𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗔 || ᵍˡᵉⁿⁿ ʳʰᵉᵉ

fifteen.

It was like she was staring straight at the devil, the urge to flinch building with each infinitesimal movement he made. "I missed you." her father said, the scent of his favorite booze laced on his breath. It was a smell that would never get out of her head. She became that seven-year-old girl again, physically and mentally, horror rupturing her chest until she felt like she was dying. "You're so pretty."

She didn't feel pretty. She didn't feel lucky. She just felt used — used by her so-called protector.

"Dad," she begged, her voice small. "Where's mom?"

"Work. We have the whole place to ourselves," he smirked maliciously, his hands fixating around the hem of her pajamas, which was a dress with her favorite Disney Princess, Tiana. He didn't need to say a word. Alex knew. She knew what he was saying with a mere glance at his face. He was silently telling her that no one would believe her.

"Don't worry. It'll be fun." her dad commented. He didn't even try hiding how awful his lies were. Her version of fun was going to the park with her mom and being pushed on the swings until night fell. His version of fun was the kind of thing that put someone through years of therapy and misery until their dying breath.

✧

Eyes shooting open, Alexandra breathed heavily. Sitting up, she remembered where she was — Hershel's farm, her current sanctuary. She was safe, but that didn't stop her from digging her fingernails into her palm until she drew blood and her heart from whipping harshly. It was Katherine's babbling that burst her out of it.

She was shocked to feel a teardrop fall onto her arm, beginning to wipe them off her cheeks. Needing something to keep her bound to reality, Alex walked over to Katherine's crib, mustering up a smile. "Hi, baby," she whispered. Overjoyed to see her mother, Katherine reached out and played with Alex's hair.

Letting out a shaky breath, Alex assured herself that her father could not touch her again. His corpse was either in jail or a walker. "Come on," Alex said, bringing her baby into her arms. "Time for breakfast, sweetheart, and time to check on Beth. I'm sure she'd love to see your face. Who wouldn't?"

Seeing Glenn's side of the bed untouched, Alex repressed a sigh. It was no wonder that a nightmare would plague her the second Glenn didn't sleep beside her. As she remembered what he said yesterday, she ran a hand through her hair, concentrating on the smiling baby that made her life a whole lot brighter.

✧

Abandoning conviction, Beth's eyes were empty. She couldn't find the energy to eat the meal Alex cooked for her. Sitting beside Beth, Alex prayed the girl would lift her hand to at least inspect the food.

Babbling nonsense, Katherine clapped her hands along with her mother, unaware of what an impact she made on Alex's life. "How did you get her?" Beth asked, genuinely curious. Although her voice emphasized how depleted she was, she found the strength to transfer her attention from the wall to Alex.

"Her mother was bitten. I found her mom while I was searching for supplies and basically anything useful, and she gave me Kat. Made me promise to take care of her." Alex explained, glad the girl was finally talking. It took a while, but she believed they were making progress.

"Why would you promise her?" Beth asked.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"This world, I mean, everyone is going to die eventually," Beth said, no doubt suffering from the loss of the majority of her family. "Can you really see a future for her?"

Alex could tell that Beth meant no disrespect. She simply wanted to understand. "I think about that often, whether I will be able to protect her from the world. I might be the one saving her countless times, but the truth is, Katherine saved me. That is why I will do anything to ensure a future for her."