Chapter Text
Cleo had lived in the small city of Lightwood for her entire life and spent her time after graduating high school to work full-time at the sweets shop her aunt, Bao, owned, having worked with the older woman since she could legally start working. She had no interest in going into college and the job paid well too. As much as it felt great to serve the youth and even older individuals for a few years, the positivity of it a mostly pleasant experience, she couldn't help but feel dissatisfaction. It wasn't because of the job, but rather… several previous incidents from her childhood.
Actually, dissatisfaction was an understatement, way far off from it.
… Maybe leaving the city was a good idea after all. To be fair, she could have at any time, but she didn't want to deal with changing school districts. Might as well just get that diploma then leave, she once told herself.
When she talked to her aunt about leaving Lightwood, to her surprise, Bao encouraged her to get out and do whatever she pleased for as long as she wanted now that she no longer had to focus on her education, give herself break, that she could handle working solo. In Bao's defense, she had been running the shop by herself ever since starting the business. She would be fine either way. She even told Cleo that she was still young, so she should take whatever opportunities there were.
So she chose to move in with her grandfather in Neighborville. It had been years since she last saw him, and the one time she finally saw him again after so long, it was during her graduation day.
But when she talked to her grandfather about staying with him in Neighborville, he tried to dissuade her from coming to the city, saying that she really shouldn't with the zombie invasion that had been happening for a while. She almost hesitated, reconsidering if she should really leave Lightwood or not. Yet in the end, she still decided to go on with her plan.
The smaller woman went to work packing important items that she would bring with her and stuffing them into some boxes and packing her clothes into a couple of luggages. She had to admit, a part of her did feel bad to leave, to leave her aunt alone and running the sweets shop by herself even though she knew the aging woman showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon. She sometimes wondered if she was the reason her aunt never started a family of her own, deciding to put her time and energy into caring for Cleo.
That was a miserable thought. She had to stop herself from overthinking, knowing that it was a choice her aunt made and she would forever be grateful for it.
But when she finished packing, she made her way out of the house, and right on time, her grandfather arrived, parking his truck outside the house and getting out to greet the aunt and niece. "Bao. Cleo," he greeted with a nod.
"Hey, Yu! Good to see ya!" Bao replied.
"The same is said about you both," Yu said back. "How have things been?"
"Oh, things have been great. Today, the regulars learned that it was Cleo's last day and that she'd be gone, and man, were they sad. Haha! She's good at what she does."
"I wouldn't say that—"
"Don't even think about it," Bao interrupted, cutting her off. "The kiddos love ya! Remember how they reacted?"
"…"
Cleo said nothing else as her aunt and grandfather begun to load boxes of her stuff into the trailer. Sighing in annoyance, she also went to put her things in. But it seemed like she didn't have to do much at all as they somehow made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. So much for at least wanting to be useful.
Eventually, everything was all put into the trailer. As Yu was making sure the trailer was secured shut, he turned to look at his granddaughter and said, "Alright, Cleo. Ready to get going?"
Cleo nodded. "Mhm. Let me say goodbye to Auntie then we can leave." She switched her attention to her aunt, and to her surprise, was holding back tears while trying to look nonchalant.
"A-Alright, kiddo," Bao sniffed, "you excited to start fresh?"
"… Yeah."
"Aw, don't give me that look!" The older woman chuckled, wiping her eyes with her hands, regaining her composure. "You're just… Heh, you've just changed a lot over the years, huh?"
"I guess so," Cleo replied, slowly nodding. "I'm still your kid though."
"I know, I know! But… thinking about ya when you were young, how things were…" She paused, her expression saddening. "Then the big changes… Man, time sure does fly by fast."
"…"
"…"
There was a long moment of silence between them. Bao was holding back tears again, struggling to stay strong. Cleo just awkwardly looked away. She wished she knew what to do or say, not being the greatest with her words or actions.
"Well, uh, I'll just reach out often, if that makes you feel better," Cleo then said.
"Oh yeah! And I can always come see ya in Neighborville too!" Bao added, letting out a sheepish laugh. "Silly me. Why didn't I think of that?"
Her aunt then pulled her in for a hug, making sure to be very careful when firmly holding the smaller woman. "Take care, yeah?"
"Of course."
After a moment, Bao let go of Cleo, giving her a pat on the shoulder. She watched her niece walk off, a sad yet proud smile on her face.
Then, off in the distance, a voice loudly called out, "Cleo, WAIT!" Startled, she jumped, quickly turning to see who called out to her. A redhead and a green-haired woman were running towards her. Cleo recognized them as her friends since the beginning of high school, who somehow still stuck around despite everything.
"Benny? Millie?" She looked surprised to see them. Oh, right. They were going to say goodbye before she left and she forgot.
Stopping in front of the smaller woman, the two caught their breaths, the running leaving them exhausted. "Haha. Yeah, hey," Benny chuckled. "Sorry for being late."
"There was a road closure on the way here, so we had to take a detour," Millie added, smiling apologetically. "And sorry if we're holding you back from leaving." The two quickly greeted Bao and Yu, then focused their attention back on Cleo.
"Well, since your friends are here, why don't ya go ahead and chat with them a bit? I'm sure your old man won't mind, and I just remembered I have some things to talk about with him anyway," Bao spoke up, walking by the group of friends.
Cleo nodded to Bao in response before looking at Benny and Millie, a small smile on her face. "It's no big deal. Honestly, I forgot you guys were coming, so that's on me."
Benny grinned, letting out another chuckle as they wrapped an arm each around Millie and Cleo, pulling them close against them in a side hug while also being cautious with how tightly they were holding the smaller woman, before letting go of them. "Nah, that wouldn't be right. You were about to go before we showed up."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Cleo couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Since it was unexpected, how about we just say it's nobody's fault? Anyway, it's… good to see you both."
"So, how are you feeling about the move?" Millie curiously asked, playfully ruffling Cleo's hair, which Cleo stuck out her tongue with a "Bleh" in response.
She just shrugged, looking neutral. But internally, she was nervous. She couldn't let that show though. "Honestly, I don't know. I just hope my aunt will be alright."
"Actually, when we came to the sweets shop once, we did offer to work with her," the redhead remarked, looking a little ashamed. "… Of course that was a little after you told us about your plan and stuff. Hope that's not, like, a bad thing or anything."
"No, no. That's not bad at all," the petite woman assured. "You guys are cool, she's cool. She definitely likes you both, so I don't see the harm in that."
"Heh, and you and your aunt are cool," Benny added.
They talked among themselves some more, and before they knew it, it was time for Cleo to leave. "Alright, Cleo! Time to get going before the sun lowers!" Yu called out, catching the attention of the group.
"Alright!" Cleo called back.
She looked back at her friends, her arms coming up to hold them in a hug, hugging them as firmly as she could before letting go. "You both are the greatest friends ever." The best she could do was show that she really cared for them with something affectionate. "Bye, guys…"
"Heh, we're gonna miss you!" Benny chuckled. Their expression softened, and sincerely, they added, "Take care, Cleo."
"Have fun in Neighborville," Millie said with a smile.
"… Thanks." Cleo gave them a slight smile. "I promise to reach out often," she said. "It won't be like before."
"Hah! You better keep your word!" Benny joked.
Cleo made her way to her grandfather's truck, entering the passenger's seat as the elderly man entered the driver's seat. The truck was started up, and soon they departed. She waved, her aunt and friends waving back as she watched her get farther and farther away.
When they made it to Neighborville, the sun had began to set not too long ago. The drive into the Town Center was something. Plants and zombies roaming around, with some battles here and there. She couldn't comprehend how Neighborville still remained.
Cleo was given an almanac to look through. There was so much information, she couldn't really comprehend what she read. She didn't even know what to think at this point. It was too late to change her mind. She already made her aunt and grandfather go through the process of helping her with her stuff. She was not going to put them through that again.
Looking out the window again, she couldn't help but notice the eyes of a few zombies on her, following the movement of the truck as it drove off. She quickly looked away, the stares making her uneasy.
Well, that was an unexpected sight. Was there something about the way she looked? Was she already an interesting target to them? She hoped not.
Yu eventually pulled up to the driveway of his home, stopping and parking the truck. Entering the home, Cleo sighed in relief, glad to be in the safety of a familiar space. Taking a look around the house, the interior surprisingly had not changed a lot over the years.
She then made her way into the spare bedroom, seeing that it was already prepared for her when she walked in. It was simple yet had colors she still liked, her preferences not having changed much since childhood. She couldn't help but smile to herself, appreciating the preparations he did for her arrival.
Now that she was done examining the place, not like there were any changes at all, she headed back out to help her grandfather bring her stuff inside. Unpacking everything was going to be tiring, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about it once it was done with.
From what she saw so far, the city wasn't in its greatest state right now and yet everything seemed to be intact, but she had a feeling her new start in life would go decently, even though a feeling of doubt gnawed at her.