Chapter Text
´That’s enough for today’ Clementine said to AJ, who was coloring next to Tenn ‘You can keep practicing your art skills at the desk in the bedroom’ She added before the boy could even think about protesting.
‘Can Tenn go, too?’ He asked with hope in his eyes.
‘Sorry, no’ Tenn answered first ‘I’m way too tired, AJ, so I’m going to sleep, too’
AJ couldn’t hide his disappointment
‘You two can continue tomorrow after your duties’ Clementine suggested
‘I don’t want to continue tomorrow, I want to do it now!’ He frowned
‘AJ, don’t start again. Either you do it tomorrow or don’t do it at all. Those are your options. I’d recommend you choose wisely’ She warned him in the most motherly tone she could find.
AJ just sat there, arms folded, furrowed brows, scrunched up nose. Before Clementine would come at him more sternly, Tenn intervened.
‘If you want, I could teach you how to draw dogs and fish…’ He smiled
The little boy’s face lightened up almost instantly
‘Really? I can’t wait!’
‘But you need to go to sleep tonight. That way, time will fly’
Clementine smiled at Tenn gratefully. She was relieved things didn’t escalate to something uglier, as it tended to happen.
Both Clementine and AJ said goodnight and headed back to the dorms. But, before they could reach the door, Aasim called Clementine over while running towards her.
‘Can I speak to you for a moment?’ He said once he reached them
‘Sure’ She said
Aasim kept silent. He eyed at AJ and then at her again twice. Finally, she’d take the hint.
‘Oh,uh…AJ? Can you please check for monsters inside the school?’
The boy looked at her, unsure if she was serious
‘Why would there be mons-’
‘Just go! Once you’re done, you can finish your drawings before going to bed. Sound good?’
AJ muttered something unintelligible while walking away from them.
‘So, what do you need?’ Clementine said once they were alone
‘I’m on patrol tonight, so I don’t have much time’ He handed her a folded piece of paper. She gave him a disconcerted look, much similar to the one AJ gave her seconds ago.
‘Aasim…what exactly is this?’ She asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.
‘Hey, don’t get the wrong ideas, I’m just the messenger’ He hastily justified himself ‘But he told me you should read it alone’
Now she was straight up confused.
‘He? Who’s…he?’
‘Really, Clementine?’ He sighed annoyed, as if the answer was pretty obvious ‘Just read it, you’ll know who wrote it by the time you finish reading the first sentence’
Aasim wished her a good night and went back to his post, leaving her with more questions than answers.
She looked at the piece of paper, neatly folded into a triangle with her name written on one of the sides. She looked up, scanning the place, looking for anything that could help her solve this riddle.
Very few people were still up. She could see Mitch, guarding the gates from up high, exchanging a vague conversation with Aasim who was wandering below. Omar, being the perfectionist he was, started cleaning up and leaving everything ready for breakfast the next day. Rosie was napping by the fire, while Marlon was next to her, watching the flames, giving his dog an occasional pat or two.
Everyone else was -presumably, in bed.
Clementine finally decided she’d find a good place afar from the noise to read the mysterious note.
She sat down on a log, the moon was shining bright that night, so there wasn’t need of a flashlight. Hesitantly, she unfolded the paper carefully. She could tell whoever wrote it, must have put some dedication in the presentation and she didn’t want to ruin it.
She read the first sentence:
‘Well, that didn’t help much, Aasim’ She thought to herself. She didn’t have any idea of what day it was, either. She continued reading. Her face softened as she kept on.
Once finished, she whispered the name of the author to herself, still unsure whether she was wide awake or having some sort of weird dream.
She read the letter again.
She read it once more, just to be sure.
She had too many questions flooding her mind now. A confession letter? From Louis? Why? How did this even happen? She never imagined she’d get something like this, not even in her wildest fantasies -which weren’t many, giving the circumstances.
In a way only Louis would come up with, he asked her to join her for breakfast and a conversation the following morning.
She just sat there for several minutes, looking at the star-decorated night sky, thinking about her options.
‘Is this even a smart idea?’ She wondered. Yes, she wouldn’t deny she found Louis a fun person, she liked how he treated AJ, that was especially important to her. She blushed a little while adding his appealing looks to her mental list.
However, and her little smile disappeared at the thought of this, the last person she really liked was dead, just like most people in the world.
It was almost as if she was cursed. She gave in to the feeling of sadness that suddenly invaded her and let it settle for a minute.
Just when she was about the shed that first, tiny tear, the image of AJ would pop up, smiling the way he only does for her; gratefully, playfully. That one smile made her come to the realization that she wasn’t entirely cursed. She managed to keep this boy alive and turn him into a survivor. The small tear finally rolled down her cheek, but she wasn’t sad anymore.
She loved AJ since the moment he was born, she swore to protect him and that’s what she did, even when the circumstances got them separated at one point. He was alive and well. Mostly, because of her.
She resolved in her heart she wasn’t cursed at all. This was a shitty world, with some really shitty people, but she wasn’t a coward and she definitely wasn’t going to let that get in the way of what she wanted to accomplish.
She folded the letter back to its original form and put it away in her back pocket.
She hurried back to her room, only to find AJ still awake, crouched on the chair, trying very focusedly not to color out of the lines.
There was no need to announce herself, because he’d recognize the sound of her steps anywhere.
‘Hey, you ready for bed?’ She asked, standing behind him.
‘Hey, you done talking to Aasim?’ He replied without looking at her.
Clementine made him look at her straight in the eyes ‘Alvin Junior, I swear I am not putting up with your attitude tonight’
The boy changed his expression almost immediately from pissed off to actually concerned.
‘Well, what did you guys talk about that I cannot know?’ He asked with puppy eyes. He knew he was already out of line so insisting wasn’t actually a big sin.
Clementine frowned, but deep inside she was in a really good mood, so she tried no to be too hard on him for being protective of her. She’d do the same if a girl her age suddenly wanted to talk to him in private. The only difference was she wasn’t a kid anymore. She had discovered romance some time ago -or at least caught a glimpse of what it could be, and though she’d never admit it to anyone else, she was sincerely curious about learning more about it, regardless of all the misery and tragedy around her.
‘Clem! Snap out of it!’ AJ snapped his fingers in front of her face ‘What did Aasim tell you?’
She just smiled at him, knowing her answer would annoy him enough to drop the topic.
‘It’s really none of your business, goofball. Now go to bed. You’ve got your lookout shift tomorrow and you need to be alert at all times’
‘I told you not to call me that’ He mumbled while putting his art supplies away.
She blowed out the candle and the both of them climbed onto their respective beds.
After some minutes of silence, AJ spoke again.
‘Hey, Clem…?
‘Yes?’
‘Are you and Aasim…well, are you guys-’
‘Oh, no! No, that’s not what’s happening at all’ Clementine didn’t notice how much she raised her voice in the last two words and quickly lowered her volume into a whisper “I promise you no kissing stuff is going on between us’
‘I’m glad’ The kid smiled in the dark
‘Now please AJ, get some sleep. It’s late’
Another moment of silence passed, but this time, Clementine could actually hear him breathe deeply, a sign he was fast asleep and enjoying it for a change.
She tried to do the same, but her brain wouldn’t let her. She pictured every possible scenario of what would happen next. When she finally surrendered to her physical and emotional exhaustion, morning was already breaking.