Whisper In The Dark (TWD-Final Season James Fanfic)

Haircuts

Elianna's P.O.V.

"Every trainee will be getting a haircut. The longer your hair is, the easier it is for you to get grabbed by a walker. Your gender and your preferences don't matter anymore. Your hair is required to be cut above your shoulders. If you're a girl, you can have your hair long enough to put in a ponytail if you keep it cut short."

I twirled my knife in my hand as I stood among the other trainees. A chair was placed in the middle of us, one of the older camp members standing beside it with a pair of scissors in hand. The dark haired Instructor was standing among us, and he stepped forward. My eyes immediately focused on him.

"If you're afraid that we're going to hurt you, we won't. You're already close to being one of us. We won't hurt you at this point." He said.

"You get under the scissors." One snapped.

The Instructor looked at each of us, and his eyes landed on me. His eyes then went to my knife as I continued to twirl it.

"Two, step forward." He ordered.

I did as he asked, and he held his hand out for my knife. I hesitated before I gave it to him.

"To show you that you can trust us, I'm going to let Two cut my hair. I've been needing a haircut anyway. The only thing is that I'm not going to let her use the scissors. She'll be using her knife." He explained, holding up my hunting knife for the others to see.

"Are you crazy? What if I cut you? What if I screw up?" I snapped, my voice as quiet as I could get it so the others couldn't hear me.

"Relax. I trust you."

He gave the knife back to me, and I watched as he sat down in the chair. I took a deep breath as I stood behind him.

"Are you sure about this?" I whispered.

"Like I said. I trust you." He replied.

The older camp member handed me a comb, and I took it as I smiled slightly at her. I looked down at the Instructor, trying to regulate my breathing as I began to hyperventilate. I shook off the anxiety, keeping my knife in one hand with the comb in the other. I ran my hand over his hair, finding that it was soft compared to my own. His entire body seemed to relax as I continued to play with his hair. I hesitated before I ran the comb through his hair, and I was surprised that it went straight through each time. He flinched when I first started cutting, and he continued to as I worked with the knife. Once I was done with the knife, I took the scissors from the older camp member and tidied up the edges as best as I could.

I blushed as he got to his feet and looked at me. His warm and gentle gave and the welcoming smile he gave me made me feel at home. I took the mirror that the older camp member held out, and I held it up so he could see. He looked at his reflection, turning his head to check the ends.

"That actually looks pretty good. I may start keeping my hair this way. You even managed to keep my ends the same length." He nodded his head. "I believe you're going to be a good person to do our hair cuts if you do make it."

I scratched the back of my neck. He motioned for me to sit in the chair, and I hesitated before I did. I almost jumped out of the chair when the older camp member stood behind me. The Instructor laid his hand on my shoulder and forced me to sit back down.

"Okay, Two. I understand. I'll cut your hair like you cut mine. Would that make you feel more comfortable?" He asked.

I nodded, and he kept his hand on my shoulder as he stepped behind me. I understood why his body had relaxed while I had been playing with his hair as he ran his fingers through my dirty blond locks that were tangled in several places. He managed to be gentle as he tugged the tangled hairs free, and he soon started cutting with the scissors. It didn't take him as long as I had since I had been using a knife instead of scissors.

He showed me my reflection, and I was surprised to find that he had given me the same haircut I had given him, the only difference between us being the direction our bangs went. His swept to the left and parted at the right side of his while mine did the opposite. I got to my feet when he stepped away, and we both moved to stand with the others. They each took their turns getting their hair cut. I sat down, focusing on my journal as I waited.

"You said you have tips and plans in that thing?" The Instructor muttered as he sat down beside me.

I held it out to him. "Tips, tricks, plans, sketches. All kinds of things."

He took it and flipped through the pages. He handed it back after a while, and our fingers brushed together as I took the book from him. I could see the faint blush that turned his cheeks pink as he looked away.