Hero

e l e v e n

Later that day, Lenora watched as a crowd of her group circled around the hood of a car. Peering over a map. She sat under a tree, enjoying the escape from the sun on her fair skin. 

She couldn't quite hear what was going on but, she knew they were going to further the search for Sophia. Lenora hoped that Sophia was okay, she showed the girl a lot of kindness in the short amount of time they had known each other.

Lee looked to her left, noticing Carol setting up one of the tents. The mother was very visibly distraught. As the group around the hood of the car began to disperse, Lenora looked up to see Daryl walking towards her and Carol. 

"I'm heading out to keep lookin." He spoke with a grunt. "Gonna make a trip round the creek, see if she's been there. Be good, don't go messing about where you shouldn't be."

"Okay Daryl." Lenora said with a nod. They both knew she never had intentions of doing anything out of the ordinary, still it was reassuring knowing the redneck had told her. 

"I'll keep an eye on her." Carol spoke timidly. "It's the least I can do." 

"Uh, thanks." Daryl said awkwardly before turning back to Lee. "I'll see you later Lee." 

"See you." Lenora responded quietly before watching the man walk off into the distance.

"I've never seen that man be so gentle." Carol spoke softly. "In his own special way I suppose."

Lenora just shrugged silently, looking towards a part of the group that had gathered by the well. There was a makeshift rig, and Glenn was currently at the bottom of the well. She quirked an eyebrow in curiosity but decided for the best that she didn't want to know. 

Instead, she began to untangle her to braided strands of hair. They were currently a greasy mess, considering the last time she had bathed was at the CDC. That was a long time ago, combined with the sweat from the Georgia sun? She was not the prettiest smelling girl.

"Carol?" She asked politely. "Do you maybe have a brush somewhere?" 

Carol looked up quickly, surprised by the young girls voice. Lenora hardly spoke to the group. When she did it was mostly to Daryl in short sentences.  

"Yeah, um." Carol said reaching for the smaller bag next to hers, grabbing a purple hairbrush with rhinestones decorating it. "It's Sophia's." 

"Uh, thank you." Lenora said semi-awkwardly. She felt strange using the items that belonged to Carol's missing daughter, but knew it would be even stranger to hand the brush back without even using it. 

"Can I braid your hair for you?" Carol asked Lee and the young girl looked up in confusion. "I just, used to do it for Sophia all the time before we chopped her hair off, and your hair is pretty long." 

"Um sure." She spoke quietly before handing Carol the brush back and sitting on the ground in front of the older woman. The two sat in silence as Carol did two French braids along the sides of her head. 

By the time they were done, Shane and Andrea approached stating they were heading towards the highway to look for Sophia. The pair asked Carol if she was wanting to come with. 

"Yeah, I'll go." Carol told them. "Lenora are you gonna be okay here sweetpea? Or do you want to come as well." 

"I'll just stay here, and wait for Daryl to get back." Lenora stated, remembering the warning about Shane that Daryl had given her. So, with that she got up and walked towards the RV. 

Everybody was busy with their own tasks so she drifted off to the side to stay out of the way. There wasn't much for her to do, and Daryl was the only person she felt totally comfortable with. 

She sat in the RV, aimlessly reading a book that looked interesting enough until Daryl walked through the door an hour later with sweating gleaming above his brow. Carol had come back about 30 minutes ago and sewing a patch into a quilt. The entire camper was completely spotless. The woman had been stress cleaning at an attempt to clear her mind.

The two had a conversation in hushed voices, and Lenora tried not to overhear, feeling like she'd be intruding on something private if she had. She knew they were probably talking about Sophia, and judging my Daryl's face, she wasn't found yet. As Daryl exited the RV he turned to Carol one last time. 

"She's gonna really like it in here." He told the now crying woman. With that, he exited the door and Lenora quickly followed the man. The sun was starting to set, she figured she'd just remain close to him. 

There wasn't much for her to do around the farm, and nobody seemed to really acknowledge her presence most times. 

"There's been talk about teaching everyone how to shoot." Daryl told her. "Shane and Rick are gonna teach it, since they're certified or whatever." 

"That's nice of them." Lenora said awkwardly playing with the ends of one of her braids. 

"I want ya to go too." Daryl spoke. "Whenever it is, just so you know, it'll help ya keep safe. But stick with Rick." 

"I will." Lenora said looking at the fatherlike figure standing before her. "Might be less of a burden after." 

"You ain't a burden." Daryl spoke as they walked to the tent. "You're a kid, you should be for as long as possible." 

They were both silent after that. The sun had fully set now, and Lenora laid on top of her sleeping bag looking up at the stars through the roof of their tent. The thought of the night her parents abandoning her surfaced again.

"Daryl?" She asked shyly.

"Yeah Lee?" 

"If you leave, you'll wake me promise?" She asked, her voice wavering before Daryl realized why she was asking. 

There was still some trauma from waking up alone in the woods that morning. She didn't want to be left behind again, hence why she called her self a burden. Even if him leaving was simply to go find Sophia, she still deserved the reassurance that he wasn't leaving her. 

"Of course kid." Daryl spoke softly and hear the girl release a deep breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Always." 

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Word Count: 1069

gotta love soft daryl always looking out for Lee. 

hope you enjoyed!! Feedback is always appreciated.