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Morale was still low three weeks after the twins left Ericson, but after Marlon got the school hunting and fishing system running back again, there was nothing to do but keep surviving under his leadership.
The kids were slowly getting used to their new routine. There were gloomy days in which nobody would say a thing, but overall they were making a great collective effort to get back to their old state of mind.
Tenn was out of his room and eating again, under Ruby’s advice. Violet would often sit down at his table and watch him color. They enjoyed each other’s company. It reminded them there were still things worth living for. After a while, Violet started seeing him as the younger brother she never had and everytime she smiled at him, Tenn would think it was nice to have someone who reminded him so much of his sisters characteristic joyful personality.
They made it a habit to rely on each other like that.
Brody would watch every person’s dynamic from afar and in silence. After the events of the previous nights, she didn’t feel comfortable enough around her friends, and especially around Marlon.
Two weeks after their first kiss, she had been avoiding him as much as possible. Sadly for her, they had to interact a lot more since he came up with his plan to avoid the raiders. At times, he’d look at her with different eyes that brought immediate memories of their short time alone.She wasn’t really sure why she kissed him. She was mad she liked being like that with him and she hated the fact that she would kiss him again, if the chance ever presented itself.
One night, Tenn saw her sitting at the stairway that led to the benches. She was looking at her bowl of food with a conflicted look. The boy noticed a familiar loneliness in her eyes.
‘Hey Brody, do you want to sit with us?’
The girl looked up at him, surprised he was talking to her.
‘It’s alright, Tenn’ She faked a smile ‘I don’t think Violet would like that very much.’
‘But you’re alone…’ He frowned, ‘and we are feeling just like you, even when Vi doesn’t want to admit it, so…’
Tenn took her hand and pulled her so she would stand up.
Brody felt compelled to join him. She craved the social interaction anyway, and maybe it was a good opportunity to mend some bonds.
She was sitting at a table again, having dinner like she used to do.
Tenn’s natural kind-hearted soul made her anxiety vanish for a moment. It was as if nothing had happened.
Until she remember her reality.
She felt like apologizing to him. He needed to know the truth but she promised she wouldn’t tell anyone. And even if she could, the truth would only break his heart, and Tenn didn’t deserve any more pain.
‘Hey…Tenn?’ She mumbled, unable to look at his eyes ‘About your sisters…’
‘Brody, no…’ He answered quietly. She glanced at him and his expression broke her heart.
‘I-I’m so sorry we couldn’t save them…’
‘You think an apology will bring them back to life?’ Violet’s voice behind Brody made her sit up straight, startled
The blonde sat next to her, waiting for an answer.
‘Of course not, but-’
‘You can’t just sit here and bullshit about how you couldn’t do anything while walkers ripped them both apart. You could have saved them. You and Marlon could have brought them back, if you weren’t such cowards, especially you’’
Brody’s chest started pounding again, all trace of peace gone in a second.
‘I know you’re hurt, but-’
Violet slammed her fist on the table making Brody and Tenn jump, and calling the attention of the nearby tables.
‘Fuck you, Brody, you don’t know shit. Don’t even think about sitting here again. Tenn doesn’t need any more pain’
The redhead grew silent as her quickened breathing blurred her thoughts. She glanced at the boy. His eyes went from her to Violet’s enraged features.
‘Violet, it was Tenn who wanted me to sit here’ She tried to explain, touching her shoulder.
A mistake she would soon regret.
‘I’m sorry. Are you deaf or just incredibly stupid?’ Violet pushed her off the bench ‘I said don’t come here again, we don’t need you here. You are not welcome here.’
‘Do you really have to be such a bitch?’ Brody muttered just as loud for Violet to hear.
In a second, she found herself struggling against the blonde, digging her nails into her skin as an attempt to keep her hands from her face as they wrestled on the dirt.
Violet managed to grab her hair and pushed her head against the ground, making Brody see stars. She couldn’t get her off of her no matter how hard she tried.
‘Violet, stop it!’ Tenn cried.
Brody screamed out of pain and frustration. With a newfound strength, she pushed Violet off with one hand on her face and the other on her neck.
Their screaming alerted the kids who ran to help.
Marlon and Louis were the closest and were the first ones to get there. The two boys shared a look and quickly broke up the fight.
Violet struggled to get off of Louis’ hold as she kept yelling at Brody, who was still on the ground, with hardly any strength to stand up or yell back.
Brody’s nose was bleeding and she had pain all over her head and arms.
‘Take her inside’ Louis said to his best friend as he tried to contain a still enraged Violet.
Marlon nodded, kneeling down next to her and helping her up.
‘Can you walk?’ He asked, with genuine concern.
‘I’m fine’ She let go of his hands and glanced back at Violet before heading back to her room.
Marlon walked behind her to make sure she got there safely.
But she couldn't.
Five steps away from her door, she stumbled and held her head in pain.
He ran to catch her, but he was too far behind to do it on time.
She hit the floor, unconscious.
Marlon carried her insider her room and laid her down on the bed. He sat down next to her, waiting anxiously for her to wake up.
He tried cleaning up her bleeding nose with a small rag he found nearby.
A knock at the door startled him. Louis peeked in.
‘Hey Brody…’ He couldn’t finish his sentence when he saw the passed out girl. He turned to his best friend, panicking ‘What happened?’
‘She fainted’ Marlon answered, ‘can you go get Ruby?’
After hearing the request, Louis was gone as fast as he appeared.
Seconds after, Brody woke up. The first thing he saw was the top bunk above her. Then she looked to her left and found Marlon, still holding the old piece of cloth in his hand,
‘Where am I?’ she asked, half conscious. She tried to sit up but she had no arm strength left.
‘No, don’t move too much…you’re in your room’ Marlon explained, helping her get in a more comfortable position ‘Violet kicked your ass out there, remember?’
A throbbing pain ran from the back of her head to her temples, making her wince.
‘Yeah-yeah, I remember now.’
‘You really need to be more careful around Violet. You know she’s hurt and still you go over where she sits everyday and pick up fights with her.’
‘I didn’t mean to fight, Tenn saw me and he wanted me to sit at their table.’
‘And that’s another thing…You keep isolating yourself, from now on you’re going to sit at my table with Louis.’
‘I’d rather not’ Brody muttered, blushing slightly.
‘Why not?’
‘Because…’ She shrugged, not really knowing what to say.
Marlon frowned, trying to find some answer to her unusual attitude.
‘Is this because we kissed that one time? We haven’t talked since, at least…not like now’ He said after some seconds.
‘Can we please not talk about this now?’ She sighed, ‘I’m tired and beaten.'
‘Alright, but…If I have to be completely honest, I don’t understand what is happening, but…I think I’ve missed talking to you’ His last sentence left his mouth in the form of a whisper only she could hear.
She missed their conversations as well, and if she had to be completely honest, she missed him, too.
The way he worded his feelings didn’t help much, either.
She shut her eyes closed and breathed deeply, trying to gather some inner peace.
Her darting blue eyes met his and he felt his heart racing for a second.
During the past weeks, after the last time they were alone, he’d been having similar sensations every time he looked at her.
It was so much worse now that he discovered she was actively avoiding him.
‘Marlon’ She finally said ‘You can’t really think you like me…like that’
‘But I do’ He confessed without thinking it twice. He looked down at his hands when he realized what he had said ‘I can’t stop thinking about you…and us being, you know…a thing’
He looked up at her again and found her lost in thought.
‘I have been thinking about this a lot…and , I think I like you too’ Marlon smiled, relieved by her answer ‘But if this keeps escalating, you need to promise me nobody will know’
‘Agreed’ He leaned in closer to her, examining the bruises and scratches in her shoulders and neck. He brushed one of her small wounds with his thumb, giving her small goosebumps as softly pressed his lips against her shoulder and slowly made his way to her mouth. She tilted her head, waiting for him to close the distance between them. It was astounding how right it felt.
So right it felt, that their kiss soon led to a second one.
Then a third.
A fourth.
She opened her eyes for a moment when she felt his fingers tangling in her hair, tickling the back of her neck. She smiled against his mouth, welcoming the new,obscure sensation while tracing the angle of his jaw with one finger.
A ragged sigh escaped her mouth as she felt his body weight against her.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-’ He pulled back, afraid he might be hurting her.
She shook her head, pulling him closer at his shirt.
‘It’s fine-’ She encircled her arms around his neck ‘It’s fine, I-’ She paused to reflect on what she was going to say next ‘I want this’
Right as Marlon went on to kiss her once more, they heard a gasp and another voice in the room.
‘We can come back later’ Louis commented, jokingly covering Ruby’s eyes.