❝𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝❞
―
In a world taken over by walkers, ten-year-old Elodie fights to survive each day. But she's not just any survivor-she's a girl who happens to be hard of hearing. Her older brother Jamie isn't exactly supportive. In fact, he...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
〰
Elodie sat on a folding chair Dale had set up for her atop his RV, her legs swinging back and forth as she gazed at the tall mountains ahead. There was a road snaking up the hill where the camp was, so Dale could see it if anyone tried to drive up to them. Elodie didn't even want to think about bad people coming to attack them without Dale noticing it first.
Merle had made up a story a week ago about a big group driving up the hill, a man in a car up front. They managed to sneak past Dale's all-seeing binoculars, and were hiding in the bushes. Then, with a yell, they came out and attacked the camp. At that point Shane had stepped up and told Merle to "learn to keep his mouth shut near the kids". For once, Elodie agreed with him, because she had a nightmare that same night.
Now was pretty good, though. Despite Amy's constant pacing and her wondering out loud if Andrea was okay. Elodie understood she was worried. She would be worried too if Jamie was out there. But when people tell you to sit down and stop pacing because you're making people nervous, Elodie would do exactly that. Amy did not.
"Hey, Dale?" Elodie called out, her voice unintentionally loud given how close Dale was to her.
"Yes, Elodie?" Dale responded kindly, his focus on scanning the road with his binoculars.
"Have ya ever wondered what it's like to fly like a bird?" she asked, turning to face him. He noticed she had to look up at him, so he pulled up a chair beside her and sat down on it so she wouldn't strain her neck any further.
"I can't say I have," he replied with a hint of amusement.
"I have," she stated matter-of-factly. "I bet it would be really cool."
"Oh, really? How so?" Dale asked, a smile playing at his lips.
"Because ya could fly high up in the sky—" Elodie began, gesturing upward. "—and the world would look tiny, like a toy town. And ya wouldn't have to worry 'bout the Geeks. You'd be too high for 'em to reach you. Plus, ya could go anywhere ya wanted, like the mountains or Hawaii. Dale, I really wanna go to Hawaii someday," she rambled.
Dale nodded, a smile growing as he listened to Elodie's enthusiastic rambling. "That does sound pretty cool, doesn't it? What would be the first thing you'd do if you could fly like a bird?"
"Hmm," Elodie pondered, pulling her feet up on the chair and resting her chin on her knees. "I'd visit all the places I've never been before. Like the mountains. The really big ones. And I'd take ya with me so you could see it all too."
"You wouldn't bring Jamie or your mom?" Dale asked.
"Yes," Elodie grinned, swaying slightly as she met Dale's gaze. "I'd bring everyone."
"That's very sweet of you, Elodie," Dale remarked, leaning in closer with a playful wink.
"Elodie?" Jamie's voice interrupted from below. Elodie sighed, standing up and moving to the edge of the RV to face her brother.
