Clementine is sat on a bench, head towards the sky and eyes closed. She sighs as a light breeze washes over her face. As she sits she thinks. Thinks about the past year, and how it sometimes feels like just yesterday she was fighting Lilly and the delta and getting her leg chopped off. How she finally has a place to call home. That after a long time on the road and not thinking about it, she can sit down and learn things. I mean this was a school after all.
Clementine learned that she was rather good with numbers. It makes sense as she had to be when rationing food and stuff out in the wild. She also learned she has a liking to history. She never understood why people liked it, but now she can appreciate it. She gets the appeal of learning from the past. And it also has some good ideas for stuff to build in the post apocalyptic world.
A whole year has past and she has one leg, which she now has a prosthetic for. She sleeps better, she still gets nightmares but not as much or as vivid. She goes to bed full and she's actually found love in this messed up world. A lot can change in a year.
"Mo- Clem?" A voice breaks the silence.
Clem looks towards where it came from and set her eyes on Aj. God Aj. The fact that being here for a year has allowed him to have that childhood she wanted but couldn't give him on the road. The fact that he gets to laugh and run and play piano and draw, makes her tear up a little.
"Are you OK, Clem? Is it the leg, is something wrong with it?" Aj asks with concern.
"No everything is fine with the leg. You did a pretty good job making it." Clem praises the child.
"Well I mean I had help. Violet and Louis and Willy are pretty good at making stuff." Aj smiles a little before looking concerned again, "are you OK though, you sat here for awhile."
Clem thinks about that question. Is she OK? I mean like she thought before she has less frequent nightmares, she doesn't feel those random burst of anger anymore. She doesn't feel guilty for being alive, leaving Gabe and Javi behind, or feel like she's the cause of the deaths of Luke, Rebecca, Kenny, Alvin…. Lee
Especially Lee.
She can think about him now, without feeling angry. Without wanting to punch whoever or whatever brought him up. She can think about Lee without that burning guilt building up inside her. She can think about him without wanting to cry. She smiles now when she thinks about all the sacrifices he made for her, because this right here, where she is sitting, is the reason why he did all those things.
"Yeah, I'm doing good." Clem says and she feels like she genuinely means that.
"Well lunch is almost ready, so they sent me to come get you." Aj says.
Clementine gets up off the bench and walks towards where Aj is standing. She ruffles his hair a little making him giggle.
"After lunch we should check how much you grew." Clementine suggest.
"But it's only been a year since the last time." Aj retorts.
"A lot can happen in a year, Aj." Clem throws back.
"Whatever you say, mom."
And that statement makes the grin on Clem's face grow just a little bit wider.
