughter who they didn't know anymore."

Louis squeezed me tighter.  "I'm so sorry."

I didn't say anything.  I knew that if I did, I might lose control of my emotions.

We stayed in the embrace for a good  couple of minutes, until I finally pulled out of it.   Louis stared at me, a sympathetic look in his eyes.

"I wasn't an angel, though, before that,"  I told Louis.  "Apparently, I drank, smoke, snuck out to parties.  Y'know, bad stuff." 

"What teenager doesn't do those things?  You didn't deserve to get sent here."  He grabbed my hand.  "Even though I'm glad your here."

I smiled.

Then, Louis proceeded to tell me his story.  Even though I already knew it, I pretended it was my first time hearing it.  

However, in this world, there was a part that I hadn't heard yet.

"Now my dad's remarried, and my mom's dating someone else," Louis was telling me.  "I haven't spoken to either one of them in two years."

"I'm sorry, Lou."

"The thing is, though, my dad had another kid," Louis continued.  "My half sister.  The last time I saw her, she was three.  My dad said to me, 'I'm going to raise her right.  I'm going to make sure she grows up to respect me.'" He stopped for a moment, as if what he was about to say next was hard for him.  Eventually, he finished, "'This one will make me proud.  Unlike you.'"

My eyes widened at that last one.  "That's awful."

"I was awful.  When you think about what I did, I kinda deserved it."

"But you've changed.  You need to talk to them again, show them that you're better now."

He snorted.  "They wouldn't come to see me if I was dying."

"Don't talk like that," I scolded.  "You have to try, Louis."

He sighed.  "Maybe I will."  

We were quiet for a moment, unsure of what to talk about now. 

"You wanna hear a joke?" He asked.

"Seriously?  A joke?  After the conversation we just had?"

"I don't like being serious!"  He defended himself.

"Alright, fine," I agreed.  

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Cow says."

"Cow says who?"

"No, a cow says moo-"  He stopped mid moo, his eyes widening as he looked at something just past my shoulder.  "Holy shit, look at the size of that frog!"

He pointed at it, and I looked to where he pointed.  There was a huge bullfrog sitting on a log, staring at us blankly.  It was at least as big as my hand.

"Whoa," I voiced.  

"Where's AJ?" Louis asked.  "We have to show him this!"

"AJ!" I called.  "Come look at this frog!"

I didn't get an answer.  

"Buddy!"  Louis tried.  "Come here!"

Still, no reply.

"He must have wondered off too far," guessed Louis.

Hearing that made my stomach drop a little bit.  "What if he gets lost?"

"He's only been gone about fifteen minutes," Louis assured me, checking the time on his phone.  "He couldn't have gone too far."

"Well let's go find him before he does go too far."  I hopped out of the car, and Louis did the same. 

"AJ!" He called.

"AJ!" I repeated.

We walked towards the direction that I last saw him go.  After walking for about five minutes, I really started to panic.

"Alvin Juniorrr!  If you don't get your butt over here, you're going to be in big trouble!"  I yelled.

"Don't tell him he'll be in trouble, otherwise he won't come," Lou told me.

"He is going to be in trouble," I claimed, my worry leaking into my voice.

"Hey," Louis said, stopping once he noticed my anxiety.  He put both of his hands on my shoulders, like he did before the free throw competition a couple weeks ago.  "We're going to find him, okay?  Just relax.  Take a deep breath."  Louis inhaled deeply, and I did the same.  We breathed out at the same time.

It did calm me down a little.

"Better?" He asked.

"Better."

"Okay."  He let go of my shoulders, starting to walk again.  "AJ!"  He called again.

"C'mon, AJ, we have to get back to the school!"

"Just a minute!"

Louis and I both stopped at the sound of AJ's voice.  Cupping his hands around his mouth, Louis yelled back, "AJ?"

"I'll be there in a minute!"  AJ shouted back.

"He's that way," I declared, looking to where I heard AJ's voice come from.  Louis and I both started speed walking that direction.

==

Soon, we could see AJ in the road, specifically where I had told him NOT to be.  

"AJ!"  I shouted.  "Get out of the road!"

"But there's a big frog over here!"  AJ argued.  "I'm so close to catching it!"

"I don't care!  Get over here!"

He didn't answer, instead going back to trying to catch the frog.

My mouth dropped at his disobedience.  "Oh, he is going to be in big fucking trouble."

Louis chuckled from beside me.  

"What?" I asked, annoyed.  "This isn't funny!"

"Sorry," he apologized, still laughing.  "You're just cute when you're mad."

"I'm not going to look so cute with my foot up your ass," I warned.  

"Easy, Clem," He told me, not even trying to contain his giggles.

"AJ!" I yelled again, ignoring Louis.  He didn't even look up.  

AJ had this habit of tuning everything out when he was focused on something, and I mean everything.   Once, in the apocalypse, I shot and killed three walkers while he was too busy trying to read.  He said he didn't help me because he "didn't notice."  I didn't believe him until he was nearly killed by a walker when he was too distracted eating a peach.  I trained him to be more alert in that world, but I hadn't in this one yet.

"Uh oh," Louis spoke, interrupting my thoughts.  He pointed towards the far end of the road.

A huge dump truck was barreling down the road, going way past the speed limit. 

"AJ!"  I yelled, picking up my pace.  "Out of the road!  Now!"

He still didn't here me.

"Move, AJ!"  Louis shouted.  The little boy still didn't respond.

The truck was only about two hundred yards away.  Now I was in full on panic mode.

"Why isn't he moving?" Louis asked, sounding as worried as I was.

"He can't hear us!"  I started to run towards him, but I was slow with my bad ankle.  Louis started sprinting ahead of me.

"AJ!" I tried again.  "MOVE!"  

The truck was about a hundred yards away, and Louis was about fifty.  But that dump truck could move so much faster than he could.

Finally, AJ looked up.  He looked straight at it, and I could see his face drop from where I was.  I could see him try to move, but he was paralyzed with fear.   A deer in the headlights.

Now I was about fifty yards from AJ, Louis closer, the dump truck the closest.  

"STOP!"  I yelled at the driver.  I could just barely see in the window; he was on his phone.

And then, just as the truck was about to hit AJ, it didn't. 

No, AJ wasn't ran over by its tires.  

AJ was plowed into by Louis.  

It all happened in slow motion. 

A few feet in front of AJ, the driver looked up from his phone, his eyes widening as he realized what was about to happen.  I heard the squeaks from the tires as he hit the breaks, but he was too late.

Louis wasn't too late.  He ran out in front of the truck, arms out, ready to shove AJ out of the way.

AJ went flying, but at least he went flying out of the way of the truck. 

Louis went flying.  But this time it was because of the truck.  The collision let out a gut wrenching thud.

He was thrown about forty feet in front of the vehicle.  The force made him roll a bit after he had landed, making him end somewhere around fifty feet away from where he had been hit. 

After he stops rolling, everything goes back to normal speed.  

Suddenly, my ankle doesn't hurt anymore.  Actually, I couldn't feel anything.  I felt numb. 

I sprinted toward him, my ankle unable to stop me this time.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw AJ stand up.  He was cradling his arm, but he was alive.  Thank God.  Now I could focus all of my attention on Louis.

He laid motionless on the road, turned over on his side. 

When I made it over to him, I got onto my knees, and gently turned him back onto his back. 

His left arm.  It wasn't supposed to bend that way.  It was bent about twenty degrees the opposite way the elbow naturally bent.  The sight of it made me feel nauseous.  

Then, I looked at his lavender suit, and I saw that his stomach was soaked in blood.  I lifted up his shirt to see if there was any way I could stop the bleeding, only to find something poking through his stomach.  It didn't look like a stick, and I didn't see anything in the road before he got hit... Oh God, is that one of his ribs?

"Is he okay?"  Asked the dump truck driver from behind me.

He looked like he was in his mid forties, but from his voice you could tell he was younger.  Probably a druggie.  

He had a unshaven face, a beard starting to grow in uneven patches.

"No, he's not fucking okay!" I snapped.  "Call a fucking ambulance!"

The driver obeyed, immediately going back into his truck for his phone.

Suddenly, Louis coughed, and an immediate wave of relief washed over me.

"Louis, you're alive!"  I exclaimed.   I pulled him into my lap, not caring that his blood was staining my dress.

"I'm..."  Louis's voice came out shaky and raspy, as if it hurt to talk.  He winced, letting out a moan of pain. "It hurts, Clem."

"I know," I cooed, taking his hand in both of mine.  "An ambulance will be here soon, okay?  We just have to wait a minute."

"Louis!"  AJ scrambled up next to me, his face a little scratched up, but not nearly as bad as Lou's.  "You're arm!  And you're bleeding!"

"He'll be fine,"  I assured AJ, hoping to keep him calm.

"Clem."  Louis weakly gripped my hand, and I turned my attention back to him.  "T-" He coughed, sputtering up some blood as he did.  "Tell my friends I love them."

"You can tell them that yourself," I told him, refusing to accept what he was implying.  "You'll see them soon."

The dying boy shook his head no.

My eyes started to water.  "Louis..."

"No, you'll be fine!"  AJ proclaimed.  "Listen, you can hear the doctors on the way!"  He was right; in the distance, you could already hear the approaching sirens.

"You made me..."  He took a deep breath.  I could tell breathing was getting harder for him.  "So happy."

"Louis, you're going to be fine," I told him through clenched teeth, the tears starting to trickle down my cheeks.  "Stop talking like that."

Louis's moved his droopy, red eyes to AJ.  "Watch her for me, buddy," he requested barely above a whisper.

AJ was crying now, too, wiping his eyes with his good hand.  "O-okay," he stammered. 

I could see the flashing lights now.  They were almost here.

"Just hold on a little longer, Lou," I begged, my voice breaking.  "Look, they're right over there!"

He stared at me, a small smile starting to form on his lips despite everything.  "You're so beautiful."

"Lou, come on, just a little longer..."

"I love you, Clem."

I soft sob escaped from my mouth.  "I love you back, Lou."  I cradled his head and stroked his cheek while I looked into his eyes, watching as they slowly drained of color.  Just like they had with Gabe, Luke, Sarah, Omid, Kenny, Lee.  They were nearly completely gray.

He feebly brought my hand up to his lips, where he dropped a sweet, gentle peck.     

Then, his body fell limp, and his eyes shut.  My heart dropped as his hand let go of mine.

"Louis?"  I gently shook his body.  No response.  I felt his wrist for a pulse; nothing.  "LOUIS!"

The ambulance made it, the EMT's rushing out with a stretcher.  

"Watch out, miss," one of them ordered, and I obeyed.  I gently laid his body down and stood up, moving out of the way for the workers to get him. 

I watched helplessly as they loaded him onto the stretcher, into the ambulance, and away.  

"He's dead," AJ muttered.  "I killed him."

"You didn't kill him," I told him.

"He's not dead?"

I didn't want to lie to AJ.  He's dead.  I opened my mouth to say something to AJ, but the words wouldn't come out.  The tears streamed down my face in a salty river.  Suddenly, I felt AJ's small arms wrap around my waist, and he buried his face in my stomach.  I held him close.

There was another ambulance there, too, but the EMT's for this one weren't as rushed as the other ones.  One of the women from the ambulance came up to AJ and I, smiling warmly.  Once AJ realized she was there, he let go of me to look at her.  She crouched down to be eye level with him.

"Hey, buddy," she greeted sweetly.  "I saw you were holding your arm.  Can I see it?"

AJ looked to me, and I nodded at him, telling him it was okay.  He reluctantly held out his hand for the nurse to inspect.  

"Oh, this looks like it hurts," the lady said, gently touching a dark purple spot on his wrist.  "How about you come with me into the ambulance, and we can bandage it up?"

"Okay," he quietly agreed, wiping his face still wet from the tears.

He left with her, and I was left standing there alone.  Then, a different woman came to me, asking to look at my ankle.  I followed her back to the ambulance, the pain in my ankle starting to register again.

The nurse felt it and said that I didn't break it, just made the sprain even worse than it already was.  She sentenced me back to crutches. 

As the nurse was putting a brace on my ankle, I saw a news van pull up.  Two people jumped out, the man holding a camera and the woman a microphone.  The camera man counted to three, then pointed to the reporter.

"Folks, I'm coming at you live from Westfork road down here in West Virginia.  A minor was hit just moments ago in this very spot, crashed into by a dump truck.  We are waiting to find out details on the student's condition, but our sources say he was not looking good when he was rushed to the hospital." 

She continued to talk, but I didn't want to listen after that.

After mine and AJ's wounds were taken care of, one of the police volunteered to take us back to the school.

I sat in the back with the little boy, my arm wrapped protectively around him.  At least it didn't get both of you.

There were other cops waiting at the school, and other reporters, too.   A bunch of the kids were outside, some in their pajamas and others still in what they wore to the dance.  

The cop who had driven us parked and got out.  He opened the door for AJ and I, and we stepped out, too.  

I held AJ's hand as I limped back toward the school, pretending not to notice all of the kid's eyes on me. 

"Clementine!"  I could hear Violet's shouts somewhere from the cluster of kids.  I acted like I couldn't hear them.

"AJ!  Clementine!"  The headmaster was rushing toward us, wearing striped pajama pants and a shirt.  "Thank God you two are alright!"  He held his arms out as if asking for an embrace, but I pulled AJ right past him.

And then I saw Carly.  She was holding a reporter's microphone, but she wasn't reporting anything.  No, she was talking to someone.  As I got closer, I could see who it was:  Lee.

We made eye contact, and suddenly, my feet picked up there pace.  They went from a walk to a jog, and a jog to a run.  The pain in my ankle couldn't stop me.  Then, I was sprinting again, making a beeline for Lee, practically dragging AJ behind me.  He held open his arms, and I  ran right into them, letting go of AJ for that part.

"He's dead, Lee!"  I quietly sobbed into his ear.  "He's dead!"

"It's alright, sweet pea," he cooed, squeezing me tightly.  "It'll be okay."

I wished I could believe him. 

AN:  Welp.

I don't really got much to say about this one.

I do want to say thank you, though, for all of the comments and how much you people are actually interacting with this story.  If it wasn't for you guys, I probably would have given up on this story a long time ago!

Next chapter on Sunday.

Chapter Text

Louis POV

I used to love to ask those 'What would you do?' questions.

What would you do if you heard a walker talking?

What would you do if you woke up one morning and you were opposite gender?

What would you do if I dumped a bucket of water on you right now?

One of my personal favorites was 'What would you do if you only had a day left to live?'

I never thought about having to answer that question myself.

I stared at my reflection in shock, the bite on my neck stabbing my eyes like a knife.  I gently touched it, wincing at its sting.  

"It's just a tree branch scrape!" AJ proclaimed.  "I saw it with my own eyes, the walker didn't get him!"  I think he was more trying to convince himself rather than the others.

"It was dark outside," Violet told him gravely.  "You might have just not seen it get him."

"We can just cut it off, right?" Tenn asked.  

"It's on his neck, Tenn," Willy answered.  "If we did that, it could kill him."

"It wouldn't work, anyway," said Aasim.  "We've tried it before, remember?"

"There has to be something we can do!" AJ cried.  "Let's go outside!  C'mon, Louis, we just have to rinse it off really good and make it clean.  That's all."  He grabbed onto my hand, tugging me toward the door.  "Let's go!"

I finally tore my eyes off my reflection, and replaced them on AJ.  "AJ," I spoke softly.

"We have to hurry!" AJ exclaimed, still pulling.  

"AJ, stop."  My voice was firm, but not scary.  It was enough to tell him I'm not going anywhere.  He let go of me, exhaling a shuddery breath.  I squatted down to be eye level with him, but he refused to look up.  "Look at me."

"No."

"AJ-"

"How could you get bit?!" He interrupted.  "You were supposed to take care of me!"

"I did.  I went back to save you, didn't I?"

 "What about now?"  He looked up, his distraught eyes spilling fresh tears.  "You're gonna become a monster!"  AJ's voice cracked on the last word.

Without hesitating, I pulled him into a hug.  He doesn't hug back; just lays his head on my shoulder, letting his tears soak my shirt.  I didn't care, though.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, squeezing him tightly.  He wrapped his little arms around me then, starting to ball.  "I'm so, so sorry, AJ."

While he continued to cry, Violet came down with us, wrapping her arms around the both of us.  Minnie joined the hug, too, and so did Tenn.  One by one, the rest of the kids came in.  Even Rosie walked over to us, nuzzling us with her nose.

Soon, we were all crying.  No shame in it.  Every single one of us was weeping, each of us creating our own little puddle of tears on the floor. 

That was how I spent one of my last hours.  

In a cry fest with my family.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Everyone fell asleep at some point.  They all cried until they couldn't anymore, and they all just kinda fell on top of each other in a big heap.

I didn't fall asleep, though.  I wasn't going to spend the little time I had left sleeping.

I still hadn't quite registered that I had been bit.  Yeah, sure, my body felt like it was made of nothing but mushed potatoes, but my brain refused to accept the fact that I was pretty much dead.

I glanced out the same window that had been my mirror and saw that now the sky was actually visible.  It was a very dark purple, which led into a bright pink.  The sun was rising.

"This'll probably be the last sunrise that I'll ever see," I whispered out loud to myself.  Carefully, I untangled myself from the rest of the kids, and walked out to the courtyard.  Rosie got up and followed me.

I went over to the picnic table where Clem and I used to sit.  I sat on the place where the food was supposed to go, letting my feet dangle over the edge.  The dog jumped up and laid down beside me, resting her head in my lap.

"I can't believe I actually got bit, girl," I said to Rosie, patting her head.  "I mean, I literally can't.  My brain won't accept-" I cough, covering my mouth with my hand.  When I finished and pulled my hand away, it was covered in splats of my blood.  "My brain can't comprehend what happened."

Rosie whined in response, as if she actually understood me.  

"You're such a good girl.  You know that, right?"

She wagged her little stub of a tail, and I knew that she knew.

"Louis?"  

I turn around to see Minnie walking over to me, rubbing her elbow nervously. 

"Hey," I responded.

She came and sat down next to me.  "How do you feel?"

"Like shit."

"Oh.  That sucks."  She looks up at the sky, taking in all of its colors.  After a few seconds, she says,  "Its beautiful."

"I know.  It's a pretty good sunrise for a last sunrise, don't you think?"

"Yeah."

We were both silent for a few minutes, marveling as the colors changed in the sky. 

Finally, I said, "I'm sorry.  For pushing you away for so long, even when you tried to make amends with me."

"I'm sorry, too.  For, y'know... everything."

  After as few more moments of silence, I uttered, "I'm glad you're here."

She looked surprised at my words, and the corners of her mouth slowly turned upwards.  "I'm glad I'm here, too."

"Y'know, Violet's going to be in her one of her moods after this," I informed her, trying to escape the sappy mood.  "At first, she'll just be really sad, but then she'll be sassy and sarcastic as hell.  That's what happened after we lost you and you're sister."

"I'll try my best to get her back to normal."

"I'm sure you'll get her there."  I turned my face away from the sky and looked at Minerva.  "Try your best to get everyone there, okay?"

"I will," she promised.  

We watched the sky some more, until all the different colors were gone, and it was back to its familiar blue.  

"Alright, I think I'm ready to go in.  I want to spend as much time with everybody I can."

"Okay."  Minnie hopped off, offering me her hand.  I accepted it, pushing myself off the table.  However, I almost fell to the ground as I did.  My legs felt weaker now, as if they could barely support my weight.  My knees felt like they were about to crack under the pressure of my body.

"Are you okay?" Minerva asked, concerned.  

"Yeah, it just..." I groaned as I attempted to take a step.  "It hurts."

"Here, let me help you."  She wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling me up with her.  Minnie was carrying most of my body weight.

"Thanks."

"No problem, Lou." 

Then, slowly but surely, we started to make our way to the music room.  Even then, I knew those would be the last steps I would ever take.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I had asked Minerva to help me to the piano, so I could play a song on it while my hands still worked.  However, as I sat and stared at the keys in front of me, my fingers just rested there, useless. 

"What do you wanna play?" Minnie whispered, not wanting to wake the rest of the sleeping children.

"I don't know," I answered.  "I was hoping my fingers would just kind of choose the song for me, without me having to think about it."

"Well... take your time."

I tried to think of a song that I could play.  The song I wrote for Clementine?  No, that doesn't have any words.  'Oh My Darling Clementine?'  Maybe...

"Never mind the darkness."

Minnie's voice startled my thoughts, and it takes my brain a moment to process what she had sang.

"Never mind the storm."

Ah, "Don't Be Afraid."

"Never mind the blood red moon,

The night will be over soon,

The night will be over soon."

Suddenly, my fingers come to life, and start to pick up where we were in the song. 

"Brush away your sorrow,

Brush away your tears, 

Sing away your heavy heart,

The night will be over soon,

The night will be over soon."

As I play, I begin to forget my situation.  I don't think about how in a few hours, I'd be dead.  I brushed off the fact that this might be the last song played on that piano.  This was just one of mine and Minnie's performances that we liked to do so much.  Nothing more.

 For the last verse, I decide to sing along.

"For every night goes quiet, 

And every moon grows blue, 

Beyond the dark, c omes something new,

The sun will be rising soon,

The sun will be rising soon,

The sun will be rising soon."

After I played the last note, the room was silent.  My fingers began to tremble on the keys, shaking with pain.  As they ached, the reality of my circumstances set in again. 

Slowly, I turned around to face the kids.  They were awake now, and they were all staring at me.  Their tear stained cheeks glistened in the sun shining through the windows.  

"Beautiful as ever, Minnie," I complement, smiling weakly at her.

"You, too," she responded, trying her best grin back at me.  But she couldn't, just like everyone else in the room.

"Since when can you actually sing?" Vi teased, wiping her eyes of tears. 

"I don't know.  Since just now, I guess.  Maybe having the dead in your veins does something with your voice."  Although meant to be somewhat of a joke, my last comment dampened the mood.  I decided to try and brighten it instead.  "Hey, I'm hungry," I announced, even though I didn't feel like eating.  "Omar, you think you could whip us up-" I cough again, sputtering up more blood than the first time.  The kids gasp at the sight of it.  After I finish, I wave my hand dismissively, before continuing, "Could you make us some lunch?"

"Absolutely," Omar agreed.  

"Good," I reply, "Because it's almost time for the 'Stew with Lou' finale."

"We wouldn't want to miss that," Violet concurred.

"Okay, then," I chimed with a raspy voice, "Let's go." I went to stand up, only to find that now my legs couldn't support my weight at all.  I fell to the floor.  "Shit!" 

"Lou!" Vi yelped.  All the children rushed to my side, AJ and Violet being the first there.

"I'm fine," I assured them from the floor, trying my best to hide how excruciating the pain was.  "I'm just... I'm getting a little to old for this."

"Louis, don't be silly right now," AJ requested, holding my hand worriedly.  "This is serious."

"Aw, serious smerious,"  I quipped.  "There's always time to be silly, AJ.  Always."  I gently squeezed his hand.  

Suddenly, a gut wrenching wave of pain washed over me, causing me to squeeze AJ's hand harder than I had intended and groan in distress.  "Oh, dear God!" I cried through clenched teeth.

The wave passed, and I let go of AJ's hand.  "Sorry," I breathed.

"It's okay," he promised, pulling his hand away and massaging it.  

"Omar, you can hold off on lunch until later," I told him.  "Could you go get me that one bean bag chair from your room?"

"Why?" Willy asked. 

"I want to at least be a little comfortable as I die."  As soon as the words left my mouth, my whole understanding of what was about to happen hit me hard.  My brain finally accepted what it had been refusing to accept the last couple of hours: This is it.  I'm going to die.  "Jesus.  Never thought I'd have to say those words anytime soon."

"I'll go get it," Omar said quietly.  

"Okay.  Violet, there's some duct tape in that drawer over there.  Could you get that for me, please?"

"For what?" She questioned.

"So I won't be able to hurt you guys.  After I, y'know..."

"I'll get it," she hastened, so I wouldn't need to finish my sentence.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I chose to be duct taped to the piano, my favorite object in the school.  After they got my left arm nice and secure, they helped me get settled on the bean bag chair. 

After that, my condition went downhill, and fast.  

Within the next hour, breathing got incredibly harder.  It felt as if there were a rope around my neck, getting tighter every second.  I could barely speak, and my breaths only came out in shallow wheezes.  

It was a fight to continue living for as long as I did.  It was even a struggle to just simply keep my eyes open.  But I fought as hard as I could, for them.  I wanted to stay with my family as long as possible.

Everyone sat in a semi circle around me.  They were close, but not close enough that I could reach out and grab them, just in case I suddenly turned.  But they sat close enough that I could feel that every one of them was there, and I could here as they quietly cried.  

Finally, I whispered weakly, "I guess it's time for goodbyes."  When they all stared at me with their lips quivering, I added, "You might want to hurry, guys.  I don't know how much longer I have."

"I'll go first," Omar volunteered.  Scooching ever so slightly forward, he started, "Even though you annoy the hell out of me sometimes, I just want you to know that you've always been one of my best friends.  And I'm gonna miss the star of 'Stew with Lou.'  Be careful wherever you end up, okay?"

"I will," I promised.  

"I'm gonna miss you, Louis," Willy stated next.  "This sucks."

"It does," I agreed.  "I'll say hi to Mitch for you, though, alright?"

"Okay.  Thanks."

"I, um..." Tenn said nervously, tugging on his shirt collar.  "I drew a picture for you."  He shyly pulled it out of his pockets and unfolded it, handing it to me. 

Even though my vision was terrible, I could still make out what it was:

Me, with Chairless on my shoulder.  Above me, it said, "Louis, the funniest guy in the world.  We'll miss you."

"Thank you, Tenn.  I love it."

"We're- g-gonna- mi-iss, y-you!" Ruby told me, her sniffles causing her to stutter on each word. 

"So much," Aasim added.  

"I'll miss you guys, too."  

Then, Violet came up next to me, taking my hand in both of hers.  "You mean a lot to me, you big idiot.  I hope you know that."

"I know."  I inhaled deeply, the imaginary rope tightening on my neck.  "You're important to me, too, Vi."

"I promise I'll take care of him for you," she uttered only loud enough for me to hear.  She looked back to AJ, her tears trickling freely down her cheeks.  If I had had the energy to cry, I probably would have, too.  

"Thank you."  

Violet backed away and into the arms of Minnie, who held her comfortingly.  Minerva nodded my way, showing me that she was already working on what she promised me.

Finally, it was AJ's turn.  However, he refused to look at me, crossing his arms and biting his lip.

"AJ-" I spoke, my voice lower than a whisper.  

"No," he cut me off.  "I'm not saying goodbye.  I hate goodbyes." 

"You'll hate yourself later if you don't say goodbye."

"Fine." He slowly made his way in front of me, and then knelt down.  However, he still didn't look me in the eye.  

"You're gonna have to look out for everybody for me."

"I know."

"You know what you'll also have to do?"

"What?"

"You'll have to make sure that my jacket doesn't get stiff."

"Huh?" He asked, finally making eye contact.  

"I need you to make sure my jacket is still used."

"Why?" 

"Because it's super warm and cozy, and I don't that comfortableness to just be wasted!  Oh, if only there was someone here who could keep wearing it for me..."

"Aasim could wear it," AJ suggested, gesturing behind him with his thumb.

"No, he's not worthy of wearing such a treasure," I teased my friend, winking at Aasim.  "Maybe, though, YOU could wear it."

"Me?"

"Yes, you.  It'll keep you nice and warm, and it'll improve your look by a thousand percent."

"Okay, then, I guess I could wear it."  

I tried to get off my trench coat, but when I struggled, Aasim and Ruby helped me get it off.  AJ put it over his shoulders, and it hung on him like a dress.  

"It's big," AJ observed, holding up his dangling sleeves.

"You'll grow into it," I assured him.

"You look weird without it."

"Aw, how sweet."

"I'm never gonna see you in this again."  As he made this realization, the curiosity that had hidden his sadness disappeared.  His chocolate eyes began to water as he stared at me.  

I reached up and gently squeezed his shoulder.  "I'm going to miss you, little dude."

A salty dropped escaped from AJ's eye, sliding down his dirty cheek.  "I'll miss you, too."  He let another tear fall.  "A whole lot."

Without thinking, I opened up my right arm, inviting him into a hug.  Without hesitating, he wrapped his arms around me and began to sob into my shoulder.

"Hey," I cooed, "It'll be alright.  I'll be okay.  I'll be with Clem, right?"

"R-right."

"So I'll be happy."

"But what about me?" He cried.  "I won't be happy."

"You'll get there.  I promise."

He wiped his runny nose, shuddering out another breath.  "I love you, Louis."

At first, his words made my eyes widen, and I froze.  He loves me.

I held him a little tighter, whispering in his ear, "I love you, too."

Then, while we were in our embrace, something happened.  My brain started to do that thing, where it gives me all this useless dumb shit to think about before I die.  But this time, not all the shit was useless. 

My life was flashing before my eyes. 

My earliest memory floats into my brain, the one where I discovered that I liked music.  I was at a concert, and a pianist was playing a beautiful song on the piano.  I remember thinking, even at that young age, I want to do that someday.  After the concert,  I begged my dad to get me a piano, as I begged him for things often.  Sure enough, for my next birthday, I had a toddler sized piano waiting for me. 

Soon, that memory passes, and another takes its place.  Skip a few years ahead, to when I was seven years old.  I was playing at the park, running around and letting loose all of the built up energy I had from school.  However, I wasn't watching where I was going, and I ran smack into another kid.  We both fell on the ground, our mouths bleeding.  Turns out, me and the kid both knocked out our front teeth.  We thought it was hilarious, though, even if our mothers did not.  We decided to call ourselves 'brothers' after that.

That kid was Marlon.

Next, I get a glimpse of the worst thing I ever did.  Hitting 'send' to deliver all the receipts and jewelry from my dad's fake mistress to my mom. 

Jumping forward to after the apocalypse, I'm taken back to the time when Violet and I really started to become close.  Minnie and Vi had gotten into their first big fight, and I found her alone in the music room crying.  So, I tried to play a song to cheer her up, and when that didn't work, I told her all the jokes I had ever known.  Eventually, I realized that she didn't need to laugh right then, she needed to be consoled.  So I let her confide in me, and soon I tried to steer her off the topic of her and Minnie to distract her from her pain.  It worked, and I actually managed to make her laugh at one of my jokes.  Since then, we always went to each other anytime we needed to talk.

The memory after that was quick.  It's simply Marlon getting shot in the head, and falling to the ground.

Then I'm with Clementine.  I was back on the piano bench, rambling on to her about how surprised I was that she had feelings for me.  And then she shut me up with a kiss.

The one after that is with Clem again, but it's the one where she's dying.  The first and last time she told me she loved me.

And then I'm with AJ, snuggling in Clem's old bed. 

Back to the group hug from this morning.

And finally, I'm back to the present. 

I was still hugging AJ.  He nuzzled his nose into my neck, and I rested my head on his shoulder.  While I did, I took a moment to really look at all the kids one last time.

Ruby.  One of the sweetest girls you'll ever meet, and smart, too.  She probably could have been a doctor if the outbreak never happened.

Aasim.  A good pal of mine, although we didn't always have the same opinion on things.  He's smart, though, a little bit of a nerd.  His arm was wrapped around Ruby, and he was holding her close.  Hey, at least he finally got a girlfriend.

Omar.  He's the one I'm pretty sure I annoyed the most.  From my constant whining about food, to my teasing him about his creepy rabbit's foot, I always found a way to get on his nerves.  But he always put up with me, and if I needed him there, he was there.  He's a good friend.

Willy.  One of the only ones who laughed at my jokes, always.  I appreciated that.

Tenn.  The most pure-hearted  person I know.  Tennessee always helped keep the calm in the school.  We would've killed each other before the walkers did if it wasn't for Tenn.

Minnie.  First my friend, then my enemy, then my friend again.  Though I still found myself loathing her from time to time, thinking of what she did to her sister and how she was a part of what happened to Clem, I knew that she still had a good heart.

Violet.  Sarcastic, snappy, bossy Violet.  One of my best friends.  The girl who helped me cope with the loss of Marlon, who helped me forgive Clem and AJ.  The girl who would chop someone in half if it meant protecting me.

Finally, AJ.  AJ, who sometimes acted older than me, despite me being three times his age.  The little boy who helped me grow up a bit these past few weeks.  The tot who was the closest thing to a son I would ever have. 

Suddenly, I feel as if I'm drifting.  My arms fell limp, and my head slid off of AJ's shoulder.  Startled from my head, he let go of me and backed up to take a look at me.  

The rope around my neck had sealed off my air.  I could hardly move, my lips and eyes now the only thing I had control of. 

I watched as AJ registered what was happening, the way his face scrunched up as he wiped a tear from his eye.  

"I love..." I wanted to tell them I loved all of them, but I just didn't have the energy any more.

I started to drift again, but desperately tried to hold on longer. 

"We know," Violet says.  "We love you, too, Lou."

Whatever tried to pull me out of the world gave a big hard yank, but I fight to keep consciousness just a little longer.  

I took one last look at my family, all huddled together, their cheeks wet with tears. 

I love you guys.

And then I drift again, but I don't try to hang on.  I let myself be taken.

 I couldn't hear anything, see anything, or feel anything.

I was dead.

AN:  Wow.  This was sad.  Depressing.  Short.  Ugh.

Anyway, did you catch the Pete reference in this one?

The FINAL update is on Wednesday.

See you then...

Chapter Text

Clem's POV

News about Louis spread through the school like wildfire.  Within the first twenty four hours, everyone knew what had happened.  Everyone.

The cops took AJ and I for questioning a few hours after the incident.  I did most of the talking.

I told them the truth; that AJ didn't hear the truck as it was coming, and that Louis pushed him out of the way to save him.  

However, I lied when they asked why we were out there in the first place; I said that we had thought we saw Rosie run through the hole we had squeezed through, and we had gone off to get her.  They didn't second guess my answer, and we didn't even get in trouble for leaving the school without permission.

Apparently Louis's act had made national television, and my parents called me later that night.  They asked me if I wanted to come home.

"I know this must be hard for you, watching your friend get hit like that," my mom sympathized through the phone. "If you want to come home, I will drive over there and pick you up right now."

"What about AJ?"  I asked. 

"Alvin and Rebecca already talked to him.  He said he wanted to stay."

"Then I need to stay here with him," I told her.  "He needs me."

"I understand," My dad spoke.  

"But if you ever change your mind, give us a call," Mom pitched in.

"I will."

"We love you, Clemmy."

"I love you guys, too.  Bye."

"Bye-bye."  With that, I hung up.

I sat down on my bed, alone in my dorm.  I ran my fingers through my messy hair, tempted to tear it out.  

I looked down at the blood on my dress, and I felt the tears start to sting my eyes again.

"Why can't I just be happy?" I asked out loud.  "Every time I start to settle in somewhere, every time things are starting to become normal, it's taken away!"

My whole body began to quiver, and it became hard to breathe.  I sat down on the bed and pulled my knees up to my chest, weeping into them.

"Louis..."  I quietly sobbed.  "It's not fair.  You didn't deserve this."  I wished I had him there to comfort me.  He would wrap his arms around me and hold me, whispering sweet things in my ear, making me feel better.  But he couldn't.  He was just gone.

I heard a knock on the door, but was too distraught to get up and open it.  Whoever was knocking let themselves right in.

"Clem!"  Vi exclaimed.  She came in, and I heard several other pair of feet behind her, but I didn't bother looking to see who it was.

I felt someone sit on the bed behind me.  "It's okay," Ruby cooed, rubbing my back. I subconsciously leaned into her, continuing to sob into her shirt.  I could tell she was sniffling, too.

"Let it all out," Brody consoled,  placing a hand on my shoulder.  

I couldn't control myself.  I was crying like I never had before.  

I can't believe I lost him again .

"H-he's d-dead," I stammered.

"You don't know that," Brody said.  "There's still a chance he can wake up."

"No," I stated.  "He's g-gone!"

"Wait, you didn't hear?"  Brody asked.  I looked to her to see what she was implying.  "He's not dead, Clem.  He's in a coma, but he's alive."

I wiped my runny nose, still sniffling.  "W-what?"

"Louis is alive," Ruby repeated.  

I leaned out of Ruby, my new found confusion distracting me a bit from my sadness.  "But h-how?" I asked.  I took a deep breath to get my stuttering under control before continuing, "I saw him die, right in my lap.  I felt for a pulse, but there wasn't one."

"I don't know how he's alive," Ruby said, "But I'm glad he is."

"It just doesn't make sense..."  I muttered to myself. 

"How about we get you into the shower?"  Suggested Brody.  "That should make you feel better."

"Okay," I absentmindedly agreed, lost in thought about Louis.

I've seen people die before.  And Louis was dead.  As in his heart wasn't beating, and he stopped breathing.

How is this possible?

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

After I showered, I went straight to bed, exhausted.  However, my dreams didn't let me rest easy.  I went to sleep at about twelve, and was up again by three AM.

I tossed and turned, but I just couldn't get back to sleep.  My body may have been tired, but my mind was already up and running.  And it wouldn't stop thinking about Louis. 

Eventually, I gave up trying to get back to sleep, and just sat up.  I rubbed the tiredness out of my eyes, then quietly stepped out of bed to check and make sure the other girls were asleep.  However, right away I noticed that Violet wasn't even in her bed. 

Probably just went to the bathroom, I guessed.

Sophie and Minnie were still sleeping like babies.  

Hoping to find something to distract myself from my thoughts about Lou, I unlocked my phone.  I saw that I had a text from Minnie from about nine PM.  I opened it up.

She had sent me a picture of Louis and I during the slow dance.  My head was leaning on his shoulder, and you could see him singing in my ear.  Seeing it made me forget for a moment about everything that happened just a couple hours after that.

When I realized reality again, I could feel the tears begin to sting my eyes, as they often did these days. I turned off my phone.  I don't need this right now.

I glanced around the room, trying to change my train of thought.  However, my eyes landed on my bloodstained dress, crumpled up in the corner.  

I was suddenly filled with anger as I stared at the piece of clothing, it's once gold lace now a sickening crimson.

"Stupid dress," I mumbled.  "Nothing but a bad fucking memory, now."  I hopped over and scrunched it up, tempted to rip it too shreds right then and there.  Don't, I restrained myself.  Too loud.

However, I did get an idea of what I could do.  I'm gonna burn this piece of shit.

I tucked it under my arm and quietly creaked open the door to the hall.  I used my crutches to walk outside into the courtyard, ready to go find some sticks to start a fire.

However, when I stepped out, I saw someone sitting at one of the picnic tables.  Upon closer inspection, I realized it was Violet.

I quietly made my way over to her.  I made sure to sit across from her that way I wouldn't scare her by coming up from behind her.  When she saw me, she nodded to acknowledge my presence. 

Vi held a cigarette in her hand, the lighter she had used setting on the table.  She blew a puff out away from me.  

"You smoke?" I asked.

Vi nodded.  "I was trying to quit, but I just really needed one."

"To take the edge off?"

"Yeah."  She blew another puff, then held out the pack she had to me.  "You want one?"

I was about to object, but my body took control again and reached out to grab one.  My hands took the lighter and lit it for me, and then made me put it to my mouth.  The action felt familiar, as if I had done it many times before.  Duck said that we used to smoke together.  After I blew out the smoke, I did feel a bit more relaxed.

Vi watched me silently, until her eyes landed on the dress I had brought out.  I noticed her questioning expression, and explained, "I'm gonna burn it."

"Oh."

We were both quiet for a few minutes, until Vi spoke again.  "I feel bad."

"About what?"

She took another breath of the smoke.  "Last time I talked to him, I was yelling at him.  I mean, I really hate his loud obnoxious ass sometimes , but I love him, too.  He's like a brother to me. And what if now he never knows it?"

"He knew you loved him," I assured her.  "He asked me to tell all his friends that he loved you guys, too.  You're included in that."

"Yeah, but still."  My blonde friend looked up at the sky, sighing.  "I wish I could tell him myself."

"You will.  When he wakes up."

"People don't always wake up from comas, Clem.  And he's not in good condition.  The other girls, I think they're too naive to realize that sometimes, there's not a happy ending.  I didn't have the heart to tell them he might not make it.  But you..."  She looked at me for a second, analyzing me.  "...you've been through some shit.  I can tell when I look in your eyes."

I let out a half laugh, putting the cigarette to my lips again.  "You have no idea."

"And that's why you're not delusional like the rest of them."

After a moment of silence, I spoke again.  "I like to hope, though."

Vi tilted her head.  "What do you mean?"

"Even if everything sucks, you have to at least hope things will get better."  I thought of all the crazy shit that happened back in my old world, and how hope was what led me to finding the school.  "Hope's the only thing that keeps me going sometimes."

"But what if everything just ends up sucking?"  Vi asked.  "You hope, and then everything is still fucked up.  You hoped for nothing.  It'll just leave you disappointed."

"It's not hoping for nothing, though," I countered.  "Sometimes, hope is the only thing you can do.  Like right now.  I can only hope he gets better.  And I'd rather do that than do nothing."

The other girl scrunched her brows, absorbing all my words.  

We sat in silence, until our cigarettes burned out.  I put out the butt of it on the table, and Violet did the same.  "You wanna help me burn this?" I asked, holding up the dress. 

"Sure," she agreed.  We both stood up and went to where the graveyard was back in my other world.  

I threw the dress on the ground, and Vi handed me her lighter.  Without hesitating, I touched the flame to the end of the dress, then stepped back to watch the rest of it catch.

Violet had a glazed look over her eyes, as if she was lost in thought.  I didn't bother her.  Finally, she said, "I hope Louis gets better."

I couldn't help but smile a bit at her use of the word.  "Me, too."

==============

1 WEEK LATER

==============

Louis's POV

Dear God, it hurts!

I was somewhere in between sleep and consciousness, able to hear and feel everything, but unable to to open my eyes or move.  

I tried to cry out for someone, but I couldn't get my mouth to open.  

What happened? 

 I tried to remember, but right then the pain was making everything too fuzzy.  I decided to pinpoint where it was coming from. 

My stomach feels like fucking shit...

I tried to reach down to touch it, but my body still wasn't awake.  I couldn't even open my eyes yet. 

Focus on what you can do, I told myself.  Think.  Remember.  How did I get here?

I tried to recall the last thing I did.  

I had clementines with AJ.  

C'mon, Louis, that's not the last thing.

Oh, Andy and Danny!  We killed them...   

Then Andy became a walker and bit me.

All at once, my last memories flooded back to me.  

I died.  I'm dead.  

Am I in the afterlife?

"Didn't think it would hurt this bad," I said out loud.  The sound of my own voice startled me.  I tried to say something else.  "Armpits."

Okay, my mouth is working.  Now I just need to work my way up from there.  I can start with my toes.

I tried my best to wriggle my toes.  At first, I couldn't, but after a couple minutes of trying, I could.  After that it went to my legs, and then my torso.  Slowly but surely I regained control of everything, until I could finally open my eyes. 

My eyes widened when they saw the state that I was in.

I was in a hospital gown, and my legs and feet were covered in cuts in bruises.  My right ankle was swollen to about two sizes it's regular size.  I lifted up my gown to look at my stomach, only to see a bandage wrapped around my whole torso.  Blood was just barely starting to seep through the material.

My left arm  was in a sling, and it was hurting like hell.  Similar to the rest of my body.

I overall just felt sore, everywhere.  

After I was done looking at myself, I looked around the room;  an IV connected to my right arm, hooking me up some sort of liquid.  A heart monitor, keeping track of how many times my heart beat.  

Am I in some sort of hospital?

There was a TV and a couch in the room.  The couch was filled with flowers, balloons, the works.  On the bedside table next to me, there was a small pile of cards.  Out of curiosity, I reached over and picked one up. 

Louis, 

I'm sorry I've always been such a bitch to you.  Even though I might not sing about it like you do, I really do care about you.  Please get better.  I miss you.  We all do.

-Violet

Did Vi die too?

I picked up another card.  It was from Aasim.  Aasim's also dead?

I grabbed another one from the pile.  It was from someone named Sarah.  I didn't even know a Sarah.

"What the fuck?" I whispered out loud to myself.

Okay, I don't think I'm in the after life.  Maybe a dream?

I pinched my stomach without thinking, immediately regretting doing it once once I felt the stabbing pain.  Nope.  Definitely not a dream.

I'm not in the afterlife, and I'm not in a dream...

"Where am I?" I wondered out loud.  

I spotted a window from my bed, above the couch.  I could only see the sky, so I knew I was at least a couple stories above the ground.  Right at that moment, I saw an airplane fly across the sky.  

"Whoa."  I went to get up and go look, but as soon as I moved my injuries fiercely objected.  The pain caused me to let out a groan.

Defeated, I slumped back down in my bed.  I decided to go ahead and look through more of the cards.

Tenn had drawn me a picture, and someone named Becca wrote a little message to me.  Omar had baked me a small cake, and Ruby had sent me flowers. 

Then, I came across a sloppily made drawing of me in a tuxedo.  In messy handwriting at the top, it read, "Get Better Louis!"

At the very bottom of the page, AJ had signed his name.  

AJ.

A little sticky not fell off the back of it and into my lap.  I curiously picked it up and read it.

Louis,

Even though I know you might never see this, I just needed to write it.  I need you to know that I'm sorry this happened, and I wish I could trade places with you right now.  I also never got the chance to say thank you, for sacrificing yourself for him.  I wish I could tell you in person, but the school isn't letting us visit yet.  Please wake up soon so I do get to tell you in person.  I miss and love you, Lou.

-Clementine.

My eyes widened at the sight of her name.  I could feel my heart skip a beat.

Clementine. 

Clementine.

Clem!

She's here?

The defeated feeling that had consumed me earlier disappeared in an instant.  I pulled all of the IVs out of me and swung my legs over the bed.  I didn't let the pain stop me this time.  

I got up and limped to the door, swinging it open.  

"Clem?"  I called out into the hallway.  A nurse pushing someone in her wheel chair stopped in her tracks when she saw me.  Her and the patient's mouth dropped. 

I ignored the pair and started to walk the opposite direction down the hall. 

"Clementine?"  

I passed some other people, and they had the same reaction as the first two.  I paid them no mind.

The pain was really starting to pick up now.  My body hurt everywhere.  It was a mixture of soreness and fresh pain.

Keep going, I encouraged myself.  I can't give up now.

However, the hurt soon became so strong I was becoming light headed.  I had to use the wall as support to keep my balance. 

"Louis!"  

Someone in the typical doctor's wear rushed towards me, the only one who didn't freeze in shock when he saw me.  However, he still looked surprised. 

"Where's Clementine?" I demanded.  

"Who?"

"Clementine!"  I repeated.  Just then, I felt really dizzy, and I sat on the ground to keep from falling.

"Someone go get a wheel chair!"  The doctor ordered.  

"I need to see her," I claimed.  "I have too..."  My eyes began to black out, and I shook my head to get them back to normal.

"Hey, stay with me,"  the man said calmly.  "Deep breaths.  Try to stay awake."

I obeyed and inhaled deeply, not wanting to pass out. 

Someone rolled a wheel chair up to the doctor.  

"Okay, Louis, do you think you can get in this for me?"  He asked.

"I'll try."  I tried to use my arm that wasn't in a sling to hoist myself into it, but it felt to week.  I tried again, but the second time all it did was bring pain to my injuries.  

"Let me help you.  Molly, come give me a hand."  

The doctor and a nurse both came and put their hands under my armpits, gingerly lifting me up into the seat.  

However, when I was about half way into it, two particular people caught my eye.  Two people I never thought I'd see again. 

My parents froze when they saw me, and I did the same for them.

"Mom?"  I asked in disbelief.  "Dad?"

"Louis," my mom breathed.   

"Son?" My dad asked.

As they started coming towards me, my brain couldn't take it; the pain, my new surroundings, seeing my parents for the first time.

I passed out.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Clem's POV

Life was hard without Louis.  Everything I did, everywhere I went, everything anyone talked about, it reminded me of him.  

Studying for a math test?  I remember Louis was really good at math.  He was like a human calculator.

Went to the music room?  This is where Lou and I first met, and had our first kiss.

Something said something about pets?  Louis once told me that he had a pet turtle named Geoff.  He named it before he met his friend with the same name.

No matter what I did, where I was, anything, I was always thinking about him. 

I sat in the music room, our usual crew there.  Ruby, Vi, Minnie, Sophie, Gabe, Geoff, Sarah, Marlon, Brody, Mitch, and Becca all sat close to me in a little circle.  Even though all my friends were with me, I still felt incredibly alone. 

 Becca hadn't caused any more drama about our little "incident."  In fact, she had actually apologized to me.  

"I'm sorry.  For everything," she had said.  "I was just jealous.  I can admit that now."  

After her and Mitch had gotten together, she had really started to change for the good.  He was really making her into a better person, and they had only been a "thing" for a couple days.  It's probably because Mitch doesn't put up with bullshit like Louis did.  I've seen him call her out a couple times when she was rude, which Louis never used to do.

I looked across from me to where the couple sat.  He was scrolling through his phone, and she was staring off into space, but they were holding hands.  Next to them sat Sophie and Gabe, who sat so close that their shoulder's were touching.  Violet and Minnie were after them, next Brody and Marlon, and then Ruby and Aasim.  Even Geoff and Sarah sat closer than usual.

Looking at everybody with their special someone just made me even lonelier.

"Does anyone here know how to play the piano?" I asked.  

Everyone looked up to stare at me.  

"I just miss him.  And if someone could play, then I could at least for a little bit pretend he's here."

"I can play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,'" Sophie said, "but that's about it."

"Anyone else?" I inquired.

Everyone sadly shook their heads no.

I sighed.

"... I could play my guitar, though," Becca suggested.   "Minnie, you could sing."

"Sure,"  Minnie agreed.

Becca got up and fetched her guitar, and Minnie sat on the piano bench.  Becca sat next to her. 

They whispered to each other about what to play for a moment, until Becca started strumming.  The tune sounded familiar, I just couldn't tell where I had heard it from.  Then, Minnie started singing:

"Never mind the darkness,

 Never mind the storm,

Never mind the blood red moon,

The night will be over soon,

The night will be over soon."

Is this "Don't Be Afraid?" Louis had played it for us on the piano right before we had gone to rescue Vi, Omar, and Aasim, but he didn't actually sing the words.

"Brush away your sorrow,

Brush away your tears,

Sing away your heavy heart,

The night will be over soon,

The night will be over soon."

I was pretty certain by then that it was "Don't Be Afraid."  Minnie sang it beautifully, and it sounded just as good on the guitar as it did on the piano.

"For every night goes quiet,

And every moon grows blue,

Beyond the dark, c omes something new,

The sun will be rising soon,

The sun will be rising soon,

The sun will be rising soon."

I closed my eyes to keep the tears from falling.  We all sat silently, the song leaving a doleful atmosphere in the room. 

However, the silence was interrupted when the speakers cackled to life.  Christa's voice spoke, "Clementine,  you are needed in the front office.  Clementine, to the front office."

I opened my eyes, raising my brow.  Confusion and curiosity over shadowed my sadness for a moment.

"Where are you going?" Asked Vi.

"I don't know," I admitted.  "Hopefully I'm not in trouble."

"I doubt it would be," Marlon said.  "After what you've gone through, I doubt they'd punish you for anything."

"Crossing my fingers that you're right," I told Marlon, then got up and started to limp toward the door.   My ankle was better now, and I could walk on it a little bit at a time as long as I wore an ankle brace.  "I'll see you guys later."

==

Luke and Nick were waiting for me in the front office.   Christa and the headmaster were, too.  They all had anxious looks on their faces. 

"Hey there, kiddo," Luke greeted when I came in.

"What're you guys doing here?" I asked as I went to give him a hug hello.  

"Well..." Nick mumbled.  He looked to Christa and Mr.Sullivan for help.

"...Louis woke up," Christa informed me.

I could feel my heart skip a beat at the words.  "He did?"

"Yeah, he did,"  She repeated.

"When?  Is he okay?"

"He's alright, but the hospital called and said he wouldn't stop asking for you," Robert pitched in.  "They say he's been wanting to see you since yesterday morning."

"Really?"  I looked to Luke and Nick.  "Are you two going to take me to him?"

They nodded.

"Okay, then, let's go!"  I declared, suddenly filled with overwhelming excitement.  Louis is okay!

"Hold on a second," The headmaster ordered.  "There's more."

Oh no.   

Of course there's going to be a catch.  I felt my stomach drop.  

All of the adults stared at each other, as if silently arguing about who was going to tell me what else I needed to be told.  

Finally, Luke said, "He's lost his memory, Clem."

I took a second to take this in.  "Like, his all of his memory?"

"No, but most of it," Christa filled in.  "About eight years of it, I think it was."

Like me, I thought.

"And he's not all in his right mind," Rob added.  "He keeps talking about walkers.  'Where did all the walkers go?'  'Did you kill all of them?'  Crazy talk."

"The doctors think it was a dream he had while he was in the coma," Christa continued, "but Louis is convinced it wasn't."

Walkers.  I kept talking about walkers, too, when I first got here.  And I lost eight years of my memory, too.

As I slowly realized what might've happened, my mouth fell a gap. 

Luke put a comforting hand on my shoulder.  "I'm sure he'll be okay, Clem."

"Yeah," added Nick encouragingly.  "I mean, look at you.  You lost your memory, too, and you turned out fine.  Don't worry."

Is it really Louis?  The old Louis that I used to know?

"C'mere," Luke said, pulling me into a hug.  I didn't hug back, still in too much shock.  "Don't worry, Clem.  He'll be alright."

He's probably so scared right now.  Confused.  Worried.  I felt my heart ache for Lou.

"We have to go," I stated suddenly, pulling out of the hug.  "Right now."

They all stared at me, seemingly surprised at how I reacted to the news.

"C'mon!" I urged.  I grabbed on to Luke and Nick's arm, pulling them towards the door.  "Let's go!"

"Okay, then, let's hit the road," Nick proposed, following me.

"We'll be there soon," Christa said, gesturing to her and the headmaster.  "First we have to tell everyone else."

"Okay," I responded, getting more and more stressed the more I thought about Louis having to handle this alone.  "Now please take me to him!"

Louis's POV

My mom held the juice box up to my lips for me, not taking it down until I took a few gulps.  After I swallowed, I smiled weakly at her.  "Thanks, mamma."

"Your welcome, baby."  She smiled sweetly at me, but I could see the pain behind it.  Sighing, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Not any worse than I was five minutes ago," I told her.  I didn't want to actually tell her that the pain was the worst I had ever felt.

She took my good hand in hers and squeezed it.  "Your so brave, Louis.  I hope you know that."

I tried my best to squeeze back.  "Thank you."

Then, there was a knock at the door.  "Come in!" My mother called.

My dad came in then, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.  

My mom looked to the both of us, then let go of my hand and backed up.  "I think I'll give you two some alone time."  She walked out and closed the door behind her.  

Dad went and sat in the couch next to my bed, staring at the floor for a moment.  I took this time to really process his new look:

He actually looked strikingly similar to me.  We had the same face shape, and our body type was about the same.  The only difference was I had a lot more freckles than he did, and his hair was cut super short.

My father looked up at me in the middle of me analyzing him.  "You remember me, right?"

"Of course."

"And you remember Erica?"

I tried to see if I could recall the name, but I couldn't.  I shook my head.  "Who's that?"

"She's..."  He looked to the ground and twiddled with his thumbs.  After a couple seconds, he looked back up and answered, "She's my wife."

"Oh."  He got remarried.

"And we have a daughter named Emory."

I didn't respond.  

We were both quiet for a minute, until my dad finally broke the silence.  "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Sitting in the music room while all of my friends watched me turn," I replied.  He frowned as if that wasn't the answer he had been looking for.

"Louis, the doctors have already told you; that wasn't real.  It was all a dream."

Nope.  They're wrong.  

"Then I don't know what the last thing I remember is," I said, annoyed at yet another person telling me that half my life was a lie.

"Do you remember any of the talks we had?"  My dad asked.  "Before we just... stopped talking?"

I shook my head.

"I might've told you some things, that I shouldn't have.  Things that a father should never say to his son, no matter what."  He looked me in the eye, and I could see he was ashamed of what he was telling me.

I nodded to show that I was listening.  However, before I could stop, I found myself quoting him.  "'This one will make me proud. Unlike you.'"  

My eyes widened, and I touched my hand to my mouth.  What the fuck?

He didn't seem to notice my surprise at my own words.  "So you do remember."

I shook off my puzzlement to focus on the conversation.  "I remember that one sentence."

"I just wanted to let you know..."  His voice cracked on the last word, and he cleared his throat.  After a moment, he finished, "I am proud of you.  Seeing the person you've become-" he gestured to all of the flowers and cards next to my bed, "-makes me so happy.  And sacrificing yourself for that boy was so amazing, Louis."

I knew what he was talking about.  The hospital had told me that I had pushed a little boy out of the way of a dump truck, but I just didn't know who it was.  "Thank you.  And I'm sorry for, y'know, the dumb thing I did."

"It's normal for kids to do dumb things."

"Not that dumb of a thing."

"Well, I forgive you.  I'm lucky to be able to call you my son, Louis."

I grinned at him.  "And I'm lucky to get to call you my dad."

My dad stood up then, exhaling a big puff of air.  "Man, I hate sappy stuff."

"Me, too," I agreed.  "Hey, how about we talk about sports instead?  How have my teams been doing for the few years?"

"Actually, I think I'm supposed to let you rest now," he said, looking at the door.  There was a nurse there pointing at a watch on her wrist.

"Aw, c'mon, just stay," I urged him.  "I haven't seen you in years.  I don't want our time to get cut short by some nurse."

"We're not done yet!" My dad spoke in a raised voice so she would hear.  Rolling her eyes and opening the door, she stepped in.

"His visitor is here," she informed him.  "From the school?"

"Who?" I asked.

She ignored me.  "I told her that she couldn't see him at the same time you did, because that could overwhelm Louis.  But she's persistent, and she's started cussing out the other nurses that won't let her in here.  I'm getting kind of sick of her, and if you could please just come with me so we could get her in here-"

Suddenly, I saw someone bolt down the hallway, followed by several people in scrubs.  "Stop!"  One of them ordered.

All of us looked out into the hallway as the parade of people tried to stop the running person.

The runner zipped past my room again, the nurses and doctors close behind her.

I snorted at the scene.  "That's awesome," I said out loud.

However, I wasn't laughing when the girl stopped in front of my door.  

"Louis," she breathed.

All of the doctors and nurses stopped behind her, having failed at their mission to make her wait.

I felt my heart stop.  

"Clementine."  

We stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to do next.

I was trying to make sure this was real.  That I wasn't imagining her.

I need to touch her.

I tried to get up and move to her, but my dad and the nurse stopped me.  

So Clem ran to me, and I held open my arms for her to run into.  The force of her colliding into me hurt like hell, but at the moment I didn't care.

Clementine pressed me into the bed with our embrace, and I leaned back into the bed to absorb more of the hug.  She slowly crawled into the bed with me until she was sitting on her knees with her arms wrapped around me.  

"Clem..."  I held her as tight as I could with my one arm, letting my tears trickle freely.  At least this time they were tears of joy.

"Lou," she whimpered into my shoulder.  "You're alive."

"You're alive," I repeated.  

I heard the door shut, and I looked around to see that everyone else had left the room.

Clementine pulled out of the hug and looked me in the eye.

"I missed you," I told her, smiling as the tears ran down my cheeks. 

She wiped away her own tears the used her thumbs to wipe away mine.  "I missed you, too," she said.  Next thing I knew, she leaned in and locked her lips with mine. 

For a moment, all of my pain went away.  All I could feel was her, and my stomach doing flips.  Jesus, I've missed this.

==

After we were done kissing, hugging, all that jazz, we finally took the time to just talk.

"God, I missed you so much," I told her again, smiling.

She took my hand in her own and squeezed, returning the smile.  "I know."  

However, then her eyebrows furrowed, and she bit her lip.

"What is it?" I asked.

"What's the last thing you remember?  Of me?"

"Of you?"

She nodded.

I thought for a moment.  "...Do you mean while you were still alive?"

"Yeah," Clem confirmed.

"Singing to you," I remembered.  "As you died."  Then, I recalled how AJ had put it, and added, "Y'know, singing you away."

Her eyes softened at my answer, and she seemed to let out a sigh of relief.  "So it really is you."

"Um, yeah."  I cocked my head at her.  "Who were you expecting?  Taylor Swift?"

"No, weirdo," she answered.  "I just needed to make sure this was the you from the old world."

"The old world?" I rose a brow at her.

"There's a lot I have to explain," she said.  "I don't even know where to start."

"How about with this; where the hell are we?  I mean, what happened to all of the walkers?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think we're in a different world.  With no walkers."

I couldn't help but give her a funny look.

"Hey, I know it may sound crazy, but how else do you explain me being alive?  Or there being electricity again?  Or there being so many people?"

I traced the patterns of the hospital blanket with my finger, trying to fathom what she was saying.

Clem was quiet for a minute before continuing, "And everyone's here.  Like, everybody.  Marlon, Mitch, Sophie, everyone who ever died is back."

"Does anyone remember the walkers?"

"One person,"  she stated, "but that's it.  I guess only a few people end up here, while the others go to who knows where."

"What about people who didn't die?"  I inquired.  "Are they here, too?"

"Yup."

I didn't say anything, my brain still trying to wrap around this.  It almost seemed to good to be true.  Finally, I spoke, "It's like while our world was turning into literal hell, this one just kept on spinning normally."

"Mhmm," Clem agreed. 

I closed my eyes and scrunched my brows, feeling a little overwhelmed.  Clem grabbed my hand and began to lightly scratch her fingers in circles.

"I know, it's a lot,"  She told me.  "Just take your time."

"Okay."  I leaned back on my bed, my head starting to pound a little.  

"How about you get some rest?"  Clementine suggested.   "You need it."

She started to get up, but I grasped her arm.  "No.  Don't go."

"You need to sleep, Lou.  You can't tell me you're not tired."

Clem was right;  my eyes felt dry, and I felt like if I shut them for too long I would be out.  "Maybe," I admitted, "But you don't have to leave for me to sleep."  I scooted over closer to the edge and patted the bed next to me.  

She bit her lip, debating on whether to lay next to me.

"Please, Clem.  You're the only thing that's making sense right now, and I want you with me."

"Okay," The teen finally conceded.  She crawled up next to me, and I sleepily smiled.  "We'll talk more later.  Now go to sleep."

"Yes, ma'am," I obeyed, letting my eyes fall shut.

Clem's POV

Louis softly snored next to me while I softly stroked his unbroken arm, wishing I could take away the pain he was probably feeling.

His whole body looked like a wreck:  his hair was a tangled mess, and he had a major black eye on his right side.  He had road rash all over his body, and there was a big scar on his neck.  I wasn't sure what that came from.

But at least it was the old Louis.  The original.

I couldn't help but feel a little sad about this world's Louis passing.  I still made memories with him, ones that this Louis will never know.  I had deep conversations with him that this Lou will never be able to recall.  

However, if I got to choose between the two, I would still choose the first Louis I ever saw.  And I had him now.

I scanned Louis's beaten up body again.  He's probably hurting so much.  My heart ached for him.

Knock knock knock.

"Come in," I called, annoyed that our time together was being interrupted.

The same nurse that I had cussed out earlier came in with her arms crossed.  "It's time for you to leave."

"I can't yet.  I told Louis I would talk to him more once he wakes up again."

"It's getting dark outside," She said, gesturing to the window, "and the school says they want you to go back now."

I sighed.  "Alright."

The nurse wore a look of sympathy.  "You'll be able to see him tomorrow, too, though.  You can still visit him everyday."

I perked up a bit.  "Then I'll be here tomorrow."

==

Luke and Nick stood up once they saw me walk into the waiting room. 

"Hey, kiddo," Nick greeted.  "How was it?"

"Good," I replied.  "He remembers me, so that's good."

"I heard he was talking about a lot of the same things you were," Luke said.  "Walkers and such?"

"Yeah," I confirmed.  

"Well at least now you won't be alone in what you went through,"  Luke stated.  "You'll have someone else who understands."

"I will," I agreed.  "How long will you two be in the area?"

"For a while."

"You guys think you could bring me back tomorrow?"

"Definitely," Nick said.  

"Only if we get to meet him, though,"  Luke added.

"Sure," I agreed.

Then, we made our way out of the hospital, and to their truck.  I was glad I had some good news to give to the kids this time.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I visited Louis every single day at the hospital.  

It was hard to watch Louis struggle so much.  He couldn't do the simple things, like going to the bathroom by himself, eat, change clothes, anything.  He may have not said anything, but I could tell it bothered him.  Somehow, though, he remained positive about it.  Actually, he kept a good attitude  through pretty much his whole recovery. For example, when I told him the school wouldn't let me bring some of the other kids to see him, he responded,  "At least it will make when I finally do see everyone a thousand times better."

Louis had to go through a lot of physical therapy, too.  He hated it.  All of the easy exercises Lou had to do inflicted a lot of pain on him.  Eventually, though, he got to the point where he could actually do the therapy without nearly passing out from the pain, and after that he didn't dread the appointments so much.

I filled my boyfriend in on everything that had happened here in this world.  I told him about basketball, friend groups, his relationship with Becca, what had happened with his parents, all of it that I knew of.  However, Marlon and Vi knew a whole lot more about his past than I did, so I suggested that he ask them whenever we went back to the school.

After I got him all caught up, he told me about what happened back in the other world.  He said that they burned my corpse, and that they killed Andy and Danny.  I learned that they were going to grow a clementine tree out of my ashes, and that Louis was killed by walker Andy.

It made me feel sick to my stomach to think of Louis having to go through turning, but when I felt nauseous, I just reminded myself that he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that.

It took about a month, but eventually,  Lou got well enough to be discharged from the hospital.  He was beyond excited.

The day he could leave, I waited with him in his room with his parents.  I had gotten to know them really well, and they liked me.  I liked them, too.  Louis acted just like his dad, and you could tell he got his kind heart from his mom.

Louis was yakking on about how excited he was to see everyone.  

"I'll get to see Marlon, Vi, AJ, Omar, Mitch, Tenn, Willy," Lou babbled to no one in particular.  "Oh, and Geoff!  He'll be alive again!"

I saw Louis's mom make a face at that.  

"That crazy dream," I covered, waving my hand dismissively.  Louis was too exited to notice his slip up.

"Rosie, Erin, Lamar, Aasim, Ruby, Sophie," He continued.  "Oh my God, I can't wait!"

"Louis, could you please pipe down while I finish this paperwork?"  His mom requested.  "I forgot how much of a talker you were."

"My bad," he apologized.  

"How about you go ahead and get dressed?" His dad suggested.  

"Alright," he agreed.  "I haven't worn real clothes in weeks."

Louis started to get out of bed, but I stopped him.  "Don't try and walk. Let me get your wheelchair."

"I'm fine, Clem," Lou assured me.  However, as he tried to put pressure on his hurt foot, he involuntarily let out a grunt of pain.

"You are not fine," I corrected him.  I went and grabbed his wheelchair and pushed it over for him to sit in.  Then, I grabbed a bag full of clothes that his mom had brought, and started wheeling him to the bathroom.  

My ankle still hurt, but not bad.  Louis noticed my limp as I rolled him down the hallway. 

"How's your ankle?"  He asked.  

"Better than it was a week ago," I answered. 

"You could sit in my lap, and I could push the wheels,"  Lou offered.

I eyed his arm in a cast.  "I don't think so."

"Your loss, Clem."

We made it to the family restroom, and luckily, no on was in it.

I handed him the sack of clothes, and he stood up from his chair, balancing on one leg.

"Do you think you can do it yourself?" I asked.

"I think so."

"Well, if you need me, I'll be right out here."

He nodded, then went in and shut the door.  

I scrolled through my phone while I waited, when suddenly, I heard Louis let out a moan of pain.

I worriedly knocked on the door.  "Louis?"

"I'm okay," He responded, and I relaxed a little.  "I just... need a little help."

"Is it okay if I come in?"

"Yeah, but I'm naked."

I could feel the blush rise to my cheeks.  "Um..."

"Kidding," Lou said, chuckling.  "Don't worry, I got my pants on."

I breathed a sigh of relief.  "Okay, then, I'm coming in."

I hesitantly opened the door to find Louis leaning against the wall, sweats on under his hospital gown.  I rolled the wheelchair in, then closed the door behind us.  

"Sit," I ordered, pointing to the chair.  He obeyed.

"I need help getting this stupid dress off," Lou stated.  "It hurts when I bend over to try and grab it.  Plus, I only have one arm."  He glared at the arm in the cast.

"Alright, then.  Arms up."

He went to put his arms above his head, but as soon as he raised them, he cursed, "Shit!"  Louis doubled over and grasped his stomach.

I quickly knelt down beside him and placed my hand on his shoulder.  "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just forgot it hurts when I move my arms to high," the dread locked teen replied through clenched teeth. 

"Okay, that's fine," I assured him.  "How about arms out, then?"

He held his arms in front of him, this time no sign of pain.  I grasped the end of the gown and slowly pulled it up and over him, until his chest was naked.

A big, white wrap covered his stomach, the middle of it soaked with blood.  

"Should that still be bleeding?" I asked, gesturing to the bandage.

"Yeah, the doctor said it probably will every time the bandage is changed for a while."

"How often are you supposed to change it?"  

"Once every day." 

"When's the last time it was changed?"

He bit his lip, looking down and twiddling with his thumbs.  Finally, he answered, "Four days ago."

"Louis!" I scolded.  "Why hasn't it been changed?"

"The nurses aren't gentle when they change it!"  He defended.  "It hurts like hell!"

"Well it's going to hurt like hell on steroids if it gets infected," I remarked matter of factly.  I reached into his bag of clothes and pulled out the bandages his mom had bought.  "I'm changing it."

Louis's face dropped, and he suddenly looked super anxious.  "I'm sure it'll be fine if we wait until we get to the school..."  I started to unravel the bandages, and Lou sighed.  "I guess we're doing this, then."

"I'll be gentle," I promised.  "It'll be over before you know it."  I unclipped the safety pin that was holding all of his bandages together, then slowly started to unwrap it off of him.  "See, it's not so bad."

"This isn't the bad part," he responded.  

I continued to work without any problems until I got to the very last layer.  It seemed to almost be glued to his skin, and Louis gripped the edge of the chair when I barely pulled on it.  I stopped at his reaction.

"No, keep going," he urged.  "It has to come off."

I reluctantly pulled a little harder, a tearing sound being made as the cloth separated from his skin.  It sounded painful.  Louis groaned.

"Almost there, Lou.  Hang tight," I encouraged.  I peeled off another couple inches.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck," he cursed, stamping his foot on the ground.  "God, I can't take this.  Just rip it all off at once."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he confirmed.  "I want to get this over with."

"Alright.  On the count of three.   One," I took in a big handful of the cloth.  "Two."  Louis scrunched his eyes closed and took a deep breath.  "Three!"  I yanked off the remainder, cringing as I heard it tear from his stomach.  

Louis through his head back in pain, letting out a small scream of agony.  Suddenly, he stood up from his chair and flew to the toilet.

Lou puked up his breakfast, and probably some of last night's dinner, too.  I ran to his side and held back his hair, rubbing his sweaty back as he continued to barf.

After he was done, he sat up and wiped his mouth.  "Sorry you had to see that," he apologized.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that.  I didn't realize it hurt that bad."

"I usually don't throw up because of pain, but that doctor said that's since it's on my stomach, I throw up."  He got up and went to sit back down in his chair. 

I grabbed the bandages and sat on my knees in front of him, examining his stomach.  It was a mess of raw skin, blood, and stitches.  Jesus, I can't imagine have road rash that bad, plus a broken rib that poked a hole through my fucking skin.

"I think I better clean this up a little first," I decided.  I went and wet a wash cloth, then came to sit back next to him.  I gingerly touched the cloth to his stomach, checking to see if this hurt him as much as ripping off the bandage did.  He winced, but it wasn't as intense as before.

"You know, that didn't even hurt as bad as turning," Lou told me.  "I don't know how I dealt with that."

"What did turning feel like?" I asked him.

"It felt like..."  He was quiet for a moment while he tried to think of how to describe it.  "It felt as if you were being drained.  Of strength, mind, life.  I don't know.  It sucked."

I finished with the paper towel and began to wrap him back up.  "It doesn't sound like much fun."

"But it was worth it.  Because now I'm here with you."  He gave me a small smile.

I finished wrapping him up, and then I helped him put a shirt on.

"Better?" I asked after I slipped his shirt over his head.

"Much," he replied, smiling down at his clothes.  Then, just as I was about to walk behind him to wheel him out of the bathroom, he grabbed my hand.  

I gave him a questioning look.

"Thank you, Clem."

"No problem."

"For all of it," Louis continued.  "For back in the old world, when you forgave me for putting you through shit after Marlon died.  And when you helped us fight when you could have easily just left us and saved yourself.  Thanks for here, too.  Helping me understand what was going on, and for being here with me when I needed you most."

"Thank you," I repeated.  "You made me laugh when no one else could, and helped show me that there's more to life than just survival.  You were always there for me to talk to when I didn't have pretty things to say. And after I was gone, you took care of AJ for me."  I put my other hand on top of his.  "It means so much to me, Lou."

Louis looked at me with those eyes again, the ones that seemed to smile at me.  Suddenly, Lou stood up on his one good leg and pressed our lips together.  I first, I was too stunned to react.  However, as the kiss progressed, I melted into it.

After a good couple seconds, Louis pulled out.  He sat back down, a big grin plastered on his face.  "You know I love you, right?"

"I know."  I went behind him and gripped the handles of his chair.  "Did you know I love you back?"

"I wasn't one hundred percent sure, but I had my suspicions." 

I chuckled, then wheeled him back out into the hallway.  

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

"Oh my God, it's finally happening," Lou uttered as we walked to the front gates of Ericon's Boarding School.  

The hospital had given him one of those scooters that you can prop your leg up onto, and he rolled beside me with multiple of the gifts he had received while in the hospital hanging on the sides of his scooter.   

He was really eager to see everyone.  He had nearly forgotten to say goodbye to his parents after they dropped us off because he was trying to zip away so fast.

"I'm SO excited," Lou claimed, picking up his pace on his scooter.  

"I know you are," I said.  "Everyone's not exactly the same as they were in the apocalypse, though."

"I know, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Did Marlon try to sell the twins in this world?"

"No."

"See?  That's good."

I opened up the gates and held them open for him.  

After that, we made our way to the main office.

Inside, Christa greeted us with a warm smile.  "Welcome back, Louis!"

"Thanks, Mrs..." Louis looked to me for help.

"Christa," I filled in.  "Just Christa.  No Mrs."

"Thanks, Christa," Lou said.  "Glad to be back!"

From there, we stopped by the dorm rooms to drop off Louis's stuff, then went to go find everyone.  However, the usually crowded hallways were all empty.

"Where is everyone?"  Louis asked.

"I don't know," I replied.  "It's Saturday, so no one's in class.  It's around lunchtime, though, so maybe they're in the cafeteria?"

"Maybe," The other teen said.  "Let's go look."

We went to the cafeteria only to find that it was mostly empty other than for a few kids neither Louis or I knew eating.

"This is weird," I thought out loud.  "It's usually packed in here."

"Let's go look somewhere else, I guess."

We turned and walked out of the lunchroom to go check somewhere else.  However, down the hall, I spotted Lee mopping the floors.

"Hey, Lee!" I called.  He looked up from the floors and smiled once he saw it was us.

"Is this the famous Lee I've heard all about?"  Louis asked.

"Yeah, it is," I confirmed.  "He remembers the walkers, too."

"He does?"

"Yup."  

I went and greeted Lee with a hug, and Lou followed close behind me.

"How are you doin', sweet pea?"  Lee asked.

"Good," I answered.  Then, I gestured to the boy next to me.  "This is Louis.  Like, the real Louis, from the apocalypse."

Louis stuck out his hand for Lee to shake.  "Pleasure to meet you, sir."

Lee smiled in approval and shook his hand.  "Nice to meet you."

It felt weird seeing the two of them together.  But it made me happy.

"We'll have to get together and talk sometime," Lee proposed, "but I have a lot to do right now."

"I look forward to it," Louis responded.  "Hey, by the way, do you happen to know where everyone went?"

The janitor shook his head.  "I don't have a clue, but I'll tell you if I find out."

"Alright.  Thank you, sir."

"No problem."

Louis smiled his goodbye, then turned to head the other direction.  However, when he wasn't looking, Lee bent down and whispered in my ear, "Music room."

I rose a brow at him.  He just gave me a sly smile, then said, "That's all I'm allowed to say."

"Hey Louis," I called, my eyes still suspiciously trained on Lee, "how about we check the music room?"

==

"It all looks so different," Louis spoke as he rolled down the hall.  

"I know," I agreed.  "I couldn't get over how different it looked when I first got here."

"I probably won't for a little while.  To be honest, I think I prefer it the old way.  I'm going to miss seeing my scribbles all over the headmaster's portraits."  

"You'll get used to it soon enough," I assured him.  "Hey, on the bright side, at least in this world you get an in tune piano."

"Yeah."  Suddenly, he perked up.  "Actually, maybe ruining his portraits can be my first prank..."

"Please at least wait until your healed."

"Fine.  But after that, I'm going all out on my pranks.  The adults react the best, and I haven't pranked one in years."

"Okay, whatever.  Weirdo."

We approached the music doors, and Louis sped up.

"I'm excited to play the piano," Lou said, reaching for the door knob.  "I don't remember the last time I-"

"SURPRISE!"  

I jumped backwards at the sudden shouts, and Louis let out a little yelp.  

The music room was full of kids, and a big banner was stung up that read Welcome Back Louis!

"Hey, guys!"  Louis cried excitedly as his brain processed what was happening.  Then, he stepped off his scooter and hopped into the group of all our friends.

I stood back and smiled as I watched him reunite with everyone, everyone forming a big group hug around him.

Then, I felt a tap on my waist.  I turned, but didn't see anybody.  However, when I looked down, I saw AJ.

"Hey, goofball," I greeted, crouching down to give him a hug.  

"Hi, Clem."

"Why aren't you in there with Louis?"

"I'm going to wait a minute," he explained.  "Let him see all his real friends first."

"You are one of his real friends.  What are you talking about?"

"I don't know if I'm his real friend anymore," AJ said.  "Don't you think he's mad that I made him get hurt?"

"He's not mad at you, AJ," I assured him.  "If anything, he missed you the most."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Marlon!  It's good to see you, man!"  I heard Louis exclaim, giving his best friend a bro hug.

"Go say hi," I urged Alvin Junior.  "He won't be mad, I promise."

AJ turned to look at Louis, debating on whether to go or not.  

Louis spotted him before AJ got the chance to say anything.

"AJ!"  

The teen hopped over in front of him and got on his knees, holding his arm out wide.  AJ ran into him, wrapping his arms around Louis.

"I missed you so much, buddy!"  My boyfriend told him.  AJ said something, but I couldn't quite hear what he said.  Louis responded with, "It's okay, it's okay.  I'm just happy I'm here now."

==

It was fun to watch the way Louis's face light up every time he spoke to one of his old friends.  It was nice to see him this happy rather than in pain like he had been before.

I stood next to him as he saw Geoff again for the first time. 

"Geoff, how have you been?"  He asked, giving his friend some knuckles.

"Good, man," Geoffrey replied.  "You?"

"Great!"  Louis nudged him with his elbow.  "So, you get any girls while I've been gone?"

"Actually, I might've."

"You did?" I asked.

"Yeah.  Sarah and I are, um, talking."

"Really?" 

"Yes."

"Good for you!"  Louis chimed, still really bubbly.  I touched his shoulder.

"Inside voice, Lou," I reminded him.

"Sorry," he quickly apologized.  Then, his eyes landed on Mitch.  "Mitch!"  He yelled, wheeling over to him.  I looked to Geoff and shrugged at Louis's behavior.

While he was talking to Mitch, I went and met up with Vi.  She was sitting at the piano, watching Louis.  "Hey," I said.

"Hi."  She smiled at Louis.  "I've never seen him so happy."

"Neither have I," I concurred.  "He's missed talking to people in the hospital."

"I haven't said anything to him yet, but I think I'm going to wait until he calms down."  

Louis hopped over to Ruby and Aasim and squeezed them both together as he hugged them, somehow wrapping his one arm around the both of them.

"Makes sense," I voiced.

"How long with it take for him to heal?"

"I think only about one more mo-"

"Violet!"

Louis started to hop towards her at full speed, arms open wide.  I looked to the girl next to me and saw her face drop.

She didn't even try to run as Louis came and wrapped his arms around her in a tight bear hug.  

"I've missed you, Vi!"

"I missed you too, Louis," she croaked, "but you're going to miss me more once I die from lack of oxygen."

He let go of her and grinned ear to ear.  "You missed me?  Oh my God, you have a heart?"

She did one of her trademark full body eye rolls, and Louis pulled her into another hug.

"I missed that, too."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

The party lasted pretty late.  We had cake, Louis played on the piano with one hand, Becca and Minnie sang for us, and we all just sat around and talked.  Lou had a blast.  

However, he also got really worn out.  He said goodbye to everyone at around 8:30, and by 9:00, he was in his room and asleep.  

I was exhausted, too, so I went to bed soon after, and slept right through the night.  However, at around seven AM, my phone buzzed. 

I groggily turned it over.

1 New Message From Louis

I shouldn't have shown him how to text, I thought.  I opened up the message.

Louis:  go up to the bell tower.

Me: why?

He didn't respond, so I got out of bed, slipped on some sandals, and made my way to where he said to go.

At the bottom of the building, I saw his scooter and his phone, but he wasn't there.  Looking at the muddy foot and hand prints on the stairs, I assumed he had somehow climbed up.

I followed his tracks to the very top, and went out the double doors that led to the roof.  I found him sitting cross on a spread out blanket a couple feet from the edge, a little basket next to him.

"Louis?" I asked.  

He turned around and smiled at me.  "Morning, sunshine."

"What are you doing up here?"

My boyfriend patted the spot next to him, asking for me to come sit.

"Watching the sunrise," he answered.  I went and sat next to him, rubbing my eyes of sleep so I could watch the sun wake up.  "I'm still used to waking up early from the apocalypse, so I decided I might as well make waking up this early worth it."

Louis wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close, and I laid my head on his shoulder.

"What's the basket for?" I asked.

"I got some waffles in there," he replied.  "When you're ready."

"Our second date?"

"Yup."  

We were both quiet for a minute as we watched the sun slowly rise up, casting a beautiful orange glow on everything it touched.

Louis hummed quietly for a moment, until he suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" I asked.

"AJ tried to commit suicide here," He said.  

His comment took me by surprise, and I pulled out of his arms for a moment to give him a questioning look.

"After he found out you were dead, he tried to jump off," Louis continued.  "I saved him, though."

I leaned back into him.  "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He continued to hum for a little while, until another thought crossed his mind.  "What if this is a dream?"  

"I'm pretty sure it's not," I responded.  "I would have woken up by now if it was."

"Yeah, but this seems almost too good to be true."

"Maybe the universe is finally giving us a break."

"Maybe."  He hummed again, before making an odd request.  "Pinch me."

"What?"

"Y'know how people say you can't feel a pinch in a dream?"

"Yeah."

"Well could you just pinch me real quick?  Just so I can make sure this is real?"

"Um, okay."  I brought my hand up and lightly pinched his arm that was around me.  "Did you feel that?"

"Yeah," he confirmed.  "Okay, I think we're good."

"You're such a weirdo."

"Yeah, but apparently you dig that.  So who's the real weirdo here?  It's both of us."

I let out a small giggle at his response.

Then, I felt Louis turn his head and plant a small peck on my forehead, making my stomach's butterflies give a slight flutter.

"I love you, Clem."

"I love you back, Lou."

I rubbed my fingers in circles on his hand as I snuggled into him, and he softly hummed the same song he sang when I first met him.

And everything was okay.

It was perfect.

I finally felt at ease, like I could finally just relax.

I finally got the peace I had been longing for.

I was finally just happy.

Chapter Text

AJ's POV

I carefully dump half of the water in the bucket onto the clementine tree, making a small circle around where I guess it's roots would be.  After that, I take the bucket to the evergreen tree a few feet away from it and water it, too.  When I finish, I set the bucket down and step back to observe the plants.

They're growing, getting real big, like me.  They grow a lot faster than I do, though.  They're already taller than me!

Rosie whines next to me, pawing at the crosses set up next to each other between the trees.  I think she knows who's they are.

"Come here, girl," I say, patting my legs.  She trots over to me, and I pat her forehead.  "Don't be sad.  We'll see them again someday."

"AJ?"

I turn around to see Violet making her way towards me, flowers in hand.

"Hey, Vi."

"What are you doing over here?"

"Just watering their trees."

"Oh."  She holds up the flowers.  "I came to pay my respects."   Violet holds out half of the bouquet to me.  "Do you want to help?"

"Sure."

I take two of her flowers, laying one by Clem's cross and the other by Louis's.  The teen does the same.

We both stand silently for a moment, staring at their graves and the trees that rose from them.  Then, all of a sudden, I get the chills.  Vi places her hand on my shoulder the second it happens.

"You feel that?" She asks.

"Yeah."

"That means that they're here, y'know."

"Hi, Clem.  Hi, Louis," I speak.  "I hope you guys are doing okay.  You guys need to have another visiting with me, soon.  We haven't had one in a while."  I look to Violet.  "Anything you want to say?"

She smirks, saying,  "Louis, we're going to chop up the piano and turn it into firewood."

A big gush of wind blows her hair wildly, and she holds up her middle finger to the air. 

Then, my goosebumps vanish, and I can tell that they've left.

I feel disappointed that they've gone, and my face falls a bit.  

Violet pats my back.  "They'll come again soon," she assures me.  "How about we go ahead and go get dinner?"

"Alright."  We walk out of the graveyard and back to the picnic tables, Louis's trench coat dragging on the ground as we do so.

"You don't have to wear that if you don't want to," Vi tells me, looking down at the dirty edges of the coat.

"I want to," I claim.  "I can't let it get still, like Louis said."

"Okay, I guess."  Then, she touched Clementine's hat on top of my head.  "What about this?  You planning on always wearing this, too?"

"Yup.  Just like Clem."

"I bet she'd like you wearing that."

"She does."

Vi smiles.

"Hey, AJ!"  Willy calls, his voice deeper than I'm used to it being.  His voice is changing a lot, and I'm not sure why.  I asked Aasim about it, but he just told me he'll tell me when I'm older.  "Come check out this bug!"  He points at the wall, but I can't see the bug from where I'm standing.  Tenn is over with him, holding a clipboard.  I assume he's probably sketching a picture of the insect.

"Can I go see?" I ask Vi.

"Okay, but make sure you get dinner soon."  

"I will," I say, already walking towards the other two boys.

Vi goes with Minnie, and they go and sit together with Ruby, Aasim, James, and Omar.  This was the time that they usually talked about "adult things" and shooed Willy, Tenn, and I away.  It's weird to think of them as grown ups now.

James had joined the school about a year ago.  We kept running into him in the woods, and every time we did, we asked him to come with us.  Eventually, he gave in.

I don't really have one set person to look after me anymore.  It used to be Clem, and then Louis, and after that, it was Violet.  Now, though, I don't really need anyone.  Everyone just kind of comes and checks up on me as they pleased, but most of the time, I just take care of myself.  

After I examine the bug with Willy and Tenn, I get dinner.  Then, I say goodnight to everyone, and go back to my room.  The one that once consisted of me and Clem, then me and Louis, and then just me.  Well, me and Rosie.

I take off his jacket first and lay it beside me, and I set her hat on the bedside table.  I take Clementine's pillow and hug it close to my chest, taking a big sniff of the pillow case.  Strawberries.

I watch as the flickering candle casts a glow on the empty bad across from me, and I think about how I used to sleep there.  But the AJ that used to rest there is gone.  The little boy that used to depend on others for so much is dead, just like the other old inhabitants of this room. 

And now I'm here.  Big AJ, who can take care of himself for Clementine and Louis.

"Goodnight," I whisper to Rosie, already asleep on the floor.  Then, I blow out the candle and go to bed.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I open my eyes to find myself outside. After looking around, I see that I'm in the courtyard, which is full of dandelions and wild flowers.  The sky is a pastel red, and the sun has a purple hue.  I smile once I realize what this is.  A visiting!

"Clem?"  I call.  "Louis?"

I turn in a circle, looking for any trace of them.  "Louis, you better not try and scare me agai-"

My mouth drops when I catch sight of the graveyard, where Clementine and Louis's trees have grown to at least ten times the size they are in the real world.  They're towering over the school, looking mighty and magnificent.  I don't think I've ever seen anything so big!

Then, my ear catches a swift tune on the piano, coming from where the trees stand.  I curiously follow it.

"We're done, Clem!"  I hear Louis exclaim.  At the sound of his voice, I pick up my pace.  "No more tests, waking up early, having to follow rules.  We're finally finished!"

"With high school, Lou," Clementine says.  "We've still got college, and then after that, we've got to get jobs."

"Don't ruin my moment, Clemmy!"  Louis chimes.

I can finally see them, and Louis stops playing when he spots me.  

"Hey, goofball!"  Clem greets, grinning.  

Louis got up from his piano and smiled.  "C'mere, little man!"

I run to the both of them, hooking my arm around both of their waists and pulling them together.  

"Aw, I don't have to get on my knees anymore," Clem asserts, poking out her bottom lip as she hugs me back.  "You're getting so big!"

I back out of the hug to smile proudly at her.  "I know!  Look, I'm almost as tall as you."  I put my hand from the top of my head to her shoulder.

"Next time we see you, I bet you'll fit into this thing," Lou says, gesturing to his jacket.  "You already fit into Clem's hat."

"Soon, I'll be taller and stronger than you, Louis," I claim, puffing out my chest.

"Is that so?  Well, you know what you are more than me right now?" He asks.

"What?"

"Ticklish!"  He screeches, driving his fingers between my armpits.  I fall to the flowers in a fit of laughter, and he goes down with me.  I fight to tickle him back, and I end up on top of him, making him laugh more than me.

Our wresting lasts for a few minutes, until we're interrupted by Clem's shout.  "Boys!"  

Louis and I both stop to see what she needs, but she's nowhere to be seen.  "Clem?"  I ask.  "Where'd you go?"

"Up here."  Louis and I both look up the trees, and see Clem on the highest branch of the clementine tree.  She leans against the trunk of the tree, putting her other hand on her hip.  "You guys should come see this."  

Louis smiles up at her.  "You look hot!"

Clem smirked.  "And you look tiny, as you are in many ways."

"Hey!"  Lou yelps.  "I am NOT tiny!"

I tilt my head at Louis.  "What does that mean?"

"Nothing," he hastens.  He stands up and offers me his hand.  "How about we get up there?"

I accept it, and he pulls me on my feet.  "I've never climbed a tree before."

"It's not hard," he assures me.  We walk up to her tree, and Louis grabs the lowest branch.  "Just copy everything I do, okay?"

"Okay."

He pulls himself up to where he's standing on the branch, then grabs onto the next limb.  I grab onto the lowest branch and repeat what he did, cloning his every move.

Soon, we're at the highest branch with Clem, where she was eating a clementine.  I grab one, too, and sit next to her.  Louis sits on my other side.

As I peel open the orange, I watch as the sky seems to swirl.  Shades of purple, red, and pink all dance across the sky in a colorful tango.

"Whoa," I utter.  "That's awesome."

"I know, right?"  Clem agrees.  "If only our real sky did this."

We watched the scene for a minute, until Louis suddenly spoke.  "We saw you watering the trees  yesterday.  If you keep that up, one day they'll be as big as these."

"I'll try to keep it up," I promise.

"Speaking of that, you better not let Violet chop up my piano.  Tell her that if she does, I will haunt her."

"Okay, I will."

 "Thanks, little dude."

"Big dude, now," I correct.  "I'm practically grown up."

"Oh, sorry.  Big dude."

I smile at him, and he ruffles my hair over the "D" hat.

Feeling so happy at this moment reminds me that I can't ever be this happy in real life.  A sad sigh escapes me.

"What is it?" The girl inquires.

"We'll never get to do this together for real," I tell her.  "Only in visitings."

"That's better than nothing, right?"  Louis pitches in.  

"Yeah, but still.  I know that after this, I'll wake up again in the real world, and I'll just be sad again."

"I'll be sad, too," Clem concurs.  "But we can't let that sadness control our lives.  Whether we want it to or not, life goes on.  We have to try and make it good."

"How, though?" I ask.  "I try, but I still get sad. A lot."

"Be silly," Louis says.  "And live in the moment.  Remember, this moment is the only thing guaranteed, so enjoy it."  

I nod.

"Also, be tough," Clem adds.  "Remember to tell fear to-"

"Fuck off," I finish.  

Clem smiles at me.  "Exactly."

She wraps her arm around me and pulls me close, and Louis does the same to Clem, so I'm kind of sandwiched between the two.  I'm okay with it, though.  If anything, I wish I could be squished between them more often.

As we stare at the sky, I feel the corners of my mouth begin to rise.  "You guys always make me so happy," I vocalize to the pair.

"You make us happy too, big man," Lou says.

"I love you.  Both of you."

I feel Clem lightly squeeze me.  "We love you back, AJ."

For a second, I start to become sad again about having to leave them, but I tell myself to not be.

This moment is the only thing I got.  I have to enjoy it.

And even when this visiting is over and they have to leave, it will be okay.

I may be upset for a little bit, but I'll get over it.  

Life will go on.

And I will, too.

Chapter Text

I didn't want to put this on either one of the last two chapters.  I felt like it would ruin the mood.

I just want to say thank you to everybody who has even bothered reading this story.  At first, I was just writing this story for myself, to get an idea out of my head and into words.  I didn't expect people to actually read it.

Then users did actually read it.   And you guys liked it.  I got so many sweet comments, messages, and encouraging words to let me know that some people thought this was actually worth reading.  I read every single one I got, and I appreciate all of them so much!  Even if I didn't reply, trust me, I saw it.

I don't know, I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all of y'all!

Now that the story is finished, I'm going to try to reply to each comment I get from now on.  I couldn't before because I didn't want to spoil anything, but now I don't have to worry about that.

I'm having mixed feelings about completing this.  I mean, I'm sad it's over, but also, I'm glad I don't have to worry about writing for it.  Things have just started to really pick up in my life, and I'm having less and less free time.  This story was originally supposed to be longer, but if I tried to make it longer I think it might have ended up getting abandoned.

I am still too obsessed with twd for my own good, though, and I'm debating on maybe starting a book of Clouis one shots.  I'm not 100% sure, since the reason I ended this one so early was because I didn't have enough time to write, but who knows?  Maybe I'll happen to find some spare time.  So be on the lookout for some one shots!

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read a random thirteen year old girl's fan fiction, when I'm sure you had much better things to do.  It means a lot!

Well, then, I guess that's all I have to say.

Goodbye, my friends.  I love you all.  

I hope to see you soon!