"We're all so desperate to be understood, we forget to be understanding."
***
Six months later
With the help of the new people, the prison had become a real place to live. We had livestock, fences, and it was an entire community.
I walked outside in the morning and saw the kids playing in the yard.
"Hey guys," I smiled at them, and they all grinned back at me.
"Do you guys wanna do something?" I offered.
"How about hide and seek," Luke exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah!" Everyone chimed in.
"I'll start," I offered.
"1...2...3..."
After our game, I saw Patrick in the distance coughing violently. He dropped to the ground. I ran over to him and helped him up.
"What's wrong?" I asked frantically.
"I'm not feeling well; I just wanted fresh air," he said, struggling to stand. Carl came running over and stood by us.
"Carl, can you get medication?" I asked as I helped Patrick down in his cell. I gave him the medication, and he thanked me.
"Wait...Can I have a glass of water?" he innocently smiled.
"Fine," I groaned sarcastically.
I got him water and left. The group finished dinner, and I went to my cell. I wasn't feeling too well, so I lay down in the dark. Carl walked in.
"You okay?" He whispered to me.
"Mhm," I hummed. He crawled into bed with me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
***
In the morning, I woke up, and Carl was still asleep. I got dressed and went to find Beth.
"Can I do your hair?" I nodded my head and handed her my hairbrush. She finished my hair, and it looked nice.
"We should do something. Haven't talked in a while," she offered and smiled.
I nodded in agreement, and we sat outside. As I was thinking of what to do, I started to hum the tune of Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley.
"Wait!" She yelled, causing me to jump.
"What are-" before I could say anything, she ran into the prison, causing me to furrow my eyebrows.
Not even five minutes later, she returned with an acoustic guitar.
"Why-" she interrupted me.
"Sing!" She yelled at me, sitting down and adjusting the instrument.
"But I-"
"Sing!" She begged.
(Play the song attached.)
I gave in as she started to strum the guitar.
"Wise men say, only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you. Shall I stay? Would it be a sin if I can't help falling in love with you?" I sang to the tune of the guitar.
Beth smiled excitedly and sang the next part.
"Like a river flows, surely to the sea. Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be," Beth continued.
By now, people were starting to form a crowd around us.
"Take my hand. Take my whole life, too. For I can't help falling in love with you," Now, Beth and I sang together, and might I add our voices sounded pretty good together.
"Like a river flows, surely to the sea. Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be," she sang alone now, and I noticed Carl walk up beside me.
He stood there, and I looked into his gorgeous eyes as I sang the last verse.
"Take my hand, take my whole life, too, for I can't help falling in love with you. For I can't help falling in love with you," I finished.
Beth stopped playing, and everyone started to clap.
***
I walked into my cell so I could change my shirt. I had just gotten back from killing walkers on the fence and was pretty dirty. Carl was reading comics, and he smiled once I walked in.
"Hey," I mumbled, bringing down to pick up a shirt.
"Hi," he said.
I began pulling up my shirt, I change, and Carl rushed over to me, his eyes trained on my stomach.
My scar. My heart dropped to my stomach, and I quickly turned around.
"Skylar, what the hell is that from?" He asked hastily.
"Nothing Carl. I accidentally burnt myself when I was younger," I waved him off.
His brows furrowed, and I knew he didn't believe me.
"On your stomach?" He asked skeptically.
I bit my lip and sighed, throwing on a clean shirt.
"What is it from? Please tell me," he begged.
I finally gave in. He had to know.
"I-it was my dad. He blamed me for my mother's death and wished it was me instead," I began and took a seat on the bed.
He sat beside me, taking my hands in his.
"I was abused, Carl. Physically and emotionally," I spoke, barely above a whisper.
His face dropped, and I couldn't tell what emotions he was feeling.
"By your father? Why didn't you tell me?" He began raising his voice and dropped my hands.
I was about to speak, but he interrupted me with a strong voice.
"You were right down the street! We could have helped you!" He yelled, pacing around.
"You could have just told us! Why didn't you say anything?" His voice began to quiet down now once he noticed the tears in my eyes.
"He was my dad, Carl. It wasn't that simple," I said to him.
He looked down and sat beside me again, taking my hands in his own.
"I-I'm sorry. I wish I had seen it. You always had bruises. It was so obvious. I could have helped," he whispered.
I pulled him into a hug, and we both had tear-stained faces.
"You're okay now. We're okay."
***
In the morning, Michonne walked over to me and smiled.
"Would you like to go on a run with me today?" She asked. I nodded and smiled.
"Be careful. Okay?" Carl explained while holding my face in his hands. I kissed his lips.
"Always," I replied.
"Get a room!" Michonne yelled at us while getting in the car.
I followed her not long after, and we left the safety of the prison.
"I'll get antibiotics; you get food," Michonne explained as we arrived at the store while pulling out her katana.
I held my gun up and knocked on the window of a small Walmart. Two walkers came up and growled.
I opened one of the doors and stabbed them both. I got clothes for all the girls and all the guys, hygiene stuff, and all the food I could find; I also grabbed some stuff that the kids could do.
We were about to leave, but I grabbed Taylor Swift's album in 1989.
I met Michonne in the car and slipped the CD in. She was quietly singing along to Style.
She noticed and said, "I'm cool too," and I laughed.
"You got that James Dean daydream look in your eye, and I got that red lip classic thing that you like. And when we go crashing down, we come back every time. 'Cause we never go out of style. We never go out of style. You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt. And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt, and when we go crashing down, we come back every time. 'Cause we never go out of style. We never go out of style."
We arrived back at the prison, and I went to eat dinner. We finished, and I went to bed. Today was a good day.