-ˏˋ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ, ɪ'ᴅ ꜱᴛᴇᴀʟ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ.ˊˎ-
Elodie Price had never heard the soft breeze of the wind or the sound of birds singing in the trees.
After losing her older brother and her mother, the world had become grey. Ten years old, and already the unive...
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[TW: Emetophobia warning. I'll put a * where it starts and ends for those who'd like to skip it!]
Elodie sat in the cramped backseat of the green car, squeezed between Glenn and Beth. The vehicle bounced and jostled over the rough terrain, every bump pressing them closer together. Her fingers absentmindedly played with a tangle toy she found in the seat pocket, twisting and turning the plastic pieces. It was a small distraction, but it helped keep her mind off the fear that lurked beneath the surface.
Maggie was in the driver's seat, her hands gripping the wheel tightly as she navigated the rough terrain. Beside her, Hershel sat with a map unfolded on his lap, his eyes scanning the route ahead. Despite the tension, he occasionally glanced back to check on the others, offering a reassuring smile whenever Elodie caught his eye.
Glenn, seated to Elodie's left, tried to make himself as comfortable as possible in the cramped space. His arm was pressed against hers, and he occasionally adjusted his position to give her a bit more room. Beth, on Elodie's right, did the same, her own fidgeting mirroring Elodie's as she picked at the frayed edge of her sleeve.
Earlier, Beth had surprised Elodie with the sign language book she had saved from the dying farm. Elodie's eyes had lit up with excitement, immediately demanding they continue their "lessons."
For about two hours, they practiced signs with Glenn and Hershel eventually joining in, while Maggie focused on following Daryl who led the way ahead.
Now, Elodie had learned a bunch of new signs. She was thrilled about it, even though she probably wouldn't need to use them anytime soon. Learning a new language excited her, and she was actually good at it. Plus, she wasn't learning alone.
After those two hours, Elodie had taken a small nap, having rested on Beth's shoulder the entire time until a sudden bump jolted her awake, and she wasn't able to fall back asleep. She hadn't been sleeping deeply enough to dream anyway, at least not that she could remember.
She then annoyed Glenn by practically crawling over him to rummage through the back seat pocket of Maggie's seat, retrieving a tangled toy that now held her complete focus as she tried to untangle it.
Her eyes wandered from the toy to Daryl and Carol ahead of them. Since hitting the road again, she'd only spoken to Daryl once—during a quick pit stop for Glenn's bathroom break. It was a brief exchange of "you doin' okay in there?" and "yeah," before they were back on the move.
A honk from the car behind them prompted Maggie to bring their vehicle to a stop. Elodie twisted in her seat to peer out the back window, watching as Rick, Lori, T-Dog, and Carl got out of their car. In a split second, everyone in the green car scrambled out too, assuming trouble. Elodie hopped out from Glenn's side as he closed the door behind her.
