virago|c.g.|

xxviii

As night began to fall, the three of them ate, talking about the little things that had happened during their day before heading upstairs for bed. However, Clary didn't stay in her room with the intention of sleeping. Upon her desk sat a leather journal that hadn't been opened for more than a few moments at a time, not to do anything but rather to catch small glimpses. She would read her past entries, smiling at the memories they produced or even faltering at the nightmares they included.

More delightful were the drawings, usually holding the images of people she had cared for or people she had lost. She had never found herself writing or drawing until she was perfectly contempt, a feeling she hadn't felt until about a month and a half since Alexandria had been invaded. She remembered the feeling had arose after a walk she gone on with Carl. It had been nothing special, simply the two of them walking the streets of Alexandria as he tried to get used to life without an eye. She remembered his moments of weakness where he told her she didn't have to be by his side as he was only becoming a burden. She never listened to him, simply assuring him she cared enough to stay before she helped him heal in any way she could.

With that moment in mind, the knowing that she felt mostly at peace within the walls, she sat at her desk before opening the leather bound book. Writing a few short journal entries, she soon came across an empty page before drawing the scene that she had seen just hours earlier, which included a smiling and laughing Glenn and Maggie. She did so for a while, only stopping when her hand ached or she wanted to gaze at other drawings or entries to remind her of the peace she felt. Her eyes glanced on many images, some of her past such as the first image of her father. She always wondered what happened to him as she had been young when he had gone. It was always easier to assume he had passed on, but she never quite knew. The only reason she knew or even remembered his likeness was the drawing of the image and the pictures she had salvaged.

Thinking no longer to her father, she looked upon the images of her mother and sister, of Leon and Layla, of Millie. She could tell from her journal when she started caring deeply about those within Alexandria as the images of the people closest to her transformed into those from her current community. Images of Maggie and Glenn, Enid and Carl, Daryl and even Rick filled her pages, along with other members she had grown to care for.

However, as she thought back to the images, eventually turning back to the current image of the couple that cared for her that she had been working on, she stopped. She heard a slight noise, which grew louder as it happened again. She brushed it off, believing it to be the overgrown branches of the tree by her home. However, as it happened again and became louder, she turned towards the window as it was where she believed the noise to be coming from.

Standing from the desk, she made her way over as the same noise happened again, a small rock hitting the glass making her realize what it was. A smile graced her face as she knew what would welcome her on the other side, the girl opening the window only to get hit with a pebble in her stomach. She heard laughter and looked across to see Carl with his top half hanging out the window. "I'm sorry—" Clary rolled her eyes, kicking the pebble away before turning towards the boy. "Do you just have a rock collection on your room?" Carl shrugged. "A couple, just in case." Clary laughed until she saw the underlying worry in Carl's features. Her eyes softened seeing the look. "Are you okay?" Carl nodded softly. "Yeah, I just— never mind. It's stupid—" Clary shook her head. "Hey, I told you I'm here for you, no matter how stupid it is. What's up?" Clary saw Carl look gratefully to her before he took in a deep breath and spoke softly. "Do you think I could come over? I— I can't sleep." Clary nodded, knowing full well that Carl had been having bad nightmares that led him to not sleep or not even want to sleep.