River - Ellie Williams

26

River walked as Ellie walked past her in silence and gave Shimmer back to the barn attendant. The two haven't spoken in two weeks and had to endure silent patrols. River hasn't spoken to anyone. Not Charlie and barely to Hayden. She was talked to, of course. Dina and Jesse talked to her, Felix even tried to talk to her. River just went back to one-worded answers and kept to herself. It's what she knew best.

Her eyes turned to Ellie who walked over to Joel and talked to the older man. While things were still awkward there, there was an improvement.

River let out a sigh as she turned around and took Callus 2.0 with her back through the gate: "River!" She heard Tommy call for her, but River didn't turn back as she hopped onto her horse and galloped out of the gate.

She heard a few more calls, but River didn't care since she just wanted to be alone.

River rode over to Eugene's place and huffed as she tied up Callus to the side. She pat her horse's main, wrapping her arms around herself. Winter has passed, and spring was starting to bloom, but River still felt cold.

The girl turned on the generator and hummed to herself as she let her eyes roam the shelves of the library. No matter how many times she's been here, River hasn't really spent time looking through the books. Not for herself, at least.

River picked out a few that looked interesting and walked to the back. Her eyes went over to all the comics in the back, frowning at them before turning to the weed lair and heading down. River laid down on the couch and opened the book. She grabbed a joint and lit it while she read, blowing out the smoke to the side while her eyes stay glued to the page.

"Fuck," River muttered as she threw the book to the side and laid down completely while she blew out smoke. Her eyes stayed on the ceiling as she tried to control her breathing.

She knew about the community event tonight and it was the last place she wanted to be. It was just another bonfire. It was nice enough to be outside, even if it was a bit chilly. River thought maybe she would just stay here all night. Sleep through the event and go back to normal duties. That would probably be better than anything tonight.

"Hello? River?" River sat up with a confused frown at the voices and raised an eyebrow when she watched Joel walk through the door.

"What the..." Joel muttered as he looked around the room. When they landed on the girl, she raised an eyebrow at the older man and frowned, "Tommy, she's down here!"

When Tommy went down to the basement, he laughed out loud, "This all you?" He asked the girl who shrugged.

"Inherited."

"Yeah, we saw Eugene's tag," Joel pointed up the stairs, earning a blank look from River, "C'mon, kiddo. Let's get back to town."

"You can't make me," River sighed, "I'll go back tomorrow morning."

"And miss the party?"

"That's sorta the point."

"River," Tommy stepped forward, earning another look as he let out a sigh, "I know you're used to taking care of yourself and others, but you can't just run off on your own. Not while you live in Jackson."

"Well, then, I'll move."

"You're stubborn, you know that?"

"That annoys you?"

"I have Joel as my brother. I know how to deal with stubbornness," Joel sent Tommy a look, but Tommy ignored it as he looked at the girl, "I know you don't like me. I get it, really. I lied to you and betrayed any trust I may have had. But please just, come back. You don't need to ride out here on your own."